Moogle

My doctor won't let me have any fruit, not even applesauce, at 8 weeks post-op. Hoping something gets introduced at my next appointment (15 weeks). I could kill someone for a bite of cantaloupe right now, but I can wait.

I had zero complications. I only needed my pain meds for a few days before I felt great. Not being able to sleep on my side for a week due to the drain was irritating, but not the end of the world. I have not thrown up once since my surgery June 9th. The most miserable thing for me was being limited to liquids for 3 weeks, with the addition of cheese for an additional 4 weeks. But then I remembered that this was my choice, and if I don't follow the guidelines given to me by my team I am not going to be successful and that is more important than making a potentially bad choice.

I took them all. I have no regrets. There was a LOT of good information in the classes for me. In fact, because I was honest with them (which was the right thing to do) and admitted to still drinking Diet Pepsi occasionally they made me wait another month before they sent me in for approval. I was angry, but it was my own fault for not getting that crap out of my system. I honestly would take them again. I researched the surgery for years before finally getting an insurance company that would pay for it.

Before my surgery, I was taking 1000mg of Metformin 2x a day, 35 units of Humalin 2x a day and 25 units of Humalog 3x a day. Immediately after my surgery, my doctor pulled the Metformin and Humalog. I've had to lower my Humalin to 30 a few weeks ago after getting too many lows. The numbers are starting to dip again so I think it will need to be adjusted soon. Most mornings I wake up with numbers from 70-90. The highest number I've seen has been post-meal at 110. I am very happy with these developments.

Maryland, a 10 minute walk from DC, but moving to Lexington Park, MD this month.

I have Kaiser. It took me about 16 months from the date I asked my doctor for a referral to my surgical date. I had to do two seminars where people asked the same questions over and over and over. I did one small group meeting before starting my work with the nutritionist. My nutritionist told me I would not be approved after 6 months because I was still drinking Diet Pepsi. Eliminated that and got approved the following month. It seemed to take forever to get the surgical consult (a few months). I had to have a sleep study, mental health evaluation, endoscopy and an H. Pylori test. Everything got delayed another several because my A1C was too high. Once I got that reigned in I waited another two months to get scheduled (which was 2 months from that point). I was worried that they would kick me out because I gained some weight back with new birth control and an insulin switch. All in all, the whole process took from Feb 2015 to June 2016. I could have probably shaved a few months off, but the timing worked out great for me because it was right after the spring semester ended.

I don't have the Mirena, but I've experienced similar things with my Nexplanon (arm implant). I had it put in early February and have not had a period (or spotting) from insertion date to surgery date. The night after my surgery I started this weird half-period thing. I spotted, but not enough to wear anything, it was just there when I peed or wiped. That lasted about 4-5 days and hasn't come back since.

My story is not exciting at all. I was given two options for surgeons at the same hospital by my insurance. Both of them seemed friendly and incredibly reputable. I ended up picking one over the other because one had a very long waiting list compared to the other because he did surgeries at other hospitals. I know that was not the best way to choose, but I really thought both of the surgeons were good options.

Miralax and me did not mix too well. I had difficulty getting it down. At my four week follow-up I brought the issue back up and they switched me to Colace - I take 400mg daily now. Going every other day, which is so much better than the once a week before. I buy it generic at Costco in a large container.

The thing I miss the most right now is popcorn. I was a popcorn junky. I always had to have a bag at the movie theater. At home I would keep several varieties to pop myself. When I go into a place and smell that smell I almost want to cry.

I love my Ninja. Turned in like a year's worth of Dave and Busters credits for it (I'm not joking lol). Bought a small 2qt crockpot for when I'm cleared for chicken.

I've had Nexplanon for a few months now. They let me keep it for my surgery. I didn't notice any weight gain or loss after starting it. I had some spotting issues immediately after surgery, but nothing in that department from the day it went in. I love it and will probably never use anything else again.

@@KristenLe I've been told by multiple doctors that the hs should get better if I lose weight. I am really hopeful that is the case. It is just really rough right now without being able to use the one thing that gave me relief.

4 people were robbed at gunpoint in my neighborhood playing Pokemon Go last week. That is why I don't play it where I live. However, some of our local malls have huge amounts of pokestops so when we do our walks there every other day I can usually load up. Some groups started doing Pokemon Go monument tours in DC which I REALLY want to do. Just hate going in there sometimes.

I agree with @@Cervidae - when I crave juice I go for Sobe Lifewater or Vitamin Water Zero. My team does not allow me any juices with no discussion of when they'll be accepted. I do a lot of Crystal Light, but those other enhanced waters make me feel more like I'm drinking some sort of juice.

I did not have any done at my 4 week. My next appointment would be my 8 week. We'll see if they order some then. I know they tried to warn me that they take 12-13 vials of blood. Should be fun. (I am a terrible stick and I've had to get multiple locations drawn to get 4-5 vials in the past. Yay?)

This is something I need to talk to my surgeon about. I have a pretty rough case of hidradentis suppurativa and am prone to getting very large masses under my arms. I've relied on ibuprofen in the past to help with the pain and swelling. It was the only thing that seemed to work. Right after my surgery I had a lovely outbreak under my arm and pretty much had to deal with it without my trust ibuprofen. Even now I have a huge hole where the thing used to be (sorry, I know that is gross). Only other thing I can do is get antibiotics but I am allergic to so many of them and my doctor does not want me to develop a resistance to the few antibiotics I can take. Warm compresses don't help. I've tried changing so many things as I've dealt with this problem my entire life. I had surgery under my left arm a few years ago to remove all the heavily damaged tissue and now this crap has started under my right arm. The last surgeon completely butchered my arm. I have nerve damage and the skin is so tight that it cracks and pops open if I stretch my arm out too much.

I'm not a fan of strawberries, so I avoided it. My husband, however, loves strawberries and was excited to try it. That excitement turned to pure regret the moment he tasted it. He moaned every time he had to drink one. Eventually he finished the box, because he wasn't going to throw away a $25 box of shakes (he said that not me. I told him to trash em if they were that horrific.) Personally, all of the shakes I've liked have been chocolate. Haven't really enjoyed anything else.

I've had friends and family actively try to discourage me from this as soon as I started considering it. I had to convince them all and ultimately it was my decision - not theirs. They weren't the ones jabbing themselves with 5 needles a day. They weren't the ones who broke down crying after no longer being able to fit on their favorite roller coaster. They weren't the ones who were always self-conscious that someone was always staring, judging for their life choices. They weren't the ones who were worried that they would end up like their oldest aunt - dead of a heart attack at the age of 42. I am glad I made my decision. I see an immensely bright future for myself and taking this huge step was probably the best thing I've done in my life, well, after meeting and marrying my husband.

I very much appreciate the feedback. I might have to try a shrimp or two in the next week or so. Scallops are so hard to find (and really darn expensive), while shrimp are everywhere. I really want something warm. Plus I'm worried about all the fat and calories in cheese. I hope I am okay with chicken when the time comes. I seriously lived on it before my surgery. I would probably have it for dinner 5-6 times a week. I really can't wait until I can have my chicken meatballs - stuff a cube of mozzarella in ground chicken with seasonings. Mmm. @@Ale Nunez - stick with it. It gets better. I am not even that far out - just over four weeks and every time I see that number drop (even after this ridiculous stall) I keep my motivation.

Oh I am loving it! I'm frustrated that I can't get out in my neighborhood to walk, though. I live in a really rough neighborhood, plus pedestrian safety here is pretty bad (like 3 people have been hit and killed within a .5 mile radius in the last year - 2 of them were not at fault). And yes, I do go out walking all the time, I just go to nice air conditioned malls where I don't have to worry about getting run over or shot or something. I live right outside of DC and driving by it earlier today I saw SO many nodes. I want to spend a few days just walking around the city and catching EVERYTHING. I'm so behind. The "Gym" across the street from me is run by someone with all 600+CP pokemon and my highest is like 150 (lol). The game is great for exercise and walking and I'm glad to see a video game company do something to get kids moving around. Gotta catch 'em all?

One thing I am thankful for, is that my team allowed me to keep my bc before my surgery. I use the implant and they would not put another one in for at least two years. My gyno is amazing; she talked to a hematologist and my surgeon and convinced them that my Nexplanon implant was fine. The last thing I want to worry about is getting pregnant in this stage of my life. I want kids and half the reason why I'm going through this is so I can be healthy enough for children (my doctor discouraged it because of my volatile diabetes). When I came home I got what I call my "mini-period". I spot for a few days and that is it. Another reason I love this bc. On another note, your coverage sounds very similar to mine, except for the dental. Though my dental is pretty pathetic and I haven't even tried to use it yet.

I had mine on June 9th. Just entered the soft Protein stage yesterday. The week 3 stall was pretty brutal for me. I lost 15lbs almost immediately after the surgery and maybe 2 pounds in the last 10 days. At my last appointment they pumped me so full of IV fluids that I gained back 5 lbs, but I know that is partially temporary. Even though the numbers have been sluggish, I can feel the difference. I've lost 5 inches off of my waist and 2 off of my bra band. All my bras are big now which is a bit of a problem. I was on two types of insulin and metformin and now I'm just on the basal. That makes me happy. I much rather have 2 injections per day than 5!

So I had my four week follow up yesterday. After four weeks of shakes / sugar free beverages, Jello and popsicles I was super excited to see what the next step was. Mentally I was preparing for purees (they don't tell you ahead of time what the program is). Thankfully my surgeon doesn't require that step. Instead, they added seafood (minus shrimp), tofu, cheese and eggs. Here's the problem: the smell, taste and even thought of seafood makes me gag. I love shrimp and scallops, that is it. I don't eat tofu and I have the same problem with eggs as I do seafood. At first I was upset. I don't want to eat nothing but cheese. I'm already having issues going to the bathroom and, well, cheese does not help on that front for me. Then I realized I was being silly. I can have cheese! Scallops! So I went to Wegmans that night (to all of you who don't live anywhere in the NE, I mourn that you do not have one of these amazing stores) and bought several types of nice cheeses and stuff to make the ricotta bake. Got some medicine that the nutritionist recommended to help with the, uhm, aftereffects. That night, my husband insisted on taking me out for scallops (we used to eat out 5-7 times a week, now haven't been out for 6 weeks). I managed to eat one, but it was the best damn scallop I think I ever had. So yeah, I can't have chicken for four more weeks, or food that I really enjoy, but at least its a step. At least I didn't have to go through purees. I was really sad at first, but now I have the motivation to stick with it. On another note, I am frustrated about something else. Even though I've been drinking between 64-90 ounces a day I was terribly dehydrated. Had to sit in the office for several hours for IV fluids. Doctor said I shouldn't be that dehydrated. Oh well. Guess I gotta step the sipping up.

I did not use a binder. I actually didn't know they existed until after the surgery. I kept a pillow with me and if I felt like I had to cough or something, I held that close. That helped quite a bit (and it didn't cost me anything).