MidwestGirl

Hey, did all you fellow Wowheads know that Cataclysm is being released December 7?!?! Can't wait! Though I haven't been playing much lately...we switched factions (to Alliance) and realms (to Dragonblight). The hubby & I have been doing refer-a-friend leveling too, so hopefully I'll have another 80 soon.

You are one awesome lady. Congratulations!!!!

Well, it's not Monday, but I haven't weighed in here in awhile, and have some fabbbbbbbbbulous news! Highest weight: 282 (July 2009) Surgery weight: 264 (January 4th, 2010) Current weight: 187.4!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm in onederland! I never thought I would actually be able to say that. I've gone from 2X t-shirts to M t-shirts, and mostly L dress shirts/sweaters. From 24 jeans to 16s and a size 14 skirt & dress! I couldn't be happier.

I started having popcorn after about 6 weeks out, per my nutritionist's okay, with no problems. I eat it quite often. I pop it over the stove and add seasonings rather than butter. It is a carb but it's also a whole grain and I need the fiber. It also has a decent amount of protein so I see it as a good choice.

Woot! That's great!!! :scared0:

I really like Unjury. I mix the strawberry sorbet flavor with water & crystal light. I put the unflavored in smoothies. I haven't tried the chocolate, vanilla, or chicken broth yet even though I have the samples! Their samples are pretty cheap and you can order them online. They deliver pretty quick too.

Woot! Congrats on your surgerversary, Tiffy! And congrats on your awesome journey! :001_tt2: Love the new outfit, by the way.

This was my dietitian's take on carbs as well. I'm losing a bit slower than others at this point (also partially because I haven't been working out lately), but I'm okay with that. I know that personally if I limit my healthy carbs (fruits, veggies, whole grains) completely, I am more likely to eat not so good things.

My surgeon was Dr. Christophersen (I always spell that wrong) at Genesis Bariatric in Davenport, Iowa. My clinic is of the mindset "once you have surgery, you are with us for life!" so probably not your best bet if you're in TN. :001_cool: My surgeon was excellent though. I don't recall how many sleeves he has done, but he has had 1 leak, which was caused several weeks post-op due to the patient advancing his diet too quickly. My price was (I think) around $22,000. That included surgery itself + anesthesia, 1 night hospital stay, all my pre-op appointments & evaluations (psych, dietitian, physical therapist, recreational therapist, pharmacist, nurses appt.'s), all of the vitamins they gave me for pre-op and aftercare (though I didn't use all of them) and all my aftercare for the first 9 months post-op. Aftercare has been great. I had a 2-week postop, 3 month, and I will go back at 6 month, 9 month, 1 year, and then annually. Both the surgeon and the dietitian are very open to questions and everyone in the office is extremely friendly. I look forward to my appointments because they are always excited to see me! LOL. It's kind of cool because they don't see me often, so for example when I went in for my 3 month post-op appt, they hadn't seen me in 2 1/2 months and I had lost over 35 lbs in that time, so even the receptionist was like "WOW, Randi! I didn't even recognize you! You look amazing!" :thumbup: Couldn't ask for a better experience!

I shouldn't have read this post. I never thought of crystal light with it! LOL...I have two bottles of vodka in the freezer (they've both been in there almost a year already, and one was a 21st birthday gift!)....vodka was my first love. :thumbup:

I had difficulty swallowing pills post-op too. I ended up getting everything chewable (all vitamins). Are they crushable pills? I crushed all of my pills (which was basically birth control and a beta blocker) for the first month. You may want to talk to your pharmacist about crushing them or, if they are capsules, sometimes they will tell you it's okay to open them and pour the medication out and do it that way.

My dietitian said 6 months post-op I could try to drink. And they also recommend wine as a "first drink," actually. I think she said my "first" time to try 4 oz. or less of a white wine (fine with me!). And actually...I was naughty. At about 2 1/2 months post-op I tasted a wine (in the store kinda thing), and had my first actual glass of wine at about 4 months. I also had a daquiri at about 4 1/2 months. None of it really bothered me, though the first time I drank I noticed it hit me a lot harder, though that could've been because I hadn't drunk at all in so long. I also find that I don't really enjoy it as much anymore. It's kind of strange. Anyway, as a piece of advice, I would say if you're going to drink maybe try to stay away from the margaritas, daquiris, etc. just because those mixes can add a lot of calories and sugar. But otherwise, I say go for it. :001_cool:

I don't see why you wouldn't be able to have a Philly ever again. Maybe make it at home so you can make it healthier, but I think you're overlooking the point of the sleeve. Eventually (with some exceptions), we should be able to eat whatever we want...in small amounts (and moderation, of course). That's why I chose the sleeve. Hopefully this is cheering you up a bit! :thumbup: And by the way, if you're looking for a way to enjoy the flavor of a philly cheesesteak right now??....

Hmm, I'm not sure what you mean by pre-cert. I had no appeal, and I'm pretty sure once I applied it only took a couple weeks. I never saw anyone in person from BCBS, if that's what you mean. The bariatric center I go to is one of the "blue distinguished" preferred centers (Genesis Bariatric in Davenport). Before applying I had: orientation, letter from my PCP, a couple EKGs, a stress test & echocardiogram (both extra because of some obesity-nonrelated issues with my heart), psych evaluation (at the center), dietitian meeting, surgeon meeting. Let me know if you have more questions. I'd love to fill you in on what my experience with insurance was, just not sure if I'm answering the right question! :scared0:

What is your BMI? I was approved by Federal BCBS with a 45 BMI. I also did not have any co-morbidities (other than heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure all run in my family).