NickelChip

The most likely way I can think to lose 8 lbs in 18 days would be to stick with a very low calorie diet of protein shakes and steamed or raw vegetables from now until after your appointment. Not the easiest thing to do with the holidays, and not a very healthy way of eating, though.

Oh for heaven's sake... It's like you keep buying the winning ticket in the medical maladies lottery. I really hope you're back to feeling better soon, and that this is the last time you have a scare like this!

I got to the photo with the little monkeys and burst out laughing. That made my day! Your weight loss is stunning and such a remarkable achievement. You look great, but I know you must be so eager to be rid of the excess skin. This surgery is going to be so amazing for you, and you absolutely deserve it. I hope the recovery goes really well and as pain-free as possible. It sounds like you're pretty much getting everything lifted and tucked as you possibly can! Would you mind sharing a ballpark figure of what that costs by going to Tijuana to have it done? All I know about costs in the US is it makes my eyes water thinking about it. Good luck to you!

I'm so happy to report that I have an appointment January 2 with the director of the new practice. When I spoke with the administrative person to make the appointment, she did make it sound likely that I would not have a lot of extra stuff to do since I was right at the end of the process before it got cancelled, just needing the routine pre-surgery tests and my insurance approval. I'm so sorry your insurance is being a pain about your in-network coverage. The whole in or out of network coverage is total BS. If they're a licensed doctor, they should be covered. Period. I have to say, the relief I felt when the HR person sent over the insurance benefit packet and I saw the logo of a very widely accepted insurance that is known to have good coverage is almost impossible to describe. This is sort of a long-term consulting gig for my husband, and I had nightmares that the consulting firm would be using crappy companies I'd never heard of to save some cash. Financially, I may end up coming out of this a little bit ahead, maybe $1500 less out of pocket. But I swear I'll spend that on hair dye to cover all the gray hair this ordeal is giving me! And I'm self-employed, so I can't just request a few weeks of vacation when the time comes. I'll need to do some major reworking of my schedule to accommodate the new date. As you said, is the head of the old hospital losing sleep over this? No, he is not. But it will work out, and this time next year I will be looking back on it and laughing. In that awkward way you laugh over things that are so not funny.

Oh no! I hope they get to the bottom of this and you're on your way back to surgery soon. I know how frustrating it is to get your hopes up and have it not happen. My surgery was supposed to be the 27th but it was abruptly cancelled last week because the surgery program at the hospital is closing down. I just got a new patient appointment at an affiliated program at a different hospital but not until Jan 2, so I know it will be at least mid-Jan or later for me now (probably later, realistically). Don't lose hope! It's hard not to be frustrated and angry, but try to stay positive!

Hoping it's all gone well and you're recovering quickly!

The hospital administration continues to prove they have handled this in the worst possible way. I went to see my endocrinologist at the weight management center on Monday. She was fighting back tears as she explained the way news of the closure was handed down, along with a timeline to wrap up the practice by early February that frankly puts profits before patient well-being at every turn. I have left 2 messages and filled out a contact form with the new center but have yet to hear back from anyone. There has been no official letter from the hospital to explain their decision to disrupt my treatment only 3 weeks before surgery, no apology for having to learn of this through an automated cancelation notice, no indication they care at all about what this is doing to any of us who have been caught in this mess. Still not sleeping well, experiencing high anxiety, and very worried about how I will have to rearrange my work schedule to accommodate a new surgery date, but of course having no clue when that will happen makes planning impossible. On the bright side, I have confirmed my new insurance coverage that starts Jan 2, 2024 does cover bariatric surgery and the out of pocket for me will be comparable to my current plan, so I'm no longer worrying about that, at least. For now, all I can do is focus on healthy eating and exercise. My doctor offered to restart me on weight loss medication in the meantime, but I just think it's one more thing to have to juggle and I'd rather not complicate my life more than needed.

You might try some of the walking videos on YouTube. They're only 15-20 minutes and you can do them in your living room. I also find wearing my Fitbit can be a motivation because it's a visual reminder of my goal. If you aren't doing any exercising right now, don't plan to suddenly do an hour a day at the gym. Add one thing that is small and feels easy to do and focus on that first. You can add something to it next month, and keep doing that little by little over time.

I don't think there's anything wrong with writing letters to your loved ones for your own peace of mind. If the prospect of sudden, unexpected death frightens you (and I don't blame you because it's terrifying!) having letters for your family that you put aside in case that happens is probably a good idea. If your surgery is the thing that makes you realize you want to do that, you should definitely do that and no one should tell you not to because that's very rude and insensitive of them. If you are significantly more terrified of having your surgery than you are of getting into a car to drive yourself to the hospital for it, I also think it's important to recognize that the odds of dying as a result of bariatric surgery are slightly higher than the odds of dying if you fall down the stairs, about 2-3x more common as dying in childbirth (in the US), and about 10x less likely than dying in a car accident. If you are about 2-3x as nervous about dying as you were when you went into labor, and just a bit more nervous than the last time you started to slip on a staircase, that's probably about the right level of mortal fear, statistically speaking. It's probably safe to say none of us are as respectful of how dangerous driving is as we should be. I would put your letters somewhere safe and plan to revisit them every so often and keep them up to date over the years because tomorrow is never a given. It would probably be a healthy thing if we all realized that every day. But try not to let that fear with regard to your surgery become overwhelming.

Just an update on my situation: On Wednesday evening, I emailed my primary care physician and asked her if she could look into things because I still had heard nothing. Yesterday, I heard back from her, confirming she had reached out on my behalf and the center was indeed closing. She was shocked I had received no information. This morning, I got a call first from the office of the doctor I had seen at the weight management center up until July, when I moved from the medical to surgical side. She wants me to come in Monday so she can walk me through things, and I think just to see how I am doing with all this because she's really nice and had been my doctor for 6+ years. A few hours later, I finally heard from the manager who was supposed to be contacting me. He told me the center is officially closing in February, so all remaining surgeries were cancelled, and he told me of three options for centers within the same hospital group (Beth Israel Lahey) that had agreed to help absorb the affected patients. He is supposed to be sending my information to the one I chose, Winchester Hospital, and I also left them a message this afternoon (their office closes early on Fridays so I just missed them). Praying that I'll have a better idea on Monday how big a delay this will cause and how many new flaming hoops I will have to jump through. Bottom line, reaching out to my primary care doctor seemed to get the wheels turning, so never be afraid to be the squeaky wheel! Also, I managed to keep my temper in check with the manager because I'm positive this is not his doing, but I would welcome the chance to express my displeasure to the hospital administration. A troop of poorly trained chimpanzees could have handled this with more compassion and competency, and I think that reflects directly on the upper management (upon whom I have been wishing many unpleasant afflictions this week).

I wish I knew what they have planned. They are supposed to call me to explain, but so far the only person I've spoken with is the guy who answers the phone, and he probably wasn't supposed to tell me anything. He just said, "unfortunately, the center is closing, so..." The worst part is, I've been a patient there for almost 7 years, doing nutritional and medical weight loss. I love my endocrinologist there, and the nutritionists, the staff. If they are losing their jobs, I will cry. And they are always so busy I don't see how they can afford to close. I am so mad because I had a chance to move my surgery to right before Thanksgiving, but I had to pass because it was too last minute for figuring out the childcare. Now I'm kicking myself. Literally, my insurance approval is in and everything. I have a pantry of protein powders and a bookcase of bariatric cookbooks. I have watched every video on the planet. I just needed my final pre-test, which was supposed to be next week. My mom had booked a hotel in Harvard Square to be close by the night of the surgery and take me home the next day. The kids would be off school for winter break. Now I have no idea where anything stands. I will still have my insurance for January because my husband's job doesn't start until a few days into the month so we'll have paid the premium for January, but as of February it'll have to be the new insurance, and I don't yet know what they cover, or even which insurance company it is. Plus, my deductible starts over on Jan 1, naturally.

I called again this morning and the person who answered let slip that the entire weight management center at the hospital is closing. So, I am not the only person impacted by far. He said that a manager is supposed to call everyone to explain, but still nothing has happened. Maybe tomorrow? As for what happens next, I'm not sure. The hospital was recently acquired by another big Boston hospital, which has a bariatric department of its own. I assume they are trying to integrate all of the departments across the system to eliminate redundancies, but their communication so far has been appalling. Why they wouldn't have planned for this by shutting down the pipeline of patients months ago so that all surgeries were completed before the closure is a mystery. I attended my full day immersion class in August and completed all my requirements on October 6. At that point, they were booking 10+ weeks out and there was no indication anything was changing. This isn't an independent bariatric practice where I could see there being management or money issues, but a center that is part of a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. I find it shocking to say the least. I've spent most of the day wishing whichever faceless bureaucratic suit responsible for this trips and falls into a fiery pit. Clearly emotional intelligence was not a job requirement.

Being on solid foods for 3 weeks tracks relatively closely to what my plan will be. My hospital only does a 2 day pre-op liquid diet, and then you are on liquid/soft dairy (yogurt, pudding) for about 10 days. They generally do the surgeries on a Monday and you go to a class the following Thursday, although I will have mine on a Wednesday, and I think I will still go to the Thursday class, so it's only just over a week for me. After the class, we're advanced to stage 4 for about 4 weeks, which includes soft/moist meats like chicken thigh, fish, and eggs, along with soft cooked veg and fruits. The only thing that doesn't match up with my plan is the cucumbers because raw veg isn't allowed until stage 5, which is at roughly 6 weeks post-op. But frankly, cucumber is almost all water once you chew it, so the volume is minimal despite looking large. My program doesn't bother with purees. We're just told to chew thoroughly. As others have said, you may not feel full this early because of nerves not being fully healed, so just watch your portions. If you've lost 25lbs in 4 weeks, I hardly would call that doomed! I would double check with your nutritionist about portions, make sure you chew thoroughly, and keep making healthy food choices like you're doing. You may just not have as much swelling as some do, which would explain the ability to eat closer to a normal post-surgery capacity right away. Just because you can eat a couple of eggs doesn't mean you'll soon be able to eat a 24oz steak and sides!

Do you have any of the protein drinks or powders that are more like the clear/juice variety? I bought Wicked Protein powder in their Ice Pop flavor and froze them in popsicle molds as an experiment to see how they would work for after surgery, and they ended up tasting so good one of my daughters has wiped me out of the batch I made. Maybe having it in a different shape/texture would relieve the monotony?

If you ever get the opportunity to do yoga with baby goats, do not pass it up. You will get very little actual yoga out of it, but you will get to spend time with baby goats romping around in diapers! I really can't imagine a better way to spend an hour.

First, I should say I am coming from a pre-op perspective, so I still have a normal appetite and no restriction from surgery. I'm sharing two recipes that I use most days for my breakfast and lunch. If I eat these earlier in the day, I can barely eat dinner. Combined, this gives you 823 calories and 75g protein in a day. Your jaw is going to hurt after chewing this much salad, and I think it will likely take you most of the day to eat it. There is a lot of fiber. Obviously, I'm not a professional so this is not medical advice, and I have no idea how much you will be able to consume with your bypass. I imagine you would have to go slowly. But there's a good chance, if you even manage to eat all of it, you will not feel like you are starving throughout the day. You could still add a dinner if you need to. The goal here is to give you food that will take away the hungry feeling without adding calories. Natural, unprocessed foods tend to do that better than shakes and bars. Oh, I top the salad with a fresh squeezed lemon, some salt, and Italian herb blend instead of dressing. And this much salad requires a large serving bowl, not a regular salad bowl. I use a kitchen scale to measure everything. The smoothie fits better in a 20+ oz blender cup as the 16oz is too small. If it's too thick, add some water to get the consistency you like. (Apologies, this smoothie recipe says flax seed twice. It should be flax and hemp seed, or chia. Also, the mango and strawberry is frozen, and the spinach can be too for convenience)

I'm so sorry you're going through this. I hope it resolves quickly after the surgery. I know it's easier said than done, but try not to stress over the holiday stuff. Do you have kids? If so, this may just be the year to have a talk about what really matters in life, like family and good health, and give yourself permission to scale down the decorations and the dinner, and delay presents until a better time. It's okay not to be perfect all the time. And it's okay to find a totally new way of marking the holiday that doesn't cause you stress. It's okay to opt out for a year and try again next time. You've got a lot to deal with already. Sending hugs.

Oh, ugh. I agree with MLC3409 that you should start with the doctor who ordered the study, or ask if you can request the letter yourself and then give it to your surgeon. But that's ridiculous. The one thing I am grateful for is all of my providers are affiliated with the hospital, so everybody talks to everybody and all my test results, orders, etc., are all in one portal. I'm just nervous because this is so close to the end of the year. I keep having nightmares that something will delay the surgery and then the new year will somehow screw everything up with coverage changing or something, and send me back to square one. The last thing any of us need is more stress, so I really hope you get this sorted out soon.

December 27th is going to be a very busy day! Regarding meal prep, I'm making room in my freezer now to freeze some favorites ahead of time. I'm also going to be teaching my daughters, 12 and 15, how to make some of the simpler meals they like. This way, after surgery, they can cook for themselves with minimal supervision. Which they should learn anyway! Meals like spaghetti, tacos, chili, shepherd's pie, and quiche, that barely even need a recipe. For myself, I have a cookbook I'm really looking forward to that covers bariatric meal prep. It has 6 weeks of meal plans and directions for making ahead and portioning. I'm using that and Dr. Weiner's bariatric cookbook for most of my new recipe ideas. Here's the meal prep one: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1645674967 I'm choosing 1 or 2 new things to try making each week this month, hoping to have a few to add to the rotation that all of us will like, and some small containers to freeze for later.

I will be having gastric bypass done at the end of this month, but when I was trying to decide between sleeve or bypass, one of the resources I used was this risk calculator. In addition to risks, it lets you select your own co-morbidities such as sleep apnea, hypertension, or diabetes to see how likely it is that they will resolve based on which procedure you choose, and shows you a BMI predictor chart at the 12-month mark. I found it pretty helpful. Additionally, I found this video super informative: The factors that I considered most were GERD risk and the desire to control my blood sugar and blood pressure, as well as feeling like I could benefit from the threat of dumping if I ate too much fat or sugar, my weaknesses! It definitely took me several weeks to decide as I weighed it all.

I know it's so hard with kids, but I suggest getting rid of everything in the house that could be a temptation. This summer, I stopped replacing the snacks as they ran out. I stopped buying candy and cookies. We started making "nice cream" from frozen fruit. I have just under 4 weeks to go and I'd say about 90% of the stuff is gone, replaced with salted nuts and apple sauce cups. Luckily, my girls are 12 and 15, so they understand why, and I can let them have candy for themselves when the time comes and they'll know not to have it anywhere near me. But don't feel guilty! It's a learning experience, that's all. Now you know you have to be extra mindful when food is around.

I've very much liked the Syntrax brand, especially the Nectar Naturals peach flavor. I don't like vanilla in any brand and I'm only so-so on chocolate, so I like trying unusual options. I recently purchased the 15 variety sampler so I can try a bunch, plus have single-serve packets available to throw in my purse when I'm out and about. I especially like the fruit flavors right now. I keep trying to find a soup that I like, but I think I'll end up doing unflavored protein in broth because most of the powdered ones have been underwhelming. Of course, who knows what I will like afterward.

Totally understandable, and 6 weeks of liquids is a long time to plan for. I only have 2 days of liquids pre-op and 2 weeks post-op. Are you allowed soft dairy during that time? I can have yogurt, ricotta, and sugar free pudding, plus strained cream soups. Although I don't like creamed soups, so not sure I'll bother with that option. But I know what you mean about salt in the pre-made broth. If I had room in my freezer, I would make a bunch of it. Just remember, almost everything you need can be purchased locally after surgery. You really only need a few days' worth. And if you have a nutritionist in your program, you can probably get some samples, too. Honestly, I think I've bought as many things as I have (and probably won't need) because I've had my date since early October and buying protein shakes and vitamins has been a way to ease my impatience while I wait!

One of the things I just got over the weekend was the 15 flavor variety pack of Syntrax Nectar Protein Powder that they sell here on the BariatricPal site's store. I figured that was a good way to have a lot of options on hand, plus the packs can be tossed in my bag if I'm out for the day, just in case.

Same with me. The only time I've been under anesthesia was for my wisdom teeth when I was a teen. But the hospital where I will have this surgery is the same as where I had both my kids. The sad thing is, they have really good food. A weird thing to say about a hospital, but it's true! The in-room food is delicious and even the cafeteria was nice enough I would have lunch there after appointments. I remember being really impressed with the meals when I was in the maternity ward. The nurses were so sweet. They even put an order in for me from a local ice cream place because they were all getting some delivered for after their shifts. They saved it in the freezer for me until I was allowed to eat after my epidural wore off. (I was in labor a really long time and that was the best ice cream I have ever had). Sadly, this time will be a bit different when it comes to the food experience, but I'm sure the staff is just as nice.