RainbowBrite57

Everything is submitted and I am just waiting on Insurance approval and a surgery date, I cant believe I finished all the pre-op requirements, and I am almost to the finish line
( kinda ). I keep watching videos of people on surgery day dreaming that one day soon that will be me. I wonder how long I will have to wait for an answer I have United Healthcare Community in Maryland. I promise I will put my entire process on here for others because I have not seen anyone on here from Maryland going thru my hospital AAMC Annapolis or with my type of insurance.

Over the past year been getting PM about what App did i use and about gadgets /devices/issues So Here i go again. Repost from last December
First of all this is what i did and I have a tendency to not follow the rules. KEY to this post is you decide, Do not follow, If a gadget makes you happy and keeps you focused, Great, but this is a individual journey that you and only you can do! During the journey ,,,,,Do not stress out, panic, just adjust and make changes that allow you and only you to enjoy the journey to a healthy happy you.
1. Shakes: I must have spent a thousand dollars on pre made shakes and to me they suck! Once you figure out how to make them you can enjoy the challenge and make them into little hand grenades filled with Protein and vits and minerals
2. Scale: Yes you need one but do not drive yourself nuts weighing all the time - I weighted in on the 1st and 16th of the month
3. Apps : I found this to be a pain in the ass to use and record, but if you like them people here swear by them, But do not get so obsessed with you app you loose focus
4. Plates and gadgets. NO WAY am i sitting down with others with a baby plate, Look at the images on google for the size of a meal you should eat. Look at a 100 images and you are adults you should be able to portion just by view. Weighing you food is insane to me. But i am culinary trained i can eye a piece of fish or meat and know it is 5oz. I think we all know what a cup of veggies is about in size.
5. Clothes: I truly have looked like a homeless guy for the last year, In fact as sit here i have a 5x Colombia fishing shirt on. Used to be tight now its huge but comfortable. Enjoy donating the fatty clothes, Enjoy the change who cares what you wear, I realize if you have to work you need proper clothing but getting healthy is a better thing then losing your wardrobe. Nothing made me happier then donating Bags of clothes - Sure I kept a few but donated the rest - Huge walk in closet full now everything that fits takes up a little area.
6. Others/Co workers/ Family. This seems to be a problem with many here, I suggest you just get the screw you attitude and you are doing this for yourself. Who really cares what Betty in HR thinks. This is a topic is see all the time, People are mean and love to see failure in others. So they get envious as you succeed
7. Dietetic and Trainer: To me this is a key from Pre Op - However I do realize money is a issue, If you can not use one read read read and do not read here first. There are great books and plans available from Trained Nutritionists on web. Then read here because No two WLS people are the same. If time is a issue Meal prep with containers and such. I suggest a trainer. One of my greatest things was the elliptical with the video screen trainer. Love it. Little pricey but great and private, they have bikes and treadmills also

The moral here is there seem to be alot of new people here, run your own race and do not waste to much time on Gadgets and Issues of the surgery. Focus on your journey and the changes - Keep it simple, Keep it healthy, Keep it up!

No problem with that plan. Good luck!

I love the flavored Protein waters to top off my protein if I didn't quite make my protein goal at the end of the day. I find the shakes sit better in the morning on an empty stomach but by the end of the day it can be heavy. So long as you take your Vitamins and are getting in protein, I don't see why not.

Ugh,the waiting is so not fun. Everyday seems to last an eternity, right?!? I hope you hear from your doctor soon!!! Our new life is just around the corner. I'll update when I finally get my date! Good luck to you too!!! 😀

How exciting!!! I'm happy the ball is rolling fast for you. I wish you all the luck in the world with your surgery! You'll do great. I hope you have an easy recovery.

Hi All! I’m new to this site, but I also waited 3 weeks for someone to call me about surgery. I reached out to my pcp and weight loss dr. Finally received my call late Monday afternoon, had my appointment and preop procedures today and scheduled for surgery tomorrow.
Stay encouraged, when you get your call things are going to move quickly

Ugh,the waiting is so not fun. Everyday seems to last an eternity, right?!? I hope you hear from your doctor soon!!! Our new life is just around the corner. I'll update when I finally get my date! Good luck to you too!!! 😀

Do not feel bad about contacting your surgeon’s office as long as you are pleasant and considerate when you speak to them. Remember, in this case you are not just a patient, but also a customer that they are going to make a bunch of money for taking care of. Without you (and other patients) there is no them. Btw, I work in a medical clinic as a nurse and sometimes something will fall through the cracks. A gentle reminder you are waiting is completely acceptable. Hope you get your answers soon!

That does make me feel better! I’ve really convinced myself of the worst case scenarios! 😆 I think I’ll find something soothing to do now!

That does make me feel better! I’ve really convinced myself of the worst case scenarios! 😆 I think I’ll find something soothing to do now!

I just need to get something off my chest in the hopes it'll make me feel better. I had all of my pre-surgery tests on July 29th. I was told I'd be called back within 2 weeks to schedule my surgery. Yesterday was 2 weeks. I've been keeping my phone with me like a magnet with the ringer turned WAY up, even at work. I'm on pins & needles just waiting for the phone to ring. I thought for sure I'd get the call today but it's 2pm and their office closes at 4pm.
I know I'm being impatient & there are more important things in the world so I should just chill but I can't. I'm scared that the tests showed something that will keep me from getting the surgery. I'm scared that they've lost my information. I'm scared that they tried calling me but my phone glitched and I didn't receive the call & they are waiting for me to call them back. I know I could just call the office to see the status but I don't want the office staff to label me as a troublemaker from the very beginning. This whole thing has got me so down. Thanks for "listening"

If it makes you feel better they told me it'd take two weeks to get approved but it actually took 3.5 weeks for my insurance to approve the surgery. Because it took them so long I'd been convinced they wouldn't approve it because I'd lost so much weight on my own, but in reality they apparently just had a really large backlog so it took them longer to go through my paperwork. Try not to stress, I'm sure it'll happen for you!

That must be so frustrating! I really hate having to call and nag people, too. I encourage you to call the office, though. You don't have to be obnoxious about it, just say you're inquiring about the status of your pre-surgery requirements and want to check if there's anything else they need from you.
I had to call my surgeon's office a couple of times during the process to prompt them, and if I hadn't, I may not have gotten my surgery yet! The first time, they had told me that a psychologist was supposed to call me to schedule a psychological evaluation, but the psychologist never called, so after a few weeks, I called the surgeon's office to ask about it. it turned out that the psychologist had closed his office indefinitely due to COVID-19, and my surgeon's office got me scheduled with someone else. Who knows how long I would have waited if I hadn't called?
The second time, I had completed all my requirements and was waiting for a call about scheduling the surgery, and when I didn't hear from them, I called to ask. It turned out that I had missed their call earlier that day about my insurance denying me and I had to go back to my PCP to get a letter. My phone sometimes goes screwy and sends calls straight to voicemail without registering a missed call, so i wouldn't have known if I hadn't called to check. As long as you're polite (and I bet you are that kind of person), they won't think you're a troublemaker.

Frozen bananas, frozen cherries, almond milk and 1 tsp of chocolate Syrup. 175 calories and delicious.

The potassium is good for you. I try to have one banana along with other fruit everyday. With such a strict liquid diet, low in sugar, I found I was light headed at times. From the research I did and from discussions with my doctor, I believe one of the factors was low sugar. I simply eat more fruit now to get natural sugars which are much better for you than added sugars. Other factors I attribute the lightheadedness to were the dosage of blood pressure medicine, my body's reaction to rapid weight loss, low food intake during the restrictive diet phases, and dehydration from not drinking enough Water. I corrected my diet and halved my blood pressure medicine. I am feeling much better and get excellent pressure readings everyday.
I had one of these machines. I ended up taking it back. It was a bit of trouble to get the bananas in the freezer just when they were over-ripe.

I worked with this girl... Cindy (yes her real name). She was always saying stuff about fat people... I at the time was 5'2" and 232lbs... She was very thin and would never wear the same outfit twice. She always dressed and looked very nice. Very much a "keep up with the jones". I never said anything to her. I moved departments... I couldn't stand to even look at her. Anyway, fast forward to 2009 i had the lapband done. My WL was slow and she even made the remark... didn't you have "fat surgery"... i never answered her..... TILL ONE DAY.... I had left the company so i had not seen her in about a year... I had lost 60lbs. She came up to me and said... Hey, how much have you lost.....???? I should say that in that year she had put on a lot of weight..... And i know it wasn't right.... but.... after she asked me that i just looked at her and said... 60lbs, but it looks like you found them... and walked away.

post-op for sure. For the liquid pre-op diet, probably not - although it depends on what they're having you do. I had to have Clear Liquids on mine, so traditional sugar free popsicles were fine, but I'm betting these wouldn't have been.

Thought it might be fun to get some recommendations for new grocery items to add to my shopping list. Spices, grab n go items, anything really.

I’ll add a couple of my new faves below!

During my two week pre-op diet I literally had no energy. I worked and that was about all I did during those two weeks. I was afraid I would feel like that post-op too, but my energy levels really did shoot up after week one of post-op. It was actually shocking how much energy I suddenly had. Loving it!

Hello!
I start full liquids tomorrow and I am so happy!
I'd love to hear some creative recipes, ideas, suggestions?
I've been sooo good through this entire process and I want to continue to stay on track!
Thanks in advance for all your help!

You are just ready to make a change and have a better life...

I felt that way before surgery. No more. I feel healthier and more energetic at 60 than I ever did at 40!

Yes I’m feeling the same way totally drained and just done.

Is/was anyone else just worn down & exhausted before your surgery? It’s not from expending too much energy because I don’t have much to spend. It just feels like my body is done with the strain of carrying this extra weight around for two decades. (I’m 40) I’ve had my pre-op tests so if it’s actually something medical, it would hopefully show up. It really doesn’t feel like symptoms from a disease or anything. It just feels like my body has had enough.