2goldengirl

OK, that helps. First, nobody ever wrecked their surgery because they had a slip on their preop diet. Surgeons and their offices sometimes stretch the truth in order to impress upon patients that the prep is serious business, but to be honest, they can't tell whether you fell off the wagon, so to speak, on your preop requirements. That said, remember that just because someone else slips up doesn't mean you will. If you get hungry on the preop liquids, it will probably be in the first three days. After that, veterans say it's easier. If you're hungry, have some Protein. Even if you have an egg or some cottage cheese, you will still be using up your liver glycogen (which makes it easier to move your liver out of the way to get to your stomach) and you will not be adding bulk to your colon (the other reason for liquids is to help empty the bowel). That's not an open invitation to break pre-op protocol, just a little "in-case" scenario that may help you. And the next thing to be aware of is: if your surgeon hasn't told you what your preop requirements are, you may not even have to worry about this. Not every surgeon requires it. Mine doesn't. For any of these concerns, step #1 is always: Ask your surgeon. Remember who is working for who here. Your surgeon is getting paid to take care of you, not the other way around. That means you have the right to expect to have your questions answered and concerns addressed. I hope this helps!

Woohoo!!!! Celebrate (throws confetti)!!! From what I've read, it can be trial and error to find the sweet spot to maintain, rather than lose. I'd check in with your NUT if you haven't done so recently.

So - what is making you both nervous/worried, etc? It would help if we knew specific concerns. You'll both get through it - those who need to, do. It won't be the most fun you've ever had, but it's just part in the path that gets you to your surgery day. You can do it!

Congratulations! Santa is bringing you a sleeve for Christmas

OK, first - are you in CA? Because in CA, Blue Cross plans are Anthem Blue Cross. There is no BCBS in CA. Second - the precert is something your surgeon's office gets, not something you have to do. Your surgeon's insurance coordinator gets everything together. I hope this helps!

Please don't do this to yourself. You are still healing. You've lost 20 lbs. Follow your program, get in your fluids, and your protein. Stay off the scale! The sleeve works, you just need to be patient and follow your guidelines.

I'm preop, don't have a surgery date yet. I decided it would be a good idea to establish some new habits well before surgery, and have been working on just two so far: Logging everything I eat/drink (I use Sparkpeople), and to stop eating before I get overfull. I've kept up with the logging since Oct. 21, except for two days. Occasionally I've had to go back and fill in from the day after, but I've done it. Previously, if I had a day where I made choices I wasn't happy with, I'd find a reason to avoid tracking those. I haven't done that this time. I guess as best I can even when I've gone out to eat or eat something I can't find in the database. The stopping before I get overfull has been interesting - I'm amazed at how little it takes, and that's before any surgery. Sometimes I do get hungry again within a couple hours, but I've had a real habit of keeping on eating just because something tastes good. I think in the coming month I'm going to add making a note when/if I eat when I'm not truly hungry. There will be a lot of food around this month, especially at the office. The interesting thing is, I've lost 5-1/2 lbs., and that wasn't my focus. Does anybody else have preop habits or goals?

I'm preop, and I've been working on logging everything into Sparkpeople and paying attention to stopping before I get overfull. I haven't avoided anything, but the stopping before I'm overfull has been very helpful. I'm down 2 lbs since Weds. Go figure!

@@Angry Banana, with your sense of humor, you will do fine! Please tell me we can look forward to more of your posts. Humor is good, humor is healing, and as a coping mechanism, it's much more helpful postop than the food you can't eat

Your surgeon HAS to work with you on this - don't take "no" for an answer.

That sounds like some serious exercise. How fabulous will it be to be able to keep up? You'll feel fantastic out there - you may even forget about the cold/damp aspect. And nights back in camp will feel pretty awesome, I'm guessing. You're gonna have to get yourself some new hunting duds, though, the old ones will be falling off you.

I'm sorry you've been so uncomfortable. It does sound as though you've tried to jump back into a lot of activity very soon after surgery. Your body needs time to heal. I'd caution you against calling things like indigestion, constipation, or reflux "complications". They are uncomfortable, annoying, and, at times, scary. But complications as generally understood are things like postop bleeding, a leak in your staple line, pneumonia, blood clots, severe dehydration - the kinds of things that make you end up back in the hospital. You're sleepy because you need rest! You had major abdominal surgery. Just because you have a few bandaids instead of a like of staples down your abdomen doesn't make it any less hard on your body. Take small bites, sip your liquids, and rest when you're tired. Good luck!

I agree with @@Inner Surfer Girl. You are way too soon after surgery to be worrying about ANYTHING but getting in your fluids and your Protein. Have somebody hide the scale or give it to a neighbor. If you want to obsess about numbers (lets face it, we all have a tendency to do this), then obsess about tracking all your fluids and your protein. Your body has one job right now: healing. Not anything else. Healing. It will get on with the job of weight loss, but healing comes first. Good luck, now have some Water.

Welcome aboard! I hear you on the shame thing for regaining, big time. I'm also logging all my food and activity (I use Sparkpeople), because I figure the longer I have the habit, the easier it will be to keep doing it. I'm also doing the work of tackling some of the mental aspects of this journey. One thing I've definitely learned from these boards is that the folks who get to, and stay at, goal are the ones who commit to long-term, permanent behavioral change. The third thing I'm practicing is recognizing the point where I'm satisfied. One of my bad habits is to eat beyond that point just because something tastes good. It's pretty amazing how little food it takes to reach that point, even preop! Good luck to you, there are lots of really helpful (and funny!) folks here.

Maple bourbon cranberries sound fab. Haha, Dremel whipped cream! Because I am certifiable, I am making another turkey dinner today, this time at our house. DSD and her husband are coming. We'll send them home with leftovers, and Huz will take leftovers down to his stepmom tomorrow.

If it isn't a benefit of your plan, it doesn't matter what kind of documentation your PCP or surgeon provides. A benefit exclusion means it isn't covered for anyone, in any case. I have seen folks here who were found to have a hiatal hernia - insurance covered the hernia repair, they had to pay privately for the sleeve, but at least it's some coverage.

From scratch is the way to go for best flavor anyhow. I even make my stock for gravy and stuffing from scratch ahead of time (I pressure can it). None of us in our crowd are fond of over-fussed food, so our sweet potatoes were just cut into thick slices and slow roasted til they caramelized. Nobody likes green bean casserole, green Beans get sauteed in a big skillet with a dollop of bacon jam at the end. My stepmother was a terrific hostess, but a truly terrible cook. She did teach me two very valuable lessons about entertaining. The first was "the dishes will still be there in the morning. Your guests won't", and to serve gravy from a pyrex coffeepot. A turkey gets lukewarm when carving it, and if you've got smoking hot gravy, it keeps everything else from seeming that way, too. We had 18 to feed, so the coffeepot stayed on a warmer. Easier to serve one-handed, too.

No, and no. First, a blood clot in the leg is not the same thing as a pulmonary embolism. A pulmonary embolism is a clot in the lung, not in the leg (though they can travel to the lung from the leg). And a clot in the leg doesn't look, or feel, anything like a cyst. An intermittent numbness in the tongue is not the same thing as the kind of numbness that may be a sign of stroke. To the OP, it does sound as though you're anxious. Please check with your surgeon for any symptoms that worry you.

Thank you so much for your insights and for taking the time for such a thoughtful post. Happy surgiversary!

So glad to hear from you! I simply can't imagine what the force-feeding must have been like post-GBP. It's very true that your issues are quite different, if only because your anatomy is different now. I applaud your insight into your issues, and your commitment to getting, and staying, healthy.

Why, oh why, is everything a "hack"?

I'm preop, so it will be the same as previous years. We co-host with another couple at their home. This year there will be 18 of us. I've been prepping for a couple weeks, starting with making and pressure canning four quarts of turkey stock and ending with our annual pie-a-palooza. Two of my best pals and I made five pies and a lemon tart. We always make enough food to feed several armies so that folks can take leftovers home, especially pie. The best part of last night is that I told them both that I'm having surgery and they were great about it. I was afraid they'd worry and I asked them not to. Next year will be a whole different ballgame. I will be almost a year out. I've never been a huge eater on holidays. I'm always so busy working with the food that I am very distracted from actually eating it!

The hospital doesn't control how long you stay, that's up to your surgeon. And it depends on what your surgeon's criteria for discharge. If you are concerned, speak to her/him about it

Impossible to say unless it's been actually presented to the Plan for approval, BUT, weight gain from lymphedema is hardly the same thing as weight gain from overeating. Lymphedema is not a contributor to obesity, though obesity may exacerbate lymphedema. Your NUT is not the expert in insurance approvals, your surgeon's insurance coordinator is. That is the person to speak to with your question. You don't say who your new insurance will be.

There is a difference between what a HP requires, and what a surgeon considers safe practice. A surgeon may always elect not to take on a particular procedure or patient, even if that procedure would be approved for that patient. I hope this helps!