Trixie

I've had good luck finding tasty Protein powders from the BariatricEating.com website, but their stuff is darn pricey! But, their Inspire protein powders taste good to me (especially the caramel latte and Peanut Butter cookie), have 20 g of protein and only 1 g of carbs per serving, which makes them perfect for the pre-op low carb diet.
Does anyone know of anyplace else to find the Inspire brand? They look like they may be "house" brands at BariatricEating.com, but if that is the case, I wonder if there is a comparable brand that has the same good stuff for a better price. Anyone have suggestions?

I've had good luck finding tasty Protein powders from the BariatricEating.com website, but their stuff is darn pricey! But, their Inspire protein powders taste good to me (especially the caramel latte and Peanut Butter cookie), have 20 g of protein and only 1 g of carbs per serving, which makes them perfect for the pre-op low carb diet.
Does anyone know of anyplace else to find the Inspire brand? They look like they may be "house" brands at BariatricEating.com, but if that is the case, I wonder if there is a comparable brand that has the same good stuff for a better price. Anyone have suggestions?

I thought I would post an update on my surgery. I'll be one week post-op tomorrow. Everything went fantastically well.
I had the procedure on Monday and was released from the hospital on Wednesday afternoon. I have had very little pain, even in the hospital, and didn't ask for pain meds after they removed my morphine pump on Tuesday morning. I was up and walking on Monday afternoon, and did my best to walk a few laps around the hallway every 2-3 hours as proscribed by my doctor. I swear, that makes all the difference in the world!
I'm convinced that my surgeon, Dr. Wier, is the most compassionate, caring surgeon around. I would highly recommend him! We had a great, funny moment in the hospital when Dr. Wier came by on rounds on Wednesday and found me talking to @hirskborn, another of his patients, who was there visiting me. The look on his face was priceless.
Thank you to everyone for your kind words when I last posted about my journey to having this surgery. Through VSTalk, I have made at least one RL friend in addition to a supportive online community. This forum is invaluable.
Before she died, I promised my mom I would have this done by the end of the year, and I have.

I started my journey toward my VSG over a year ago. One of my best friends, who happens to be an Ob/Gyn, pulled me aside to talk to me about my weight. She cautioned me that I was heading for diabetes, a heart attack or a stroke. She encouraged me to look into bariatric surgery "before it's too late."
That was in June of 2010. At 240 pounds, I was at my heaviest ever. My job doesn't help. I run my own law firm,with all the long hours and high stress that entails. I didn't exercise much, and my husband (who thinks bacon is a lean meat) did most of the cooking. I had just turned 43, and I had packed on most of the excess weight since starting law school in 2003.
But then I got news that my mom had lung cancer and that her oncologist recommended removing part of her lung. I dropped everything and went to be with my mom after her surgery. Meanwhile, my business partner and I started to have problems. By the end of the year, Mom was doing OK, but the business had fallen apart and I had to start over. By December I had relaunched my firm as a solo practice. And gained another four pounds.
I finally made it to a bariatric weight loss seminar in January and learned about my options. I settled on a VSG because it has fewer complications than either the RNY bypass or the gastric band. I submitted my insurance info to the practice manager, and crossed my fingers!
About a month later, I got word that my oldest sister had thrown a blood clot to her lungs (a saddle pulmonary embolus). Thank God she is a pediatrician! She knew what was happening when it started, took the right precautions, and the "widow maker" embolus didn't kill her. Once again I dropped everything, this time to help my sister when she came home from the hospital. Boy was THAT a wakeup call! My sister, who is only four years older than me, nearly died of something that is weight-related.
A few weeks after I got back, I got word that my insurance would indeed cover a sleeve gastrectomy. I met with my surgeon shortly thereafter, and started the six-month long process of physician-supervised dieting, lab tests, barium swallows, pulmonary and cardiology stress testing... the works. Finally, in August 2011, I got a surgery date: September 26th.
Along the way my mom's cancer had returned, metastasizing to her liver. It was terminal, I knew, but Mom made me swear that I would have my surgery on September 26th, no matter what. But on September 10, 2011, my mother passed way, just two days before I was to start my 2-week pre-op liquid diet. I called my surgeon's office and postponed the surgery indefinitely.
I was heartened to learn that my slot was given to a good friend who I met through this BBS: Hirskborn. Karma can be a wonderful thing!
My surgery has been rescheduled to November 28th. I am three days into my liquid diet (which sucks, by the way) and down 6 pounds. Hopefully I'll lose enough before my pre-op consult on Tuesday that my surgeon will give me the green-light for surgery.
And that's my story. I've been around here a while, lurking and reading everyone else's stories, questions and advice. This is the first time I've really felt up to sharing what I've been through in the last year and a half.