Miss Mac

Here is a list of co-morbidities that most insurance companies recognize when considering eligibility for weight loss surgery. I would never hope for someone to be ill, but would you possibly have anything on this list?????? It is just unreal that your bariatric team waited until now to check your coverage. Will your insurance be paying for all of your pre-op requirements and appointments, or are you stuck with paying for those? I agree with everything Luvin_Life125 is saying. I wish you good luck and good health. In the meantime, the best you can do is what you have learned so far about nutrition: 1. Eat Protein and plenty of it. 2. Drink Water until your eyeballs float. 3. Pretend like carbs cost you $10 cash apiece-up front! 4. Eat more non-starchy veggies and less fruit. 5. Truthfully track what you are eating. If you do not track, you will lose track. 6. If you are not physically able to do much exercise, at least get up once an hour and move around for a few minutes. And I think doctors still agree that the best exercise there is, is walking. Obesity Comorbidities To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery. Family history of heart disease Family history of stroke Family history of diabetes Family history of heart attacks Hyperinsulinemia Diabetes High blood pressure Coronary-artery disease Hypertension Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension Congestive heart failure Neoplasia Dyslipidemia Anemia Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Degenerative arthritis Degenerative disc Degenerative joint disease Recommended joint replacement from specialist Accelerated degenerative joint disease Asthma Repeated pneumonia Repeated pleurisy Repeated bronchitis Lung restriction Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) Rashes Chronic skin infections Excess sweating Frequent yeast infections Urinary stress incontinence Menstrual irregularity Hormonal abnormalities Polycystic ovaries Infertility Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) sleep apnea Pseudotumor cerebri Depression Psychological/sexual dysfunction Social discrimination Premature death in the immediate family

I am so going to to try Luvin_Life125's recipe with ricot instead of the ceam, and put it in muffin tins to help me with portion control and make freezable servings. Actually, in our house, ricotta gets thrown into a lot of things. I will look through my cook-books and see what else I can find that is modifiable. Pumpkin is one of my favorites, too. Oh, and cranberries. Last fall, my boyfriend made a cranberry relish with modifications for me. It also invoved Splenda, but since then I have switched to Monkfruit sweetener.

Congratulations for being approved. BCBS Federal is the best insurance I have ever had E V E R ! You will have to pay very little for your surgery.

If you start feeling a sharp knife stabbing pain under your right shoulder blade, see your doctor right away. Often, when post-op gallbladder issues pop up, the pain starts there. Other than that, whatever the cause, don't let it go too long without at least letting your primary physician know that you have some discomfort. Weight loss surgery is a significant disruption to your body's internal systems, and the pain could just be a coincidence or something worth treating. Hopefully you can get this resolved soon so that you can have some peace of mind.

Had one of those the other day. I have been on 600-800 calories for so long (8 1/2 months) that I think my body was screeming for a catch-up day. I guess one day out of 258 isn't so bad. I probably had 1100 calories total, but I felt so guilty aftrward.

You are not crazy. It sounds like a toxic one-sided relationship to me. Good riddance to bad rubbish. Find somewhere to volunteer and make new friends there.

What I don't get is people who say the are down to 180 pounds and are a size 6 US. When I was my healthiest adult weight in the mid 1980's. I weighed 135 and wore a size 12 US. So what gives? This problem makes it even harder to know what size I am as I go through this shape-shifting process. Before my sleeve, I was an apple. Now I am a pencil with a donut for a belly. That is an improvement I guess, because my belly has gone from 54" to 42" so far. When I was an anorexic teenager during the hippie years (late 1960's) I my highest weight was 108 with a 23" waist, and I wore a size 8 US. Clearly sizing has changed. As a larger person, I did almost all of clothes shopping online from plus-sizw stores. I guess now I should actually go IN a store and try stuff on.

I don't have my list anymore, but I asked my surgeon 17 questions, and he patiently aswered them all. But the one question I would urge all newbies to ask is this: How do you manage shoulder gas post-op? My surgeon's response was that he extracts as much as possible so that residual gas is not a problem in the first place. Whatever he did, I am so glad. I did not have a n y shoulder gas post-op.

Same for me. They put in after I was out cold, and then took it out first thing the next morning.

My question is ..... is she still losing weight? I am 8 1/2 months out and still at 800 calories, 80 ounces of Water and 80 grams of Protein.....quite the balancing act to reach those goals at the same time. I couldn't lose weight before at 1000 calories (5'4 and 235 pounds), so with a sleeve, 800 seemed to be a good place to settle. My nut adviised 800-1200, but as soon as I approach 900. the ounces start creeping back. However, I have been on a plateau for six weeks, stuck at 172 +/- a couple of pounds. For me, 800 calories does not provide much energy or support much exercise. Actually, it was easier to have an eating disorder when I weighed a scant 108 at the age of 21. I don't know what to tell you except that I would fall over from weakness if I had her exercise regime. Starvation / starvation mode.....the concept is elusive right now. I recently had one of those hydration visits back to the hospital after being very ill with diarrhea and passed out and hit my head on the tub twice in one night. I was reminded that laxatives are not the way to restart weight loss, either. I have a visit with a new nutritionist coming up and will ask where she sees the balance. I wish your friend well and hope she finds a healthy balance for herself. She is lucky to have a concerned friend like you.

I was taking my blood pressure meds in the hospital before I came home. I am still taking six meds by swallowing pills. The only one I have a problem with post-sleeve is that nasty Bariatric Advantage AE required by my bariatric physician. It is a horse pill - a horse pill I tell ya! I cut it in quarters and still couldn;t get it down because of it's sharp edges from being split. So, I have to crush that one and put it in blueberry or cinnamon applesauce. At least it is tolerable that way.

It's unlikely that love will come knocking on your front door. Here is how (at the age of 55) I found love after being thrown out (divorced) a second time. I took a year off from the relationship scene to get my head together and to find out who I was when no one else is telling me what to do, think. eat, or like. I had to find the true me to be able to present myself correctly in the search for love. I got on Craig's list, back before it was a pimp site, and put an ad in the personals. I told it plainly who I was and what I am and what my baggage was. I even mentioned that I was heavy. I got 93 responses that I had to filter through. I eliminated those that sounded obviously perverted, those that sent below the belt photos, and those that were just out of high school, and those that seemed uncompatable. I reduced the list to ten and started meeting guys in public places before giving out my address and phone. Sure, I dated a couple of frogs, but gentleman number three came across as dignified and gentle and had many similar interests as I had, and he had been thrown away twice, too. We have been together over eight years and plan on going into our old age together. He is now 64 and I am just around the corner from 63. He never asked me to change anything (not even my weight) and I have never asked him to change anything (not even his smokig). He is very tall and thin. We look like a pencil and and apple when we are together. He has been supportive of my weight loss surgery, and our love has grown stronger. So, I have said all of that to say this.......to find someone who will love you for who you are, you have to be bold enough to put yourself out there - as you are. If you join a dating site, definitely mention that you are on a doctor supervised weight loss journey. You will likely get someone who is on that journey also or is at least open-minded about folks in our predicament. I don't think you have to be at your goal weight before you start dating. Just go for it.

BCBS Federal Employee Plan is the best insurance I have ever had.....ever. One thing that I like about it is the availability of a case manager to help handle processess and procedures. Any time I have some lingering health problem, like my knee replacements, stroke and now weight loss surgery, I accept the help of a case manager. She also checks up on me from time to time to see how I am doing. The other thing I like about it besides excellent coverage is that for my sleeve, BCBS approved a five day stay in the hospital if needed. Any delays I had were from the bariaric clinic's side. When my packet was submitted, BCBS approved it in two days. I found out because when I called the doctor's office to see if it was submitted, I was told yes, but that they would not know anything for a couple of weeks because the insurance coodinator was on vacation. So.....I called my case manager at BCBS and she said it was already approved. The case manager mailed me a letter of confirmation whicj I then faxed to the surgeon's office. As soon as they received it, I was given a surgey date the same day. I am not as patient as I used to be and have become way more pro-active about my healthcare. Good for you that you are staying on top of things. I wish you good luck and good health.

Similar to terry1118's recipe........my boyfriend was born in Malta (an island in the Mediterranean sea) and cooks in the Mediterranean style. He did what terry1118 did, but with an eggplannt hollowed out and the edible part cooked with ground beef, onion, garlic, and marinara sauce. He topped it with basil and mozzerella cheese. It tasted like pizza without all the crust that adds starchy calories. So it looks like terry1118's zuchinni recipe would be a good alternative for pizza. Years ago, I was at a dinner party and one of the vegetables served was baked zuchinni with the insides mashed and flavored with a little butter, salt, pepper, and I think the cheese was parmesan. Then it was put under the broiler for a toasty finish. That was mighty yummy. My boyfriend has also taken zuchinni and shredded it and then added it to other recipes to veggie them up. Keep in mind that when you do that with zucchinni, it needs to be soaked in salt Water overnight and then rinsed and drained before use. I did not do that when I tried it and had a mushy mess. Zuchinni releases a lot of moisture.

Get a complete copy of your medical records. By law, they have to give it to you. Find out who else or where else there is another facility that your insurance company will approve. Get a new surgeon as soon as possible before you lose steam. You can also ask if your insurance company provides case managers for patients who have an ongoing issue that will take time to resolve. I know that Blue Cross / Blue Shield does. You are worth the effort. I wish you good luck and good health.

I agree with bittersweet about the Smooth Moves Tea. I bought four kinds on-line, and my favorite has been the chocolate tea bags. I brew them with the hot Water for sugar free cocoa and make my hot chocolate, then I plop some s/f whip cream in it. Not too bad....it's drinkable. It works overnight.

Welcome to the forum. To lose one pound, right click your mouse six million times!

In spite of my damaged disc issue, I am standing and walking straighter because that ol' 53" belly isn't pulling me forward and down.

Not using a restaurant coupon before it expires feels the same as cutting up a credit card......it's like chopping off your hand. You did yourself a favor by not going. Your relationship may have its ups and downs, but I agree that so soon out from surgery is not the time to make a judgement call. At some calm moment you can have that discussion about how to handle your private choice for sugery in public situations. Maybe you could ask him if he has any helpful suggestions to help you get over the hurdles you will face when eating in publc. I also want to respond to motheros5's comment. Several years ago, I was living with my sister for a few months. I had left an abuser and needed some place to go, and her husband had just died of a prolonged illness. We needed each other, so I moved in for a while. I was on a diet at the time, and she and her two children, ages 7 and 16 ate junk beyond imagination. She told me that they wouldn't eat meat and veggies - just junk and take-out. I know they got take-out at least 5 days a week, with pancakes and a buffet on week-ends. I brought in my own groceries, fruits and veggies, and prepared my own foods. Wouldn't you know, her kids ate my stuff which she said they would not eat, and then ate their junky stuff too! Well, I couldn't tell them they can't have healthy food. The temptation to eat cakes,chips, pies, and pizza was difficult to resist. Needless to say, I only lost 15 pounds and started to gain it back. Although I would not necessarily recommend watching food channels, maybe the cure for helping us to resist restaurant and prepared foods is to watch Restaurant Impossible and Kitchen Nightmares. I know that they are manipulated reality shows, but looking behind the scenes at all of those disgusting kitchens just makes me leary of eating anything that someone else has prepared in a kitchen that I do not control the ingredients and sanitation. As you get further out from surgery, you will get better at this. My boyfriend and I were away from home at a hospital in another city. We were gone longer than we expected and were fading so badly that we needed to have a meal on the way home. On a main drag lined with every chain restaurant possible, we stopped at Baker's Square. He had his big grown man sandwich and I had about 1/3 of my chili with cheese and couple of his fries. We both were full and we both were happy. I didn't feel deprived and he didn't feel pressured to eat what I eat. Compromise will be the best and least emotional way to handle your way around food. Just go where they have something you can eat part of and where he can eat what he wants. You don't have to use a coupon just because you have one.

By the time I had lost the frist 30 pounds, all of my achy bones were feeling better. I do have some nerve damage (sciatica) big-time because my excess weight contributed to 14 herniated discs and the damage is done. My spine surgeon (who has already repaired four discs in my neck) has put off a full lumbar fusion for the past year, hoping that losing another forty pounds will make even more of a difference. So even a spine surgeon thinks that losing weight should bring relief. However, my weight loss has slowed down and the nerve pain has picked up, so I will be calling him back after a visit to the pain clinic on the 8th. I am expecting to get the go-ahead for the lumbar fusion. Other than that, my everywhere bursitis has improved because their is so much less inflammation in my body. Same goes for diverticulitis....gone. So, I hope you can find an answer for your particular situation and get some relief. I wish you good luck and good health.

Alyce, Our doctor's plans vary a bit, but here is where I was at post-op (I am at 8 1./2 months now). I came home on on Day 3, permitted to drink full liquids. At week two, I went on to purees, which include applesauce, but sugar free. Sugar is still an issue for me now. I just can't afford to give my calorie balance (800 per day) over to sugar or starrch). At week three I started soft foods, and at week four I graduated cautiously to cooked whole foods. I would not accuse you of cheating, myself, but just advise you to be patient withh your team's plan. Oh, and that week three stall is coming up, just so you know.

I agree with Rogofulm that if you know him well enough to become intimate, then you know him well enough to have "the talk" about protection and the non sexy stuff. Now that we have that out of the way.......my favorite quote from Ben Franklin concerns relationships with women who are no longer pretty young things. Franklin said "In the dark, all cats are gray!" Good luck with your fella. If he likes / loves you for who you are and does not ask you to change anything about yourself, then he his for sure a keeper.

I was taking a Vita-fusion chewable multi that I was getting at Walgren's but mt bariatric physician switched me to Bariatric Advantage AE because of its extra Iron content. It is a huge horse pill stink bomb that I could not swallow whole or in quarters........so I got my morter and pestle out of the kitchen and mush them up and put them in a blueberry applesauce cup. No problem now.

I still say keep the dress and implement these other fashion suggestions. However, I do agree with Pink Dahlia about a wrap dress. So, for your next dress, get a wrap around. They are forgiving on every figure and would be especially helpful as you go through all of this shape-shifting as we lose weight.

That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger?????