highdesertblue

I wish I could quit the food noise in my head! Ice cream, chocolate... just thinking about food.

You are making a great choice! Not just the surgery, but putting yourself first. Don't worry about people who think it is the easy way out. WLS is not easy, but it is statistically more effective than any other method. It is a big change, and most spouses have insecurity about it. Try to involve your husband in the process as much as possible and focus on your health. I am in my late 50s and I know how carrying around extra weight hurts my body. I will need spinal surgery once I lose weight to correct problems that wouldn't be nearly as bad if I hadn't weighed so much. I wish you the best. I made a list of all the reasons that I wanted the surgery (non of them included the way I look or the clothes I will be able to wear) and put it on my refrigerator. My husband stops and reads it once in a while, too. He has been much more understanding since he saw my real goals.

After what feels like a long and strenuous journey, I finally have a surgery date! I am so excited. (And a little nervous). This past month has been super challenging, and I've sometimes wondered if I should be getting surgery right now. I feel guilty because my husband has stage 4 metastatic kidney cancer. He will be starting a new cancer drug, and I will be out of town for close to a week for the surgery. He is fine about me having the surgery, though. He knows I need to get healthy. Anyway!!! Who else is having surgery in March or the end of February? And did I mention the surgery is the day after my birthday? I am asking my family for ramekins (custard cups), tiny sauce cups, dip bowls, appetizer plates and silverware, and whatever else I find might be good to have in my post surgery life. My surgery is at St. Lukes in Phoenix, and My doc is Dr. Juarez. I'm having an open gastric bypass revising an old 1989 stomach stapling.

I got my insurance approval! The office is supposed to call and schedule my pre-op in the next few days!

Sodas, even diet sodas are so bad for kids. There are usually walking clubs in the malls. Many malls allow people to come in and walk even before the stores open. We had to eliminate unhealthy snacks in our house, or someone will eat them. I wish you both well!

I've heard that quitting smoking is harder than quitting heroin. I never smoked, but grew up in a family of smokers. I saw what a hard time they had quitting. With that said, I really hope you can quit. Your body heals so much better when your circulation is improved after you quit. My best friend quit a year and a half ago at the age of 62. She coughed so hard when she smoked that she would have trouble catching her breath. She had a constant smoker's cough. Now- no cough! I am so proud of her. My cousin cannot get a breast reduction because she hasn't been able to quit. The surgeon told her that her nipples would probably fall off if she smoked. THAT is scary. best wishes to you.

So far I am using Syntrax nectar, and i just got the Bariatric Advantage for my pre-op diet. I should be getting my surgery date very soon. i would like to see offers for samples all in one place. I do have a question. I need the names of Protein bars that are NOT soy based. The soy doesn't get along with me very well. I am so glad that you are exploring the online store option.

I am very budget oriented. If i have one site to compare prices and see a variety of brands, I will definitely look to bariatric Pal first!

Della, I am so excited for you! I hope you let me know how things go for you!

Della Street, When is your surgery? If you haven't had your psych eval, or nutrition consult, I really liked the psychologist, Dr. Olin, and the nutritionist Michelle Berman. They regularly work with bariatric patients.Dr. Olin is in Tempe, and Michelle is in Mesa.

My surgeon tests for nicotine in your system just before surgery. He will not do the surgery if there is any nicotine in your system. It must cause serious problems for him to be so strict about it.

Whew! I just got back from Phoenix and I got my nutrition consult, and psych eval finished. Now, I should hear back from the surgeon's office next week to schedule the pre-op. I am so relieved. It is a three hour drive each way, and the nutritionist was nice enough to fit me in after hours so that I wouldn't have to come back for an extra trip. I've ordered the Bariatric Advantage Protein Powder that my surgeon prefers for the two week pre-op diet. I found it online at BariatricFoodSource.com at the best price. I'm finally allowing myself to get excited since I've had some real highs and lows on my journey so far!

How exciting! Maybe relax with a cup of camomile tea? Take a few deep breaths and let God handle the rest. I'm still waiting for my surgery date, so I will probably feel the same way as you do now. Praying for you!

I have clearances from the cardiologist and pulmonologist, and the recommendation letter from my PCP. My surgery will be at bridges Center in Phoenix with Dr. Juarez. They gave me a list of psychologists and nutritionists in Phoenix. I live three hours away. Does anyone have a recommendation for Sierra Vista, Tucson, or Phoenix? My insurance website is a pain. I made a few calls and got VERY frustrated because the offices I talked to didn't do the testing, or nutritional counseling for WLS. I'm willing to go to Phoenix, but I sure would love a recommendation! Thanks!

Hello, I am trying to find a psychologist for my psych eval, and a nutritionist. My surgeon is Dr. Juarez in Phoenix, so they don't have a list of psychologists and nutritionists outside of Maricopa County. I'm getting a revision, and they won't do it in Tucson. I would be so grateful if anyone has the name of someone who does psych evals, and nutrition counseling in Tucson or Cochise County. The directory on my insurance company website is awful to use, and if I call the insurance company, they just offer to walk me through the web site. Thanks so much!!! Kristy

Great, amazing, wonderful news!!! I heard back from the surgeons in Phoenix, and they do revisions. The are SO encouraging. I've already been assigned a patient advocate. She said I should call and get an appointment on a Tuesday, so I can take their WLS 101 class while I am there. My sister lives about 45 minutes away from there, and I think I can stay with her if I need to spend the night. i have several "assignments" to do this week. Call me cardiologist for an appointment for clearance. Find a psychologist for the psychological clearance. call my PCP for his letter of recommendation. I downloaded all the forms to give the doctors so they can just fill them out, so the process will be a little easier. I have hope again! Now I can go back to my plan of trying to replace a meal a day with a Protein drink. I think it will make it easier to try different protein powders, and get used to eating less. In a week or two, I will try to go to replacing two meals a day. Since I know the surgery is in the future, I hope that will motivate me to stick with it. Thank you all for your encouragement!

It is a relief to hear that I could be eating salads a few months after surgery! Thanks!

Thank you for all of your support! I already took the online webinar for the doctors in Phoenix last night. I will wait to hear from their office, and then follow whatever steps I need to follow. The Phoenix facility is a Center of Excellence, which is required by my insurance company. I agree with you that if he doesn't like to do revisions anymore, then I should go to a doctor who does. I plan to call the Phoenix office and ask if one of their three doctors does revisions.

Today, I had my first appointment with the bariatric surgeon, Dr. Burpee, in Tucson. It did not go well. After looking through my paperwork, he said he doesn’t like to do revisions, and that he probably wouldn’t do it. (sigh) I was trying so hard not to get my hopes up beforehand, but I couldn’t help myself. He noticed my bipolar medication listed on the list, and just said “Lamictal?” Then he noticed I have some minor heart issues. My cardiologist has been wanting me to have the surgery for years, and I told him that. He said he would get the endoscopy notes from my gastroenterologist, look them over, and let me know. He said I could check with two doctors in Phoenix (175 miles away) and see if they might do it. I feel frustrated that he said he does revisions at the seminar, and the website says they do revisions, because he made it sound like he never does. I am hesitant to try this all over again in Phoenix. They do offer a webinar with a test at the end, so I don’t have to drive all the way there for yet another seminar. I plan to start the process with Dr. Juarez, and Dr. Fang in Phoenix while I wait to hear back from Dr. Burpee. I will take the webinar and test tonight, but I hate to get my hopes up again.

Does anyone else have serious back problems? I wonder if I should bring my trusty refillable ice pack? I really appreciate all of the suggestions.

I'm on the road to a revision, but I had surgery many years ago, and my husband got super jealous. He drank at the time (he doesn't now) and I told him it didn't matter if I were fat or thin, the only reason I would leave him was because of his drinking. We have been married 33 years now. Losing weight DID spice up our married life, if you know what I'm saying.

I feel for you. I hope you get relief soon! It might seem impossible right now, but take your lunches and breaks. Many overweight people (like me) tend to be overachievers, are afraid to say no, or feel the need to work hard to prove ourselves. I used to work myself so hard that I would get really sick and it would take two or three months to get better. You need your energy and health for surgery and post-op. Keep up the Protein so you are healthy for surgery. You are so close to surgery (how exciting) and then, I assume some time off.

Oh, I feel for you! I have to insist on them using my forearm now. I also have fibromyalgia and on the upper arm, my pain level goes up to a 9 out of 10. And then they do it again because it got an error. I also like when they use the type that go on the wrist. I can't wait until my upper arms are smaller! Keep up your momentum. December is not far away!