Beck90

@@LondonHawk My theory before was never everything in moderation .. it was everything I want whenever I want it in gigantic quantities that's how I got to the place I am in now.. now I believe the sleeve will -help- me to achieve something I have.. everything in moderation as a tool. I wasn't looking for someone to tell me it's okay.. I'm already aware that many doctors think it's fine and just as many think it's not... I was looking for information about -why- their doctors say it's okay, what they say about combatting the "it stretches your stomach myth" and how long out from surgery they tried it. That was why I said initially that I only wanted nice/favorable posts... I am well aware some people don't agree.. but was looking for information from those who do...

@ I think this is exactly the thing.. some people must follow the rules -exactly- as given to succeed.. others need the freedom to modify things to their lifestyle to make it work and be a real lifestyle change. The fact that I'm thinking about how to handle my life post surgery and how to deal with problem issues isn't some sign I'm not committed actually it's a sign I'm very committed because if I chose to ignore it and not research it and not figure it out... then I'd be in a mess when the time comes. I have to think about those things and plan for them now because that's just how I am lol. I like the philosophy taught by your aunt's surgeon you retrain your stomach via surgery and everything in moderation

@ THIS THIS exactly.. I don't like strict "Do's and Don'ts" on every little thing. Some things do have to be strict Do's and Don'ts (like Protein intake) but not everything needs to be.. I much more like a "lets see how it goes" approach.. I mean who knows my new stomach may hate pop and I don't think I'd be disappointed with that.. I don't see it as eating around my sleeve.. I see it as gathering information about a topic that different docs/surgeons/ and NUTs don't all agree on so I can make a decision wisely.

@@PinkPolkadot619 true.. I haven't succeeded at losing weight but I think that has more to do with portion size and too -many- bad food choices rather than moderation.. both of which have to change but just to play devil's advocate.. a number of people post sleeve still drink alcohol.. and while that does have some health benefit in moderation it's not a Protein or a veggie.. your body doesn't "need" it and it's FULL of "unneeded" calories.. so why is that not frowned upon but a can of diet pop here and there is apparently completely taboo?

Who knows! Perhaps I will not like the taste of it or will find that I have gas pain as well and then it'll be a moot point. @@Cervidae - I would argue that it's not like saying when can I start smoking again... there are a lot of surgeons who DO allow diet pop and think it's fine.. I don't know any who say it's okay to smoke after basically I'm asking for information from people whose surgeons were okay with it because I didn't have any choice in my surgeon or even my hospital due to insurance constraints.. If I had had I would have chosen a surgeon I mesh with better. I'm not looking for anyone to pacify me but the fact is there are several surgeons who DO say it's okay... so.. there's likely some merit there.. @@PinkPolkadot619 absolutely anything post surgery should be with caution. I doubt I'll even try it for several months.. I do know that I've never had an issue with craving more sweet things or wanting more pop after having it.. I've always and only had one diet pop a day (with supper) for years. Though I suppose surgery could change how I react to it? I'll keep an open mind and an eye out for it. @@Proud2BMe - did your surgeon give any explanation for "why" the "it will expand your pouch" thing is a myth? Why do surgeons say this if it's not true?

And I'm always happy for more friends/mentors

Hey @@Christinamo7 Sounds like you could be a good friend you've come a long way in your weight loss journey! I have two cousins with autism -- one very high functioning and one not as high functioning - we've got some things in common! @@Inner Surfer Girl - For the most part I do what I'm told. The things I tend to question are things like where I know several surgeons disagree with mine and so I might look into why and make my own decision. I kind of got into that position because I'm on medicaid so I had absolutely no choice in who my surgeon would be or even the hospital I was working with.. had I had I would have chosen someone who meshed a bit better with me. So I'm just doing the best I can. Anything at all that I modified (which wasn't much) I did have cleared by my primary care physician who is pretty knowledgable about bariatric surgery. And I'm in counseling every week. I'm not necessarily looking for an enabler - just for someone who won't judge me or scold me for choosing to do what other surgeons reccommend compared to my own in certain instances because had I had my choice at all I would have chosen one of the surgeons who I meshed with better. Hopefully that makes more sense.

Mostly they just ask questions about like.. how much you understand what you're committing to.. that it's a lifetime change that you're okay with all the new rules you have to follow.. That you're emotionally stable and not going to fall apart with all the change. I suppose there are "wrong" answers like "No I won't follow the diet " but for the most part any sensible answer isn't wrong.

Hi there I'm 24 years old and looking into getting a gastric sleeve in order to help me successfully lose weight. I've struggled with my weight since I was young and have never successfully been able to lose more than a few pounds even when trying very hard. I'm hoping this tool will help me! However, being able to do this absolutely depends on my ability to get Medicaid to cover it -- elsewise it's too expensive. And I'm nervous about at least one aspect of Illinois' Medicaid requirements for them to cover me. They say you have to have been part of a doctor supervised weight loss program for six months. This is the part I have questions about. My doctor asked me about a year ago if I was doing anything to keep my weight in check and I told him I was walking and working on an elliptical. He was pleased and documented it my chart and told me to keep it up. I will also say that my Doc has mentioned that he's not always pleased with the restrictions insurance companies impose to basically save themselves money but that often keep patients from getting what they need. ((We went there because I have a super serious anxiety disorder / possible Bipolar II and he couldn't prescribe me what he wanted because Medicaid wouldn't cover it and he was annoyed as he couldn't give me the medicine he thought would help the most. -- and yes! I'm working with a psychiatrist also and in therapy )) Do you all think it's possible that he would consider this a Dr. supervised weight loss program then and indicate to medicaid that I have indeed been part of said program for six months? Or do you think it's more likely he'll want to write up something more formal for me to follow? Which leads to my next concern. If he does want to have me follow a more formal diet for six months.. I'm super concerned about not losing my medicaid. (which would mean no surgery.) Here's the situation. I believe in Illinois for a single person you can't make over 15,000 dollars a year (or close to that) and keep free Medicaid. I currently have an application in to become a 911 operator and it looks promising that I might be hired in mid-September. At this particular facility during the training period they have you work full time hours during the day. Training time is not dated. They will have you train as long as they feel you need it. My friend that worked there said she'd seen everything from 6 weeks to 6 months for various employees. After my training I would go back to part time. Now working there part time I won't have a problem keeping my Medicaid.. but the full time hours when I calculated what I would make might put me over the limit. I'm very concerned about this... I don't want to lose either an awesome job opportunity OR the chance to have this tool that could help me change my life forever.. yet I feel like I might have to choose... I don't want to say pass on the job to ensure I keep my Medicaid for surgery because I absolutely want to work in THIS position in THIS 911 office (I have close friends there who've been trying to get me hired for the next open position for 6 months). But I don't want to take the job and lose my Medicaid and lose my dreams of finally having a tool that can help me.. So in summary... Do you think my physician noting down what exercise I've been doing and approving me to continue could count as a physician approved weight loss plan? And .. if not.. do you have any words of wisdom about how I can go about not losing either of these things that matter to me? Note: Please don't say I may have to choose or etc. I know this is possible.. and I'm already at near panic attack level over it. I'm looking for positive reassurance Thankyou! And if you took time to read this long long thing, you're wonderful!

OMG .. Wait!? that doesn't happen to everyone sometimes !?!?! *horror*

Thank you and well said Harley.. I know that a lot of the critical comments in response to this are coming from a place of caring about the OP. BUT. I never took it as a desire to have tons of alcohol. I think the OP is worried her friendships will suffer based on the changes. That doesn't mean those changes aren't good or that she won't stick to them... OR that she wasn't ready to get sleeved. All of us have our own unique concerns for life after sleeve. Coming from someone that was horribly bullied all the way K-12 and didn't have friends until college.. if I felt making the right decision for my body or myself might interfere with my friendships.. I wouldn't hesitate to make that decision but I -would- be nervous about if I might feel... left out.. from my friends and my place in the social circle.. I -don't- think this is about an amount of alcohol.. it's about not wanting to lose the place she's identified as hers in her social circle just because she can't partake the way they do... Hang in there! and BTW I definitely think it's okay for you to have a drink to Celebrate your graduation. Check with your NUT but that's a long way from now and I suspect you will have healed by now that one small drink of your choice won't be a big deal Just remember : Moderation and keep it in check and you'll do fine! Good luck at school this year!

OMG I was JUST thinking that when I came across your post lol. That and "holy cow I really know nothing about this so I hope the NUT plans to teach me ALL of this."

Oh you'll have TONS of fun! I've been ziplining a few times at camp. It wasn't as extravagant as the ones you find on vacation but.. Wow. It's SUCH fun!

Oh so many things... - being able to get the attention of guys I think are cute without feeling self conscious they'll be weirded out by my weight. - Not having to contort myself in order to get a good picture where I don't look as big. - Being able to shop in all those teens and twenty-something clothing shops like American Eagle without troubles. - Having my thighs not touch!!! - Not having to eat huge portions of food in order to just simply feel full because my stomach is stretched. - Not -despising- exercise because my body is so out of shape. - WATERSKIING! - I tried it once but I was too out of shape to pull myself up. So I want to be able to do it! - Being able to show my dog without feeling awkward and uncomfortable on my knees when stacking her into a show position. (Or anything ELSE I have to do kneeling). And so many many more..

Hi ScarletWitch! Thanks! It would be shocking to me (though I'd be very happy!) if some of my favorite "bad for you foods" aren't so appealing to me after surgery! LOL would make things much easier since I've basically identified exactly why I'm overweight-- and it comes down to my portions being out of control (I stop when I'm full but my stomach is stretched so I'm not full for too long) So the surgery should help a lot with that.. and the other one is that I eat all the wrong things.. so .. LOL it would be incredibly helpful if the surgery had the effect of making me not be so interested in those pizza-like foods! And yes! I'm going to start trying some new foods and seeing if I like them to help me out later on. That way I'll have some idea what to eat later. Thanks for the support!

Hi there. I'm Beck. I'm 24 and from a tiny town in Illinois. I enjoy lots of hobbies especially arts, baking, researching medical things, and reading & writing. I love writing so much that I hope my final career can be as a historical fiction & fantasy author. I have a sweet pup named Riff who is a year old and whom I show in dog shows. I've struggled immensely with my weight since I was young. I'm fortunate that despite both of my parents being snackers, comfort eaters, stress eater etc. I don't have this problem! I really only eat when I'm hungry. But... I really really don't like most of the foods that are "good for you foods" I'm so finicky about veggies and etc. There's almost -no- veggies that I like in a good for you way (i.e. I'm happy to eat broccoli if it's slathered with mayo in Pasta salad LOL but not cooked or raw without dip). I think this will be my biggest battle -- finding good for me foods I'm happy with. The other one will be portion control. Aside of liking mostly bad for me food... I like too much of it! (Though I think it'd help so much if my stomach was smaller so I felt full at a normal portion size instead of my stretched out stomach size!) I started to consider WLS only a couple of weeks ago. Initially when I first thought of the idea a couple of years ago, I wasn't interested because I got a very -negative- feeling about the Lap Band procedure from two family friends who had it done. They basically told me with any kind of WLS be prepared to cut all carbs, all sugars, and all pops out of your diet -absolutely- and -completely- forever. I know that I need more balance in the foods I eat and portion control but I'm not going to say that I'll never eat a piece of birthday cake again. I want to continue to enjoy the foods I like -- just with balance with healthier foods and healthier proprtions and a good exercise plan. I believe in moderation NOT deprivation. So I felt that if deprivation was the only way with WLS then I wasn't a good candidate. Then I started looking online and found plenty of people who had a MUCH more moderate approach to things. When they had fully healed and figured out what foods their body could tolerate they found it was okay to introduce back their favorite foods as long as they kept portions in check and ate in a more balanced way than they did before. And then I decided if it was possible to do this with simple portion control and incorporating more healthy foods... I was willing to give it a try. I have seen some people who are very adamant that balance and portion control are not enough to keep someone from going down the slippery slope and you should make a rule to avoid all "bad" foods or that it's fine to have a piece of pizza. Once a year!. Obviously there must be changes and I fully intend to follow my surgeon's advice to the T until I know exactly what I can tolerate and what I can't... and I have no intention of sabotaging my wonderful new tool.. but are there people out there like me who still regularly enjoy the foods they once loved - just in smaller portions and as part of a much more -balanced- diet? I can't be the only one...

Good luck! Hang in there Try to keep yourself busy with fun things in these 15 days and the time will crawl by a little faster.

Ahhh okay then! I wasn't sure of the specifics for the 6 month plan.. It sounds to me then like I might be starting my 6 months on Tuesday when I go into the doctor. I was dreading it but now I don't know.. I'm not pleased that it'll mean my surgery is for sure six months away but it is part of the process and maybe if I can keep thinking about it that way it won't be so bad. If I can arrange all my preop tests and appointments over those six months, it'll give me something to be doing while I'm waiting. Thanks for the info on buying Medicaid plans on the exchange!! I had never heard of this! It makes me feel better. I also spoke to the woman at the health department who helped me apply and she said if my training income goes over I can likely write for an exception because it's only for a temporary time so that I don't lose my medicaid So that would be great! I'm pleased that it's starting to sound positive for this to work out! What sorts of expenses do I need to look out for post surgery? I mean there's the obvious doctor visits but those will be covered. I'm not sure what else after beyond visits with the doctor and dietitian etc. And food.. but I already have to buy that anyway lol.

When I said I was going to follow instructions until I saw what I could tolerate, I meant that I wouldn't take a chance of trying to introduce any new foods or try -anything- off the diet plan until my stomach was completely healed. It was basically a reassurance that I'm aware that the post surgery period is super critical as you're re-learning things and letting your stomach heal. I was saying that someday I'm sure I'll have a bite of cake - but it's not going to be until I'm all healed and I've tried other foods etc etc. Mostly a reassurance that if I do try to introduce food off the diet it has to be -after- those critical stages. That's all I meant I don't fear that I'll lose motivation or momentum to make this work for me.. I know that it's imperative that I make it work.. but part of making any lifestyle work for me is taking all the advice, all the information, all of what the doctors say, all of what the nutritionist says and making my own plan that truly works for me based on all the facts I have. I doubt it will be as strict as some, but I'm sure it'll be more strict than others I'm looking forward to having changes and being a healthier me! I'm looking forward to the journey Why would I want to eat things that have no nutritional value? I'll be frank.. if we didn't want to eat things that had no nutritional value none of us would be here most likely. I don't want to pretend that the foods I love are going to become less appealing to me (at least immediately) because this surgery doesn't change the brain... and I feel like adding balance that I've never had and portion control that I've never had is a HUGE first step in changing lifestyles. At this point I really have NO balance in what I eat or in eating healthily so adding even a moderate change would be a huge huge thing in my world. I am the kind of person where if I feel pressured I'll do the opposite.. so I know I'll have the most success if I allow myself to be more lax than some would be comfortable being. I know that's not for everyone. And PLEASE do not assume that because I'm young or because this is new for me that I don't.. know what I'm getting into or I don't have the right mindset for this surgery or anything.. I'm just a bit of a free spirit.. I don't like to be pinned down. And that often means I have to take all the information available to me and kind of.. make my own path I suppose. Absolutely this is serious to me it's my health and my future.. I know what a huge deal this is and that it's going to require big changes.. I just have to do it in my own way.. and I'll succeed I'm sure some people would look at that and say "She's not serious enough.. she's going to fail." that's just how my brain works though.. and I'm extremely determined. And so far I've never failed at anything I was determined to achieve and this definitely won't be the first. I just.. march to my own tune some of the time. Do things my own way. I suppose you can say I'm just a bit of an odd duck.. but I accept it. I've been that way my entire life and when I set my mind to something, I may have to accomplish it in my own way.. but I -will- accomplish it successfully