rebecca_dsu

That is fantastic! Congrats to you!!

... Having access to medications, support, and nutritional training helped me lose 100 pounds before I got my sleeve. Now I am hoping that after my surgery I will be able to maintain a healthy weight for life and avoid Diabetes and other diseases that effect obese people.

Congrats on your loss...and what an amazing concept to use the sleeve to keep off the weight you've already lost. I admit, I hadn't even thought of that being a tool to just maintain and not necessarily lose. (though I so see you still want to lose some more...but to already have the majority lost is awesome).

Proud of you! Good luck. I think you are doing a very smart thing by being proactive toward any regain.

Congrats!! I've added you to the June list:

http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/79098-june-2013-sleevers-the-list/

Please add my date June 20 with Dr. Ray at Blount Memorail Hosptail in Maryville Tenn

marlene, I live in Maryville! (But because my insurance doesn't cover the surgery, I'm going to Mexico for mine). Best of luck to you!!! I'd love to keep in touch with you here

What they said... it's also how the women keep getting in trouble for posting in the Man Room. The Recent Topics panel REALLY needs to have added to it the forum name under it.

My GYN warned me at my visit a few weeks ago that WLS makes everyone's cycle go wonky for a while...no matter what you are on or have implanted.

So yes, it will be weird and not normal for a while. Always be prepared with supplies for a few months in case you have additional unexpected periods.

Also make sure you are using back up BC if you are sexually active! You'll be extremely fertile (even with the IUD) for the next several months. Don't risk it!!

Its official I am june 11..

Wait...were you "mzquick"? Or is that someone else?

heck no it's not a slow weight loss for 6 weeks....that's 6.67lbs average a week. You are killin' it! Keep up the good work!

So Mexico? dang. How much is the surgery there? I was self pay here as well.

It is $8,750 total. My quote from the local bariatric center here was $17,500 and that didn't include the $1,000 initial consultation. Even with the $1,000 for flights for my husband and I, it's still almost half the price of having it done locally

How much was yours down in Gulf Port??

chickenlittle, where are you going in Mexico? I will be with Dr. Aceves in Mexico June 6 - 10...

Trader Joe's has some of the oddest, but fantastic foods.

Kale chips with sunflower seeds & Cashews on them...weird. ha!

(Sorry I have nothing useful to add..I'm still pre-sleeve). Nutrition wise I think they'd be great...but how does your sleeve do with nuts? Ever had any issues with sunflower seeds or Cashews? If not, I don't see why this wouldn't be a good healthy option.

put away 200 a month for 3 years. Then go to Mexico

Dave Ramsey fan? I don't have that kind of patience...but neither do I think it's a good idea for someone with bad credit to finance all of their surgery. But that's just my opinion...to each his own.

I "opted out" of the big in-laws pool party (it was more about the people than the food honestly). I am the only one who can't properly wear a two piece (and I probably won't ever). I married into a family of hot-ness... someday I'll be able to lay by the pool and not feel like the whale... grrr!

I enjoyed a walk on the local greenway, and am about to grill up my own chicken and zucchini for dinner

You look fantastic! Congrats on your success. You look much happier as well

Good luck to you! This week will fly by!

Aw girl, you certainly are not the only one to ever feel that way.

You know what...I have never met a woman who is perfectly happy with her body. We all want to change something no matter how healthy, skinny, etc. we are.

Congrats on your amazing losses and your shopping spree! If you want to take the next step of making you feel better about your body (which is getting rid of the skin), then by all means go for it. It's your body...you do what is right for you, but keep on celebrating how far you've come!

Have you tried asking for an uncollateralized personal loan from your bank already? I don't think your credit has to be perfect and it doesn't hurt to try.

I am doing half and half...half from savings, half from a personal bank loan.

Be weary of those medical financing companies...you will get a approved, and the rate will seem okay, but then they add on a fee of anywhere from $500 to $1,200.

Can you try to save for a few months so you don't finance as much? I mean if you are going to be able to make the payments, can't you also save the same amount up front and not have to finance so much?

Good luck!

Yeah that's not abnormal...the closer to flight date, the higher the ticket. It's part of the reason I extended mine out 9 weeks instead of doing it the same month I decided to have the surgery, because it was cheaper to buy a ticket for a date much farther out. (you do what ya gotta do)

Sometimes though airlines will dump tickets the night before, but that's a bad risk to take. Have you looked at all airlines, all options, all your surrounding airports (sometimes it's cheaper to go out of a different one.)? Try looking at flights on a site like travelocity to make sure another airline doesn't have a better deal.

Can you purchase it on credit card and pay it off when the bill comes in?

Sorry for the frustration.

Every doctor's preop diet is a bit different, but for most the point is to shrink the liver by cutting carbs... and noodles are very carby, so I wouldn't think so.

Best bet is to not have them today, and call in tomorrow.

because when I talked with a local surgeon he seriously discouraged the band eventhough he would give me one if I wanted.

because if you look around this board you will see many who have had the band and are now having to have it removed and have revision surgery to the sleeve because either their band slipped, or stopped working for them and they gained some (or all) of their weight back.

because I don't have time to go have the required maintenance on it (filling, etc)

because the thought of that foreign object in my body gives me the heebiegeebies..

Have you tried backing down on your exercise? How about for 2 weeks, you back down to 2 hours a day with one rest day built in and see if that scale doesn't move.

I know that sounds counter intuitive however, we also know that eating less doesn't always equal weight loss. Sometimes you have to eat more to lose, and not work out as much for our metabolisms to be at peak performance.

Give it a shot...what do you have to lose??

What is a typical menu for you in a day? (It's hard to see what's making you sick when we don't know what you are eating...)

Are you adding a little Crystal Light or lemon juice to your Water to make it a bit more acidic? (sleevers report this helps alot).

Did you follow your Doc's guide lines on food progression? (started with Clear liquids, then progressed to full liquids, then to purees ONLY after your tummy was able to handle the full liquids without making you sick? Did you back down to full liquids after your tummy refused a certain puree and let it heal again before you started on purees again? Are you adding in only one new food every few days to see which food is making you sick?)

If you are really sick from what you are eating, perhaps it's best to back down to just full liquids for another week, and try again later with real foods, one at a time to see which is causing the issue.

Are you taking Vitamins and is your body handling those okay?

There is so many variables, but I hope someone can give you some good options to try because being sick that long doesn't sound right.

This is kind of like worrying about which wedding dress to get before you have a boyfriend... cross that bridge when you get there...

It's based on age, genetics, how obese you are, how long you've been there, if you've had babies, how much Water vs crap (aka soft drinks) you drink, how moisturized your skin is, how much muscle you build under that skin, etc. No 2 people are the same.

I will say worrying won't do a dang thing for it

I'm having my surgery in Mexico (Self-Pay)... and that makes me very sad about Bops...but you are right, it's probably for the best

I don't live there now, but am originally from there (Flowood/Brandon area actually). I live in East TN now (Smoky Mtns area)...moved here 3 years ago.

Good luck to you!!! (I really miss me some Bops frozen custard...ha!!)