Miss Mac

I have seen several people on this forum say how helpful a stuffed animal or small firm pillow was for support. My surgery is not for a few weeks yet, but I have had other surgeries and have taken a medium size teddy bear. It can be used for an armrest for your IV arm, or to support your belly if you lay on your side, or even just to have something comforting and familiar from home. And you can hug it when you are tired of being strong.

I won't miss 1) my belly laying against my legs - standing up! 2) not neing able to trim my own toenails.

I am pre-op, waiting on a mid-November sleeve. About a year ago I had an endoscopy because of severe reflux, and came away with a prescription for a protein pump inhibitor called Omeprazole. Love it!!!!! I take one in the morning, about 1/2 hour before I eat anything, and I have relief from reflux all day. Two adjustments I had to make was 1) no caffeine because it was a major irritant and 2) no ibubrophen - also an irritant. Other than that, can't be easier. However, Omeprazole is a prescription drug. Maybe others have suggestions about over-the-counter stuff if you can't get a script. I will be taken off of it just prior to surgery, but if I need it afterwards, I for sure will holler for it.

He who laughs last, laughs best.

I did not have any tests with the psych, just guided conversation about my issues and how the bariatric team can help me be successful. I will have one more psyche appointment just before my surgery. I was told today it would be sometime between November 14th and Thanksgiving. I already had a liver ultrasound,, but I guess I will just keeping following instructions and see how this plays out.

You know how when a woman is pregnant for the first time, and everyone she knows has a horror story about how things can go wrong or be disappointing? Well that is why I limited who I told about my upcoming surgery. I did not want to deal with unnecessary negativity during a very emotional medical event. My boyfriend is supportive, as are my daughters, but I have not told my siblings. Don't have time for the drama.

Just got back from my psych appointment. It was not as intimidating as I thought it would be. She asked a series of questions about my physical health, sleep habits, eating habits, how I feel about my weight, and my understanding of the sleeve process. She was real easy to talk to, and the session was over in about 30 minutes. I am glad that it's over with though.

Way cool. You do you.

If your dietitian did not recommend myfitnesspal.com, it is a good place to start. It is an awesome tool for helping you log your food, plus you have choices on which nutrition values you want to track. I though I was eating a pretty healthy diet with good choices, but the fitness pal exposed some imbalances that needed to be corrected. My world revolved around food anyway, so I just need to submit to the fact that it still will just in a different way. Whatever the docs require of me to get the surgery done, then that is what I will do. I am worth it. Tomorrow morning is my second nutrition appointment and my psych evaluation, and I am marching in there with printouts of my myfitnesspal pages for the last six weeks - warts and all. Yes I had cookies a couple of times, and I had peanut butter cups once, but I owned it There is no point in lying to myself. I need help and the nutritionist can't help me if I curl up in a ball and wish she would go away. So, my encouragement to you is to see the nutritionist as an ally who can help you on your journey to good health. Take care, and good luck with your program.

Yeah, what IS a ppi?

So.......why are you still there? That is a question my doctor asked me when I first confided in him about verbal and emotional abuse in a previous relationship. He encouraged me to do whatever I needed to do to find a place of mental, emotional and physical safety. This same ex would chide me about my weight and then bring home donuts. Not just any donut - hot Crispy Crème Donuts..... My life was full of mixed messages. No one needs to live with constant confrontation. Sounds like your kids would benefit from a calmer environment, too. Hopefully you can find a resolution shortly. As for work, it's only eight hours, it's only eight hours, it's only eight hours...........

Don't beat yourself up. Sounds like you are having a dark day today. I agree that if there was a psychologist involved pre-op, it might be helpful for you to touch bases again. We all get tired of being strong.......and since you don't have anyone supportive in your circle, by all means come here to the forum to rant or to cry. You did the right thing to take control of your health. Family is resistant to control. Find an outlet for your stress. If you cannot afford a copy of 50 Ways to Sooth yourself Without Food or The Emotional First Aid Kit, I will send you mine. Then when you are done, you can pass it on. If you go into my profile on this site, you can send me an individual private message. We have all been through some junk. Don't be shy.

When I entered into the 12 week pre-op program for my sleeve, I had no idea how I was going to eat 60 grams of protein a day. I was a fruit-a-holic and maybe got in 15 grams a day. Now, six weeks later, 60 grams is easy, and a few times I have passed 90 grams! My pre-program diet had healthy choices, but it was really lop-sided. I had been wondering for years if I should just go to a nutritionist. Now I am appreciating the delay in preparing for my sleeve. I have learned so much about balance in my food choices. There is another appointment coming up Friday, and when I get on the scale it will show me DOWN 15 pounds. I am not used to my weight going down. This whole process is great, and I am glad I jumped in.

Thanks. I just snooped around on mybariatricpantry.com and ordered some sample packages.

Congratulations on making a decision that will change your life forever. What it comes down to for all of us is Quality of Life. You have a supportive partner, and that is the greatest gift of all. I am 5'4" and started my journey at 235. I have gained 50 additional pounds in the last two years, despite my best efforts to lose weight. The weight has started to affect my posture as well as factoring in on other co-morbidities including a stroke in 2010. Although it is inconvenient for you to stop smoking, a stroke or heart attack or abdominal aneurysm is more inconvenient. So, it looks to me like your hubby loves you and wants to have you around a long time. No doubt he will be by your side to encourage and support you through this. Stay on the forum, here. You will find endless tips and help through peoples' individual journeys. Welcome.

unjury.com and chikenutrition.com are the two I just ordered. There are others.

Never heard of Chike, but I just took time out to order the sample pack. I ordered a sample pack of Unjury yesterday. Like you said, good idea to know what I like and have it stocked before surgery. Thanks.

Chicago here, but I have a sister and a sardine can full of first and second cousins in the area around Westport and Greensburg, Indiana. An ancestor of mine, General John Hunt Morgan (Civil War) came through there tearing stuff up,thinking he was gonna whoop some Yankees, but when he got to Cincinnati, bad Karma caught up with him and he got put in his place. I am still in the waiting process for a sleeve too, but I have my second nutrition appointment and my psych appointment coming up on Friday (the 13th? - oh crap......)

Maybe your hospital has a Patient Advocate on board.

On the website lookhuman.com you can get a t-shirt that says YOU DO YOU. So, my suggestion is to just do what you need to do to get healthy. Yeah, it's gonna be scary, especially if you have never had a surgery before, but that is how this forum got here.........so that you have someone to hold your hand to get you through the tough parts. Sorry that you don't have support at home, but you do have support here.

oh man....you can get shingles more than once? I had them a year ago and was in a very dark place mentally for the worst two weeks of it. I sure don't want to go through that again. All in all, it took three months to completely clear up and quit stinging. I feel for you having to go through all that at the same time with your sleeve. Thank goodness your medical team brought you out and you were able to kick off some weight.

Nutrition guidelines from my NUT at Loyola University Health Systems for my pre-op 12 week program was this: 1) 60 + grams of protein (which is about 45 more grams of protein than I was eating) 2) Only 2 servings of fruit (not endless gobble fruit fest like before) 3) Eat more beans, not so much potatoes and bread 4) Eat the protein first, then veggies, then fruit, then I shouldn't be so hungry for starchy foods. 5) Total daily calories 1100. Log daily on myfitnesspal.com to maintain accountability 6) weigh and measure - a visual "cup" of food is not the same as an actual measured cup of food. Actually this one has been my biggest lesson in portion distortion. So far, five weeks into this part of the program, I am down 15 pounds.....so, it's working. I need this surgery so badly that I am willing to sacrifice whatever it takes to undo an adult lifetime of mis-manageing my diet. Food is not my friend. I have found out in the last five weeks that I do not need NEAR as much food for fuel as I thought I did.

Add this to the list of reasons that I am glad I made this decision for my upcoming sleeve: I just replaced a 3 year old high quality mattress because my weight destroyed my side of the bed.

Before I made the decision in August to do the vertical sleeve, I was afraid I would have to give my travel funds to my daughter or a niece because I struggle to walk even around the house. But I think now, with my sleeve coming up after I finish this 12 week program in early November, I am going to add Scotland to my bucket list. And, thanks to the surgery, I will be given the gift of a much bigger bucket! My passport is good until 2019. I've never gone anywhere with it, but I was a federal employee at the time, and they were giving them away like candy at work. Well, I had to apply and pay, but I had it like within a week! One of the places I want to see in Scotland is Cardoness Castle, the original McCulloch homestead for my lowland border clan McCullochs. And I would want to wonder over to Hadrian's Wall on the English border. My understanding is that Hadrian gave up on trying to take Scotland because the border clans (My People LOL) were too fierce, so he built the wall to keep the McCullochs, McDonalds, McDougals, Ross's, Munroes, and Gordons out of England. All that to say this.....I am expecting the sleeve to give me a new lease on life. I know the recovery will be challenging, but I have to take the risk. And by the way, my last name has morphed to McCullough because we spent our Scottish Plantation years near Dunluce Castle in County Antrim, Ireland from 1609-1726.....then off to America. Family history stirs a fire in me because I strongly believe that we need to know whose shoulders we stand on. Since retiring early last year, my genealogy project has helped occupy my stroke recovery time and fill my days. I knew we were Scottish, but I had no idea we were THAT Scottish. So, how do we sleevers contact each other individually?

This is so encouraging to me. I, too, am counting on my upcoming sleeve to resolve pre-diabetes issues and get me off of multiple meds. My weight and my numbers have been going in the wrong direction for years. It is interesting that this forum reaches to Endinburgh, Scotland. One of my paternal ancestors, Godfrey McCulloch (hence the username Miss Mac) was executed there in 1697 - the last person in Scotland to be executed on the iron maiden. Well, that's the murdering horse-thieving McCullochs. Thank goodness we had some Presbyterians on the other side of Luce Bay to balance out the family Karma. Recently, my youngest brother had some DNA work done, and the results take us straight back to ancient stone builders on the Orkney Islands. Resolving health issues and losing at least 110 pounds would enable me to travel from Chicago to my ancient homeland. Right now I can't even walk around the block. Congratulations on your results. I needed to hear what you had to say.