NICU-RN

Ouch! That is inexcusable. I wonder if some bariatric practices have a passive-aggressive attitude about the obese people that they deal with. So much of the time, obese persons are deemed stupid or less than worthy. I get that feeling in some of what I read on this site about the experiences with the surgeons and/or their office. I get that feeling in the way the bariatric office I am dealing with treats me. Like I don't really matter. Perhaps this is a systemic bariatric problem. I have wonderful health care in all other aspects of my life. The attitude seems to be with the bariatric doctors. I really had not put a name to the "attitude" until now. I think that might be what a lot of us are running up against. "They" help but look down on us, their patients. I'm not saying they all do, but it seems prevalent here. We are money makers for them, numbers to be operated on, but not "real" people and thus don't need to be treated as such. Very sad.

Dr-Patient, Band2Sleever; Thank you for the help. I will certainly use your ideas/guidelines as I write and revise my letter.

Okay, census says I write a strong, coherent letter to head of the practice. I have my work cut out for me. Hey Piercedqt, can I borrow you to take with me or to write the letter! I am impressed and in awe. Thank you al for your responses and encouragement. I don't feel so alone and down anymore. You've given me some ways to address the issue with the doctor's office and I appreciate that.

Thank you to all who have replied. I appreciate all you have said. It is sad to know others have had a similar experience and yet it helps to know also. I was writing the letter in my head on the way home from the doctor's office, but had not decided to really send one. Thanks to Dr-Patient, I will go ahead and actually write one and send it. I am totally disillusioned with the whole bariatric practice my doctor is in. I think is a really good doctor, but the practice is high numbers and runs a person thru like a steer on a cattle drive. I have had one bad experience after another the entire time I've dealt with them. If my insurance hadn't insisted I use this practice, I would have never gone back after the first appointment! The insurance gave me two choices - this practice or one 500 miles away. Again, I think my doctor is really good, but the practice itself is bad news. I don't think my doctor has a clue about how the patients really experience his office and staff. Thank you again for responding - it helps to know I am not alone. My husband "helped" by spending last night yelling at me because I don't want to go eat out - lots of support from him! Constant nausea and he wants me to go eat lasagna! Which sounds absolutely horrible to me and is totally not on my diet!

Unjury - most flavors can be used with water - you can order a sampler package or individual sample packets of various flavors online at unjury.com They taste good.

For the nausea and dehydration, I suggest keeping ice chips on hand at all times. It will help fight dehydration and won't cause nausea if you eat them slowly one at a time. Drinking Water can cause nausea and I have a constant problem with it. Ice chips are my best friend and saving me from dehydration. And I am real glad to hear you are working with your doctor to find an answer to the problems you are having.

If you truly want to keep her as a friend, you owe it to yourself to be honest with her. That means telling her exactly what you told us. Let her know how it hurts your feelings, what you need from her and then after laying it all out so she can see what you are feeling, give the friendship one more chance. If she cannot or will not change her behavior towards you, then she truly is no friend and you have given the friendship everything you could. But you need to be honest in a non-threatening way (using "I" statements- I feel ...when you do....) She apparently is not very empathetic or tactful, has a blind spot when it comes to her behavior, and thus cannot be expected to change what she doesn't realize hurts you.

I started out with the Unjury - Opurity chewables. I could not keep them down. They would hit my stomach and immediately begin the return trip. I ended up returning them. I was told no pills - but after that experience, I went back to swallowing my pre-surgery vitamin pill from LEF. I have had no problems and they are large. I just make sure I stay sitting or upright for about 20 minutes after swallowing to let gravity help pull them thru my sleeve. You MUST have vitamins - until you can find some that work for you at least take Vitamin B12 sublingual (dissolve under the tongue). Lack of B12 can cause brain damage and death.

Yes, I have my times of regret. Mostly because at over 8 weeks out, I still cannot eat anything other than my Protein shakes - I get horribly sick/nausea with even a small taste of any other type of food. So yes, I do regret it at times. However those times are short as I remember how horrible I felt and how much better I feel other than digestive issues and I've only lost 37.5 lbs. thus far. I noticed my ability to breathe and do physical movement was so much easier with the first 20 lbs. I lost and it keeps getting better. I do wish I could eat Soup or something other than Protein Shakes. Try to remember as others have said, you (and I) are recovering from major surgery AND a major change to our body's way of handling food. It will take time. I have a list of questions for my f/u appointment with my surgeon next week. Hang on, I have faith it will improve.

Hi, I don't know if you are diabetic - when you say your sugars are out of whack I suspect perhaps you are. If you are diabetic and having trouble with your blood sugar, you are getting severe headaches, and are unable to get anything down and to stay down especially your pills and Water, I would suggest you call your surgeon. You need more help than we can give you on here. Good luck.

With the stretching and the pulling of the abdominal area swimming involves, it might be longer than just a month. I would encourage you to ask your surgeon as each surgeon has his own preferences about things like that.

Try different Protein shakes. I use unjury - available only from unjury.com I find it the best tasting one of all those I've tried. I did notice that most things tasted differently after my surgery. I am unable to eat any pureed foods for the same reason you are unable to drink Protein Shakes - my stomach revolts. So I am existing on 3-4 protein shakes and a popsicle a day until my next visit in 2 weeks. Good luck.

Joy, I encourage you to give a trial to unjury. It is only sold online thru unjury.com You can purchase a sampler that contains several different flavors of Protein powder. They have a chicken Soup one that tastes like cup 'o soup. They have a cheese one that you can add to things that is really yummy. Their chocolate supreme is really good and my favorite is the vanilla. They also have an unflavored one that you can add to almost anything and cannot taste it. It is not the cheapest, but it is very good. It is hospital grade protein and is used in many hospitals. They also have nutritionists on staff that you can call and talk to even before you purchase anything or even if you decide not to purchase from them. I really encourage you to give them a call - their number is on their website. I tried lots of different protein powders and this one is worth the money. I am drinking 3-4 a day as I am unable to eat anything even pureed. Good luck.

Be sure to count ALL liquids in your Water consumption including Soups, puddings, Jello, popsicles, the milk/water in your Protein shakes, etc. It ALL counts. As other have said, the first couple of weeks, you will not meet your goal of 64 oz. I found myself getting very dehydrated in those first couple of weeks and still have to watch it. I miss being able to chug a huge glass of ice cold water. But I did not need IV fluids. If your urine is a light yellow, you are in no danger of becoming ill from dehydration. If it is a dark amber - it is time to drink a bit more. Keep ice chips by your side whenever you are not actively drinking. It is surprising how much those tiny chips can help with dehydration. And if you DO have to get IV fluids - it really is not that big of a deal. Just a tiny needle stick and a little bit of time to read or nap and as an outpatient in your doctor's office most likely. Relax. The current medical opinion is that 64 ounces of water per day is no longer the "gold standard" for everyone - although most medical professionals have not yet accepted that.

Oh wow, that would be difficult. Talking would really be a pain in the dry mouth. If you explain the situation, will the "powers that be" allow you to have a sports bottle of water on your desk? Also, check into any medication you are on as see if dry mouth is a side effect. If it is, perhaps changing to a different medication is possible - ask your doctor. Good luck. It really does get better.

My mom, who was the size of a toothpick, always said that "The second bite tastes just like the first, so I don't need to eat the second bite." I could never follow that which is one of the reason why I needed to have a gastric sleeve. I was sleeved on 1-7-14. While I can have pureed foods and even some "real" soft foods, I have found that the only think that I can "eat" without feeling really sick is my Protein shakes. I hope that improves with time. However I was a real Pasta fiend and was concerned about craving it after surgery. I have NO desire for it at all. My thoughts for the future is that I can have anything I want, but in moderation and only AFTER the protein.

Yes, I think this is quite common. Part of the initial weight we lose is water loss. That is why drinking is so important. I couldn't drink as much as my dry mouth said I needed, so found that having ice chips helped me. I would just keep an ice chip in my mouth as much as possible - it gave me tiny amounts of water and kept my mouth moist. It does get better - now 8 weeks out, I don't find this a much as a problem. Occasionally still an issue in the morning, but a drink quickly takes care of that.

It was years in the coming - I kept thinking I could do this on my own as my world became more and more limited, my weight forced my health issues to the point of early retirement. I could hardly make it up one flight of stairs in my house, etc. We took my long dreamed of trip to Alaska this past summer (2013). The plane ride out was miserable as I was so big the seats were horribly uncomfortable. My feet and legs swelled up while flying. On the cruise - my swelling only got worse and I could not do anything - even walking from one end of the ship to the other took several rest breaks. Port touring was next to impossible as walking was almost more than I could tolerate. My husband was so concerned because I was consistently out of breath and puffing - he is the one with asthma! The land tour was tolerable but just barely. I could hardly get in and out of the bus and the swelling just kept getting worse. Flight seeing trips in small airplanes were disappointing as I always had to sit over the wing because of my weight so views were obstructed. After two weeks in Alaska, the trip back from Fairbanks was the worst ever. I was in so much pain that I could barely walk to the plane. My legs were so swollen my feet hung over my shoes and the only way I could get the shoes on that morning was to lay flat on the bed and have my husband hold my legs straight up in the air and "milk" the Fluid away from my feet. I swore when I got home I was not ever going on a plane or a tour again until I lost weight. I knew the only way left for me to do so was WLS. I am now almost 8 weeks out and I already can climb the stairs without huffing and puffing, getting in and out of chairs is easier than I dreamed, and I've dropped a pants size. The trip to Alaska was my "last straw."

The quality of your Protein can also have an effect on your ability to lose weight. I use unjury and have had a lot of success, even breaking plateaus by consuming one more shake per day. Check into the quality of your protein and the differences between the various ones.

The best way to get the best answer is to call your insurance company and / or your surgeon's office.

Interesting about the Water with caffeine. I was told NO caffeine at all preferably forever! When I asked why, I was told it is a stomach irritant and might cause ulcers.

One of the nurses in the hospital told me no gum but didn't tell me why. At my f/u appointment to have the staples removed I asked why I couldn't have gum and the PA said - you can have all the gum you want - just don't swallow it. I've chewed trident every day since.

I am just 7 weeks out and I remember feeling so alone and depressed about all I could not eat at about 1 month out. As I was whining about the fact that my husband had lasagna ( my most favorite food in the world) on the way home from work, he said that I was the one that chose to have the surgery and he wasn't giving up everything because I was. That made me mad, but snapped me out of it also as I realized that this WAS a choice of mine and I needed to remember why I chose this route. Cut yourself some slack and realize it does get better and keep remembering WHY you chose to have the surgery.