leliwhoaoh

According to my doctor, the procedure costs $17,500 (including inpatient stay, etc). My insurance covers my procedure (vsg) at 100%, no copay, no coinsurance and no deductible/out of pocket applies. All I have to pay is the $40 specialist office visit copay and a $300 program fee for 10 visits with cardiac rehab (exercise visits) and 3 visits with a nutritionist. All in all, I will be paying $540 out of pocket. I was lucky in this respect since I happen to work at the hospital where I will eventually (fingers crossed) get the surgery

A TMI moment for you. I've always joked that I'm hung like a Japanese pornstar. Imagine my surprise when I look down at my morning wood and my penis is longer! I immediately call in Jeanna to enjoy this "miracle"! She comes in and deflates my excitement by saying that it isn't.???? That is when I realized that perspective is everything, my junk isn't bigger, my belly is smaller! Heck yeah! A win is a win and I'll take it!

Thanks for the advice guys! I've been mixing my Protein with low fat milk. But being that I looove cashews, maybe I'll try mixing it with cashew milk, or almond milk. The creamsicle idea sounds great also!
I'd also like to point out that I'm really not penny or money pinching, i just literally have no money $ left over after daycare, bills, student loans and rent and transportation. Trust me if I could drop the $80- $100 on rtd shakes that i thoroughly enjoy,enough to last through this liquid stage, I'd do it in a heart beat!
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Look at adding sugar free flavors to shakes. Don't add a banana at this stage - too much sugar. There's banana flavoring though.

Thanks for the advice guys! I've been mixing my Protein with low fat milk. But being that I looove cashews, maybe I'll try mixing it with cashew milk, or almond milk. The creamsicle idea sounds great also!
I'd also like to point out that I'm really not penny or money pinching, i just literally have no money $ left over after daycare, bills, student loans and rent and transportation. Trust me if I could drop the $80- $100 on rtd shakes that i thoroughly enjoy,enough to last through this liquid stage, I'd do it in a heart beat!
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Try mixing orange crystal light with your vanilla Protein Shake for a creamsicle flavor, or a couple heaping teaspoons of instant coffee for a vanilla latte.
What are you mixing your Protein with? You may want to change it up. I really like unsweetened vanilla cashew milk or vanilla fairlife milk.
And as hard as it is, you may just have to choke the stuff down. It's important to get your protein in. You aren't supposed to be drinking it for fun -- you are drinking it for nourishment, health, and healing. If it tastes icky, that's okay, as long as it doesn't make you physically throw up. You'll get back to a point of enjoying your food later, but that isn't particularly important right now.
Good luck!

I too had the sleeve and my gallbladder removed at the same time.
I'm sorry you are having a difficult time, but seriously, now isn't the time to be money pinching, when RTD shakes are going to keep you alive and healthy. Sip, sip, sip. And make sure you intake Water, tea, mix our Water with crystal light or other flavors to make it easy to go down... But you cannot just say you can't do it, or can't afford it. You MUST!!!
You won't be on shakes for long. Once you can tolerate food, and you have been cleared, you can get your Protein in. Many of us, continue to use shakes as it is an easy way to meet the daily goal.
Premiere shakes are good, most of us tolerate those.
Buy some GENEPRO. Its expensive, but you can mix it with just about anything and it has no taste.
I way overbought in preparation and now find, that I have found my favorite flavor, its hard to use the other products I bought. oh well. I will continue to do, especially in this crucial beginning period, to drink and eat, what agrees with me best.

Sounds perfectly normal but I understand that it can be concerning when you are actually experiencing it. As Babbs rightly said - you just had major surgery - major TRAUMA done to your body. You are going to feel "weird" for a while. For the first week post op, I struggled to get liquids in partly due to the sharp pain you describe. Just remember to take small sips and experiment with temperatures - slightly warm broth was easier for me than ice cold Water, for some people it is just the opposite. Even after that first week, I would still have some sharp pain or hiccuping if I took my sips too close together or took too big of a sip. So look at those signals as signs to slow down, but keep sipping. It is critical to get as many fluids into your body as possible during this stage. You will also have some rumblings and other feelings as the gas they pumped you with moves through your body - you'll feel much better when all that gas is gone, trust me!
Hang in there, the first week or so can be rough but in the long run will be a distant memory. It's all worth it in the end!

As I'm barely writing this, it's now been exactly 24 hrs since my sleeve and gallbladder removal andI'm still in the hospital. I don't feel too much pain, but when I swallow my sips of liquids, almost immediately after, I feel sharp pain in my chest and even sometimes hiccups. I also get mock bubble guts (like when you really need to poop), i know everyone on staff here at my hospital says it's normal, but i want to know if anyone has experienced this? How did you cope and how long did these feelings last?
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Uh, you just had 3/4 of your stomach taken out and stapled back up. Things are going to feel "weird".
Take TINY sips. You've just got to heal up before things start to feel normal again.
Hang in there. It does get better. I promise!

Omg so that means that you are 24 hrs away from being sleeved! Good luck to you! Please let me know how it goes! :] Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App

Omg so that means that you are 24 hrs away from being sleeved! Good luck to you! Please let me know how it goes! :] Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App

You really do need to discuss this with your bariatric team. All in all you will probably be fine, but your team needs to know what's going on with you. They have a pre-op regimen for a reason.
Also, when the surgeon's office called to discuss a surgery date, why didn't you just ask for a later one--giving yourself time to get everything that you needed to do the required pre-op diet? That way you would have had everything you needed. You could fulfill your required pre-op diet obligation and not had all of this mental stress???
I wish you well.
Please call your team. All will be as it is meant to be.

Right after work, i picked up enough premier Protein Shakes, Jello, and broth to hold me down for weekend. I have a trip to Walmart planned to pick up more to last through the liquid stage for preop and post op so I shouldn't have any problems moving forward, thanks for the advice and reassurance! Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App
Right after work, i picked up enough Premier Protein shakes, Jello, and broth to hold me down for weekend. I have a trip to Walmart planned to pick up more to last through the liquid stage for preop and post op so I shouldn't have any problems moving forward, thanks for the advice and reassurance! Sent from my SM-G920P using the BariatricPal App

I think you'll be fine - just so long as you stick to the liquid diet for
The 12 days. I know some people that have had shorter liquid diets, and some no liquid diets at all.
That being said, will you be in a position to maintain the necessary diets post-op? (Protein shakes, Vitamins, etc?).
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@@leliwhoaoh
Just eat Protein early those first few days. Then switch to liquids. The point is to shrink your liver to make is safe for surgery, you can do that with just no carbs.

@@leliwhoaoh I don't think there will be an issue! Many of us have only 24 hours of liquids - others have a week. I think 12 days will be fine! If you want reassurance- talk to your surgeon but I honestly think you won't have any problems at all! Congrats on the fast approval!
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7 day liquid diet here. You will be fine.

Lucky you!! Congrats! I haven't gotten a surgery date as of yet, but I'm hoping for the end of August/beginning of September. I still have like 3 more visits with my doctors office. I am hoping that I can get a date by the end of this month or sometime in July as I have completed all the requirements for surgery except the 6 months of visits and a chest xray and ekg ( I'd have to wait until close to surgery to get those last two).

Lip balm, an extra long charger cord for my phone, and a comfortable, cotton sports bra (no underwire) that fastens in front.
Everything else I needed, the hospital provided. IMO don't worry about stuff like pajamas or slippers -- the hospital will provide gowns and no-skid socks for you. The hospital gowns are designed to accommodate things like IV poles and drains, which your own clothes are not. Plus, let the hospital deal with any laundry issues if you happen to bleed or puke or dribble IV Fluid or wound drainage all over whatever you are wearing. Just be sure to put an extra one on, facing backwards, when you go out walking.
Have whoever is picking you up to drive you home bring a pillow to tuck between your abdomen and the seat belt.
Wear loose fitting, comfy clothes (empire waist dress or similar) to the hospital and plan to wear the same clothes home.
If you wear glasses, bring a case for them.
Good luck!

It's heavenly good... So good I had to take a selfie... Genuine reaction after the first bite.

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Hey! I'm in Hyattsville, I'm getting sleeved (fingers crossed) at Shady Grove Medical Center with Dr.Greene, the director of bariatric surgery. How far along are you in your journey?

Lucky you!! Congrats! I haven't gotten a surgery date as of yet, but I'm hoping for the end of August/beginning of September. I still have like 3 more visits with my doctors office. I am hoping that I can get a date by the end of this month or sometime in July as I have completed all the requirements for surgery except the 6 months of visits and a chest xray and ekg ( I'd have to wait until close to surgery to get those last two).

Greetings my WLS family. Its been a while, I'm still learning how to navigate through this website. Anyhoo I GOT APPROVED!!!!!! I am so elated and filled with multiple emotions. I am excited, scared, and nervous all at the same time. It's been a hell of a journey, yet I'm so ready for the next step. If anyone has any questions just contact me!!!!!!!
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Here's a few things to consider...
- It is extremely difficult to lose weight by diet and exercise with PCOS.
- Only 5% of obese people who lose weight on their own keep it off.
- WLS will help you to lose weight and resolve all or most of your comorbities.
- I was like you but waited until I was 289 lbs and 48 years old to do anything about it. Don't wait!
- WLS is a tool to help you lose weight but you still need to eat healthy and exercise.
- It is very difficult to get pregnant with PCOS and WLS reduces the symptoms of PCOS and increases fertility (although you need to wait @2 years to get pregnant).
- You aren't your sister and what works for her most likely won't work for you so don't let her get in your head!
Stay strong and good luck!