Howdy folks.

I hope all are doing well today.

I've had a lot of activity leading up to today and now it slows down for a short while.

I had my pre-op with my surgeon yesterday, pre-op with the hospital yesterday and my EGD this morning and it went really smoothly.

Seems like it's been a whirlwind of activity.......checklist items completed.....one after another after another. NUT, Physche evals, appointments, workshops, education and etc.

Now I'm done with all that and can relax. I started my 14 days of liquid diet this morning after the EGD. I can tell it's going to suck.....but, that's just part of it. The NUT guideline says I can have 5 Protein shakes per day (from the approved list of protein powders and ready-made shakes), however my surgeon is sticking to his guns.....he says only 3.

I've lost 40 pounds since deciding to do the surgery......it wouldn't surprise me to lose 20 more during this next two weeks.

The whole time I was seeing my first surgeon it was a foregone conclusion that I would have bypass (my choice). I chose this thinking it would offer the most benefit long term and I'd make biggest changes with it. He supported it.

As things progressed...and my insurance really started to present delays and roadblocks.....I switched over to the other local option. It's another bariatric center.....a center of excellence and is much larger than that previous program I was in.

More insurance delays after switching over the center of excellence finally made me made enough to tell them to piss off. I self funded the procedure and things began moving at a very fast pace. I'd completed 2 of my required 6 months diet when I made this decision. I'm able to have the surgery in the 4th month vs waiting what was actually going to most likely take several months more.

My employer is dropping our current insurance provider and doing open enrollment now for our new provider.....things were being delayed to the point where I could see my late December surgery being pushed back well into next year.....new deductibles to meet with a new provider to work with........arggghhhhhh. At best they were going to pay only 50%. The decision to self fund actually was cheaper for me in the long run. Crazy, insane scenario but a testament to the games played by insurance companies.

Anyway.....the new surgeon has been good. He's been upfront and consistent in his message from the first time I met with him.

He's sees my very pronounced umbilical hernia and knows that is going to be a large repair to work around. Today he also found the hiatal hernia that he's repairing at the same time.

He's concerned over my high bmi and doing the bypass at this point. He said it could be very tight having to pull it far up to reconnect it. He reserves the right to make a decision once inside to go with the sleeve after looking around and evaluating. He's done many of these and I trust his judgement. If it's not safe, then its just not safe.

The options were for me to delay the surgery and keep dieting for a couple more months and burn off some of the internal fat to provide more room........or do the sleeve now.

He maintains that he's seen equal effectiveness with each procedure in terms of weight loss in his 8 years of practice.

He also is aware of my poor knees and back injury situation and prior surgeries as well as the fact that nsaids are a source of relief for me.

I don't have reflux trouble.

There were other reasons he went into as well that everything in his opinion was pointing me towards having a sleeve not bypass.

So......after a long night staying up reading, studying, evaluating......I told him this morning that a sleeve was what I wanted to do.

Ordered my Vitamins, Iron, B12, D, Protein powder and Calcium. I know what I'll be taking to the hospital. Have my script for post-op pain meds. Recliner and extra pillows for the bed are ready....

A couple more weeks.....

It Whey Shots i got off Amazon. Is anyone else using the whey shots?

@@Dub Omg...You're descriptive experiences are truly entertaining.

@@Dub Omg...You're descriptive experiences are truly entertaining.

Thanks. Through the last couple years the ability to laugh at some grim stuff has been a relief.

I'm really looking forward to working through the next year or two and getting dialed into life at goal weight.

I agree, and when you have sets backs you don't over stress yourself... it'll just make matters worse. That's why I thought your Chick-fil-a story was so halarious. You just own up to it, bragged about how great it was....which Chick-fil-a is amazing ...and got back to business.

How are you feeling @@Dub? I saw that you also had an October 13th surgery date. Hope all went well.

Edited October 14, 201510 yr by julbel721

How are you feeling @@Dub? I saw that you also had an October 13th surgery date. Hope all went well.

Doing really well, thanks.

My only pain is from an abdominal hernia that he repaired

It's only a problem when I sit up and get out of the bed

Been walking a few times

Nothing as far as gas pain

I feel really good, actually. Just sleepy from the meds and from being woken up every few minutes last night.

Toradol injections have helped tremendously with swelling and my herniated disc.

Wish I could have this for the trip home later today.

So glad to hear you are doing well! Keep us posted!

Glad to hear the surgery went well.

@@Dub HEY! You're on the other losers bench!! So glad to hear you are doing so well!!

Dub, you did it!

Good man.

Onward and downward.

Good luck with post-op life!!

@@Dub congrats on your surgery

Thank you, everyone.

It's going great.

I've had 50 oz Water and two Protein shakes thus far today. The powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury chocolate mixes a little thin compared to others and that is exactly what I want right now.

Going to get up and mix another shake soon.

Standing up is getting easier and easier the more I do it. The hernia pain is no longer a shooting-tugging pain when I stand. Everything is well. Overall body soreness was expected and has been less than anticipated. Abdominal swelling is decreasing, too.

I was told to wait until Friday (tomorrow) to get in the shower. I'm really looking forward to this bigtime.

I have zero regrets about anything related to the surgery.....only that I wished I done it sooner.

Going to keep on keeping on through the weekend and go see the magician-surgeon on Monday.

I just got off the phone with my sister and was able to solidify our travel plans for the upcoming Holidays. We even discussed some family beach visits for the Summer. My employer is generous on vacation allowed (been with them 20 years now) and I hope to use some for legitimate vacation time next year vs using it all for sickness-injury this year and last year. Life is getting ready to get fun at all new levels.

I'm extremely grateful for everything and a huge fan of this site and the wonderful people that post here. You all have been a valuable resource throughout the last several months. We certainly have some unique interests and challenges to face, but we don't have to do so alone. That is powerful.

Glad to here everything is going well, I met my surgeon today and plan is for surgery end of December, I'm thinking ahead about a beach vacation next summer and I completely relate to taking time off for good things instead of using all my time for illness and such. Take care.

Glad to here everything is going well, I met my surgeon today and plan is for surgery end of December, I'm thinking ahead about a beach vacation next summer and I completely relate to taking time off for good things instead of using all my time for illness and such. Take care.

Thank you.

That's awesome that you'll be having yours prior to the end of the year. The time between now and then will pass very quickly.