Miss Mac

I did the survey. It's painless and quick.

Nothing wrong with a second opinion. My insurance does not object to paying for it. I am diagnosed with anxiety and depression and medicated for three years. My Bariatric doctor and psych not only approved my surgery, they changed my med and increased the dose. If every one who had anxiety or depression could not have the surgery, there would be a lot of us doing without it.

I think the only thing I miss about soda pop is the sweet flavor. The bubble thing was explained to me as the same reason I should not use a straw or eat quickly. Miss Tummy should not be asked to process bubbles or gulps of air.

After my sleeve I could have 1/3 cup plus two tablespoons....and that was plenty. Even now at seven months, I am good with about a 1/2 cup of a casserole or 1 1/2 ounces of meat and 3 or 4 bites of veg.

As of yesterday, my wide shoes are big and sloppy. I was able to cross my legs at the doctor's office. I was trying to describe to the doctor how that I am shapeshifting. She asked me to explain what I meant. I said that all of my leftover belly weight that I have not lost yet, seems to be sinking below my waist and gathering around like a lifesaver on a pencil. Then I said, "Wait! I have a waist!!!!!!" I was so freakin' happy.

So, while you are busy not giving up, you can utilize the concepts you have already learned about nutrition. Your focus while you are muddling through processes and paperwork should be on getting healthier, whatever weight that may be. You have already learned to: eat more Protein and plenty of it eat non-starchy veggies and a little bit of fresh fruit Pretend that starchy sugary carbs cost you $10 cash apiece up front drink Water until your eyeballs float and get up and move around (and shake that thang) a few times a day I wish you good luck and good health.

Oh, I do sympathize. I had a temporary front crown pop off during dinner last night, and was just lucky that Thursday night was my dentist's late night to be open....so I got right in and had it put back on.....get the permanent crown installed on July 29th. For the one hour (I am such a wimp) that I was front toothless with a post exposed, I was so upset. Well, I am so sorry that you must endure until August 4th. Does your dentist have no compassion? How is this affecting your daily routine? You made a good point about hydrocodone. I take that occasionally as a back-up to Lyrica if neuropathies are ruining my sleep. But since I am down 62 pounds now, I should pay more attention to that "whooshy" felling I get when it kicks in. I would not want to take a tumble if I am up during the night (and I am already a post-stroke fall risk). So glad that you brought it up, with a practical example of a bad result. Please be careful. I hope you recover from your extractions soon.

To fccm04, my first mushie meal was homemade tender pot roast mashed really well and wet but not soupy, no big pieces, no corn or peas (because of the hulls).....just soft roast beef, carrots, potatoes. The Wendy's chili that I mentioned on regular foods was my first spicey food, too.

i have heard about apples at bedtime. As soon as I can tolerate raw apples I will try that to give myself a break from laxatives. Thanks for reminding me.

Yes...call call call. I was approved by BCBS Federal Employee in two days, but I would not have known that because the surgeon's insurance coordinator was on vacation for ten days. So while I was waiting for her to get back, I talked to a case manager and had BCBS mail a confirmation to me, which surprisingly approved for five days in the hospital instead of two. I faxed the confirmation to the surgeon myself, and they went head and set my date, even though the coordinator was not back yet. Find out specifically what they need and get it going. Good luck with your surgery and recovery.

My post-op plan was on the fast track. I could have full liquids as soon as I got home. At 1 1/2 weeks I was allowed pureed foods. At 2 1/2 weeks I went on to soft foods, and at 3 1/2 weeks I was allowed to dabble in whole cooked foods, but small bites chewed rediculously well. On the way home from that appointment I stopped at Wendy's and got some chili. I ate about four bites chewed well, and thought I was in grocery heaven. And my surgeon (Dr. Bipan Chand) is not a crazy man. He developed the bariatric program for the Cleveland Clinic and is now at Loyola University Medical Center where he teaches bariatric and robotic surgery. Miss Tummy gave me no grief with eating and my experience with his team and Loyola Hospital has been a.maz.ing.

Yes....bm1 40.1, multiple co-morbidities including stroke. When the 90 days was done and the insurance packet sent in, I was approved in two days. I wish you the best with your surgery.

My next nutrition appointment is Thursday morning, so I will ask. One other concern is that the seeds add calories, too.

I added flax seed, chia and wheat germ to nearly everything prior to my surgery. I was advised buy my NUT to avoid them post-op because they swell up in your stomach. So, I have not gone back to them yet.

My pre-op diet was actually a process of elimination for three months as I dropped starches, soda pop, caffein, salt, you know the drill. Then ten days out I started the liquid diet, I was scared to death to not follow it. I am six months out post op and still following the plan. Yeah, it is hard, but I volunteered for this and I am letting the process do its work. I lost 23 pounds pre-op and have lost 39 post op. I have 38 to goal.

I am spoken for, but what a great idea!

You apparently have access to the internet, so go on youtube and watch a video of a sleeve surgery. It will remind you of the actual condition your new tummy is in. It is raw - with staples. Please please please walk away from the food and the smells - reduce the temptation and stay on plan. Listen to RJ's advice. She has been through so much and has your best interest at heart. Unless you want to spend the rest of your Cancun vacation in the hospital, stay...on...plan.

I remember the day after I retired. I had to MAKE my own Breakfast, because i was used to stoppng by McDonald's on the way into work and get an Egg McMuffin, hash browns, a cinnamon bun, and a large orange juice....which I ate all of while driving. I had to make my own lunch. I was used to picking up something in the cafeteria. Then I had to make my own supper. I was used to stopping by Burger King two blocks from the parking garage to get a chicken or fish sandwich, fries, and a large DIET (ha ha) coke. Then.... a mile from home (this was a 22 mile trip) stop at McDonalds and get a ice cream cone, then stop by the McDonalds two blocks from the house and get a salad for dinner. Now I look back and see how rediculous all of that was....an oh my, the calories...no wonder I was big. I was clearly addicted to the grease, salt, and sugar infused in the food. It certainly wasn't the ammoniated slurry that the burger meat is rinsed in at the processing plant. I am so glad that my daughter does not feed that crap to my grandkids. I was as much addicted to the habit as I was to the food itself. I couldn't eat a Twinkie - it had to be at least four. A cookie - no, a dozen with tea and sugar. One of the biggest adjustments I have had to make is to break old habits in how my day was scheduled. This walk is hard - real hard, but I do not regret my surgery, either.

Hopefully, you are beginning to learn that your new tummy is the boss of you now. You have to listen to your inner "tummy whisperer". Cramps, and the runs, and foamies, etc. can be ways that your tummy communicates with you that it is disagreeing with a choice you made, and please don't do that again for a while......please.....give me a chance to heal already. You will know you are making progress when you have more good days than bad. This doesn't have to be all trial and error. Our care plans are based on what our doctors believe will work, based on past precedence and best practices in bariatric medicine. Although our plans can be different in many ways, there are enough ways in which they are quite similar: Your procedure can be damaged or undone through either carelessness or medical mishap. Eat Protein and plenty of it, then veg, then minimal fruit. Drink Water until your eyeballs float. Starchy, sugary carbs need to be drastically less than you were eating before. Take small bites....chew more than you think you have to. Space out your eating and drinking so that you do not drown your food and have a total mudslide. Call you medical bariatric support team for immediate and /or painful issues. Feel welcome to come here for emotional and practical "been there, done that, got the shirt" support. When you are tempted to fall out of line and you know better, do better. It is easier to do the right thing than to undo the wrong thing. Don't ever feel ashamed to come here and tell us that you had a bad day. There are enough folks here that are far enough ahead of you to give you some good advice. Sometimes the advice isn't pretty. We do all come here for the truth, right? Then, soon enough, you will be able to pay it forward to someone else.

Like when you are driving your car down the road and the engine cuts out, and there you are on the shoulder of the road waiting in the hot sun, or wind, or rain, seems like FOREVER for a friend or relative to pick you up so you can get the car towed, then fixed, so you can finally be on your way. Whew! That's what it feels like.

Yep, that about sums it up! You have to trust now in cause and effect. You had the surgery, now follow the rules and work it (emphasis on work). The weight will eventually have to come off in spite of stalls and set-backs.

Our journey is all about small successes and more good days than bad. Aside from your new tummy, your next best tool will be preparation and planning ahead. If you must do fast food and business lunches, plan now for what you can safely order too keep you successful. Sitting at the table with a boss or client is not the time to agonize over a menu. I wish you good luck and good health.

That's a lot of loss for your little angel. Maybe you could come at it from a different direction. Maybe ask her if you fell and broke your leg, wouldn't she want you to go to the hospital to get it fixed? Could you explain to her that doctors and nurses go to school for lots of years to learn how to help people feel better? And when people feel better they live longer and are happier? And that happy healthy Mommies are able to do more with their children? Hopefully you can explain that your new remodeled tummy won't be near as hungry as the one you have, and by the time school starts in the fall, you will be thinner and feel so much better. If you can explain this process on her terms, to a seven year old's understanding (and not a grown-up's) maybe she can relax a little. Just make sure that you validate her concern. I think a child her age can readily grasp the concept that hospitals are full of people who care about getting you out of bed and back home.I wish you the best.

This is definitely a polarizing subject. I did a self-serving cost / benefit analysis before I committed to surgery (like a pro/con list). One list concerned financial cost, risk, expected lifespan,possible medical complications, etc. The other list concerned financial relief due to better health, expected lifespan, improved mobility, reduced inflammation and pain, etc. The Bariatric Center at Loyola University did not shield me from the harsh possibility of complications and regain. They were very open and answered all 17 questions that I pounded them with on my first visit. I feel like I was very well informed. The risks to not having surgery were greater than the risks of following through. One of the concepts discussed in my college statistics class was that you could prove anything with statistics. The result was just a matter of where your personal bias was coming from. As a matter of fact, one of the books on our recommended eading list was "How to Lie with Statistics" by Darrell Huff. So....I think one thing we can all agree on is that each individual needs to research the subject of weight loss surgery very well and make the best informed decision that they can. One of my resources for being educated on this subject was this very forum. The forum presented me with real people having real outcomes, and put a face to the experiencing I was considering.

For me, I could have full liquids as soon as I got home. At 1 1/2 weeks I could have purees, and at 3 weeks soft, and at 4 weeks could start testing tolerance for whole foods.