newat52

Actually think you have discovered the secret. That you are an amazing, smart, beautiful inside and out woman that deserves respect and acceptance. Sounds like you now accept yourself and know you will accept nothing less. (and should not) Bravo to you. You have arrived. Wishing you the very best life has to offer. You truly deserve it.

Fantastic! Standing ovation! You are such an inspiration!

And that is the upshot to self pay! You go straight to the front of the line. No insurance BS. Congrats! Just make sure you let your PCP know what is going on so he/she can be proactive in your follow up care.

First of all, Congrats on starting your pre-op! That means in two short weeks you will be on the losers bench! That is fantastic! Second, starting your period the same day as your pre-op, look at this this way, you're going to be a b***h anyway so may as well kill two birds with one stone instead of having to be a b***h with your period and then again with the pre-op. Just put on some lipstick (get it? Lipstick Lady?) so they can tell the difference between you and a pitbull! In addition, better to have it now rather than during surgery and early recovery for a million reasons! I mean, can you imagine, honey, I can't reach this, can you help me with this tampon??? :ph34r: Have you tried the premier Protein shakes from Sam's or costco? They are wonderful and 160 calories, 30 grams of protein and only 5 carbs, plus they have fiber! They are yummy! For a morning shake, dump some coffee in it and you have a mocha, not quite Starbucks but not bad either! You are so gonna rock your sleeve, you have such a great attitude and wonderful sense of humor, that will go a long way! Oh, and BTW: you are not old! Old is what I did yesterday. I got my labs back and my cholesterol, triglycerides and all the results were down an amazing amount and I was tooting my horn on our family Facebook page! And I'm the youngest of all my siblings and dozens of cousins! Made me feel old, but it really made them feel older!

It's actually not the health insurance companies, it's the employers. They request specific exclusions to pay less for coverage. It's not only WLS that they can request to have excluded, it's other types like breast reduction and any other type of procedures that won't kill you today, maybe tomorrow but not today. It's all about the bottom line.

Wow! I think your doctor is BS'ing you! I was told in no uncertain terms that running the vacuum would suck out the remaining part of my stomach so I would need a cleaning lady for the rest of my life. My doc said it, I believe it and that's that! So far, hubby is buying it.

Don't you know, everything's bigger in Texas? Especially the people?

We are so lucky here in North Texas to have so many top bariatric surgeons. I was very happy with my surgeon and experience as well.

Yay! Where did you decide to have your surgery?

Start with the biotin now. 5,000 mcg per day. Also, it is said that while you are on your pre op try to get about 100 grams of protein per day and protein the first two weeks after is supposed to help as well. Not to mention more protein in the early weeks will help the healing process. Some surgeons say get protein as soon as you get home but a few say no protein for the first 1-3 weeks. Of course, listen to your surgeon. I did protein as soon as I got home in the way of Isopure, was started out with about 20 grams then was at 60 by the end of the first week. My healing went extremely well and have not lost hair yet, but it is said that usually happens 2-4 months out. I am 8 weeks today so probably not there yet but hoping to minimize it. Good luck, you will love your sleeve! I know I love mine!

That is fantastic! Get the hubby on board and you will be set!

Amen!!

When people as me how much have you lost, I tell "a good amount" or not quite as much as I had hoped but still working on it. Thanks for noticing. If they persist, I just tell them I am not focusing on the numbers but other factors. They usually get it by then.

Most of the protein powders gel once heated past 140 degrees. That temp is luke warm at best. I emailed back and forth with the folks at unjury and asked that but they say it's a chemical reaction to heat.

Have any of you tried Isopure? It' a gatorade type of drink. Comes in many flavors and a 20 oz bottle has 40 grams of protein! You can drink it straight or mix it with Crystal light. Lots of people also like nectar Protein, its very light tasting as well. I make sugarfree pudding and spike it with protein. 1 1/4 cup skim milk and blend in 1 or two scoops of protein powder, chocolate, vanilla or unflavored. (I prefer unjury) Blend it for about 10 seconds then add a small box of pudding (chocolate fudge for me) I separate into 2 bowls and chill. If you use 1 scoop it gives you about 15 grams of protein and helps give you much needed calories. If you use 2 scoops, it's packed with 25 grams of protein. I promise you can not taste nor smell any sign of protein. I read where one lady for Breakfast takes a cup of skim milk and blends it with a scoop of unflavored and has a bowl of Cereal. Genius. I would have never thought about that. There are lots of things you can do for protein, they don't have to be shakes if you don't want them to be. Good luck all of you, I know it sucks now, but I'm telling you, It's gonna get so much better and you will be loving your sleeve soon!

I get very suspicious when I see those kind of stats. They are out there for any kind of life change you look for. I know when our son was very ill at birth and was not expected to survive, (he did but had residual problems for a couple of years) we were told my the NICU social worker that our marriage was 95% doomed because that what statistics showed. Let's see, almost 30 years later we are still waiting....... I think that strong relationships will thrive, and weak ones will fail no matter what the life change.

Good luck today and check in when you are sleeved! Thank you for sharing that, It is people like you, willing to share your journey that helps those that come after.

Maybe a pedi should be your treat for hitting a goal. It's usually mine. .1 to go to get that new pedi. I'm thinking hot pink with sparkles!

The way I interpreted what you said is you think people with 80 or less to lose should just lose it without surgery? And that they have no idea that losing the weight is all about diet and exercise? Most people who are sleeved or thinking about it are experts, like you on losing the weight, it's keeping it off, like you.Most people don't use 10 year cycles to lose and gain. For me, I had about 100 give or take to lose. I lose without fail 30-40 pounds EVERY Jan-March, only to be back where I started, if not more by Dec. I mean every year. That is dangerous and I don't want to do that anymore. Like you, I know exactly how much work and and lifestyle change it is going to take, like most sleevers. Yes, there are a small percentage of sleevers who do think this is a magic bullet. Not long ago, there was post by someone who has been sleeved several months ago but is no longer losing, when asked if they were following the plan the reply was I would love to but I have no self control, that's why I got the surgery. Sadly, this person will most likely fail, because all the emotional problems that lead to no control are still there. Good thing is that type of sleever is in the vast minority. Most sleevers, without regard to how much they need to lose go into this well researched and educated about the lifestyle changes and the diet and exercise requirements. I have not seen a sleever on this site yet that has said it's the easy way out.

Love it! Congrats! 2/3 of your way to your goal! That is so inspiring! Love the pedi too!

:)

Boy is nursepez is right, looking back the first few weeks do go fast. I didn't think so while it was going on but it really does! Before you know it, you'll be a month out and getting the hang of things.

I don't blame you one bit. That is very hard! While the first few weeks are so hard, it will get easier each day! You just gotta hang in there. Sometimes you have to just leave the room. Hopefully, the spouse understands sometimes you just need to be grumpy so you can have a better tomorrow! I know today isn't the day, but in a few weeks time, you are going to be loving your sleeve! Good luck to you, maybe step out for a short walk?

Yikes! Sounds like you have some nasty reflux going there. You are so right about slowing down though, that is one tough habit to break! Chewing a ton has come easier with time though. Good luck with your post op tomorrow, hope he can give you something stronger for the reflux, that may be a big part of the tempermental tummy!

I was actually referring to squeakywheel and wasn't intending to it be snarky, I was genuine in my statement. Sorry if it came across that way. Was not my intention at all. You are right though, it's all in the way the policy is written. For most total exclusions they are inserted at the request of the employer to keep costs down, much in the way several other procedures can be excluded. Have a friend who needed breast reduction, for true medical reasons and it's excluded at the request of the employer, strictly to keep costs down, so it's really not the insurance companies, it's the cheap ass employers (ok, THAT last statement was meant to be snarky!) @Hathery, most surgeon offices work with some companies that specialize in medical financing. You may want to check that out.