disneyteach

I feel you Patrick. There was a guy, he was 600 lbs, too, I was sitting next to in the introduction meeting. He was a second timer. He got cold feet the morning of the surgery and walked out of the hospital. His wife said she could have killed him. He was self-pay and they didn't charge him anything. I am sure everything will be fine. They will make sure you are ready.

Keep pumping! I was given permission to eat one Lean cuisine at night, because I was diabetic pre-op. Maybe that same exception can be made for you. It is really up to your NUT and your surgeon. As long as you are losing weight is really all that matters when it comes to shrinking your liver. They give you a liquid diet to practice for after surgery. If you want to see what your liver looks like, they did an ultrasound and an upper GI and both times I saw what my liver looked like. In the ultrasound which was five weeks pre-surgery, it looked fatty. When I started my liquid diet and lost 20 pounds, they did the upper GI and it was much smaller. It was only covering the top part of the stomach. I found out the doctor has to lift the liver while he or she is stapling your stomach. Everybody was nice in explaining everything to me. I am glad I was at Alexian Brothers, because I was treated like a king.

Patrick, you are a trip! LOL. I like you dude. I never thought to ask for my money back. Honestly, if the insurance company is paying, I would figure they would put you on a 6 month strict diet and then allow re-operation. I can't see that happening with any doctor. It cost the insurance company over $20,000, plus a three days hospital stay and all the doctors that visited me and checked on me. I would say they are out $30,000 right now. So my way of thanking the insurance company is by at least following the guidelines. They called me the day after I got out the hospital and when I told them I am no longer diabetic, the insurance company was very happy. The way I look at this, if I am not successful, then other people, like you who want a sleeve, will find it harder through insurance companies to get approval. As I heard, the six month diet requirement came about, because so many people were unsuccessful on the bypass diet. So they wanted to see if patients would stick to a diet for six months. I know bypass patients who were eating whoppers, pizza and full big macs by their second month and eating it regularly. By the way, I noticed that I mis stated something, Dooter, I apologize. I slipped up and ate two lean cuisine pre-op, not post op. Post op, I have only eaten Soups and liquids. Finally, I am on mushies. No wonder why you thought I was busting my stomach. I am lucky if I get down 1/4 cup of chicken salad. That even feels funny! Yogurt turns into a meal!

Seriously, it is funny. Chopped is my favorite show now. Diners, Dives & Drive ins is my second favorite show. At the same time, I am looking at the ribs on the TV screen wanting one rib, not a full rack. I am learning to cherish four bites of something instead of quantity. Keep pushing forward Patrick! You sound like a guy like me that has a fast food addiction. You would have thought I was a kid going to Disney World, when I hit the mushy stage. I drove through Boston Market and ordered mashed potatoes, like it was 2 big whoppers. Even with mashed potatoes, it didn't go down well. I am finding that butter and greasy food are not my friends. Each one of our stomachs acts differently. Like Dooter said, do not overfill that sucker. I have only done it once. Boy, I had to beat on my chest and lay down. By the way Dooter, I was told by the nurse and doctor my stomach only fits 4 oz of food, so you have a bigger belly than me. That is messed up.

You will understand once you are sleeved. I am on my 4th week and a bite of a breadstick the other day did not feel well. Along with other test foods. Enjoy that McD's salad, because it will be awhile.

This is the best secret no one buys. I hate protein powder, but GNC has a pre-made shake called Lean Shake. It sits in the front of the store, because it sells so good. It has 25g of protein, lactose free and is YUMMY! By the way, it is pre-made. I knock one down driving to work every morning after walking two miles. I will have another for a mid-morning snack. Check out my blog, if you want to know what they look like. I drank these pre and post op. Awesome!

You must tell them! They will give you advice on what to take to clear it up. I had a cold six days before surgery. I did airborne, Tylenol and drank tons of Water. It cleared up enough to where I only had a little stuffiness. Your lungs can not have any problems. If they hear your lungs are unclear or you are running a fever on the operation day, they will cancel your surgery.

You go girl!

I am three weeks post op and I slipped a few times eating two lean cuisines instead of one. Let me tell you after the diet, if you slip, You will not feel so good. I took a bite of a breadstick on Friday and I felt it. I lost 45 pounds in a month, so you are on the same track. I ate 1,200-1,600 calories preop and I eat 800-1,200 postop. As for BBQ, I have been watching the Cooking channel and dreaming of a rib again. I hope it was good.

O.k. I lost 45 pounds in one month and walking 2 miles every morning. Everything is great, except that I can not seem to get rid of my bigger clothes. So many times I have lost weight and put it back on, I am scared to get rid of my bigger clothes. I have started shopping for new clothes and even bought a bunch of clothes one and two sizes smaller than I am now, in hopes of getting there within two months. How did you get rid of your bigger clothes without being scared of needing them again? At what point, did you decide to empty out your closet and went shopping again?

It is a pretty big group of people. There were at least 30 people in the room and there are no lap band patients, because they have different needs. I hate that the meetings are monthly and not bi-weekly. Otherwise, they are fine.

Thanks. I will check with them.

Good luck!

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