WildIris

I went through that. Both with the menstrual cycle and the flatlined weight loss. In fact I was really pissed off when I started my period, because I'd been using a birth control implant just so I wouldn't (always been painful, I get migraines, terrible mood swings, etc.). As soon as my period ended, my weight started dropping again. I had the implant removed and started on Depo Provera shots again, which is so far working better. It'd be so much nicer if I could just get "spayed." :thumbup: I don't intend to have kids, and I figure that at age 35, and with thirteen years of marriage behind me, I'd know by now. My husband is equally disinterested. Oh well. The only real objection I have to Depo is that I'm basically lazy, and having to get a shot every 90 days interferes with my laziness. :biggrin0: The shot itself doesn't bother me at all, and the clinic is on a walk-in basis. I just have to be not-lazy and keep track of the date I'm due.

Hihi. I'm writing, I'm writing!! I haven't been keeping up on here much because I'm BUSY!!! My business is picking up, and I'm planning for a couple of upcoming shows, and trying to get my web page up (hopefully this weekend). The boost in energy level has a lot to do with my sudden activity. Did I mention that I'm LOVING it?? I'm still losing weight on a consistent basis, but I've managed to convince myself--at least part of the time--that weight doesn't matter as much as clothing size. I'm almost down to a size 12, so it's easier to convince myself of that nowadays.:thumbup: Now that I'm getting acquainted with the idea again that I have an existing skeletal structure (instead of layers of fat), I've realized that I really DO have large bones, and I'm probably being either foolish or just plain stupid to try to get to 125--lotta people think I'd be TOO thin. So maybe I need to adjust my target weight up ten pounds or so. As my PCP pointed out, BMI is a VERY crude measurement of weight that doesn't take into account bone size/thickness or muscle mass (muscle mass of course being far more dense than fat mass). Heh. We'll see, when I actually get into that range. :biggrin0: So how's everybody else doing?

>>>> Yeah, this is definitely one of the better life-choices I've made, too. I've got so much energy! And it's so much fun talking to people like you who're loving this as much as me. >>>> Y'know, I've quit worrying about actual weight (well, at least as much--gotta be honest). I seriously obsessed about it in the first few weeks post-op. Now, I'm just going by clothing size--which is an awful lot of fun all by itself! Lots less precise, but I do enough worrying about things already (sometimes irrelevant stuff), without adding that to the list. >>>> Yeah, that's pretty much it with the starch/carb thing, for me. Throws my glucose level into the stratosphere. Still. I've gotten so I'm used to making meals without a side of rice or Pasta, or whatever. Lots of good recipes out there, thank goodness. :biggrin2: >>>> I'm still at the point where a couple of sticks of string cheese IS the meal (after I pay kitty-tax and give my tortoiseshell her bit--otherwise she'll try and snatch it right out of my hand; she comes running when I pull open the plastic packet). I found this mixed nuts thingy at Yoke's that tastes really, really good--I especially like the filberts in it! I've started nibbling on those for Snacks, and you're absolutely right, the crunch factor is very satisfying. I've made my own nut mixtures in the past using raw nuts, and I may go back to that yet. There's a grocery store near here that has a spectacular bulk food section. >>>> I've only tried pineapple once since the surgery. That was one of the ones I had to stay away from before because of the high fructose content, and I figured I'd better wait a bit after to make sure the acid wasn't going to make me go *blat*. So, the pineapple thing is still up in the air. The one time I tried it, it was at a local farmers market just a couple of weeks ago, and this guy was selling a salsa seasoning mix of his own devising with locally-grown ingredients. He threw it in with tomatoes, and also in another recipe, used pineapple. Both of those make my mouth Water just remembering the taste. It was GOOOOD. Neither of them disagreed with me. At all. And I bought several bags of the salsa seasoning. I'm definitely going to have to give it another try, now that you mention the pineapple thing. It's kind of funny, actually, realizing that there are some foods that I can eat now that I couldn't before, simply because it's only a few bites, versus an entire serving or more. I'm still experimenting with those. Y'know, one thing I can't eat now at all is canned tomato-anything. Tomato Soup is okay, so is minestrone soup with tomatoes in it. Fresh tomatoes are wonderful (and I'm getting LOTS out of my garden). But spaghetti sauce, canned tomatoes, etc., I can't eat. It makes my stomach hurt, and then it makes me go *blat*. I'm experimenting with drying tomatoes, and will see how those work in cooking, instead of using tomato sauce. Oh yeah, and I can go with very limited amounts of catsup. I was a HUGE catsup fiend, too. As far as I was concerned, when it came to Breakfast, catsup was almost as important as the entree. Catsup and eggs, catsup and omelets, catsup and...everything. :confused1: Now, not so much.

I had severe acid reflux in years past, it had gone away for a couple of years pre-surgery, and now it's back. It's not a big deal, really, other than the expense of buying omeprazole (generic Prilosec), because it adds up fast when I'm taking 40mg twice a day. Fortunately, I'm getting a prescription for it; the co-pay isn't nearly as much as buying OTC is. The other thing is I've learned very, very fast that the biggest thing causing heartburn for me is when I get the munchies in the evening and indulge it. So, I either get something to drink now, like Crystal Light or Water, or snack on some fresh vegetables or a small amount of fresh fruit. That seems to take care of any problems with acid reflux, and I've started keeping Tums at my bedside, so if I wake up with it in the middle of the night, I chomp a couple of them, wait fifteen minutes, and go back to sleep.

I can't handle coffee, but I never did drink much of it, or care for it much before the surgery. Tea is fine--I've become especially fond of green tea with flavorings in it. Crystal Light's Green Tea with Peach and Mango is REALLY good, and I'll often mix it up with green tea I've brewed. That's my morning caffeine hit, anymore. I've had some bread since the surgery, but only on two occasions. I'm staying away from potatoes, pastas, and rice--I'm still too superstitious, I guess, because of the still-not-officially-in-remission diabetes. The only dairy products I'm having are low-fat cottage cheese, no-fat, unflavored Greek yogurt, and low-fat cheeses (I'm especially fond of string cheese). I haven't so much as tried ice cream, and all other dairy products are pretty much off the table. Vegetables agree the best with me. I've never had a problem yet with fresh or steamed veggies, and if I want a little more jazz with a snack of fresh veggies, I'll dip 'em in my homemade, ultra-low-cal, ultra-low-fat poppyseed honey mustard dressing (I'll be happy to provide my recipe if you're interested). Mostly, though, I sprinkle fresh veggies with either plain salt, or salt/vinegar/lime juice. Lucky me, I've always loved veggies just for themselves and not as a heavily cooked side-dish. I just about went into raptures when my mom gave me a bag of fresh peas in the pod from her garden, a couple of weeks ago. I just sat around and shelled them, and ate 'em raw and it tasted like the best thing in the world. Something else I've been really happy to find still agrees with me is stir-fried veggies. Things like eggplant and yams taste REALLY good stir-fried (with other veggies, naturally), they're uber-healthy, and I can go super-light on the oil, so it's low-cal and still tastes great. I think I would've had a heart attack if I couldn't handle onions and garlic anymore, though! Luckily, they're as good as ever and don't upset my stomach. I'm still a tad upset about the avocado, but I'll survive. I didn't eat avocados on a regular basis even before surgery. Overall, the only real changes I've made in my diet post-surgery are avocados, and limiting dairy products more. I have to admit that I really miss milk, just to drink. Otherwise though, I'm just eating lots-lots-lots smaller portions. The substance of my diet wasn't seriously impacted by the surgery. I'm LOOOVING my life.

Tri-Cities, Washington area, anyone? I had surgery on July 14. Since then, I've gone from a size 20 to size 14, and I'm almost down to a 12 now.

Just out of curiosity...has anybody noticed a particular food or food group that they simply cannot eat, post-surgery? I'm eating vegetables just fine as long as I cook them: broccoli, mushrooms, onions, erm, and a variety of other ones. Strawberries and blueberries are fine too (and taste great with my Protein supplement). eggs are great. And one interesting change for me is that I found out that I like tuna. I always thought it was revolting before, but I made tuna salad, using dill pickle relish, and it tastes great. Avocado though, nope-nope-nope. I LOVE the things, but my stomach does not. They come back up right away. I've actually become a big fan of soy milk. I get the unsweetened, unflavored kind, and mix it in with a little bit of Greek yogurt with my Protein shake, and it's delicious! Speaking of which...I need to get that made. Later!

I just got my Vitacost chewable calcium citrate supplements over the weekend. They are SOOO much better than swallowing those horse pills I was taking before! They don't taste all that great, but I don't feel like I tried to swallow a baseball anymore, either. All around, it's a major improvement.

I have a great idea, which I will be implementing very soon: ditch the implant, go back to Depo Provera. So I have to get a shot every 90 days. There are worse things in life. Like going through a menstrual cycle (including horrific migraines), when I have no intention of ever having children. I keep telling my husband that one of these days I'm going to walk into my cats' vet office and demand that they spay me. I'm only half-kidding.

Thank you for that post. That, I think, is the most eloquent description that I have ever seen of why anyone would want the sleeve, and what it does for one's quality of life. Thank you, so very, very much. It was beautiful.

I'd never heard of VitaCost before. I just ordered chewable calcium citrate there too. My regular ones are just too big to swallow whole, and frankly I'd been skimping on them a bit, which of course :001_smile:is bad news over time. This will make life a lot easier. Thank you for that information!

I might've suggested it. I already always used it in my drinks when I went to Starbucks before I had surgery, because of my diabetes issue. Then I discovered I could buy it at the grocery store. They only have five flavors available there, but there might be more. Mine are chocolate, vanilla, hazelnut, caramel, and raspberry. And it is fun to mix 'em around!! It's totally revived my interest in Protein Shakes, which was badly flagging. I even started adding vanilla to the Syntrax nectar "Fuzzy Navel" flavor, and found out that was really amazing. Another thing I re-discovered is egg flower Soup (like you get at Asian/Chinese restaurants). It tastes totally different from plain old broth, and I found some mixes for it (plain and hot & sour both) at the grocery store, as well, so it's dead-easy to make. It mixes really, really well with unflavored Syntrax protein supplement, as long as it's only warm, not hot. Turns it kind of creamy. I'm really looking forward to starting the puree diet, though. I'm running out of clear liquids!

Well, it's post-surgery three weeks for me today. So far I haven't had any serious issues with emotional stuff, except being really, really cranky a couple of days, mainly just from fatigue. Any 'down' time is cured by taking a bit of a break and enjoying a few quiet minutes with a glass of ice Water. But, I keep worrying that I've hit a plateau with weight-loss. I know it's kind of ridiculous; I AM only three weeks post-op. But, how often is worrying logical, anyhow? Anyway, one thing I did do was go talk to my primary care doc, and arranged to have him prescribe all my psychiatric medications, because at this point it's just maintenance, no fiddling with the dose, and I don't see the point in spending more on my co-pay to see my psychiatrist 3 or 4 times a year for a grand total of 15 minutes per visit. Also, I am on a different sleep medication that's working great! It's actually a tricyclic antidepressant called doxepin (generic name), and not only is it dirt-cheap, there's no eternal hassle with my insurance company over refilling it only after such-and-such a date. No prior authorizations. No nothing, except getting the prescription to my mail-order pharmacy. I love it!!! The three-month co-pay is one-tenth for this medication versus what it is for Lunesta. Less stress, same quality of sleep, and I'm good. I've found over the last five years that if I just get my rest, things go really well for me. Maybe I just need to lie down for awhile and my feelings of anxiety about the pause in weight loss will simply ... go away.

I'm sort of freaking out. My weight has stayed exactly the same now for five days. I'm still on the clear-liquid diet. I'm exercising. I've only lost 40 pounds, and I need to lose 100. Am I overreacting, since it's only three weeks post-surgery? I don't even start pureed food until August 12. I need some encouraging words, please...

Oooh, congrats to both of you! Sounds like you're doing well. I'm so glad it's so successful for you already! Just keep up the "shuffling." You'll be dancing around before you know it.

Thanks! Well, my surgeon told me 45 minutes to an hour every day, 6-7 days a week. I find it easier to just do 7 days a week (weird, I know). Then I got to looking at the patient handbook more closely, and it said that an exercise regimen wasn't expected until 8 weeks post-op! So I guess since I'm handling it okay, that I'm going to continue (at a greatly moderated pace) and consider myself lucky that I'm ahead of the game at all. And the exercise feels GOOD. Despite the pain it causes afterward in that one incision, when I'm actually exercising, I feel on top of the whole world. It's amazing. I haven't felt that in almost 20 years!

You know, one thing I'm seriously looking forward to on August 12 (my first day of pureed food) is being able to put other things in my Protein shake. Like blueberries. Or strawberries. Or mix it with yogurt or cottage cheese. Or any number of other things that make me start salivating just to think about, merely because it's DIFFERENT. I am so tired of SWEET-SWEET-SWEET!!! I don't think I'll ever be able to eat Jello again, and even broths have utterly lost any appeal. The one good thing about getting so sick of drinking anything sweet is that it's dead-easy to drink Water now. I put in about a teaspoon of lemon or lime juice in every glass, with ice, and it is soooo refreshing.

The first 36 hours after surgery, I couldn't take my pain medication. It burned like acid, going down. I finally made it out of sheer desperation, but what I found out is that a lot of liquid pain medications have an alcohol base, something about making it mix properly. That would definitely cause more pain on stomach surgery people, at least initially. If you're still on liquid pain medication (or on any liquid medication at all), you might talk to your doctor about a diabetic formulation, which I've always thought tastes absolutely foul (blech!), but might be easier on your stomach. I found that once I got the pain initially under control, that keeping it controlled (as well as controlling the nausea) got a lot easier. And I've found that omeprazole (generic for Prilosec) can help too. Immensely.

I was wondering about that too. :001_smile: Is it sort of like grabbing a bandaid and just ripping it off fast? I've been keeping pretty low-key about my surgery, but my mom knew about it ahead of time, and she tells E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y. The way the female gossip mill works in my family, even my distant cousins have heard about it by now. :thumbup: I'm actually glad that one of my aunts had surgery on July 29, because it took the focus off of me. Everybody's worrying about her health (she had a kidney removed that failed quite some time ago) and getting her moved into an assisted living place. And, she's a drama queen and likes being the center of attention, so less attention on me and getting asked constantly what my weight is. :wink0:

I should've thought about that! Makes sense. And I am doing a lot better, actually. No more vomiting at all since posting, though I pushed myself too hard at the gym last week and had to take two days off to recover. Swimming is a lot harder work than just walking! I'd never taken that into account before, but it made my biggest incision--the one my stomach actually came out of--hurt really bad for two days. It turns out that the reason that incision is still giving me pain is that the surgeon had to cut through a lot of scar tissue. Apparently, two major accidents I had as a teenager caused a lot of damage that nobody knew about. But, I am back to walking now, keeping my pace down, and not trying to cover as much distance. I felt kind of underwhelmed yesterday at the gym when I stopped at a half-mile. I could've easily done twice as much...except then I would've hurt later.

Okay, is this weird or normal? I have a birth control implant (Implanon--fairly new). I've had it since March. Prior to that I was on Depo Provera (shot) for six months. Up until surgery, I was not having my period, which was fine with me because it was what I was after with the birth control. Now, suddenly I'm going from spotting to having agonizing cramps and fluid retention (the reason I wanted to stop my cycle in the first place). I don't even have any sanitary supplies in the house. That one's really easy to remedy, but what gives on the sudden resumption of my cycle? Help!!!!

I take Lovaza fish oil pills, myself. They're a prescription-strength, super-concentrated form of the fish oil. I take one gram (1000 milligrams) twice a day. And it actually ends up being cheaper to get it via prescription, especially if you're taking high doses of fish oil pills. Plus, with the Lovaza, I've found that I don't have issues with burping fishy flavor all day long (they get it out in the concentration and purification process). And it's a lot fewer pills: one, twice per day. They've made a huge difference in my cholesterol and triglyceride levels, even before surgery. I'm excited to see what my levels are when I get the labwork done again in another couple of weeks. :001_smile:

Donna, you and I had our surgery on the same day. :001_smile: I'm having trouble with fatigue as well, and I just saw my primary care physician on Wednesday for unrelated stuff. He's familiar with the various kinds of weight-loss surgery, and he told me that it can take 4-6 weeks before you feel back up to your pre-surgery energy levels. I've found that aspect of this really frustrating, especially after three days in a row of going to the gym and then going *splat* today. But, I think we just have to remember to be nice to ourselves. I've started reminding myself frequently that I went through major, serious surgery, even if it was done laparoscopically like mine was, and that most of a major organ was removed. It's more than the incisions that have to heal (I do have to keep reminding myself of this). And fatigue is a big part of the healing process, because the body uses up huge resources to do it. Combine it with being on a liquid, low-calorie diet, and it starts to make at least a glimmer of logical sense. I hope I don't come across as lecturing--unless I'm lecturing myself at the same time! Anyway, keep your chin up. I'm trying to do that too.:thumbup:

Oh, thank goodness I'm not the only one feeling exhausted. I'm 16 days post-surgery, and I was feeling so good that I joined a gym on Monday, and on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I worked out. Or at least walked and swam. I walked one mile the first day, 1.5 miles the second, swam vigorously for a half-hour yesterday, and today...well, I am absolutely exhausted. Couldn't drag myself out of the house. I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do it tomorrow, either. I slept in until noon today, then had a three-hour nap late this afternoon, and now I'm ready to go to bed. I feel like a wimp! I think in retrospect, I probably pushed myself 'way too hard. What I WANT to do versus what I CAN do are still poles apart. On the good side, at least, I can handle more than tiny sips of fluids now. It still takes me a half-hour or longer to finish a 16-ounce bottle of Water if I'm not doing anything but focusing on drinking it, but that's 'way down from taking a couple of hours (or longer). I don't feel on the bare edge of excruciating thirst now. And water, just plain water, has never tasted so good in my life!

Donna, I haven't gotten to the pureed food stage, but I have some ideas with what I am going to do with it anyhow. I bought baby food, and I'm going to blend it with cooked vegetables that I saved when I was making broth pre-surgery. Also, if you have a juicer, you can do a lot with blends of vegetable and fruit juices as well as using the pulp for a little bulk (bonus points: you can put unflavored protein mix into the juices you make). And vegetable purees to make endless soups, pureed with whatever your favorite preparation of meat happens to be. I'm planning on making some of my favorite stews (including lentils and quinoa), and whizzing them up too.