James Marusek

Yesterday while I was waiting to see my Bariatric Surgeon and my nutritionist, I noticed a woman who was dozing off. Normally I would not pay much attention to this. But prior to my surgery, my wife commented that I would be with the grandkids and doze off. It was a valid observation. If nothing of interest was happening, I would close my eyes and hibernate. I wouldn't really be sleeping but just in a glide mode. I thought to myself, she must be either waiting for the surgery or someone who just had it.

I agree, eggs are wonderful.

In my humble opinion there are three measures of success. These are (1) the amount of weight lost, (2) remission of medical problems, and (3) reduction in clothes sizes. There are probably several more such as an increase in stamina. Find joy in the various forms of success that you have achieved.

During the winter months, I switched from drinking crystal light drinks to hot cocoa (no sugar added). We heat with wood during the winter. It also produces dry heat. One way to keep the humidity up in the winter is to have a spray bottle and mist the house with Water occasionally. We add a little white vinegar to the water. It helps to disinfect the house at the same time. As a result of the surgery, I lost a lot of weight. This prevented me from wearing my coats and jackets because my shoulder width shrunk which then in turn caused my sleeves to become longer. I looked like Doopey in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves with the long sleeves. I didn't expect this. I became more sensitive to the cold without the extra fat on my body. When I was outside in the snow working, I discovered hand warmers. My hands would freeze and hurt in the cold and hand warmers were the solution.

I weigh myself once each morning and record the weight. It helps to tell me if I am still on track. As I go through the weight loss process, my body changes and this is a tool for keeping informed.

When I went to my first Bariatric Surgery Support Group Meeting, I was surprised by how negative it was. Everyone there had horror stories to tell. I was beginning to doubt why should I have the surgery. But then I thought it through. I reasoned that many of the people there had run into problems after surgery and this was their means of resolving them. The people who when through the process smoothly did not attend these types of meetings. What do you wish you had fully understood prior to surgery that you did not and what do you believe would have put you in the best possible position to succeed after surgery? I am 18 months post-op from RNY. I have heard that the stomach heals after about a year and a half and absorbs more of the calories in food - something like going from 70% absorption to 100%. There is nothing in the literature that discusses this. If this is true, it may be the reason why many people struggle and fail years after surgery. I am happy with my current meal plan and my weight is stable but if I have to cut my calorie intake by 30 percent, it might be difficult.

Your taste buds will change after bariatric surgery, so be prepared to experiment with different protein shakes until you find one that you can tolerate after surgery.

After surgery and weight loss, I found that I had to completely replace my wardrobe. Since I like shopping (bargain shopping), this was fun. Well now my closets are full and I have to stop shopping for myself. Too bad, it was so much fun.

I developed some wicked constipation several months after surgery. Nothing seemed to work except inserting a glycerin suppository up my rectum every three days. I finally stumbled onto a cure, at least for me. I found out that if I eat an apple before I go to bed, the problem went away. But it is important to eat the skin of the apple also. So for the last 6 months, I eat an apple or two each day, and I am no longer bothered by this issue.