delta_girl

I tried wearing my underwire, but it really did irritate one of my incisions. Though it did not get infected or leak, it was angry and red for weeks. Do you have a big sweatshirt? Maybe you can wear that home from the hospital and try going without one for a few days. It is the same with pants (for me at least). If your waistband is hard or tight, it can irritate an incision if it overlaps or rubs against it. All of my incisions had surgical glue (no stitches, no drains). Yesterday I wore a loose pair of jeans, but the button and waist rubbed against my lower incision all day and it was slightly infected when I got home (I'm 6 weeks out) so I'm wearing something super soft today. Try to have as little contact against your new incisions as possible to allow them to breathe and heal.

I'm six weeks out and I have times during some days that I feel down. Today when I was in the grocery store, I walked by the Halloween candy and started feeling sorry for myself and wondered if any of this was worth it. Sometimes I question my decision or my ability to succeed. As I anticipate the holiday season, I also think about time with family and celebrations that include food. If any of this was easy, we all could have done it a long time ago without medical intervention. We don't just face physical aspects of being overweight, we also have emotional aspects as well. It is easier to define the physical parts of being overweight, but the emotional part can be complex and may be very different for each of us. Having support systems in place are a valuable resource that should be accessed at times like these. That depends on who you want to lean on: friends, family, coworkers, a local support group, this forum, etc. Just keep communicating and be patient with yourself through this time of personal growth.

Running Playing tennis better Hiking longer, steeper Shopping in regular stores Exploring new activities I haven't had the confidence to try before

I did this a few times during my second week, but I felt like I was inviting myself to go down a slippery slope. A few days after I chewed and spit out some crackers, I was eating some Cheetoes (chewing and chewing until they were basically liquified). Once you start giving yourself permission to do just a little, or almost (but not quite...), then where is the next fence or barrier to other things? These are just my thoughts for myself on it and not a judgement on someone else. I know that this is the type of thing that got me to the point where I sought out a surgical intervention.

Last night and this morning I am hungry. I take PPIs 2x daily and I ate several small meals yesterday. Since I track my foods in MFP, it was not difficult to find the culprit. Yesterday: 70 g carbs, 32 g Protein. It was just one of those off days where I wasn't paying attention to what I ate, though my calories were under 500.

My doctor is similar, though not quite as extreme. He is very direct, all business, hard core, shut up and listen, no play, no excuses, no rationales, get your hiney in gear, serious. It really works for me. If he were kinder, softer, and more congenial, I might subconsciously find ways to work around or discuss (argue) too many points. I respect him and feel more accountable. He isn't my parent or my friend, he is my doctor and surgeon and his professional practice and reputation are very important to him. I know he wants me to have the best possible results. We both benefit that way. I suppose that different approaches work for different patients. I prefer a kick in the britches to an empathetic hug.

I had some hot Sleepy Time herbal tea with Splenda last night. It really hit the spot. Sometimes I have the diet hot chocolate mix with Water. At 25 calories a serving, it is a very doable alternative. There are so many delicious but low calorie Soups that are perfect for this weather. Soup-a-Woman has a great recipe blog for some interesting options http://www.soup-a-woman.blogspot.com/

Luck you I LOVE that character. He is my secret idol.

I take in much less air when I use a straw. I rarely used them before. I use them all of the time now.

I don't have a goal size. Being short for me means wearing larger sizes than taller people regardless of the weight. At this point, I'm excited to be back in my "fat" clothes since I had gotten much bigger and had to get "super fat" clothes. Last night I did start to go through my closet and anything that I saw that I knew I didn't feel good about wearing because it made me feel ugly, fat, dumpy, etc. and I bought it because it was the only thing that would fit, I started tossing into a pile to take to a consignment shop.

I turned them off on my iPhone. You can do it. It may not be in the place that you usually find that type of thing as I recall. I'm heading to work in a minute so can't check right now. It was so irritating it was driving me nuts.

Surgery on a Wednesday, walking on Sunday, back to work on Monday.

You will never be the same again (in a very good way)! Walk and sit up as much as you can to help with that recovery. This part will go very quickly.

That is a load of hooey. I work full time. I often have to travel for work and and don't get home until late in the evening or stay in hotels, and I'm working on my doctorate. I also have an active social life with friends, family, and a boyfriend. Is she a nutritionist or a dietitian? If she has a certification or license, she very likely has a professional Code of Ethics and Responsibility, such as: http://www.cncb.org/CCN%20Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf which she has likely violated. It sounds like a case of misfeasance or malfeasance to me.

That presumes that bariatric surgeons don't know because they haven't experienced it. I think people might be very surprised to find that some of our surgeons do understand because they have been a bariatric patient, too.

I love getting a monthly B12 shot. That is one less thing to worry about. I usually get my multi vitamin with iron, but need to do better with calcium (I use Tums). I notice a big difference in how I feel when I don't take them. I'm less energetic and alert.

My doctor, who is a no excuses kind of guy, asked me, "So, what happens to you when you are hungry?" I had no idea how to answer. He said, "Nothing." We are so accustomed to thinking of feeling any emptiness in our stomachs as something that needs to be remedied. It is ok feel hungry sometimes, but we are retraining ourselves to our bodies needs vs our wants. I'm still working on this part which is mental for me. The sleeve is a huge help.

A fatty liver will cause some surgeons to decline your operation. More fat weight usually means a much larger, fatter liver that can more easily be damaged and/ or make the surgical process more difficult working around it.

I ate a lot of favorites two weeks prior to surgery, but also knew that I had to drop some lbs. I was told that my doctor would be very displeased if I gained, and he is no bul!$. It was a balancing act to enjoy some things while not going crazy. Food had such control over my life that I couldn't reconcile limiting access to it. At the same time I was giving myself some tough love going through with the surgery. It was a leap of faith. You are the only one putting things in your mouth. That doesn't mean to be forever perfect, just make much better choices most of the time. I'll be going into my 6 th week and it is ok. I have yet to shed a single tear over food. What is challenging is working on the mental and emotional aspects of an addiction to food. I'm learning and growing and everything will be alright. It will be for you, too as you develop and work towards targets and goals. Be good to yourself in the process by thinking about what you are eating and why. For me, the further away from simple carbs I got, the easier the process became. Carbs are my crack.

The most significant change I have noticed so far is the ability to resist sweets about 90% of the time. I don't know if that will last. To say that I was obsessed with sweets would be an enormous understatement. I bought bread for family at Panera, looked at the brownies, cookies and pastries and did not feel compelled to buy any of it, even though it had been 5 hours since I had eaten and only had 200 calories at that point (3:30 pm). This week during vacation I had no issues resisting Godiva chocolate, pie, mousse, etc. I did split a small creme brûlée with a friend and only ate half of the half. It was just too sweet and rich.

Two PPIs a day made a huge difference for me. 1 Prevacid in the morning and a Protonix in the late afternoon or evening. What I thought was a lot of hunger was actually stomach acid and gas. I also notice that, just as others have stated, more carbs makes you want more carbs.

My surgeon said 75% removal was "standard."

I have really been wondering about this. I'm only 5 weeks out, but I've been on vacation for a week and have been eating in a lot of restaurants; soup, fresh grilled fish, yogurt, oatmeal, etc. I almost dread meal time. Eating is not. "fun " anymore. It is more of a chore. Drinking is fine and no big deal. This may sound sick, but I hope it lasts. I'm tired of my life being ruled by food.

I'm seeing someone now, but taking it easy. My former husband (deceased) and previous boyfriend were both very controlling. I decided that I would no longer allow someone else to make decisions for me or direct my choices. I did not inform my current boyfriend of 6 months what I was doing when I had surgery and I don't regret it. Everyone has such a highly individual case and experience. At this point in life I have no intention of ever marrying again. I just love life and am excited about personal goals I have set for myself.

I am a believer in B12 shots. They make me feel amazing. I have a regular rotation to get them at mr doctor's office. I don't have to schedule an appointment, just call on my way to the office.