becomingmandikaye

That's amazing! Congratulations

That's a good question... I'm not sure where I put her card, but she definitely called herself a dietician. I wasn't super impressed with her, but the one I'll do all of the "classes" with was raved about by my surgeon and his other folks. So I'm hoping I have a better experience with her!

Here's what I've had today (the evening snack is planned for later): http://www.myfitnesspal.com/food/diary/mandikaye Both options she gave me (1200 and 1500 calories) had 2 Protein shake "meal replacements" in them, which is why I'm doing those. I'm used to eating fast food 2+ meals per day, so I think my body is just angry at me for the change.

My NUT suggested I start eating between 1200 and 1500 calories per day, which is a pretty big change from what I've been doing lately. Today is Day 1, and I'm having a hard time tonight. Some of it is pure physical hunger, most of it is head hunger - literally! Do you ever get a hunger headache and know it's from "hunger" because it feels different than a normal headache? It's like a food withdrawal headache. I'm definitely struggling with that kind of hunger tonight, and it's taking everything I have not to go eat all of the carbs in the house (wait - is carb withdrawal a thing?). *sigh* I can do this. I can do this. I can do this.

I'm going to apologize in advance for the ramblingness of this post! I've got so much going on in my head right now, so I figured I'd just throw it all out there at once... 1) Is it normal that the NUT who clears you for surgery isn't the one you'll do all of your pre- and post-op appointments with? I won't see the woman I met with yesterday until 3 months after surgery. 2) Why are distractions while eating bad? She was VERY against me eating while watching TV, but she never told me why. I live alone and have never (nor have any plans to) set my dining room table for one and sat there eating alone. 3) Have any of you had a NUT recommend Boost over Premier Protein? There are so many more calories in Boost that I want to run far far from it. But she was very concerned that I wouldn't get enough calories after surgery (she even suggested I don't drink the Zero Carb Isopure drinks because they don't have enough calories... even though they have the same as Premier Protein). 4) Is it normal for me to feel like I don't have anything concrete to go on at this stage? I've only been to the consultations, and suggestions about diet were given to me, but I have no specific plan to follow and no goal to meet. Will those come later after final approval and a date is set? I think that's all... for now.

Congratulations! This really is an exciting process, isn't it?

Good luck! I'm excited for you.

Welcome! I'm also hoping to have a surgery date in June. I finished my pre-op reqs yesterday (NUT and psych), so now I'm just waiting for approval and a date. Maybe we'll be surgery buddies!

The only flavor I've gotten so far is Grape Frost, and it's not bad. I was pleasantly surprised by it, but now I'm very excited to try some of the other flavors. It's not super sweet. There is a brief after taste, but it leaves you quickly (I didn't need to drink anything after it for the after taste to go away).

My insurance doesn't require a referral, so my PCP doesn't even know. I hope you find your own way to tell her so that you're comfortable. Just remember why you're doing it; it's for your, not for your doctor to approve of.

Congratulations! That's such a wonderful feeling.

I can't speak to this specific surgery (yet), but I had my gall bladder removed back in 2009, which is a similar laparoscopic procedure. I had very little incision pain, but the pain in my abdominal muscles was pretty terrible for several days. I had to hold a pillow to my abdomen to get out of bed or switch positions in bed. Just take it easy and let time heal everything.

Mine is also moving quickly! It did take a month to get my first appointment after the seminar, but I had that one yesterday and I meet the NUT & Psych on Monday. After that, I should get approval and a surgery date! I was prepared to wait for months and months and now I'm not quite sure how to handle this moving so quickly!

Good luck!

My surgeon told me today that the sleeve is about an hour long. But I suspect ymmv depending on your surgeon.

Congratulations!

That happened to me when I was looking for a therapist last year. And it was a BIG DEAL that I even picked up the phone to call. When one of them finally called me back, I actually cried on the phone with her. She ended up being awesome and I'm glad the others didn't call me back... but it felt really awful to finally be able to ask for help and be ignored. So sorry that happened to you!

I met my surgeon this morning. I was super impressed by how fast and efficient the consultation was. I was out of their office in less than an hour, and I spoke to three different people, including the surgeon. Then I went over to the hospital for the outpatient labs/x-ray/EKG and was out of there in less than an hour too! I've decided on the sleeve for sure. I don't qualify for the full DS and SIPS is still an investigational procedure. I was leaning about 98% towards the sleeve anyway, but I feel comfortable with the decision after speaking to the team this morning. Monday I meet the NUT and psychologist, and then they'll submit the paperwork to my insurance. I still have to have an endoscopy, but that's for the doctor, not insurance. I'm a bit nervous about that procedure, but my mom says I'll be sedated and not even know what they're doing. I'm shooting for a surgery date in June, and the surgeon said that's perfectly reasonable, but I won't know for sure until everything is complete. HERE WE GO!

Thanks for all of the replies in this thread! It's really helpful.

What about during the first 6-8 weeks where you're not really eating solid food yet?

I feel like this is a really strange thing to ask, but I was wondering if any of you actually saved money over the first several months after surgery, since you can't eat as much. Does the cost of protein shakes and supplements end up being what you were spending on food before?

Hey! My consult is on the 28th! I'm about 90% sure I'll get the sleeve, but I won't make my final decision until after I talk to the surgeon next week. NEXT WEEK!

This is a great tip, thanks!

What you can do to relieve it depends on what's causing it. Mine is from ridiculously high arches and a very tight achilles tendon (so tight it's caused bone spurs). My treatment? Stretches (dropping my heels off a step), balancing sneakers (to keep my from turning my feet inwards), arch support inserts, and - surprisingly enough - wearing heels sometimes. The other thing that helps provide some immediate relief is to wear a night splint (you can get these at Walgreens or CVS etc.) I did find that I prefer the Strassburg Sock (found at a sports store) to the splint I got at the drug store, but everyone's preferences are different. Good luck!

I'm curious - how did it go for you? I've been contemplating getting an IUD (on Nuvaring now), so this thread has been fascinating.