Jason_in_Texas

I would echo the Premier Protein (chocolate) recommendation.

Getting staples out is no sweat! It feels a little weird but barely hurts at all.

Lose a bunch of weight and wear sexy stuff around the house! I really doubt your husband will even remember the breath thing......

It has been my general observation that it takes a particular personality type to be a good surgeon (cough*ragingnarcissist*cough.) That's not always the case of course, but I think it's a good thing in a lot of ways. I want a surgeon who's a competitive, detail oriented, driven perfectionist! If I want to talk about my problems and need a good listener who will offer insight I make an appointment with a therapist.

Full liquids offers a lot of better tasting options in my opinion. chocolate (and vanilla) whey supplements taste way better to me than any effort to blend artificial fruit flavor and Protein (it just ain't right and my palate knows it.) I actually like the Premier Protein shakes though and the CytoSports whey powders (chocolate and vanilla) are pretty good when mixed with soy milk. Heck, even mixing a Beneprotein unflavored protein pack with a chocolate pudding sounds REALLY GOOD at this point.

I totally agree. Post-op day 8 for me. I'm totally lost as to what options I have on full liquids. Getting so tired of broth, Water, & Isopure.< /p>

Post-op day 9 for me & hoping DR will move me to full liquids tomorrow. The Protein broth wasn't too bad at first but after a week of nothing but broth I can barely stand it. Sadly, the Isopure aftertaste is so foul I can't tolerate it anymore. I now realize that I could tolerate drinking a bottle pre-op because I could down it in a few gulps! Now it's a full 60 minutes of disgusting to me.

About 8 days for me. I still twinge a bit when I lay on my tummy at first but it doesn't hurt me to lay there.

I just had surgery on 8/13 and I took Gas-X strips like candy the first 4 days. They help a lot. The gas has gotten a lot better for me recently though - I'm down to 1-2 strips per day. Do your walking and take the Gas-X and hopefully it will get better quickly for you as well!

I don't know your exact circumstances obviously but I have spent almost my entire adult gaining and losing weight. Every time I have lost weight through diet and exercise I have felt really great and felt like I was on track to reach my goal and then eventually I have had something get in the way that broke me out of the healthy habits (frequently injuries) and I have gained the weight back plus more. I had the exact same doubts and questions you are expressing now but I realized that cancelling the surgery and doing the same thing all over again and expecting different results was truly crazy. I was just afraid of the surgery and the changes it will require in my life to all of the familiar things that I have loved for so long. It's a big change and a big commitment. I got my sleeve 8/13 and I am taking it one day at a time. Whatever decision you make, I wish you the very best, but please make sure you understand WHY you are making that decision before you make it.

I really like the Isopure that is ready to drink. It's expensiveat GNC, but cheaper if you order a case from Amazon. I'm still drinking 1/2 a bottle each day to boost 20 gramsof Protein to my daily total.

You may want to try it first before you buy a bunch. It has a very distinctive aftertaste that I found slightly unpleasant pre-op but utterly intolerable post-op. It's a great way to get your protein if you like it though.

I was told benedryl was OK and the pills are really easy to swallow (plus they make me sleepy which isn't a bad thing when I'm recovering from surgery anyway)

I haven't broken down yet but I gotta agree on the post-op clear diet- tropical fruit flavors and Protein taste like crud to me and the chicken broth is getting really old already. I made my son some mac and cheese for lunch and had to back away slowly

Nothing good can come from it - I promise!

I had really bad diarrhea post op. At first I thought it was from dairy. But it was from Splenda. Splenda is in most Protein powder, and a lot of sugar free products. Just something to think about.

Thanks for the suggestion but I can rule that out. No Splenda in Unjury chicken Soup.< /p>

5 days post op for me. The Gas-X strips are fantastic, I 'm probably taking 6 or more a day and they really help with the gas. The gas seems to be getting a little better with each day. I'm already getting sick and tired of the trots and whey Protein Powder though (and the two are very closely related.)

I have Aetna PPO and they approved me - it just depends on what your plan terms are.

Borrowing from your 401K may be a cheap way to get money IF your employer's 401K plan allows you to take loans (not all of them do.) If it's a distribution (not a formal loan) then you will have to pay a 10% penalty fee plus full income tax on any amount that is distributed (which really hurts - you will likely be giving 50% + of the money you take out to the IRS.)

Does your company offer more than one insurance option? My company lets you pick which plan you want every year and there may be a PPO plan option that covers your surgery. Also, there may be a plan with a Health Savings Account, and those are good as well. You deduct money straight from your pay check and it goes into the HSA un-taxed. You can then use that money on medical expenses (includig bariatric of course.)

You can of course write off medical expenses that exceed 9.5% of your gross income (changed from 7.5% with AHCA), but that may not be a great deal either. For example, if you and your husband make $80K a year then you could deduct health care expenses in excess of $7600.

Another option would be looking for a job with an employer that has better insurance. It may not be easy but it could be worth a lot of money to make a job change even if the salary is a bit less.

I was told 2 weeks by my doctor.....it still strikes me odd that there's such a discrepancy between doctors on so many things

I understand completely. My surgery is scheduled for 8/13 and it's hard not to obsess over the risks. It's not logical but that doesn't change the anxiety. I am trying to focus my energy on getting ready: trying and ordering supplements, reading, and just general researching. I'm also making a list of all of the things I want to do that I most likely never will be able to if I don't get the surgery (it's getting a bit long .) I figure I'm as well prepared as I can be: I just need to show up on time and trust that my surgeon and the hospital staff will get me through it. After that I'll take it one step at a time.