KarenLoh

August 11th. This Tuesday! The pre-op diet has been much easier on me than I thought it would be. I've felt weak in the legs and have been hungry but am pushing through it and keeping moving. I walked my first 1/2 mile yesterday. My legs got weak quickly but they carried me the entire route and home safely. Yay my legs! One more day of work after this and I am OFF for the duration. I'm so excited to have some time off to heal and get used to the routine and the food preparation and do the walking. This is a good thing. Tuesday!

My PCP had to document all of the health issues I was having and send a request to my insurance to get pre-certified to go to the weight-loss center. The weight-loss center then saw me for several months and continued to document for my insurer my efforts to lose weight and the need for surgery. That MD then got approval from my insurer to refer me to a surgeon who is doing the surgery this Tuesday. Hopefully your PCP (like mine) will understand this process and be helpful in documenting and making the referral. Check your insurance and find out which surgeons are in your network.

I'm on the second week of the pre-op diet and am down 10 pounds so far. I had Monday and Tuesday off work for a family visit and felt fine but when I returned to a stressful workday on Wednesday I felt weak and confused and had a hunger headache. I ended up going home about an hour early (best boss EVER!) So I ate extra veggies at dinner last night and had twice the protein shakes this morning and an extra piece of fruit for a snack. All allowed foods but in higher quantities to get me through these last two days of work before surgery. SO EXCITED for the 11th of August and the weeks after. Feeling positive about getting up and walking in the hospital and getting home and better as quickly as possible. Will follow the program and keep it honest and up-beat. Good luck to all of us.

So I had a super easy time with days one and two but day three is tough. I am WAY hungrier than I was the past two days and I don't know why. Headache too. It's only 2pm and the work day is feeling very long. But I had my pre-op meetings yesterday and got all the information about post-op diet and vitamins and had my labs and EKG done and met with the internist. It was intimidating (all the information at once) but I splurged and got all the vitamins I will need for the first month so I don't have to worry about that at all. Chewable or dissolvable everything. And they gave us a great book with everything we need to know clarified in it. Very nice. Does anyone else know if they need to go home on Lovenox? I found out we do Lovenox injections for 14 days post-op. Fortunately my insurance only had a co-pay of $10 but I know that is expensive medication. It prevents blood clots. One week from this Tuesday I'm there. August 11th.

I'm so jealous of the August 5th people. My date was August 5th and I had family and support all set up to come be with me then the surgeon cancelled it. Now it's August 11th and none of the people coming this weekend can come that week. So very sad. So, first day of pre-op diet and not as hungry as I thought I would be. Using Syntrax nectar in the morning and Premier Protein for lunch. I get to have an apple during the day as well. It tasted bland. Not a great time of year for apples. Looking forward to a cooking class I have to go to tomorrow after my pre-op appointment at the hospital. A day off work for all of that so that's a plus too. Two weeks from today is the surgery. Amazing. I am SO ready for this.

Started the preop diet today and am not nearly as hungry as I thought I would be. Thank goodness. I do the Syntrax Fuzzy Navel in the morning and premier protein at lunch. Had an apple as a snack and have a low-fat yogurt to eat before my hair appointment. Then for dinner we are supposed to have 4 oz of lean meat and a cup of non-starchy vegetables. I was going to cook those ahead and just heat them up but was lazy on Sunday and didn't. Now I have to go home and cook - but oh well. Two weeks from today is my surgery - August 11th. Amazing that it is finally almost here as I started this process in July of 2014. Long time but I think I needed that time to get psychologically ready. I'm ready now.

I got my date - August 5th - 8:00am. I'm so excited now that it's finally scheduled. Still some tests to do but the time off is scheduled with the employer and short-term medical leave applied for. Family flying in to take me there and stay with me for a while after. It's all coming together. Anyone else in August?

Of course it makes sense. It sounds reasonable to me. I start next Wednesday and am already feeling a bit "off" from the way I am eating now (very little in preparation). It's frustrating, I'm hungry, I want something yummy. I'm researching different types of drinks and can't figure out which one(s) to get. My Nut is supposed to call me before next Wednesday but I need to be ordering something soon so I called and left a message for her. Headache also - hungry - sucks.

August 5th surgery July 29th preregistration and meeting with doctors July 22nd start the liquid diet July 15th do the upper GI. I guess I'm a Wednesday girl. Then August 20th is post-op meeting with doctor and hopefully back to work. That's the schedule and it's really happening now. Can't believe it. Want to eat a pizza for my last meal. Is that bad? Should I already be on the health train? Am doing well day to day, eating healthy and just regular meals - no snacking - no ice cream (my downfall). But there is this one local pizza place in town that has sentimental and gastrointestinal pull. I will eat small but I will eat pizza. :-)

They told me yesterday my insurance takes two weeks (they were submitting yesterday) so I will be waiting anxiously to see if that is true. Good luck.

Met with the surgeon yesterday and was told I can't get the Roux n y because of severe hysterectomy scaring and a large ventral hernia. He is willing to do the sleeve but says even that will be difficult. I heard that people with these scars can do Roux n y if they open them up instead of laparoscopy but I didn't ask him about that because I don't want another open procedure. My recovery from hysterectomy was difficult. So, now I just wait for insurance approval and then hope for that July 29th surgery date. It coincides with my family coming home for a reunion so I will have plenty of support. :-) Another step in the process completed!

I finally meet with my surgeon tomorrow for the first time and do some labs to begin the process. I don't know how long from meeting with the surgeon until I'm approved and can schedule surgery. I'm hoping for July 29th as that is good for my department at work (no vacations scheduled for the weeks after that). Hoping the meeting tomorrow goes well. I started this process LAST JULY! It has taken me this long to get approval from my doctor to move forward. I think I needed that time to actually get my head on straight and really take this thing seriously but now I'm ready. Wish me luck.

I get it at Vitamin Shoppe but it's also available online. Good stuff that fuzzy navel. ????

Wow! That was fast. I started my weight loss program last summer and am just now meeting the surgeon next week. Admittedly, mine was an especially long journey because they recorded in their notes incorrectly that I wanted to try non-surgical weight loss. It took forever for me to get that changed in the system. But it sounds like you are ready and raring to go. I like the nectar Fuzzy Navel Protein powder since it mixes up well and tastes like OJ. It's a not-so-sweet treat I enjoy. I just tried About Time whey Protein Isolate in the chocolate Peanut Butter. It wasn't great with Water but was good with milk. Good luck!

So sorry this is what you are experiencing. My brother had the RNY five years ago and had mostly nausea but not that kind of pain. My surgery isn't until this summer sometime and I hope it goes well. Take care and keep us posted.

I'm still pre-op but LOVE Syntrax nectar Fuzzy Navel. I hope I still like it after surgery. It's like having orange juice without the carbs. I'm looking for a chocolate and strawberry I can enjoy. Will have to get a Sam's membership to try the Premier Protein ones. Has anyone tried the Click expresso flavors? Are they a good protein source? Sounds so delicious. Thanks

Wow! You are sailing through. Congratulations and enjoy the learning time.

I have had a lot of difficulty losing weight during my "evaluation phase" and I also scored poorly on psychological tests in the area of projected ability to stick with the diet post-op. Has anyone else struggled with compliance before being scheduled for surgery? I am working very hard at it and seeing a therapist and feel I am making good progress but I occasionally mess up and the weight stays on. Maybe I'm not ready for the surgery if I can't do this pre-op. I have been on strict liquid diets in the past (Optifast) and loved not eating at all and felt great but this has been difficult. Any encouragement or suggestions welcome.

Well I had a really good weigh-in yesterday - down 3.5 total, 5.5 fat to 401 pounds. Still need 5 more pounds per the psychologist but the MD wants to over-ride her and send me on to the surgeon for a consult. I go back in three weeks to meet with both the MD and psychologist but the MD is going to start the insurance process now. I feel I have made huge strides in the last month and am ready for this transition now. I agree maybe I wasn't back in February but have done a lot of work with my therapist and read a lot on here that has gotten me motivated and on-track. I also have been using "My Plate" on my phone to track everything I eat. It has been very motivating and my daily calories range from 1200 to 1800. I am also taking omeprazole and tums to fight hunger since my MD feels my extreme hunger is because of stomach acid - which since the meds take it from a 9 to a 5, I think it must be true. So the tracking online and the meds are great but the therapy is the thing that has helped me stop the binges all together and plan on a life after the surgery that is healthy and safe. Things are moving forward!

WOW WOW WOW! That is great to see. I started at 417 and am hoping for 200 pounds also. Still waiting to be approved for surgery at this point so thanks for posting such a positive experience.

You are doing an amazing job! I like that you are tracking those calories and seeing those numbers. It's also great that you are staying so active despite the reduce intake. Keep that up!!! I'm still not even scheduled for surgery but trying to stay on low calories to lose some weight (started at 417!) It is challenging and I am hungry ALL the time. But we can do it!

I love your pictures! You look fantastic. Keep up the good work.

My MD has been amazing. She doesn't know how to shame people. She is every hopeful of a better result the next time. It has been great working with her. I'm making slow progress and will be up some at my weigh-in next week but I know I can do better and she will believe me and give me more chances. I hope yours is a wonderful. :-)