Daisee68

So today I got laid off. Makes no sense but supposedly purely a financial decision. They're paying a severance. I'll be fine. 47 years old and first time I have lost a job. BUT I am trying to focus on a few positive things 1) I had insurance pay for my surgery that I might not have had at another company; 2) 100 pounds ago I wouldn't have felt too confident going out to look for a job 3) a little time off might not be a bad thing and 4) so far I haven't turned to food or alcohol as I normally would have and don't have the capacity or ability to do that anyway. Life goes on. This could be worse. It was a good ride while it lasted....

Wow! Great job!

There are A LOT of Protein options for shakes. Which have you tried? Premier Protein Ready to drink are good. Precision Engineered whey Protein Isolate in both chocolate and vanilla are good. I personally don't like Isopure or Synthrax nectar but lots of people like those. How about just plain milk? You have to find something you can drink as it will be important for the first 6 weeks or so.

UGH! How frustrating! I completely understand giving in to that pressure though and don't think you have failed. It sounds like you handled it well. My thought would be next time a small white lie like "I have a medical issue that doesn't allow me to eat fried foods" If pressed you could say specifically gallbladder issues? PS I have been CRAVING a chicken biscuit from there. Not going to try it now thanks to you. They do have really good grilled chicken nuggets and get the buffalo sauce (lowest calorie and keeps the meat moist) in case you find yourself there again!

I too am a daily weigher - second thing in the morning as @@wascott says.. My scale has 5 memory buttons supposed to be used for 5 different people; however, I am the only one that uses it, so the 5th setting shows 322.6 which was day of my seminar at the bariatric center. 4th setting shows 296 - day of surgery weight. No idea what 3 and 2 say (should have used another milestone) but I use the number 1 setting daily and the other day as I realized it said 222, I had to also click on the number 5 setting to make sure I wasn't imagining that I have in fact lost 100 pounds! I also track it with my food log (Livestrong/MyPlate) which shows a graph. Love looking at that one. I am very cautious not to get hung up when it goes up slightly or doesn't go down. It motivates me on the days it does though! I admire you @@KindaFamiliar that you can focus on something other than the scale. Not sure I will ever get to that. We Americans need that instant gratification you know!

Perfectly acceptable.

@@phatfatgirl - For what it's worth, I don't like milk either and I also use Premier Protein almost exclusively. Definitely give those a try!!

I have not used them, but I know some here who have. I would caution though that I have been told our bodies will only absorb approx. 25g of Protein in an hour, so drinking one won't necessarily get your protein in for the day. Maybe split it in half? Why can't you get Protein shakes in? Just don't like them or do they upset your stomach? I am sorry you are struggling.

@@bellabloom - oh how I wish you could see my therapist. Not only dies she specialize in bariatric patients, she is a recovering(ed) bulimic herself so she really gets food issues. I can ask her if she does phone consults or even can recommend someone in your area. Where do you live? Send me a PM if you prefer.

That would be very frustrating for me. My dr told me she strongly recommended against sleeve for me because I had bad acid reflux but even with her encouraging the bypass, I had to research it and come to the decision on my own. I would want the dr to explain in detail why they feel sleeve is better for me specifically than my initial choice. I would suggest calling on Monday and saying you want to discuss.

So sorry you are struggling. I agree that some days I really wonder how this will be long term and really am beginning to understand that I didn't really fully understand the ramifications when I went through with it. I am thrilled to have lost the weight but having had a stricture also, I totally get where you are coming from. I had my stricture dilated and was doing really well but got sick today after eating too fast or too much or whatever. It was not fun and brought back bad memories. I was "running behind" the average patient because of the stricture so although I am 6 months out, I am more like 4 months or so of the average patient. I am sorry you had to go so long as you were, but I just wanted to point out that you are running behind others because of your delay so it makes sense that this is all more difficult for you than the average patient 1 year out. Here are some thoughts I have for you though - 1) are you seeing a GI dr? I wonder if possibly your dumping or pain is from something else not necessarily WLS related like I don't know - IBS, Crohn's, Gallbladder, etc? I am dealing with an issue that has me seeing a GI specialist so I thought I would throw it out there. 2) Are you actively seeing a therapist that deals with bariatric patients? I have followed your story and was heartbroken for you for you experience at the resident therapy, and I think you have been seeing someone for food addiction issues but what about one that deals with WLS patients? My therapist does this almost strictly so she is prepared to recognize some of the "normal" issues we go through as WLS patients (She called me out on something last week which I disagreed with and ticked me off at the time but a few days later, I could see she was right). She has truly been a God-send. I would not have survived this without her. Maybe find someone new if yours does not meet this description. I don't know if you were really looking for advice or just needed to vent. (I tend to try to be a "fixer" which just like a man! ) So if you really were just needing to vent, then I want you to know I do get it and your feelings are valid. This is hard and you have every right to feel frustrated and exhausted given what you have been through! I wish you all the best! HUGS!

Third day after any surgery always seems to be the worst. I recall things getting much better after day 5. Take your pain med. No need to be a hero. If you feel like it is anything unusual, call your dr. There is always someone on call.

@@chasingpolaris321 - Just curious if you ever found out anymore about this. I hope you are feeling better! I thought I would tag on to your post to see if anyone had any thoughts. I still have my gallbladder and have been having the typical Right Upper Quadrant pain. I have had 2 CT scans (normal), Ultrasound (normal no stones) and HIDA scan with CCK (showed 76% ejection fraction - below 35% means abnormal - apparently mine is "above" normal). Went to GI dr who said it didn't sound like GB to him but gave me Bentyl (anti-spasmodic) and said if it didn't help, we would know for sure it isn't GB. Well good news (I guess) is that the med does help. I take it only when it hurts instead of as a preventative and generally within an hour, the pain has subsided. The pain doesn't really seem typical because it isn't triggered by food (obviously not eating high fat anyway). I can wake up with it or be woken up in the middle of the night with it and it sometimes will hurt for several days in a row then go away for a week or so. GI dr is stumped and told me to ask my bariatric surgeon. I had my 6 month appt yesterday and she sort of poo-pooed the idea. She said it is likely Sphincter of Oddi and that the Bentyl is perfectly safe to take long term. She felt that no further tests were necessary as I had plenty to know there wasn't anything really wrong. I hate being dismissed by doctors.... So, any ideas out there or more info about this SOD? Do I really just live with it and take the Bentyl as a pain med when needed? I did this surgery to get off of meds and so far I am taking more than when I started. Good news is the nausea and vomiting finally seem to have stopped (that was all due to a stricture which has now been fixed). The GI dr told me to call him after talking to my surgeon so I will do so next week but was just looking for some insight. The info I could find was a bit confusing other than to say it appears to be a relatively rare (yet common if that makes sense) side effect of gastric bypass. Appreciate any advice...

Congrats!! That is awesome!

@@Fatty McFatster - I am SO glad your dr called back! I hope the new med will help! By the way, my favorite additive to Water was the Orange Crush powder stick (by the Crystal Light). I mix it in 32 oz of water instead of 16 oz as called for because I don't like it so sweet. It really helped me get the water down.

Congrats!!

Not sure if this will help but I had a terrible time with nausea after my bypass. I was taking Zofran for nausea and Dr told me that if you are dehydrated (or just not drinking enough) Zofran won't work. Sort of a vicious cycle. So see if you can find anything other than water to drink and then take the med. PowerAde Zero, Propel Fitness water (I like the berry flavor), even just some broth, etc.

@@foodfighter78 - I am sorry it is taking so long but I am glad you got an appt.

Absolutely! For 4 months before surgery and still seeing her at almost 6 months post-op. I will see her for 2 years post-op (though eventually only once per month. Right now it's every other week). This is a HUGE deal and I commend you for considering it. If you can find someone that deals especially with bariatric patients and/or food addiction issues then all the better. My therapist has been the biggest part of my journey and I could not have gotten this far without her and don't expect that I will be able to maintain without continuing to see her.

@@foodfighter78 - did you hear from your Dr today?

@@shellbell79 - I am not sure you read all the information. This person is from Egypt and received no real instruction and has been trying to find everything from the internet. Your reaction is a bit too strong for this person who truly was seeking help when she hadn't been given the same instruction we receive here in the states. I know some people on this board are moaning about following rules and perhaps then your response would have been appropriate but in this individual's case, your response appears to be too aggressive.

Congrats! Great work!

So very sorry you are having so much pain! My first thought is auto-immune disease too. If you cannot get to Mayo, have you at least seen rheumatologist? That is who diagnosed my auto-immune disease (Graves Disease and ongoing monitoring for Lupus due to some certain markers shown in a blood test).

UGH! I am so sorry you are having such trouble. Try to take tiny tiny sips all day long and stay hydrated. If you aren't getting enough fluids, just go to the ER and then someone will have to deal with it!

@@TinyTink LOL!! I will have to have my passport redone also. My drivers license doesn't renew until 2020 so I can't wait for that. Suppose I will hold out as long as I can (or until someone tells me I am completely unrecognizable ????). I had blood work done this morning and the lab tech kept questioning me. Nicely actually. Kind if funny. I just didn't realize it was THAT different. Clearly it is. I know I am thinner at 95 pounds down. I don't have sort of body dysmorphia (the I think I had that problem in my former self as I never recognized how large I actually was) but I sure wish I could see what others see!