Beachbum2017

Thanks for the encouragement and prayers! I seem to be doing better now - hopefully it was just a temporary freakout! It was just extremely weird that I've been so determined and when it's actually going to happen I started to panic! I'm concentrating on getting everything in place and ready to start my new adventure - I'll actually be on vacation for the next two weeks and then I get to start my pre-op diet....it will probably become VERY REAL then....

What is PPI?

Okay, ladies - I confess to needing a pep talk. I just got my surgery date on Thursday and I have never had a moments hesitation in the 2 plus years that I have been researching and going through the process of getting cleared for this surgery. Suddenly this weekend - I panicked!! I feel that this is the last chance for me to get my health straightened out and get back to a healthy active life but I'm suddenly terrified that this won't work for me. What if I'm that one in a million that doesn't loose any weight. What if I'm one of the ones that wakes up from the surgery throwing up and I never stop? What if...What if....What if....?? I know this is probably semi normal and it hasn't stopped my determination to get the surgery. I'm just freaking out now that it's all in place. Any and all encouragement will be greatly appreciated....

Lexington Medical Center in Columbia. How about you?

I got my date!! August 6th! I'm SO EXCITED!

Great job, Kimberly! Losing weight AND quitting smoking - that takes some willpower. I'm very proud of you. I haven't got my surgery date yet but this web-site is absolutely the BEST for getting all your questions answered and getting support from people who really care. I LOVE the camera idea - I've got to put the disposable camera on my shopping list. Keep us posted!

Glad to hear you are doing okay! I know it's nice to be back home. Sounds like you are doing great - what kind of shakes are you drinking? Hope things continue going well!

I'm very impressed that you got the whole protein drink down! Seems like lots of people have trouble with that. So sorry that you had a horrible night - hospitals are really not good places to rest! Are you walking okay? Do you have someone with you to help you out? Do you need anything? I'm here and willing to help if you need anything - hang in there - much better days are in the near future! So jealous and can't wait to be where you are!

I thought about you all day today hoping that your surgery was going well! I did fine with my nuclear stress test - cardiac clearance! One more to go! Hope so much that you have a good night and are feeling much better tomorrow! Keep us posted! Hugs!

I had the Endometrial Ablation a couple of years ago and it was the best thing I ever did! Cured the problem right up and I had very light periods after that until they stopped completely. I actually had mine 3 days before Christmas - rested that day and was out shopping the next day. Like I said - best thing I ever did UNTIL I get my sleeve!

I started dieting with my very 1st appt on Apr 8th!! I'm down 24 lbs since then. I was just wondering because Dr. Strickland said that the pre-op diet isn't really to get you to lose weight - it's to shrink your liver. Though I can't see how you wouldn't lose weight on that pre-op diet. I'm just anxious because I need to have my surgery in August and my last NUT appt is Jul 15th and they say BCBS takes 5-7 days to approve and then you have to do the pre-op diet. September is a really, really bad month for me at work and my sister is coming to take care of me and September is bad for her too. I think my heart will break if I have to wait till October - I'm so ready to do this and get started on my journey. They supposedly made a note in my file but I'm still gonna worry till I get a actual date!!

Summerjjjj - did you have to do the full 4 weeks of pre-op diet or did you do less? I keep hearing different things from different people at Riverside Surgical so I'm confused. The nutritionist said 4 weeks but when Dr. Strickland talked to our nutrition class - he said only 2 weeks were needed.

I'll be thinking about you! I'm having my nuclear stress test on Wednesday morning with Dr. Epps right across the street. Hope I live through it! Really anxious to hear how things go. I've been very impressed with everything and everyone at Lexington Medical Center so far. I'll be sending up prayers for your safe and easy recovery!

Kim's Magic Pop - the post had said that we could find them at Kroger but my Kroger doesn't carry them. I found them on Amazon.

Dr. Antonetti is my surgeon too! Are you having your surgery at Lexington? Best of luck to you - I absolutely can't wait. Just chomping at the bit to get my surgery date (though I have already started packing!) I'm so excited to get this chance to change my life. Hearing all these good stories of success give me hope for a good outcome.

I live in Columbia and I'm still in the pre-op stage without a surgery date yet. Will probably be early August. Would love to have folks that have been there and done that to talk to!

You look amazing - no wonder you are smiling so big in that 2nd pic! I can't wait to feel that way! keep up the good work!

I did mine last month and of course they said I had sleep apnea - I can't quite figure out how they did that when I didn't sleep a wink! Wish I would have thought to take a pic - it was rather hysterical when I looked in the mirror. Good luck getting the goop out of your head in the morning - I walked around with blue bits in my hair for days! Hope you can get some sleep!

Hey there Divalicious! I'm not sure about the date thing - I talked to Kindra at the support group meeting and she said that they would submit my packet as soon as they got the written report from the head doctor even though I haven't completed all my prerequisites yet. I don't know if that means BCBS will go ahead and approve and then they will just submit all my other stuff when done or what. I know that the Riverside Group is a BCBS center of excellence for bariatric surgery so maybe they kind of work together more on this than normal. I just thought I would try to get them to give me a possible date to aim for! So sorry that you are having to go through this process again - don't let anyone talk you out of it this time - this is your life and you have chosen to give yourself the gift of a better life with better health. i'm here if you need me!

Like you I am so anxious to get my surgery date and know that everything is a go. Do you have to be reapproved by insurance or will they use your other info from last time? I have a nut appt next week - I think I will ask if they can give me some idea of a surgery date. Just want to keep up the forward motion!

Ha! Was thinking about summer all day yesterday and making my vacation plans - that was a freudian slip! I did make it to the support group meeting. It was really good! Very inspiring to see all the different people at the different stages of this process and how excited they all are about their progress. Last night they had a cooking demonstration and handed out some recipes, etc. They are talking about setting up a clothing exchange so that people can donate their larger clothes as they get smaller so that we don't have to spend so much money buying clothes while we are shrinking! Sounds like an excellent idea to me. Next one is going to be "Ladies Night" and there will be makeovers by Carmen!Carmen! and mocktails, etc. I'm really going to try to make that one. I'm so excited and want to know my date NOW!!!

Hey Summer! Haven't heard from you in awhile! Are you going to the Support Group meeting this evening? I think I will actually be able to make this one....How's progress? I'm still trudging along - I'm finished with all my doctor's appts now (I think) and I'm trying to get used to my CPAP machine (of course I had sleep apnea!) so I just have nutrition classes and meetings with dieticians.....when I went to my nutrition class last week I had lost 2 more pounds so something must be working though it could just have been all the running around to doctor's appts and not having time to eat! Hope you are doing well!

LillyRose - I know! I feel so very lucky to have met up with Sunshine on here. I really like your response to Brandon - I love the "I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired!" - I think that could be my mantra at this point -t might need to get a tshirt made! That is absolutely my main reason for doing this - I just want to enjoy my life again. Girl - I got a spare room - you can switch to Dr Antonetti and come join me & Sunshine in Sunny South Carolina and we'll take this adventure together!

Good evening, Sunshine! I'm so jealous that you didn't have to do the sleep study! It was a real pain but just another step I have to take on this journey. Don't worry about the endoscopy - it was a piece of cake - oops - bad analogy - it was a piece of 2% cheese! One minute I was talking to Dr Antonetti and the next thing I knew I was being wheeled back into my little cubicle to get dressed and go home. Little bit of sore throat next day but not bad at all. I'm having trouble adjusting to the new diet too! It's kind of completely opposite of what I had trained myself to do which was lots & lots of veggies and very little protein. I have actually lost 13 lbs in the last month and a half but I think that is more due to being diagnosed with diabetes and being given Metformin. I've heard that it makes you lose weight at first. That won't work for long - I can assure you! I've been researching a good bit about the protein shakes that we'll have to drink for a while - getting a little concerned since I hear so many of them taste bad - guess it's a good thing we won't be able to drink much! I live in Irmo and work at Ft. Jackson so that's why my appts are in the afternoons - I'm trying to miss the fun at Malfunction Junction . Have a good weekend!

Girl! This is too cool! We have to be sleeve buddies!! Sorry I didn't answer last night - I was doing my "Lack of Sleep Study". I actually LOVE the name Sunshine! What dates are your nutrition classes? I go on May 8th @ 1:30, June 5th @1:30 and then my last appt with the nutritionist on the 15th. Have you been to any of the Support Group meetings yet? I can't go to the one in May because I have a hair appt that evening. My hairdresser is scheduled out 6 months in advance and if I miss an appt - it's very hard to get back in the rotation AND I end up looking like my profile picture. This is great - we can help each other through this adventure. I did my Endoscopy on Monday, Sleep Study last night and I have my "Head" doctor appt on Tuesday, then my stress test on Wednesday. Really, really worried about that stress test thing - never had one before and I'm afraid I'll keel over!!