southernsoul

My NUT suggested I try kefir, but I haven't gotten any yet. I noticed that Lifeway makes a frozen version that might be good to try in smoothies, too.

I had green bean chips the other day, which were actually really good. They were crunchy & salty & delish...but also pretty expensive for the amount in the bag. I haven't looked yet, but there's got to be some directions out there for making them at home. I've also made kale chips several times, and they're also a great hit of crunchy, salty yumminess.

Hooray!!

I don't have a channel myself, but VSG Kirk has a great channel & he subscribes to several others that I've started following, too. Like you, I'm pre-op, so it helps a lot to see the journeys of others.

Kate, I don't see the Updates section. Cheryl, Kate has been having difficulty accessing the chat rooms in the same way I do. I have a blue bar across the bottom of my screen with the chat boxes on the right side. Once in a chat room, I can click Leave Chat Room and go into a different room, which is what I originally would work for us. Apparently, when the chat room is accessed from the Community section at the top of the page, it doesn't include those other options. So, until we get that figured out, we have 3 options: the slow way of exchanging posts on the Boomers thread or doing a group chat through either Facebook or gmail. Personally, I would prefer to do a group chat, since it's faster & will allow us to engage at the same time. Are you on Facebook or have a gmail account? Kate & I each have both accounts, so we're good either way. You have to already be connected to each other in order to chat. You can find me on Facebook as Faye Beck Fleming or my gmail is fbfleming@gmail.com. If either of these options works for you, let us know & I can set us up on a group chat tonight.

Don't apologize for staying on top of it...nobody else is gonna do that for you. Good luck, hope they come through on Monday!

Hey, y'all! I'm all good for tomorrow night...my friend ended up driving over tonight, so I got to see her for dinner. I'm Eastern Time, too, so 7:30 is great with me. I've set a reminder on my phone. I promise I'm not smoking anything...I had to QUIT smoking a month ago for the surgery, haha. I have a long skinny light blue bar across the bottom of my screen with the instant chat stuff on the right & the left has icons for Facebook, Twitter, a Share This Page option, etc. Hmmm...I was afraid it's not the same for everybody, but I'm not computer literate enough to know why. Either way, it seems to me that everybody registered on the site would have some way to access the instant chat rooms. If you can figure out how to do that, you should be able to leave the main/default room & click on the WLS Chit Chat room. Maybe type Chat Rooms in the search box & then click down to change 'This Topic' to 'Help Files'? I will be online for awhile tonight, so feel free to send me a private message & maybe we can figure it out.

Hey, ladies! I'll tell you what the chat rooms look like on my screen...I'm assuming it's the same for all of us, but I could be wrong about that. On the very bottom of my screen is a blue bar with 3 boxes on the right side. The middle box has a blue icon of a person. If you click that box, a larger box opens & you will be in the primary chat room which is called Gastric Sleeve Support Chat Room. (I think we are automatically logged into that chat room when we log onto the site.) If you click the little door icon on the top right of that box, it says "leave chat room". When you click it, it takes you back to where you can see the other 2 chat rooms, WLS Chit Chat and WLS singles Chat. I can't remember ever seeing anybody in either of those rooms, so that's why I thought we could use the Chit Chat space for a private chat. Also, just FYI...I heard from a friend of mine yesterday who is talking about coming to town tomorrow. If she does drive over, I don't know whether or not she would want to do something in the evening, but it's a possibility. If I end up not being able to make our chat, I'll let you know. Southernsoul (Faye)

Wow, that's great!

I have noticed that, too. I'm still pretty new here (pre-op, planning for June) and it freaks me out a little. I'm not sure if it's not being really prepared, or unexpected physical challenges, or what.

OK, I'm in. I can be available most anytime on Saturday. I have a paper to write for class, but I can work it around chat time. The regular chat room is usually pretty busy, but I noticed there is one called WLS Chit Chat that doesn't seem to get much traffic. Maybe we could rendezvous in there?

I commute over an hour to school. I have to drive to the 1st summer class, but the 2nd one is online, so that's why I will be able to do it right after surgery. You can probably skip having to buy the meal plan for next year!

Yay...good for you! I don't know from god of war, but you were a goddess of sleeve tonight! Good going!

Haha...I'm planning for June because of school. I have a 5 day window between my 2 summer classes, so I'm planning for June 19. I'm working on a masters degree in mental health counseling...shocking that I was drawn to your post, right?? Don't think of it as doubting your abilities. Think of it as an impartial assessment that shows what you already know...you might have some extra challenges, but with preparation and commitment you can do it!

I just started reading a book called The Success Habits of Weight Loss Surgery Patients by Colleen Cook. I'm only a little way in, but I think it will be helpful. I would love to know what books others have found helpful, whether they're specifically about WLS or not.

Hmmmmm... It's definitely true that some mental disorders can have a genetic component that leads to a predisposition for developing problems, so a family history & a personal history would be factors to consider. And I certainly think that going through counseling with WLS can be hugely helpful, because it's such a big transition. When are you planning to have surgery? I'm planning for June, and have been reading and researching as much as I can.

Did she say why she thought you'd have more challenges, or what she anticipates will be the areas you struggle with? It seems pretty sucky to say, Oh, you'll have more challenges, and not give any more feedback.

I'm a Georgia girl, too! I am planning for June, so we'll be on a very similar track. All of the WLS procedures are a big deal, so good for you for waiting until you are sure.

Oh, for sure there is a big difference! Congrats to you! I have decided to do a before pic as well, but think I will stick with tank top & yoga pants. I want to try & have the exact same clothes (or as close as possible) in the comparison pix.

I am in the same place as you...surgery in Jun, trying to plan ahead. I'm planning to make both beef and chicken broth from scratch, strain it well, and freeze it in small portions. I figure I can drink it clear at first, then add milk or cream for the full liquid stage, then add pureed veggies for the puree stage. Homemade broth has way more protein than the commercial brands & has much less salt...plus, it tastes much better.

deltagirl, I am currently working on a masters degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. Your quote and link for Bowenian Family Therapy does my heart good. Thanks for sharing that!

I hate the texture of cottage cheese, but can eat it after I run it through the food processor or blender & add in something to it. I love yogurt, though, so I guess I'm OK with smooth.

Ah, OK...good to know!

What's a manometry test? I am planning for June 19, so welcome to the June-ers!

My first step was to call my insurance company, Aetna. I asked what kind of coverage I have for this & what surgeons I could choose from. There is only one bariatric surgeon in my small town & he only does band & gastric bypass. I knew I didn't want either one of those, so I had to see what other surgeons were available in Atlanta. I didn't want to waste time learning about a surgeon who might not be covered on my insurance, so that's why I called Aetna first. The lady I spoke with told me that I had to choose a surgeon listed as a Center of Excellence & got me to the list of surgeons online. I can't remember the exact 3 letter designation, but they were indicated next to the surgeon's name. (I'm not sure why Aetna has surgeons on the list who DON'T have this designation if they won't cover the procedure with them, but they do). The Aetna lady also directed me to the list of pre-op steps that Aetna requires, which are in addition to the reqs the surgeon has. At my 1st appt with the surgeon, his nurse went over the Aetna stuff, too, but it helped that I had already read through the list. I never went to the free seminars, because it's a 2.5 hour round trip. After researching a couple of the surgeons online, I just made an appt with my 1st choice. I totally agree with Mickey above that support is very important. There are no groups in my town, so I'm struggling with that. This site is filling some of that need, but face to face is probably better.