Miss Mac

Thanks for your open honesty. I will have a panni by summer and was wondering how the recovery was. That is one thing I appreciate about this forum above all else; this is the place to go for the plain honest truth. I know we tried to be as gentle and as sensitive as we can, but we need the truth nevertheless.

What you don't realize is that you ARE in control. Nobody is making you have this surgery. You chose to do it. YOU chose to accept professional advice on effective ways to use this surgery to bring you health and happiness. Here goes some personal stuff, so anyone who can't handle child sexual abuse and domestic violence should look away now. Myself and my three sisters were all abused by the same relative (not our dad thank goodness) who died of a heart attack while in prison on his third conviction of child molesting. We each did not know the others were abused also, until his funeral. I think we all wanted to spit on his grave. Is it any wonder that three of us have had bariatric surgery and the fourth one needs it? To this day (I am 63) I still have horrible nightmares about being trapped, drowning or buried alive, and not in control of my surroundings. Almost always the nightmare takes place either at my grandma's house, an abandoned industrial park, or a post-apocalyptic city......not every night, but boy, if I take any narcotic pain med....I may as well just stay up all night. In addition to that, in 2005 I escaped in the middle of the night from a diagnosed psychopatic schizophrenic sociopath who isolated me from my family for ten years. He totally controlled all aspects of my being - I feared for my life because he kept five loaded guns in the house and had shot at the neighbors dogs (in their own yard) and shot at other drivers who would pass him on the highway. That is my personal reference for whether or not a situation is out of my control. So, I can't control what happens in my sleep, but when I am awake, I open up the curtains and get daylight in the house, or in better weather, I go out to the shade in the back yard and read in my quiet place. I know that if I had to wear a CPAP, my nightmares would be worse. Having the surgery will get you to the point where you won't need that device anymore. Any parent will tell you that if you do not have rules and guidelines, your house will be in constant chaos. If you think of you medical team as gentle loving parents who want you to be healthy and happy, then maybe these new rules and habits won't seem so bad. There is nothing my team has asked me to do that was not for my benefit. Overeating processed junk food and melting into the sofa trapped me in my physical container more than any nightmare ever could. I cannot imagine carrying around a newborn colt all day and all night (which is how much weight I have lost). My internal body systems have responded well to the outstanding nutrition and exercise it has been getting this past year. Please do not think of this process as deprivation. Our human body was not designed to thrive on Cheetos, Twinkies, Dr. Pepper, and Big Macs. Instead of looking at what you can't eat, look at the bigger picture a year from now and how much better you will feel as a reward for your effort. Your team can suggest all they want, but YOU have control over whether or not you comply. You are not submitting to misery; you are choosing life. You are choosing to be able to walk (or do a Couch to 5K Run). You are choosing to be able to play with pets or children or grandchildren. You are choosing to be able to sit on a plane or in a car without a seatbelt extender. You are choosing to be able to shop for regular size clothing with some style. You are choosing to have bold confidence and to speak up for yourself. You are choosing to get through your day without dropping exhausted by noon. Sure, that pre-op liquid diet is a bit**, but it is a well-deserved rite of passage into a new life. Rather than grieving over not being able to support all these industrial farmers like Monsanto, rejoice than you can break free and go for natural healthful whole foods that do not come from a factory. Even when it comes time to go under the anesthetic and let the doctors take over for a bit, that is still a choice. You can rip out your IV and run out of the hospital, or you can choose to take a little nap and wake up on your journey to a better quality of life. For what little inconvenience a non-complicated surgical experience represents, the payoff is huge. You are more in control of this than you think.

Have you seen any of the cooking restaurant expose' shows and how nasty some restaurant kitchens are? I probably will never eat in a restaurant again unless I am on the road with fewer choices. I hope you get well soon.

Well, my one year comes up in three more days. Here is how my stats have changed: Weight 235 to 169 (mostly carrying remaining excess front and center) Waist 53" to 39" Bust 44D to 36B Hips 48" to 41" Shoe 9 wide to 8 1/2 narrow, no more diabetic socks Shirts 24 (3X) to 12 (L) Pants 24 (3X) to 14 (L) Dropped 3 blood pressure meds, Lipitor (cholesterol), Metformin (pre-diabetic) Lyrica (neuropathies and sciatica), hydrocodone (chronic pain in joints) Out of 8 meds, I am only taking Wellbutrin for post-stroke anxiety At my one year visit last Thursday, my doctor adjusted my goal weight from 135 to 155, so now I am only 14 pounds from goal. She said that after I lose that 14 pounds, I should consider a panniculectomy, which will take off another 12-15 pounds. Smartest thing I ever did next to throwing a jerk to the curb to start my life over.

Just be aware that there may be a few carbs, but really if you can only eat one or two meatballs, it won't be that many carbs.

I had a small hiatal hernia which was too little to bother with, so I was sleeved.

December 23 is my one year surgiversary. I came home on Christmas day.

In the hospital, I was on Clear Liquids - stuff you can see through, like Water, Jello, broth. As soon as I got home, I was allowed to move on to full liquids - things you can drink through a straw if we were allowed straws, like milk, cream soups, thinned out pudding. At week two I moved on to purees - foods that are whizzed in the blender with enough liquid to make them roll off a spoon, like the consistency of baby foods. At week three I could have soft foods like mashed potatoes (without the skin), mashed veggies, soft cooked chicken, scrambled eggs, refried Beans with a little cheese. At the end of my first month (4 1/2 weeks) I graduated to whole foods cooked and well chewed. I had 1/3 cup Wendy's chili with cheese on the way home from my one month follow-up. At this point I was advised to cut back on the shakes and get my Protein from food. I could not tolerate raw veggies, salad greens, and nuts until I was past three months.

My plan allows for one serving or 1/2 cup of fruit per day. One of the breakfast recommendations for breakfast is 1/2 cup Greek yogurt with 1/2 cup crushed pineapple. If I am constipated I will eat an apple, skin and all (1 year out). I do put 1/3 banana or berries in a shake, but I only have a couple of shakes a week......the rest of my Protein comes from real food.

Keep a notebook at your bedside. The chances are that you will come up with questions in the middle of the night because you are thinking when you ought to be sleeping. I went to my first appointment with 17 questions.

Here is a thread with suggestions for re-igniting the fires of passion. My comments are on page three. Read the thread all the way through......it is definitely educational in the dynamics of how women think. You will see that it is not just about getting your sexy back - it is about beginning a new courtship with the new person your wife is becoming. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/314910-miserable-relationship-sucks/page-3?hl=%2Bmistress#entry3558520

169.....finally out of the 170s after a five month stall.

Obesity Comorbidities To follow is a list of comorbidities (additional conditions or diseases) related to obesity which may help you in qualifying for weight loss surgery. The list is from the National Istitute of Health, a government agency www.nih.gov. Maybe this will help if your insurance is really pushing for co-morbidities. Mine (BCBS Federal Employee) only required co-morbids if the BMI is under 40. Family history of heart disease Family history of stroke Family history of diabetes Family history of heart attacks Hyperinsulinemia Diabetes High blood pressure Coronary-artery disease Hypertension Migraines or headaches directly related to obesity or cranial hypertension Congestive heart failure Neoplasia Dyslipidemia Anemia Gallbladder disease Osteoarthritis Degenerative arthritis Degenerative disc Degenerative joint disease Recommended joint replacement from specialist Accelerated degenerative joint disease Asthma Repeated pneumonia Repeated pleurisy Repeated bronchitis Lung restriction Gastroesophageal reflex (GERD) Excess facial & body hair (Hirsutism) Rashes Chronic skin infections Excess sweating Frequent yeast infections Urinary stress incontinence Menstrual irregularity Hormonal abnormalities Polycystic ovaries Infertility Carcinoma (breast, colon, uterine cancer) sleep apnea Pseudotumor cerebri Depression Psychological/sexual dysfunction Social discrimination Premature death in the immediate family

Make sure that they put your IV in you non-dominate hand/arm. If you are right-handed everything will be more difficult if the IV is in that same hand/arm. When you do get to the OR, the anesthesiologist will probably ask you to count backwards from 100. 100...99...98....wake up wake up - hey, you did fine. Next thing you know, you are in your hospital room to begin your new life.

It took my body three days to purge itself, and then the pre-op process was easier to handle. It is a miserable right of passage, so just keep filling up with your Protein drinks and non-caloric fluids. I was allowed 5 (10 ounce) Protein shakes a day and thought I was going to eat my thumbs until that third day passed.

When you are not walking, either sit in a recliner that can give you a boost up, or lay on the bed with yourself propped up a bit. You could sit in a straight back chair and use your arms to push up. You just don't want to get sunk down into a piece of funiture that will cause you to strain your abdominal muscles when you rise.

Same as Aranks. At six months I was switched to Bariatri Advantage AE horsepill stinka** Vitamins that are so big I have to pulverize them and put them in applesauce or Jello Water. The last time I took one, two nights ago, it came back up. I am going back to gummies and sublingual.

Full liquids when I came home from hospital Purees at day 8 Soft foods around 2 1/2 weeks Regular food with caution at 4 1/2 weeks

Did you have an ultrasound of your liver? Maybe your surgeon figured that yours was in good enough shape to proceed without the shrinking. Not having the two week liquid diet will make the whole process easier to endure.

I am surprised that Phentermin is still around. Isn't that the drug that caused racing hearts and heart attacks in young people trying to lose weight? There was a particular dangerous combination called Phen-Phen. I hope what your doc has prescribed is something different.

My understanding is that men have more muscle mass to start with, and muscle burns calories faster than fat. Oh well.

Don't say another word and just go do what you have to do.

Yes. By the time I had lost the first thirty pounds, I no longer had to pee every fifteen minutes and was sleeping almost all night without having to go to the bathroom. At nearly one year, I can go five or six hours without peeing.