JonathanS

I have Blue Shield of CA and have read that BCBS can be as quick as 2 days and as slow as 2 weeks. I for one will be stalking my pre-authorization ladies until I have an answer.

The most obvious one is a fever. Some have also described it as shoulder pain (but is often very common with LAP surgery). Good luck!

I have read that some find body pillows useful. Good luck Monday!

I honestly had no idea what this thread was about until I clicked lol!

Whitney, I'm going through the same thing! I lost 25 lbs (6 month diet) and have gained back 2 in the last week and only 2 weeks out from surgery. I'm trying to get myself in check. I felt so prepared less then a week ago and now that my date is final I have started letting my cravings get the best of me. However, I know what I'm doing is best for myself and I'm going to pick myself up and get back on track. I wish you luck and a speedy recovery!

I stole these two links from another thread: http://www.bestpricenutrition.com/syntrax-nectar-sampler-pack-11-packs.html http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/SYNTRAX_NECTAR_PROTEIN_POWDER_SAMPLES_p/nectar-sample.htm I purchased mine from Vitalady since my NUT recommended them: http://www.vitalady.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?search=action&keywords=SyntraxNectar&template=Templates/Syntrax_Nectar.html Glad I could help!

Agreed. The apple one tasted too much like the jolly rancher for me. But still, SO MUCH BETTER THEN ISOPURE!

I am the 17th myself. Well wishes and a speedy recovery!

I must say, you are beautiful. That is all.

Tamara, I just wanted to point out that while the ensure has 0 fat, 9 grams of protein, it does have 35 grams of carbs. It was suggested by my NUT to keep a close eye on carbs and especially those that contain a lot of sugar. Have you tried the Nectar brand from Syntax yet? It is a clear liquid mix too. It has 0 fat & 0 carbs. I ordered all the sample flavors from vitalady and like most of them. I hope I haven't come across as preaching, I just wanted to make sure you knew there were other options out there. I wish you a speedy recovery!

I have come to appreciate my experience and the 6 month waiting period that I had to go through. This is something that you really don't want to jump too quickly in to. You are the only one that can make this decision for yourself. I hope another self-pay will post about an available post-op insurance that will cover any complications. I can't remember the name but I know I have seen it. This may be a great option for you to avoid that $100k burden you fear. I wish you the best on your journey!

Well wishes on a speedy recovery! :-)

I think this is a personal decision that you have to make for yourself. You will hear "don't you dare" or "sure, I do". For myself, I'm going to follow on the heals of others success and the advice that my surgeon has given me, I've chosen not to. I enjoy the Smart Water brand and crystal light so much that I don't even look at soda anymore. Good luck on your upcoming journey!

It does look pretty neat seeing your insides. The barium shake they gave me had a strong fake cherry taste to it. I asked the technician if it was nasty and she said that it is not that bad and they add flavor. She was right. The hardest part is not burping after they give you the fuzzy stuff. Glad everything went well!

Good luck on all your tests! The EKG takes under 2 minutes. The chest xray takes under 60 seconds. Now the ultrasound took a bit longer on me because she was having a hard time seeing my gallbladder but it was dark in the room and the hum of the machine almost put me to sleep so no big deal. The only thing about the blood work is the volume (12+ vials) that they take. It seemed to take forever to fill them all. Good luck on the endoscopy, I didn't have one. My surgeon wanted an upper gi instead.

Do I sense a fellow redditor?

NDN, I tend to agree with you. After going to the support groups and talking to others that my surgeon has operated on, I'm comfortable with the inherent risks.

Absolutely! I actually made notes as I read the posts here and typed up about 15+ questions to ask. I knew I would be nervous and probably wouldn't remember everything if I didn't write it down. But once I get in the room with the surgeon he made me feel very at ease and ended up just talking for awhile and I pulled out my list at the end to make sure I didn't forget anything.

I also asked how he prevented leaks (clips along staple line, glue, stitching). Pain after surgery. Drains. Expected weight loss in first month. Preop diet. Time to do surgery. Cath. If I would have my own recovery room. How soon I could exercise.

Sorry to hear that. Hopefully it won't take that long!

I'm 25 years old from Atlanta, Georgia single and looking . My surgery date is Tuesday, October 16th. Luckily I do not have a preop diet but I am trying to drop weight before surgery. I'm down 20lbs during my 6 month supervised diet and hope to drop another 5 before surgery. Good luck to everyone!

Honestly, go ahead and give them a call to explain what happened. Smoking can affect everything that sassy mentioned. I would not hide it from them.

I talked to my surgeon about traveling and he said that it shouldn't be longer then 90 minutes to prevent clots. However, if your Dr. gave you the ok ... have fun! I would just remember water, water, and more water with walking and being in the sun.

I was one of the bright ones that purchased an isopure bottle variety pack to try before surgery. Well now I sit here with a case of the stuff trying to figure out how in the world I'm going to drink it. For those that mix it with Crystal Light ... Do you just poor a packet in the bottle and shake? Any flavor combination suggestions?

Looking back the 6 months does go by pretty quickly. I'm 5 out of 6 and next month I start my clearances; psych eval, pulmonology, dietitian, and cardiologist. I also have to attend my last mandatory support group meeting and get my teeth cleaned. I'm pretty sure with the normal 9-5 plus these, the month is going to go by pretty quickly. We have already set a tentative surgery date of October 16th. Just yesterday it seemed I was 180 days away, now only 55.