Miss Mac

Like you, I used to believe that "meat is for the man......and bone is for the dog." Until I had a stroke. I have thrown two jerks to the curb (after a 23 year marriage and a 10 year marriage). It gets easier as you go, and eventually you quit looking at jerks. I have been with a gentle soul for the past 8 years. He has been supportive every inch of the way, and I am now 65 pounds lighter than when we met. I wish you good luck and good health.

We are here to encourage you along the way.

Oh boy, oh boy....go to the search box at the top of this page, type in RELATIONSHIPS, hit the down menu to make sure you are searching the forums, and click go.......you are in for a wild ride. Hold on tight, and I wish you the best.

Anger is a valid and recognized aspect of the grief process. It sounds like you loved your mother very much and miss her dearly. If it is any consolation, I would let you know that with my own experience with dibilitating pain (like when I had shingles) there were dark days when I just wanted to walk out in front of a truck - but that would not have been fair to the truck driver. Inconsolable pain causes people to do things they normally wouldn't do, but for some, death is the most reasonable way out at the time. I do not know if someone can choose to die because something is painful, but I think that there is a lot we do not know about the human condition. Getting over the loss of a loved one just takes time, but you also need to take some time for yourself. It sounds like you are faced with an overwhelming amount of work. I am glad there is light at the end of the tunnel for you. My boyfriend works for a rairoad, and from him I have learned that when a train goes off the track, it does not have to go back to its point of origin. It is repaired and put back onto the track where it went off. When you get to the point that you can regroup, take a deep breath and just start back where you left off. You already know what to do, and so are ahead of the game already. Many of us can relate to having a derail or two, so let us know how you do.

Even the Protein shakes that I could tolerate before surgery tasted metallic afterward. Is it possible that our new medications, or absence of pre-op meds make a difference.....or how about the fact that because we consume less salt, sugar, butter, etc. we are actually tasting the food instead of the stuff we used to put on it?

Congratulations on gettingg you approval. I agree with the others that the approval is far more exhausting than anything you will experience post-op. Post-op is the easy part barring complications.

A while back, someone here on the forum suggested eating an apple every day. I had been doing stool softeners and the prune juice at bedtime, the prune juice being my one serving of fruit for the day. Now, I just eat an apple at bedtime and have a bm every morning.

My primary physician referred me to the bariatric clinic when I asked if I might be a good candidate for a lap band. My older sister had a gastric bypass years ago and had complications with an abdominal infection. What surprised me was that there was a third option called vertical sleeve gastrectomy, which I had never heard of. I liked the idea that there was no re-routing of my intestines, and no abdominal port like with the band. So, I took the option of the sleeve and do not regret it. I am over halfway to goal and feel better because my spine (which was collapsing under my weight) does not have to bear such a burden. My internal systems are much happier with my healthy Protein - rich diet. I have been dropped from two medications related to pre-diabetes. I am very happy with my decision and would do it again.

I started out with gummies, but my bariatrician switched me over to Bariatric Advantage AE, which are a stink a** horse pill. The only way I can get them down is to pulverize them and put them in syrawberry or cherry Jello Water or my prune juice & diet cranberry juice coctail that I drink at bedtime. Blech!!!!!!

Top o' the mornin' April. I am in Chicago Illinois in the states, but wanted to let you know that you are being heard clear over the pond. They call me MIssMac because my last name is McCullough. My original Irish ancester was William McCullough, Esquire born in County Antrim, Randalston District, Barony of Toome, Ireland, around 1680. William was the son of Sir Alexander McCulloch of Wigtownshire, Scotland, who came over to Ireland during the Plantation Period. William's grandson James emigrated to America in 1734 and is my 6th great-grandfather. So, I wish you good luck and good health, and just wanted to let you know we can hear you over here, too.

Congratulations. It won't be long before your bed starts feeling bigger!

Happy Birthday, sleeve sister.

Mine hurt intermittantly for about a month, and usually when I bent over or got up from bed or a chair. After a week post-op I did not need any pain medication, though. The smaller incisions never did bother me. The biggest problem with them was that my skin reacted to the bandaids and made a couple of blisters. So, post-op pain was not bad at all. At one month I was given the go-ahead to start strength training with 5 pound free weights.

Apparently the bubbles are an issue, too. I was instructed to not drink anything carbonated ever again, ever!

Wow! Your progress is so inspiring. I have been debating about whether I would want to aspend any of my retirement money on plastics, but it sure would be nice to get my "perky" back. keep us informed and include pictures. When people post before and after pictures, I am just amazed at the difference.

Completed the survey, since I was up thinking when I ought to be sleeping.

While you are waiting, you can get a head start with these modifications: Drink Water until your eyeballs float. Eat Protein and lots of it. At any meal eat your protein first (skip the gravy). Fills you up Eat green veggies and avoid starchy veggies as much as possible. Try to keep fruit at 1 serving per day. If you are going to eat anything high in carbs (like bread or a banana), eat it early in the day - no carbs after lunch. That way, your metabolism will be more efficient in burning fat, since there are fewer carbs / starch to burn up first. Go easy on the salt, to reduce water retention. Start logging calories, protein, and carbs - either with a notebook, or with My Fitness Pal (or Sparkpeople, etc.) to make yourself accountable. Watch portions, and weigh and measure everything you consume so that you get a clear idea of how much actually goes in your mouth. Move your body every day. Sir Isaac Newton (the falling apple gravity guy) was the one who said, "Objects in motion tend to stay in motion, and objects at rest tend to stay at rest." So, these suggestions are nearly universal with all of our bariatric programs. I wish you good luck and good health.

Good for you! At least you can expect that you will have successful results, because you have already demonstrated that you are commited to better health.

Keep some shakes or mix on hand for bad days. The rest you can figure out mathmatically. Breakfast: 15 grams: 2 scrambled eggs with 1 tbs shredded cheddar. Snack: 8 grams: chocolate milk (1 cup milk w/ sugar-free chocloate syrup Lunch: 15 grams: 2 ounces grilled chicken on small green salad Snack: 10 grams: 1ounce of deli turkey rolled in endive leaf with 1/2 ounce swiss Dinner: 15 grams: 2 ounces baked fish with steamed veggies Snack: 8 grams: 1 cup of milk So, that is just an example to divide out your day with three meals and three Snacks. This example is 71 grams of Protein and around 800 - 900 calories.

My chronic reflux was resolved with surgery and an Omeprozole capsul before Breakfast.

Congratulations, indeed! In the back of my closet is a pair of white size 12 jeans, waiting on me to get there. I am size 14 jeans right now. Closet flushes are such fun. You are doing a great job!

At ten months out, I still resist drinking at mealtime. The summer was manageable, but I was sipping an ounce or so every few minutes. What I do when I have something spicey is sip just enough Water to rinse around my mouth. The reason that I sip is because my surgeon told me that eating or drinking quickly could trap air in my stomach and be quite uncomfortable. Also, I am afraid that drinking with a meal will cause my stomach to be distended. So, I max out at about 1 cup of food at a meal now, and 60-80 ounces of Fluid daily (which is mostly water).

At week three I was still on soft foods, so if you do not want to mash up stuff in front of people, I agree with the suggestion about soup. Almost any restaurant has some kind of soup. Assuming that the people you are dining with are aware that you have recently had surgery, they shouldn't be alarmed. If you do not want Jello and whip cream for dessert, then let your guests have whatever, and you take a rain check for about six months out from now. I wish you the best. Happy Birthday.

Been swallowing pills from day one. Just pace yourself. I pulverize my Bariatric Advantage AE horse pill stink a** Vitamin and put it in a glass of prune juice (2 oz) and sugar free cran-grape juice (6 oz). Down the hatch 2 oz at a time.

Not true for everyone, but for me carbs are the devil. I am allowed one slice of bread or 1/4 cup starch per day. In addition, I can have one serving of fruit a day, and I can drink a cup of dairy milk. My past experience with yo-yo dieting is that carbs make me hungry for more carbs and got me into this mess. So, if I have steel cut oats (8 gr protein) with 1/2 apple and cinnamon and 2 tbs. milk, the I will not have any carbs other than green veggies the rest of the day. If I have and egg with a slice of bacon and 1/4 oz cheddar cheese for Breakfast, the I might have 1/4 cup tuna + egg salad on 1 slice of whole grain bread, then no carbs except green veggies with dinner. Both of my Snacks are Protein only. If I go all day without carbs, I definitley will not eat any after lunch. NO CARBS for dinner. But that's just me. I agree that as you pare back carbs, sugar, soda pop, artificial sweeteners, etc..it does get easier because you are controlling the appetite monster.