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Omg I had it the same day and had no idea the pain would be so bad. I ended up calling my Dr and telling him that 6 hrs between doses of pain mediation was not working bc then I was chasing the pain. He said he didn't want me to be in pain so take every 4 hrs as needed. That has really helped. Also even though it hurts try to move. I also have a small hard pillow they gave me at the hospital and I hold it against my incision sight and it helps a ton. But gosh coughing is by far one of the pains I wish would go away. Today was my first day to go 7.5 hrs with out pain medication and so I'm pretty happy. Hopefully you'll be feeling better soon.

Victoria BC Facebook Support Group for anyone interested in bariatric surgery or who has had it through The Royal Jubilee Hospital Bariatric Program. Private Group 'Victoria Bariatrics'

Still new to the group. Got approved yesturday.. And surgery is literally next wed Dec 23. Im stoked!! Met with my surgeon today. Hes pretty cute and confident. I need help...started liquid diet yesturday with Protein shakes...doc said he used to recomend optima fast..aka slim fast...now the hospital recommends batiatric advantage bc its lower cost. Thoughts?

Four months out??!! How exciting!! How are you doing? Feeling? I definitely had to talk my husband into letting me go to Mexico. I don't even tell me I'm going to Mexico anymore bc they all have the same reaction...WHAT??! YOUR GOING TO DIE IN MEXICO. LOL

Energy can be pretty low in that time frame so be sure you are prepared to care deeply for yourself, even at work. Make sure you have all the fluid and mushies intake you need as often as you need to keep your energy stable. If it's physically strenuous you might have a tougher time Bc your caloric intake is so low and your body will be delegating its resources to healing your stomach and incisions, and flushing out fat and drugs from the hospital.

Hello Pokeyvenus,well done for your weight loss so far!!!,I've got my op-sleeve in January 8th,just can't wait!!!,I've got only6-7st to lose,but can't lose them!!!!So fed up with the diets!!!!!!!On NHS I wouldnt get it because I. Not fat enough,so I'm paying for it,going to have it done in Prague.Just can't wait when it over and I will be slim!!!!!!How is your family and your friends dealing with your decision,that u had it done???ive just told only my best friend and my boyfriend.Im scared that my work colleagues will be jealous!

I have the sleeve, but a friend of mine has the gastric bypass. She told me she chose the gastric bypass Bc her dr told her if she doesn't like it she can have it reversed. Is that true??? My dr told me sleeve and bypass were permanent and non-reversible. Has anyone else been told they could have it reversed if they don't like it?

It has been one hell of a ride, trying to get this authorization approved!!! Thank god for the insurance coordinator at my surgeons office. She worked her ass off to get this approved. It was denied so many times for BS reasons and this was our last chance before I had to personally appeal with my insurance.problem with that? My surgery is on Thursday. I almost gave up and ate food this past weekend since I didn't expect it to be approved. Thank god for my mom, she talked me off the ledge. Wake up this morning to a call from the insurance coordinator and ITS APPROVED!!!!!! I go for my pre admission testing first thing in the morning and Thursday I finally start my journey with my new stomach! I'm down 15 lbs from the pre op diet and I was devastated that it wAs all going to end because my insurance were being disgusting. I am so happy I could cry !!!!! So Thursday is my dayy!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!

Starting to have 2nd thoughts--surgery is one week away! From October at my heaviest I've lost only 13lbs. One week of preop diet and I'm only down 8lbs. I've seen others have massive losses during preop time. I think this is why I decided to do this bc I can't typically lose on just diet and exercise alone but what if I go through all of this and still don't lose the 100+lbs my surgeon says I will.....??

I am a slow loser also ...... On average I only loose 2 lbs per week. I have to be honest I totally thought I was gettin the 60-80 grams of Protein and when I really started to keep better track I wasn't. Also I stopped taking my chewable Vitamins bc they no lie made me get sick everytime. Once I got new non-chewable vitamins and watched my protein and Water content the scale started to move. I know they say to stay off the scale but I do get on every morning on e a day. Also my nut has me doing weight training at the gym help burn calories after your finished unlike cardio

I have blue cross blue shield fed bmi 37. With sleep apnea, high blood pressure and 2 year history. Approval came in 2 days. Surgery date 12/22.

Thanks for replying so quickly. I figured out how to enter more info :-) My Ortho surgeon wanted me to wait and do knee replacement surgery after WLS and weight loss. Since my approval process with BC/BS Kansas took almost 2 years, he finally did my left knee 9/15. I think the scathing letter he wrote to BC helped me get approval. I've been on the Nsaid to deal with the RA pain and won't have my right knee replaced until April 2016. After that my ability to take more than short walks should improve. I was just shocked at the overall body stiffness and pain I've encountered since going off my meds pre surgery. Like the 600 calorie liquid pre op diet not even bothering me in comparison! Luckily I'm retired and can make recovery and following the plan my full time job. I was just hoping someone had found a short term solution that would work till the excess weight comes off.

Not pregnant but wanted to offer a few products I know of that are not gmo and/or, organic: Naked whey grass fed Undenatured whey Protein Dr Axe Collegen Protein and Healing Protein Phood plant based high Protein powder Best of luck!

Uh ... ten pounds weight loss a month is not untypical of "lighter weight" WLS patients. Several months pre-op I weighed 235 pounds. On the day of surgery I weighed 216 pounds and lost around 10 pounds a month the first 4 months. Then the monthly weight losses slowed down. Still, I still hit my target weight of 150 at 8.5 months post-op. In the next 6 months I lost 12 more pounds. I'm now maintaining at 138 pounds. I had a very similar experience. Fed myself really well, (as much as a my weight loss would bear and I could comfortably hold), exercised regularly, (still do), and slowly lost 90ish pounds at about 10 pounds\month (the first 10 were pre-op) achieving goal at about 9 months. Been maintaining that for a year and 1/2 now within about 5 pounds. I think that's a fine\healthy goal, particularly if your final goal is at or below a 100 pound loss. I was shooting for slow and steady with as high an intake as I could muster to try and reset my metabolism in a really manageable place long term. Today, I maintain on between 1200-1500 calories per day which is very doable with a "tiny tummy" without feeling like I'm on a "diet" all the time.

@@tera1982 thank God I'm not having any issues with my intake but I tell you this sleeve is like a baby.....it wants to be fed and burped (walking). I was awake at 3am feeding on some sugar free jello which helped calm the growling. I'm just praying and hoping that we are free of all complications. Not to mention I have a drain that won't get removed until next Wednesday and that area is causing me discomfort. I believe after I get the drain removed I will feel like a new woman. Are you taking your pain meds?

Before my sleeve surgery, my A1C was 5.8, managed my BS with Metformin 3xday, exercise and food choices. I also had HBP, fatty liver, sleep apnea/hypopnea (the hypopnea being the bigger problem for me). Weight loss goal was to lose 100 lbs. after surgery. My PCP and surgeon both strongly recommended bypass, but after much consideration, research and conversation with others I know who have had WLS, I decided that the sleeve made the most sense to me for me. I have been very pleased with my decision. Pre-surgery I had to stop several medications in preparation for the surgery. After surgery I never went back on the Metformin or BP medication. Besides supplements, the only medication added after 9 mos. post-surgery has been for triglycerides. Even with the weight loss, much increased physical activity, and changes in food choices, etc., my triglycerides remained just barely above the recommended maximum. Medication has improved that considerably. One year post-surgery my A1C is 5.2, BP is in a more normal range and I did not restart BP meds post-surgery; and after meeting with a liver specialist, he told me he felt the fatty liver issue would resolve with continued weight loss. The liver biopsy showed no cirrhosis and other markers he looked at did not cause him concern. Having the sleeve did help me be more successful with all the lifestyle changes needed to lose weight and keep it off because my new tummy just doesn't hold much food - about 2/3 of a cup; anything more than that and I can become pretty miserable very quickly. However, it still takes a lot of work to lose weight and to avoid letting old bad habits creep back in. I have been on a plateau for about 5 months now and am still about 40 lbs. from goal. I am not discouraged or frustrated at this point. I just keep doing what I know I'm supposed to be doing although I do make the occasional poor choice in either food or quantity. I'm very glad I had the surgery. There's nothing magic about it; you still have to do the work; it is an excellent tool for making some great weight loss progress quickly. One thing I did before I actually committed to having the surgery was to replace my Breakfast and lunch with an unjury Protein powder shake or the Unjury chicken Soup powder. After doing that for about 2 weeks I noticed that I did not crave carbs like I did prior to starting with the Unjury. It's a great product and I recommend it highly!! I ordered it online directly from Unjury so I could get free shipping. Because the sleeve is restrictive in nature, the only way I can get the recommended grams of protein each day (100) is to have at least one serving of Unjury either as a Meal Replacement or snack. You may want to give it a try. Unjury also has a dietitian available to talk to any time. (No I don't get paid to endorse their product I just think it's that good.) Good luck on your journey!!!

Hello! Iam 12yrs post op gastric bypass surgery at 58yrs young! My advice to avoid bowel problems is to stay away from sugar, sweet dairy products and fried foods!! Drink plenty of Water or green tea, hot or cold throughout the day. Make sure you eat enough proteinto a least equal 60 grams daily and eat at least 3 quality meals daily. Try to eat something within 1 hr. after getting up in the AM. I 've always had problematic anemia, so I try to eat a good rounded diet. I know if I follow this advise I share with you,I would not struggle with the dreaded dumping syndrome or live my life now around bowel issues which I pretty much create and struggle with weekly,Choosing to eat good foods post BS gastric bypass surgery Is very important for bowel health! My bowel problem is ............. I belive that my colon never emptys fully. However it is not diarrhea but not solid either. I deal with seepage quite often. soif you feel you have to go, go as soon as you feel it. If any one has any different advise on this, please reply Hope all is well with you and your journey simplifies life with healthy healing! I also state, I use Miralax to no avail. lol Be strong and stay wise!!!! pre op GBS weight 311lbs today at 235 and bounce that 5lb loss/gain monthly. But I consider myself lucky to have not gained anymore.I am consciencely aware it could happen too easily, so that helps! xxoo

OH, I have put all.....well most of my past in the past. I have learned to eat correctly.....or better. When I fail, I take the blame for it myself. No one persons influence to eat a block of cheese is stronger than my own. Granted, I am unable to eat a block of cheese these days and have little desire to do so but at least I know why I DID have and worked fairly hard at NOT doing that anymore. I had the classic Food=Happiness issues from childhood. My parents didn't fight when we went somewhere to, usually grandmothers. Here I was fed and loved. On Sunday nights we all watched TV together and ate junk foods. It was pleasant. Very little fighting and we felt loved. This Pavlovian conditioning did wonders to me. Feed the stress. Lonely? pizza will cure that. Happiness might be at the bottom of that sack of tacos. Break up? Go to the buffet. Take three plates and call me in the morning.

Thank you for your comment. My husband will be 65 in April so he will be eligible for Medicare. If Medicare was primary, didn't they have to approve your surgery as well? Since I am 'only' 55, he needs to keep FEHB to keep me insured. He would then have two premiums, MC and BCBS which I am thinking would be a little pricey for us right now. One other thing, do you have BCBS Fed basic or standard? Thanks

Hi everyone. I have been 'lurking' in the background reading up on all the insurance posts, especially this thread as it deals primarily with Fed BCBS. My husband is retired Federal employee and right now we have APWU (Cigna) which we picked as it was the least expensive of all our choices. However, my husband (and I) would like to get bariatric surgery and he had his first appt to discuss his options. The coordinator who handles all the precert said that BCBS Fed is the best for bariatric surgery. Therefore, I am trying to decide if we should dump Cigna and switch to BCBS Fed. and if so, should we choose the Basic or Standard plan? OMG, I'm about to have a panic attack over all this! Basic is less expensive than Standard, but it seems that the plans are pretty much the same, other than coinsurance and deductible amounts. Time is running out and I must make a decision soon. I sincerely appreciate any help you all can give me.

Hi everyone. I have been 'lurking' in the background reading up on all the insurance posts, especially regarding Fed BCBS. My husband is retired Federal employee and right now we have APWU (Cigna) which we picked as it was the least expensive of all our choices. However, my husband (and I) would like to get bariatric surgery and he had his first appt to discuss his options. The coordinator who handles all the precert said that BCBS Fed is the best for bariatric surgery. Therefore, I am trying to decide if we should dump Cigna and switch to BCBS Fed. and if so, should we choose the Basic or Standard plan? OMG, I'm about to have a panic attack over all this! Basic is less expensive than Standard, but it seems that the plans are pretty much the same, other than coinsurance and deductible amounts. Time is running out and I must make a decision soon. I sincerely appreciate any help you all can give me.

I have thought a lot about why I am fat and how I got fat and so on and so on and it really comes down to this. Yes... I was born a poor white child.....not on assistance but very close. My parents had all they could do to keep us fed and clothed. Being poor was probably what saved me from being fat as a kid and teenager. The parents did control what was in the house to eat and I had no money to sneak and buy crap. However they had no control of me once I got knocked up and married at 17. From that minute on I was the one that got to decide what food went into my mouth and usually I picked anything that was sweet and carby. I was a kid. My hubby and I were poor too but instead of making money saving good choices. I generally chose to shove candy and crap into my mouth. Then I whined and cried about being fat. Over a period of 25 years I went form 127 to 325. I have lost the same 100 lbs at least 6 times and the failure is always mine. I guess if I blame anyone for my failure it is the advertising world because you can't watch tv, read a magazine or drive the streets without being accosted by some luscious looking high fat item that is easily affordable and leaves me hungry 2 hours later. I have been on a somewhat low carb diet now for 6 months and even though I know how to eat there are days that I think of food to much of the time and mostly bad food. In the end, the choice is mine. I am now 62 and fat and worried about being a burden on my husband and children. I want to be healthier and I can't be that and be 300 lbs. I have to do something and I am hoping this gastric sleeve will be my back up on my weak days.

I think what I am trying to avoid is spending my whole self-learning adventure into a "mommy, Daddy and Aunt Peggy fed me" issue instead of simply saying "I got fat because I ate garbage and too much of it". It seems like society wants us to do that. I think, in my humble if not misguided opinion, that I will or could do better by claiming responsibility for my girth. Was I taught the wrong eating habits? Do I eat because happiness has got to be the main ingredient in a lasagna? Heck yeah! I also need to face that (which I think I am) and fight it. And also face the fact that no matter how far I come, I still have to learn more. I am currently working with someone who is teaching me to feed the psychology properly and is doing great things to keep me from eating my past.

It has made me who I am today. I hope it has made me caring, compassionate, kind, slow to judgement, forgiving, and much more. It also has given me a highly developed BS meter!

So my insurance has had my auth info since the Tuesday before thanksgiving. Obviously they were closed thanksgiving day and the day after. so all last week I called for an update bc I was scheduled to start my liquid diet this past Thursday. Every day I was told to call back the next day and the next, by Friday I snapped. I started the liquid diet anyway so I won't have to push my date back just in case it takes awhile for approval. My out of pocket max is met for the year so as long as I get it done before Jan 1 I am covered 100% and I don't want to cut any closer than December 17th. If I call tomorrow and there still isn't an answer it is going to be hell for them. I am grumpy as it is because I miss solid food and I have no idea if I am doing this for no reason or not. Sorry I needed to vent Also, did any of you get light headed and have headaches the first couple of days of your liquid diet. My head has been pounding, and coincidently I just had neck surgery to fix and issue that was causing headaches so I just want to make sure it's the diet and not and Issue with the other surgery!