AbacoRaveness

Pretty much everyone has low Vitamin D. Doctors are on this kick that Vitamin D deficiency causes everything from diabetes to cancer...I think they're quacks. Seriously, we don't even get Vitamin D from food anyway, we get it from going outside... in the sunlight... what a novel idea! Anyway... rant over. As far as the iron, you can get liquid supplements which tend to be easier on the digestive tract and more effective anyway.

Hi! Any fellow horseback riders out there? How long after surgery did you wait to start riding again? I asked my surgeon the day I was discharged when I could get back in the saddle. He got this really horrified look on his face (doctors always get this look when you mention riding horses) and said that we could "discuss it" at my 4-week post-op followup. I guess I can wait that long, but I'm really starting to hit withdrawal! BTW: When I say riding, I don't mean "just sitting there", I mean getting back to work with my trainer schooling dressage and jumping. Also, is it realisitic to expect to do my first 25mile limited distance endurance race later this summer (surgery date 1/31/2012)??

Wow! Your riding vacation looks AWESOME! You'll have to let me know all about it when you get back. You're absolutely right, dressage definitely improves your seat and refines your riding to make it look more effortless (even though its really not) and it improves the responsiveness of your horse. I was initially trying to learn dressage on my VERY GREEN QH/Arab. So, for about a year we were stagnant because I didn't know how to ask and she didn't know what to do. I finally decided, screw that, now I'm taking lessons on a been there-done that warmblood. I was so messed up, my first four lessons I couldn't even get the jug-head to trot! Now we are doing lovely collected canter circles, so we've made alot of improvement in six months. My trainer and I thought when I came back from surgery we would start on lateral movements since those are initially taught at the walk. We'll see how that goes. My horse is kinda "retired" from dressage. She's SO stubborn, she can have a beautiful headset and trot but she HATES being in the arena. She's a trail horse and I've never found her bottom. At my heaviest I was 256lbs and I've had that horse lay down in the creek and turn and look up at me like, "Oh! I forgot you were back there!" Then get back up with me still in the saddle and carry on up the other bank like nothing happened. I'm sure she will be happy with the weight loss, but she never hinted that it was a problem! She's brave and eager and I think she will excell at endurance. We've done a couple of ten milers with no issues and so I think it's time to move up to 25 miles and see how it goes.

Well, any aspiring equestrians on the west side of Atlanta, GA just get in touch with me and I can arrange it for you!

My center recommended clear liquids through day 3, then full liquids through day 7, purees through day 10, then slow cautious forays into mushies. I'm 12 days post-op and I've had a dream recovery (other than a cracked tooth, dental abscess, and root canal... but that's another story). I've never felt nauseas and I've kept down everything I've tried to eat. So, my favorite purees were: Corned beef hash and scrambled eggs Chicken salad: canned chicken, greek yogurt, sweet midget pickles, and curry powder. I ate about 1/4 cup of those at a time. Usually corned beef and egg for breakfast and chicken as a late lunch/early dinner. My first non-puree was mashed potatoes. Since that I've been branching out... my first "real" food was grilled salmon.... yum! Went down easy too. Last night I had this genius idea that I would blend my protein powder with a little milk and some sugar free fat free ice cream. It was delicious! But I didn't want it to melt so I ate it too fast... ugh! No more ice cream for me!

My center recommended clear liquids through day 3, then full liquids through day 7, purees through day 10, then slow cautious forays into mushies. I'm 12 days post-op and I've had a dream recovery (other than a cracked tooth, dental abscess, and root canal... but that's another story). I've never felt nauseas and I've kept down everything I've tried to eat. So, my favorite purees were: Corned beef hash and scrambled eggs Chicken salad: canned chicken, greek yogurt, sweet midget pickles, and curry powder. I ate about 1/4 cup of those at a time. Usually corned beef and egg for breakfast and chicken as a late lunch/early dinner. My first non-puree was mashed potatoes. Since that I've been branching out... my first "real" food was grilled salmon.... yum! Went down easy too. Last night I had this genius idea that I would blend my protein powder with a little milk and some sugar free fat free ice cream. It was delicious! But I didn't want it to melt so I ate it too fast... ugh! No more ice cream for me!

Be grateful for that metallic taste... its a sign that your body is in ketosis. You have a high concentration of ketone bodies, which cause that taste, and are the result of breakdown of fatty acids. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketosis#Diet This is what's supposed to happen early on after VSG, as you begin eating more and losing more it will gradually abate. BTW: Yes I have it too. I've done Atkin's in the past so I knew what it was.

I am five days out and I have no regrets so don't worry! The best advice: as soon as you're in your room and fully out of anesthesia, take a shot of pain meds and GET UP! I was lying there in alot of pain and my nurse said getting up would help. I was skeptical, but on trust I did it... three hours post-op I was on my feet. It was totally worth it to break loose that gas that they inflate you with. After that I got up every time I woke up and it really helped. Also second the recliner. I don't have one, but I've always been a pillow hog and luckily had enough to prop myself up as much as I wanted. There was no way I could have laid flat the first few days. Lastly, that powerade zero (or Gatorade g2) will be your best friend. I had problems drinking as much as I needed to, so I set up a bottle of half water half Gatorade and forced myself to take two small sips every five minutes. I felt super full and didn't want to, but it was doable. It staved off dehydration and helped me work up so that I can tolerate full liquids pretty well now. If I come up with anything else I'll let you know!

So, I had surgery on Tuesday afternoon, which puts me at four days post-op. On post-up day two I was supposed to work my way up to 8oz per hour of clear fluids. I never made it, stalled out at 4oz. I can push to 5oz but it makes me really nauseas. On day three I was supposed to start full liquids, including Protein supplements. I drank exactly 4oz of the protein supplement and spent the next four hours sincerely regretting it. I didn't vomit, but I'm still not quite sure how I managed it. So, today I've been sipping on 16oz of a mix of Water and G2 (low cal) gatorade. Since 8:30am I've gotten in about 10oz. I feel very full, but I'm forcing myself to take two small sips every five minutes. I kinda feel like I shouldn't even attempt a full liquid until I can get down at least 32oz of clear liquid in a day since I feel like at this point staying hydrated is a bit more important than protein. Am I wrong? Is this delay something that I should be worried about? Should I be doing something different? Also, any advice on how to take medication. I know I should crush it up, but it leaves a bitter flavor in anything I put it in. Is it better to put it in a small amount of liquid and just swallow it, or better to put it in pudding or something and force it down? I appreciate the help!

Ok, so today has been more successful. I got down 12oz of water, 8oz of G2 Gatorade, ans 4oz of Gatorade recover (fortified with hydrolyzed protein), which comes to a total of 24oz. While I know that's still not enough, its triple what I got down yesterday so at least its progress. I have tried fluids of different temperatures and room temp seems to work best. I also managed to take my meds. I have several but only going with essentials right now - thyroid meds and allergy meds. I crushed them, stirred into a half ounce of Gatorade and just swallowed... NASTY! UGH! Multivitamin also got pr-crushed just to be safe and went down much easier. I also managed to walk a mile, but was dog tired at the end. Hopefully I'll make as much progress tomorrow!

My surgery was on Tuesday. I was supposed to be first of the day, but got pushed back since I was relatively healthy compared to the other cases. So I didn't get out of recovery and into my room until 6pm that night. I had alot of pain that first night, mostly from the gas that they pumped in. But I asked my nurse to help me get up... I think I only walked about 10feet but it really helped loosen everything up and I felt better afterwards. I had my leak test first thing Wednesday morning... I'm convinced that was the WORST part of the whole thing. I still don't know how I managed to NOT vomit! But, it was good news because there were no leaks. When I got back to my room, I have never been so excited to see chicken broth in my whole life! I walked a mile that day (in small increments) and did my one-oz-per-hour. I stayed Wednesday night because I still had drainage from my JP. On Thursday morning the fellow came by and told me I could go home that evening. I told him I didn't care whether I went home or not as long as they took that stupid drain out! I was hard to do anything with that attached! I walked another mile that day and worked my way up to about 4-oz-per-hour. Last night I slept in my own bed, albeit propped up quite a bit. So, my goal for this weekend is to work my way into sleeping flat! I'm still trying to increase my liquid intake, thats been hardest, but I'm "sip, sip, sipping" just like every one says to. I'm glad I took two weeks off work because I definitely could not face going back on Monday!

Today was my last day of PRE-OP liquid diet. Surgery tomorrow and then on to POST-OP liquid diet I've heard its a little easier afterwards! I had a similar experience... it wasn't all that hard, I just felt weird - not bad - not hungry - weird. Like my brain was swimming through jello, which I am definitely not used to. Also, my muscles felt sluggish like after a work-out but before you get sore. I was also irritable and a little paler than usual, which upset people. But overall I'm proud of how well I handled seven days of no solid food! I had my melt-down moment when my husband found it appropriate to drag me out to a restaurant, which he assured me had soup - they didn't. Then he proceeded to sit in front of me and my glass of water and eat a bowl of chili, a grilled cheese sandwich, a cheeseburger, fries, and a cookie. I could have scratched his face off!

Today is day 3 of my pre-op liquid diet. It's actually going really well. I don't feel hungry, but I do feel kinda weak, like I'm walking around in a cloud. I got dressed and drove to work like a zombie, but I've been worse. I walk in to my office and a co-worker says, "What's the countdown? How many days do you have left." I reply, "It's T-minus-five. But, I'm three days into all liquids." He says, "Wow! Three days? You look great! You should take a picture of yourself today because you're gonna look horrible in about a week!" Wow... thanks so much! I don't know what I'd do without such caring and supportive friends! LOL One day at a time...

My surgery is Tuesday (Jan. 31). Fortunately, my center only requires seven days of liquids so I'm three days in. I'm not hungry, but feel kind of weak (like a zombie). Did you get that feeling? I'm glad its only seven days because I don't think I could keep coming to work like this! I'll have surgery two days ahead of you... If I can I'll try to let you know how it went ASAP! I'm very nervous, so hopefully passing on my experience can alleviate nervousness for others!

Today officially marks one week until my surgery. I did all of my pre-op testing this morning and barring some bizarre result will be in the OR bright an early on Jan. 31st. Today I also started my all liquid diet to shink my liver before surgery. So far so good, but its only been six hours I'm really gung-ho about it all right now and I just hope my resolve doesn't fail me too soon. I'm excited and nervous all at the same time. I'm excited to finally be starting on a life journey to being healthy along with a crutch to help me get through the first few months of change. I keep visualizing all the things that I will be able to do soon that I've always wanted to, but never been able to because I was too heavy. I'm nervous because I worry that, at least for awhile, I will be so sick (pain etc.) and weak that I won't be able to do anything at all. I also worry that I won't be able to change my eating habits for good and this will all be for naught. I'm both scared and hopeful to see what the next few weeks will bring.

Thanks Laurelita! I'm mixing things up with some juice (mostly V8), broth, and some very very overcooked and diluted oatmeal. That helps alot. I'm also already on the chewable vitamins, so at least I get to chew something each day!

Hello all, I have been pre-opping for bariatric surgery since March. I've been doing my supervised diet, psych eval, the whole thing. I had my "step 2" appointment yesterday where I discussed the surgical options with my surgeon. He does banding, sleeve, and bypass. When I started out I was hell-bent on bypass and was still in favor of it as of yesterday, but now I'm stuck! I said absolutely not to the band and my surgeon said no one in his office would ever argue with me on that. But, he said if he had a friend that was my age (28) and my BMI (43) with my goals, he would recommend the sleeve over the bypass. I am 28 now and have been fat my WHOLE life... seriously... came out of the womb this way and my mother has never let me live it down. Even as a child I was overweight and couldn't lose it. Then when puberty came along, I was soon diagnosed with PCOS which only complicated things further. My mother has a history of thyroid dysfunction and both sides of my family have history of diabetes, heart disease and stroke. I, fortunately, have none of those things yet and would like to keep it that way. That is goal #1 for this surgery. Goal #2 is to be able to do all of the activities that I've always wanted to do, but couldn't because I was too heavy. I was set on RNY because thought that the malabsorption aspect would help with my PCOS and the associated insulin resistance. My GYN was overjoyed with the concept of RNY and said that PCOS patients have fantastic results with it. There are also several scientific articles that back it up. I haven't been able to find any scientific papers talking about the sleeve and PCOS, but I see from some forums here that some people have had equal success. My other issue, and I don't know if this is related to PCOS or some other genetic flaw but, I CRAVE sweets. My mother is like this too. She bakes something every day and eats it just because she wants to, not because she's hungry. Fortunately for her, she must have the metabolism of a hummingbird because she never gains weight! I, on the other hand, work incredibly hard to limit my portions and my intake to once a day or less and can't keep the weight off! So, the "dumping" associated with RNY seemed like a good conditioning mechanism... "don't eat this, it will make you feel icky!" rather than "Sugar makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside!" From what I have read it seems that with the sleeve you should, although not neccessarily mandated, limit carbs. Will this be a serious issue for me, perhaps limiting my weight loss, if I have some kind of weird sugar addiction? I know that either way I will have to break this addiction; I guess my reasoning was that it would be a little easier to do if I got nauseated from it. Sad maybe, but effective? I'm also seeing that complications tend to be fewer with the sleeve, but I'm worried that if I choose it based solely on that I may not be able to achieve the results that I want. There are pros and cons of both and I just don't know which to choose. I know I have to make the right decision for me, so I'm doing my research but I would love to hear your advice and opinions on sleeve vs. RNY based on my history Thanks in advance to anyone who has taken the time to read all of this mess and respond!

Hello all, I signed up for this forum a week or so ago looking for advice on whether the VSG or RNY would be right for me. I got some great replies. I also did ALOT of research and I've chosen the VSG. All of my paperwork is being submitted to my insurance company this week and I'm hoping for a quick turnaround. I took my sweet time making this decision and now I'm ready to go! Thanks for being so accepting of a newbie!

Oopsee, I work at Emory so I'm going with the Emory center. Dr. Lin is my surgeon, though I've dealt mostly with his fellow so far.

Thanks for the input everyone. I did alot of research, employed a few friends to do some research and give their opinions, and talked to some doctor friends. There were still pros and cons for each. But, I've decided to go with the sleeve. A few reasons: (1) AGE: I'm fairly young and I don't want to do something really drastic just yet. Yes the sleeve is a pretty drastic weight loss measure, but at least I'm not re-routing my intestines. (2) ACTIVITY: A big part of my reason for doing this is so that I can be more active. I worry that with malabsorption I would limit my activities by not getting enough good nutrition. (3) I can always convert to DS pretty easily later, if neccessary. I plan to work very hard to see that it does not become neccessary. With RNY, that becomes way more complicated. (4) I want the hormones GONE. I don't want a "blind stomach" just sitting around secreting lots of the nasty little things. Also, I already have ulcers, so I don't want those hanging around where I can't keep an eye on them. Hopefully this reasoning may help someone else with the same issue. I'm submitting to the insurance company this week. Hopefully they will turn it around quickly and I'll be able to set a date.