bcominganume

Thanks sbekch! I am being sleeved at Northside Hospital in Atlanta by Dr. Paul Macik.

Yaaaayyyyy!!!!! Finally, I have a surgery date!!!! February 22nd I will be sleeved!!! Boy it's been a long process. I started this in October 2011!!! Can't wait to join you all on the losers bench!!! Pre-op diet starts Friday and I actually can't wait. It's not liquid but I plan to add in some days of just liquid to get as much off as possible. I'm elated!

Yaaaayyyyy!!!!! Finally, I have a surgery date!!!! February 22nd I will be sleeved!!! Boy it's been a long process. I started this in October 2011!!! Can't wait to join you all on the losers bench!!! Pre-op diet starts Friday and I actually can't wait. It's not liquid but I plan to add in some days of just liquid to get as much off as possible. I'm elated!

That give me peace of mind! Did you have to do a pre-op diet? How was it?

DO NOT GIVE UP! I know you are frustrated. I was the same way. By the time everything was done with my tests it took a year longer than I had planned. It is worth the wait. I have dropped from a size 24 to a 6. Even better I FEEL GREAT! Here is my # if you ever need an ear to listen. 678-274-7280. You can reach me after 4:30.
Hugs,
H

Congrats!!!! I am still jumping through hoops with them after 3 wiks! I should however, be joining you ladies soon. A new life in 2013!!!!

Congrats!!!! I am still jumping through hoops with them after 3 wiks! I should however, be joining you ladies soon. A new life in 2013!!!!

Dr Macik is great! He did my sleeve on 11/16 and i feel great! No pain issues other that gas (normal). Great dr great staff great experience!

Wow... Looks like u have ur hands full.. Lol. I will be sleeved on Monday too! Like u, im nervous and excited.. Im ready to lose this weight for good! Best wishes to u!!!

My suggestions: Get all your food & supplies before surgery. I used better than boullion for liquids, lots of sugar free popsicles (went through 2 boxes in 10 days), I needed extra gauze & tape for my drain site & had to go to the store to get it. That sucked! Wean yourself off the sugar & caffeine now to save the withdrawal headaches later. Looks like you have a young child? Freeze some casseroles ahead of time so they can be re-heated so you won't have to cook.
Get Protein samples from bariatric pantry, unjury, etc. Don't try them now, they will probably taste different after surgery. Take lots of pics. I wish I had taken more, especially not fully clothed (like sports bra type) to compare to.
Good luck! Amy

I'm so excited that I'm approved for the surgery. This has been a long process and I didn't want to say anything on the forum until I no I was approved. I've really appreciated you guys posting information that has helped me along this journey! I will continue to update. I had Cigna

I was sleeved 3 months ago and I have to say the mental aspect of this journey has been easier than I expected. I was worried that I would be an emotional wreck and not be able to follow the rules. However, the sleeve does something amazing. It takes away those strong hunger pains for junk and replaces it for (what I call normal) hunger signals.
I no longer crave carbs and junk. I eat healthy and really only want healthy things. I know that will probably change in the near future but I am preparing myself for it and taking it one day at a time.

I al so used Dr. Macik and love him to death! He is the BEST in GA. I am very happy with all of his work and he is well worth the wait. I hit snags also and almost gave up... DON'T. Your new life will be well worth all you have had to go through.
Hugs,
Hansi

What a great dialogue this thread stimulated!
A myriad of things come to mind when I think about my ongoing weight loss journey. Tonight I am going to the Hollywood Bowl for a summer concert under the stars, to see Smokey Robinson. I am looking forward to the music of course, and hanging out with my girlfriends - but I am also looking forward to being able to walk that hill without feeling like I am going to pass out. Last year, I went to the same concert with some friends, and I used to huff and puff up the little hill that takes you into the venue site - I would always ask to stop at the restrooms at the mid-way point, even if I didn't have to use the restroom - I just needed to catch my breath! I would then get a few paper towels and moisten them to be able to cool myself off by the time we would get to our box seats. You know how it is or used to be, when you would stop walking - the heat in your body would just build up...and sweating was soon to follow. I can easily walk for miles now and I am nearly 75 pounds lighter than last summer...this is a milestone in my journey - oh how I used to wish I didn't have to go through the shame of being so overweight and out of shape! Well this is my little victory walk tonight! That's a NSV (non scale victory)!
I was also thinking about the mechanics of the post-op hormonal changes that take place, one the decrease of the hormone ghrelin, but also what I think may be a change in our natural reward centers revolving around the eating process and the release of dopamine and serotonin - our natural feel good chemicals, many of which are released during the eating process. The process of eating pre-op without limitation offerred us more than the reward of just getting full, the "feel good" hormones were soon to follow, and that reward kept us coming back over and over. Feeling bad, lonely, frustrated....bring on the food. Feeling joyful, elated, excited...bring on the food. What I have noticed without the food binge opportunity, is that my reward isn't the same, whether it is because we are comsuming so much less, or whether the balance of hormones has changed, it is different. I think this is why so many say that eating is more of a chore than a pleasure. Also, once you experience a negative side effect of eating something you cannot tolerate, it sends the body a powerful aversion to that behavior which is held in our memory bank. This stuff is all probably instinctive, to prevent humans from consuming things that were toxic. But, hey...it works!
The other side of this is that "feel good" hormones are coming from different strategies for me now. Feeling like I have a "can do" attitude makes me soar. Feeling good in my clothes is a secret little joy. Having control over my eating makes me proud of myself.
I still enjoy cooking and I still enjoy food - I mean we need it to survive...but I don't turn to it first to make me HAPPY anymore. I get out more, I can do more physically, and I just keep feeling better and better about this decision I made !
Good luck DeterminedGirl !!

What really made up my husband's and my mind about the surgery was the statistics outlined by my surgeon during the information seminar. Pretty close to that dismal figure - if you have 100+ lbs. to lose the long term success rate is something like 1%.
Bariatric surgery is the only proven way to get it off and keep it off.
I had a long time to prep and like many other folks here - I started to eliminate things from my diet in the year prior to my surgery, I quit smoking a year and a half ago, gave up white flour, Pasta, rice - processed carbs for the most part - no sugar, I wanted to make the post surgical transistion as easy as possible. My husband sailed through his surgery and mine was like getting hit by a Mac truck (possibly becasue I was a smnoker for so long I may have reduced my ability to heal well or rapidly is what I think).
I see the connection between addiction and food for me, it will always be a challenge, but what a wonderous tool we now have to help us get healthier.
This is a great book that you might take a look at - it is written by a bariatric counselor and goes over many of the emotional, physical, societal issues bariatric patients experience. I keep it in our bathroom haha.
The Emotional First + Aid Kit: A Practical Guide to Life After Bariatric Surgery
http://www.amazon.com/The-Emotional-First-Aid-Kit/dp/0976852659
and another one - one of the best I have read about our food industry, carbs,sugar etc.
The End of Overeating: Taking Control of the Insatiable American Appetite
http://www.amazon.com/End-Overeating-Insatiable-American-Appetite/dp/B004NSVE32/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1342745209&sr=1-1&keywords=the+end+of+overeating

First I will say that I feel like no matter how hard you prepare yourself before the surgery, it is still nothing like you expected afterward. I have said this before but it is kinda like having children...you think you know what your in for, or you think you know what the love will be like...but when it actually happens - totally different. I thought I was mentally ready for this surgery...but I was not. I have had lots of "buyers remorse" and even some depression.
The surgery forces you to change your emotional relationship with food, and I have had a tremendous struggle "breaking up" with food. I was just crying yesterday because I was at a party with tons of food, you know, the typical summer picnic, hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, cole slaw, Desserts etc....all the stuff I used to love and now cannot have. I was able to find a couple chunks of watermelon and some baked Beans...woo hoo! I was so upset. I wound up going for a long swim until everyone was pretty much done eating and then I re-joined the party. This definitely helped take the edge off, but it was still very tough. This surgery forces you to change your mental connection with food, but it does not come easy.
I was heavy my whole life, and I like others had tried every diet from cabbage Soup to Atkins to weight watchers, and of course crazy amounts of excercise. And I too would lose 40,50 or 60 pounds, and then I would plateau. And at that plateau I would tell myself, 'damn, I am looking pretty good, I can eat this...or that', and before you know it I was back up the weight I had lost...plus a few more pounds. I am 5' tall and my highest weight (which was just before my surgery) was 248 pounds. My wake up call came when I measured my hips and they were 59'' around. And just to put that into perspective, I am 60'' tall... I said holy ****...okay, something has to be done. I did think about trying to do it on my own again, but I knew that was a temporary solution and it would only be a matter of time before I was back up to that weight, plus a few more pounds. I decided to apply a permanent solution this time with the surgery. I am now down (my ticker is wrong cause I need to update it) 37 pounds, and I can't believe that I am 11 pounds away from "onederland." The last real time I was there was at 25 years old before I got pregnant with my second child. At age 28 I was up to 240 and I went on a super kick and lost all the way down to 199, but that only lasted for like a day, and then I was right back up to 205 and then up and down over the next five years till now!
I am five weeks post-op today, and I have not started excercising yet, but I am about to start doing pilates. My doctor has just okayed it. In terms of excercise there is no magic button in my head. I have never really liked to do the eliptical or treadmills or bikes or any of that hard core sweating cardio. I prefer step-areobics and yoga and I am now going to give pilates a try, because I have met tons of people who swear by it!
The surgery is changing my mental outlook in terms of the fact that I now know that I will be around for many more years than I would have been had I stayed on the path I was on. Food was my enemy. It was literally killing me. And although I am still struggling to get energy I definitely feel more healthy than before. I can't wait to go shopping in regular stores, and buy tons of cute clothes that look just as cute on as the do on the rack. And of course I look forward to my first victoria secret something...ever!!
I absolutely hate the liquid diet, the Protein Shakes and the 3 oz. of food I can eat. This is another one of those things that I thought I was ready for pre-op, but turned out to be completely different post-op. It's kinda weird. I hate the fact that I have to force myself to eat. I have this very strange relationship with food right now. Everything looks good and sounds good and I think I want it - but when it comes to putting it in my mouth it is a totally different story. Sometimes I will chew food until its mush and then spit it out, because I just can't bring myself to swallow.
My doctor, along with hundreds of people who have had the surgery, say that it does get better. I am still waiting for this moment. I am waiting for the day when I wake up feeling normal. Until then, I am just doing the best I can to get in my nutrition and focus on the positive things in my life, like my husband and children, and how I am going to be around to see my grand children, and hopefully even great grand children one day!!
Best of luck to you determinedgirl...I am sure that you will do what is right for you.

I have Cigna as well. They recently changed the policy in May from 6 to 3 months. Wouldn't you know I was finishing up month 6 in June! SMH. I was initially denied as well due to a missing medical clearance, but now I'm approved! Still have a way to go until surgery b/c of class and work schedule.

Yay! Finally, I got a call from my doctor's coordinator and they sent it in and got disapproved and then they fixed something and after they sent it back in it was approved in about a week. Now I am waiting for the call to get my preop and surgery scheduled. They changed my doctor though because apparently Dr. Scarborough is out of network and Dr. Yu is in network so he will be doing the surgery.