Momonanomo

May for me too hopefully!! wooooo hooooo!

How exciting! And look how much space there is between you and the arm of the chair!! congratulations! and honey, this is one place you need never ask forgiveness for posting a pic to share an NSV ! Thank you for the inspiration!

thanks for posting that Jo! I'm like dand, altho I don't have my date yet. But when I have a "moment" and do a reality check about what I am pursuing...I get major butterflies. I can imagine when I get my actual date I will want to throw up too!! But jus like Jo said, the whole reason I'm pursuing this is because I can't live this way anymore. dand, I don't know about you, but my "normal" way of eating is what got me in this state in the first place! I'm wanting a NEW normal that will help get me to and keep me at a healthy weight

I love your new pic! Thank you for sharing your story thus far -- I had read the Bread Thread so I am glad to get to read more about you !!! You've been very successful and I know it's been hard work (as for all of us!) I'm preop and am a recovering smoker as well (5 weeks now woo hoo!). By day I think I'm doing really well, but 3 times now I've had dreams about smoking! So weird! Good thing is though, that in my dream I light up and then am absolutely horrified that I've done it! So funny the subconscious mind! The nicotine gum has made it really quite easy....but I know there will be no gum for a while after surgery.... Anyways! Just wanted to say congrats and THANK YOU for being an inspiration!

So...my insurance requires 6 months medically supervised blah blah blah. And I've been gathering all my medical records from the various doctors I've seen over the past couple of years and getting them sent to the coordinator at my surgeon's office. She just called to say she's found enough info to count for 4 of those 6 months! And I have one other doctor I saw who, when I get that chart, will push that up to 5 of the 6 ....and I have an appt with my NUT in March so that will make 6! Yay! Once I get rolling in that part of the program I'll find out what all I have to do as far as preop, like chest xray, ekg, etc., those kine things. Oh and I'll need to do the psych thing. So all that jazz takes approximately 2 months and that brings me to May, ta DA! That's exactly when I was hoping for, and it seems to be working out! woo HOO I love the team at my surgeons office theyaresoincrediblyCOOL! :tongue2:

omg soooooo funny!

My impression is that it's up to the surgeon....I keep forgetting to ask my doc as well..... I have a silly question for you guys though, can anyone give me the phonetic pronunciation of bougie? Does it rhyme with Dougie like the dance or does it rhyme with Doogie as in Doogie Houser MD? Or does it rhyme with Hoagie like the sandwich? lol but, yeah.....?

I completely agree!

thank you thank you for the words of wisdom! I'm just getting into that part and it's perfect timing for you to have posted this! Yes here's a cheers to understanding bosses, they're priceless Good luck with your gallbladder ultrasound; hope all is well with that buggah

This is a great thread!! I love you guys!!!!!!

I would certainly rather be a Darryl Dixon than an Otis :]

he he he you're funny! I'm a fan of the genre as well. Always gotta have your zombie contingency plan, right?!?! lol But yes, I think that being of a healthy weight and more physically fit is a better state to be in -- in ANY case (not just zombie apocalypse). But if there were zombies.... you'd be able to run faster & jump higher. LOL And if you're in a group of people, remember you don't have to be the fastest person, you just have to be faster than the slowest person. ha

zoinks! that's quite a difference! Great job! How much have you lost?

woo HOOOOOOO that is ah-mazing!!!! Good for you girl!! I am so freekin happy for you! go get em tiger!

lmao! dats spooooky Jo! Cat360, nice to meet ya! I too am scared but determined Reading and discussing on VST has been really valuable in learning what to expect. I'm so glad to have found this board and I'm glad you found your way here too!

I agree with Jo -- give the new doc a chance (he might surprise you). If he isn't on board with the plans you've already set in motion, get your surgeon to refer you to a better PCP. Don't assume yet though that this new doc won't be on board. Go in there with conviction knowing you're on the path you've chosen -- doesn't matter what his agenda is. Either he's on board with your decision or you'll find a new doctor, simple as that. best of luck!

Hey! I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already! Sounds like you're doing really well. Do you think the extreme tiredness is from still recovering from surgery, or from the low cal diet? One of the things that has made me move forward with getting the surgery is that my excess weight has zapped my energy and I'm tired all the time....scary to think it could get worse immediately post op before it gets better. Oh well I guess the important thing is that it will get better, ya? What kinds of protein are you enjoying besides the morning shake & nectar? Are you doing any veggies at this point? How's your hydration ? You're working out like a champ so it must be good! Thanks for being the trailblazer for me! And congrats on your successes! Onward!

LOL I love that you took a picture of your tray table down!!!! Love it! I look forward to doing the same some day! Best of luck on your continued awesomeness!

For me.... Once I picked my surgeon I discovered that the NUT and the psych (and the exercise specialist) are all part of his team. If your pcp wants you to do the 3 months supervised with him first, perhaps you could at least do a consult with a surgeon in the meantime....choose your surgeon & find out if he/she has a whole team of people that includes a NUT, etc. They in fact may require that you see their people. Find out first, and that way you won't risk doing something twice....

woo hooo!!! that's great!

After months of deep discussion trying to explain my weight struggles to my husband, who has always been naturally fit & athletic, we finally agreed that this was the best way for him to think of my surgery. So it's a good explanation for 3 year olds AND 40 year olds! LOL!

LOL yes, on youtube I carefully searched for vsg ANIMATION

lmao

i consulted the oracle (aka wikipedia LOL ) and found that short bowel syndrome "is a malabsorption disorder caused by the surgical removal of the small intestine, or rarely due to the complete dysfunction of a large segment of bowel.It usually does not develop unless more than two thirds of the small intestine have been removed. SBS has been designated a rare disease by the EMA,[1] and is eligible for orphan drug designation according to the USFDA.[2" ....so it doesn't sound like a sleeve thing. They only take the long side of the stomach out. That's part of the reason why I chose sleeve over bypass. You can google "vertical sleeve gastrectomy image" and find all kinds of pictures (drawings if you're squeamish!). I tried to attach one here but it isn't working. . . .

hanging around VST!!!!!