Djmohr

I feel terrible for you -- such a fun dilemma. Your LV friends will be thrilled for you. I'd think that telling whole truth, if you're so inclined, will be well met -- it's usually pre-surgery that the negative comments flow. Anyway, put something on 25 Red for me, okay?

LOL. 25 red! You got it. I am certain they will be happy for me. My husband is the one that freaked me out a little. He reminded me that some of them probably won't recognize me. I am fine sharing my story and you are right it would be harder if I had not lost the weight. Plus, I got some great new outfits to wear!

hope you had a good time!

Woah! both of you that is cray cray!

@Babbs SERIOUSLY!!!?? From WHO???

Some girl that was banned. I was like WHAAAAT???? I was so confused!

Oh, and that cheesecake went home with them today! I was proud of myself yesterday. Today, I ate good stuff just more than i should have. When I cook, I taste.

UGH! I hear ya'! I have GOT to go on a sugar detox. I cannot believe how much I have eaten the last couple of weeks!

I've been struggling the last few days too. Threw some stuff out like you. The carbs both starchy and sugar have been so hard to deny. We can (and will ) get past it!

I am sure the moment school is out she will be calling me again. Or the little smarty pants will call before school tomorrow morning when I am still sleeping. Haha.....

That's so awesome @Djmohr.

Happy birthday to her and continued happy grandparenting to you!

Wonderful! keep us posted!

That's great. I know the liver is a very fast healing organ, so even more hope there.

Awesome!

Thanks everyone for the prayers and warm wishes. I have to believe the prayers are working so far because she has made it this far and we have been told everyday she has a less than 10% chance. Mary is a fighter and she is definitely fighting hard to stay with us. Thanks so much!

from your BP family - caring thoughts, good wishes during this hard period! biggggg group huggggs kathy

Just got an update from my BIL. Mary's heart shows improvement so they are checking some other things but they may be able to add her to the liver transplant list. We are hoping to find out in the next 12 to 24 hours.

My day for testing too. I'm trying to get an order to a patient that a hospital ordered but the hospital can't get the order correct. One would think that after 4 phone calls telling them that I still need the same missing information that someone would get me what I need. Nope! Grrrrr!

Good thing my apple watch tells me to breathe!! LOL

Sigh, all we could do is warn them how important it is.

It's the same 'it's too hard, I can't do it' mentality that so many people live by. It's their excuse for every failure. Ugh.

People definitely have alot of excuses.

Tell us if they're worth the $$$...I've never been able to pull the trigger because they just seem so flimsy for the price. But I covet them none the less!

Yes, please let us know how if they are.

I almost never ever wear flat shoes but I just looked and these look expensive and well made! Let us know what you think. I really need a pair I can throw in my purse for an emergency.

do you find you get a lot of use out of your instant pot? I've been debating getting one for a while now...I like the idea I can use it as either a slow cooker or pressure cooker.

I have stuffed peppers in my instant pot and boy they smell good! - when should i come over? LOL kathy

@heidikat72 - I use my instant pot for everything. At least 3 to 4 times per week. Tonight I will make beef stew in literally 30 minutes and the beef will be tender and moist.

@proudgrammy - Hubby is eating the last of the stuffed peppers for lunch today so you are too late

They were yummy......

It really is one of the best kitchen appliances i have ever purchased.

I have to defend Tijuana sleeves simply because that is where I got mine. The problem is that we are an instant gratification society. The lack of self education is sad. We are seeing posts from people who want the "magic pill" and don't want to work at it. Unfortunately little effort is put in by the patient and they're simply not prepared. On top of that they come here and ask what we know to be absurd questions.

To be honest, I would say that some of it may be coming from folks whose insurance DID cover the surgery and who did have certain requirements. All of my pre-op efforts and preparation were due to my own grit and determination. The surgeon's "diet program" people didn't give a crap at all. In fact, they just wanted to rush me in and out as fast as they could. Don't get me wrong; they are nice people, and I do believe they want the best for their patients, but I strongly believe that place is more of a money-driven business than it is a place of health and wellness...

See, I had a completely different experience. My center of excellence was very strict. If I missed or rescheduled more than 1 appointment during that 6 months they assumed you were not serious enough and reserved the right to dismiss you from the program and report you to your insurance. My center of excellence gave me a big binder (bible) on day 1 that went through every aspect of every type of WLS and exactly what the diet before, during and after looked like. My center of excellence made me sign a contract that stated i would not drink alcohol for 12 months post op and that i agreed to have my nutritional panel completed at every stage 3,6,12,18 months and then every 12 months after that for life. There were many more aspects as well but you get the idea. It was very clear that my insurance company and my center of excellence were communicating and working closely together to make sure i was a good candidate. I just feel bad for people that dont get approved when so many clearly take it for granted. It is frustrating.....dont get me wrong everyone makes mistakes or has cheat days but geez.....lets go home and eat something we know we shouldnt touch right out of the gate.

I dont drink alot, in fact i just had my first drinks about 3 months ago and I am 2 years post op. I will say, I used to prefer bourbon and now i love me some wine! Going out to dinner at our favorite steak place tonight and will be drinking a glass or two and cannot wait.

We have another shiddach here! Bourbon! And, Pirate, if you have a special liking for jazz, I saw an amazing documentary about the music and more. "The Jazz Loft According to W. Eugene Smith." It plays in non-mainstream theaters and is available on iTunes. I was expecting it to be about the music only, but it's that and more. Lots about it in google.

My drink of choice ( I didn't drink often) but I loved COORS LIGHT. I don't drink it now because of the carbonation. So just last month, I went to a family get together and had wine!! It is called STRAWBERRY VINES, just a cheap one but dang me it was good. You know how they say that after WLS drinks hit you fast well I'm here to tell you I got a buzz in just a few shakes. I think after my 1st glass I got warm and fuzzy. And this is from a person thck of beer and just barely get a buzz. I won't do it much but it sure was good. LOL

I didn't have my breasts done, but I had an abdominoplasty done in March 2008. If you have questions, or I can help you with anything, let me know. Congrats on this upcoming date!!! You are going to feel so amazing. What a journey for you...

Thanks Lori!

so awesome, can't wait til I can get some plastics!

I ate brussel sprouts again. It doesn't smell good in here.

I've been on liquids since Tuesday. I made a pot roast Tuesday for the SO (in crockpot) - it smelled so good when I got home from work. Last night he made himself some shaved steak sandwiches and even the ketchup smelled good! lol

I've had clients get the third shot in a series and then have no more pain. Good luck.

I hope you get some relief.

It does sound promising, as your doctor said. Best wishes for the next injection. I hope it does it for you.

happy anniversary! you have done amazing and continue to be a great source of support and inspiration on here

Congrats, mine is in November ... YAY!

Ditto what heidikat72 said.

Keep me posted. I keep my fingers, toes and even my eyes crossed for you pain relief.

Thanks everyone for your well wishes! I still have a few days before this injection takes full effect. I have had a couple good days and a few bad ones. I am still hopeful and i have been told it might take a second try at it so we will see.

Rest and be patient with healing....

hey bud - congrats - challanging the system etc can be hard - this is true for me. glad you are different and can handle many situations - party dance - $2300 is a llllot of money- kathy

Switch2lose - It was for routine nutritional panel post op 18 months. Which by the way needs to be done at 3,6,12,18 and then every 12 months for the rest of your life. My doc coded it as labs following bariatric surgery and because the word bariatric was in the coding my insurance automatically rejected the claim! The charge was for one set of labs (13 viles of blood). First off it is preposterous that labs could cost so much! When I told my PCP about it she was appalled as well. Given it is a lifetime requirement it is important that your PCP know how to code it properly as routine and not bariatric. $2300.00 is a lot of money for blood work only.

It is ridiculous what labs charge for blood work! I just had my blood tests done....Quest Lab charged $1425.93 to my insurance....the insurance only allowed and paid $123.70...and because of my insurance I'm not responsible for anything....Thank God for insurance!!

We had grilled chicken and Brussel sprouts. Is that close enough???

How do you make your broccoli/cauliflower casserole?

I use frozen brocoli/cauliflower mix. Sometimes I add brussel sprouts if I have them. A can of Healthy request cream of mushroom soup, Shredded cheddar cheese and french fried onions. I used to put minute rice, butter and cheez wiz in there but I stopped doing that 2 years ago. It still is delicious and of course has the fat from the cheese in there. I use about a cup of shredded cheddar.

YAY YOU!! That's exciting. I've been self employed for 16 years and LOVE it. Exciting times, girly!

@Djmohr - that sounds great - working for yourself has many benefits - you won't get yelled at if you are late, and you get paid what you want, and most importantly - boss always loves your work LOL - you'll do great - no crossies from me - you don't need them - kathy - congrats

Thanks so much everyone! I am very excited to be doing this. It is the work I love to do and cannot wait! I have always wanted to work for myself! LOL.

I received a note back from the CEO of my first client and he pretty much said its a done deal, they are just pulling the contract together so I should hear something today.

Sooo sorry to hear. Back pain really bites. Feel better, my friend.

Well, after I made my shrimp corn chowder tonight, I sat with a heating pad for a long while and it is doing ok at the moment. I am hoping it remains calm. I just started my own business this week and have been hired to do a 6 week project. I can do 95% of the work from home but the first week will be in Austin Texas and I will be traveling alone. I sure hope things calm down.

New adventure----how exciting. Now you MUST feel better.

This is why I switched to a defined benefit policy. I pay everything up to $4000. So I can pick and choose what I want, who I want to do it no freaking networks or idiots. If I go over they pay up to a million. $146 a month. Worth it. I check the box on my taxes saying I have insurance. All is good. Even the year I got my WLS, I have never gone over it. It is worth it just to see the look in the eyes of the people at the front desk when you ask "well how much is that?" You can get so many discounts if you pay cash and don't file insurance its not even funny.

Whoever ordered the lab work should have coded it properly and if they didn't - they should have to re-code it. The diagnosis should have been "Inadequate nutrition resulting from poor diet, malabsorption, or abnormal nutrient distribution" in my opinion. I hope you get it straightened out.

Trust me, I have worked with my doctors office which is an in network clinic. They refuse to recode it and the insurance company thinks they are off the hook because the word Bariatric is in the coding. I am going to appeal it and attach the letter from my Bariatric surgeon now that I have it. But even they don't know that the insurance company will do anything about it. It is total BS. But I won't give this fight up because it is simply wrong. Can you imagine how much it would cost the insurance company if I were to not have my testing done every year and get sick? Which my surgeon wrote in the letter that I am at risk of neurological illnesses due to the malabsorption factor if I don't keep up on my nutrition. I argued with the clinic the other day for over an hour. They believe it is the insurance company. My point was, had someone told me that it was going to cost that much money I seriously would have skipped the test until I got insurance to approve it ahead of time. I would have gone the same route.

Then, I got a call from someone else in the clinic to say that my account was at risk of going to collections. I almost had a heart attack on them. My credit rating has been over 800 for 20 years.....I will go ballistic on them if they screwed with it and so we just paid the bill hoping to get it back later. I really did not have that kind of money that isn't already spoken for. UGH!

woo hoo - look at you go!!

great hearing updates, so happy things worked out - you are/look like a movie star!! ummm, may i have your autograph?! Congrats- your friend - kathy

LOL. I am healing at the normal rate and even still have some redness and swelling but that is to be expected.

That's awesome!! Congratulations!

That's a triumph....I knew better upon reading your first line, but confess that it brought to mind the old, dopey joke: "My parents went to Las Vegas and all they brought me was this lousy T-shirt." tsm

LOL! I am obsessed with trying things on that I once couldn't because of my heavy arms. Now I look for stuff that is tiny in the arms. It's like a game of challenge. So far I have not found anything in my size that won't fit because of it. Before I was lucky if I fit in my size at all because of my arms. Yay ME!!!!!

Yes, YEY YOU!

You gave up a Packers game? It's pre-season, but still...

DJ, sounds like a perfect evening to me! Alone time to pamper yourself. And who cares about sweaty men grunting and bumping into each other anyway? Cottage cheese, a nectarine, and a hot bath with candles lit all around the tub. Bring it!

I am still having really severe back pain and cannot take it for that long. Also recovering from Brachioplasty, trust me.....I would not miss a packer game if I could help it. Last year I went in a neck brace and it almost killed me. Too much up and down for now. It is likely I won't make it to the other ones either.

But hubby supposedly brought me a present because he felt bad.