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I've been pretty depressed....to be honest. I felt SO SO SO good last week. Then Friday I had some discomfort in my side and hit a fever of 101.8. I assumed I just overdid it working so much with my business partner out bc her mom passed and the husband was in ATL so I was also flying solo with both kids. By Saturday I went to port orange for an inspection for My partner and my fever was up to 102.9 when I got some so I took a nap and then went back out to show property to a buyer (bad idea!)? When I got home it was back up to 102.8 and I was having discomfort in my left side and shortness of breath. Sunday I stayed in bed all day taking Tylenol hoping I just needed rest. By Monday i knew I hadn't declined this much in this little time unless something was wrong, I called the surgeon and when I got here he had ct orders and blood work written out stat for me with the complication insurance paying it all. As soon as I finished I went upstairs. He asked me to bring whoever I had with me in I thought...oh shit! Told me I had an infected abcess on my diaphragm-about 7cm wide.. They would put me under local anesthesia to put a drain in and they are checking for a leak again 1 more time even though first time looked like no leak. Anesthesia didn't work on drain insertion I cried like a bitch I felt like I was in some creepy Drs lab I've never met and he Kept telling me to keep quiet and lay still. Then came 2nd leak test. Radiology told me immediately there's was none and then dr Marema said I'd be going to the or for a stent. He's really been so nice the whole time. Then leak test #2 radiology says is good. Oh but wait here comes Dr M again with stent surgeon to say placement isn't ideal and in going back to OR yet again for a 2nd stent. In the middle of that infectious disease dr shows up to say my abcess is staff infection!!!!! So I'll be going home in a few days with a PIC line and 3 weeks of antibiotic ivs......that's the long of it. I've had a procedure and 2 surgeries since Monday---doc said I'm the poster child for everything that can go wrong. Although he usually only sees in 1sy week I just want to go home to my babies....as their healthy mom! ????

I weigh 236lbs, I'm 5'5 but I look a lot smaller then I weigh. I've struggled with my weight since I had my daughter 4 years ago. It just won't come off. No matter how hard I workout and different diets I try. When I tell people I want to get the gastric sleeve. They look at me crazy. Anyone experience this? How do you handle it? I'm kinda to the point where I wanna keep it a secret bc I hate the judgement?

I guess we are all going to win bc I'm pretty sure I also have the winning ticket. Lol. When I win I plan on starting a charity and giving a lot of it away.

Nothing to do with Carbs or Protein IMO. My GP, in the 1990's, when asked about weight gain/loss said "just keep your 'explicit adjective' mouth shut". Oh how right he was! The most important thing is the psych aspect! One needs to forget what is considered normal plus all the peer pressure along the lines of needing to eat 3 times a day & cleaning your plate, whether you are hungry or not. Keep reminding/asking yourself 'am I really hungry'? & if the answer is NO or NOT REALLY, don't eat or leave whatever is left on your plate. Friends now know not to give me large servings as I eat & chew slowly & 3/4 will be left on the plate. Eat & drink anything that you like, take the Vitamin & supplements your doctor/s recommend & have the required blood analysis done every 6 months or so, to ensure it's all working to your advantage. It's nearly 2 years & although my wife went to meet with the nutritionist, who fully explained/demonstrated serving sizes etc. she still insists on trying to do things, as before my sleeve. I like a good hearty Breakfast & light lunch, then maybe a salad, snack & perhaps a couple of beers @ night.... She doesn't do/want breakfast or lunch but likes a big evening meal. There are always copious leftovers & the dog up the road gets extremely well fed. Plenty of arguments, but I did not go through this to get fat again. Regarding carbs: Make own bread from scratch 2 or 3 times a week with plenty consumed as toast & open sandwiches, Love rice & noodles Have a few beers or ciders most nights & drink about 1 litre of full milk throughout the day as iced coffee [decaf]. So am I doing everything wrong carb wise? Weight stabilized @ about 80kgs [surgeon said it would be 83], BP 120 on 72 & blood glucose 4.2

That's awesome! I have my last NUT class this Friday, but then have to go to a pre-op class Feb 8. I don't think my packet will be submitted to BCBS Fed until after the Feb appt. keep me posted on how long your approval takes, "newlife" ????????

Ok so I had to watch this after hearing you all. I expected to be touched and emotional. I had my skin removal surgeries 7 months ago. I wasn't. I am trying to give this woman the benefit of the doubt--she mentioned taking anxiety meds. But oh my! Not letting her husband hug her or touch her (like TOUCH her not even sexually), not talking to people because she thought they wouldn't be her friend bc she's a "freak," being afraid people are staring at her and hiding behind things (saying this while wearing a tank top), being miserable 24/7 because of her looks. I'm sorry. How about your improved health? All the things you can DO now? Sorry. I understand being dismayed by the skin, but she was truly so focused on her appearance and what OTHERS may have bought about it, that she was missing everything good about her life and being unnecessarily cruel to people close to her. The other guy, loved him.

My worst experiences would have to be with the bariatric coordinator at the office. She would not return phone calls or emails and if you were able to catch her, she acted like it was a HUGE bother to answer your questions. I finally got fed up enough to threaten to report her to the office manager. Things got a bit better after that. When I was in the hospital waiting, my surgery was delayed and no one informed me as to what was going on. I finally lost it on one of the nurses who apologized profusely. The anesthesiologist was a bit of an ass who did not acknowledge my presence. The nurses were pretty great except one. I was in extreme pain and it was past the time for my pain meds. I called and she told me she would be back in 5 minutes. Thirty minutes later, she still wasn't back. I ended up getting a new nurse for the duration of the shift. The best: the surgeon did an amazing job. I had minimal pain from gas (walking as soon as I was able after surgery and as often as possible) and minimal pain from the incisions. I have not had any issues with throwing up. I was back to exercising and back to work within a week. I would deem it a success. Please note: I'm only a month out. The most annoying the On-Q pump which i was grateful for in hindsight and the Lovenox shots (needle phobic).

Some people have other things in life that are more important than food and calories. Especially to the point of having them memorized. I haven't been a fan of carbs for about 15 years. I find that my body and my mind run better on very few carbs. I get my carbs in from veggies and the occasional sugar alternative and that is about it. I have never liked crackers, cold Cereal, Pasta or rice. I did love French fries and that is something I just have to remove from my diet and mind entirely, including sweet potatoes. I used to do atkins. I found keto a few years ago and I like running on healthy fats and grass fed/organic meat.

@@RNYDawn - I also have BCBS Fed and it was pretty quick, can you move your surgery date?

Sleeved on 11/23! Weight day of surgery 363. Weight today 315. Mostly normal foods by now. Struggling with getting enough Water (bc I let myself have coffee again). I feel like I'm not losing anymore. Anyone in or want to start a November sleepers fb group? Edit: I read further and saw the group. I am much more active on fb than I am on here. Anyone mind if I join?

I would love to join the group! I'm not telling a lot of people about my sleeve tho. If I become a page member will my other friends see that I became a member of the page Sent from my HTC6525LVW using Tapatalk They will not I believe bc it is a closed group and no one on my friends list can see I'm in the group as I also am not telling anyone but a very select few.

Thanks. I did see the web site but if you look closer, it doesn't actually give specifics. I did call BC/BS and they weren't much help since I am not in their system yet. My doc thinks I will be OK, and it appears the criteria is pretty much the same at AETNA. Fingers crossed.

I apologize if this is the wrong area to post, please point me in the right direction if there's a better one. I've completed all my requirements for sleeve surgery under AETNA. The doc was ready to go ahead with my paperwork for pre-authorization, when my husband quit his job and started a new one. New insurance is Capitol BC/BS of Harrisburg. I know they cover bariatric surgery, but for the life of me, I cannot find the exact requirements. Our new insurance doesn't kick in until he's at the job for a month, so that will be Feb. 11. I am trying to decide if I should just pay another month of COBRA and get the surgery done under AETNA, or wait until Feb. 11 and try to get approved with the new insurance. I hate to have to start all over again. I am a mess with this decision. My fear is that the new insurance will make me wait another 3 months or so. I only had to do 3 months with AETNA. Thanks!

I have Horizon BC/BS. Initial BMI was 45.35. BMI at time of approval was 41.6. I had high blood pressure and GERD as co-morbidities. However, the guideline was BMI of 35 and less needed a co-morbitity and anything over 35 did not. The BMI was based on the date I entered the program not on the day of surgery. They want to encourage you to loose weight during the 6 month pre-approval diet. My program submitted the medicals to BC/BS on a Tues morning and I had approval on Friday afternoon. I worked with an Optum bariatric case manager during the whole pre-op.

YES! Pre-op I was told there would be changes and to prepare for them. My biggest fears were I would grieve the loss of my relationship with food, and that I would be HUNGRY. Well I wasn't hungry at all, not even yet. The only thing I struggle with is keeping on track for my supplements. So I got a smart phone to remind me. I also got a new computer, a new car and I am seeking a new job. I have been purging my house and I no longer have time for other peoples BS. I took my first yoga class and I liked it. I joined SNAP fittness. I order Protein shakes from unjury and bodybuilding.com Life is great. My one regret is that I waited so long.

Thanks so much for the info and push. Im definitely ready to go forward and do whatever I need to. Unfortunately, im having a hard time convincing my surgeons office that BS/CA no longer required the 6 month pre-op diet. Matter fact, they are saying that it has been raised to 12 months for many.

Yes.. My taste buds have changed. Only 11 days post op and I actually like cream of tomato soup. I would never eat it before even when I fed it to the kids. My oldest is 22 and she thinks it hilarious that I like it now.

The repair took about two hrs according to my husband who apparently was pacing the waiting room ha ha. Honestly though the pain I was in after the 1st surgery was horrible. I was in so much pain, couldn't walk, barely move and we thought it was bc I was just a baby. After praying for God to give us a sign on what to do my fever spiked and we knew to go to the ER. After the second I was up walking around. It was AMAZING!!! A total 180

I had my surgery a little over two years ago, and did really well in the first 6 - 8 months, losing around 65 lbs. Since then, I injured my ankle, quit working, all while completing my BS degree to become a teacher. Now the little bit I lost (which was no where the amount I was shooting for) is starting to creep back up and I'm becoming deeply depressed that I got this great gift and I'm a complete failure at it! I was limited in my exercise due to my injury and the eating habits, even though the amount was limited, was going in the wrong direction. Is there anyone who may have been in this case that has been able to bring themselves out of the depths again whom I can talk to??? I know the fault is mine and I'm having a hard time with motivation and feel like that there is just no use anymore!

I had a temp of 101.5 and went to the er. They completed a ct scan and it showed I might have one so my Dr went back in and it looked like at one point a I had a microscopic leak and my body repaired it. When my body did that it created a small pocket of bacteria so my Dr cleaned that up and put in two drains and a feeding tube (to my old stomach). Needless to say I've been to hell and back lol. However, despite complications (which anyone has a chance of) I wouldn't change it. God has healed me and is con't to do so :-) I'm off of my feeding tube. I still have it in, for the next four weeks bc my stomach has to heal around it before it can be pulled. I got my last drain out last week. I hope this doesn't scare anyone but seriously I wouldn't change it. I knew the risks going in but of course didn't think they'd happen to me but they did and I had/have an amazing Dr. who has taken wonderful care of me. As for liquids, I'm trying so hard. I literally sip all day and I'm having hard time getting 64oz in. I usually get my Protein in but today I can't stomach the shakes.

I'm doing really terrible. This morning my weight dropped again to 116. Boost makes me dump crazy bad. Yesterday I ate a banana, sushi, salad, steak taco, cheese, fried calamari, and a second steak taco. But my calories only came to 1600 at the end of the day. And I lost more weight. My insurance changed and I lost my eating disorder therapist. She wasn't helping me anyway. And I'm not TRYING to lose weight. Clearly I'm eating! Anorexics don't eat like this. I need a dietician and I'm looking for one that can work with me. The main problems are the restriction I have in my sleeve, lack of appetite, and a very fast metabolism. It may have something to do with me being overweight for only 5 years. Before I gained weight during pregnancy I was extremely fit and muscular. I still am even without exercise. What could be going on is some hyper metabolism. I guess when weight gets very low after a period of starvation, the metabolism actually speeds up super fast when eating begins again. This is why it's so difficult for anorexics to gain weight even in treatment. I'm not sure if I'm having that or not but I am getting night sweats which is a symptom. I didn't think my weight low enough to have this going on. Maybe I'm wrong. Anorexics in treatment are fed about 3000-4000 a day. There's no way I can do that. Things aren't good right now. I'm just not sure what to do next. I just want this to be okay and my weight to maintain. My energy level is very good and I feel good... But I'm looking a bit scary

I can't really add much here that already hasn't been said about the pre-op hurdles. I grew really frustrated with them ultimately gave up on my insurance and self-funded the surgery. This cut through all the BS and I only had to wait a couple more weeks. I was in a hurry to get the weight off to take stress off a herniated disc and for other health reasons. Looking back....my only regret was not doing all this sooner. Inquire about your bariatric center's self pay options. You may be pleasantly surprised at what you find out. I approached the whole experience with one thought in mind....my goal was to lose weight....not just lay around and wait for the surgery to do it for me. I was able to get 55 lbs off before surgery. I should have tried harder. I got hung up with having "food funerals" savoring things for the "last time". I initially thought I was going to have a gastric bypass and the thought of the dumping syndrome fueled my desire to enjoy sugary junk food too much when I should have been losing more than that first 55 lbs. Ironically, I went on to have a sleeve....not a bypass. I could still have all that sugary junk food right now without any dumping so all those food funerals were simply stupid wasted opportunities to lose.....lose.....lose. I have no desire to eat that crap though and am very pleased with the sleeve. All the scary issues I had brewing have been resolved and the minor stuff is slowly easing off. I can't stress how much better I feel every single minute of every single day. I congratulate you on making the weight loss surgery decision. It took me over a decade to get behind it. Once I did....I fully embraced it and my life is better for doing so. The surgery requires you to change your way of thinking. This is key to your success. The first thing you have to do is change your relationship with food. Sounds like a bunch of hokey bs, right ?.......it's 100% true, though. No surgery can benefit you if you don't fix your head first. Get your thinking straightened out and everything else will unfold with ease as you march toward your surgery date and life beyond. You have to eat in order to fuel your body. You don't have to eat for any other reason. Use the time ahead of you to get your mind wrapped around that concept. If you stick with insurance funding the surgery then I highly encourage you to have frequent check ins with your insurance companies bariatric admins. Make them tell you what you need to do and make sure they receive all the documentation required. You may also be able to get credit for some of the 6 month if you can get your doctor to document you were counseled on you weight at various office visits over the past 2 years. Ask the admin and see. It sure can't hurt. Good luck and push yourself hard.

I have had the balloon for 10 days now and I didn't have many side effects except feeling low in energy. Since I didn't have nausea I got to go to solid foods within a week. I'm disappointed bc I have been tracking my food and have only lost 2 pounds. I think I'm rare and my body holds on to a lot. My doctor said to give it time and if by a month I haven't lost much then they will put me on weight loss medicine as well. So far I am not sold on it, but I'm going to give it time. You should feel good soon and it gets more comfortable. Once you can eat protein you won't feel as weak.

Thanks for answering and the advice. I think I've been doing this at night because it's stress. My family stresses me out ! At night the kids unload all of their days problems and then my husband has his turn. It's hard, I end up becoming the sponge that takes in all of their stress but then I am stressed ! Also my husband is a very picky eater and often is dissatisfied with the dinner I"ve prepared. That stresses me to no end bc once I've put in the effort I don't want to have to make a second meal! I'm going to have to speak to him about it, but it always gets heated so I avoid the issue bc I don't want the angst. These issues have been an ongoing for me with other weight loss efforts and so far I haven't found a good solution. So as soon as I get stressed, I run to the food and that's how I ended up here. I badly want to break the cycle but I need a solution that works. For now, I am going to get a food journal and keep it in the kitchen. Also, I'm going to limit my eating to the table, sitting down, with silver ware. I think that is a great strategy to start with. I want to change my sabotaging habits and I want to get healthier.

@@Lina123 Girl...there is no way, if I could go back, that I would ever choose again to do the revision. The doctor can't possibly know exactly how much weight you'll lose, everyone is different. I got down to 118 pounds myself...way TOO LOW! I've been on TPN (fed thru a central line in my chest) and thru a feeding tube for months now to gain weight back. I've been extremely malnourished and it was my life-line. I take all kinds of medicine and vitamins and supplements just to get by. Please do all the research and try all kinds of GERD medicines before you commit to a revision. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask. Also there is a Facebook page called Gastric Bypass Complications that might be able to answer some too.