ArcusX

Eh... I need a BARF smiley now!! Tabloid explains it all though. No wonder I didn't know where it came from!!

Cigna PPO. Office visits are $20, but apparently other things like outpatient procedures follow the 80/20 path: they pay 80%, I pay 20%, after a $200 deductable, up to $2000 out of pocket max. So, $200 deductable, plus 20% of what was left - must have been around $2000. I can easily see that procedure/test costing $2k. I was only around $350 into my annual out of pocket max. I'll reach the rest by the time surgery comes up.

Funny concept. I thought of it like a "bucket list," as has been asked elsewhere: do you have a food bucket list for before surgery. I put Five Guys (done!) and Chipotle on my list. Not because I don't think I'll ever eat those things again, but because I'll never have those portions again. That burger is giant! So is Chipotle's burrito. It will never be the same again!

Are any moments fun? That's the question! LOL. Good, solid advice here. Thanks!

Couldn't have said it better myself, Lynda!

Woot!! Did you ever think you'd smile as much with a bike in your hand, as you did with a glass of wine? LOL

Friday, I went in for my EGD, after having my preliminary consultation with the Gastrointerologyst on 10/30. I've seen lots of questions about the EGD on here, so I thought I'd just share my experience, top to bottom. The first thing that surprised me was that when they called me to schedule my date, they told me the hospital would call me the day before the procedure to let me know the time. I thought that was a little strange, but apparently, that's par for the course. I actually got the call on Wednesday afternoon, for the Friday appointment time. Then I got a follow-up call on Thursday from admitting to get me pre-registered. When I got done with the pre-registration, I got my second surprise: my portion was going to cost me $606. I guess I should have expected it, because it's not exactly a copay office visit situation. That was my 20%. The hospital was pretty efficient. They are notorious for bad parking, and now they have valet parking, which was very convenient. I signed in at the information desk, and they gave me a little pager like the one's they use at restaurants. About 5 minutes later, I got called in to admitting, got checked in and paid my fee. I was then sent down to the GI waiting room. In probably less than 10 minutes, they called me in to get me prepped. I only removed my shirt, leaving on the pants, socks & shoes. The IV was started, they took my BP and temperature, and they wheeled me into the hallway next to the room where they do the procedure. Seeing my doctor, I said hello and commend on how good he looked that day! In fact, I gave the same complement to each of the hospital staff. I don't know if it helped, but it certainly didn't hurt! Maybe 10 minutes later they wheeled a woman, passed out, from the room and another 5 minutes later, wheeled me in. After a little light discussion, the doctor had heard enough and told the dope guy to put me out. The last thing I remember was a slight lucid feeling and asking the dope guy, "you gave me the juice, huh?" He confirmed, and I was out. Just like that. During the procedure I recall a brief moment of the bite thing in my mouth. I'm guessing they were finishing up. I think I remember being wheeled out, but can't quite be sure. Seemingly moments later, I woke up, sat up, put my shirt on, and I was on my way to go get some soup. Overall, on the day of, I had a little discomfort in my throat, not unlike when you have a cold and you get a sore throat. I napped a bit after getting home, then in the evening, I was a little tired, but managed to busy myself and stay awake. My throat continued to be a little sore on Saturday, but less so, and by Sunday, I was fine. The doctor, apparently found some polyps in my stomach and took samples for biopsy. I'm not sure when I'll hear back on that. Does anyone have any experience with this part?

Never used a ninja. Two MB's though.. one at home, one at the office. Easy to clean.

Added Celebrate since it seems so popular!

Did you ever do the comparison?

He actually seemed a a little concerned that I was "hitting it too hard." Like because I was being so strict, I was more likely to fail. I just told him I was sand-bagging for Thanksgiving!

So, NUT 1 was the beginning. He didn't tell me anything I didn't already know. So I guess i officially started dieting here on Friday, 5-October. My official NUT 1 weight was 290, and NUT 2 was 280. He was surprised. Surprised? Yes, he went on to tell me he had never seen anyone lose 10# in their first month. I'm not surprised. I told him before, losing weight is easy. The hard part is keeping it off. Is 10# really that unusual?

This is stickied at the top of this forum: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-gastric-sleeve-surgery-thread/

I REALLY need to get my eyes checked... I thought this one said, "strippers." Eesh!

As I glanced past this, I thought it said, "pack a light lunch." LOL

esheldon76, did you ever come to a verdict?

You know, I lived in Fontana for 10 years, so I can say this: "First Class" and "Fontana" should not be in the same sentence.

IE in da house! Fontucky.. LOL

I thought it was Dr.

Which vitamins have you tried that you prefer? Hated?

2nd on Isopure. I've done Vanilla and Dutch chocolate. Both are delicious. Vitamin Shoppe has the best price I've seen. $7 cheaper online, plus free shipping: http://www.vitaminshoppe.com/search/controller?N=0&Ntk=SiteSearch&Ntt=isopure+zero+carb&Nty=1&D=isopure+zero+carb&Ntx=mode+matchallpartial&Dx=mode+matchall&cm_sp=typeahead-_-2|isopu-_-kw|isopure+zero+carb

No list, per se, but I have had a couple of thoughts along that line: 1 - I got a smoker for Father's Day, so I've gotta do at least one more batch of ribs. Might need to sell it after that though. 2 - Five Guys 3 - Chipotle

This, for me, falls right in line with the BMI calculation. Does anyone know how accurate the fat percentage calculation is on those scales that measure it? According to Saturday's weigh-in, I was 275 at 47% body fat. That means my LBM is 145, and to get down to 15% body fat, that would put me at 171.

I'm in pre-pre-op... which is to say, I'm simply on a diet (not liquid). I have had a couple of "planned" cheat days, like on Saturday, we were near a really good Italian restaurant away from home. As soon as I realized we were near it, I resolved that 1) we would eat lunch there, and 2) it would be bad. It wasn't too bad, as I only ate half the plate, and it carried me through so I didn't need dinner, so I stayed under my daily caloric goals.

As a matter of fidelity, this is the worst kind.