magnificent2015

I'm meeting with my surgeon today, I was approved for surgery 2 weeks ago and I know once I leave this appointment the next step will be setting a date and I'm super like excited, anxious, and nervous all at once. I started this process almost 2 years ago in February, I've literally tried to jump through hoops, finally switched insurances and was approved right away.
I feel like since it took so long and for so long since I thought it was never going to happen and now I'm super restless.
So seeing your post pretty much confirms for me that it's pretty normal and standard to feel this way. lol. You're not the only one lol

I take it you have never had any surgery before?
I think of myself as having a low pain threshold. The reason I think that is because I had 4 babies and had an epidural every time. There is no way I could have done it without an epidural. Most of my friends had natural childbirth, home births, etc. If my first delivery would have been natural I would never have had another child. Even the pain waiting for the epidural to be placed was incredible.
I just had my VSG on Halloween but I have have had my gallbladder removed in past as well as wisdom teeth and tonsils out in high school. I would say my VSG was not painful at all. I woke up with a morphine pump. I stayed in the hospital 2 nights. They sent me home with liquid codeine but I only needed it to sleep at night for the next 3 or 4 nights.
I did feel sore across the top of my stomach for a week or so. It was like I had done a million sit ups. Sitting up is hard for a while.
Pain is not the biggest issue, they manage the pain. The hard part is learning how to eat and drink again. You have to go really slow because it does hurt if you try to get too much in too fast. And if you don't get your Water in you will get dehydrated. Even now over 2 weeks out I am struggling to get all my Water and Protein in. It takes me like 2 hours to get a Protein shake down. That's the hard part for me. I wouldn't say anything about this has been painful.

Like you, I am very private and didn't want to give anyone any information. All I said was I was having a procedure. I worked Monday I went in for surgery Tuesday and I went back to work the following Tuesday. Everyone is different. I'm sure you'll make the right choice. good luck!
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I do have a desk job that doesn't require any real form of activity. It's just my commute to and from work since I have to take the subway. Occasionally I have to walk a short distance if one of the trains is having an issue, but no more than 0.5 of a mile.
But that's part of the issue, the trains are unreliable and the walk with this weight is killerrrrrrr. I've been eating better but no weigth has come off, working out with this weight is proven to be most difficult. Between the lower back pain, sweating, shin splints etc ... you see my problem.

Hi. I had a 21 day pre op diet. Protein shakes only - no food. I was supposed to go to 1200 calories but I never made it. Always ended up at 800. (Lost 19 pounds)
I actually spent a remarkable amount of time around food during those three weeks - including cooking for a block party, making an anniversary dinner for my husband and having my grown sons home for a few days (boy can they eat). On top of that I was cooking for my daughter everyday.
Oddly it didn't bother me that much - and when it did I would just remind myself that it was all in my head and this was going to be my new normal.
So much of my life revolves around food and celebrations so I figured the sooner I get used to it the better off I'll be.
I even went to a dinner party four days post op and just brought my broth with me.
I think the pre op diet is a great time to reflect on what you want out of surgery.
I wanted health and comfort - but not at the expense of the time I spend with my family. So for me it was important to work through my feelings and accept that I was going to be eating differently than them while we were together.
It's not always easy but it's worth it.
BTW. I heard a tip somewhere about dvr-ing your shows so you can skip the commercials.
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Thank you so much for this. Put so much in perspective for me. Going to get a date for surgery in the coming weeks and was wondering how I'm going to get through it. I appreciate this post.

Pure grit and determination, and focusing on the fact that it had a time limit. I kept reminding myself that I made this decision because I knew I needed to make some major changes, long-lasting changes, and so I started feeling like the pre-op diet was a test of my will and dedication to the process. I started taking pride in not cheating, after a while...no matter how much my stomach rumbled and ached. And sure enough, after surgery, it wasn't a concern anymore. I couldn't even imagine putting anything in there for several days!
One thing that I did do that helped mentally though was, the week prior to the pre-op diet, I went ahead and had whatever meals I would miss. I must have had buffalo wings 4-5 times. And after a while, I think it made something click in my mind and realize that I was being dominated by food. Why did I feel the need to do that week or splurging...wasn't it an acknowledgement that it was food that was at the wheel, and not me? So it ended up being a helpful part of my "letting go" process, which then had to continue for the first 10 days or so after surgery. But I'm in a much better place now, and am embracing change.

I was hopeful that losing weight would help to reduce the amount of facial hair I have, but I'm down to a size two and still dealing with it. I had been taking 200mg of spironolactone ever since being diagnosed with PCOS at age 19, but over time it had become much less effective and caused numerous undesirable side effects like depression, fatigue, and weight gain due to the increased appetite it gave me. I slowly tapered off of it, and finally stopped taking it all together. This has meant that I've seen more facial Hair growth, but am not contemplating going back on it because I'd rather deal with one problem than multiple ones caused by this medicine. I just started taking birth control again on Sunday to help with facial hair, but am going to discontinue it because it's causing severe insomnia, nausea, and hot flashes (I'm 20 years too young for menopause). I was also given a prescription for Vaniqa at my recent doctor's appointment, which is a cream that helps to retard hair growth. It takes about 8 weeks to see any results, and the 1 ounce tube was $169. o.O I bought it anyway because desperate measures and all...... In reviews of it I read some women called it a holy grail product that had changed their life for the better, and others said it was not only ineffective but caused breakouts.
I am hopeful that a method I've just started trying will be effective, and the medicine and cream won't be necessary.
I recently started having it removed with sugaring and have been fortunate to not have any breakouts as a result. It's painful, but not excruciatingly so. I live in Los Angeles, and the woman who did it for me came highly recommended on Yelp and only charged $6 for the chin (I was trying one area at a time). I don't know how much it cost elsewhere, but it's definitely less than electrolysis and laser (which I was told wouldn't work for me because my hair is blonde). Ladies on another forum, Soul Cysters, had recommended a product from Amazon that you apply immediately after removing facial hair (whether by waxing, shaving, threading, etc) to prevent ingrown hairs and acne, and it's been really helpful.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4YJL96/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I'd felt trapped in a cycle where removing hair caused breakouts, which made me want to hermit as much as possible (which is dismaying because I want to show off the weight loss and go out there and have fun), but the facial hair made me want to hermit as well. I've only been using this product for a few weeks, but thus far it's been a huge relief.
You can have higher androgen levels without having PCOS, and that will cause excessive facial hair growth too. PCOS can also be tricky to diagnose because the name is a bit of a misnomer. My endocrinologist said that many women with it do not actually have cysts, so they look at other criteria like your hormone levels and symptoms. Women who are not obese can also have PCOS and facial hair. I'm a young professor, and because of that my students tend to confide in me more than they would older professors. One of my 19-year-old students was telling me how depressed she was due to facial hair and acne caused by PCOS, and she's very slim. If she lost any weight she'd be medically underweight.

Honestly the weight loss that comes with this surgery can only help these situations. I was so ill prior to my bypass in 2014 that I literally (as my doctor stated) had one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel.
I have psoriatic arthritis, degenerative disc disease and severe arthritis of the spine along with all the other comorbitities that come with obesity.
Diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, Severe Gerd, sleep apnea and stage 3 chronic kidney disease.
Having RNY saved my life literally and although I still struggle with my spine issues all my comorbitities are gone or in remission including the worst one Stage 3 kidney disease.
There are many people on here who will attest to the fact that eating healthy and this weight loss can only help chronic disease.
I am eating healthy, have lost 151lbs ( is currently weight 158) and my energy level has never been better. My knee and ankle joint pain went away completely. If it were not from the damage to my spine I would be near 100%.
It is worth it but you have to be committed to eating right and getting as much exercise as you possibly can even if that means chair exercises. Every little bit you move your body is a step in the right direction. I currently joined a pro health club that has an indoor warm Water therapy pool and they have classes specifically for fibromyalgia and in the Water is the one place i don't feel pain.
Best of luck to you.

I'll chime in even though I'm not going to say anything really all that different!

I took off roughly two weeks. I manage an IT department for a company, so my job is primarily behind a desk. I actually came back in a couple of days early, took a day off, and then was back full time (I'd been keeping up with email from home, but not doing any actual work-work).
Dude... those first few days...
They were exhausting. Even sitting behind a desk and pounding a keyboard, I found myself worn the fuck down. I guess engaging the noggin in a meaningful way coupled with being around people (who kept asking how my "vacation" was). I'd be in bed by 8pm every night. It took a week or so to be mostly back to normal, but I had to set reminders on my phone to drink, eat, walk, etc. That's key and that's why most surgeons would rather you take 4-6 weeks off - you NEED to develop the habit of drinking Water regularly and moving around.
I cannot stress enough how important those habits are when you go back to work. So, make sure you're ready.

And if you have even a remotely stressful job or you're on your feet a lot throughout the day, TAKE AS LONG AS YOU CAN OFF FROM WORK. Don't muck about with trying to go back early because you think you feel back to normal. You don't. Trust me.

I was sleeved on Wed Nov 9th and going back Nov 18th so 10 days. I don't have paid leave so it's not my choice. If I could I would have taken 6 weeks.
I have to be in and out of my car all day so I think that will be the most demanding. I'm worried about fatigue also.
I would say take as much as you financially can.
My Dr said 10 days is enough but everyone is different
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I had surgery Wednesday and went back to work Monday, five days later. It was fine, but I have a very sedentary job.
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Personally and only MY opinion I would say I am having a hernia repair on this date. To each his own. I have seen too much grief here to feel the need to be honest and open about me and my body.

So I have an upcoming appointment with my surgeon in 2 weeks before they schedule my surgery. After that they'll call me with my surgery date and I'll have to start my pre-op diet.
My pre-op diet consists of 2 weeks of 3 Protein shakes a day and 1 small dinner. Which can consists of 3 oz of meat and veggies or a lean cuisine or smart choice meal.
I believe they also want me to start taking my bariatric Vitamins ahead of time.
So my question is how much did everyone lose on their pre-op diet. I've heard of people losing like 20-30 pounds alone just on the diet. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Also, what kind of Protein Shakes did you use? My doctors office provides their own, I'm not quite sure which brand yet, but I've noticed that Premier Protein seems to be the most popular.

Thank you so much! I just found out I was approved when I called my health insurance over my lunch break. I'm really hoping my back and ankles get better.

Thank you so much! I just found out I was approved when I called my health insurance over my lunch break. I'm really hoping my back and ankles get better.

Your back and abdomen muscles have been working hard holding up you as a fat person and your keeping your center of gravity stable. As you lose weight in a faster manner due to the surgery, your center of gravity is going to shift, and your back muscles and alternatively abdomen muscles may been stressed out from the adjusted weight differences and posture changes.
This is also one of the reasons you might experience losing balance much more easily; you're used to carrying much heavier weight, so you can overestimate how much effort you need to stand up, sit, walk... basically your core muscles are going to likely be in serious misalignment due to the fact that they'd been used to one or the other set doing the heavy lifting while you moved.

My claim was submitted on Friday 11/04. I'm currently still waiting on a response from the insurance. I had applied once before in June 2015 and was denied by my prior insurance because they required 12 months of nutritionist and doctors appointments and I only had 6 months. This is technically my 3rd time applying so hopefully I get approved this time.
The second time we had to withdraw it because even though they said 6 months of nutritionist visits, they still wanted 12 months of both. My old insurance was a joke. I started this whole process in February 2015. So fingers crossed this time.
Congratulations on the approval!!

actually the five largest health insurers in the country all have waiting periods for bariatric surgery. ANd many employers simply have excluded bariatric surgeries from thier plans. Just an FYI.

The two biggest factors seem to be how long your insurance approval takes, and then your surgeon's schedule.
Some insurances have people reviewing submissions for authorization daily, so as soon as they get to yours they decide and let you know. Other insurances have a review panel that only meets biweekly or even monthly, so those can take longer. Check with your insurance company; mine has a policy that they must give me an answer (either yes, no, or need more info) within 15 days.
After approval, it really depends on your surgeon. Some surgeons only do surgery one day a week, some more. Some have kids and use their summers to take 3-week trips across Europe so their schedule gets really backed up. Some have cancellations and people get in way earlier than expected! And then there are surgeons that give you a date before you even submit to insurance.
Best of luck to you! I hope everything goes smoothly!

I have gone from 319 to 156 in 13 months with the sleeve. You just have to stick to what your told to do by your dr and nut.
I took off two weeks and have an office job. I was glad for the two weeks to just rest and heal. I could have gone back after one week but for me it would have been hard.

@@magnificent2015
If you make serious lifestyle changes and stick to them you have lose all the weight you want. I have lost 170lbs in 16 months, started heavier than you. I think I can lose down to 150ish if I want but I don't think I want to lose more han another 20 pounds.

i went from 408 to 167 , now i hover at 170 , not unrealistic at all. And i have a desk job and i was out 6 days.

my surgery is next Monday and I'm only taking 2 weeks off, office/desk job...
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I was 287 and am now 145