vikingbeast

I would check a different source, if for no other reason than 4000cc is, by definition, exactly 4 litres. Fat weighs 0.9094g per cc, so 4000 cc of fat weighs 3637.6g, or 8.0194 lbs. It might be right, but the weird conversion mistakes make me doubt it.

If you get your period, it could be pre-menstrual hormonal changes, too. (The other biological sex has hormonal fluctuations, too, but not as much.)

VSG scheduled for 14th September in Fountain Valley, Orange County, California. Still waiting to hear about what I need beforehand (EKG, bloodwork, etc.)

Oddly, there's no required pre-op diet other than liquids only the day before and NPO the day of. They did suggest trying to replace one meal with a Protein Shake two weeks before, and if possible, two meals with Protein Shakes the week before.

Commenting to follow, this is a great question.

This is one of my fears... I am super active and live in a hot climate. I am ALWAYS drinking Water. I can easily polish off a 3L cranberry juice bottle (full of water!) in a couple of hours of bucking hay or running fence.

I'm gonna buy myself a Camelbak after the initial healing phase is over and I can go back to heavy-duty work. I know we're not supposed to use straws, but I can't carry a thing of water with me everywhere, and I can't not drink.

I'm never going to be in the correct BMI band and, to borrow from my other mother tongue, j'm'en câlisse. I just want to be healthy. I just didn't know if there was some number the doctor or insurance chose out of thin air. If I had to pick my number, I'd say 240-250, though that could change if I lose a bunch of muscle mass during the dreaded six weeks I'm disallowed from touching a barbell (argh!). That would give me a BMI of 32.5, so still obese by that useless measuring stick. I'll be the obese guy with abs (obscured by loose skin, LOL).

I got my date today—September 14—and got a heaping helping of my anxious questions answered by my super-awesome scheduler. I'll meet with the surgeon F2F once, and have a few things to do (blood work, etc.) before the date. I'll have to have a Covid test even though I'm fully vaccinated, due to the spread of the Delta variant.

Congratulations!!

My preop diet is only one day of liquids before surgery and NPO the day of. I'm changing my diet now so that it's not such a shock afterwards (more Protein, weaning off of caffeine and sugar, etc.).

I don't know what happens in Australia, but here in the US most private insurance requires a series of prerequisites. I had a very low number of these, and it was still a round half-dozen steps before they could even request that insurance pre-approve it. Some insurance requires a 3- or 6-month medically supervised diet.

But then after the insurance bit, there's a bunch of other things that need to happen, like medical clearances (cardiovascular, pulmonary, scans, etc.) and the pre-surgical diet. My center also has a timeline for when certain medications and supplements need to be started or stopped, so I'll be on bariatric Vitamins for three weeks before surgery and have to leave off caffeine two weeks before surgery, etc.

It's definitely not a fast process.

I will say this, though, I'll be crossing the holidays soon after surgery and I'm taking this as an opportunity to learn to Celebrate without a giant plateful (or multiple!) of food. It's likely that I'll only be able to take a few bites of food at Thanksgiving (late November here). This is going to be a lifelong thing, re-learning to eat correctly, so I'm not trying to schedule around it (no "food funerals").

You might want to look into nasal pillows (the thing that goes up your nose, instead of covering your nose like a nasal mask). That's the only kind of mask I can use. Get a chin strap to keep your mouth closed. And... this is the most important thing... look up how to turn off the "ramp" on your CPAP/BiPAP/APAP. The ramp is the thing that starts the flow slowly and builds it up over 5, 10, 15, or even 30 minutes. It is awful. I feel like I'm suffocating the entire time. When you turn off the ramp, it takes five seconds or so for the machine to rev up, and then I snap the nasal cannula into place and can breathe normally.

Are you close enough to your in-laws or his friends to be able to try and get them on your side? I know that when a friend's wife had surgery and he was against, we all kind of ganged up on him a little bit, intervention-style. ("It doesn't matter what you think about the surgery, she's your wife and you're being kind of a 🍆, bro.")

I don't know why, but suddenly, since I made the decision to pursue VSG, weight loss is becoming easier. I haven't changed my diet too much, I don't think—I still eat a variety of food—but yesterday I put on a smaller size jeans and they buttoned with no tugging, and today at the gym I had to cinch my weight belt in another notch before doing strict presses.

Reduction in stress corresponding to a reduction in cortisol? Unconsciously starting to wind down my overconsumption? Psychosomatic? sleeping better? My body anxious to "repair" itself? I don't know which of those it is, but I'm not going to complain about it!

I'm "takes a photo of the label with his phone and pinches waaaaaaay out" years old... join the club 🤣

I'm trying really hard to keep my opinions of your husband's total lack of support out of here, but I'm struggling... UGH.

I think maybe you need to confide in a friend and have them do it. You're going to need someone to talk to ("why am I in a stall?" "omg if I look at another Protein Drink I'm going to scream!").

And—tell your husband this isn't cheating. It's basically a stricter diet and exercise program than he's ever been on, and a physical restriction that FORCES you to behave and re-learn how to eat.

I don't know what the Canadian healthcare end points are, but do you have an urgent care near you? Down here in the US, urgent cares are where I would go for stitch removal. What about asking your primary care doctor?

No judgment here! But do make sure you are tracking everything you eat, including oil or butter you use to cook (it sneaks up!), salad dressings, sauces, etc.

What about strength training—is there a gym near you that you could join? You can find strength training programs online. The more muscle you have, the more (and more quickly) you burn fat.

I've been reading so many stories on here about people having to go fight for their insurance to cover things. I even started taking notes about things people said to their insurance so that I could just be ready for what I thought was inevitable. I even got a letter from them saying they needed all these pieces of paper that I know were submitted (turned out to be a kink in their process).

But CIGNA approved my pre-certification in THREE BUSINESS DAYS. I just got the notification! Now we just schedule a date, do all the pre-surgical testing, whatever they require for a pre-op diet (it looks like just one day of liquids, which is weird) and pray it doesn't get cancelled due to the Covid surge. My insurance coordinator at the bariatric clinic was 100 percent on top of things and had all my ducks in a row before I was even aware I needed ducks. 🤣

This isn't a flex... I really, truly, was expecting to have to fight, and I'm so relieved I don't, that I feel like I lost thirty pounds already!

I have had to go off caffeine several times for other reasons... one thing that works for me is eating a chile (like a serrano, or a jalapeño with the little striations that means it's hot). On a liquid diet maybe you could strain some salsa?

Be careful. Most balsamic vinegar sold in North America is just red wine vinegar with caramel coloring and some kind of sugar (sometimes even HFCS). The real stuff (which is still grape juice) costs so much you would never think to do anything except drip it on fruit with a glass eyedropper.

If you buy your balsamic at Safeway, Kroger, or Trader Joe's, it's mostly sugar.

No experience with the procedure in Mexico, but I lived in Tijuana for a short time and after that would stay at the Hotel Ticuán, which has rented an entire floor to one of the bariatric clinics (maybe Hospital Jerusalén? not sure) as a recovery floor. If anyone has questions about the city itself (safety, transportation, where your spouse/partner/SO should eat, etc.), please don't hesitate to reach out. Tijuas is one of the most misjudged cities on Earth.

I have an entire list.

- Go off all my meds (BP meds, hormone meds, etc.)

- Maybe lose my CPAP.

- Fit in a kayak.

- Run a sub-10 mile.

- Do a pull-up.

- Go back to being able to ride horses.

- No more seatbelt extenders on airplanes.

- No more sitting down gingerly to see if the chair will hold me.

- Increased mobility (palms on floor)

- No more "we'd like a table, not a booth, please"

There's more but that's the big stuff.

When I went in to have an abscess drained, I gained eight pounds from their saline solution, and had a ridiculous moon face that looked like I was a lifelong prednisone patient, and it took about two weeks to dry out. Don't fret.

That's a really good question—ask your surgery centre, because they'll know for sure, and if you DO need a PCP I'm sure they can rustle one up for you. For CIGNA they just need two recommendations, one from the surgeon and one from another licensed medical doctor or PA, but not sure about BCBS.

I'm sorry for the loss of your father. I lost my mother during the pandemic and I know exactly the mental state.

But give yourself some grace. The weight gain isn't who you are, it's something that happened in response to some insanely tough stressors. Anyone who judges you doesn't deserve your company—people who truly love you just go, "That's my friend Thunder7, he's awesome," not some Mean Girls "zomg did you see Thunder7?".

You know what you need to do to lose it, because you did it once before, and you've already started. Just know it isn't going to happen in two months, and it's gonna take work. Get the beer out the house right now, and don't go to bars. (Probably sage advice anyway in much of the country given the spread of the virus...)

As for the loneliness factor... I get that too. I joined a small gym where everyone is very friendly and made friends there. Or if you're into singing (or anything else), just join activities and friendships will follow.

One more gay (future) sleever, reporting for duty. I'm supremely lucky because I am out of the dating pool (which, where I live, needs a big shot of chlorine or something)—my partner is incredibly supportive, and I can't wait to be his arm candy.