Uniqbtrfly

We eat take out a lot because it is just the two of us. We usually choose the Black eye Pea, Cracker Barrell...places where there is a big choice. I do not eat bread, sugars, or anything white...no potatoes. It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it. I love Chick-Fila's grilled chicken nuggets!...no sauce or waffle fries...even though I loved them. Every once in a while I will eat an egg mcmuffin with real bacon instead of canadian bacon on it.

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DFW area. 4 yrs post sleeve in Mexico. No problems.

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I have 2 adorable and lovable morkies...Scooter and Daisy.

 

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I am 63 and have lost 125 post sleeve 2012. Gained back 20 or so because of some meds and off. track. Am back on track and losing again. I hate exercise and have limitations anyway. So i don't believe it is a one for all requirement.

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I know that some psych meds make you gain weight. Would the sleeve help that? Is there any research on med related weight gain and surgery? Tia

No...i still gained weight in psych meds that had to be changed. I refuse to take any med that makes me gain.

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I have lifelong major depressive disorder and have been on all kinds of meds. I've been taking Wellbutrin since 1995 and have added and subtracted other meds along the way. My long-term psychiatrist always said that it was very important that I sleep, which was a big problem. Benzos don't work for me (Valium, etc). The best thing that worked was a combination of Ambien and Thorazine. But who wants to take Thorazine?! So after a while he suggested Seroquel (just for the insomnia, I'm not bipolar or schizophrenic). Started at 100 mg maybe 8 years ago. Gradually worked my way down to 25 mg. Then my doctor died.

In the midst of this, I had a VSG in Jan 2010. Beginning weight was 385, day of surgery 361, lowest 285, today 335. I've learned to eat around the restriction, obviously, but could the Seroquel be part of the problem?

Meanwhile, I'm not sure the Seroquel is working as well for sleep. My new doctor isn't too happy to prescribe it. She would like to see me off of it because it's not supposed to be a sleep medicine, although she's always saying what a low dose it is. (200mg is a low dose; 800mg is a high dose.) So I don't think she'll increase it. Seroquel is known to increase weight, but she says the effect lasts about 12 hours, so since I take it at night, it shouldn't be a problem.

But since it's not working well anyway, and since it might be causing weight gain, I decided to go off of it on a trial basis. Today is day 4. The first two nights were hell. The second two nights were better, but still not good enough to function. But I do feel less driven to eat.

Do you think that Seroquel could be a factor in my less than stellar weight loss results? How long should I suffer through sleepless nights before going back on it? Should I try something else to sleep?

Do you know for sure you are not bipolar...there are at least 4 types. I would change doctors.

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I've been a member for a while, but lately I've been dealing with something I thought other sleevers (particularly if you're pre-op and looking for things to watch out for) might want to be aware is a possibility. Because it's embarrassing and I'm going to drop some personal truth bombs I set up a new account to do this.

All my life, I've been fat. As a child, I got ridiculed. As an adult, I never felt like I even existed. At the size I reached, I was basically a non-entity, an ugly piece of furniture people walked around but never really looked at. For some reason, despite ongoing therapy, I was never able to get past the notion that once I started losing weight, things were going to change. I would be a PERSON, and I would be LOVED and I would be WORTHY.

Nothing changed except the size of my ass.

Oh sure, I get more attention now, but it's fleeting attention. I still don't have the connections I hoped for, and I think maybe that's because I went my entire life not knowing how to form them.

I thought I understood all the possible risky behaviors and cross addictions. I'm not an alcoholic, I've never tried cigarettes or drugs, didn't even finish my pain pills after surgery and I really needed them. I was OKAY, right? Wrong. I started meeting guys, with the genuine intention of finding someone special...but it just kept not happening. They all seemed to like my body, though, so I convinced myself for a while that the sex was just good and liberating and everyone does it, so why shouldn't I have fun with it? It's not fun, though. It started to become desperate. That moment when I was with someone and things peaked, I mattered - I was the only thing that mattered. For that moment, it felt good, and I started living for that feeling. Men, women, couples, posting pictures online - once I even posted a craigslist ad in another state exposing myself and asking for chat friends. Ended up taking a day off work and carrying on a conversation with over 30 men at the same time just trying so hard to feel like I was desirable and cared for.

I knew it wasn't okay. I knew every discussion, every encounter, was just going to end in tears. I was just too out of control to stop. It wasn't until recently that I really figured out what was really at the root of what I was doing. I'm not engaging in the behavior anymore, but I'm still struggling really hard with the feelings. I wish I could say that I knew how to prevent this from happening, that I had some magic answer, but the truth is I don't. I've BEEN in therapy, taken meds, tried to fill my life with other things, and still ended up finding myself out of control. It would be nice to say, "do XYZ and this won't be you", but I can't - though maybe reading this can help someone else who might be going through it to feel like they aren't alone. You aren't. You are valuable, you matter, and you are worth more. So am I. I'll check this account from time to time, and if you need to talk to someone who gets it, I'll talk to you. NO worries about anonymity, I won't say a word.

I am bipolar 2 with anxiety. I did not go to your extremes.. but i watch the ID channel and realize how lucky i am to be alive. I am 63 and was misdiagnosed with just general depression. 2 yrs ago...2 yrs post sleeve..is when i got my dx. Sounds to me a change in a pdoc i called for and meds are not working as they should. In my case taking an antidepressant made my bipolar worse....it has to have a mood stabler along with it. I now take depakote, prozac, and valium.

What meds do you take and how are you doing?

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I am bipolar 2 with anxiety. Was dx 2 yrs after my sleeve. Started out seeing pdoc every 2 wks, then once a month, now every 3 months. The surgery did not affect mine one way or the other. Now...after going thru so many meds to find my cocktail...i take depakote 1000 mg at night, valium 5 mg at bedtime, and prozac 20 mg in a.m. All the others either stopped working, made me gain weight, or had side effects. I never had to be on lithium. It took me 2 yrs and going before a judge to get my ssd here in Texas. Hope you are doing well to all here.

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ok people, scale is moving!!!

AND i worked last evening and was able to totally avoid soda and junk. DID eat a breadstick but also SF Jello, tea, cold coffee and lots of Water. feeling much better about myself after committing to get off soda and actually making it happen!

It won't take long until you will stop craving them. You are doing wonderful!

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@@Valentina

Since starting Prozac and cutting the pristiq in half I'm feeling great!

Losing the 10 lbs and it's such a difference. 5lbs so far and hopeful continuing. Thank you for your support

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We are one of the few Prozac works for. I am so happy it is working for you! I admire you also for moving forward in changing your doc...true they may know more professionally...but we know our bodies.

Keep us informed on your progress please. ????

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My pleasure.????

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GasX strips

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@@mi75

Acceptance is the key regarding your weight gain. Don't be so hard on yourself. The same has happened to me and I have been soda free for about a month now. I found a wonderful Protein drink...syntrax nectar..that I love! I had been off of peotein drinks for a long time...sleeved in 2012...because they all tasted like crap to me. I eat good carbs and nothing white...no sugar. I am taking one minute at a time. I do not log my food...for me if I did that food would be all I thought about. I make sure I get my daily Protein requirements in and good carbs too. I don't worry so much about the fat and I do not count calories. I also set a timer as to not drink anything 30 minutes after I eat. I am disabled, to look at me you would not know, so I get very little exercise. I love to walk but can't for very long. I have never liked exercising anyway. I am about 25 lbs from where I want to be. Lost 125 lbs and gained 20+ back due to some meds that I no longer take and doing things I was not supposed to do.

Hope this helps.

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I am sorry for your loss. I lost my dad when I was only 6.

Acceptance is the key regarding your weight gain. Don't be so hard on yourself. The same has happened to me and I have been soda free for about a month now. I found a wonderful Protein drink...syntrax nectar..that I love! I had been off of peotein drinks for a long time...sleeved in 2012...because they all tasted like crap to me. I eat good carbs and nothing white...no sugar. I am taking one minute at a time. I do not log my food...for me if I did that food would be all I thought about. I make sure I get my daily Protein requirements in and good carbs too. I don't worry so much about the fat and I do not count calories. I also set a timer as to not drink anything 30 minutes after I eat. I am disabled, to look at me you would not know, so I get very little exercise. I love to walk but can't for very long. I have never liked exercising anyway. I am about 25 lbs from where I want to be. Lost 125 lbs and gained 20+ back due to some meds that I no longer take and doing things I was not supposed to do.

Hope this helps.

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We all know WLS is a tool. My first 2 years after my sleeve in 2012...I began a blog and reached way down inside of me and began writing what I called articles. They were about life...and the wisdom I gained through out my past. I wrote about fear, unconditional love, suicide, self, changes, about being a mother, and many more subjects. I literally poured my heart out from the pain and the happiness I had experienced. The blog no longer exists now as it served its purpose at the time. I no longer have the desire to write because I learned how to deal with my feelings on a daily basis now.

Journaling is a great healing tool because mostly it addresses the mental and spiritual aspect of WLS. I highly recommend it or a blog. Blogs are free and can be anonymous.

I kept my articles and every once in a while will read one and say to myself..."I wrote that?".

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Yes....treated off and on since I was 26. Was depressed as a teenager. I am 63 now. Several times I took myself off my antidepressant. Those times were my "natural highs". Two yrs ago I was diagnosed with bipolar type 2. WLS did not affect my depression. I tried it afterwards without my meds...but mine is inherited so its with me for life and I now embrace it...fighting it only makes it worse. I still have my bad days every once in a while but I have a very loving and supportive husband, a great psychiatrist, and two adorable loving morkies.

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@@Sharon1964 I too have worked in the medical field and the mind and brain has always fascinated me. So over the years my research in mental illness although I am no where a know it all. One of my x husbands had a head injury...happened before we met. To see him you would not know it. But living it was hell for me...so much emotional abuse. I have Fibromyalgia and my rheumatologist wants to give me Tramadol 50mg 1 a day as needed for pain...I also have Chronic Pain. I cannot take any of the meds for the fibro. So I turned to my primary care doc and she gives me the Tramadol 2x a day. I tried a pain management doc one time and all she wanted to do was give me shots.. no thank you very much. I have these and more health issues that there is no cure for so I take my meds religiously. Some bipolars like to stop there meds cause they like the "highs". I know them well and liked them too...but I now have a very loving and supportive husband and I do not want to make any more stupid choices that I know would make me lose him...he truly is the love of my life and actually saved my life because he pointed out the patterns in my past that made me do the research and led me to my diagnoses of bipolar rather than just depression. BTW...I love your dress and you look very becoming wearing it.

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@@Oregondaisy I have tried many of them...prozac is the only one that works for me. I have had depression for many years and finally got a true diagnoses 2 years ago..bipolar type 2. It has taken over a year of different meds and strengths to get my personal cocktail...everyone is different. Depakote is my mood leveler and valium is for my anxiety and sleep. Bipolar is inherited I was told and now I can look back and see family members who more than likely had it also. In all the docs I went to over the years not one of them referred me to a psychiatrist or even mentioned the word bipolar. It took me about a year to wrap my head around it and it explained a lot of stupid choices I made through the years. Now I embrace it and actually view it as a gift. Be patient and don't give up on finding what works for you....even if it means changing doctors. My body seems to like the older drugs on the market. I am 63.

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I struggle with night eating. I'm on Seroquel (need it for bipolar - nothing else works) and when I've switched to other meds the night eating almost stops, but my bipolar symptoms come back.

I've managed to reign in it a lot by changing the types of foods I eat when I eat at night. Now it's usually veggies or string cheese, or a leftover piece of chicken breast from dinner. I had to get all the carbs and sweets out of the house to stop gaining weight. Back when there were donuts and ice cream allowed in the house that was what I ate and I put on weight like crazy. I hate that I still feel that compulsion to get up and eat even though I'm not doing much nutritional damage anymore.

I went to one Overeaters Anonymous meeting and personally found it incredibly unhelpful.

I am bipolar also....explained why i have always been a night owl...lol. Finally after being diagnosed 2yrs ago....2 yrs post sleeve....valium is what works for me and a Protein drink. I take depakote and prozac also. Finally my cocktail....for now anyway. I have to make myself take the valium because i want to stay awake.

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I too have fibro amd the meds they gave me contributed to my weight gain and itol my rheumy i refuse to take them. She gives me nembutone 500 mg 2x day and my primary doc gives me tramadol 50 mg 2xa day.....it works for me and i do hate the flares! I also have positive ANA. I suffered with manic depression for many years and took many different antidepressants to finally arrive at prozac which i took a long time...it quit working so i was on nothing. 2 yrs post sleeve i was diagnosed with bipolar type 2...i think there are 4 types. It is mostly inherited. It took me a yr of therapy and different mood levelers and antidepressants to find my cocktail that works for me and also to embrace it. I also have anxiety and insomnia...which goes along with it all. I am now back on the prozac, which is working along with depokote. I take the smallest dose of valium at bedtime for sleep and anxiety....that is what works for me. Now I only have to see my psych doc every 3 months for refills and follow ups. There is no cure and i do have some bad days when my mind gets stuck. But i no longer fight it cause that only makes it worse....i know as long as i take my meds it does not last very long. I hope you find what works for you. All the regular docs i went to in the past never mentioned i might need a mood leveler to go with my antidepressant. It took seeing a psychiatrist for my proper diagnoses. After hearing my history and family background...he hit the nail on the head. I am so grateful now. I look at it almost as a gift because it answered many questions about my self and my past. So if I had not had my sleeve and had not lost the weight at that time that I had...I don't think I would have the emotional healing that I have today. Awareness is key and you know your own body....and the stigma of mental illness is way outdated. It is by far nothing to be ashamed of....not saying anyone here is....I just will be glad when it is accepted like any disease that can actually e seen....as to look at me you would not know I am disabled.

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I had the sleeve so my personal experience might be different. I still need my meds just as much as before. My confidence has slightly improved, however at the end of the day I am still fighting my pure O OCD and severe anxiety with everything I've got.

Shortly after my sleeve surgery I made a realization that my long time medication was no longer working at all. I went back in and they changed me from one drug to two different drugs. Some days I feel like it's working well. Other days I'm not sure it's working at all.

It's a challenge for me. I've been fighting this mental health battle for a long time and am very much aware of when things aren't working right.

I hope you are fortunate enough to have a positive change post op. If you aren't though don't feel defeated. It's just part of who we are.

Good luck!

I so agree with you. I suffered with manic depression for many years and took many different antidepressants to finally arrive at prozac which i took a long time...it quit working so i was on nothing. 2 yrs post sleeve i was diagnosed with bipolar type 2...i think there are 4 types. It is mostly inherited. It took me a yr of therapy and different mood levelers and antidepressants to find my cocktail that works for me and also to embrace it. I also have anxiety and insomnia...which goes along with it all. I am now back on the prozac, which is working along with depokote. I take the smallest dose of valium at bedtime for sleep and anxiety....that is what works for me. Now I only have to see my psych doc every 3 months for refills and follow ups. There is no cure and i do have some bad days when my mind gets stuck. But i no longer fight it cause that only makes it worse....i know as long as i take my meds it does not last very long. I hope you find what works for you. All the regular docs i went to in the past never mentioned i might need a mood leveler to go with my antidepressant. It took seeing a psychiatrist for my proper diagnoses. After hearing my history and family background...he hit the nail on the head. I am so grateful now. I look at it almost as a gift because it answered many questions about my self and my past. So if I had not had my sleeve and had not lost the weight at that time that I had...I don't think I would have the emotional healing that I have today. Awareness is key and you know your own body....and the stigma of mental illness is way outdated. It is by far nothing to be ashamed of....not saying anyone here is....I just will be glad when it is accepted like any disease that can actually e seen....as to look at me you would not know I am disabled.

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Are there any true veterans on here? I immediately went to the veterans forum here but the definition there is "6 months or more". In wls circles a veteran is typically defined as anyone 2 years out or more. So it makes me wonder I'd there are any log timers here at all?

Anyway, glad to find this forum. More than Willing to help any newbies, meet new friends :-)

I'm 7 years out of rny, teacher and Canadian.

Thanks for having me!

Dawn

I am a veteran...4.5 yrs out...gastric sleeve. Roller coaster ride...but on track now.

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Leebick, Love the idea of the Atkins meals. What do you think about the Protein Shakes at Wal-Mart? They have Atkins as well. I am going to go to the pool as well

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I thought if the OP is looking for something simple and straightforward, without having to worry about Protein grams and calories all the time, a specific number of Atkins frozen dinners and a specific number of shakes each day might be the way to go. No hassle just keep track of the number of each that is consumed each day!

I am not a huge fan of the ready-to-drink shakes, so I haven't tried many of them. I didn't really like the Premier Protein chocolate, although lots do. I am tempted to try the banana one, just because it's banana! I keep EAS AdvantEDGE shakes on hand in case of emergency. I buy them at BJ's and they work out to a little under $1 each. The chocolate is OK, but I like the vanilla better... but as I said, ready to drink is NOT my first choice. My NUT's guidelines for shakes are (a.) whey protein source, preferably isolate, (b.) ~20gms+ protein, (c.)) less than 3 grams of fat, and (d) under 170 calories per serving. RTD shakes need to have less than 20 grams of carb, powders less than 4g carb. Atkins rtd shakes don't fall into this category because of the calories- I could only have about a half-shake at a time... and who wants to do that? Plus, they're expensive. Using skim milk w/powders changes the carb content and the protein by a tad, so I use unsweetened almond milk, which has way fewer carbs and calories than skim milk. Of course, if I use Water than the nutritional info is the same as what is on the Protein Powder container (but man, it does NOT taste as good!).

My daughter loves the banana. I am lactose intolerant and that is why I recently started using Syntrax Nectar....love it and so does my body. I liked the taste of Atkins ready to drink...the mocha chocolate but it gave me diarrhea...I also have IBS...SO i was so happy to find Nectar...23 grams per serving....15 different flavors.

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I do the 1GM per inch of how tall I am....5 ft 6 in...so my minimum is 66 GM per day. I have short term memory loss due to a combination of my bipolar and fibromyalgia...so I focus on the day and the moment. If I make notes...I forget them...lol.

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Oh, yeah... I was so focused on the head injury, I forgot about the knee thing.

As someone who had to do 18 months of rehab for a knee reconstruction... GET IN THE POOL. Seriously, there is nothing better for getting moving without the pain as getting in Water. I would water walk in the pool at my 24 hour fitness center, or deep water jog in the deep end (with a flotation belt) at the city rec center.

The pool is a great idea!

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What is 1 GM? I am a little confused.

Oh, yeah... I was so focused on the head injury, I forgot about the knee thing.

As someone who had to do 18 months of rehab for a knee reconstruction... GET IN THE POOL. Seriously, there is nothing better for getting moving without the pain as getting in water. I would water walk in the pool at my 24 hour fitness center, or deep water jog in the deep end (with a flotation belt) at the city rec center.

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1 GM....(gram) When you read the labels...it tells you how many GM,s are in each serving...so my minimum daily intake is 66 total GM,s. Sorry for the misunderstanding.

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I too like the idea of the restriction for VETS only.

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