ChristyAZ

Positive thoughts for you and all those having their surgeries tomorrow! Your journey truly begins now .... one loaded with energy, health and confidence ...... Best wishes to you .....

I will be right there with you on surgery day Geelynn. I am Aug 13th too. Good luck to you!

I am 2.5 weeks out (pre op) and it's starting to get very real, real quick! Success will be ours as long as we follow the food plans, exercise both our bodies and our minds and always remember what it was like for us before we fought so hard for the gift we have been blessed with ..... this tool to begin anew and have a future of healthy living! Good luck to you!

Mine refused too, as did my rheumatologist, so I went back to a PCP I had prior to the current one and she was all for it .... don't give up because others can't get on board with your surgery.

I purchased a mini hand mixer on Amazon. Have not used it yet but I'm thinking it will be ideal for mixing protein powders and such. It was pretty cheap and has surprising power for such a tiny mixer. You might try that .... hope it helps you!

I have had gallbladder issues for over a year so my surgeon will be removing it along with my RNY in August. I think I may be more excited about finely having that gone then the WLS right now lol ..... those attacks seriously suck!

My date is August 13th and I am so very ready! I have all my preop tests done except the blood work which I do tomorrow morning. My pre op with the surgeon is Wednesday the 23rd and my pre op class is August 7th. I am on my way now

OK, so I now have both the Aqua and Citrus Zinger and the only one I really use is the citrus Zinger. The Aqua Zinger is nice but prepping all the fruit, steeping it in the fridge for an hour before drinking it and the small capacity make it not worth the trouble. I wish it had been because its a really nice idea. Citrus Zinger however is really nice. I just cut a few oranges (or other citrus fruits) and can be prepped, juiced and on my way in a short amount of time and it holds quite a bit. So all in all, Aqua Zinger not worth the $$, Citrus Zinger gets 2 thumbs up!

I think it's a great idea! I wish you much success

I love love LOVE Trader Joes. They have some amazing Salmon Cakes in the frozen food section as well as their Hummus. I get the Roasted Garlic and the Traditional. Also their Carolina Gold BBQ sauce is bomb (I know its sugar but I use it sparingly)..... I get my electrolyte waters there and I like the Pure Protein 35 mg Protein drinks (chocolate frosty) that come in a can. They also have these bags of Rice Crackers and Edamame (sp?) Crackers (in the chip section) that I love with the hummus and chicken or tuna salad. We buy their coffee concentrate to make protein enhanced cold coffee drinks at home and their cheese selection is always fun.

Pik ..... I completely understand your fears. I have RA and going off my meds, having to walk and move after the surgery with the pain is a bit concerning. Also, the discontinuation of my ibuprofen makes me wanna cry .... but I just try and remind myself that I am in pain NOW and function every day. I am positive that with the weight loss, even knowing it won't cure the RA, will still benefit my joints and energy level. I will not be returning to my biologic (none have worked to date but will be trying a new one when I can continue my treatments) until 6 wks after my RNY and I have vowed to avoid the steroids this time. Nothing packed my pounds on faster then 2 years of prednisone. Nasty stuff! Good luck with your surgery

I was postponed for 3 months. Not due to the surgeon but because of my own sneaky health issues. The surgeon wanted me to take a few months healing time from diverticulitis. My original date was June 17th. Now it's August 13 (the 3 months started from the time I was hospitalized in May). It was a hard thing to deal with so I feel your pain. Time has flown by though and I am gearing up once again ..... this week will pass quickly and before you know it, you will be post op and really starting your journey. Good luck to you!

My ideal size would be about 6-8. A size 0 seems so unattainable at this point (still pre-op and wearing the dreaded size 28) but if I get there and look and feel healthy ... then yay! I just can't even fathom wearing a 0,2,4,6, with all the loose skin I am bound to have afterwards .....

I am so sorry to hear that you are having to go through this. At least you had the bad removed and will begin healing. I am sure it was devastating news but the time will past quick and hopefully in 6 months you can take the next step. I will send positive vibes your way!

They removed several from me as well. No mention if they were benign or not ..... no mention of a biopsy either ...... huh .... I will have to call the office tomorrow and check into that ..... would probably be good information to know lol ... glad yours went well

So so happy your day has finally come. You will do amazing! Happy and positive thoughts will be sent your way!!!! Remember .. walk walk walk, toot toot toot and sip sip sip

Just a follow up to my original post .... Had my colonoscopy this morning and surprise surprise, it was pretty uneventful. The prep, while foul tasting and a tad nauseating, was the worst part. The procedure itself was a piece of cake. Doc told me all looked good and my WLS was still a go and he would see me in 5 years. Thanks for all the advise .........

I myself ditched my policy from work and bought an individual policy through BCBS. Its a gold plan and covered the surgery. My advise .... if your company offers multiple options, check each one over to see if WLS is a covered benefit. If not, call an insurance broker. That's what I did. I was never asked about my weight or any preexisting conditions (not sure but I think due to Obamacare, they are no longer allowed), just if I was a smoker and my age (smokers pay more). I advised I was looking for a policy that covered WLS and that's all the plans they sent me. I chose the best one for me. This was in December 2013. My new policy went into effect in Jan 2014 and I am scheduled for RNY in August. Its been a stressful 6 months but it can be done. One thing you absolutely should do is start a supervised weight loss plan NOW. Don't wait until you find a policy and then find out you need 6 months of supervised weight loss (WW was not good enough for my insurance. It had to be Dr supervised) before you can be approved. Most if not all insurance companies require it. I know my doctors/program has one through the hospital they are affiliated with. Don't throw in the towel just yet .... you're worth spending the time researching and finding a way to get the surgery. Good luck!

Wecome! I am a fairly new newbie too .... and will be having RNY in August 2014 ..... so it will be nice to have another bypasser to share their story

I'm in the East Valley but I am interested ..... very much so ...........

My good friend had her WLS (RNY) over a year ago so she is my "little font of information" and she shared what she thought was the reason behind her continued success (or one of them anyway). food prep. She swears by it and continues to this day to prepare as many (or as much) of her meals as she can way in advance. She basically cooks her dishes twice monthly and freezes in individual pre measured portions. This way she has a perfect well loved meal whenever she wants/needs. She can prepare her families favorite (WLS unfriendly) meals for them, warm her own for herself and sit down to dinner with everyone and still stay on track. I plan on doing the same (I am 7 weeks pre op today) and have started to work on my own possible menus as well as modify hers to my tastes. Some of her favorites include Turkey Chili, chicken and Cauliflower Spagetti and Loaded Turkey Meatballs. She even goes so far as to prep chicken salad in advance leaving out the mayo and then adds that when the time comes. Pretty ingenious I thought ...anyway, I was wondering if anyone else does this or a version of this? Any freezer friendly protien rich recipes or ideas? I know I will be on liquids then mushies following my procedure and I also understand my tastes will probably alter some so I do not plan on doing too much before I learn my new boundries but when once I do, watch out lol .... I love to cook and this seems like a big stress reducer ....

No pre op liquid diet here either. Just a light breakfast the day prior then clear liquids from noon on ...ave surgery at 8am so it will be fairly easy to handle considering some others pre op diets. I would never make it!

Mine took 4 days from date of submission. I have BCBS

I am still pre op but I seem to like the Pure Protein Frosty Chocolate 35 grm pre mixed one the best. I tend to mix it with a small amount of coconut water and a spoonful of natutal peanut butter and blend smooth. I will be ordering the Unjury trial packs this week ..... my "plan" (fingers crossed) is to just use the unflavored in things post op ...... or the chicken soup one. I am a salty more then sweet kind of girl and the thought of all those sweet shakes and bars kind of puts me off .... but as everyone says, who knows whati will like after surgery .....

OMG Ginger ..... you have definitley given me reason to be thankful lol ...... you poor thing, I would have just DIED of embaressment ..... If you can get thru THAT, I can do this lol ....... thanks for the clarity!