kimbernada

Ha, well, I *know* she removed it, just not clear if it was the day after surgery - or was it later the same day of surgery? Hmmm...

I was SO happy to have one post-surgery. I was petrified of getting out of bed. (Well, I did get out to walk the hall, but that was with help.) The nurse removed it the next day, I think.

Well... I'm almost done taking mine, and it was a year ago July that I had my surgery. I'm down to every other day with this week being the last week of my prescription. Although I can just buy it over-the-counter if I need it, but the prescription was cheaper. I do still get heartburn from tomato stuff (like salsa), but I got that pre-surgery too.

Wow! 45 grams of protein seems pretty dang low. I shoot for at least 80 grams a day. Without my 40 grams of protein in the morning for breakfast, I'd probably hit the 45 gram mark from food. (Greek yogurt, chicken breast, etc., all add up.)

For me, having the surgery brought my rheumatoid arthritis OUT of a three year remission. I'm back on my weekly methotrexate. It's mostly in the joints of my index fingers (where the finger meets the hand), which is bad because I work on a computer all day. That being said, I am still so thankful that I've had this surgery. I also have osteoarthritis in my knees and haven't had any issues with them once the weight start coming off. I'm praying that the methotrexate puts the RA back into remission again. It did before so...

I love feeling my bones. Like the weird pointy ones at the top of the collarbone. I can't even wear my wedding rings anymore. They were a size 8 and fit on my thumb now. I bought some backup rings that look pretty similar and have been wearing those. A stainless steel eternity band from Amazon for around $4 and a sterling silver solitaire from HSN for about $30. I started with both in size 7 and recently replaced with a size 6 - and those are loose. I'm right handed and the pinky finger on the right hand now has a size 4 eternity band on it. My "real" rings are soldered together so they'd need to be broken apart and then resized and soldered back again... so I think that should only be one probably once. I don't want to get this done in a size 6 only to need it smaller later, maybe. Size 6 is comfortable at the end of a hot, humid day... you know, when the fingers are a little swelled up. Back in March, the jeweler thought my wedding rings should be resized to a 7, so I'm glad I waited. I love being comfortable wearing shorts in public. I could still lose another 50 pounds but I look better NOW than 130+ pounds ago. LOL

I quit using mine a couple of months ago and the hubs has said I'm not snoring. Yay!! I do need to get the official word on not needing it though (for my own well-being). Once I'm cleared, my hubs is going to see if the sleep center will recalibrate my machine for him, since mine is newer, and he'll use his old machine strictly for travel. The bummer about the dang CPAP machines are that you technically can't resell it because it is available by prescription only. (So eBay will remove any auctions, etc., for these things because supposedly it is technically illegal, like selling prescription drugs.) I am only mentioning this in case you weren't aware, I don't mean it to sound any other way!! I don't really understand the why with this because I don't think you can overdose on air.

I think this person's blog post sums it up for me: http://supermomlosingit.blogspot.com/2013/08/the-difference-between-sleeve-and-other.html

I hear you.... I am so very thankful that I had this surgery.

On a side note, if you find that you like the Kay's Naturals protein snacks, you can get them MUCH cheaper directly from the company: http://shop.kaysnaturals.com/

On a side note, I really like the "Thin" bagels by Sara Lee. Super thin, virtually no guts and 100 (110?) calories. I like this with a little of the Greek whipped cream cheese. Granted, I'm a year out and only just tried these a couple of weeks ago.

Interesting, I've never heard that pickle juice could help. Granted, the only time I've been nauseous is due to eating too much. (I need to be hyper aware on portion control.) But I will definitely file this away -- and buy some pickles because I like them.

My husband has expressed fears that I'll meet someone else. I told him in an ominous voice... "Are you kidding me? Sorry dear, this is FOREVER." and then did the evil chuckle. (That and told him I didn't want to train someone all over again anyhow.)

I had that thought run through my head about a week before surgery. (Although I was 43, no kids, etc.) As I'm sure others have mentioned, look at the long term health benefits of getting to a healthy weight. Right NOW you don't have health issues, but what about in 5-10 years? What if you don't lose the baby weight and gain more? My only regret with the surgery is that I didn't have it sooner.

Yep, definitely colder. I've also noticed that it takes me longer get hot outside. For example, we were recently in Yellowstone and did quite a bit of walking. I barely ever broke a sweat, even though the temps were in the high 80s/low 90s - and this was when I was MOVING, not just sitting somewhere. Yes, I could feel that the air temp was hot, but I personally wasn't overheated. (And this was wearing jeans and 3/4 to long sleeve shirts as we were touring on the Harley.)

I promise that it will get easier. Well, maybe not getting the fluids in, but at least the Protein part will get easier. I still struggle with getting all of my fluids in. At least the GOOD news is that you can count the fluids that you add to food as part of your daily intake. So if you are having Soup, that counts... popsicles? That counts. I did find a beverage that I really like... I think the brand is Vitamin Water Zero (or some form of those three words) and the flavor is called Rise. It tastes to me just like Tang. I only found this particular flavor on Friday as we were driving home on vacation, so I sure hope I can find this around here. For protein, have you tried the Quest Protein Bars? The cookie dough and chocolate brownie flavors are sinfully good, especially if you microwave them for about 10 seconds. I sure wish I had found this Protein Bar shortly after my surgery. The sad news, however, is that you WILL lose hair. It's just something that happens. I started out with fine, thin hair. I even started taking Biotin in March 2012, with my surgery not even being scheduled, and still take it. (Surgery has now been a year ago.) I also have been getting in 80-100+ grams of protein. I think I have had maybe 2-3 short periods of time where my hair was falling out. I do keep my hair short AND I have been good about keeping up my blond highlights. To ME, if my hair is close to my scalp color, then I feel like it isn't quite as noticeable that it's gotten way thinner. (Compared to dark hair against a pale scalp.) I also found a cute pixie hair do that I've switched to. http://www.lyndsayjohnsonblog.com/2010/12/long-post-about-short-hair.html

Apologies to the OP for a sidetrack to the topic, but I wanted to respond to this. ^ One way to get in the protein is to find a Protein shake that you like. I've posted elsewhere about this, but I had to try a few brands to find what I liked. One thing I DIDN'T like was a protein shake made in a blender. It was way too frothy and full of air. Ick. I found that I like the Syntrax nectar chocolate Truffle, strawberry Mousse, and vanilla Bean flavors. I would make one of those shakes with light soy milk in a Blender Bottle - so it was basically flavored milk, not something thick, to drink. That's an easy 29 grams of protein. Another way I was able to get protein in is to make sugar free/fat free pudding and add two scoops of Protein powder (Syntrax Nectar). 1 cup would equal 31 grams of protein. And then finding a Protein Bar that you like also helps. I didn't try the yummy Quest bars until about month 7, but there's another 21 grams of protein. (Eat half now, half later if you aren't hungry.) My morning protein shake that I have for Breakfast is 1 scoop Syntrax Nectar, 1 scoop Big Train Fit Frappe Mocha protein powder, 8 ounces of light soy milk for 40 grams of protein. I can "stomach" a protein shake made in a blender now, so I may toss in a frozen sliced banana or some frozen strawberries. If my lunch is a little protein light, I may have a Quest bar around 3 pm. I personally have a hard time EATING all of my protein in real food. I just can't eat that much food. I DO shoot for a minimum of 85 grams of protein. As to the Water intake, I have a hard time getting in 64 ounces. I need to work on this myself. Thank goodness we can count the Fluid in the Protein Shakes, etc.

Yep, bars are okay. Just make sure the protein/calorie content is about the same as a shake. Some bars are about 180 calories and have only 12 grams of Protein. (Or like those Fiber One "protein" bars that only have 5 grams.) I like some of the Quest protein bars. I had to try quite a few protein powders and ways to make them before I got it right. For the first 9 months, I only really liked the Syntrax nectar chocolate Truffle, strawberry Mousse, and vanilla Bean Torte protein powders. ONLY made in a Blender Bottle, not a blender. It was more like chocolate milk than a shake. Using a blender made the shakes too thick and I had a hard time swallowing all that air. (And if you like iced coffees, Big Train Fit Frappe is a great brand of Protein powder.) I mix 8 ounces of light soy milk, one scoop of Syntrax Nectar chocolate or vanilla, and one scoop of the Fit Frappe Mocha. It's about 40 grams of fiber. I can now drink my shakes from the blender, so I like to toss in a frozen cut up banana or some frozen strawberries. At almost a year out, I have one of these awesome mocha shakes every morning. It's a great way to get in almost HALF of my protein for the day.

I went from an 11 to a 9-1/2.

You know, I said this to myself last year. I was wearing drabby clothes at work... why? Because they fit. I remember thinking to myself "Yeah, just wait until NEXT year..." Yep, came true. LOL I was sitting up in our bed yesterday morning and glanced over at the mirror. I seriously had a "Whoa!" moment. My collar bones stick out without having to "suck in". My dog can sit next to me in my recliner, not ON me. (My recliner is way too big now.)

For me, I try to "eat clean" when eating out. Grilled fish, chicken, or steak (although most steak isn't tender enough for me) with a plain baked potato and some kind of vegetable. If a dish comes with rice, like grilled fish, I ask for no rice.

My only regret is that I wish I would have done this sooner.

You have done an AMAZING job!!

Ha... and I used to have "food amnesia" before surgery. When doing Weight Watchers, if I didn't write it down, I forgot I ate it. I use My Fitness Pal to track my food now. It sure helps to make sure I get in at least 85 grams of Protein. I've been kind of lax lately on journaling and I really have no clue how much protein I've had today or the last couple of days. I will be hopping back on that horse. I like being in control.