Miss Mac

169.8

Mine was like $150 total for one of the doctor's bills......that was a year ago (12/23/2013), and I never did get a hospital bill. Oh, and I paid a couple of $30 co-pays for psychologist visits.

My program was similar to BLERDgirl.

I was able to drop Metformin right away, but I am still on my blood pressure meds at one year. Because I am post-stroke, my primary wants me to get closer to my goal weight before we drop those.

When I had a stroke at the age of 58, I knew I had to do something about my weight and blood pressure. Follow this link to get a good idea of what the last straw was for many of us: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/?hl=%20straw

You are not obligated to say anything if you don't want to. Just tell them that your physician is helping you follow a plan to get healthy.

You won't need near as much as you think you do. I way overpacked because of my Girl Scout mentality....it is better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it. Chapstick. Your lips will be dry after surgery.

Hi, and welcome to the forum. Please feel free to ask anything you want, with the understanding that opinions and tact will vary. You will find a lot of support here.

RJ, you have helped me so much in the year that I have been involved in the forum. You examplify strength and courage and have shown us that any day that we wake up on this side of the dirt, it's a good day. Yeah, that coddle thing.....I don't know where that is coming from. I have always said that opinions and tact vary on the forum. What some people call coddling, others call diplomacy. Those of us who inject a sense of humor once in a while can come off as not being serious about the journey. Those of us who follow the plans our teams have given us have even been called "Goody Two Shoes". RJ, you belong here. That doctor is an a**, and you are a gift from God. For those who will be offended by a religious reference, then you are still a gift to those who follow behind you. When you don't show up for a few days because of another procedure, I worry about you.

You have the advantage of youth on your side. I had my surgery on 12/23/2013 at 5'4" and 235 pounds to start. I am one of those slow losers, but very happily down 65 pounds at this point. My goal weight is 135, but many folks set a goal that is closer to 160 or 170. I just turned 63. I like the shape of my face now. My boobs went from 44D to 36 B and sag only a little, not enough that I would want a lift. After all, at 63 I don't really care. My arm flaps are not too bad either, as I try to keep up with strength training. If I push off of the second stairstep, I can do twenty push-ups I can see the wrinkles in my thighs, but it is not so bad that I can't wear shorts next summer. My belly has deflated some and has shifted downward to where I am starting to define a waist, but the belly of pants is fuller than I want. One thing I have been doing is exfoliating in the shower and moisturizing afterwards. Can't guarantee that is is helping the elasticity of my skin, but I tell you what - my skin is soft as velvet. As I go into my second year, I am hoping to be able to increase my strength training to incorporate more leg work. I have orthopedic and post-stroke balance issues that make it unsafe for me to go walking the neighborhood by myself, but I have designed a fitness trail for the back yard so that I can increase my outside exercse in the spring of 2015. Because I still have 35-40 pounds to go, I will reserve judgement on belly sagging. I am hoping for the best and that strength training will pay off. Ernestine Sheperd (the 75 year old body builder) is my inspiration.

I make this once in awhile and you might want to practice with a consistency that suits you. I stir up a stiff batch of Peanut Butter and chocolate Protein powder and roll it into balls about the size of a walnut and refrigerate separated on a tray before you store them in the freezer or fridge. If you are familiar with buckeyes, that is kinda what they look like. I suppose you could add cream cheese or a flavored Torani syrup or dark choclate chips to jazz it up. I can eat one and be full enough. For people who are far enough along and can tolerate nuts, you could add chopped nuts to the mixture. Have fun experimenting.

My surgeon teaches bariatric and robotic gastro-intestinal surgery at Loyola University, so I am sure that he at least had an intern observing. Also he has the supervising nurse from the bariatric clinic in the O R as well.

Count your blessings that you dodged a bullet on this one. My guess is that he doesn't think that your liver is going to be in the way and doesn't need to be shrunk. +

Omeprozole for me too. If I don't take it first thing in the morning, I will regret it later. I definitely get the intended benefit from it.

If I want my insurance to pay for it, I have to wait two years and there has to be an underling infection or serious rash under hanging-over skin (pannis) that has to hang a certain amount over the pubus. In addition to that requirement, my insurance will only pay for a panniculectomy (skin flap) but not tummy tuck (tightening up muscles).

My psych eval was a 30 minute conversation with the doctor asking me questions about my eating habits, the family dynamic growing up, do I have support at home, why do I want the surgery, did I have an eating disorder when I was young, etc. It was fairly painless. The doc just wants to make sure that you can handle the changes that are coming with bariatric surgery. Good luck. I hope you do well.

You are not really eating enough calories to sustain an exercise program. Your body has been without solid food for over a month, now. Be aware that it is time for you to anticipate that "dreaded third week stall" that we talk about here on the forum, so don't freak out about it. If you stay with the formula of getting your Proteins first you will do alright. At the soft food stage you could even have very tender meat that has been broken up a bit in the blender, cheese, cooked veggies mashed up, some of us were even eating refried Beans at that point. Your new stomach is the boss of you now, so you may as well give it a name and listen to what it is trying to tell you. This whole process is about developing a sense of self-preservation through outstanding nutrition and new habits. Just like when introducing junior foods to a toddler, you don't give the child a lot of new stuff on the same day. Take your time. But you need to eat something. You can't trade overeating for anorexia. Due to your medications, Vitamins, and ketosis, some of your old favorites may no longer taste the same. My new stomach is Miss Tummy, and yes, at almost a year (12/23/2014) she is still the boss of me.

Don't push it just yet....your stomach needs to heal from the brutality of the surgery. If you have not checked out a Youtube video of sleeve surgery, you should do so to get a direct visual of what just happened. Even a mosquito bite swells, so just imagine how swollen and tender that new tummy is. What you could do is suck on a piece of ice or a popsicle in-between your sips.

The hard part is over. The first week post-op is no picnic, but now you are on your way to discovering the new you.

I have been living in sweats, tees, and diabetic socks for the last 30 years. Since my surgery I have purchased sun dresses, regular socks, skinny jeans,and jeggings. I also have been letting my hair grow a bit longer. It seems like the bigger I got, the shorter I cut my hair. In another six months (1 1/2 years out) my hair should be a shoulder-length bob with bangs. If you remeber Rita Moreno from when she got the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Oscars last year - that is the new style I am going for.......owning the gray hair and rocking some really sharp looking clothes.

I buy the 85% dark chocolate bars at Aldi's at put them in the freezer. When I feel the urge, I just break off a small piece. It takes forever to melt in my mouth and usually satisfies whatever craving was there.

Good for you! I love all of our non-scale victories. Have you noticed that your bed probably feels bigger now that you are smaller?

Instead of thinking "I love him, so why does he treat me this way?" start thinking "Why would I love someone who treats me this way?"

Oh, crud. Well, while you are deciding how to proceed, you can do what the rest of us have to do on our pre-op diets........you know the drill. Lots of Protein, some veg, a little fruit, limited starchy carbs. Don't become part of the couch. Drink Water until your eyeballs float. So, if that door has been closed, come in through the window.

Omeprozol has been working fine for me. I am less than two weeks away from my one year....still take one every morning when i get up.