Wheetsin

Crave - not much. So far anything I choose to eat from pre-op I can still eat. Miss - chugging drinks, and my rare can of Fresca. .

So your surgeon's office "mis-submitted" and got you approval for RNY, then caught their mistake and resubmitted for VSG? Or your surgeon's office submitted for VSG but received approval for an RNY? If the former, you may have some leverage with your surgeon's office. If the latter, umm... hope insurance is quick and your surgeon isn't busy. (I see you've already found this out, but the timeframe insurance is allowed to take, and what they actually take, are usually two differen things. Unless you have Cigna )

Both my catheter and drain were removed the day after surgery, which is the day I was released.

Back to IRAs. You technically cannot borrow against an IRA or use it as collateral. Major no no. (Ok, to comment above - this just hit me - IRAs have a 60 day loan term. For some reason I had 401(k) in my head. Doh!) If people go that route, they usually use the IRA loan to buy them more time to obtain a more conventional loan. This puts it better than I can:

I understand completely that's what your CPA told you, but I'm not sure that's correct. If _you_ are considering doing this, please have your CPA double check. I believe the repayment term is 5 years unless you're using the money toward purchase of a residence, at which point (IIRC) it's something like 10 - 15 years. The only 60 day repayment requirement that I know of with 401(k) loans is repayment if you quit work or change employers. Then it is 60 dayys from the date of effective termination or resignation. HTH! (OP, sounds like it's time to call your financial advisor - or get one!)

I have not, but I know that you can borrow against 401k and 403b plans for surgery. I believe the cap is 50% of your vested balance not to exceed $50k. As long as you're taking a loan against your 401(k), the amount is not subject to penalties or taxes unless you default or leave your employment before the loan is repaid (I believe that covers both quitting and termination, but I'm not 100% on the termination). You will have to pay interest, IIRC at prime plus 1% - 2% (depends on the plan). You'll eventually get it back, and the interest you pay is tax-deductible. If you can't get a loan there are hardship withdrawls, but the IRS is really heavy-handed on what counts as a hardship and what you have to do to prove it. I don't know much at all about that route. HTH.

Bad breath is a really, really common side effect of ketosis (your body being in a fat-burning mode). It's usually called "ketosis breath".

It completely depends on what your surgeon does/how your incisions are closed, and how you scar, your skin type, the direction of the incision, your age, overall health, etc. A lot like stretchmarks. It's easy to say "it won't be bad" and usually it isn't, but depending on the factors above (and more) it might be bad. Surgical incisions are clean and for lap procedures they're relatively small. Chances are it won't be bad. But if you have a tendency to keloid, for example, (dark skin does have that tendency) it might be "worse" than usual. BTW, keloid scars are actually benign tumors. Here is what a keloid scar from an incision might end up looking like: Keloids are suually really thick and distorted from the original incision. They can get crazy sometimes. Another common type of scar you can get from an incision is a hypertrophic scar. A keloid is a hypertrophic scar on steroids. The incision that was used for my port (lapband), and everything else since, is a hypertrophic scar but it's not bad, and only part of it has gone hypertrophic. They're raised, but notice how they more closely follow the actual incision and aren't all "massy" like keloids are. My hpertrophic scar has always gotten better with time. IMO - there are dermatological treatments that can help. I've seen keoids frozen and removed with really good outcomes. Things like microderm abrasion has helped too. I do not think that OTC remedies do much, if anything. HTH

Alex (the guy who owns/runs this forum) has boards set up for the major bariatric procedures. So the sister to this site is http://www.rnytalk.com/

The code is CPT 43775: Laparoscopy, surgical, gastric restrictive procedure; longitudinal gastrectomy (ie, sleeve gastrectomy). Generally if something is not covered by your insurance, a surgeon will not be able to get it approved. It would be like only buying liability coverage and then asking nicely to have your car fixed, too. Well, not exactly, but kind of. If a 6 month diet is not listed as a requirement, it's not required. Call and reference the CPT code and procedure name I included above. Tell them you need to know the full requirements. Better yet, if you have web access to your coverage, pull it up and see what it lists. I wouldn't do the 6 months if it's not required. You'll get much better results from 6 sleeved months than 6 supervised diet months. HTH

Hmm, soft (silken) tofu is usually considered a mushy. You can puree it, it's usually used as a stand-in for sour cream or mayo or something when blended (it tastes NOTHING like them). If you can have it non-pureed, it's great in some hot & sour soup or egg drop soup (which actually has good protein, too). You can marinate it, it will take on the flavor of whatever you soak it in (it has no to "earthy" flavor on its own), and then heat it in a skillet but soft tofu is going to essentially fall apart if you do anything with it. Texture-wise, it's not firm at all. Think soy jello.

My ugly face will always be ugly, even if it only has 1 chin. So I guess I'm kinda screwed regardless of what my body looks like (which is going to be hella deformed) Really good point in your 2nd paragraph. I've been a WLS patient for a long time, and been on the WLS boards even longer. A lot of people say "for my health" and mean "for my vanity". (Not a psychologist, but have an MS in psychology, so I'll nerdify this right along with you)

A 9 month stall would be a plateau. When I had my first WLS about a year in (roughly where you are now) I plateaued for about 18 months. It hit even though I changed nothing. I tried all the stall busters, more calories, fewer, etc. My body just wanted to be that weight for a while, I guess. Then almost overnight, out of nowhere, I was down about 14 lbs.

My guidelines were 2 weeks. Your stomach can actually tighten somewhat vigorously when you're aroused, and full on contract during orgasm. Also, when your uterus contracts during orgasm (or TOM, or whatever) your body can trigger the release of chemicals (technically they're fatty acids) that can do some weird things to your GI system (including your stomach). E.g. lots of females have to poop when their period starts, or get really bad gas. I always feel a little like Debbie Downer when I have to advise the newly post-op to really try and wait at least the two weeks, but it's for an actual reason, not just because I want to...block.

Ice, sugar free snowcones, or sugar free shaved ice or "tropical snow" or whatever gimmicky names they have nowadays. SF Italian ices. Frozen SF crystal light (whatever flavor you like) or SF limeade...mmm. My post-op was very relaxed, by week 3 I was already allowed things like deli meats (but I had to stay there for a long time)... so I never got too tired of the plain old ice... luckily.

I have a friend who's about 5'9 and a size 2. She can carry the 2 because although tall, she has a very slender build. E.g. she's thin (tiny), but does not have bones jutting out all over the place. I, on the other hand, am built like a piece of Laffy Taffy. Or Grimace.

From a response I posted to the same question about a week ago (it's quicker than re-typing): You can see the thread here. You'll also find a lot more opinions my searching the terms "stall"and "define". HTH

Below in blue (warning - my space key is sticking so I may have some unintentional run-on words) Please, ask questions you have. Read everything you can find here. And free up lots & lots of time for introspection.

I used soluble fiber in low cal juice and Miralax.

This isn't the original article, but it's the same topic. http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/2006/11/17/2088961.htm

I read an article a few years ago about "subzero" sizes being the new trend. Apparently size 0 isn't small enough (I'm pretty sure my ankle would be too big for a size 0) so designers are altering their lines to include sub-zero sizing. Unless you're about 2'4, zero is too damn small.

Something that I think is sad is that I read/see so much "just take it" from you guys. I've not read too many messages of standing up for yourself, or not allowing yourself to be the victim of the bully. I don't know if it's a case of being beaten into submission from a lifetime of the same type of comments/situations/etc... or if it's not feeling the self worth that you deserve to be treated better, or fear of confrontation or what. But it's something that I hope everyone posting to or passively reading this thread can overcome, and see in themselves that your fat does not define your worth as a person. Everyone here is better than the sum of these insults and ridicules.

One word: BEARS.

I've never felt judged at an interview, but I've had co-workers (almost all of whom are male) say things like, "Yeah that new girl is super thin and cute so of course there was a line of guys outside her office waiting to talk to her..." Hellloooooo... I just saved your butt on your last 50 projects... you could at least mention my white teeth or something...

Guys breeze through weightloss. Not to trivialize, at all, what you have accomplished. It's awesome. But you guys are the hares to our tortoises and 150 lbs in 7 months is just flooring. I stalled through about 1/3 of my homeymoon phase. Think I'll get a mulligan?