Lyra

I'm currently 4 days post-op and this has been one wild ride! Does anybody else have a problem knowing whether or not you're hungry? My stomach is making growling noises, but when I have one of my doctor approved 'meals' (ie- yogurt) my stomach revolts! It reminds me of a 2 year old who is stubbornly holding her mouth shut and refusing to eat! I feel like I should be making airplane noises with the spoon to tempt it....

Also, did anybody else find that sweet things like sugar/fat free pudding are now absolutely disgusting? I can literally feel my stomach twitching and contorting when I try and have some. Yeah, this should make my job rather interesting...(I'm a cake decorator).

So, do ya'll have any interesting food 'issues' now post surgery?

Yeah, I'm currently enduring that 'adventure'. It seems to be slowing down though, and my doctor said that it can sometimes be a reaction to all the painkillers and drugs they pump you full of during surgery and your hospital stay.

So yesterday was my surgery and it seems everything is going well. Granted I kinda freaked out when coming out of anesthesia because I was cold, shaking, nauseaus, and tied down to the table. I loathe being tied down and apparently when I was still half out I started thrashing around like a "wild woma ". Luckily I did of hurt myself or them. Shew!

So my question : I can't have liquids or Jello until my leak test tomorrow and my stomach is making weird noises and is sore. I can feel gas moving around inside, but I'm also feeling weird hunger pains. Do y'all think it's just the gas gurgling makin me think I'm hungry? Honestly I was hoping I would have disinterest in food. I w got Ll these fears now that maybe it wont work or something. Stupid, I know, but I could definitely use some words of advice right now....

Mine was about $235 and took about an hour. She and I chit-chatted about the surgery and she wanted me to do support groups, books, etc (most of which I was already doing). Then I answered about 30 questions and that was it. I would try finding a different psychologist, there's gotta be somebody else with better pricing!

I'm going into day 3 of a 7 day liquid diet. Although my doc wants us to only have 20g of Protein a day, low sugar and low fat rather than just stick to Protein Drinks. So we can have clear broth, sugar/fat free pudding, fat free and no added sugar yogurt. Which really doesn't fill you up at all. Honestly, though, it's uncomfortable (I'm not gonna lie) but if you space your 'food' out evenly I've found that while you're hungry you're not "I will kill somebody if I don't eat a burger right now" hungry. It's not fun, but it's doable.

After my doctor appointment the other day where I chose my date' date=' I met with a rep from Bariatric Advantage. It was good because I got to try everything. However, I almost feel like I might be being taken by a salesman. Of course, his products were the best and no others compared nutritional wise. However, I detested his meal replacement Protein powder for the preop diet. When I tried to talk about other options like unjury and the likes, he just wasn't having it because they aren't meal replacements with all the Vitamins and minerals. After surgery, I could use those but prior to surgery he was insistent I needed meal replacement shakes. Also, his Vitamins were specifically made for pre and post Bariatric surgery and, in his opinion, there just wasn't anything else out there comparable. I understands he is a salesman, but geeze, his stuff wasn't cheap. The preop shakes, bars and "chips" is 180.00. The one month postop is 129.00 and the vitamins (multi, Calcium, b-12 , and d) will run me a little over 100.00 every 3 months.

I don't have a problem spending money for my health. I do have issues with spending more than necessary just to have Bariatric specific stuff and for their Protein meal replacements I detest just because the salesman's opinion is that his stuff is the best and because he feels I need meal replacements (instead of just protein shakes) during my preop.

I'm not sure exactly what I'm looking for here. Maybe, to know what y'all are using and your thoughts of using bariatric specific products.

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions.

~Amy[/quote']

I plan on using opurity bariatric vitamins. It's once per day, chewable, and for 100 days it's 39.95. Good luck and don't let that salesman bully you!

Yeah I had a couple of people like that where I work, too. I told them that I was either getting wings surgically attached so I could fly like a butterfly or that I had been infected with an alien and it had to be removed before I did a Sigourney Weaver from Aliens 3. My answers pretty much depended upon my mood but were all together silly. And you know what? The nosy people left me alone. Granted they might have edged away from me, but I'll take what I can get!

*hug* I'm sorry that you're having such a rough time right now. I know that your mom has to be watching over you and that she's amazingly proud of you. Your husband sounds super sweet and smart, listen to him! There is no shame in reaching out and know that we all have your back if you need to talk.

That is so awesome! Keep us posted a good luck!

While I don't normally advocate being rude, if you're coworkers are being intrusive a curt and cold, "It's none of your concern" or "I don't care to discuss my personal life at work" and immediately walking away would get your point across. They may still watch you, but they probably wont say anything to you for awhile. I dislike being questioned as well and when some of my coworkers got too nosy about why I was having surgery I told them I had been infected with spider-alien love spore and needed to have it removed before I did my best Sigourney Weaver in Aliens 3 impression. That pretty much shut them up. Good luck and your hubby sounds like a sweet guy! Clueless, maybe, but sweet

You can always create an "Adventure List" with your kids and together ya'll can choose 10 'adventures' to go on with you as you lose weight. Fun, silly, or creative stuff that you may not be able to do easily now. That way she'll look at it not only as fun and something to look forward to, but it can also show her that change isn't scary and that good things can come from it. Write it up, decorate it with glitter/stickers/whatever and put it on the fridge so that they can see it every day.

If you feel like you need to tell them something (although legally you don't have to tell them squat) you can always just answer that you're having either surgery for 'female problems' or 'male problems' (depending on whichever applies). Most people back away from wanting to know more about things like that either from sympathy or somehow thinking it's contagious. Another option is that you're having ulcer repair work which would explain your change in eating habits.

I have kept out pretty private I did not feel like answering questions or people watching to see what I am eating. now I have to figure out what to tell people at work why i was out a week. my best friend at work who does know said my friends at work have been asking about me. i think i will say i had a hernia repairs which i really did. i just told my brother yesterday I had the surgery 4/4 he was do happy for me and watched the operation on you tube. I decided I will pick and choose carefully who I tell I am going back to work wed

You can also say you had gallbladder surgery or ulcer repair. It will explain why you're not hungry and why you may be tender in the middle. Good luck!

I'm getting sleeved April 25!! I'm both excited and terrified that I'll be the one person it totally fails. But that's just fear talking. I do feel ready and excited and I know that may say is right around the corner and time will fly by!

Hey guys! My surgery date is April 25 and I can't wait. If ya'll want to be surgery buddies, let me know!

When I was 19 I had a breast reduction to a B/C cup and loved how small they were. Now I'm a large D and I really, really, really, really hope that they'll go back to the B/C range (I prefer a size b, actually). I also hope that the 'lift' I got 10 years ago will somehow keep lifting as the weight comes off.....Eh, even if it doesn't I'll wear super sexy bras and they would have gotten saggy eventually anyway.

I'm not worried about the 'ladies' but what I would like is to see if I have hips. I've always carried weight in my middle and it'll be nice to see if I actually have a waist...

Yah know, I just want a pair of jeans, or even a cute pair of shorts paired with a silk screen tank top and some awesome arm bangles. It would be awesome to wear a tank top during the summer without being disgusted by my arms. Without having a spare tire or two around my middle.

Cute clothes are a definite "Lyra wants that!". I also love accessories and it would be awesome to be able to wear bracelets that can slip over your hand without feeling like you're putting yourself through an ancient torture device. I want to run a half-marathon by the end of the year and my bff said that she's coming with! (she rocks!)

I am whistful about some of ya'lls husbands who are so supportive and don't care what you look like, because men like that are scarce where I live! I would love to have a guy ask me out again or to even have somebody flirt with me! Or stare at me and not because I'm big. To not only hear the "but you have a great personality". It would be nice to go to a bar with friends and not feel left out when guys come up to us to talk. I think if someone actually asked for my number I would be in shock! *grin*

I just looked up the tagine recipe and it looks sooo good! Do you make it yourself or can you get it premade?

I'm not sure about getting it pre-made although you might be able to go to a Moroccan grocery store and get it. It's really easy to make. I love the taste of veggies and this dish doesn't cover those flavors up, it's also really pretty with a bunch of different colors. I put chicken in mine with cous cous and bake some flatbread in the oven. If you want my recipe send me a buzz! I heard there is a recipe good for sleevers on this site...I'll have to check it out!

I'm still pre-surgery and most of my friends have been supportive. The only friend that I've seen glimmerings of problems with is also overweight and is losing through exercise and dieting. She kinda has this "holier than thou" attitude and said that if so many people lose weight with the surgery then why don't I just eat what they eat and I'll lose weight. I looked her straight in the eye and said, "I don't know K., can you YOU only eat 2 oz for a meal?" That's kinda shut her up for awhile but I see some problems coming down the pike. *shrug* I look at it that every friendship has an ebb and flow. Perhaps we'll stay friends, perhaps we wont. Maybe we'll just 'do lunch' and only talk about surface stuff and perhaps we'll be BFFs. Or perhaps we'll come back to being friends in a year or two. Life changes too much to be worried about something like that.

Moi! I'm hoping to run a half marathon by then too! I'm (crosses fingers) hopefully getting sleeved next month but I already can run a 5K distance (albeit rather slowly. I'm part of a running group called The Turtles!). As for tips the best one I've found so far is to go get fitted for real running shoes by people who know what they're doing. Apparently my feet pronate slightly and these shoes made my ankles, knees and hips feel so much better!

I'm still pre-surgery but my current favorite foods are Peanut Butter anything and a Moroccan tagini that is deliciously awesome!

Mine went for approval on the 12th so hopefully I'll here something tomorrow. If not I'm going to call to see what's up. Good luck!

Yeah, my surgeon told me that a lot of doctors don't look kindly on having to treat someone who didn't go to them for primary treatment. Basically it's a "we weren't good enough in the first place and now you want us to help you" sort of deal. It it was something like a leak, you would probably have to go to the emergency room because then a doctor is forced to see you. Also, I don't think your insurance would be obligated to pay for any problems related to the surgery since they didn't cover it in the first place and you went out of the country for it. I'm not sure about the last part, though.

If you're worried about scars then try a Vitamin K lotion (you can also get it in a prescription strength but it's pricey) but only for purple scars. Once they turn brown/pink then use Vitamin E. I have some intense surgical scars on my legs and went through the K and E routine and it helped a lot! The rest is just common sense. Like if you are in the sun you really need to put sunscreen on the scars. Trust me, sunburn on scars hurts.