Miss Mac

I have been using monk fruit sweetener, which I get at Aldi's. It is natural and does not have the licorice taste that Stevia has.

I don't know, but I kinda like your "after" picture in skinny jeans, high heels to arch your back and stick out your booty, and a fitted jacket to emphasize the girls. I hope I look that good when I get closer to goal.

My boyfriend is a gift, and is very supportive of me. I told him that if I get mean or hayeful, he should send me back to my daughters!

Since I have mobility issues, my boyfriend (who is also the cook in the house) does the marketing. He is very supportive and has my back, so nothing comes in the house that would be an issue for me. As I run out of staples, I add it to the fridge list. If I think of something new I want to test for tolerance with my sleeve, we discuss the best way to prepare it, then he shops accordingly.

I had to provide documentation for two years of medical weight loss attempts and three months of a closely monitored specific program with a bariatric nutritionist. For the first part, my primary doctor ran a copy of my medical records for the previous two years, and I highlighted every mention of my weight and his recommendations for various diet changes. For the second part, the bariatric clinic has a nutritionist on board, and I had regular monthly visists (3) which she documented. That was good enough.

0x, 1x, 2x, 3x........would 0x be a euphemism for size large???? I'm confused. People on here all the time say that are like 175 pounds and wearing a size 6 or 8 for example. The last time I weighed my goal weight (135 - OK, granted it was in 1982), I was wearing a size ten. I know at some point I will have to quit buying clothes on-line and go into a bricks and mortar store and actually try something on. It's just one more post-op challenge to mess with my head.

Yeah, don't overbuy. I am nine months out and still have enough whey Protein mix for another year.

At 9 1/2 months out I stll seem to be alternating between diarrhea and constipation - having a hard time finding the balance. So glad I am retired. I cannot imagine going through bariatric surgery and having to go to work, or raise kidlets at home, or having to do both and be expected to pull it together. To those of you in that position: you are my heroes.

Same emotional battlefield here. My one year is coming up in December and I am thankfully sixty-five pounds lighter and in better health overall. But it seems like no matter how big I am, I am not as big as I think I am. You know, I guess I will just keep working it. I have no intention of losing ground. The only pressure I feel is what I put on myself. I have the feeling that even when I reach goal, I will still be beating myself up for something. This is not only a physical journey, it is very much an emotional journey as well. I know with my knower that when I come out the other side of this dark cocoon of a tunnel, I will be a lovely happy butterfly enjoying the freedom of not being held down by 100 extra pounds. Cowgirljane, thatnks for your comment. You always cheer me up!

Well, here I am thinking when I ought to be sleeping. I have been beating myself up all day because I had yet another week (ten in a row now) with no movement on the scale. What a revolting development this is! Your post has kindly reminded me that I need to love and accept myself. Thanks

Please get well soon.

Just for the record.....I had my gallbladder out (it ruptured) when I was 21 years old. That was in 1973 when the surgeons still cut you half in two and nothing was being done laparascopically yet. (and phones hung on the wall, music was still vinyl even though 8 track cassetts were new technology, women were just learning how to pump their own gas, and cars did not have to have seat belts) I have not missed it at all, and have gotten along well (digestively)without it. So, at whatever point you may have yours removed, I would bet money that thirty years from now, it would not have made a negative impact on your overall health.

Welcome to the forum. You will find many people here who absolutley rock. For the most part responses are supportive. Opinions and tact vary, but you can glean what is helpful and disregard the rest. No need to take anything personally. When you ask questions, you definitely will hear from all of our different upbringings and life experiences. That is what makes Bariatricpal.com such a gift. It seems like most of us have had someone who asks us why we don't just eat less and exercise more because they know someone who knows someone who had horrible complications with bariatric surgery. The don't have much of a response when we ask back if they know anyone who knows anyone who had a successful weight loss and improved quality of life because of bariatric surgery. Those who have always been thin really do not have a clue about how hard we struggle. I wish you the best outcome for your surgey. You have come to the right place for support.

WLS stands for Weight Loss Surgery. You will find other texting abreviations on the forum. Another is NSV which is a NonSurgical Victory, such as being able to tie your own shoes, someone you haven't seen for a while doesn't recognize you, being able to cross your legs....happy stuff like that. You will also see the term "Onderland" which stands for 199, meaning that your weight is finally below 200 pounds. I have had to look up many text abreviations and street slang terms in an on-line urban dictionary to be able to keep, but it helps me stay current.

Yep....about a tablespoon - just enough to say I did.

Well, it might be worth considering. I do know already that I sleep much better when the bedroom is cool (66-68 degrees) more so that when the bedroom is warmer (like in the summer and the air conditioner is not on. Hmmmmm, maybe even a walk in the crisp autumn air might be helpful beyond just being good exercise.

Oh, I forgot this: When I got a Press Gainey survey from the hopsital, I mentioned her comment and her name. Hopefully she will learn to not second-guess a doctor's diagnosis and quit commenting on a patient's reason for taking certain tests. Geeze Louize.

Surprisingly, I got that comment from the technician who did my pre-op ekg at the hospital. I told her "That's interesting. Maybe you should call the director of the bariatric clinic (same doctor who was my surgeon and who teaches bariatric and robotic surgery at the same hospital) and tell him you disagree with his diagnosis." That shut her up!

With my first surgeon's appointment, I asked him what he does for pain management, especially for the accumulated CO2 that builds up in the shoulder post-op causing a lot of grief. He said that he extracts as much as possible. Consequently, I did not get the painful shoulder gas. I also asked things like how many incisions will I have and where will they be. I had a list of 17 questions, but I don't remember them all now.

Foods need to be moist, for sure, epecially meat. I was still at around 1/2 cup total food volume through my third month post-op. At nine months out, I haven't even tried salad greens yet. Early on, Miss Tummy and I had a disagreement over whether or not I should eat cauliflower with cheese. Four miserable hours later, Miss Tummy won that argument and gave my cauliflower back to me, You will have to reintroduce foods slowly and pay attention to what your new stomach is telling you. Don't think of this as having a smaller stomach....think of this as having a new stomach that you don't know what the hell it likes, and you are going to have to figure it out by trial and error. Be gentle, and keep portions small until you and your stomach come to an understanding. In this game, your stomach makes all of the rules. Don't give up the fight. You are in this to win it. You have no choice.

Post-op, I was pretty restless for while, but by the time that first 30 pounds came off, I was sleeping much better. There were fewer bathroom trips in the middle of the night (I was waking up and going every 20-30 minutes). As I started losing, the bed started feeling bigger. I was able to roll over more easily, too. Now, I can sleep for six hours at a time if my neuropathies are calm. If the are acting up (in spite of taking Lyrica) and disrupting my sleep, then I will take Walgreen's Sleep Aid mini-caplets. It takes about 1/2 hour to get to work, but results in better sleep. I used to take Nyquil Nighttime until it started burning my throat when I developed GERD and esopagus problems. But that Nyquil, man......it works so fast that you gotta take take stuff while sitting on the edge of the bed. If you take it in the bathroom, you will be sleeping on the floor.

At one month I was just starting regular food. If I would have traveled at that time, I would have been more concerned about fatigue. I agree about heavy luggage. Just make sure you have rolling luggage, and your shoulder bag needs to be light.

The blood work will alert the doctor to any conditions he needs to be aware of. For example, if your platelets are too large, you may be a bleeder, annd he would know to be prepared to compensate for that. It wil tell the doctor if you are anemic or have low Iron, and need extra iron post-op....stuff like that. The Endoscopy will let the doctor see inside your stomach so that he is aware of any soreness or developing ulcers. The ultrasound on your liver will tell the doctor if your liver is enlarged or extra fatty, two conditions that must be considered. This makes it even more important to endure the "liver shrinking" pre-op liquid diet. An enlarged liver will get in the way during surgery and may even be cause to delay surgery until the condition is addressed. Some people had to have a cardiac stress test to make sure there heart is healthy enough to support a successful surgery. The doctor is just looking for input into how your body will respond to the surgery. So, I agree that you should engage the process, because if any of the results delays your bariatric surgery, you will be healthier for it and in better condition for when surgery day actually comes. The sleep study will help qualify you for surgery, as it is a co-morbidity. the test will also tell you if you should have been sleeping with a CPAP anyway. Doctor's should be better at informing their patients about why they call for certain tests.

My biggest incision bothered me for a couple of weeks, but the smaller ones were just itchy. I had some problems with the Protein shakes: bloating, gas , constipation. When I don't use them, those issues go away. Also gas-x strips helped with the gas.

I just discovered this thread. The subject matter (Syncope) really concerns me. I am nine months post-op, and on August 25, 2014, I was sick all day.......no fever, but puking and whistling shi*s time after time. Into the wee hours of the 26th, I had made yet another mad rush to the bathroom. So.......I did the necessary bodily functions, got up , put myself back together, felt whooshy, but turned around to wash my hands.... and passed out and hit my head on the bathtub. I was unconcious on the floor for almost a full hour. I tried to call out for my boyfriend, but the bathroom door was shut, and he was sound asleep with the air conditioner on. So, when I finally got up, I got back on the pot for round two. Once again the universe was spinning. I stood up, pulled myself together and passed out and hit my head on the bathtub again. This time I was out for an hour and a half. When I became alert enough to stand up I went to bed and fell aseep exhausted. Yes, I know that if you are present when someone has a concussion, you are supposed to keep them from falling asleep, but I was so tired. I slept for six hours straight before waking up. My boyfriend was unaware of my condition and got up and went to work. Later that evening I was talking to my daughter who is a healthcare professional. As an occupational therapist she travels to the homes of patients to teach people how to recover from a stroke, accident, or catastrophic illness. She told me that I should have called an ambulance. Well, my PCP is closed on Tuesday, so I called on Wednesday, and I did not get a reply until after supper. He told me to go the the ER anyway to get checked out. They did admit me and took a CT scan of my brain and then a images of my hips (because I was complaining of a sore hip and had a big bruise. They were concerned that I may have fractures my hip. (Turned out to be a deep bruise to the bone) Well, they kept me overnight for observation and to pump six bags of fluids and electrolites into my system. The diagnosis: Syncope I had to wear an event monitor for 30 days. Well, I have done my time, sent the monitor back to the provider. I have an appointment later thus month to see the cardiologist for followup. OMG I hope it was just dehydration. When the cardiologist came into my hospital room, she mentioned the vagus nerve, and said that she will be working in cooperation with my PCP to start eliminating possibilies. It's past bedtime, so that's it for this respone. Now I will be thinkin' when I ought to be sleepin'.........darn it.