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I have tried several other brands and I don't like them at all. However, I love the Bariatric Advantage Strawberry shakes. I did try the chocolate but I was not as happy with the chocolate as the strawberry. However, I don't know after surgery it may be another story. If it is too thick you can thin them down by not using as much liquid. I use the Magic Bullet with them.

Tomorrow, June 1st is my date of surgery. I am excited about it and anticipating great results. I will keep you posted as to my progress.

Surgery has be rescheduled for June 1st. I am very excited to say the least. Soon I will be on the losers bench.

I just got a phone call from the Specialist. He sees no reason why I can't have the sleeve surgery. He was going to contact my surgeon and let him know that he was going to clear me for the sleeve surgery. YEAH!!!!

Thanks everyone for your comments. I think I will pursue this with my surgeon and also with the Specialist. I really do want the sleeve if at all possible. Thanks again.

After going through extensive testing for the last 5 months they discovered a "possible" problem when I took the Upper GI. I had to go to a Specialist for another test and discovered that I have all the symptoms of acid reflux even though I never have had acid reflux. They called it "silent" acid reflux. Evidently, if you have the symptons of acid reflux you can not have the sleeve but you must have the gastric bypass. This all happened last Friday and I was to have the surgery today (Monday). I am disappointed but I am so glad they found out now instead of finding out after I had the sleeve surgery and had complications with the sleeve. Has anyone else had this problem?

I had to do the 3 month supervised diet for Aetna. I also had to do an extensive amount of tests in order to get approved. However, I found Aetna to be very cooperative and approved me in good time. I even got a phone call from them yesterday asking me if I had any questions about the surgery or what they are covering. He also said that a couple of days after I am home someone from Aetna will be calling me to find out if I was happy with the surgeon, hospital and in general questions about my surgery. I was amazed with this service. I have been very pleased with Aetna.

Yes, I had to satisfy the 3 month dieting plan and lose 30 lbs before they would submit my paperwork. I did it. It seemed like it took forever but I did it. Now just waiting for the actual surgery two weeks from today.

Surgery Date: May 23rd at SW General, San Antonio, Texas with Dr. Nilesh Patel.

Corpus Christi, Texas

I called this morning to check on the status of my request and was told that my file was still being reviewed. Later, I got a message to call the Aetna nurse. She said that I was approved but they were just waiting for a date from the Dr. office. Yeh!!!!!

I am starting to get a little concerned. Aetna has had my paperwork for a full week now and I still have not heard from them if I have been approved. I've watched some of the dates of others on this site and some were approved by Aetna within 3 days. Is there anything that I can do to "push" the process along or should I just patiently wait for the answer?

Amanda is correct about the actual tests. The MMPI was 370 questions and there was another questionaire also. However, my actual interview with the therapist was less than 10 minutes. She said I was very thorough on the questionaire and she didn't have any further questions because I had answered everything. So my advice would be to be very thorough on the questionaire and that will eliminate a lot of the interview time.

I too was addicted to the caffine from Diet Coke. My hubby talked to a pharmacist and he said that NoDoz has the same amount of caffine as Diet Coke. I now take one NoDoz every a.m. along with my vitamins. I have not had any problem not drinking the Diet Coke. As a side effect I have not had the swelling in my feet or legs and I feel like I have much more energy. It really does do the trick.

I am a "young" 63 years old with no health problems other than sleep apnea. I am having it done next month. I can't wait to be considered of "normal" size. I don't need to be a model or thin - I just want to be within the normal range. Baby boomers have a lot of living yet to do!!!!

I will have my surgery in San Antonio by Dr. Patel also. Do you have any idea how far ahead he books his surgeries? Also, how long after you got insurance approval did you get a date of surgery? I am just interested in some sort of timeline. Thanks for your reply.

My PCP is the one who suggested I look into the VSG surgery. His comment was that the bypass and the banding both have so many complications but he has not seen any complications from the VSG. I had never heard of the sleeve but that was enough for me to check into it.

I was wondering how many had to lose a great deal of weight before the surgeon would do the surgery? I called the office the other day and the gal said that if I have not lost the full 30 lbs before the surgery the surgeon would cancel my surgery. I find that hard to believe. Has anyone else had any experience in this area?

I have the Aetna PPO but was not told about the "exercise regimen through a qualified professional" by my Dr's office or the NUT. Could it be that my BMI is way above 40 that that is not a requirement for me? Should I contact Aetna myself to find out exactly what is needed? I would sure hate to go my full three months and then not get approved due to the exercise regimen. I exercise myself on my own machine in my own home. Thanks for any advice on this.

To Seniorsleever I also am in Texas with Dr. Patel. You are the first person on here that I have seen using Dr. Patel. I am very interested in hearing about your experience with him. Were you pleased with the hospital facilities? Were you happy with Dr. Patel? I will be anxious to hear your story. Thanks for sharing.

I have watched the surgery on You Tube several times. (BTW there are more than one on You Tube) After watching the video I have a question. What happens to the staples and the clamps that they use? Do they eventually dissolve or do they stay in you all the time? OR Do you have to have them removed at some later time?

I don't know the answer for you for the surgeries but I do have an answer for the "nasty" protein drinks. My Dr. office rec. that I mix the protein drink with Mootopia skim milk. The Mootopia milk also adds 12 more grams of protein so it is great. It really tastes like a milk shake. I think if you tried the milk you would like the drinks much more.

Mix your Protein drink with 6 - 8 oz of Mootopia Skim Milk and I am sure you will be able to tolerate the protein drinks very nicely. I look forward to my protein drinks now. It really does make a difference.

I am addicted to Diet Coke. I had one in the mornings before I could get dressed even. My legs and feet were swelling so much from the sodium that I couldn't even get my shoes on. The Dr. told me to cut out the sodium. I totally stopped drinking Diet Coke about a month ago. However, I could not stay awake during the day because of the lack of caffine. Since I don't like coffee I had to find something for the caffine to take instead of Diet Coke. The pharmacist recommended No Doz because No Doz is 100% caffine. So far one 200 mg of No Doz has been working to keep me going during the day. I hope this might help someone else.

Thanks so much for your candid and frank post. I just started the journey and my stats are very close to yours. Your post was very encouraging to me. Thanks again.