Donna4545

Some tough love: You signed an informed consent for the surgery, and once you are given a sedative of any kind, just a shot, even if you are still conscious--you can't change your mind after that point--you agreed to that in writing. I think you need to take responsibility for the decision that you made when not under the influence and not blame others. Listen to what people here have said about post-op depression and focus on getting yourself healthy and happy. Don't you think losing weight is going to be a good thing? Don't waste time looking back at what you can't change, and don't give in to the urge to find someone else to blame. You jumped through a lot of hoops to get this done---look forward not back. I've only lost 40 lbs and my life has changed already, at 6 weeks. Chin up!

Try looking me up as Donna Lynn to add me to your buddies.

I checked out fatsecret and started using it today--if anybody wants to be my "buddy" on there so we can share food logs, I'm Donna4545 there, too. They also have a Blackberry Calorie Counter app that rocks too.

I think it depends on what kind of public figure you are. If you are in politics/news reporting, be open about it and make it a way to draw attention to your work and to VSG. Shout it from the rooftops, and use the media to educate people. The website is a great idea. There are those of us who are "in the public eye" without being in the media. For example, I am a university professor in a small town. I can't go anywhere without faculty, former students, students and community members knowing me. It would simply be too big of a job to try and educate all those people about WLS and deal with all their judgments, so I decided to keep it quiet. Because my weight loss is 2-3lbs a week, no one has noticed. I've let it be known that I'm on a diet, but that's it. I don't want to spend my life defending my decision. Whatever your situation, think about what you will have to deal with if you "come out" as a WLS patient. Good luck!

Wow, you lost weight FAST! I'm going quite a bit slower than that (2-3 lbs a week, some weeks nothing). What's your secret?

When I get desperate enough for ice cream, I'll pay the $45, but that might take a while lol. I was thinking about getting a sorbet maker and making my own low cal dessert instead. It's great if you're in a larger town that carries it though--I'm jealous!

Somebody on here posted about fatsecret.com but I couldn't find the original post. After checking it out I switched from fitday.com yesterday. Fatsecret has all our WLS foods, brand name diet foods, and Protein powders/drinks in their database, so I don't have to enter customized foods. Anyway, it has everything fitday has, plus a function where you can add buddies and see each other's food logs. If anybody wants to be my buddy on there, look me up: Donna4545 Cheers!

Thanks Cheri--but it didn't feel easy lol! I was totally panicked! It seems to be a rocky road lately.

I'm sold on fatsecret.com. If you wants to be my buddy on there we can see each other's food logs (I just switched from fitday so today is the first day). Search Donna4545. I bet you can get down to 900 calories/day--get rid of the sausage,alcohol, potatoes, bread and eat more like you did 6 months out (that's not a flame, it's advice). If you have a sweet tooth, don't eat that cookie! Instead make something lowcal and sweet from the Bariatric Foodie blog--she's got Protein cheesecake, bon bons, tons of stuff. You can do it! You are almost there. Donna

Monday weigh in--lost 2 lbs last week. Better than nothing! See ticker for details. I'm sold on fatsecret.com. If anybody wants to be my buddy on there we can see each other's food logs (I just switched from fitday so today is the first day). Search Donna4545. Cheers

Congrats--that is ONEderful! I hope I can be there one day.

I had been prescribed bc for my PCOS and it made me gain weight. I stopped taking it before surgery and I'm not going back. I was only on it for a year, but I put on 30 lbs in that year without changing anything else. Condoms worked for me for 20+ years, I'm sticking to them.

I think it did help. I'm a little shaky but I made it through today too. Thanks for the encouragement! It's just a rough patch I think. I did lose 2 lbs this week, so it's not as bad as it could be. This morning I had eggs with a bit of garlic and potato [not much], and a mozzarella/basil/tomato salad for lunch (the other half for dinner) and a Protein shake. Total calories just under 800. The fresh tomato (peeled) was a little iffy, I think I won't try that again for a while. I feel like I'm entering a "one day at a time" mentality to keep going. Anyway, thanks everybody, the feedback really helps. Donna

Go to Blackberry's "App World" and search "Calorie Counter". It's free and it syncs with your fatsecret.com food tracker. Great for travel. I just switched over from fitday.com because you don't have to enter a bunch of custom foods--stuff like Isopure is already in there, and lots of brands.

How is fatsecret different from fitday--they both do what you describe. Am I missing something?

My doc prescribed a tiny PPI pill that I've been taking since Day 3, along with an Rx Vitamin D gelcap and Levothyroxine (Synthroid). I crush my Lorcets because I had problems swallowing them even pre-surgery but I don't take those every day so it's a not a problem. The Chewables don't bug me (Centrum MultiVitamin, Calcium Citrate) and sublingual B12. I take everything in the morning except I don't take the Centrum and the Calcium at the same time--absorption conflict there. I usually take the calcium in the afternoon and at night. Somewhere in my written info is an actual pill size that I'm not supposed to exceed but I forgot what it was. I'm taking about 8 pills fewer now that I was pre-surgery so I'm happy.

I cook with olive oil, but I don't mix it in drinks or anything. I haven't found any Omega3 capsules that are small enough for me to swallow.

My faves are listed on my blog (link below). I tend to stick with sleeve blogs, with the exception of Bariatric Foodie (a bypass blog), because we eat differently than they do.

Perhaps you could use the forum to organize a posting/email campaign to the BBC and NHS about why covering the surgery IS reasonable.

My mom was really against it at first and I told her I made up my mind and she knew that was it. But now she has accepted it, and has hinted she'd like to get it done herself. She has been nagging me about my weight my ENTIRE life, so she really didn't have a leg to stand on for objecting to the surgery. She has also been overweight since she was about 25. If you have a mom who won't let the issue go, or makes cutting comments, tell her the subject is closed from now on--no discussion. Find other things to talk about.

To the initial post: your concerns are valid. Having tests done the day before surgery is fine if there's nothing wrong with you--but if there is you need to know in time enough to solve the problem before surgery. It's important if you have co-morbidities. You need to locate a bariatric surgeon local to where you live and see if he will do followup with you. Research complication symptoms on the web so you will know if a trip to the ER is needed once you're home. Have your regular doc do bloodwork before you go so you can correct any deficiencies beforehand, and after you get home, same thing. If your doc can find an excuse for you to have a ECG before you go, do it, just to make sure it's normal. If you have stomach problems, get your doc to do an upper GI test to rule out ulcers or hiatial hernia. There are reasons for the tests done in the US a month in advance--it's so the surgeon knows what he's dealing with, and has time to correct anything that's a problem. For nutrition, you can Google for well known programs' guidelines. These include Cornell University and the Mayo Clinic, among others. If you can do this, you'll have the best of both worlds--US caution and Mexican prices.

BCBS ND approved in 3 days.

I mix my chocolate Isopure Zero powder with cold water and DaVinci chocolate sugar free syrup. Then I add ice cubes. I just use a blender bottle, the kind with the metal ball inside. Check out the archives of my blog for some helpful hints on shakes--link is below.

Check out the archives on my blog (link below) for some pre-op diet ideas.

We all think that---I STILL have that thoght in the back of my head, 6 weeks out. But I just ignore it and keep doing what the doc says. I've screwed up a few times, but I always lose or stay the same if I screwed up, but I never gain. That's proof enough for me. This WILL work. For you and for me. I mean, look, my screwup was to have 1,200 calories one day. That's a Weight Watcher's diet calorie count! Our stomachs are so small that even when we blow it, it's not epic like before surgery, and you just start fresh the next day. It HAS to work. Even our screwups are foolproof (as long as they aren't habits)! So, VSG WILL work for you.