Invictus

Do you have an "out of pocket maximum". Because of that, my total cost was supposed to be about $8000, $5k co pay for bariatric surgery, and then about three thousand to hit the maximum. I paid the copay to the surgeon, then got a call that I had a refund coming from them. Confused at this point. Waiting on the insurance and hospital to finalize everything

Find ways to keep yourself busy! If I got bored, I obsessed about what I was not allowed to eat

Are you taking Prilosec, or another heartburn med? I know my heartburn feels drastically different after the sleeve. Just a thought

I barely have enough energy to get through the day, how do you have enough extra to exercise??

Slsgeek, I was sleeved 7/27 as well. Lost 18 pounds right away, but nothing for two weeks. I think I am shrinking as clothes are fitting differently, but it's so frustrating to not see a change on the scale! Perseverance is the plan I guess!

I have mainly focused on getting in as much hydration as possible since surgery. Tummy does not tolerate protein drinks or yogurt very often. I was under the impression hydration was most important the first two weeks, but get in as much protein as you can. I hope I didn't make a mistake?!?!

I used an ice pack to numb the itching. Now I am using a cocoa butter stick to keep the areas between incisions moisturized. Last resort is Benadryl at bed time so I can get to sleep without itching all night

I'm finding all sorts of sore spots on my body. No visible bruises as of yet, but they feel like they are bruised. I assume this is from the blood thinners, correct? How long does this last? I had surgery on July 27th

All I had to do was registration paperwork, urine sample for pregnancy test, a conversation about pre op diet compliance and post op etc. with bariatrice center rep, then short conversation with anesthesiologist. Pretty painless, but time consuming

I recently saw PB2 at Costco, huge jar of it.

I am 7 days post op. I have had a hard time finding things my sleeve will tolerate. Sick of clear liquids. Does heartburn feel the same as before surgery?

From what I heard, they inserted a Catheter while I was under, so panties would have gotten in the way. Bra will be in the way of at least one incision

I have tried cream of chicken soup the last three days. I love the taste, but my tummy doesn't. Cramps after eating a couple spoonfuls. Even tried lactose pill with it. Anyone else experience this and does it eventually go away? Really tired of clear liquids

@@mmyers1962 I tried cream of chicken soup yesterday. The warmth and saltiness hit the spot, so I strained half a cup into a bowl. Got about 8 small spoonfuls in, even with waiting between bites. It's gonna take my brain a bit of adjusting to the tiny stomach. I put the leftovers in tiny condiment cups in the frig, got 7 meals ready. Fortunately my husband was willing to finish what was left, cuz it would have been a lot to waste.

Not sure how recently you had the lumbar puncture, but if you have excruciating headaches when upright, it may be leaking. Sometimes the hole doesn't seal correctly and you leak spinal Fluid which leads to headache. I had to go to the ER for a "blood patch" which solved the problem immediately Hoping you find a solution and can begin healing. This is quite scary to read as I go in for surgery tomorrow

Shockers as in good for you, or bad for you? Do you have one site in particular that you like to use?@@laguerr13

Invictus means "unconquered". There is a poem by William Ernest Henly by the same title that has gotten me through some discouraging times.

This is not a quote, but I found this picture online somewhere and love it!

@@kashco I was fortunate that the custodians started cleaning/waxing in my hall, so it was the first one done. I just spent 2+ hours over there and got half of my boxes down and unpacked. They were all library books, so I got them sorted accordingly. It wiped me out. I was hoping to do more, but will have to go back tomorrow. Gonna have to focus on housework next week in the evenings so there is some sense of order around the house for surgery. Still anxiously waiting for insurance to make up their mind! Do they know how torturous this is?

I have 10 days til my surgery. I too am a teacher. I went over to set up the furniture in my classroom yesterday. Got an early start due to the lifting restrictions after surgery. Keeping busy helps take my mind off food. I am fortunate that my preop diet is very low carb, not strictly liquids. Next week, I will probably try to do more shakes though because the protein sources I am eating are high in fat . Next week I am booked with preop appointments and workshops. Worried about the desire to snack during the workshops.

@@nisey2800 the diet is going pretty well. Trying to stay busy or asleep. Less temptation to snack in either case

Day 1 pre-op diet for me too. My main focus is to keep carbs under 30 grams. My husband fixed some ground turkey pasta sauce. He seasoned the heck out of it! I sautéed some zucchini noodles for me.

Febreeze laundry refresher. My mom had to wash my basketball clothes with some vinegar when I was in high school.

My post-op plan mentions instant potatoes as well. I was wondering what was wrong with real ones??

All my "stuff" was submitted yesterday. Advocate said they run about two weeks for approval in her experience. Here's hoping its sooner! Starting preop diet Monday as surgeon gave me a date under the assumption I would be approved.