Philip R. Schauer, MD

Ok so to get straight to the point I have been approved as of today for Gastric bypass by blue cross blue shield illinois and will be getting the Gastric Bypass by Dr P Schauer at Cleveland Clinic.
I had the lapband done in 2005 overseas then had it revised in 2011 as it was sewn incorrectly and caused a slippage.
But after having a child in 2013 it no longer worked for me.
So now GB is what I will be getting based on research and what Dr Schauer has advised will be best for me.
I am 5 feet 3 inches and weigh 250 pounds.

Updated on 29 Dec 2015:
Has anyone else received the email explaining our passwords and info was compromised?

Updated on 7 Jan 2016:
Today I have set a date for my GB so thursday 18 February is the day.
Excited sad scared overwhelmed are just a few words I can use off the top of my head to describe how i feel.

Updated on 23 Jan 2016:
Ok so basically in order to shrink the liver as this helps the surgeon lift it up and away from your intestine and stomack the dr will request you go on a protein shake diet for a week or two. In my case it was 2 weeks of this protein diet. I have not bought any yet.
I looked at some online at Amazon and I saw some at Sam's club.
My main concern is omg i will be drinking a liquid for 2 weeks. I want to make it interesting but most of these protein shakes come either in strawberry vanilla or chocolate. Now i usually like to have something savoury. So i am struggling to find an alternative to a savoury milk or soup in these shakes. I do like sugar but to drink sweet shakes every day for 14 days is making my stomach turn. I know this is only the first step and i am willing to do it. I guess i am just whining lol
Please if you went through this what did you do? And how did you manage?
Also what shakes tasted good that you thought were bearable?
Thank you in advance for sharing any info
Good luck to everyone

Updated on 4 Feb 2016:
Ok so it is my first day on protein shakes so here we go this is the beginning of the process.
Well since it is the first day I am not too bothered by the fact I am just drinking shakes but it is ONLY day one so I know to expect head hunger plus irritation due to not being able to eat carbs or chew anything.
But I am excited and I keep motivating myself by looking up videos of people who lost weight due to Gastric Bypass.
God knows I have struggled so much that I ready for this change and need it on every level emotional physical and spiritual.
Current weight : 253 pounds
Height: 5'3
And I am too scared to aim for a goal weight but i know i need to lose at least 100 pounds to be healthy and function properly get rid of sleep apnea and help my poor body.
Dear RS friends please keep me in your prayers.
Countdown has begun : )
Excited nervous happy scared overwhelmed soooo many crazy emotions but i have to stay calm otherwise I will jump to the fridge to eat ????

Updated on 12 Feb 2016:
....as you start the second week it is surprisingly easy. I have been asked to do it for two weeks and the first one was sooooo terrible. I think i was having withdrawal symptoms from not having as much carbs or sugar as i am used to having. But at the begining of this second week i adjusted and i feel great. Actually i feel energetic and very switched on. Perhaps ketosis kicked in is what i am thinking. I am walking moving and generally doing a lot more than before.
So here is to a shriking liver and less fat before the big day yaaay : )
By the way I did attend the cleveland clinic for a blood test and to have all this pre op work done plus see dr and his nurse.
It was all very good except it was a loooong day as i was there from 10 till 5 pm.
But it is just another hoop to jump through.
All done all good and onto my last phase before the big day.
I am getting butterflies in my stomach thinking of the day I can finally fit into nice jeans. Lol
Wooohooo
Or wait is that my stomach rumbling from all the protein shakes. Hahaha
I am truly in a good mood and much happier this second week.
Much love and prayers to everyone.
Your prayers are appreciated and good luck to all those waiting on their big day and those recovering.

Updated on 12 Feb 2016:
Soooo excited : )
I cannot believe i made it so far and in 5 days will be under that operating light in that room waiting for it all to start.
Beyond happy.

Updated on 18 Feb 2016:
Ok so I am well but a little nauseous after the gastric bypass operation
Soooo glad i have started on my health weight loss journey
Thank you all for your well wishes support and prayers.

Updated on 27 Feb 2016:
So much has happened it is hard to think where to start. Basically my GB went great but after wards since I was given oxycodone ( pain killer) it caused me to have ileus.
Symptoms of ileus include, but are not limited to:
moderate, diffuse abdominal discomfort ( pain in my case)
constipation
abdominal distension
nausea/vomiting, especially after meals
vomiting of biliatic fluid or bile
lack of bowel movement and/or flatulence
excessive belching
Needless to say i had almost all the above and the pain was what I struggled with the most.
Basically it took a while for anyone to work out that it may be occuring due to oxycodone.
So i ended up staying in hospital from Thursday 18 Feb till the next Wednesday 24 Feb so almost a week. To be honest it was the hardest time to deal with gas ( co2 pumped in my stomach )which had to exit as well as have to have a bowel movement. Basically my whole digestive system was at a standstill. This caused so much pain and tears. The upside of all this is I was in the M63 ward in Cleveland Clinic who look after Bariatric patients and they were angels of Mercy. I cannot say enough good things about them. Being monitored by the amazing M63 ward and Dr Schauers great team finally I made it through. It was and is still a struggle for me as I did not go through the normal phases people go through in healing.
Right now i am in phase 2 but due to the pressure the gas and BM had on me i have hameroids which are so painful.
I know that I have lost weight but i am not weighing myself and focusing on numbers because my main concern is to actually be painfree. I am very glad it is over i just wish I knew oxycodone may have done that to me i would have avoided a lot of unnecessary pain and waste of time.
Main aim right now after 9 days is to eat right stay hydrated and be pain free. Those are not so easy to do given you need to keep sipping sipping sipping. I dont regret the surgery at all but i hope anyone going through it is well informed, i thought i was until this ileus issue came up.
By the way since i stayed in hospital so long my drain was taken out before I was discharged.