Cheryl Ann

Moved to general discussion thread (realized this isn't quite the right one).

Congratulations! I'm home my first full day after surgery, and sipping away, lol! Reading about that tuna sandwich...mmm, I can't wait! Again, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

I have to be at NYU at 11 a.m. I'm surprisingly calm, and can't help but wonder if the jitters will set in once I get there. I saw the kids off to school, and have another hour until I leave for the city (even though it should take 30-35 minutes to drive there, the reality is a whole lot more than that, of course!) My husband is bringing me there, and will stay until he needs to head back to be there when the kids get home. His cousin is on stand-by, and my friends and neighbors are aware and will check in on me when he goes back to work on Wednesday. I can't believe that soon I'll be posting in the post-op section of this forum!

I'm on day 11 of my 14 day pre-op diet (Protein shakes, chicken broth, up to 2 cups of veggies), and have lost 11 pounds. I'm sure it's probably mostly Water.

Yes -- thank you SO much for sharing this! (I am having my surgery on Monday, btw).

Which band (brand) is this?

Yes -- this coming Monday, April 7. Incredible!

:cursing: CONGRATULATIONS! I, too was approved just today -- just before 12 noon. My surgery is on MONDAY! I will be thinking of you. Please keep us all updated. How exciting!

There aren't any in my area, either, but since I saw them at TJ Maxx, chances are they also turn up at Marshall's *don;t know if you have one near you, though). Then again, with stores like TJ Maxx and Marshall's, it's really whatever they get in, whenever they get it in.

Go to "+title+" -- they have a store locator.

I'm still in shock. Right after I hung up with the surgeon's insurance coordinator, I got a call from UHC telling me I was approved. My husband is taking off from work on Monday and Tuesday to be with the kids before and after school. He may be able to sneak in a visit to me while they're in school, but we'll see. His cousin lives nearby and is on alert, and my friend across the street is also there if we need her. Bless her heart -- she has a pre-schooler and a teenager, a husband who travels a lot, and has the flu right now, but is eager to help. My brother lives in Manhattan, within walking distance of NYUMC, but he's a bit funny about hospitals. In any case, I've already warned him not to come if he's going to make me laugh -- which he never fails to do. My 86-year-old mother, who can't resist a good drama, is milking this for all its worth. ("I only hope everything goes all right...I can't believe you got this heavy...you were such a skinny little thing...) Hah!

Thanks so much...now I hear the song playing in my head, and I'm pretty certain it's going to remain there for a while! I've seen them at TJMaxx.

I forgot to add the most important thing to my post: I am absolutely ready for a black president, and nearly everyone I know (with the exception of older, set-in-their-ways, die-hard "traditional" folks) seems to feel the same way. That said, I'm not sure it should be Barack Obama.

I feel especially blessed because not only am I having the surgery, but Dr. Ren of NYU is my surgeon. I have heard so many wonderful things about her.

Thank you so much! OMG!!!

Just found out perhaps 10 minutes ago that my surgery -- scheduled for Monday -- has been approved! Talk about down to the wire! Of course, now I really need some hand-holding, lol! Wow...I can't believe it. Whew!

If I don't find out today, I won't be showing up on Monday.

My father's entire family -- mother, father, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and some cousins -- died in concentration camps during WWII. On both sides of my family, I cannot trace back more than four generations, because birth records tended to be destroyed when the synagogues they were kept in were routinely torched and burned to the ground. Sometimes even those who prayed in them were locked inside to burn along with everything else. And you know what? I am alive and living in what is now surely the greatest and most free country in the entire world, ever. Sure there are still individuals and groups that would love nothing more than for me and my kind to disappear off the face of the earth, but despite this, I am still living in liberty and safety. Education is the key to everything. It really is.

You have to stop birth control pills before surgery? When? That wasn't mentioned to me.

What took longer for me (after having seen the nutritionist) was being able to provide additional documentation of possible other co-morbid conditions. I needed a sleep study, as well as a stress test. However, you may not need any of that, so the process might well move faster for you. That said, my surgery is Monday -- and as of today (Wednesday), I still don't have word of insurance approval or not. Hopefully, tomorrow (or Friday, at the latest).

Maybe just a little lightheaded -- which I can understand. The first few days were a killer. I myself am on day 9 of the pre-op liquid diet, and I'm doing okay, Every day is different, though. Today, I feel "emptier" than I did yesterday. But it's not as bad as I imagined, which is good. Hang in there!

Just heard from the surgeon's office today that they spoke with the insurance company, and that my case in in review. So I guess I should know in a couple of days... Meanwhile, I am on the second week of my pre-op liquid diet, and surviving. My surgery is scheduled for a week from today (4/7). I sure hope the news from the insurance company will be good news. Without insurance, it won't be happening.

Nothing like having someone share their negative experiences with you, eh? For every negative experience out there, though (whether self-imposed or not), there are countless positive ones. This forum is such a great source of support and information, with all the first-hand experiences to learn from. I'm a week away from my surgery (pending insurance approval), and I check in a few times a day. I don't always post, but find reassurance in reading the posts of others. You are to be admired for your nearly six months of supervised weight loss; just being able to make it through that to get to the next step takes an amazing amount of perseverence -- and faith. Just remember that there are a whole bunch of us out there, but with you every step of the way!

I'm on the second week of my pre-op liquid diet, and have a Bat Mitzvah to attend on Saturday. There are TWO meals to contend with; a luncheon following services, and a dinner reception later the same day. I think I'll be bringing a couple of cans of SlimFast with me!

How about capsules? Will they go down okay?