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Jacksonville, Florida



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Hi & welcome Tina! I am right behind you in the surgery, mine is scheduled for Apr 24th... Did you just get approval from insurance too? My final appt was Mar 12... Did anyone else find the group appointment kind of surprising? I didnt know it was a group appt till I was told to sit down in the room with everyone else.. LOL

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Hi KB, No I'm self pay here.I wish i had insurance to cover it but I took out a loan w/ my bank.This is my new car! lol.I didn't have a group meeting .Tomarrow a 9am I have an appt. not sure if it is that or not.I got to skip some steps since i didn't have to jump through insurance hoops.from my 1st appt. to my surgery date is about 2 mo.My pre-op appt is Apr 9th. I am starting the low carb thing today,boy is that one gonna be tough for a while ,but i can do it (fingers crossed)..

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Most of the pre-op meetings are done in groups. They are so busy they have to do it that way. It's kind of cool though because many times other people have asked questions that I had meant to ask or hadn't even thought about. Don't be embarrassed having your appt with others. All of you are in the same boat. If you have very personal questions you need to ask, Dr. Cywes or any of his staff will be happy to talk to you privately after the group meeting.

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uhhhh I just got the actual approval letter from Aetna & it says I am approved for the coverage date 4/11/08, and my surgery is scheduled for 4/24/08.... does that mean they need to change my surgery date to the 11th???

I am hoping you guys say yes..LOL

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Hey everyone,I had my appt. w/ Dr.C and it was a group meeting. It was pretty cool ,but he wasn't happy w/ us though.He said we could do better.Soooo here I am today gonna take off and start walking and I got outside my drive and stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle,what a bummer.Its starting to bruise a little but should be good in a couple days .Dr C's speech really got to me and made me want this even more.I like how he gets inside of u're head and makes u think different, as for me anyways. hope all has a good weekend and enjoy the sun!

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I also find that Dr. Cywes is very motivating. His group session with us was very motivating. There were three of us and he said he couldn't find anyone to pick on! LOL You probably got to see the liver pictures today too right? That is motivational in itself! There was a girl in our group that had a small notebook with several pages worth of questions. He took the time to answer every one of them and I am glad she asked them as her questions made me think of my own. I go back a week from today for my second fill. I can't wait!

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I haven't seen the liver pics yet .they said he'll show them at post op appt. So that will be on the 9th.Pretty eye opening huh? I am so ready for the 17th to get here.oh, and Katie, I like the low carb site that u posted.I saved it in faves.

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Hi Tina, sorry to hear about your ankle, is it feeling better? The 17th will be here before you know it.

I am so excited guys, after a year of ups and downs, I have finally slowly worked my way back up to restriction. I had a fill on Monday and feel like I am finally back at my sweet spot, I lost 4 pounds this week!! Yay me!

So, where are we at with getting together? I haven't heard anything in a bit and would sure love to get together with all of you.

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I am glad you like the link... now, if I could just get myself to follow it! ughhhh Been doing alot of stress eating... not good

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which doctor did you use in Mexico...I leave on Sunday for Monterrey for surgery with Dr. Zapata. I am planning on going to Orlando area to see Dr. Beltre - he will work with Mexico banded patients and his prices are reasonable.

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Thanks Karen and Sue for all that great advice to my posts...you gals are AWESOME!!! I haven't been to the site in a bit, since posting those cries for help, so thanks for responding so quickly! I've actually been doing alot better and have learned how to manage the "getting stuck" issue as well as the falling back to my old habits, your advice really helped. I go tomorrow for my 4th fill but not sure if I'll really need one cos' I'm doing pretty good right now. I've lost more weight and have broken the 300 mark - this morning I was at 298 - so I'm really happy cos' this was my first goal. Now I want to lose another 50 and then try to get pregnant cos' that is my 1st main goal! Oh also had a great NSV last week - got to get off my hbp meds and my cholesterol meds as well! So I'm super excited about all this, can't wait to share it with Cywes tomorrow! Anyway, hope we can all get together soon cos' I'd love to meet this awesome support group! Much love and success to all! KKG

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Hi Tina, sorry to hear about your ankle, is it feeling better? The 17th will be here before you know it.

I am so excited guys, after a year of ups and downs, I have finally slowly worked my way back up to restriction. I had a fill on Monday and feel like I am finally back at my sweet spot, I lost 4 pounds this week!! Yay me!

So, where are we at with getting together? I haven't heard anything in a bit and would sure love to get together with all of you.

Congrats on your restriction Susan! I know you must be thrilled! I sent you a post on Facebook but wasn't sure if you got it. Your updated pics show how skinny your face has gotten! Keep up the great work! Be well. KKG

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    • Doughgurl

      2 days until I fly out to San Diego to have my Bypass Surg. in Tiajuana Mexico. Not gonna lie, the nerves are starting to surface. I don't fear the surgery itself, or the fact that I'm traveling alone, but its the aftermath that I'm stressing about the most, after this 8 week wait. I'm excited to finally be here, but I am really dreading the post surgical chapter. I know its going to be tough, real tough and I think I'm just in my head to much now that the day i here. Wish me luck, Hopefully I'm one of the lucky ones, and everything goes smoothly. Cant wait to give an exciting update,. If there is anyone else have a June bypass or even a recent one, Id love to have someone to compare war stories with. Also, anyone near San Antonio Tx? See ya soon with the future me. 💜
      · 1 reply
      1. Phil Penn

        Good Luck this procedure is well worth it I am down to 249.6 lb please continue with the process..

    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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