della street

@@marysmom1216 Doesn't sound like much of a good friend, because even if she truly believes it, that's a pretty crummy thing to say -- And that's the exact reason I chose bypass vs sleeve -- I, too, am terrified of dumping! I'm 4+ months out and haven't dumped yet, but only eat "allowable" foods -- I do sometimes mentally lust after Five Guys Fries, though, sigh -- but am too afraid to even try one -- which is good, at least for me - Down about 70 lbs --

@@sunshinetinaz I am in Phoenix, too - I went to Scottsdale Healthcare - where is your surgery going to be?

@@LiberalInAZ I had a great experience at Scottsdale H/care and I've only heard good things about Banner - best of luck! Re the carbs: My NUT said no carbs because it causes the cravings others have mentioned. Since my bypass 4 months ago, I'd say our grocery bills have gone down. While I eat a lot of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt and fruit, it's way cheaper than the fast food I used to live on. Best of luck w/your journey!

@LiberalInAZ It looks like you're in AZ - me too ) I went to Scottsdale Healthcare - how about you?

@canes2015 My surgeon and NUT say yes to Miralax. I had HORRIBLE problems until I started getting at least 50 oz of Water plus two stool softeners plus a half-dose of Miralax every night. You need the water, as hard as it can be to drink as much as we're supposed to, it truly does make a difference - I'm about 14 weeks out from bypass and for the first 10 weeks or so, that was my absolute worst nightmare issue -- not just uncomfortable, but extremely painful and debilitating - I almost went to the ER and I do know of people who've actually gone to the ER. But at about 10 weeks, I was able to drink more water; started on 2 stool softeners/day (I buy them at costco, Kirkland brand); and started the Miralax every night -- such a relief - hang in there, as I said, that was the worst issue for me - PS: Oh, and one way I started getting more water was to buy the "junior" sized water bottles (8 oz instead of the regular ones, which are 16 oz). I use a marker and writer "1" "2" "3" "4" on the caps, just like the nurses did for me in the hospital - it's a visual reminder how much I have to get each day and being able to finish one of the smaller bottles makes me feel like I've accomplished something - a mind-game, I know, but it does help me -

@@TN_Gal -- I'm about 14 weeks post-bypass and only had to do one day of light eating, then one day of liquids -- everything went great, and I was SO thankful I didn't have to do the two-week liquids-only diet!

@MrsRoboto I buy them either at Sprout's, if you have that nearby, or on Amazon - and you can get them a bit cheaper, but they do cost a bit more than some others...- I think I paid about $25 on Amazon for a box of 12, so that is just over $2/each, then shipping if that comes into the equation as well. However, at 3+ months after RNY, I still can't eat a whole one at one sitting, so I split them in half and they go further that way... Oh, and I've never seen them at Walmart - doesn't mean they might not have them in your closest WM, but the WMs near me, do not carry them -

@cbruce125 I am lactose-intolerant and can't do the whey -- the brand that works for me is Vega One Protein powder, available at Sprout's (if you have those) and I'm sure other places, including probably Amazon. You can buy sample packs to see if you like the flavors and if it works for you - good luck!!

@@canes2015 Yes, absolutely -- I was told it was due to ketosis; dehydration; and possibly the vitamins with all the iron. For a while, I brushed my teeth about six times a day - At 11 weeks post-op, it's mostly gone now --

@@BLERDgirl Good point -- that actually happened to me. BCBS initially told me that they covered band, bypass and sleeve. Yea me! Doctor and I decided on sleeve. Yada yada yada -- oops - they covered those three things in "grandfathered" (ie, older) policies, but in "non-grandfathered" policies (I purchased my policy on the Affordable Care Marketplace this past January), they only cover band and bypass. Go figure, no one could tell me why, not that it mattered -- that was what they covered, end of story. So I felt blessed they covered it at all -- so I had bypass January 29th and am very happy with that decision and doing well. On a weird side-note -- I actually received an approval letter from BCBS approving "sleeve" - I said, wow, you now cover it? They (surgeon's office and BCBS) were confused as to why I was confused about getting sleeve covered -- then *I* had to point out to them that they previously told me that sleeve was NOT covered by my non-grandfathered policy (after telling me that it was, but I digress...) All's well that ends well, but OY OY OY.

@@MrsRoboto oh, ouch ( Been there, done that - except I was walking across a university campus from where my daughter was performing in the marching band. It was her "senior night" and hubby and I schlepped clear across campus from parking lot, to the stadium, me resting frequently. Once we got there, I realized there was no way in h*ll I would be able to make it up the steep stairs of the stadium (I thought there was a lower-place seating area for band parents; there was not). So I sent hubby on up and I turned around and huffed and puffed back to the car, stopping every 20 feet or so to rest. I stopped at a cafe to get some Water and then sat down and chugged two bottles pretending I was looking around and enjoying the view. In reality, I really thought it was quite possible I would pass out from walking so far while weighing nearly 400 lbs. And then, to not see my daughter's senior performance was HORRIBLE - I cried all the way home.

@@fuzzyfeline From one cat-lover to another (see my profile pic; she's one of four fabulous felines in our house, lol), I laughed out loud at your comments re Misty - it's true, lol

Your insurance plan should have a guide, probably online, that should detail its requirements. Some do, indeed, require 6 months of weigh-ins, nutrition visits, etc. Mine did, but it also said if I had proof of 6 months of weigh-ins and following a doctor-supervised diet within the last two years, that that would 'count'. I had that and had all the paperwork, so gave all that to my surgeon's office. First surgeon visit: 11-14-14. Surgery: 1-29-15.

@@cooperjack Yea! Congrats!

@@burtonbn Yes, my doctor only required light meals two days before surgery, then Clear Liquids only the day before. That's it -- thank goodness ) PS - I'm 10 weeks post-bypass and doing well -

@@nancynew I'm vegetarian, so I don't eat meat, but eat a lot of cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, tofu, veggies, fruit (with protein) - also PB --

I'm 59 - had RNY January 29 of this year, so almost 10 weeks post-op now -- and down 55 lbs since surgery plus 10 lbs pre-op.

I love the Qwest chocolate chip cookie dough bars - you can get them on Amazon or at Sprout's if you have a Sprout's near where you live. Always keep one in my purse --

@@kmd0235 Yea! Happy for you!

@@Rogofulm I totally agree with your advice for @@Stacyc311 -- mom may even have some buried jealousy --

I'm almost 3 months out and am not quite as obsessed about protein any more, but am definitely obsessed about getting enough water. I've only finally this week started getting to 64 ounces - and it's because not only can i drink more at one time now, rather than sip-sip-sip-tiny sips, but also I've become super-mindful of it due to horrible, horrible constipation. What is helping w/the water is I bought a few cases of Nestle's "junior" size water bottles (8 ounces each) and I drink two in the morning while doing makeup/hair, etc. Then when I come downstairs to my desk (work at home), I take two out of the mini-fridge and write numbers on the caps, ie, "3" and "4". Etc, throughout the day till I get to 8. You will get into a rhythm once you understand how much protein you're getting and have some 'regular' meals set up that you eat on a regular basis - at least, that helped me. Good luck!! It's a challenge, for sure, but I've lost about 65 pounds, so consider the tradeoff worth it.

@@Jennifer2322 That stinks! My suggestion would be to read labels and log your food religiously - I know I often was eating more calories than I realized. For water retention, can you ask your doc for 'water pills' (I forget the name of them...)? Hang in there, don't give up! Keep trying and you'll get there!

@kmd0235 I called my insurance company myself and they actually told me on the phone that I was approved before my surgeon's office had even told me my info had been submitted. Then, later, (a week-ish?), I got a letter in the mail from my insurance company. So my advice is wait a couple of days, then call the insurance company yourself, just to make sure all has been received and is in process, etc. - and you might find out like I did - ) Best of luck - the waiting game is HORRIBLE --

I'm 10 weeks post-op bypass -- it does get easier, but for me at least, required full concentration on chewing. I've had to tell my husband to be aware that I need to chew-chew-chew because sometimes he'd ask me a question and when I didn't reply immediately, he'd ask again and again -- I now hold up my hand and point to my chewing-away-jawbone ) One time I ate a Greek yogurt too fast, and my pouch hurt, too. I knew I hadn't eaten anything 'bad' -- just too fast ( Not much help for you, sorry - but I do sympathize

@@Riz2006 thx )