Bacon-n-Limes

Nov 17th is my big day - I'm getting nervous and excited. Yay!

jobillandjosh, You. Rock. Just sayin'...

I'm looking for anyone who is or has been sleeved at U of M. I'm tentatively looking at late October for mine and would like to hear feedback from others who have chosen this provider. Cat

Hi there, HOW did you lose 51 lbs??

Hi there, I'm looking at roughly the same time in October for my surgery. I have to make weight at my last dietician appointment next week. I'd love to join you on your journey! Cat

Hey all, I'm hoping for a September date. I've been jumping through the hoops (Cigna) and trying desperately to stick to the 2-shakes-3-oz-of-protein meal plan my dietician has me on. Is there a trick to making a tiny meal last 20 minutes? I'm really struggling with that. Oh, and Twin Cities, here, by way of Houston, Salt Lake, and Spokane.

Did I see that someone here was sleeved at the U of M?

I just added to my stable

Haven't seen one of those in a long time!

Faav, +1 what Livingstone said. If you can't be supportive and helpful, why respond? There might be acceptable alternatives. As Jane13 suggested, string cheese is probably going to be better for you. As far as portable food goes, hummus seems like a lot of trouble. I found a list somewhere that included dry Cereal (it's crunchy and you can get it in so many flavors), sliced sweet peppers, freeze-dried fruit, raisins, and frozen grapes. I'm a movie junkie, so I understand what you're saying. Let us know what you end up doing and how it works out. Also, what are you seeing? :-) Cat

> Funny story...last weekend we went up to Grand Marais (which is a bit further north than Lutsen). Was supposed to be 79 where I am, so I popped on shorts and flip flops and got ready for a day at the beach. When we arrived it was a mere 50 degrees with brisk winds..I was FREEZING!! In this area they always tell you to have a winter survival kit in your car during the long winter months...what they should tell you is to have a winter survival kit in your car for the summer too. LOL Crazy! It was a record-breaking 83 degrees in the Cities on Wednesday... and snowing in Grand Marais. I think I'll take the 83°.

Hi Veronika, I am also in the process of getting appproval. I got a call today from the surgery center and set up my first round of appointments for March 5: labs, baratrician, psychologist, and bariatric nurse. I couldn't pin the nurse down for timing, but she said there's another set of appointments once these are done (nutritionist and dietician), then they submit the request to insurance (this takes 5 to 10 business days), THEN a consult with the surgeon. She said it all takes a minimum of 3 months. I had it in my head that I would have my surgery in late March or early April, so I'm kind of unhappy about that. Now that I've made the decision to do this, I want to get to the after part as soon as possible. It kind of feels like I'm in "before" limbo. I picked the sleeve for these reasons. Rerouting something seems a lot more complicated than just removing it. In my mind, less complicated = fewer potential complications during surgery -- and maybe shorter recovery time. I understand that dumping is something that happens to bypass patients but not to those who have had the sleeve. The sleeve removes most of the source of ghrelin. Restriction will work better for me than malabsorption. Sleeve patients can take anti-inflammatory medications and other drugs that can cause ulcers in bypass patients.

Uhhh, what??

I'll try to make it. I may or may not be teaching a class that morning; I won't know for sure until the Wednesday before.

I plan on being there. Cat

Gmacy, You. Are. Awesome. 60 pounds! I am also lactose intolerant. I've been drinking my shakes made with Silk soymik or Lactaid milk (when I can find it). Go you!

Gmacy, You. Are. Awesome. 60 pounds! I am also lactose intolerant. I've been drinking my shakes made with Silk soymik or Lactaid milk (when I can find it). Go you!

Wow, what great ideas! Now I'm armed with a list of ways to not waste food AND not be bored with the same meal over and over until it's gone. Yay! If anyone is interested, I'll share my experience with sous vide cooking when the ANOVA arrives. (They said 2-3 weeks.) I make a mean bowl of Cereal, and I can usually get pancakes cooked all the way through, so taking on something complex like meat is a little daunting. The biggest appeal is that once I master how to do it, I can buy a fish or a steak, cut it into portions, and freeze it. Then I can grab a bag, drop in some marinade or spices, put it in a pot, and have a delicious dinner with no waste. It sounds like cheating.

Hi everyone, The facts: I'm pre-sleeve. I am single and live alone. I don't enjoy cooking because I'm not very good at it and I don't tend to eat leftovers. When I throw them out I feel guilty about how much is wasted. It's clear that it will be much easier for me to be successful if I can make my meals at home. But they'll be so very tiny. So I've been giving my Magic Bullet a try with Protein shakes. This can work. Eventually I'll be allowed to have solid food. And I expect I will probably want to have it regularly, so I just ordered an ANOVA Sous Vide Precision Cooker so I can cook small portions. Does anyone have experience with sous vide? Also, since I'm not very clever in the kitchen, can you recommend a good cookbook/website? I'm looking for something that has real-people food featured -- the kind that calls for regular ingredients that I can find at a typical grocery store, and doesn't take hours to prepare. Thanks in advance! Catt

I had to look that word up. Exactly perfect!

> Our next get together is scheduled for Saturday, January 17th at 10:00am at the Golden Valley Perkins (394/Louisiana Ave - next to Menards). I plan on attending.

Thanks everyone, for sharing all of your advice and knowledge. I've been stalling on sending my paperwork in because it's such a huge decision. I bought a new mattress for Xmas, one of those super-dense foam ones that arrives in an impossibly small box. (The brand is Leesa, for anyone who is interested.) I was asked to take video of the unwrapping, so I did. Then I reviewed it. No one is seeing this video. The unwrapping went fine, but who IS that person with the scissors? I don't (usually) feel that bulky and ungainly and awkward. So I've committed to four thiings in 2015: WLS, an Iron Butt ride, and trying a zipline. Cat

Interesting... I went to the PNC information session and no doc nor surgeon was there. I was a little disappointed. Cat

Hey there, My primary care doc recommended a sleeve gastrectomy, so I've started the paperwork and research. I'm in the Twin Cities. Does anyone have advice on how to narrow down the list of surgeons? Thanks!

Hello all, I'm new to the forum; I've been doing my homework on this surgery and am about ready to send in my paperwork. I live in the Mounds View area and would love to meet some of you to hear about your successes!