I noticed a few July folks posting on other threads and thought there might be enough of us to start our own thread (rather than hijacking whatever threads we find with a July surgery in them) - so I invite anyone with a July surgery to post their story here so we can support each other and share our experiences.

I'm C and my surgery is scheduled with Dr. Aceves on 15 July. I'm 29 and married to an Army man - we're currently stationed in Germany. We have two year old boy/girl twins. I'm choosing to self-pay because Tricare does not currently cover VSG and none of the overseas military facilities do the procedure at this time. To complicate matters, our next assignment is (as of right now) in Yerevan, Armenia. Getting this surgery in a remote location like Armenia isn't even a possibility. I'm not willing to wait more than two more years for this surgery.

I started my research in the summer of 2008 when my doctor diagnosed me with Type II (I developed gestational diabetes with my twin pregnancy and it stuck around afterward) and suggested the band. After much research I decided the sleeve best suits my needs.

I'm 5'1" (and some change), 240 pounds and I would be happy with any weight under 160 pounds. I haven't weighed less than that in more than ten years and I have been plus-sized since high school.

Please, hop in and share your own stories so I can share this journey with others instead of doing it alone! If I am successful my mom would like to have the surgery, too, but she's very nervous because she has never had surgery before.

~C

Hey everyone! I'd say hi to everyone personally but I am so busy right now I don't have time for anything but a quick hello. Four of my stepkids are visiting us for the summer (we live in Germany) and it's been nonstop for me since they showed up a month ago. Unlike the other posters who have a hard time thinking about anything but the surgery, I've been running around so much I couldn't believe it when I saw the calendar today. Time is just flying by, and I feel totally unprepared!

If it's not too much to ask, can the 15 July folks going to Dr. Aceves PM me? We can connect and compare. My husband is not going to be able to accompany me, so I'll be alone on my trip.

I'm glad everyone is doing well and I can't wait to read about the experiences of the folks getting sleeved in the next two weeks.

Take care all - when things calm down around here I'll try to drop in and get to know everyone better. Life with six kids in the house is NUTS.

~Cheri

I am tentatively scheduled for surgery on July 13th here in New York. Just awaiting final approval from Aetna, which I hope to have within the next few days.

Looking forward to getting this done and sharing the details of a quick and uneventful recovery with all of you!

Brian

My surgery is set for July 7th with Dr. Lemasters in Des Moines Iowa. I am very excited to finally have a date set and be able to start my journey of feeling better and being more healthy. I have been over weight most of my life but was diagnoised 6 years ago with type II. Recently I was put on insulin and that was one of my deciding factors that I really needed to check into the surgery and do some research. I felt after talking with Dr LeMasters that the vertical sleeve was my best option.

I would love to hear from others and share each other's

experiences.

HELLOOO Kim! I am also in Des Moines and gettin sleeved July 13th @ Mercy with Dr. Cahalan.

Well just wanted to say "Hi" we Iowans are few and far between...

Hope you are staying dry and cool! :thumbup1:

Hi Folks...I'm Baack

Went for my cadio stress test today and the doctor says he'll give me a letter of okay for Dr. Alverez.

July 2nd is coming fast and I've been on my pre-op diet for 21 days. I started a week earlier then I had to in case there were issues. There weren't and while tracking my foods on "Fitday" Great program by the way and free on the web. "www.fitday.com" It appears I was eating anywhere from 400 to 600 cal/day and I wasn't eating the furniture or dogs either. I guess I'm just lucky.

Well on June 1st I weighed in at 320 and today when I scaled out I was 290.2. I might be able to drop another 5 before I go.

As for my wife coming with me. Well, she didn't have a passport and when she tried to get one they said she needed a certified birth certificate so that started the scramble. 45 bucks to get some agency to request the birth certificate for her since we no longer live in the same state. We finally get that on the 16th of this month and now it's a scramble to get the passport within the next 2 weeks. Another 129 bucks to another agency to fast track things and the court here didn't seal the envelope properly to make it tamper proof. Things have to be sent overnight express back to us and then redone and overnight back to the agency, another 50 bucks for Fed-Ex. 135 bucks for the passport, and 25 dollars for the court. (they didn't make us pay the second time...big of them,since it was their fault) And she got an email today saying her passport should arrive by the 25th, in time for the trip. So all in all her passport cost 135+45+129+25+50 = $384 dollars. This after I asked her to get her passport over a year ago so we could do some traveling.

Oh well, she's got it so I can cancel her 3 extra hotel nights in San Antonio since she'll get to spend them with me now.

Well gotta go, but glad to see everyone is excited about July. Hope everyone gets just what they need.

Ron

mjeancha86

If you take your powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored and put it in a bottle of Crystal light drink you won't ever know it's there. Their chicken Soup is great just remember to keep the Water temp below 130 to dissolve the soup. If it's higher it will clump

Edited June 23, 201016 yr by grady691

m.jeancha-

I know what you mean about the Protein shakes, I have never been a fan of slim-fast or cambridge or any of those diet shakes, I think it is a texture thing for me. I also know how necessary it is to get that protein in, so I am going to have to figure out some way to make it work. I was in Bed, Bath and Beyond one day and was looking at the Magic Bullet. It is a small blender that looks like it would do a good job of whipping up these shakes, plus the container you blend it in has a handle on it and you can just unscrew it from the base and drink out of that, I think I am going to buy one and experiment a little with the shakes before my surgery

Kathy, go for the Ninja blender. It's the same price as the bullet at Sam's Club and the thing is awesome. You get a lot more attachments as well. In my humble opinion

we have a magic bullet... I love it for ease of use. It is not a high powered blender but I knew that when I bought it.. heh It works great for smoothies and ice coffee. I know after the surgery it will be useful for making shakes or soups. The thing I like the most about it is the different size containers and tops. Just make sure you do not screw the blender attachment on really tight..snug is fine but if you screw it on too tight you have a heck of a time getting it off again. heheh

Hello clk!

Looks like we're both having our surgery the day, with Dr. Aceves! My husband is coming with me...and I'm so excited. Just got the pre-op diet, looks okay. I'm just confirming flights ect, and then I'll be all set!

I'm just a day before you, on July 14, in Federal Way, Washington, and I am SO excited. I keep bouncing around emotionally, though. Today I was irritable, and tonight I'm a little depressed after a phone conversation with my brother. I was going to tell him I'm getting surgery, and then he made a remark on something else entirely about people expecting to get health handed to them on a plate or by popping a pill, and I chickened out. Normally, I'm feisty and don't take crap from anyone, but this one, I just don't want confrontations. I'm sure that after surgery when I can point to my better health and appearance I'll be back to my feisty, snappy, stiff-backbone self.

Right now though, I just feel...tired. :thumbup1:

My surgery date was has been finalized to July 14th @ 9:00 am?Liquid diet starts next Wednesday June 30th.

I had vacation this week that really helped with scheduling all the pre test ? UGI, pulmonary, some test today ? don?t remember the name but it?s something about a tube up your nose..

And blood work.

Any tips on good protein shakes? For those of you that have already started your liquid diet - what is your normal routine?

I'm told I should be in the hospital at least 3 days - does that sound normal?

Lou

Hey Lou...

2 to 3 days seems normal as stated by most folks. As far as the shakes go, unjury seems to be about the best I've tried. The chocolate goes in my warm coffee to make a mocha coffee in the morning. The strawberry with skim milk is actually somewhat good. The unflavored is put into my Water bottle with crystal lite. I can't actually tell it's in there.

Ask your doctor if you can mix it up with some of the Protein bar as well. Mine recommended it so I'd have something to chew at least once a day. I started my pre-op on the first and clocked in at 320. Got on the scale this morning and weighed 287.4. If I thought I could do this alone I'd just keep doing what I'm doing but I know I couldn't keep this up more then a month or so.

Another place to try is www.smartforme.com Their little crunchies are killer. The rest of the stuff is good too.

Hope that helps ya out.

Ron

ps. I see you're from Sanford, a Cocoa man myself... worked in Mims for 23 years at Praxair Inc

Edited June 23, 201016 yr by grady691
More info

OK, my surgery is scheduled for August 2nd, which I figure is close enough to the end of July to post on here. I am 46 years old, 5'3" and weigh in at 235lbs. I have been this way my whole life, was a chubby kid, a fat teenager and college pushed me over the edge and I became an obese young adult. I have seesawed back and forth, but have never weighed under 190lbs, and kept it off. I too, am not even one bit nervous about the surgery. I know that this is the right thing for me to do!

I am looking forward to buying panties after the surgery. I know that sounds strange, but I have never owned a pair of cute panties in my life. Granny panties yes, but cute sexy panties....never!

I am thankful for this site. It really helps reading everyone's stories!!

Good luck with all of your July surgeries and please post soon after so we know how you are doing!

Diann

Does anyone know how to upload a file in an email. I have a PDF file 30 pages long that is full of shake recipes. I found it on another site and would share if I knew how.

Does anyone have an opinion on nectar whey Protein Isolate? I've been drinking that for over a year, and I like it a lot because it's fat-free and carb-free, and one scoop is 90 calories. Just not sure how it stacks up against unjury. I get mine from Amazon.com--free second-day shipping makes it a lot cheaper than even buying it from the local health food store. Oh yeah, and 23g of protein per scoop.

Anyway...opinions, anyone?

Edited June 24, 201016 yr by WildIris

Yaaaaaayyy!!! I got my flight intenerary today!!!! I can't wait for July 15th to get here!!!