swimbikerun

You know I read this and its odd. I'm the fundamentalist, conservative Christian. I support people in whatever happens, and don't gossip. I've got people who have a more liberal view and they do. Gotta make you stop and think. I'd be asking people what I tell them - how is me passing this on going to make things better? Is this going to demonstrate my helping them or making me feel superior because I'm using information on someone to put them down? I mean I was put on this earth to be a "helpmeet" not a tale teller or busy body. In my church, that would NOT go over well and rate a call from a Deacon. Ok, making Desserts for everyone that don't include Splenda and sending a diabetics' blood sugar over 300 didn't impress everyone ... but hey ... What we need to be focused on is keeping each other safe and healthy and supporting. That and letting others know who is a good doc to go to and who isn't. If they're not supportive past the surgery, why bother?

How about I'm went on a prison diet, since I'm going there for beating up someone asking me stupid and private questions.

Exactly - doggone people need to gossip. The reason why people tell me things is I support and don't repeat. That's what people need: support. Whether you are losing it thru surgery or gym/diet, doesn't matter. Its the support that does.

How do you set your mind on being healthy for the rest of your life? Do you want to dig your grave with a knife and fork? I was glad to trade it to enjoy life and the longer life I would have being thinner, healthier. I'm not as worried about favorite foods as having them in moderation is fine and my tastebuds have changed, as has my relationship to food.

I would say that I had some medical problems that needed fixing and when that happened, weight loss is a side effect of the treatment. That's not lying and is generic enough that they have an answer and don't need to know more. I'd then ask why they needed to know and what effect would it have on the working relationship for them to know. Usually things like that get them to get the hint.

If you are talking pre surgery, yes go ahead. Anything to help you. A healthy treat is always great - apple, banana, carrots, those are natural sugars and will give you healthy nutrients you will need. As for drinking, just get used to sipping sipping and more sipping. Don't be worried or beat yourself up because its going to take a bit to get used to after surgery. The other is do you do carbonated drinks? I took 3 weeks to come off them. Slowly tapered, and didn't have any headaches. People who drink them and then go cold turkey are usually inviting headaches big time. Most places I hear give you a few days to a week or more to lessen your eating so your liver shrinks. So unless you want hunger on top of that, you might want to consider that. Note that I worked the week and right up to the day before my surgery, with a week of a very low calorie/fat/sugar diet. It can be done but it depends on your discipline.

Hi, How is being hypothyroid hard to lose, when the thyroid is being kept under control by medication?

I would ditto all of the above. Whatever way you can get drink or food in, protein, do it. Don't bat yourself if you can't get 64 ounces and 3 meals a day in. Just do what you can. Slowly it should get better. If by the end of 3 weeks or so it doesn't, that's another story.

Congratulations!! Hope it all goes well for you. Do you have someone to watch your kids?

Ouch! eLet us know how you get on. Wow ... I would have been screaming after a day, I don't know how you do it.

Thanks. Appreciate it. Happens. We learn and move on, that is what I'm about. I want others to see, learn and then take it so they don't have the same experience. The group in question is not interested in any changes, from what I can tell, nor in a dialogue, so why not let patients know what they might expect and allow them to take up the issue to get a better experience than I had? Sort of parents are for. LOL my parents though didn't seem to mind us making a few mistakes so we learned. Fortunately being the last child of 4, it was a touch easier for me although my sisters didn't really care for it. I made out a bit better doing so at their expense. Plus since some docs dont know about after care, and complications, we should know and be prepared to move on them. Waiting only makes things worse.

That's why I post in my blog about what I believe to be a retaliation (which by law is illegal) for filing a HIPAA complaint against my doctor. I simply want others to hear of what the facts are, because what is said and done are two different things at time. No one should have to suffer because a doctor just wasn't what he appeared to be and didn't appear "doctor" professional at all times. In my case, I've gone downhill because docs dont know about PICC lines, nutrition, etc. The ones I have are trying their best, believe me, but I get questions because they expected that office to follow the bariatric surgery complications. Here is an email I sent to their risk manager (because I got stuck with her, I didn't ask for her). Sad because the surgery was fine, its just everything with it being the problem, and that other docs in the hospital group aren't like this. I've got several great ones that are just over the top fabulous. its hard because I compare how he acted compared to them. Ma'am, A question I have for you, that is really the main cause of all this. I had a Sentara doc long before the MyChart came up. He was great. I trusted him because if he made a mistake or there was a problem, we fixed it as a team. I trusted him more because I knew he put my health first, and that even to a minor issue or whatever, he had the self respect and decency and courage to be honest about it. I raved about him to everyone. People thought more of him not because he was perfect, but because of his character when he wasn't. When Dr. Fontana misdiagnosed the gallbladder issue last year, I just wanted him to apologize and fix the problem. I didn't think I would have to jump through hoops and go through all sorts of misery for it. The church I go to, we understand mistakes. We're all human, it is our belief we're all sinners. We expect, and understand, apologies and working to make things better. I know not all are like that, but we Christians are. Forgiveness is something we're familiar with, and we believe Christ forgives us when we sin, make mistakes, and when we try to do better. Yet when that couldn't be done by the Sentara docs, we'd get blamed for the error. I have no care now, and most of that stems from the fact I had someone who blamed me for the problem, who wouldn't deal honestly with me on it, and then "shuffled" around a few other things. Rather than Sentara simply saying 'hey there's an issue, lets address it, or maybe the original doc you wanted might be a better fit for you', I've gotten nothing but comments I'm mental, my care is dumped, it gives me a history, and I've had to spend time trying to correct records that aren't as accurate as they could be. Is Sentara no longer in the business of hiring people who don't have the respect, honesty and courage to recognize a mistake and just work with a patient to make it better, its just dump them, who cares, move on? If not all Sentara docs are like Dr. Fontana, then maybe we patients are not all sue happy people either, you know? Trust is a two way street. Time and again, I've seen we'll dump our care, leave you high and dry, because fixing mistakes, apologizing, working with us, isn't something Sentara is about - or the question that there's one doctor or practice that maybe isn't. As a person looks at a Christian and sees their mistakes, and judges all Christians by it, don't you think that when my family, friends, coworkers, etc. see this, they judge Sentara for it? As a Christian I represent Christ, and its hard for non Christians to separate my actions as me and not for all Christians. Don't you think its hard for us patients to separate one doctors' (and maybe a practice or administration, don't know) actions from Sentara? I'll tell you this, when Dr. Fontana in Jan 2012 said that he didn't know the cause of something, its something we bragged on. Because at that point, I thought I had someone who was like my old Sentara doc who did have some integrity, had some Christian values. My church agreed. Looking back now, I'd say we misjudged. Christ has told us that he will repay, He will judge, and I've asked people to pray more for my former doc than me. The answer to this shouldn't be one that takes forever to give, because I'm using this issue to find out what Sentara stands for.

I heard 3 months to start/stop it. Though the risk is small, that's what I got told. I can't take meds any way now, Protein is too low. Believe it or not, when your protein/albumin goes low, medications or drugs that use them as carriers then tend to go free in plasma. The effects are NOT fun. I do mean they are NOT.

I envy you! No other care is in the area, once lose your surgeon. Its something I talk about and tell others to look and ask questions about.

Wait that is Reglan - metoclopramide? That's the same drug.

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO I am TICKLED for you. Oh my ... I had a PICC line and it really stunk so having been in that position, I can say that I know what that feeling is like. I actually had to force mine to take it out since he left it in for the last week because he said they may need to use it when I had an EGD. I went they can put in a IV you aren't supposed to leave those in for convienence.

Oh my word that is so mean. I guess that's why she said it.

I'm glad that works for you. I can no longer take medications. Is the Reglan the one that causes tardive dyskinesia?

Yes I did. Until the calcium lack got me, that's exactly what happened to me. I only went for 6 month cleanings since my teeth were fine, just not bridal white.

Dehydration causes nausea. Definitely. Its one of the signs. I was dry heaving & throwing up for a bit after the surgery (anesthesia and I do NOT get along, thankfully they heeded the warning on no valium or I would have been worse). Oy ... and I've been dehydrated a lot since then.

It was 5 months in one of the studies I read. The neurologist told me months to years. I started signs in November 2012. By the time I got to the neurologist in June 2013, the EMG's were showing the neuropathies. I suspect it is more individual, but if you bust your can on it, like I've tried to do, it will take more time. I'm also lucky in that I got away from a doctor who only had the party line of type of eating and really wasn't able to modify it for my food/GI issues. I had to go outside of them to get that. Nice to know it would be months before I have issues. My NUT just said "quite a while..."

You can't live on just Water. Just being able to keep down water, you can still get dehydrated. If you get Protein deficient enough, the Fluid leaks out and causes edema. One of the items from the Holodmor starvation time in the Ukraine was getting dehydrated from starving. It can also cause a malnutrition related diabetes (http://www.the-aps.org/mm/Publications/Journals/PIM/sands-pdf.pdf). No, it doesn't happen in a couple of days but once you start out going badly its really hard to catch back up.

They may not starve immediately, but dehydration is a serious thing. You can't go long without water. Being protein deficient takes a bit, but after a few months, one of the articles/medical research I had, had a lady that in 5 months had neurological issues from food.

You didn't get that checked out first? I had gastroparesis, slow stomach emptying, diagnosed a number of years before the surgery. I chose the sleeve surgery because there was a study out of NY that said 86% of the people who had a gastrectomy got it fixed. Now I have GERD, which isn't bad but sometimes OMB is. Do you have that? If I try something fatty or red meat, I get nailed. I tried to do chicken with some soaked in Water from Whole Foods BBQ that didn't have a lot of spice, some veggies, and OMB ... for 3 hours, refluxing. It happened the same way when I tried it a couple weeks before. As if the IBS & the food intolerances didn't get me bad enough. The fun part is I had a gastric emptying study done not long ago and I still have mildly delayed emptying. ~~~~ Moonlight have you been able to see if you can get a study done?

I swam like a banshee and it didn't do anything for the skin. You can exercise but depending on your age, how much weight you had, how fast you lost it, your age, etc. you won't see what everything tone up just by weights.