notmyname

I use sparkpeople and really like it. I also use a fitbit, so use that app to track exercise. For vitamins, I have an app called Good Habits that I'd been using for habit formation. You set a habit, say when you want to do it, then check when it's been done. It then tells you your trends in what you're doing. for example, pre WLS, I wanted to get in the habit of bringing my lunch to work, so I set that up as a habit. I could see how well I was doing or not. So, I set up my vitamin schedule in there (it will also send a reminder) and check them off when I take them.

When I got an infection after my hip surgery, I called my surgeon and then sent him a picture (I won't say how carefully I had to take that picture so that I didn't inadvertently send my doc a dirty pic, given where my incision was!). He was able to diagnose and prescribe some antibiotics just from seeing the pic. I wonder if your surgeon could do the same? Worth calling in.

So, I did not do self-pay. But I met with several doctors before I had surgery and one of them did not take my insurance. Dr Greene at Advanced Weight Loss Surgery out of Shady Grove Adventist Hospital. His office was willing to work with me on my out of pocket costs. Ultimately, for various reasons, I did not decide to use him, so I can't give any first hand testimony on how working with him is. It may be worth calling him to see how he deals with self-pay patients. Good luck. I'm sure you considered this, but have you looked into switching insurance at your next open season? Even if that was the end of the year, you might be able to go through the process before you switch insurance and then submit the paperwork after you've changed insurance. I don't know if that would work, but it may be worth looking in to. Good luck.

Disclaimer: not a vegan. But I ate mostly vegan before surgery (even though I'm actually a pescatarian). I'm 3 months post-op. Make sure to tell your hospital that you're vegan. And make sure they understand. The hospital gave me broth and jello for every meal. They found me some vegetarian broth, but kept bringing the jello, insisting that I could eat it (even after I told them how its made). As for my diet post-op. I've never eaten any kind of jello post-op. I did have some sugar free popcicles, but I really didn't need them. I did a lot of broth with protein powder in the liquid phase. I highly recommend Millie's sipping broth - its vegan broth in tea bags. Really good. Pureed stage, I made a bunch of pureed beans and lentils and froze them in 1/4c servings. And veg - mostly spinach and sweet potatoes. I will say that I've had to eat a lot more dairy than I'd like post-op to get my protein in. I haven't thought through how I'd do it without dairy, but I bet it could be done. I do a lot of morningstar farms stuff. Check the protein content before you buy, some of their stuff has very little protein, while others are better. I still eat beans and lentils, but it takes a lot of those to get significant protein.

i reward myself with jewelry - earrings and necklaces only (my fingers are getting smaller, so I don't wnat to have to re-size them). As for the cruises - dresses fit for many sizes. I'm down 2-3 sizes in pants and can still wear the dresses I used to wear (especially the belted ones). And dresses are great for a cruise. I buy one pair of black pants in each size (I find ones that aren't too expensive) and am just continuing to wear the tops I used to wear. I did also buy a few pairs of jeans in smaller sizes on super sale after christmas, and those'll last a while.

I use bariatric fusion vitamins. 1 chewable vitamin 4x/day. I use the orange, but they have several flavors. And I think you can buy a sample pack. I buy them from this website (and I usually check Amazon to see who has the best price). I buy enough at one time for free shipping (not sure how free shipping works to Hawaii). For protein shakes, I try to drink different things. Some that I like: Premier protein chocolate (I buy at Costco), Unjury chocolate powder (buy from their website), and different syntrax nectar (I buy from this website or Amazon - whoever has the best deal. I got a sample pack, then bought a 2lb container of my two favorites - roadside lemonade and fuzzy navel. If your town has a health shop, they'll also have some protein powders. It is a good idea to have some on hand for immediately after surgery, but note that your taste buds might change, so don't buy too much in case you suddenly don't like what you used to.

My grocery bill has gone way down. Plus, I basically never eat out anymore, and when I do it is in tiny portions. Some examples of what I buy: Protein shakes are typically $2/2.5 each. Fairlife milk is about $4/52 oz - expensive for milk, but still only about $0.61 per 8 oz serving. And it has more protein, so it is worth it. But you can also buy cheaper milk. So a meal is less than $3. And premier protein is $25/18 at costco (sometimes on sale for $5 off) - so $1.40 each. I buy frozen fish/shrimp at costco - a bag costs about $14 and has roughly 9 fillets in it. Lasts me forever. Each fillet lasts 2 meals for me (3 in the earlier days) - so about $0.78/serving. Add in some canned or frozen veggies, which are a few cents per serving. So, dinner is less than a couple dollars. Edited to add - and a little veg will last a while. I LOVE veggies and easily would eat a single zucchini or head of broccoli in a sitting. Now a zucc or brocoli will last me a week. SO there is savings there, too. My eggs are fairly expensive - about $4/dozen (they're free range, organic, etc), so about $0.33/serving. But you can get eggs much cheaper. I make dried beans - a lb of beans lasts me forever. And the bag is only about $1-2. My most expensive things for me are veggie sausage (about $4.50/bag - about $0.75/each) and every now and again I treat myself with really good cheese. My vitamins cost about $26/30 day supply, so about $0.86/day. I track my spending pretty closely. Between rarely eating out (especially bringing my lunch to work every day) and eating a lot less, my food bill (grocery, vitamins, dining out) is significantly less than it was before. Plus, I'm off a few of my meds, so that saves me money every month. If you're worried about the initial outflow of cash to get supplies, start buying things a bit at a time before surgery. Watch for when frozen veg goes on sale and stock up. Same with meat/fish/whatever protein and freeze it in 2-3 oz portions.

I've had this same discussion with myself. I'm also afraid of snacking because I don't want to get into the bad habits again. But I also can't eat enough in a meal to get all my protein on most days. I do my best to plan my meals to get enough protein. But, if I don't I only snack if I need extra protein. So my snacks are typically a glass of milk (or sugar free hot cocoa - 1TBL cocoa, 1 packet stevia, milk), sometimes some parm chips, or a stick of cheese.

I told people that everything was fine, and that I was going to be out for a few.weeks for personal reasons and I might telework some. I didn’t even tell them I was having surgery or how long I’d be out. But I also have aging parents, so people could easily have assume it was something with them.

Maybe use sparkpeople or Myfitness pal to track your food and set up the reminders through your calendar?

Not BCBSIL, but another BCBS, and it only took about a week for approval. Good luck!

For most insurance, yes, as long as the doctor's notes have certain info in them documenting that they are monitoring weight loss. However, most insurance requires monthly monitoring, not every couple months. And some surgeons will want you working with their nutritionist. I had been working monthly with my endocrinologist on weight loss. Those records were fine for my insurance and my doctor. I also had a therapist and her letter was fine for insurance. But the other requirements still took me several months - the endoscopy, I had to get an abdominal ultrasound, and medical clearance. Ultimately, it still took me more than 3 months from the first time I saw my surgeon to get surgery (my insurance requires 3 months continuous weight loss monitoring).

I was good at a desk job about 3 weeks after surgery. Thinking was fine. For 100% of my energy to return, it took almost 2 months.

Totally normal. And if you're relying a lot on milk for protein - have you tried fairlife? It has 13g protein per cup vs. regular that only has 8.3g. In case you haven't tried them, I also like the syntrax nectar protein powders. They have lots of flavors (my favorite are the lemonade and fuzzy navel). They have a sample pack you can buy. Good luck. And if you're still having drops in blood pressure and heart palpitations, it may be worth a call to your surgeon.

I think its odd they didn't let you use your current therapist for your eval. S/he knows you and your capabilities best. My therapist (who, granted, specializes in weight management/bariatric issues) was able to do my eval and write my letter. I saw three docs before I chose who I'd ultimately use and all 3 said my current therapist could write the letter.

I took two weeks, then teleworked another week. I really wanted to be on at least soft foods when I went back to work. That 3rd week, I was still super tired (I only made it partial days the first two teleowork days) - and I was working from home at a desk job, not working on my feet all day.

Periods are weird after surgery. My first one after surgery was a week late. Second one was a week early. Third was well over 2 weeks late. And I used to be fairly regular. My doc says it is totally normal. In all likelihood, your hormones are just all over the place and you're not pregnant.

I started walking as soon as I got home. When I was back at work, I went to the gym every day, but only to walk slowly on the treadmill for 20-30 minutes. Started doing weights, Pilates, etc at 6 weeks with my doc's OK.

I wish my doc would run bloodwork before my appointments. Instead, he runs the tests after. And at least the last time (the first time he's done bloodwork), I just got a notification that my results were on the secure server. I'd strongly prefer to have him run what he know's he'll run before my appointment so that we could discuss. I asked his PA if he does that and she said no

When my microwave was broken for several months, I used my oven to reheat everything. Granted, I have a counter top oven that preheats quickly. Even now that I have a new microwave, I basically never use it. Food is so much better reheated in the oven. It retains its moisture and texture so nicely.

By the way - I don't baby oil my face. I just use regular ol' moisturizer for that.

You're fine. I had surgery the same day as you and have lost around 48 lbs since surgery. I find it helps me to calculate my average weekly loss. I'm still losing nearly 4lbs/week average. That makes me feel better about the week I only lost 1.5.

I've always had dry ski. It helps me a lot to put on baby oil just after my shower - just after I turn off the water and before I towel off. It doesn't make me greasy at all, just moisturized. I also sleep with a humidifier by my bed and apply a LOT of lotion just before I go to sleep.

Bariatric Fusion chewable multi. 4 chewables per day and it has everything you need - so no need to remember different pills (multi, calcium, iron, etc). I like the orange, but they have a sample pack so you can try each of the flavors.

Hey DC area friends. Does anyone have a support group they like it the DC area (meaning DC or close in suburbs)? I had my surgery at Virginia Hospital Center, but I HATE the support group there. Everyone just talks loudly over each other and it is super chaotic. I went a couple times before surgery and it stressed me out so much that I was nauseated afterwards - which I REALLY don't want post-surgery. I understand the need for support groups after surgery, particularly this soon after surgery. I just don't want to go to one that stresses me out this much. If anyone has one they like, do you mind sharing? Thanks!