mousecat88

I can't wait to fit on a friggin' roller coaster seat again. And horseback ride (I stopped at 220lbs, poor horsey). And snowboard. And fly on a plane comfortably. And TIE MY SHOES without it being a huge effort. Just the simple things I took for granted a decade ago!

I didn't have a supervised diet, but I DO have Highmark BCBS and my insurance was processed through Anthem BCBS, since I am having the surgery in VA. I gained 15lbs from my 1st appointment to my last (in a 2 month timespan!) and I still got approved. *shrug* Just keep doing what you're doing.

Official start of pre-op diet is tomorrow for my November 1st date! unf. Barely ate anything today, though, either just because of work. Trying to think of what I should have for dinner.

Go to where your username is and click the little arrow and then click "My Surgery". All the tabs on the left change what's in your little sidebar thingy.

11/1/18 Rodolfo Oviedo, MD, FACS - Winchester Medical Center, Winchester, VA.

I have a cat named Mouse. Plus my birth year. So creative, I know. lmao.

I'm having surgery in 2.5 weeks and I don't plan on stepping on the scale for at least 8 weeks. You'll just mess with your head.

I have Highmark BCBS and it took them 3 business days to approve it. It was the scariest point in the process, but actually turned out to be the easiest.

I have Highmark BCBS. They did not require any documentation of weight loss OR a monitored diet. All I had to do was make a list of all diets I have previously tried. They approved me no questions asked on the first run. Are you sure it's an insurance requirement and not your doctor's? Are you in West Virginia?

So I thought I was an epic genius for buying baby food for the puree stage. (My nutritionist said the meat-only ones were fine). Exact portion, no sugar, no salt, no carbs, already blended, 7g protein... I've had the veggie baby food before and it's, dare I say, delicious. The meat, however.... NOPENOPENOPE. I made my ex try some of the ham one and he gagged. I licked some of the beef one and it is cat food. Literally... I am giving it to my cats. I am pre-op, by the way. Hahaha... glad I taste-tested beforehand!

Well this did NOT taste good before surgery.... so I anticipate it would make me hurl after surgery too. My cats like it, though.

I start my pre-op diet tomorrow morning. I did "sort of" start it last week, but then had a severe craving for pizza Friday and caved. Tomorrow is the "serious" doctor-ordered start date, though. I felt really ill after eating the pizza. My mom suggested I make a video in that moment, describing to myself just how terrible I felt mentally and physically after eating that junk. I had a huge Taco Bell craving yesterday and watched that video, and it reminded me how terrible I will feel giving in to my cravings. You never really remember how awful some of that stuff makes you feel the next time the next craving comes along. I'm hoping that video will help me through the next two weeks.

I think the painful surgeries are the ones where they remove a large area of skin, like the arm lifts and the lower body lifts (both of which I am saving up for already in anticipation... they are not cheap...)

I had a breast reduction last year (prior to bypass). I went from an H cup to a D cup. There was NO pain post-surgery. They even had to do a full nipple graft because of the sheer volume of fat and skin they removed and the distance they had to list. Full nipple grafts are rare; they remove the entire nipple and sew it back on, instead of leaving it attached via a flap. I had 8lbs of boob removed and did not experience any pain post-op. I was not even prescribed pain medication, just Ibuprofen. There are no drains. There was a LOT of post-op care, though, as far as lotioning the stitched areas and nipples. Mostly because I had the full nipple graft. They do NOT look pretty for quite some time. lol. There are dozens of ugly stitches, and I had stitches around my nipples. They dissolve over time. It's been almost two years now and the best decision ever, although I am scared after my surgery they will get saggy again. Oh well, I guess...

How are you doing? Only 2 days left!!

My surgeon said I can't have ricotta during the pureed stage because it's too thick, unless I add a bunch of water and blend it so it's runny. =/

What is the swallow test supposed to check for? I am scheduled for RNY and they never did one.

This thread is awesome. I need to check out the recipes threads, too. All I can imagine in my future are protein shakes and tiny pieces of chicken. I LOVE cooking, but was scared I'd fall into old habits with cooking way too much food. It's nice seeing what people can do with small portions!

I think FB group for November bypassers would be great!

Had initial appointment June 4th, immediately went over and had the labs and EKG done. Had the ultrasound the following week and the nutritionist appointment. Next week sat through 3 nutrition courses all day. Two weeks later, went back to nutritionist to present her with my food journal and got clearance. Had a sleep clinic appointment where they said I didn't need a sleep study because I had one in 2016 and it was fine. Two or three weeks after that saw the psychiatrist and took the psychiatric test. Week later came back and got the results and clearance from her. My personal psychiatrist gave clearance the same time. Few days later saw the surgeon to schedule my surgical date! Got approval from insurance in 4 days. Surgical date currently 11/1/18. So, that all happened in about a 2.5-3 month time span. I have a nurse telephone consult in two weeks to go over my meds and I have to take a 3 hour online class next week. The following week I have a 1 hour online class and the START clinic for final pre-op diagnostics. And then the day before my surgery (10/31) I meet with the surgeon again to sign the consent forms and ask final questions. Started the pre-op diet yesterday!

The first time I began trying to get RNY, my insurance had a ONE YEAR wait before I could even start the process. They required that I go to a special gym that logged all of my exercises and electronically transmitted it to them so they could make sure I was going to the gym! I also had to lose 15% of my body weight. I made it 5 months in, and had lost NO WEIGHT, and gave up at that point. Three years later, I have a new insurance and it took me three months to get my surgical date. My office has a team of multiple nutritionists, etc, so getting appointments was much easier. Now just waiting for the surgery... Next week I have to take a 3 hour online class with an exam that sums up everything I've learned, and then the week after I have to take a 1 hour consent class with an exam. I have to score an 80% on both to proceed with my 11/1 surgery date. I'm sure it's easy, basic stuff though.

Congrats on getting your surgical date! I think everyone gets a pre-op diet regardless. I don't have a fatty liver at all, but I still have 15 days of pre-op diet. I started mine 6 days early (yesterday, my surgery is on the 1st). I feel less pissy today than I did yesterday. I mean, it's only 8 am but..... lol! You can do it!

That could be possible. I have pretty severe acid reflux issues and usually just let them pass on their own (even though I have Prilosec).

lol! i was so enthusiastic going into this, knowing I would/will feel better in a few days.. but I am ending Day 1 and this super sucks. i have THE FIERCEST craving for spaghetti. also pork lo mein. I'm still at work, but want to crawl immediately into bed and take sleeping meds so I don't have to feel hungry/have cravings and can just sleep til tomorrow. rinse, repeat until my surgery. ugh, and don't say the cravings go away. i was on a strict low-carb diet for 5 months last year (lost 60 lbs) and those intense carb cravings NEVER went away. need to find a way to not mentally dwell on them, but i sit and just envision the taste in my mouth and it's like a drug. this is going to be a long 20 days...

My pre-op does allow for one meal a day! Haha. I am just being a baby. Made it through Day 1 alive. Since I am starting early, I don't have the 3rd shakes (I only have enough for the 15 days, since they are Advanced Recovery shakes), so I had 2 eggs in place of where I will be having my 3rd shake next Tuesday. Figured that was a good substitute. Every day that goes by I will get more confident and it'll be easier! Counting down..