SassySenior

I Have a Surgery Date. I am leading off the month of November by having my VSG done on the 1st. This final announcement has been a long time coming. I don't know why I had to have soooo many problems trying getting this surgery scheduled. In March, it'll be 3 years. Initially, I was going to get the lap band, and I went to a seminar by Dr. David Provost in 2010. He had been referred to as the best WLS surgeon around. At the time I weighed 425, so I certainly wanted the best. I jumped through all hoops, completing my 3 mo. diet a year ago in October. Along the way, I had to put off surgery twice. I waited 1 ½ yrs. for Medicare to approve the Sleeve, which they finally did in Feb. 2013. One of many wrinkles popped up, and I had to redo cardiac tests and get a cardiac clearance in February. For some reason, the results and clearance were lost until August 2013. Once found, my surgery was scheduled for Sept. 23. I did the 2-week pre-op diet and went to a Sept. 20 pre-op visit. That's when the surgery stalled again. My doctor had a meltdown when I told him I was still taking Ibuprophen. I didn't know I was supposed to stop before surgery. His reaction was so severe, I considered changing surgeons. So I attended another doctor's seminar on Oct. 4. Yesterday, I finally learned that I would have to redo the 3-month "medically supervised" WLS diet if I went with the new surgeon. In the interim, I also continued to reschedule the surgery again with my original doctor in case I went that way. Long story … shorter ... I am going with my original surgeon and beginning another pre-op diet Friday. Even this week, another major wrinkle cropped up when my BFF, Martha, voiced displeasure at the dates I had scheduled. To please her, I rescheduled all the dates for the Nutrition Seminar, pre-op visit and surgery. The new dates conflict with my SAT scoring, but that is what I had to do to Iron out this last wrinkle. I'm beginning the pre-op diet on Friday, and scoring the SAT at the same time. It takes 100% focus to do this work, so I can't imagine how I'll be with so little to eat. food for thought, and all that … My life has been filled with stress for a while now, and I don't do well under stress. Often, I get sick and wind up in the hospital. But so far, so good. The side effect, though, is that it's been difficult to get everything done to prepare for the post-op. I don't have my Vitamins, and all the foods (liquids) I need. P.S. I just lost 3 lbs., for a pre-op loss of 49 lbs.

Linda, Welcome to our group. We are thrilled that you’ve joined us. Our group is small and intimate because we don’t promote it. So you kind of have to find us … which you did! Hubby can join, too, because this is open to all. We’ve had a couple of guys join, but never stay, it would be nice to have your guy bring that male perspective. Meet (in alphabetical order) … Cheryl … who’s dropped an amazing 90 lbs. and manages to keep temptation at bay and hold her own, no matter how much her hubby tries to go back to old ways. She’s a very sweet and thoughtful gal. Coco, a/k/a Connie, drops by occasionally, and always has something interesting to contribute. Faye … our youngest boomer, has dropped 75 lbs. and looks amazing! She is working on a master’s degree, married for 5 years to her love, Tony, with whom she dreams up gourmet delights. Then there’s Jean, our own nurse, who loves spending time with her granddaughter, Hailey. Retired from a career as a nurse, Jean has a hidden spirit of glee and is very active responding to posts. I recently nominated her to be a VP of something (can’t remember what, Jean probably doesn’t either.) <laughing> And me, Sassy, who started the group and gotten close to several members. Aside from my dry wit, which gets me in trouble a lot, I am a retired freelance writer. Right now, I earn extra money scoring the SAT from home a couple of times a year. You’re our 28th member, and if hub joins, that’ll make it 29. Do you have a surgery date yet? .As you can read in the post below, I am just announcing mine. Note: Be sure to click “Follow this topic” at the top of every page so you can be notified when new posts appear. Go into your “settings” (top right under your name)and check the box for “notifications by email.” When you come online, you’ll see your name and to the left are several icons. One is an envelope, and the other is a person. Both will have red numbers when you have either a personal message or a notification to read!

Hi Linda & hubby from Florida, I hope you can find your way to our thread called "Boomer Chat Room." If you click on "Group Discussion" from the Baby Boomer's Home Page, it's under a Purple Banner that says "NAVIGATION." Group Discussion is the second item on the list. That's where I am going to post my reply. I have revamped the site somewhat from it's original design in February. Now, we "chat" on any topic in the Boomer Chat Room. See you there.

I was given a prescription for Lovenox, which was going to cost me $350. I applied for Extra Help from Medicare, was approved after 2-3 weeks, and now the price to me is $6.

First off, apologies to all for being absent lately. I have run into a serious wrinkle in my SAT work, and it has all my attention til I get it fixed. Jean, I knew it was your birthday and kept waiting until I could send you a "proper" greeting. That will have to wait. In the meantime, congratulations on making it another year. ha ha ha. That's my improper reply. Cheryl, please put your posts in this thread so all can see and reply. Good job, though. That's all for now. Later ... That's Ms. Sassy to you. LOL

I did not mean to insult Brits and the like across the pond. But in the U.S., we use Standard American English. For us, it's whine. If we were to adopt some of your catchy lingo, we'd have a lot of explaining to do, i.e. the loo. When in America ...

Since Madame Reverie posted her pet peeves, I just have to add one of mine. First, let me explain ... I am a writer and editor. All kinds of errors leap off the page at me -- just like nails on a chalkboard. Spelling errors are not unique, except perhaps regarding editors who never make any. Yeah, I do sometimes type faster than my brain can spell. But ... voilà ... there is something perfect for all Internet users. It's called "ieSpell" and you can download it safe and free. You can use it for anything online, including email. Once downloaded, you can find it under the "Tools" menu. So please, let ieSpell correct your errors so you can spell whining as it is meant to be spelled vs. "whinging," which is a whole 'nother word! Thank you and good night.

It's brave of you to expose yourself and be honest about what's going on. If it were me, I wouldn't tell the doctor. I had an experience recently when I was 2 days before surgery and my doctor flipped out, mainly because I didn't know to stop NSAIDS but also because I told him I had a bite of a brownie. In my case, the NSAIDS was certainly a problem, and surgery would have to be postponed a week. But his flip-out was so bad that I wasn't sure I wanted him be my surgeon. Doesn't sound like you've done all that much to be beating yourself up. And you have a whole week to turn that around. I feel for you about even doing a week-long pre-op. My plan, this second time around, is to do the absolute best I can. My doctor will know by my weight loss whether I've been dieting. You can't reduce your eating drastically and not lose weight. There are two things you should do. One is stop beating yourself up. The other is use periods to end a sentence. It's hard to figure out what you're saying when all the words run together. Good luck. Do your best, and think twice about "true confessions."

I have been that depressed several times in my life. Once, a friend of mine literally had to drag me out of bed, pick something to wear, clean up my bedroom and get me out of the house. Here's what I learned that you can use, too. 1) If you can't do it for yourself, ask a friend to help you. Do a search online for mental health in your city or county. Call 411 and ask them if there is a number to call for this information (we have a 311 where I live). 2) Mental health counseling is free in each state, usually listed under the Department of Mental Health and Retardation - MMR. I found the one in my area and I go there. 3) Search for "Pastoral Counseling." Another counseling source. If you do a little research, you can find free help. Before you can be successful with the Sleeve or anything else, you must first get your head meds straightened out. 4) Look at it this way, it's a medical, not a personal, problem Your head is sick and needs medicine. 5) You must act. Get someone to do the research if you can't. You owe it to yourself, your husband and children(?) to get the right medicine to heal your head. 6) I know it sounds crazy, but it's not your fault. Your head is sick, so stop blaming yourself. 7) Make a pact with yourself to do one small step at a time. I did this once, in a deep depression. It took me 1 1/2 years to crawl out of my hole - with a lot of help from doctors, counselors and friends. I finally got on the right medicine, and I never get depressed any more. 8) I also promised myself that I would keep that door of depression closed. I do not indulge in any negative thinking. If I get a negative thought, I slam the door shut before it can take hold. I control my thinking by switching instantly to an island scene, where I'm lying on the beach, relaxing. 9) You’re worth it. Deep down inside, I think you’ll find that you agree. Good luck, honey, and keep posting. In fact, there’s probably a group on here for people with depression and bipolar issues. If you can’t find it, send a message to Alex who owns and runs this site.

Macy - If it ain't broke, don't "fix" it.

When is your surgery? People usually meet with the anesthesiologist just minutes before surgery. Do you have a CPAP device or anything that would require advance consultation? I think it would be a plus. Hopefully you'll get better drugs this way. The first time I had anesthesia, I had a great experience, no nausea and woke fairly quickly afterwards.

Thanks for remembering, Jean. I promise to give details later. Right now, I am super busy training for my upcoming SAT project. I just finished practice scoring. Now I move on to passing 2 out of 3 qualifying tests. Once that's over, I'll have more time. I intend to provide full details. That is ... if anyone other than you and me are still on this forum. I appreciate your posting a lot, especially now that I'm tied up. SouthernSoul and Cheryl - I'm glad you've checked in and post occasionally. The goal is to have someone respond to every post so that Jean, as she put it, doesn't feel like she's talking to herself. I'm very concerned about getting this group active. FB is shutting down pages people with animals have put up in their name. And they're doing it with no notice. Somehow they're concerned this hurts advertising. It seems to me there's a chance they'll do the same thing with private groups as well. While it will take a while to grow our group (and part of that is my fault because I am picky about who becomes a member), it will in the end be all worth it. But we can’t do it without you. Are you willing to hang on until it’s more active here? For sure, you can be part of the solution.

Hi Everyone, I've posted one or two recipes here so far. I think having a separate thread with just recipes would be good to have, so here it is. dinner Bell- What's on your plate tonight?!?! FAST, nutritious comfort food. Easy Peasy Italian chicken Sauté 3 red potatoes, diced 1 onion, diced 1 chicken breast, diced Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning Dried parsley, salt & pepper Dice 3 red potatoes and one onion. Sauté in a little olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasonings. Take those out and set aside. Toss in one diced up chicken breast, a little more EVOO and Italian seasoning. When chicken is cooked through, combine all and top with a little dash of parsley.

Hi Everyone, I've posted one or two recipes here so far. I think having a separate thread with just recipes would be good to have, so here it is. dinner Bell- What's on your plate tonight?!?! FAST, nutritious comfort food. Easy Peasy Italian chicken Sauté 3 red potatoes, diced 1 onion, diced 1 chicken breast, diced Mrs. Dash Italian seasoning Dried parsley, salt & pepper Dice 3 red potatoes and one onion. Sauté in a little olive oil and sprinkle with Italian seasonings. Take those out and set aside. Toss in one diced up chicken breast, a little more EVOO and Italian seasoning. When chicken is cooked through, combine all and top with a little dash of parsley.

Jean ... Sorry, I don't speak Pig Latin. teehee. What on earth does that mean?

BEET chicken salad Saw a recipe for this "yummy beet chicken salad" in another post here. It sounds good so I copied it for reposting here. Problem for me is I love beets, but hate blue cheese (and feta) cheese. What do you think I could substitute instead? And what does Tsatzik sauce taste like? 3 oz. chicken (I use canned chicken for convenience). 1 small beet sliced into cubes. 3 slices of cucumber cubes. .5 oz. blue cheese crumbles 1 tbsp Tsatziki sauce (we made a vsg friendly version) Throw in a bowl, mix and enjoy. The only thing that is missing is some farrow or quinoa to round out the nutrients. I failed to locate some to add. The original poster said he found himself wanting to prepare it this morning instead of the usual quick lean Protein (eg. chicken) grab.

Faye ... quit bragging! LOL Congrats on taking charge of that nasty scale. Cheryl & others who can't/don't eat beef. Have you tried ham? There's a special business here that only makes honey ham. It is incredibly delicious, cooked to perfection, practically falls apart with a fork, and is not salty at all. They only sell pretty big sizes, but it lasts a long time and/or you can freeze it. It is pretty pricey, but is better than anything you can get anywhere, including in your own kitchen. That's what I intend to eat post-surgery. I already got a friend to split it with me. Just something to consider. I'm also gonna try pork roasts. You know, the kind they sell in rolls. I don't know the fat or calorie count, but doubt it could matter much, considering how small a portion we eat.

I hate blue cheese, but love beets. What other cheese would you suggest?

There's a lady who has a show on PBS at 5 am CST. She does chair exercises. Her name is Mary Ann Wilson and her show is called "Sit and Be Fit." I also have her DVD. I love the idea of Zumba chair. I'm gonna have to check that out.

Yeah, you're at the toughest phase -- close to your goal. I have run across a lot of info re: this. If I can put my hands on it, I'll post it for you. It's a common problem.

Mea culpa. Yeah, the Navigation Police took it down. While well-intentioned, it was confusing. I couldn't get it to work, so I I'd posted an alternate route.

Cheryl, Go to our Home Page. Look at column on the right. There's a purple bar with the name "Group Navigation." Click on "Group Discussion," which is the second name on the list. When you get to the Group Discussion page, you will see a list of topics and posts. The first one is the Boomer Chat Room.

Jean, Thanks for sharing. I hope our other members see this post and respond. I'm sure some can relate, and it's a good topic. I was one of the lucky ones. I was thin all my life until 13 years ago when the steroids I took for chemo caused a massive weight gain ... and the train just kept on going, gaining weight as it went. I went from 175 to 431 in no time.

One Year Surgiversary - 10/2/12 - 10/2/13... it's been 1 year, and it's been incredible. Not only am I off all meds, and down 123 lbs, I'm healthier, more confident and I have more energy. I feel absolutely amazing. To anyone out there on the fence, you have to decide for yourself if this is the route you want to take. I was one of the lucky ones. I had no issues from day one. I hit the ground running ... well walking ... the afternoon of surgery, and I kept going, doing everything I could to maximize the 1st year of weight loss. I still have days when I’m hungry -- I deal with it. I’m not perfect at all, not even close. But I know what works for me. It may not work for everyone, but one thing I’ve learned here and other sites is EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT. DO NOT COMPARE YOURSELF WITH OTHERS. It’s a mantra I have stuck with this past year and will continue to. Everyone has to find their own way and what works for them. But taking that first step toward that way is the best thing you can do for yourself. You are worth it. We all are, so do whatever you have to do find your way. I did ... and I’m never going back. Happy Surgiversary to me, 1 year out. I love my sleeve, and I love myself!

Oh, Jean, you sound just like me. My memory is a thing of the past. lol I sent out the story as a "Group Message," but I have not had one response. So I'm not sure where it went. To make things easier, I'm gonna post another one now under news on our home page! Let me know that you've found it ok.