mamasez

Great thread / topic. My mom was always overweight. This was back in the time when most people were thin and fat ladies were thought of as lazy, dirty people (I was born in 1962). My mom had/has gorgeous skin, hair, always dressed well, is very clean and neat, and is a loving, giving, kind person to everyone. I grew up with her going on one diet and program and pills after another. The pills led to a couple of breakdowns and hospitalizations. All her family, parents, sibs, cousins, were thin. She was born chubby and fought her physical "problem" (and still does at age 80) her whole life. I have watched her be treated rudely and cruelly. People made fun of her, and therefore of her 3 kids. I adopted a tough girl viewpoint about it all and defended my mom. Although I was fun loving and friendly when younger (and like to think I still am!), I was also known to not take any sh%# off on ANYONE, kid or adult. I learned early on that you get the behavior you tolerate. Can I reitterate that? You get the behavior you tolerate. I suppose the experience of being the only kid around (besides my sibs) who's Mom was obese shaped my attitudes about how people treat one another with regard to weight. I have yo-yo'd weight wise my whole life. I lost 50 lbs several times, I lost. 80 lbs twice and so forth. I also had guys (and girls for that matter) be more attracted to me when I lost weight and slimmed down. Sorry if some people think this attitude is harsh, but if you showed an interest only after I lost weight, you were automatically no longer a good friend or romantic interest of mine. Period. I live by the Maya Angelou philosophy: when people show you who they are, believe them the FIRST time. I am pretty picky as to whom I "let in" these days. I will be friendly and helpful to people, but I don't let.them in too far if I sense they are judgemental about people's weight. But I am also that way about race, religion, disabilities, etc. Treat people the right way. If not, bye-bye. Leah in TX

I was googling craft ideas and stumbled upon it. I think I found it spelled "junque journal." There's a gal who did four short video tutorials and I watched those. It's super easy to do and inexpensive. You start w/a black and white composition book (costs less than $1), crinkle the pages and then use ink pads to swipe across pages, adding color to them. Then just use scraps and so forth to decorate. You use colored or patterned duct tape on the cover and tie ribbons throughout the book so it'll hold together as you add stuff to the pages. You also tie ribbons onto alligator clips to hold stuff in, use funky paperclips and hodge podge spare envelopes in to hold odd shaped stuff. It's really just whatever you want to do with it. Use it as a journal, scrapbook, whatever. I made some for friends for Christmas so they could fill em w/whatever they wanted to & they loved em. I not only journal in mine but also put in pics (magazines) of things I like, clothes I hope to wear eventually, motivational stuff etc. I also include ticket stubs, before & after (sleeve) stuff, little things my son has made, plus I journal on some of the pages. I like to make a few "dressy" pages and some are more ragtag if you will. I think the girl's name who I watched the videos was "Vangie" but not 100% sure. I really enjoy this bc it is so unique and you can't make mistakes. You can do art on the pages, paste in typed stuff, book pages, whatever you want. Sorry.for the run on typing. I'm using my phone. Leah

I was sleeved last Oct. I made my first junk journal which I'm filling up nicely, and also started sewing. Always wanted to learn how. I have lots of cardmaking / scrapbooking stuff, but am not very good at it. However, I am sewing shaggy raggy quilts now & having lots of fun w/it. I can do those well and they make great gifts. I got my junk journal stuff all together prior to surgery and was so glad I did bc it was a great help during my convelesence (sp?). Good for u for planning ahead. Good luck!

Ditto! Congrats on ur success! U r workin it!

My faves ate the ones that leave the least amount of aftertaste FOR ME. Those are the pineapple banana orange and the alpine punch. Those flavors are not liked by everyone, but they are the best FOR ME. Good luck! Leah (down 79 lbs since Oct 11)

That's wonderful, Sharon. Hope to see you in your skinny-ness on a billboard soon! So happy for you! Nick is getting a terrific spokesperson in you! Leah

Wow, u look wonderful! Congrats!

I had carafate added to the omeprozole I take twice a day. The carafate helps greatly. I have a history with reflux. It is my arch nemesis. Leah

I am praying for you. Hope you get better soon. I don't have experience with what you are going thru, but wanted you to know you are being thought of. Leah

I am past the walk & sip stage. My surgery was Oct 17, 2011. So I'm just over 5 mo out. My nausea subsided after the first few wks. I had reflux pretty bad but after several months had Carafate added to my PPI regimine which has given me great relief. I have lost 79 lbs, which I am thrilled about. I just wanted to let you know that things will get better. It just takes time. Hang in there! Leah

I was great w/milk pre-sleeve but can't tolerate it post-op. Gives me d word. I can, however, eat hard cheese & I'm fine.

Yeah!

I feel for you, hon. I didn't have scar tissue that I know of, but I had very bad nausea and pain post op. It caused my BP (which I'd never had problems with prior) to skyrocket. After released from hospital, I slept sitting up in a recliner for the first 3 wks, then propped up with tons of pillows in the bed for the following 3 wks. I took the same liquid meds you are on like clockwork and my full time job was to sip. Sip, walk (I could only walk a few steps inside my house the first three wks), pee, repeat. I took an anti-anxiety med for a few weeks as well because I was having panic attacks, which I had never experienced pre-surgery either. I had strange, deep pains in my belly and felt like I'd been hit by a mack truck for the longest. It will get better. It just takes time. Live for now, don't worry abt the future right now. Sip Clear liquids SLOWLY and constantly. Try sf popsicles. I got a brace that cinched my stomach in and that helped some. Also, kept a small pillow on hand to help me take deep breaths or cough, pressing it against my tummy. Some people's surgery and recovery is a walk in the park, some, well, not so much. Hang in there and be sure to call your dr as needed. You don't want to get dehydrated. Healing hugs, Leah

Whooop! Whoooop! Way to go!

Congrats! You did it!

I have found these two products to be helpful: Healthy Indulgence calcium citrate from The Vitamin Shoppe. Each dark choc (yum) disk has 500 mg cal citrate + 260 IU Vit D3. Kal brand liquid Cal- Mag +. This is pineapple flavor and gi1 tbsp gives 600 mg cal, 300 IU Vit D3 + 300 mg mag. Ordered this ftom drugstore.com. pills r hard for me to tolerate, so these help.

MissDiva: do u mean 3/4's of one cup or three 3/4 cups? Just trying to understand. I am a few days over 5 months out and am worried I can eat more too and want the relaxation / expansion of my intake capacity to stop too. I think about this waaaay too much! Generally, I can eat about 800 cals a day but the week before my period, I can easily eat 1,000 cals a day. A four oz chicken breast and a broccoli for one goes down easily for dinner. For brekkie, I can consume a 6 oz yogurt and a cheese stick or 2 eggs. That's typical for me size wise at this point. Thx for this topic. Very interesting. How much have u lost? I started at 294 and have lost 78 lbs thus far. Paranoid the loss is going to stop. I have also noticed the sliders / junk foods are sooooo easy to consume. I have to keep all nuts outta my house (except for my hubby & son!) because I can't seem to resist. Leah

Don't stop posting... you have been VERY supportive and VERY helpful! I posted a lot more at the beginnimg of my WLS journey (sleeved last October) and got publicly flamed once and privately flamed once so I backed waaaay off of posting comments. I do read the boards just about every day though. I feel selfish because I really want to help others but I don't appreciate getting slammed for telling MY truth. I have seen you, PDXMan & a couple others receive some totally unfair bs from others and that made me back off from posting even more. And like some others said, I don't understand why people don't search the archives for (basic) info that has been shared over and over again. Nor do I get why some folks get so hostile when the more "seasoned" sleevers are just trying to be helpful. But then again, I don't get a lot of thoughtless things people do like , can't someone simply say "sorry, wrong #" when they misdial instead of hanging up on the person answering, or those who don't use a turn signal when they see you sitting there waiting just for them to go by before you can be on your way.... stuff that is based in selfishness or laziness. Uh-Oh, opening myself up for a talking to! Seriously, there are so many great and helpful people on here that you just gotta let the "others" go. I appreciate you and everyone who shares their journey with an open, honest and kind heart! Leah Don't stop posting... you have been VERY supportive and VERY helpful! I posted a lot more at the beginnimg of my WLS journey (sleeved last October) and got publicly flamed once and privately flamed once so I backed waaaay off of posting comments. I do read the boards just about every day though. I feel selfish because I really want to help others but I don't appreciate getting slammed for telling MY truth. I have seen you, PDXMan & a couple others receive some totally unfair bs from others and that made me back off from posting even more. And like some others said, I don't understand why people don't search the archives for (basic) info that has been shared over and over again. Nor do I get why some folks get so hostile when the more "seasoned" sleevers are just trying to be helpful. But then again, I don't get a lot of thoughtless things people do like , can't someone simply say "sorry, wrong #" when they misdial instead of hanging up on the person answering, or those who don't use a turn signal when they see you sitting there waiting just for them to go by before you can be on your way.... stuff that is based in selfishness or laziness. Uh-Oh, opening myself up for a talking to! Seriously, there are so many great and helpful people on here that you just gotta let the "others" go. I appreciate you and everyone who shares their journey with an open, honest and kind heart! Leah

My first 3 periods post op were heavy, clotty and very painful. They last longer now and my back (lower) hurts more now. My doc says no Ibu forever. I take liquid tylenol now and it just has to do. My cramps have always been bad and still are, but those first three times post op were worse. I also have raging chocolate cravings now around that TOM. oy vey.

Had it pre-op & it's worse post -op for me. I take Carafate liquid 2x/day and Omeprozole 2x/day and need a Gas X strip every now and then.

Dooter is right on about this. Call every day!

Been there, done that, had the same feelings. My sleeve is a hard tool to fail with. It only allows me to eat so much. Could I suck on high cal shakes all day and defeat (for lack of a better word) the sleeve? Yeah, but that would be just too stupid! You will have to work at becoming healthy in body and mind b/c there is no easy way out of obesity if you love food and have depended on it in the past to help you for whatever reason. Again, there is no EASY way out. But my sleeve has made a new, healthy life possible. I am 4 months out now and already I am forming a new relationship with food. I do still enjoy food, but I am not using it as my "friend" anymore. When I dieted in the past, I had a temporary mindset and always gained the weight back. My sleeve provides me a forever plan and I am living this new post-sleeve life one day at a time. I am going to treat my.sleeve right by trying to undereat the sleeve because I wantt its effects to last the rest of my life. I had to make up my mind that food never really was a good friend anyway. It was a crutch and it was slowly killing me because we had an unhealthy relationship. I can't tell you that the sleeve is the right decision for YOU, but I can tell you that it is a wonderful tool that can change your life. I did go through a lot of emotions about how drastically my everyday life would change. But honestly, it has changed for the better. I am learning so much about developing a healthy realtionship with food. I do enioy my food still, but I am no longer dependent on it. I am learning to enjoy it and use it appropriately. Only took me 50 years!

My surgeon told me that all who get sleeved have a muscle cut through then stitched. It is necessary to cut the muscle in order to get to the stomach. I too got a stabbing pain where that muscle was cut and stitched. It went away after about three weeks after surgery.

I completely understand what you are going thru. I felt the same way. For me, after soooo many disappointments, diet failures, massive weight gains (over and over again), the humiliation, physical pain, heqlth problems and limitations, and so on, we are scared to believe in anything. I questioned "could this be true? Get surgery and then lose the weight and associated health complications and embarrassment? And keep it off? It CAN'T possibly be for real! Maybe I'm letting myself in for more heartbreak by chasing this rainbow!" And then, scared half out of my wits, I went ahead with the surgery. I followed every rule to the t both pre- and post-op. And to be honest, unlike what some other sleevers report, this has not been an easy fix. But it IS a Godsend. This surgery has helped me tremendously, but at the end of the day, just like so many say, this is a tool, not a magic mystical pill. To me, it is VERY important for us to address our fears head-on. You are not crazy. You are facing your fear. Stare it down and never give up on yourself. This tool will work for you if you are willing to put in your share of the work. I wish I were one of those people who never got hungry and have to remind themselves to eat. I do get hungry, but not nearly like it was pre-op. My restriction is not as much as some others have but it IS there, and it is very helpful. I am 3.5 months out (surgery 10.17.11) and have lost 64.4 pounds. I can now pretty easily consume about 4 oz of protein plus a few bites of veggies per meal. I am still fighting head hunger and trying to resist nighttime snacking. And I am trying to exercise (walking for now since my hips, ankles and feet are pretty much shot from intense pounding whilst obese) 4 to 5 days a week. So yes, there is effort on my part. But I am so glad I had the surgery. I am attending monthly support group mtgs and read helpful and motivating posted on this forum. I hope this reads as it is intended: as a helpful and compleltley no BS account of my WLS experience. No pretend sunshine; no dramatic negativity. You are worth this. You can meet success. I believe in both of us!

I'm saying prayers for you. Feels funny praying for someone named bedhead, but i am sure God knows who I mean.