Cohoes/ Capital Region Ny Here!

Hello everyone my name is Alexandra and im 23 yrs old. I live in Cohoes and I am currently near the end of the long process of going through Albany Medical Centers Bariatric Program. I am going with Dr. Singh. I meet with him July 2nd and I have met my required 10%!! I started in March at 268 lbs and I am now 245lbs. I completely changed my way of eating. High Protein Low Carbs. Im a newly discoverd spaghetti squash lover! Yum.. Veggies are my sweets and I love me some lean turkey burgers. I never knew eating healthy could be fun. I know that sounds so blah but I dont mind what I eat. I figured out a way to get delish protein shakes that taste like lattes! (sugar free) Just message me for the recipe 

I recently joined planet fitness and have been going there 3-4x a week. I am so proud of myself and I can only imagine how I would be after the surgery!

(pls dont take this as gloating or anything im just happy I got this far!)
Just wondering if anyone has gone through the program at Albany Med. (Which I think is great!) Anyone went under with Dr. Singh?? I love blogging and I look to be a frequent poster here! I was told as long as I have my 10% weightloss and all of my required ppword (psych, sleep study, etc) I will get a date!!! Lets hope I dont gain a few lbs.. eek!!!! Thanks for reading guys

Hi Alexandra - we've probably met at the Thursday evening support group, I'm there almost every week. I had my surgery at Albany Med but with Dr. Dunnican. You should get a date without a problem. I was exactly at my 10% and got mine. Good thing it was within a few weeks or I would have been struggling more. 

Good Luck. Hope to see you at group but not this week, I have family in from out of town, gotta hang with them.

 

So nice to meet you! Yes I attend the meetings with Janet (whom I love by the way) I am soooo nervous... about my meeting next week. If you dont mind me asking, after meeting the 10% weight loss how soon after meeting with the surgeon did you have surgery? Was it a month away? few weeks? Just wondering because I want to get all of my FMLA paperwork in and work in order. Also how long did you take off from work? I want to take the maximum time off... Kind of treat it as a mini vacation (I wish) Any advice would be appreciated as well!... also can we please BUMP this thread.. jeez one response! But I appreciate that response

Hi - I missed going to group last night. I love going there. Janet is a doll, so supportive.

I weighed in on March 2 with my 10% gone, had my surgery March 30. That quick turn around does not happen very often with Dr Singh, it could be eight weeks from your appointment.

I got to take eight and a half weeks. Part of that was because of a scheduling error. They scheduled my upper GI five days before my surgery instead of before my pre-op, so I just told work screw it, I'll be back after the surgery. The biggest reason I took so much time is the type of job I have. I work as a nursing department supervisor in a big nursing home. If there are emergencies I am responsilbe. Knowing me I'd forget that I had major surgery and try to do things that would have injured me. Take all the time you can get. By the time I got back to work I was more than ready. Got a lot of yard work done though.

Take your FMLA paperwork with you when you go see the surgeon. There is a form that he will need to fill out that certifies that you need the time off. And if you haven't told any one at work what you are having done he DOES NOT need to put it on the form. All he needs to write is that he is doing abdominal surgery. It's the truth without actually telling what he is doing. The exact proceedure is not required. 

New posts to threads here don't bump them up. You would need to start new threads if you want to keep something near the top.

Hope this helps. Good Luck if I don't see you before your appointment.

Hi Alexandra! I just had my RNY done June 17 at Albany Med. with Dr. Dunnican (who's amazing might I add!) I don't think you'll have any problem at all getting your date when you see Dr. Singh.   They actually scheduled my first visit with Dr. Dunnican very quickly, and I still had 9 pounds to go when I saw him, but I had everything else completed so he scheduled a date for me, and told me that if I didn't lose the weight by the pre-op appt, he would reschedule me. I ended up losing 5 pounds more than I had to.  They originally scheduled me for June 8, which was 4 weeks after my first appointment with him, but then they overbooked him and asked me to reschedule until the 17, which I was a little upset about, but it was only a week later.  My experience in the hospital was amazing.  Dr Dunnican was very clear in explaining everything he was doing, how it's done, he took his time with me every time he saw me, had no problems answering questions for both me and my family, and just his overall mellow temperment is so calming -  and I know Dr. Singh trained him so Dr. Singh is probably the same way.  I had a very difficult time with feeling ashamed that I had to have surgery, so for me it was embarassing to me to have to be in that situation, but none of the staff ever made me feel insecure about it.  All of the nurses, and the staff at Albany Med, both before and after surgery were very attentive, and very caring, and overall it was a very comfortable experience.  Congrats on losing your 10% and I hope you get your date when you see Dr Singh!!