SpaceDust

I'm still a few months from surgery, but I have Protein drinks for Breakfast or lunch a few times a week (and getting ready to start consistently replacing one meal a day with them). I LOVE mixing coffee into my chocolate Protein Drinks. I wish there was a good flavored caramel protein that I could do the same thing with for a change-up - vanilla just doesn't quite do it for me as a latte replacement You might also try adding in a little cinnamon or even a dash of cayenne to the "mocha" - that's another way I change things up now and again.

Please call your doctor, as well. Even if you aren't pregnant, it would be good to know if this is fairly common and if there is anything you can do about it, right? Good luck!

Outstanding! That is no small victory, more like a significant triumph in my mind. Congratulations!

Mine is 3-4 protein shakes a day, plus one small meal, and goes on for a week. I will probably try to ease into it the week before to reduce the impact.

Fyre, I respect your right to feel this way. Please feel free to start a thread and rant about it all you like. Me, I'm going to play turtle and hide in my shell till it's over Thanks for making me laugh!

@Ruth71, if you're curious, a kilogram is approximately 2.2 US pounds So, 79 kg is just under 174 lb and 111 kg is just over 244 lb.

I'm a fan of civil debate - we all have different experiences, different opinions and different sources of knowledge, and it can be very useful to get this additional information or consider a different point of view, then discuss the pros and cons of each. But note that I said CIVIL debate. That means understanding that our way is quite probably not the only way, or the best way for everyone. Wouldn't it be more useful to remain respectful and discuss things rather than be snarky to each other? Then the experience remains supportive and positive. Discussion and debate are awesome. Threads where the bickering picks up just make me feel stressed, annoyed and frustrated. I stop reading those threads, even though I may miss out on useful info, because it's not worth the irritation to me. Of course, perhaps it's just me. Feel free to have a snarky free-for-all insult fest if it makes you happy and the administrators allow it. Just don't expect me to join in; I'll be off reading threads I consider more constructive and helpful

I'm sorry you're going through this, MK, and I know that level of embarassment can be debilitating. Just be cautious about where you get your legal advice for this, and think about the ramifications if you do decide to go for it, okay? There are potential costs to you besides money and time, regardless of how the suit turns out. Good luck with whatever you decide!

Ultimately, though, even though this isn't a HIPPA issue, there are generally company regulations that require that your boss should be keeping her big mouth shut because of legal implications if she says too much I would definitely bring it up with HR, let them know that it caused you embarassment and distress, as you had intended to keep your health plans private (as is your right) so that you wouldn't have to deal with questions and comments that you are now getting.

I'll have to do a week of 3-4 protein shakes a day plus one small sensible meal before the surgery. Since I often do a protein shake for breakfast now, it's not a huge big deal except that I won't be adding any fruit or milk to the shake - right now I usually add 6 oz of 1% and 1/4 cup of something like blueberries or cherries. I could optionally add some fruit or some milk and reduce the calories for the small meal, but I think I'll just get several flavors of protein drinks and tough it out. I might as well start getting used to it!

It's possibly an HR violation and may have legal implications depending on your location, but I believe that HIPPA rules only apply to health care providers, insurance and the like who have specific information related to your health and healthcare because they are a provider. However, I'm not sure how much there would be to raise a legal issue over unless details were provided about the procedure. If it could even possibly be interpreted that your boss was simply letting your colleagues know that you were going to be out of the office for a health-related procedure because some of them would need to cover for you for the next week or two, I doubt there would be more than a minor slap on the wrist from HR about mentioning it being a health care reason, if even that. Now, if she offered any details on your surgeon or her guesses of what you were having done, you would certainly have something to take to HR or someone more senior in your company. Personally, I would make an appointment with HR if it is really that disturbing to you or is an ongoing type of issue in your department. Good luck with whatever you decide to do..

How long did you have to stay post surgery, if you don't mind my asking? And do you attend the support group meetings? I'm thinking about starting to attend, but haven't quite made my mind up to do so.

I'm still pre-surgery, and I'm not scheduled yet but hope to have the surgery in late spring or early summer. Why do I want to do it? My husband and I and some of our friends love to travel, and it's hard for me to keep up when we're walking around a city all day - I end up with chronically sore hips, knees and ankles. I want to be truly comfortable on the airplane. I want to be able to just casually go into any clothing store instead of having to choose one with a decent plus size section. I am diabetic and have high cholesterol (both medicated) and I want to see a decrease or even a complete remission of both of those conditions. I want to feel good about going for an all-day hike instead of wearing out after three or four miles. I'm not looking for a miracle. I know there will be lots of work involved, too, and it won't be easy. But I need a tool to help me get started on the right track, and this is the tool I've chosen.

I'm nervous Seriously, it's not all that bad at this point - after all, I'm still at LEAST several weeks out, and I don't have a surgery date scheduled yet or insurance and financials finalized. I think that makes me more nervous in some ways than the surgery itself. How are you doing? Everything settling in well now that you're a few weeks out from your surgery, lrgandwrg? Since you had the same surgeon as I will have, anything I should know about?

My surgeon is Dr. Michaelson at Northwest Weight Loss in Everett, as well. I'm planning to do the deed in late spring/early summer at this point, although I'm wrapping up most of the pre-surgery requirements this month. Just need to deal with the financial side of it.

Hi, All - Sounds like a plan. I am still pre-sleeve, but will likely have my surgery in late spring or early summer.

I have to agree that I really like Dr. Michaelson and the staff at Northwest Weight Loss Surgery. Many of the people on staff have been through weight loss surgery themselves, so they are empathetic and understand on a real level what the mental, emotional and physical impacts are.

Have a great trip, Cinders!

We have a Sodastream at home, which we use mostly to make sparkling water (sometimes flavored with a little bit of citrus juice). I'm slowly weaning myself from my beloved Coke Zero, but I expect after I get to a certain point after surgery that I will probably go back to drinking a bit of sparkling water - it's a treat without having to deal with artificial sweetners or boatloads of sugar.

Drinking liquids with your meal will flush the food through your digestive system more quickly. You won't keep the feeling of being full as long, and you'll tend to eat more. At least, that's what I've read and been told

Hi, All - My insurance will pay for WLS, but they require 6 months of medically supervised diet before they'll approve, as well as the usual requirements about BMI, weight, co-morbidities, and so on. I'm two months into the diet visits with the dietician at my surgeon's clinic. Cross your fingers for me that they won't put any roadblocks in my way. I feel rather foolish about waiting so long to do this, as now I'll have to pay more out of pocket for the surgery than if I had been able to squeeze it in this year due to insurance changes. Ah, well. In the end, it will be worth it, regardless.

I have to do 6 months because it's an insurance requirement. I wish it wasn't so, or I would have done this in December, but I'll hopefully make good use of the time by changing some things about my eating habits. Do you have a date scheduled yet?

SpaceDust: I've been an astronomy buff since I was a kid, and a science-fiction buff. SpaceDust just seems appropriate for me