Timeline question - getting married - ThinnerTimes

jenn75 · 06-08-2008, 08:22 AM

I've just begun the process w/ my PCP re: the 6 month supervised diet (I'm on Weight Watchers), and now I'm wondering, if I do get approved for the surgery, is now the right time? I'm sure I will find out more when I speak with a specialist, but I'm just wondering, would this be the right time for me to do this? I'm getting married next June, and I guess if everything is said and done I could have the surgery possibly by the end of this year. That would leave 6 months post-op prior to my wedding - and honeymooon, which is a cruise. I'm wondering if I'm going to be able to "enjoy" the wedding and honeymoon, or if I'm still going to be so new at the post-op diet phase that it would be sort of pushing it. Like, would I have to bring my own food on the cruise, should I even be traveling then, etc.

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

P.s. I don't care if I'm at my weight now or a post-op weight by the time my wedding rolls around, I just want to be happy and able to fully enjoy it, no matter what weight I'm at then. In short, my wedding has nothing to do with wanting the surgery.

Dyann · 06-08-2008, 08:36 AM

GET it ASAP!!! When you look back at those wedding pictures you will be so much happier in addition to travelling easier (fit better, smaller clothes in suitcases). 6 months is the point where it does get a great deal easier and you are not so restricted in variety, just portion size.

If you tell the cruise ship in advance to have two or three things on hand because of medical needs they will. (cottage cheese, sugar free items etc)

sherry7 · 06-08-2008, 07:52 PM

I just had surgery recently, so I won't try to answer most of your questions. However, I have been on several cruises. A cruise ship is the LAST place I would be worried about getting suitable to eat. If you eat in the dining room, special requests can always be had. When you made your reservations, be sure your travel agent pre-alerts the cruise company that you'll have special dietary needs. If you plan on eating in the dining room often (it's my fave), be sure to speak to the maitre-de (sp?) on the first day of the cruise. This will make your special requests go much, much smoother. On my last cruise, a lady at my table had some really strange food requests due to some type of health problem. The waiter always brought her exactly what she wanted. Also, I noticed the maitre-d came over to our table every couple of nights, and asked her if everything was satisfactory. I've only cruised on Royal Caribbean, but every night, in addition to the entrees that change around, they always have another set menu that includes salmon, steak, grilled chicken, etc. Also, if you pre-arrange it with the maitre-de, you can get a shrimp cocktail appetizer every night if you want...instead of just the 1 or 2 nights it is normally served. Shrimp should definitely be easily digestable.

If you choose to eat in the buffet restaurant, there are lots and lots of choices...some appropriate, some not. For breakfast, the Royal Caribbean ships (and probably others too) always have an egg station set up. There are 1 or 2 cooks who will make you a fresh omelet to order, or make the eggs (or egg beaters) anyway you like. The food choices for lunch and dinner are numerous, and you will definitely find something appropriate.

My only concern would be eating on the days the ship is at port, and you are out and about. Depending on where your cruise is taking you, it could be difficult to find something appropriate to eat. (I haven't taken a cruise since before my surgery, but I have eaten some really odd things in foreign countries...not sure if I'd want to do that now that I've had the surgery.) I would suggest taking some individual packets of protein mix that can be easily mixed to a bottle of water. (Nectar Syntrax fruit flavors taste great mixed with water.) Or, if you can handle beef jerky at this point, it is a great source of protein. Whatever you choose to take off the ship, just make sure it is pre-packaged...the different countries/islands have some very stringent rules on bringing food into their countries, because of contamination/insect issues.

If you want some really excellent advice on the cruise ship aspect for the particular company you are cruising with, try posting this question on the message boards on CruiseCritic.com.

Oh, and congrats on your upcoming wedding!

sherry7 · 06-08-2008, 07:58 PM

I meant to add....

You said your were doing Weight Watchers for your 6 month supervised diet. Please double check with your insurance company, and make sure that Weight Watchers will definitely count for insurance requirements. With most insurances, it does not. Personally, I think that's goofy, since WW is a good diet plan...but insurance companies have some really stringent requirements when it comes to getting approved for this surgery. Most want you to see you PCP every single month to follow your diet plan, or want you to go to the 6 month pre-op classes offered by your surgeon.

I wished Weight Watchers would have counted for me...I'm a WW 'vet', and had several long stints with them.

chiquita · 06-08-2008, 08:37 PM

I am five months post op, and will have my six month checkup by the end of the month.
I can tell you this, I am so much more happy now then I was 5 months ago. I am not even close to my goal, but I am shooting to have lost 100lbs from surgery date by my appointment at the end of the month, and I can say I feel sooo much better. I have energy to do things, see things, walk, can you imagine the sex you can have if you are lighter!! woot!!!! haha, sorry had to say it,, every little bit counts when it comes to that

I say have it soon, get it out of the way and by six month you should have healed from your scars (if all goes well offcourse) got on the swing of things, and I agree abou the wedding pictures, you will have a heck of a bigger smile on your face if you are lighter

.
Just my opinion

jenn75 · 06-10-2008, 04:00 PM

thanks all for the feedback. i know that i'd be 10 times happier if i were to be thinner on my wedding day, but i don't want to put all of my eggs in one basket and think that i will be approved for the surgery, especially since i haven't even met with a specialist yet. my PCP told me to do WW and meet with her every month for 6 months. the only "diet" my PCP has ever recommended to me was WW throughout the years, and i think for good reason. but i don't know what my insurance will require...which is why i guess i better go for the informational session so that i can then make an appointment at the center for wls.

oh, and thanks about the cruise info. i was worried about that, and worried that i would feel like i was "missing" out, but realized i'm not going on a cruise to eat, i'm going on a cruise to have fun, with or without food.

Sherry7 - i live in Pittsburgh, and plan on going to Magee. not sure if this is where you went, but perhaps you will know what diet plan i should be following for the whole 6 months thing - i mean, if there is an "approved" diet that they give you to follow. also, i have UPMC insurance.

mistymee · 06-10-2008, 04:20 PM

Hi Jenn, welcome to TT.

I'm almost six months post-op... lost 80 lbs so far

and getting married in October. I know I would like to be thinner than I will be on my wedding day but I also know that I'm in far better condition NOW than I was six months ago!

I can't speak about cruise-ship dining, but as far as what to have at the wedding, barring any post-operative complications, you should be able to find plenty of food choices. (And look for a thread I started about wedding planning recently where several people gave me some recommendations for food at the reception!)

My fiance & I have decided to offer three different selections for the main part of the meal:
Roast Turkey w/ gravy
Roast Pork loin
Veggie Lasange (getting married in VT- lots of granola crunchers, LOL)

These also come with salad, rolls, a choice of twice baked potato, garlic mashed potato or rice pilaf.. green beans almondine or...... oh some other veggie, don't remember..

We also arranged for six different kinds of appetizers:

Cheese & cracker platter
shrimp cocktail (I think?)...
mini-quiches
Marinated tomato, cucumber, red onion and mozzarella stackers
veggie platter
meat kabobs

For me, I plan on the roast turkey with the green beans almondine and a small bit of the mashed potatoes.

If I have an appetizer, I'll stick with one of the protein heavy ones of either the quiche, meat kabobs or cheese & crackers- I don't eat seafood

Hope that helps some, and Congratulations on both the wedding and the upcoming surgery

sherry7 · 06-10-2008, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jenn75

......Sherry7 - i live in Pittsburgh, and plan on going to Magee. not sure if this is where you went, but perhaps you will know what diet plan i should be following for the whole 6 months thing - i mean, if there is an "approved" diet that they give you to follow. also, i have UPMC insurance.

Hi Jenn. Yes, I did go to Magee, and Dr. George Eid is my doc. I really like him...he is very patient, has a great bedside manner, and will take all of time needed to answer your questions. As of last September...when I attended my seminar...he had done over 1200 gastric bypass operations, with no mortalities, and only 1 leak. (As an added bonus, his accent is very faint, and he's easy to understand. I probably shouldn't feel this way, but I absolutely hate it when I can't understand a doctor because of a strong accent.)

Are you scheduled for one of the info seminars yet? If not, you need to do that ASAP. They last about 2 hours or so, and you're going to learn LOTS about the surgery and the Magee program in general. Take paper and pen, because you'll probably take lots of notes. Also, if possible, take your hubby, significant other, or a family member you live with. The seminar is very educational, and you'll benefit by your loved ones learning something about it. My hubby didn't go with me, and I still regret that...he really has little understanding of the whole thing, despite my efforts to tell him.

My seminar was held by Dr. Eid, and he was VERY thorough. He emphathized the complications you can have with the surgery...and I really appreciated that. Yes, he did scare some people off...a few people got up and left right during the seminar. The fact is, WLS is not for the faint-hearted...and if you can't handle hearing about the possible complications, you shouldn't be having the surgery. JMHO.

In total, I attended 3 different seminars (all different doctors & different hospitals). Dr. Eid's seminar was the most educational by far, and he's the only one that didn't gloss over the possible complications.

I did my 6 month pre-op supervised diet right through Magee. It's not free, nor will your insurance cover it. It's $395 for group classes, and $495 for private classes. (I opted for private, because of my work schedule.) If you can't pay it all at once, I believe they'll set up a 3 payment plan. With these classes, you go into Magee once a month for 6 months. During that time, I met with a behaviorist, an exercise physiologist, and the dietician. They gave me numerous booklets...about nutrition, exercise, etc. I was encouraged to lose weight during the 6 month plan, but it wasn't actually required. However, you definitely don't want to gain...there's another Magee girl on here that did, and she had to lose it before her insurance was approved. (I think that she also had UPMC insurance.) Oh, and after your 3rd appointment, you're scheduled to meet with your surgeon of choice...my insurance paid for that.

Overall, I was satisfied with the program...with a few minor problems. My main gripe was some of the vitamin/mineral info I got...I've been educating myself on that in order to make the best choices. Another small gripe was that it sometimes seemed to be a bit disorganized...but I recently found out they just started running the 6 month program less than a year ago. I'm sure that as time goes by, it will get more organized.

The plus side of the program: Unless you have already done a ton of research, you're going to learn a lot during the Magee program. Definitely more than you would learn by going to your PCP and Weight Watchers. (I don't have anything against WW...did it several times in the past...but it doesn't teach you the things that a gastric bypass patient needs to know. The best benefit is that by going to this program, Magee will handle all of your insurance stuff for getting approved. That alone was worth the program fee for me. Yes, your PCP could also submit for your insurance approval, but the fact is...they don't know quite what they're doing, because they aren't nearly as familiar with the various insurance requirements, etc. Also, by going to the program, you'll have access to the dietician and nurses for any questions/problems you have along the way.

That's all that I can think of at the moment, but if you have any questions feel free to private message me.

Oh, and an unsolicited piece of advice...get the book "Weight Loss for Dummies" ASAP and read it cover to cover. (Yeah, it a weird name for a book, but's it very educational and easy to read.) I ordered mine from Amazon.com, but it's probably available at large book stores as well.

Best of luck on your journey!