KatallacStrong

19 hours ago, Red Alicia said:

I just received a phone call from a physical therapy office saying that my federal Blue Cross Insurance requires two visits per week for 3 weeks prior to surgery. I am out of town now so I'm not going to call my insurance until I get home. Does anyone know if this it true? It seems like they keep finding more and more prerequisites.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G935A using BariatricPal mobile app

I haven't been told anything about a PT requirement as of yet. I have my last required apt next Wednesday so I will definitely ask.

17 hours ago, Swanton_Bomb said:

Two more things I can check off my list. I got the abdominal sonogram today and the upper GI series. The sonogram wasn't too awful, but I was very self conscious with my huge stomach all exposed and it was painful when she pressed into my ribs (although I have had WAY worse sonograms, this tech was very good). The Upper GI though, was bad. I almost threw up, especially when I had to drink fast from that big straw while laying on my stomach. I tried so hard but I kept gagging. It was a miracle I didn't throw up. Will I have to do the barium again after surgery? If so, can they give you anti-nausea meds to keep from gagging so badly?

OMG say what?!?!?! I know surgeons vary on their requirements and such but I've never heard of this before. I know I will have to do a swallow test after the surgery (which I have been warned is awful; ugh not looking forward to that) but you had to do this pre-op as well?

On 7/17/2018 at 4:09 PM, Jaidine said:

Thank you! I always put my children first but now I need to put myself first and like you said, focus on the good! Love that!

definitely!

On 07/16/2018 at 16:12, Jaidine said:

Thank you. Your post had settled my nerves a little.

Aw well good! I have extremely bad anxiety and if I get to thinking like that about anything in life, but just surgery, it throws me into an anxiety/panic attack.

I’ve found that focusing on the good is the best approach for me. In this situation I know I need the surgery so I’ll focus on the good💜

If anyone’s is in the market for an Instant Pot they’re on sale for Prime Day on Amazon. I just got the 6qt one for $59 shipped when they’re normally $100+ 😍😍

I’ve been wanting one for a while JUST to help with prepping lol!

You look great girl!!!

On 07/16/2018 at 14:35, AshAsh1 said:

I would LOVE to share recipes. There are posts here and there that have them... but if there was one, on going one, that you could go to for inspiration, that would be AMAZING!

I agree!

1 hour ago, Jaidine said:

Am I the only one freaking out that the gastric sleeve surgery is forever? I can't even picture myself married forever lol. So yeah, forever is a long time! Anyone have the sleeve for a few years and how's it going? I'm new here. Thank you!

This is me 100% most of the time I think about it..but I try not to think about it cause I will throw myself into a panic/anxiety attach. I try to think of forever as a positive thing thought; even though we can never change our minds after surgery...that means that we've completely committed to ourselves for ourselves for the rest of our lives. I try to remind myself this is for me and I need to put myself first.

I hope this helps <3

21 hours ago, AshAsh1 said:

As I did my meal prep for this week, I thought to myself, this is what has changed the most for me. I shop weekly for the freshest fruits and veggies. I meal prep every Sunday and some Wednesday/Thursday’s.
Would it help to start a challenge for those who want to develop good habits before surgery? We could do a running post and share our food prep victories. I get so much pride looking at my island with all my tupperware and baggies filled with nutritional foods for the week.
Let me know if anyone’s interested! Next Sunday I’ll take my pic of my food prep in all its glory!

Ow YES! I would love to join this challenge! I used to religiously meal prep (breakfast and lunch that is) and sadly got out of the habit although I still make good choices. A challenge is a great idea to whip some of us back into the good habit of prepping

We could share recipes too possibly? Yay? Nay? Either way I count me in

On 7/14/2018 at 7:16 AM, Bryn910 said:

I would tell them. I too freaked out while going through the process of WLS. I only started telling people once I got approved and had a date

That's what I wanted to do but I know that if one of them were to go under even just for a scope and not tell me; I'd be upset. That's why I decided to just tell them all Friday, but before that day I really wanted to wait until I was approved with a date as well....there's not talking me out of this though.

My doc said I am really good with calories out and make good food choices I just really struggle with my portions....which is exactly what this surgery is for. I am glad I am not the only one that freaked out about telling their family.

Thanks y'all!!!

On 7/14/2018 at 7:03 AM, BostonWLKC said:

How did it go ?

You're too sweet for asking how it went! So my mom and my little sister already knew right? My oldest sister had a smartass remark, but that is typical of her so I am not surprised. What I was suprised at was my second oldest sister didn't say a word; not one word. The third one was happy for me and supports my decision like my mom and baby sister. The sister that is just older than me has a snarky remark talking about "If I got rid of carbonation and carbs I'd lose weight too.....and that wouldn't require surgery" I just swallowed my words and told her that I have tried that for years now.

I gave up carbonation and didn't see a pound go which is very strange since a lot of people see like a 10 pound loss in a month when they give up soda. I have limited my carbs and typically only eat the healthy carbs (brown rice, baked sweet potatoes, etc) so by her saying that it just rubbed me the wrong way. She too is no athlete so I just had to brush it off. Overall I feel like I got a good response. The ones that made crude comments will just have to watch my progression.

Thanks again for asking!

On 7/13/2018 at 11:45 PM, 2shea said:

Do you think your mother may have aleady mentioned it to any of your sisters?

No she didn't tell any of them. There are six of us and we all confide in her with different things. I told her that I would tell them eventually and she respected that. She helped explain it to them all once I did let the cat out of the bag.

On 7/13/2018 at 8:40 PM, HealthierME2018 said:

I completely understand your thoughts and anxiety over this. My fiancé was the only one who knew everything I was going through step by step. I stressed a lot over telling my family , mostly my parents bc my cousin had WLS (she hid it from extended fam and we “accidentally “ found out even though we all already knew she had it done) and there was some negative feedback from my family about her having it. I wound up telling my parents and siblings and have had nothing but support from them. Talk about taking weight off your shoulders ! I am glad I told the, bc it was causing me stress to hide it. Now, I’m about to start my pre op diet and need all the support I can get!
Whatever you decide, I hope it works well for you.

Hey! I agree, hiding it from loved one is really stressful; more stressful than needed with all that goes on in this pre-op stage. I told them and glad I did; I never wanted to hide it...I just wanted to be further along so they wouldn't try to talk me out of it. It took me two years to talk myself into it lol! Good luck on your pre-op diet!!

On 7/13/2018 at 6:46 PM, allwet said:

you can never untell so i prefer to limit the number

and the constant negativity of some you tell will wear on you

pre op is a long process and they will have a lot of time to pick at you and cause you to doubt yourself

Oh I understand now. I did end up telling them and it was about a 50/50 outcome. Half were happy for me and the other half has something smart to say. This is my decision to have this surgery so snarky comments aside, I am glad to have told them all.

On 07/13/2018 at 18:52, anonbaribabe said:

I was nervous, but I told my family for a few reasons. The first was that my surgery will likely be scheduled around Thanksgiving and it's going to be hard explaining why I'm not eating at a holiday where the main event is eating Besides that though, I didn't want to keep it a secret from them. I also like being able to talk to my sister about it and I wouldn't be able to do this if I hadn't told her. I was nervous to tell them, but I was more nervous to keep it a secret. I felt so much better after telling them. I totally understand those who want to keep it private, though. I've told one close friend, but other than that, I haven't told any of my other friends and I probably won't. Ultimately do what makes you feel the best If you do tell them and any of them are unsupportive, lean on those who are supportive and hopefully the others will come around. Good luck!

Thanks anonbaribabe! I definitely want to tell them...I’m just unsure when to tell them; do I wait until I’m approved and have a date? Or do I just tell hem tonight? I think I’m going to tell Jen tonight for the same reasons you’ve mentioned but I’m not going to keep it a secret at all although like you; I totally get it for those that do.

Thanks again for your input!😊

On 07/13/2018 at 17:23, BostonWLKC said:

I think Id have more of a panic by telling hem and worrying about , getting irritated with the opinions and conversations that would take place- and perhaps judgement . I chose to not tell anyone but my husband and I’m glad I made that choice



You do you- good luck tonight!

Thank you!!

On 07/13/2018 at 16:13, allwet said:

i was going to tell you to not say anything to anyone but i dont think you can go that route.

You will have to tell and just hope the support you need is forthcoming.

good luck

Thank you!

Why do you say not to tell anyone?

Hi all!

So today is exactly one week out from my scope pre-op; also next Thursday is my 5/6 of the required non-surgical weight-loss regimen apts needed by my insurance. Today I have a bit of nerves because I suddenly got the urge to tell my family. I am not ashamed of the surgery at all, however I am one of six girls and each and every one of us are very opinionated lol! I love that about us but in regards to this I just want their support (which I am sure I will have) not their opinions. I was going to wait until

I had approval and a surgery day to tell them all but a friend of mind made a good point to me; if any of them were to have a scope done or anything like it...I would want to know beforehand not after. So out of respect to them I am going to tell them tonight. I am only nervous because once I tell them it becomes that much more real you know? Did any of y'all have nerves like this before telling your family? My husband and mother know. I notified my boss and director this week so it only seems right that I tell my family now.

Do you all think I should wait or jut out with it? I have bad anxiety and this is just one of those thing that's been weighing on me; my husband thinks it's part of the reason I had such a bad panic/anxiety attack this past weekend.

19 hours ago, Beth47 said:

Thank you Bryn910!

Welcome Anonbaribabe and I hope you succeed in your next chapter of your life!

Hi KatallacStrong, I wish you the best of luck with your surgery!

Thank you everyone for your responses. I have been struggling with the food and eating very unhealthy things. I feel like I have a "free pass" to indulge on crap until I have to start my diet. It also has been affecting me emotionally. I get these thoughts, "you're not good enough", "you are to old", "you wont stick with it", and it feels like I am sinking in quicksand! I am glad that I am in therapy and I do see a phsychartrist but I am going to be transitioning to a new one since I have had no luck with this one. I started to journal write and share some of my thoughts on here, maybe someone out there can relate. I am going to my first Bariatric support group at Metrowest Medical Center in Natick.

Hey Bryn, trust me you are NOT alone. I often find myself slipping with my diet as well feeling like I have a "free pass" as you put it. I typically recognize it and try to find a healthy alternative. Last night I really wanted some ice cream; where I live there is place called Ted Drewes that is famous for their frozen custard; yes CUSTARD! Lol it is SO good but being custard you can imagine how many calories are in it. So instead of getting Ted Drewes I went to the store ad got a box of Yasso Greek Yogurt ice cream bars; it was only 100 calories and it totally satiated my craving.

I have similar thought about myself as well, but I have yet to see a psychiatrist yet; I need to badly though. I never thought about journaling but that's a really good idea.

Thanks for the well wishes <3

you too JSwizzle!

On 07/10/2018 at 18:48, ChellNC said:

@KatallacStrong Glad you're feeling better! Got my date today for August 23. So glad I don't have to start my liquid diet before my birthday this month. Haaa!

Thanks girl! And OMG that’s AWESOME that you got your date!! It would be a dream for me to have it done in late August 🤞🤞🤞

On 07/10/2018 at 13:53, Ylime said:

@aery - Thanks for the info. I'm strongly considering it. I think my Blaze is Water resistant, but not really waterproof. That's a good selling feature for me as I'll be getting back into Obstacle Course Racing and there will be plenty of Water and mud in my future! How durable do you think it is?

Hey girl! I too upgraded from a blaze to the SE version of the Fitbit Versa. There really isn’t THAT much difference but I do feel like it’s a good upgrade. If you get the SE version not only is it fully water resistant (up to like 150 feet I believe; don’t quote me but it is over 100ft) it also offers Fitbit pay which mimics Apple/Samsung Pay so you wouldn’t need to carry your payment card.

Aside from that I really enjoy that it automatically tracks activity, that you can customize the side buttons (one is my exercise and the other is a timer; I’ve been not drinking while I eat and set the timer for 30 minutes after I eat in preparation for post-op) and the overall interface seems to be a bit nicer. The blaze has one option per screen while you scroll while the Versa has 4 options per screen. Oh! And you can add different apps to it; right now I have “swimpro” so it tracks my laps in the pool. I think the swim exercise does as well but that’s just one example you know?

I think Fitbit is having a sale right (not sure what all it includes) now as well so it’d be a great time to upgrade.

On 07/10/2018 at 13:47, Ylime said:

@ChellNC - Welcome to the group!

@KatallacStrong - Hey lady! Welcome to our group!!

I've added you both to our member list.

MEMBER LIST: www.tinyurl.com/summerwls

Thanks girl! I look forward to getting to know y’all!😊

On 07/10/2018 at 12:58, PrettyGirlLJ said:

Hey! Mine is the 19th I’m soooo excited. Of course nervous too lol. I’m just ready to start seeing results and start living my best life haha 😂 but yea I’m anticipating sometime in August and at the latest September 🙄 I just think the sooner the better for me. I see people talking about small goals they have set, have you done this? I haven’t yet only long term.

Oh that’s awesome it’s so soon! I’d like to have it done sooner rather than later too; I’ve been going back and forth with it internally for forever so I’m VERY eager lol! I do have small goals set based on a friend of mine who had the (vsg) surgery done in December 2017. Some of the goals are not drinking while eating, not drinking30 minutes after, getting at least 30 minutes of cardio in a day (we walk at lunch) and getting in all the Water I can. A new goal I’ve set for myself is to just have a Protein Shake for breakfast; I am still hungry after but I know I need to get acquainted with liquids lol! The last goal before surgery is like to accomplish is not drinking 30 minutes before the meal; this one is super hard for me for some reason. I drink upwards of 150oz of straight up water a day so reducing the time by an hour an and half sometimes 3x+ a day is a challenge but I’m in it! Have you set any small goals?

On 7/4/2018 at 4:58 PM, scale said:

Hello everyone, I completed my 6 months started my liquid diet, I will be on it for 28 days, not sure how I'm going to get through this. The waiting game is hard approved or not approve. On the bright side I loss 22lbs in 4 days! It's all Water weight. I'm starting to feel weak I'm taking my Vitamins. I'm so hungry Im getting 2-3 shakes a day sugar free Jello etc and a gallon of liquids.

Have or anyone doing liquids for 3 weeks or more?

Best wishes to everyone as we go through this phase of our weight loss journey

My highest weight 405

Goal weight 160

Happy weight loss! 

Sent from my SM-N920T using BariatricPal mobile app

Wow! 28 days is super long for the liquid diet. I know each surgeon is different, but is that your surgeon's standard? I only have to do 7 days and I am unsure how I will do it, but that seems silly to me in regards to your 28 days.

Hang in there Novice!