Shadowcub

I was half-tempted to wait until March 28 to post this as the last two replies were from January 28 and February 28. But then I decided that would just be silly! I can't help but wonder while this particular forum seems to get so little love. Do people over 40 just not get WLS as often as younger folks do? Have we (this age bracket) given up on losing weight and are just biding our time with pizza and bonbons until our co-morbidities take us to the next world? Or maybe the 40+ crowd still gets WLS, just not Bypasses? Do we go for Sleeves or even Lap Bands instead, fearful of the malabsorption leading to malnutrition and it's own medical problems and treatments replacing those we already know from being obese? Possibly we're just "too old" for all this on-line and social media stuff? After all, we were born into a world of room-sized computers using punch cards with less processing power that is now in our cell phones. We remember nodding sagely at Bill Gates as he made his "never need more than 640k of RAM" comment. A world first, before AOL and then one where we all had dozens of their CDs to use as coaster. We remember the 1984 commercial introducing the world to the Macintosh from whence all iStuff was born. Many of us remember DARPAnet and the horror we felt when we first found somebody trying to make money on the Internet, after all, it was for sharing knowledge and advancing research freely, not crass commercialism! And so, we turn to in-person supports as we face the challenges of WLS, unlike those follow us knowing nothing BUT on-line everything. But this sub-board is NOT dead. This thread is NOT dead. Our joint Quest to live healthier, happier, thinner lives is NOT dead! (With sincere apologies to William Shakespeare and Henry V of England) We few, we happy few, we band of brothers; For he to-day that loses his weight with me Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile, This day shall gentle his condition; And gentlemen in England now-a-bed Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here, And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks Of the weight we lost upon Saint Crispin's day.

Did anyone else see this? http://well.blogs.nytimes.com//2014/12/17/how-exercise-changes-our-dna/ Thoughts? Comments?

Thanks for the tip!

Zinc, C, Probiotics and garlic. Sounds like my go-to techniques for avoiding getting sick NOW. Good to know I'll be able to use them after surgery too! One question, though. Anybody gotten any advice on flu shots and/or pneumonia vaccine post-op? I should be about 2 months post-op when I would normally get my flu shot.....

Well, I got my appointments lined up yesterday, but didn't post here. These are the formal parts of the bariatric program I am entering. Initial Surgical Consult with Dr. Carol A. McCloskey is Tuesday, February 24 @ UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, 1st of 5/6 Bariatric Classes/Supervised Weight Loss is Monday February 23, also at Magee Hospital. Bariatric Support Group is 2nd Wed (February 11) @ Magee Hospital. I am also pursuing various other Weight Loss/Fitness/Healthy Living options at the same time. I am joined the UPMC BodyChangers program and will be attending Shape Training on Saturday, February 7. Also from UPMC BodyChangers is Finding Your Fit "Why Move?" on Friday, February 20. I meet with an independent Nutritionist, Jenny Nguyen, on Thursday, February 19. I have enrolled in a 12-week Healthy Lifestyle "Weight Loss" program starting Tuesday, February 24. Finally, I have issues with emotional eating. I am trying to find a therapist to help me with this pre- AND post-op. In them mean time/in addition to, I am going to try and hit a couple of OA meetings each week. Busy month! Anybody use Dr. McCloskey before? Or planning to attend any of the above classes/groups? I could use some local friends who understand what I'm going through....

As to regaining weight after being on BL and losing a bunch, I've heard 95% put at LEAST all their weight back on.

Pre-op? Probably only those who will be directly effected (not much of anyone that I can think of currently) or who I will be calling on to help me immediately post-op (a VERY few people!). Once I have the surgery done and I have found my rhythm? Probably most anyone that specifically asks, to be honest. I've never been any good at keeping things to myself.

Due to the expected worst weather so far this season in Pittsburgh, PA, forecast for February 1, my independant nutritionist appointment has been rescheduled for the 19th. Also, I have my initial bariatric appointments finally. My first class/supervised weight loss is February 23, and my initial consult with Dr. Carol A. McCloskey is February 24. For the UPMC BodyChangers program, I will be going to Shape Training on the 7th and Finding Your Fit "Why Move?" on the 20th. And finally, I got on the local OA site and found about a dozen meetings I should be able to get to over the course of the month to hopefully help me find new ways to deal with my emotional eating. (Maybe even actually deal with the emotions themselves? Probably not, but we'll see!)

@BLERDgirl I'm the opposite end of the state, Pittsburgh and planning on having the surgery done at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. Odd choice for a guy, but the other local UPMC facility is really hard to get to by bus, especially so post-op. The supplements I listed were the ones that kept showing up on different homeopathy sites for post-op healing. @InItToWinIt2015 thanks for the advice. Maybe I'll just supplement those two amino acids and get onto a Vitamin regimen as soon as possible post-op. I've seen liquid Vitamins which I'm thinking I should be able to do immediately post-op until I can handle chewables. All in all, I want to heal as quickly as possible so I don't have pain as an excuse not to walk, and end up with all the problems caused by not walking,. And I'd rather the scars from the laproscopic procedure not be visible at 50 yards should I ever go to the beach again. *shrugs* Never been vain before,. Then again, I've never NOT been fat before either.

February 1st, I see a nutritionist not associated with the Bariatric Program at UPMC Magee Hospital. February 11, I go to a Bariatric Support Group meeting (not required) February 23, I go to the first of five or six Bariatric Classes to meet insurance requirements. February 24, I attend the first of 12 weeks of Healthy Lifestyle classes (not required) February 24, (later that same day) I have my initial Consultation with Dr. Carol A McCloskey who will likely be my surgeon Also, I am signed up for the UPMC Body Changers program (not required) but the February schedule won't be available until tomorrow.

I have been an emotional eater all my life. It's the only friend that has never left me. Heck that pizza from high school is STILL on my hips! I worry about gaining the weight back. I wworry about cross addition. Heck, I worry about both! But I've done OA before, just need to get serious about it again. I'm lining up therapy and an outside nutritionist. I've even enrolled in a Lifestyle Change group focused on healthy living. I'm just hoping that by this fall when I should be due for surgery, I'll actbactually be ready for it!

I am just starting this process and am already completely confused by the variety of Proteins, Vitamins, etc. that people recommend. Standard advertizing gibberish from the manufacturers and the possibility of "fake" reviews on sites like Amazon don't help either. I can very much see relying on a BariatricPal Store to meet my needs later this year when I hope to get surgery done!

It may be an irrational fear, but that doesn't make it stupid. I have been heavy all my life and, as I start this journey myself, I have some concerns about who will come out the other side. You see, I've always been single and that was easy to take BECAUSE I've always fat. So I've been able to tell myself, "Well, if I was -thin- THEN they'd want me. It's only because of my weight that I'm being rejected." But what happens if I get the surgery, lose all this weight, and then get rejected ANYWAY? Then it won't be the weight that's being rejected. It'll be *ME*! And even worse, after the bypass I won't be able to turn to cakes and and candies and all the "wonderful" comforting stuff like that that's always been my "only friend." So, yeah. We're headed towards being someone we've never been, the thin guy. And fear of the unknown is one of mankinds most primal fears. Far from being stupid, I'd wonder if someone who DIDN'T feel some aprehension about this was really in touch with their feelings or not.

Long time without replies, BeachGulr84. But I've been looking for anybody's recent experiences with UPMC as I'm just getting the process started. Watched the information session on-line before filling out and faxing the initial paperwork to UPMC Magee over the weekend. Got an e-mail saying it'll take 5-10 days before I hear about an initial in-person appointment. I've got an appointment with a private nutritionist on February 1st, a note to call Magee to follow up on the consult, and their support group meets the evening of February 14. I'm really hoping to get in for the consult before the support group, and the first of the 6-month classes by the end of the month. (That would have me on track for surgery in August, which is the latest my friend can come and stay with me post-op since I live alone.) Hope everything is/did go well for you!

I have two primary addictions. One, I have 10-1/2 years in program and have dealt with fairly well. The other is food. I'm very much an emotional eater. Have been all my life, but it got worse when I started getting a handle on my other issue. Been dabbling with OA for 4 or 5 years now. Had some decent abstinence in 2013 from May to September, but since I've been totally out of control. I worry that I won't be able to get a good enough handle on my eating to get surgery. I worry that if I do get surgery, these same habits will sabotage me and leave me malnourished AND fat! But I can't live in the future. I can't change the past. I just have to do the best I can for today.

Well, I guess this is the place to introduce myself to you all. I first started my journey about 7-1/2 years ago with a BMI in the 50's. I did okay with the nutrition classes for 6 months, lost some weight, etc. The program I was in at UPMC St. Margaret had a couple hundred dollar fee ($400? $600? Something like that.) that needed to be paid between the classes and getting a surgery date scheduled. It covered the classes I'd already had, but also lifetime support post-op. But I just didn't have the money. The next time I started, at the same play, my weight had gone up and my BMI was now in the 60's. As a result, my insurance (UPMC's version of Medicare) only required 3 month's of classes. (I was told that Medicare didn't require any, but the surgeon wanted to make sure that I was serious and got some information about what to expect.) I think I was discouraged that my weight had gone up as I missed 2 of the 3 classes. I didn't have the money anyway, so.... Anyway, a friend had a sleeve done on January 19, so he's just at 1 week post-op today, and from talking to him this past week I've gotten the motivation to try again. I'm not the heaviest I've ever been, but I'm only about 5 pounds away. My knees have deteriorated SO much that if I don't do something soon, I'm going to be completely housebound. (I already am on bad days, but I still have some good and mediocre days as well.) This time I'm looking into the program at UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. (Used to be primarily a pre-natal to birthing center, thus the name, but now is a regular "full service" hospital.) I was able to do the information session on-line. Downloaded and filled out the Initial Evaluation Form. And I even submitted a request for the initial consult (Step 3 of the process) and am waiting to hear back, hopefully today. Since my BMI is back above 60 again, I figure I'll be able to do the 3 month bit, but I'm going to ask to do the whole 6 months of classes. That'll give me more time to save up for their fee, if they have one. (Medicare now covers nutrition classes, so I'm not sure.) Initial consult in the next week or so. Nutrition classes Feb - July. Pay fee, final insurance approval, meet with surgeon, get date, do liquid pre-op diet.... Surgery by mid August. Thanksgiving at 3 months. Christmas at 4 months. Those last two should be interesting. I'm not sure, but I don't think I'll be able to have a small slice of turkey yet at Thanksgiving. But if I don't do something soon, this weight is going to kill me!

I am VERY early on in the process, so in some senses this is premature. But I figure if I can collect ideas here now, I will have time to do my own research AND get the products I decide on before I actually need them. (Being on Disability, I have a VERY tight budget so will probably only be able to get one item per month sort of thing.) There are a couple of topics in various other places on Bariatric Pal, and I found a couple of web sites that give general post-op suggestions for after surgery. What I've come up with so far is Arnica, Belle Perenis, Calendula, Gota Kola extract, and Staphisagria. Also loading up on Vitamins A, C, and E along with the mineral Zinc. Has anybody heard of any of these? More importantly, does anyone have first hand information from taking any of them to help with your recovery?

I am VERY early on in the process, so in some senses this is premature. But I figure if I can collect ideas here now, I will have time to do my own research AND get the products I decide on before I actually need them. (Being on Disability, I have a VERY tight budget so will probably only be able to get one item per month sort of thing.) There are a couple of topics in various other places on Bariatric Pal, and I found a couple of web sites that give general pre-op suggestions for surgery. What I've come up with so far is Aconitum, Arnica, and Ferrum phos for 2-3 days before surgery. Also loading up on Vitamins A and C along with the mineral Zinc. Has anybody heard of any of these? More importantly, does anyone have first hand information from taking any of them before your surgery?

Only been here a couple of days, so I'm still in the "looking around/exploring" phaze. Not too worried about finding a full support network yet. Bypass in 40's describes me perfectly, is why I hoped to revive this group. And while there isn't a local "in-person" Bariatric Pal chapter, I've started talking to a few people on the general USA group from Pittsburgh, PA. I've applied to the LGBT social group, but that's still pending. (Only been about a day.) Anyway, I appreciate the responses. I'm looking forward to actually seeing this through this time!

Thanks. Both of you,. Somehow I think that a RNY will only be the start of my surgical journey. I have no illusion of getting down to 180# (the high end of "normal") but cutting my weight in half (a loss of 240#) would be nice. Of course, losing that much weight will probably cause the sort of skin problems that would qualify me for a second procedure to remove excess skin. And depending on how much my knees & back improve with weight loss, I may end up with knee replacements/spinal fusion surgeries as well. But I have to start somewhere. And, for once, I need to follow through and see this to the end! The reason I was so disappointed in there not being any recent posts was that I was hoping for somebody "like myself" to talk to. I did Weight Watchers decades ago and got discouraged seeing people who joined after me, losing total what I was losing in a week, and hitting their goal, while I still had so far to go. I was the only guy. I was the only person with over 100# to lose. And I just couldn't relate. Not to mention the resentful looks I got if the leader mentioned I had lost 7-10 pounds that week. So, uhm, yeah.

I'm in Pittsburgh, PA. Just getting the process started through UPMC Magee. Don't even have a surgeon yet. But I'm here.

Hello! I'm in Pittsburgh, PA, myself. I've got UPMC insurance through Medicare. (My weight has caused enough mental and physical damage that I'm on full disability.) I've started the process through UPMC St. Margaret a couple of times, but never followed through. (After the nutrition classes and before scheduling surgery they had a one-time fee of either $400 or $600, I forget which. But I could never afford it.) The nearest bus stop to that hospital was always hard to get back and forth to, and with how bad my knees and back have gotten since, I'd never make it now. A friend in York, PA, just had a sleeve done, and that's inspired me to restart the process one more time, this time through UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital. (Kind of a misnomer of late as they have about the best ED program in the area!) It's much closer to the bus stop as well. I was able to do the information session on-line, printed and filled out the Initial Evaluation Form to fax back, and requested the first office consult on-line as well. Magee's "open to the public" information group for pre-op, post-op, and interested others, is the second Wednesday of each month, Feb 11 is the next one. I plan to be there and I hope to have my consult before then, and my first nutrition class later that month. The last time I checked, since my BMI is over 60, I can get away with just three nutrition classes, but I think I'm going to request the full six months anyway so I have more time to save up the nutritionist fee. That would have the six classes being February through July, with surgery some time in August. That should have me on pureed food for Thanksgiving and relatively "normal" food for Christmas/New Years. (Like I'd be having pie's and champaign. *snort*) Anyway, that's my story so far.

I will echo the "2 hours min between Iron and calcium doses". Also, it was mentioned that it is possible to take more calcium at one time than the body can absorb. I've been told not to take more than 600mg at any one time. But consult your doctor/nutritionist to get the best information available for you.