davjon2010

I tried to drink milk with my protein drinks and found that I could not finish my 8 ozs. and I it was suggested that I cut the protein drink with water. I was even drinking lactose free milk. For some reason the milk really bubbles up and causes lot's of gas. MIxed with water I had no problems drinking my full amount. So even though the milk went down okay. When you ate later on there was probably lot's of gas still left over in your stomach. The reaction you had is something I call 'foamies'. You just did not have any room left. It is not fun, but if you can handle gas-x strips it helps to break up the gas so that you have room for your food. It will help to keep you from having to spit up to make room.

I had to work with my Endo for around 3 years before I got approval for the surgery. My Dr. was somewhat apprehensive because I may not see the results that were similar to people who were not dealing with Hormonal issues. I have issues with my thyroid and my pituatary gland. So as far as hormones go I am in my 'sweet spot' and wanted to have every opportunity to get this weight off. I have currently lost 126 lbs. and I had the surgery on 8/31/2011. Now I lost most of this weight pre-operative and I still have a ways to go but with my hormones I am learning slow and steady will win the race. I don't have a scale at home so I will only be weighing in when I go to get my B12 shot. This helps me mentally so that I don't see stalls which can be a downer when you are losing inches more than pounds. My weight loss goal is 1 to 2 pounds a week. Which doesn't sound like much but I believe as long as I am losing each week that is half the battle. Now I am losing more than 2 pounds a week but I wanted to set goals that were realistic for me and taking into account I may be a slow loser. I just want you to be encouraged. Make sure you keep up with your thyroid meds and know that this is not a sprint.

I was sleeved on August 31, 2011. So excited to be apart of the Official Team Line Up.!

This is just a suggestion. I have had a history of not eating properly. So never had the sufficient amount of Fiber. Also Wheat and Gluten intolerant and would cause loose stools until I understood that was my problem and removed as much as possible from my diet. Pre-Surgery I took fiber with Psyllium. I have tried things like Benefiber but it took too long to decide it was going to work. I even give it to my kids with the first sign of diarrhea. I also take it because it seems to make me go more regularly. Something to consider. After the surgery and the stuff I took for the leak test the diarrhea started again. I started taking my Psyllium and have been going each day. One other suggestion try drinking some warm Water with lemon. I don't know why it works but it worked for me when I needed a more immediate response.

Visit went great. I have lost a total of 112 lbs since beginning this journey. 24 lbs lost since last weigh in. But like the sound of 112 lbs. better. Since I have a long way to go it seems a little less daunting. I am up to my 64 ozs. of fluids and 2 shakes with Unjury Chicken soup for my 3rd shake. It seems like since January 28, 2011 I have been holding my breath waiting for this surgery. It is true what they say the journey is so much more important than the destination. I needed to prove to myself that I was in this for the long haul. I needed to prove to myself that I was willing to stick with it. I have let myself down so many times before. But even when I fell down I got back up. This is so important for me, because now we start the up hill climb. I am just so encouraged with the results so far and I look forward to what's to come. Onward and downward.

My journey began around 3 years ago. I was under the treatment of a number of specialists most recently Endocrinologists. I received a diagnosis of Hypo-Pituitary and Hypo-Thyroid. I could not pursue weight loss surgery until I had a release from my endo. I received that approval in December 2010 and began my journey with Atlanta Bariatric and Dr. Christopher Hart. My insurance is Aetna and the approval I sought required 6 months weight loss consultations. I met with a primary care and a nutritionist. I was approved in August and my surgery to place on August 31, 2011. My highest weight was 567 with my endo and my weight before surgery was 479. I am sensitive to wheat and gluten, corn and potatoes. I was well aware of what I could not eat. I needed those six months to get a good idea and what I could eat and lose weight eating. In my teens and 20’s I had experienced some events in my life which caused me to want to alter my appearance. Believing that if I made myself unattractive I could keep myself out of harms way. In my 30’s I got the help that I needed and I realized that I myself was putting myself into harms way. But I struggled with ending this cycle of self-abuse. In my late 30’s I was married and lost my appetite with my second pregnancy. It never fully returned and I thought nothing of eating once a day. If I got hungry I knew the pain would eventually subside. So fast forward into my 40’s I commit to do a better job caring for myself, but my body refuses to respond. I start to get recurrent infections, my weight loss efforts plateau soon after diets start, and I just literally feel like I am slipping away. Maybe I waited too long. The weight loss Doctor told me that I needed to see a specialist because there was something going on internally that diet and exercise alone could not address. I went to Progressive Medical and they referred me to my first Endocronologist and after extensive testing I received my diagnosis Hypo-Pituitary and Hypo-Thyroid. You know when you receive medications that help in one area but can make you ill in others? Well that was my experience. We stopped the infections and lessened the fatigue. The trade off was weight gain and becoming Insulin resistant due to the medication. That was not an acceptable trade off for me. I changed Endo’s and was freed from the medication. My body was responding positively to the positive food choices and I was infection free. So here I am it is a new day and a new chapter in my life. I have learned so much about listening to my body and I have experienced so much love and support. I look forward to being apart of a community who happen to be headed in the same direction, Health and Joy and Peace.

I have been apart of this community since December 2010. I don't post much but I read the posts daily. I live in Georgia, my surgeon is Dr. Christopher Hart and my surgery date was August 31, 2011 at 7:30 am. I was sent home the following day. I am currently drinking Protein shakes and unjury chicken Soup and lot's and lot's of Water. I am so happy to be on the losers bench and look forward to the next leg of this journey. My computer limits what I can access so my profile will be updated in a few weeks when I go back to work. My highest weight was over 500 and my pre-surgical weight was 479.

I would love to have a copy. Please send it to davjon2010@gmail.com Thank You so much for making this information available. Lisa H.