SpaceDust

I love pho, but I expect that after the surgery I'll just have a little of my husband's now and again. I can live without the noodles if I can have the broth and the meat!

Is brown rice even off the table for you, JP69? When I asked my NUT, I was told limit the quantity and not until I'm at least a few months out, but the occasional small serving of brown rice would be okay if I tolerate it.

Laura-ven you beat me to it. I'm really surprised if the NUT would have a problem with it in general, as it's pretty much the skim milk of the peanut butter world!

Mine will be for one week, not to exceed 870 calories per day: 3-4 Protein shakes - low carb high protein choices are the best - I plan to use a mix of the Premier Protein shakes and some of the whey protein isolate powders I already use to replace one meal several days a week. Light dinner No particular restrictions on what that dinner can be, but it's suggested to be well-balanced. Some of the frozen meals like WW, Healthy Choice, Lean Cuisine were suggested as possibilities, along with Kashi and Amy's. I should be able to have a dinner that is between 230-380 cals, depending on how many shakes I have and if I add anything into them. Other than that, the usual calorie-free clear liquids are okay.

If anyone asks, you had abdominal surgery a couple of months ago. If you actually had a hernia repair or your gallbladder removed, then you could acknowledge one of those surgeries if you want. Otherwise, I'd stick to something like giving them a friendly smile, but saying, "I prefer to keep my health treatments private. Thanks for understanding." Then if anyone else asks, repeat "I had abdominal surgery a couple of months ago" and leave it at that. They'll get the picture that it's off-limits for conversation.

Good luck! I've crossed my fingers for you that it's smooth sailing to approval and scheduling!

One of the suggestions I've seen is to not just go by the scale because everyone had stalls. For those of you who aren't seeing the pounds drop, are your clothes fitting more loosely? Did you measure yourself at the start, and are you perhaps losing inches? Are you getting more exercise so that you might be building muscle mass?

It's over there. See that unrecognizable pile? I think someone has Wile E. Coyote's supplier in speed dial - isn't that an Acme 2 ton weight on top of the carcass?

One of the things about the sleeve is that most or all of the stretchy part of the stomach is removed - there will be SOME changes in capacity as it heals and the swelling goes down, but everything I've heard is that you will retain sufficient restriction that you will be satisfied physically with very small meals. Just be aware that it is very possible to cheat your way past the restriction if you don't stay attentive to what you're eating. Some foods are classified as "slider foods" - they go through your system very quickly so the full sensation either isn't triggered at all or your stomach empties too quickly and you're hungry again. You could still drink a lot of empty calories, too. The same thing is true of the band, though.

I'm feeling a lot like you regarding the support group, too. It's 35 minutes each way for me, best case. I am thinking I may try a few sessions to see if the value exceeds the inconvenience factor. I do love the staff! Dr. Michaelson is great, Sarah was a sweetheart to work with as my dietician, and if I decide I need counseling I'm heading straight for Linda! I love that so much of the staff has had WLS so they get the patient perspective.

Regarding the home sleep study, that is often what insurance supports when there isn't any obvious medical necessity. For example, my insurance covered a friend who was having obvious symptoms of health impairment that was likely to be sleep apnea, and whose PCP referred him for the study. However, I wasn't having any overt symptoms, just needed it as part of prepping for the sleeve, so I had to go the home study route. It isn't a big deal other than the annoyance of wearing the equipment overnight. They send you home with some equipment so they can monitor your breathing, pulse, oxygen and so on while you sleep overnight. You take the equipment back in the morning, they do the analysis of your recorded stats and then you have an appointment to discuss the results and determine next steps, if any. It was quicker to get the home study scheduled than to wait for the in-clinic study.

Schedule info, as in how long before returning to work/activities, including lifting restrictions. What restrictions on medications, both OTC and prescription Any recommended meds, such as acid reducers, post-surgery Recommended diet, of course You already mentioned pain, tests and nutrition, so I won't go into that.

It's definitely not something that anyone here could really tell you - it depends on your company (if your insurance is through a company's plan), your location (some states have insurance regulations that require coverage of certain conditions and others do not), what your factors for weight loss are (BMI, co-morbidities like diabetes, sleep apnea, etc) and so on. Your insurance company should be able to tell you if you're covered or if there's an exclusion, and what you would need to do to be approved. Also, depending on who you go through for your surgery they quite likely have an insurance coordinator who can give you the lowdown on what is likely to be the case. If you or your spouse have your insurance because of working for a large local company then the likelihood is that the insurance coordinator has had to deal with your insurance before and can help you figure out how to jump through all the hoops. Best of luck!

Hey, Martin! I'll bet the interview was awesome and your confidence was boosted by looking so sharp! Let us know how it went, okay? Trish

Only he can say for sure, of course. However, if he literally said to lose "a couple more pounds" then that's exactly what you did. A "couple" is two. Now, think calming and relaxing thoughts. It won't help you to be all worked up, though I know it's natural to be nervous. Good luck.

I think that some people are trying to get subconscious permission to cheat, absolutely. But I think just as many may just be looking for info on what others are allowed to eat so they can ask their doctor reasonable, informed questions about their prescribed diet compared other diets out there. It may not result in any change in what they're allowed to eat, but at least they may have a clear understanding of why their doctor chooses the diet she does for them. @Empress29 - keep in mind that the people who post here can get upset when they think that a fellow sleever may be looking for ways to sabotage herself or himself. It's generally less about anger than it is about a lot of concern about something that they see as a potentially really bad idea being considered, perhaps tainted with a bit of frustration or annoyance if this has been discussed before or if it seems the person is bent on a destructive behavior and completely disregarding advice. Sometimes the emotional response is the result of either having personal experience of the impact of doing what is being discussed, or watching a fellow member here go through it. In any case, since we can't see each other or hear the tone of voice, the only way to convey the urgency sometimes is to be verbally forceful. Don't assume anger, assume high levels of concern, and you'll probably get a better picture of what is the truth in many cases. Of course, there are those who are very, ahem, *direct* in how they state things, and tend to imply that you must be stupid or not willing to do what it takes in their responses. I still say it's usually concern motivating them, as otherwise they wouldn't bother posting, but their constant "tough love" mode might be a bit less effective for a lot of us.

Looking good!

Colby, thanks for de-lurking! A lot of us have had scares like family members and friends who have had severe health issues or died who provided impetus for us to start exploring our options. I think you'll find a lot of support here. It's pretty much like a large, dysfunctional but loving family - you'll run across some bickering and snarkiness, but everyone will cheer you on as you move forward, and be here to offer advice, answers and the occasional dose of tough love that we all need to keep us on track. Your babies sounds beautiful! Trish

Vidalia, that sounds very much like the kind of thing I do for Breakfast or lunch several times a week right now - I'm trying out a variety of ideas to give me some options once I'm past the first week. My spin is I generally choose to use plain Greek yogurt (I buy the large containers, either Costco's brand or Fage 0%) and add my own fruit - a little bit of banana and/or 1/4 c. blueberries, mixed berries, cherries or peaches. Other than the banana, the fruit is usually frozen and helps to thicken the shake. I do add a scoop of whey Protein if I choose to mix with Water, and maybe half a scoop if I use milk. Depending on what fruit I'm using, I might add, oh, a tablespoon or so of almonds or a teaspoon of PB2 powder. If I'm feeling like indulging myself a little, I'll do a mocha or a caramel latte Protein Shake by using 1/4 c. strong-brewed coffee with a rounded scoop of whey protein and 1/4 c. milk, then adding unsweetened cocoa powder or sugar-free caramel sauce to taste. Add 1/4 c. yogurt, a tiny touch of coconut sugar or agave nectar if needed (tiny is 1/2 tsp or less), and a little ice if I want it really thick. I will also sometimes make this a bit thinner by adding more coffee and skipping the ice, depending on my mood.

Every location is different about what they'll allow/require, of course, and you always need to be aware of what the facility and your doctor says. I have had my phone with me whenever I had to stay at the hospital, and the only thing that I was told was that there was no guarantee it would be secure. It's a risk I was and am willing to take. Plus I've been told I'm required to bring my CPAP (ugh) because apparently anasthesia increases the risks related with sleep apnea. I hoped I could get away without it since my apnea is pretty mild, but it was a no-go. I beg to differ regarding the reading - I spent a fair amount of time reading as a distraction even after open abdominal surgery several years ago. I slept right after the surgery, but later that evening I read for a couple of hours, and quite a bit the next day. As I mentioned, nothing complex or highly challenging, just lightweight reading that served the same distraction purpose as watching the TV, which allowed me to relax better in between getting up to walk around (yup, had to do that for other surgeries, too). That is only my personal experience and yours may vary, but don't assume automatically that you won't be up for reading if it's something you do normally. I'd still suggest it doesn't hurt to tuck in a book or a few magazines, even if you're only going to be there overnight. Of course, I also think that taking a bath requires a book, as does any trip over 15 minutes in the car where I won't be driving at least part of the time... I highly agree about bringing along a loved one My husband couldn't be there 100% of the time for my past surgeries, but he was there as much as he could be, and it helped immensely. Also, the point about not bringing work to the hospital is well taken. While I know that after my appendectomy I was perfectly able to focus and provide good judgement at my work within a couple of days after the surgery, I was also not trying to start a complete lifestyle change and understand how to work with profound changes to my biological functions at the same time. Really, even if you find you can focus after 3-4 days, I suspect it would be taking concentration that would better be spent figuring out how to work with your sleeve!

My weight loss binder from my clinic says to avoid because of the empty calories, but once I'm on regular foods again my NUT (who works at the clinic) said the occasional small drink is fine. Just be aware, as kerbarrett mentions, that you'll get drunk on far less booze - probably good since we don't need all those extra calories anyhow! Additionally, because many of the people who have WLS are recovering food addicts at some level, to keep in mind that transference of the food addiction to something else (alcohol, drugs, etc) is a risk we should be aware of and monitor ourselves for. I don't plan to completely give up alcohol, but I'm already one who rarely drinks more than a few drinks a month (as in, usually 2-3 or so), so I also don't expect it to be a problem.