VickieSH

Stuff I won't miss about being chubby: Asking to be seated at a table versus a booth Being squished on aircraft seats High blood pressure Limited sex positions Buying bras online cause they're never large enough in stores Being winded when climbing stairs Always being the fattest chick in the room

Hi Teresa...trust me...as much of a crybaby as I am there is NO way children's Motrin is gonna have any impact on my pain. I have a super low tolerance for pain and I know I need something strong. I just don't want the nausea that comes with opiates. :tongue2:

Thanks for responding Rosey...my blood pressure is nearly to normal now as is my heart rate. I tend to be a martyr and don't ask for help till I'm truly suffering. So today I've felt miserable...depressed...nauseous...lethargic...and I didn't call my doctor. I took less of the Lortab and have been in too much pain today. I'm going to take another dose tonight before bed and if I'm not feeling better tomorrow, I'll call the doctor's office. I'm also having a real challenge in drinking fliuds so I know that's not helping my situation and recovery either.

My surgeon released me from the hospital late yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately I had complications in that my blood pressure jumped up to the high-170s and my heart rate dropped below 45. According to the doctors it was related to the morphine. Although I'm home, I'm in an incredible amount of pain, both my port site as well as my back from laying on it (I'm a side-sleeper). They sent me home with LorTab elixir, but it doesn't seem to really help with the pain. Last night I became extremely nauseous and had the dry heaves. Today I started sipping the high Protein drink, but right now I can feel it swirling around in my tummy just begging to come back up. :whatchutalkingabout

Since today was my last of the pre-op diet, I think I'll wrap up my leftover Optifast and give to my surgeon. Let HIM drink that stuff. :thumbup:

I'm having so much anxiety. I'm shaking from fear (literally). I had a crisis at my work come up late this afternoon and I'm trying to talk myself out of the surgery and request a delay. My guy tells me no way, but I'm just so scared. :thumbup:

I'm too shy to call the doctor on Sunday, so instead I'm going to take the safest route (and the kindly advice from y'all) and drink one shake early in the morning with my Vitamins before I start the bowel prep. Oh boy. I can't wait. :thumbup:

:thumbup: Holy Moly!! I need to stay in the newbie section of this website because who knew that this was even gonna be a concern?!?

Fruitcake?? :thumbup:

New cute pink jammies & matching slippers Vanilla Chapstick Cell Insurance card Photo ID List of meds & dosage Small pillow for the ride home (to brace my tummy)

I looked at the past five or six pages and haven't seen this topic yet... My surgeon has ordered bowel prep the day before my surgery. Starting at 11:00 am, I'm scheduled to take four OsmoPrep tablets every 15 minutes with eight ounces of Water until all 16 tablets have been taken. The directions then go on to say "Do not eat any solids or liquid on the morning of your surgery." But it doesn't state anywhere whether I'm supposed to stay on the Optifast pre-op diet the same day I'm doing the bowel prep. Seems kinda counter-productive to eat (drink) during the day if I'm cleansing my bowel... Isn't this a pleasant topic? :thumbup:

In looking at your stats I see that you're insured with PacifiCare...it might be you won't have the "education fee" because of your policy. I have a co-worker who is with PacifiCare and she had no out-of-pocket expenses, while I'm with Blue Cross and I do.

If that's you in the picture, my guess would be that you're not overly overweight and your surgeon isn't too worried about an enlarged liver. Lucky brat. :thumbup:

Unfortunately 99% of the time most insurance companies consider the gastric sleeve "experimental" and will not cover the costs involved in that procedure. My decision to opt for the lapband was based on my belief that gastric bypass is too radical and "Frankenstein-ish" (specifically the re-routing of the intestines and mal-absorption). I've decided to go with the less invasive procedure initially and in the event my weight loss isn't as successful as I intend, then I'll consider sleeving. By that time I'm confident the procedure will have more positive outcomes and will be allowed by my insurance. When I inquired to the other programs in my area regarding the "education fee" I was flat out advised that insurance companies don't cover all the fees involved for aftercare. LOL...one nurse coordinator reassured me that bottled Water was included in the fee. :thumbup:

Congratulations on the weight loss!! :thumbup: You go girl!! But before you toss out the strawberry pre-mades, why not try emptying one in a blender add a few ice cubes and a capful of strawberry extract? Blend well. I'm thinking of applying to The Food Network for my own show about doctoring up OptiFast.

Several of the surgeons I interviewed charged an "education fee" (varied between $2,000 to $4,000). It reminded me of those time-share demos during the 1980s!! Some of them were totally "hard sell". I finally found a reputable surgeon who accepts the insurance compensation as payment-in-full.

I considered Dr. Oliak but because I'm insured through Blue Cross, he charged a $4,000 "education fee". Instead I've decided upon Dr. Ninh Nguyen at University of California at Irvine. I've heard very good things about Dr. Oliak so don't worry!! He did bypass on a friend of mine one year ago and she's down 100 pounds!!

Are you using the powder OptiFast or the pre-made shakes? In another post I mentioned that I'm allowed raw fruit so I blended a cup of frozen blueberries in with a vanilla shake and it's pretty yummy!! Here's a hint -- don't wait until you're starving before having a shake...try to drink one before you feel like attacking the snack cupboard like a hungry bear!!

Hi Vickie!! I'm ummm...Vickie too!!

Me too!! Me too!! December 1st!! I'll be at University of California at Irvine with Dr. Ninh Nguyen. I've had a total abdominal hysterectomy and arthroscopic knee surgery for a torn meniscus within the last few years so I'm not *too* worried about this one. Best advice is to trust your surgeon and the nursing staff and ask lots of questions (I wrote mine down so I wouldn't forget!) The problem I'm having is maintaining proper hydration. I just can't seem to stomach as much Clear liquids as prescribed. I've tried adding Crystal Light to Water but I'm just feeling resistant for some reason. Other than that I'm really excited. I even went today and bought cute new jammies to wear in the hospital (even though my fiance says I'll just want to stay in the hospital gown...ummm...not likely!!) Good luck...let's keep checking in with each other to make sure we stay on target!

Isn't is crazy how every doctor orders the pre-op diet differently? My surgeon has me on a two week Optifast (four shakes, one bar) diet and I'm allowed raw veggies and/or fruit. My surgery is Monday the 1st and I admit to having cheated a few times in the last two weeks. However, I can tell I've lost at least five to seven pounds anyway. BTW...blending one of the vanilla shake mixes with 3/4 cup of cold Water, two ice cubes, and a cup of frozen blueberries is *almost* just like ice cream. (Yeah, girl...keep telling yourself that...) Dayum!! I'm hungry!!

Ut-oh...I might be in serious trouble because my genitals *do* speak to me.

Y'all are making me very hungry.

My evaluation was a little over two hours and mostly consisted of a life history; my struggles with weight loss; family, cultural, educational, and career background; but no actual tests, etc. Also discussion of my goals and whether they are realistic. The most interesting thing I realized as I left her office was that I had completely left out a significant childhood trauma and instead only shared a portion of my "psych issues". Didn't want to come off as too wacky yanno?? :tongue:

Me too!! Can you imagine THREE chubby girls in SoCal (the land of the eternally young, forever thin, and wonderfully sun-baked)?? Maybe we're the ONLY three in all of SoCal? Ya think? :tongue: