mi75

I already have osteopenia so it's really important for me to make sure I have my calcium no matter what, for life. my ortho doc wants me on calcium citrate also, and a pretty hefty dose, likely more than normal. I have chosen to post-op go with a liquid calcium which I got online from the Vitamin Shoppe. right now I do Citracal Max Dose, multiple times a day. however, those pills are pretty big and I know I can't have them post-op so i'm trying to use them up!

I just had my psych visit yesterday and it was a total breeze. they asked me a lot of questions about my family, support system. also asked If I could identify any depression anxiety, etc. I answered only what I was asked, and made sure to tie in a few comments about wls being a tool, not a cure. I also talked about how important it is to me to be able to be a great mom and play with my kids, be more active, etc. she gave me a bunch of written evals that I had to do prior to the apt and looked them over. they were questions that I could tell related to eating disorders, paranoia, depression and anxiety. I was truthful on them but if I answered any of them with something I thought might hold me back, I wrote a little sentence under it. the question 'do you turn to food for comfort' made me laugh. seriously?? I passed no problem. she was really excited for me and told me to stop in and see her when I lost my weight.

if thrift doesn't do it for you or you can't find anything that will work, Wal-Mart has their generic scrub pants everyday for $5.97 a pair and I wear them everyday just paired up with a t-shirt or Henley. that works great for me.

also, it seems like in my research the biggest risk of ulcers comes from post op patients who take aspirin products, ibuprofen, smoke, or drink a lot of alcohol... my surgeon said to always just use Tylenol and it wouldn't be a problem

honestly I don't know that I have really heard of anybody with long term complications like adhesions. hopefully you will be so incredibly pleased afterward. I have many co-workers who have been through and cannot speak enough positive about it! just from watching the show my opinion is that Dr Somers seems incredibly compassionate and TRULY cares about his patients. I think that you are VERY blessed to have him as a doctor, and he seems to truly have a gift from God in helping his clients. I think that he has a true dedication to helping obese people become healthy. you should ask him about your concerns, but truly I believe that even if there are small risks of long-term problems, the fact that you are healthy weight-wise would outweigh those risks! please feel free to reply or post any questions or issues that you have .i am still pre-op too but would love to help!

I am also an RN with my BSN and almost done with my MSN (WHOOP!!) I believe that the best RNs are those that first worked as a nursing assistant. it helps you truly appreciate the TEAM that you are part of, and taking care of the patients. After all, that is what we do, we take care of patients. titles aside. I work in a huge private practice with multiple docs. The MA's and NA's in our practice do a huge brunt of the work rooming patients, independently titrating meds, triaging nursing calls, etc. The other RN's and myself couldn't provide the advanced levels of care that we do without our MA's. In my practice, our MA's are absolutely a huge part of our team, and for sure in the medical field. I went to a nursing school where they really encouraged team delegation, RN leadership, etc. That was awesome and really important for learning how to be a nurse, but at the end of the day, we are all in this together.

I would use in milk and freeze it for a little while...strawberry shake!

i am lucky to have short term disability after the first week so have reserved a week's worth of days off in my bank. keep in mind with FMLA that the paperwork needs to be processed and approved by your boss and human resources. i took fmla several years ago when we adopted our baby and (because my employer is spread out over multiple buildings and cities), it took almost 3 weeks to get it all processed, so i notified them about 5 wks ahead.

yes, each doc is definitely different! it is interesting how their vast training and experiences differ. Wishing you the very best of luck with surgery!

in general, most heavy folks have enlarged livers. I often joke mine is the size of manhattan... the enlarged spleen can simply be from increased blood volume if you are carrying lot of excessive weight.

i am still pre-op but pizza right now is like crack. pair it with a mountain dew and it's over! I asked the bariatric coordinator specifically about pizza and she said yes, eventually I could TRY it but to stick to a PAPER THIN crust and only a slice or two 'squares' (in our area of the world, the thin crust pizzas are usually cut in squares)... i'm great with that. i'm not sure if i'll truly even crave it post-op. if I do, at least I have the option to try it!

keep breathing and know that it will likely grow back...I truly am at peace with losing my hair if I look smokin'!! i'll just cut it VERY short and spike it a bit and hope that I look so healthy and thin that nobody bothers looking at my hair! lol...

thanks to all for your responses! all very helpful. I am going to talk at length with the nutritionist and hopefully i'll also get ideas from them. it sounds like this is an issue for others too so i'm not alone!!

fyi- refried Beans, yogurt are ok which I LOVE both of so that is ok...oatmeal too, but it has to be very thin. so 3 things I can stomach. any other recommendations or ideas are VERY much appreciated!!!!!!

I am SO NOT looking forward to mine next week...I am a nurse in cardiology and cpap machines scare me. although I know the machines are much better than they used to be, i'm sure i'll be whipping the mask off during sleep!!! I am very sure I am apneic since I have been forced to be a side sleeper for the past year. I would find myself sleeping on my back and jerk awake and sort of 'hear' myself gasping/snoring/snorting for air upon the wake...weird but like I said, a positive study won't surprise me at all.. the ONLY good in this is that it will be one step closer to my surgery AND after that day, I will be taking very rapid steps in the direction of ditching the machine! question about side sleeping during study- did your center allow it? I know some do and some do not. I absolutely CANNOT sleep on my back anymore so I fear I will 'flunk' before it even starts!

I am still pre op but I have not eaten traditional breakfast foods for years...I don't think there is anything wrong as long as you are getting your nutrients to mix it up a bit!

wayne- great advice! I am sadly still pre-op, preparing for June surgery. however, I have read book after book and watched ALL the episodes of Fat Doctor on youtube so I feel like I am well informed. my surgeon will not allow gummies of any sort, including Viactiv Calcium (BOO!!) so in my case, liquid Vitamins... the only other thing I can add is to prep some of your 'blended' foods and freeze. I watched a lot of patients do that on Fat Doctor. They made things like a meat sauce (without pasta), Soups, shepards pie, etc and froze them in ice cube trays which worked really well!

I am pre-op but asked my surgeon specific to this question. PCOS for 10+ years, blood SUGAR levels normal, however free blood INSULIN level generally from 55-75 and VERY insulin resistant even with metformin. He told me that most women with PCOS will normalize their insulin levels within a month or two of surgery AND that I can expect normal monthly cycles for the first time in my life..

I am still pre-op but I have a close friend who is 1 yr post-op and she taught me how to mix it into soups, to start with powder and small amounts of cool liquid and gradually work in more liquids...I am curious to try it! she also did a mashed banana and choc mix to make a sort of 'ice cream' which I tried and was good!

thanks everyone for your honest answers, and obviously each person has had varying experiences. one thing about bariatric surgery is that you don't REALLY know how you will react until after! I have friends who have had RNY and some do fine with anything, some don't. it is good to hear that some favorites are likely still possibilities. that's good. since my hubs and kids obviously won't be doing surgery it's important that though MOST foods will change in our home, some old standbys will still come back around!

i am required to keep these things for 4 weeks. i am a food addict. i struggle every day. if i could eat a perfect 1200 calorie diet and write how i felt about it and it worked, i wouldn't be considering WLS... so how the heck do i do them? i have to meet with nutritional counselor for as many times as it takes 'to be ready'. i am ready now. seriously. i am not even sure if they are REQUIRING me to lose weight during this phase. i think so, but not even sure. i will speak with the nurse at surgeon's office tomorrow but i want to do them right so nothing slows down this process. how did everyone approach them?

I am digging the Nectar sample that my doc gave me and I went to the website for it. I can order only ONE sampler pack of 13 samples. I know I would like more and I don't want to order just a big container of ONE flavor...anybody know where else I might be able to order the samplers from? LEGIT sites/stores only. thanks!

I think that the opinion you should seek is that of your surgeon. just because they know your ENTIRE medical history, comorbidities, physique, etc. Some pre-existing diagnoses make one or the other surgery more desirable too. example- if you are insulin resistant, diabetic or metabolic syndrome, generally insurance will only reimburse for RNY. if you have any form of GERD or have had hiatal hernia or a positive EGD in the past, insurance will generally only reimburse for RNY. even if neither of these are an issue, your insurance still may dictate which procedure you have. I have some background in billing/coding and you wouldn't believe some of the hoops that are placed for bariatrics. good luck!

thanks to everyone for your kind replies and honesty! I have always been bigger busted and that is one of the things I am really looking forward to ! I have been in an underwire since about age 13 and really won't be sad to let those go! I am pretty sure that I WILL need bust work done simply because I really needed a lift even already when I was young and thin. your honest replies are very helpful!

awesome! good for you. I have cardiac clearance apt this week, a psych appt still and two nutrition appts. keep steaming ahead!