LISALOVESVEGAS

I am 7 weeks post-op RNY. I have been having a lot of mid-back pain since my surgery on July 15. In fact, the night of my surgery I had to keep calling the nurse because I was in so much pain from my back area, more so than the incision areas even. I don't think I noticed the pain as much the first few weeks because I still had liquid pain medication at home to take and to be honest, I took it for other aches and pains besides the incision pain. When I went for my 6-week post-op appointment with the surgeon yesterday I mentioned to him about all of the back pain and asked if it could be something from the surgery. He said that he didn't think it had anything to do with that and I told him that I had been taking Tylenol but it just wasn't cutting it. He asked me if I had seen a chiropractor and I told him no. He suggested that so I made an appointment with one this morning but can't get in until September 10. He also sent a prescription over to the drugstore for Celebrex, but my insurance company is balking at paying it since it would be $833 for the generic for 180 pills (not sure why he ordered 180 - seems like a lot to me). So, I am not able to get that until the insurance and the doctor can resolve this. Apparently he can contact them and explain why I need to have this. I went over to Walgreen's and looked at the Tylenol Arthritis Strength but it is time released and I was told that we can't have time release meds anymore. God, I miss my Ibuprofen!!!!! Any advice on this? I am in so much back pain right now that I can hardly sit in my chair at work. Thanks in advance for any input.

We will have every Quest flavor plus the three new flavors they're working on releasing. We're also going to have a selection of our own (100+ ) items BariatriPal Protein bars and foods.
We're going to offer Atkins Protein Bars and some other popular brands a month or two after launch.

After a very lengthy time in the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at my clinic undergoing classes, support groups, doctors appointments, testing, etc., it is finally time for my surgery tomorrow. I am actually surprised at how relaxed and calm I am about it at this point. For the past months, I have been practicing taking small sips, tiny bites, and chewing, chewing, chewing but until I actually do it post-surgery, I don't know what it is actually going to feel like. Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the wonderful advice that I have gotten from reading other member's posts. I've gotten some great information and tips. If you are a spiritual person, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Thanks!

After a very lengthy time in the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at my clinic undergoing classes, support groups, doctors appointments, testing, etc., it is finally time for my surgery tomorrow. I am actually surprised at how relaxed and calm I am about it at this point. For the past months, I have been practicing taking small sips, tiny bites, and chewing, chewing, chewing but until I actually do it post-surgery, I don't know what it is actually going to feel like. Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the wonderful advice that I have gotten from reading other member's posts. I've gotten some great information and tips. If you are a spiritual person, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Thanks!

After a very lengthy time in the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at my clinic undergoing classes, support groups, doctors appointments, testing, etc., it is finally time for my surgery tomorrow. I am actually surprised at how relaxed and calm I am about it at this point. For the past months, I have been practicing taking small sips, tiny bites, and chewing, chewing, chewing but until I actually do it post-surgery, I don't know what it is actually going to feel like. Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the wonderful advice that I have gotten from reading other member's posts. I've gotten some great information and tips. If you are a spiritual person, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Thanks!

After a very lengthy time in the Comprehensive Weight Management Program at my clinic undergoing classes, support groups, doctors appointments, testing, etc., it is finally time for my surgery tomorrow. I am actually surprised at how relaxed and calm I am about it at this point. For the past months, I have been practicing taking small sips, tiny bites, and chewing, chewing, chewing but until I actually do it post-surgery, I don't know what it is actually going to feel like. Just wanted to thank everyone for all of the wonderful advice that I have gotten from reading other member's posts. I've gotten some great information and tips. If you are a spiritual person, please keep me in your thoughts and prayers tomorrow. Thanks!

Preparation and proper mindset are the keys. You will do well. Be safe! Congrats!

Sending prayers. YOu will do great!

Good luck on your big day! I can't imagine how good it feels to know that by this time tomorrow you will be well on your way to a better life. Kinda jealous but very excited for you!

Who says things like that you ask? Someone who is not as good a friend as you had thought. Those that love us and are true friends support us in whatever we do. Your progress sounds exactly like mine. I will be one month out soon. Excess skin??? Yes we will have it! And I'm soooo glad we will have it! That means we are successful. Every time I hear that I go into my bedroom and I take off my close and stand in front of a mirror naked and I look. What I have now can't be any prettier than loose skin. Will my friends abandon me? Absolutely not! And if they do, then I love them and let them go. I refuse to let anyone intimidate me or guilt me into regretting my decision. I don't know you. But I am super proud of you for doing this. This is probably the hardest thing we will face and it isn't just weight loss, it is a transformation of lifestyle. Will I be a skinny bitch? No because I'm not a fat bitch. We are who we are and the only changes that will occur in us are positive healthy life changes.

I cannot emphasize how important it is to track your food and liquids. Every time I have hit a stall, I have been able to look back and see what was different. Twice it was because I wasn't getting enough food in. My nutritionist was able to look back through MyFitnessPal and see the issue. Tracking keeps you accountable for your choices. I went through gastric bypass which as most of you know is NOT FOR SISSIES and I decided that it would be so stupid to go through all of this only to end up where I started by gaining weight back.
You have to choose to be diligent about tracking. You have to choose to want to be successful. Choose wisely!!

I wish I could give each of you a hug! Thanks for the encouragement! I guess a lifetime of being ashamed/afraid of the scales is hard to get over. But I do choose hope and am not Penny! ???? This truly a cunning and baffling disease which messes with my head and makes me think my worthiness is based on the scale. Thanks for the reminders to hold my head high and keep walking boldly and confidently in the direction I've set. It took me decades to decide to even consider WLS, I guess I shouldn't be surprised if sometimes it is two steps forward and one step back. I got a grin as you reminded me not to be surprised by the behavior that got me here in the first place. Would appreciate prayers and good thoughts for tomorrow. Choosing hope!!

I think that's the kind of stuff we all struggle with, and leading up to your surgery you are forced to confront it in ways you probably never have before. I know how you feel though, if that helps at all. I'm a little less than 4 weeks from getting my surgery, after going through a year process, and this is turning out to be the most difficult hurdle of all. We're thinking about the trigger food that we'll probably never going to have again, or at the very least, in very reduced quantities than we were able to consume before. You're being faced with giving up something that has brought you a lot of comfort over the majority of your lifetime. It's natural to feel this way.
Whatever happens with your appointment though just don't let it define you and your goals for a happier, healthier life. You made a mistake and it might cost you some time. If, worst case scenario, you have to start over, than so be it. Start over. Our addiction to food is fighting to keep its power over us, and it doesn't play fair. Never has. Never will. Don't let it win. And don't let you allow yourself to be the reason why it won. Pick yourself up and start all over again. You can do it! It's a bend in the road, not a fatal collision.
And hey, you don't want to be a Penny, do you? She never even made it out of bed and you've already gone way beyond that. You want this. She didn't. Prove to yourself now that you aren't Penny. Go to that appointment with your head held high. If the numbers waylay you a bit, just get back on track and try again.
Good luck! This isn't the end unless you allow it to be.

@@choosehope - I agree to remember your name:-) Also, I think that the important thing to remember is that for a lot of us who have chosen WLS, it is because other typical diet and exercise programs have NOT worked for any of us. We cannot do this alone, we need a stronger tool in our arsenal. For many of us that tool, which we will use to strengthen our success with diet and exercise is WLS.
However, for myself, and because I knew that I could not do this by myself (because I have tried 1001 times before). I also recognize that "it takes a village." I started up therapy (actually prior to deciding on WLS), and this can be helpful. Attending WLS support groups is also helpful. This forum is helpful. When you set a surgery date you will also likely be assigned a NUTtritionist and/or dietician to help you as well. I also hope that about six weeks post surgery to get signed up with a trainer.
I also struggle with those shows like 600 lb life and Extreme Weight Loss. On the one hand they show some of the struggles and the psychology that got them there (and some of us here), but on the other hand there is still somewhat of a freakshow nature to them that I just don't like, especially if there is not really a happy ending for the person. I mean give me a break, if the person lost 80 lbs instead of the 90 lb goal then I still think that they deserve the skin surgery down the road once they lose the additional 10 lbs because the fortitude that it takes them to do that is tremendous.
Some resources for your soul: A Course In Weight Loss by Marianne Williamson, and also the Beck Diet Solution by Judith S Beck. Neither book is about a diet. Its about overcoming some of the excess baggage that has been weighing down our hearts and minds in order to help free us from emotional eating.
Go into your appointment and hold your head high, and resolve to make the best choices that you can make one day at a time. And try to surround yourself with a support team, which can be friends, family, therapist, or support group.
Tomorrow is another day! You can do this!!!

Day 3 was the worst. I've lost almost all my hunger pains and have lost over 10 lbs.

A study published in JAMA concludes weight-loss surgery better than diet and exercise in treating type 2 diabetes.
In the trial, 61 obese adults with diabetes were randomly assigned to one of two surgical procedures or intensive lifestyle intervention and followed for three years. Forty percent of those who had received a gastric bypass procedure and 29% who received a gastric band were considered in remission from diabetes and no longer needed to take medication after three years. In comparison, no one in the group who received intensive lifestyle intervention resolved their diabetes.
http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/07/02/weight-loss-surgery-better-than-diet-and-exercise-in-treating-type-2-diabetes/

Warning: long post ahead!
Well, if you haven't already, focus on eating lean Protein, green veggies, and healthy fats. These foods will help keep you satisfied longer and avoiding high-carb foods will help curb your hunger.
And the other thing to do is to learn to be okay with being hungry. Hunger is not an emergency. Starvation is an emergency, but you are not in danger of starvation. Hunger is just unpleasant. There are good CBT techniques to learn that can help you deal with hunger in ways other than eating. Here are a couple that I have found helpful:
--plan everything you are going to eat each day, either at the beginning of the day, or the evening of the night before. When you get hungry, say to yourself, "it's not fun being hungry, but I can wait to have my beef Jerky snack at 2:30" (or whatever your next planned snack/meal is).
--log everything you eat -- calories, carbs, Protein. When you see those amounts going into your log, you'll find yourself less hungry.
--plan three healthy meals and allow yourself unlimited Snacks in between -- but only if your Snacks consist of nothing but one specified type of lean protein and one green veggie. You can use whatever spices you want, but no oils, no cheese, no sauce, etc. So your "unlimited snack" foods for the day might be chicken breast and asparagus. You get to eat as much as you want as long as it is chicken breast and asparagus. Again, you may find yourself not as "hungry" as you thought you were -- you may be experiencing head hunger or carb cravings, not true hunger. And if you are really hungry, well, you can't do much damage with chicken breast and asparagus.
--practice fasting a couple of days a week. Have a small Breakfast, then no eating (or drinking anything with calories) until dinner. Before you start fasting, write a list of the most physically and emotionally painful experiences you have ever been through ("my mother died" "I gave birth" "I had a root canal" "I lost my job" etc.). Then, every two hours on your fast days, write a brief journal entry. Describe your levels of hunger. Rate your discomfort associated with hunger on a scale of 1-10 and compare that with the worst physical and emotional experiences in your life. Write down a coping strategy ("I will go for a walk" "I will remind myself that I can eat a nice dinner at 5 PM and I'm not in danger of starving" etc.)
Make sure that you only eat sitting down at a table. No, you can't even taste or sample anything standing up. And being in your car does not count as sitting down at a table! Keep your phone turned off and do not look at any lighted screens (tv, computer, tablet, handheld gaming device) while you are eating.
I am aware that this all sounds like a lot of effort and not much fun. Both of those things are absolutely true. I don't have a magic wand solution for you. But these things really have worked for me when I put the work in. Good luck to you!

I was told to always eat before taking multi-vitamins.

@@nervous nana
I too have both psoriatic arthritis and osteo arthritis of the spine. I just went through another spinal fusion 3 weeks ago. I have not taken NSAIDs since before my surgery and I am not so sure they did anything before my surgery for me.
Since hanging my surgery the inflammation in my body and joints has all but disappeared. My ankles, knees and even thumb joint used to swell so badly that I was going in for steroid injections regularly.
The only thing that has not improved has been my spine and that is because I did so very much damage to it being so heavy. I have had 5 spinal surgeries now and I am really hoping this is my last because having your spine operated on has to be one of the most painful and long recoveries.
I still get steroid injections if needed and recently even had to take a medrol dose Pam (prednisone) while recuperating from this recent cervical operations.
There are plenty of pain medications that work for me now that did not work for me when I was 310lbs and on so many other medicines. I now take 1 daily prescription for hypothyroid. If I have pain I usually take Tylenol and it dies the trick. However if I have severe pain, I can take a narcotic pain reliever as well. I did that for the first 2 weeks following spine surgery.
Talk to your surgeon about your concerns they can reassure you about how arthritis is I,packed by the results of your surgery. My joints have never felt better. I can literally walk for 5 miles when before I was lucky if I could make it down the block. I can literally run up and down the stairs where before I would have to take them one at a time and would huff and puff like I was going to Keel over.
This decision will make your condition better. It has been the best thing I have ever done for myself.
Good luck to you!

Hi all! I had my surgery 4 days ago. All has went well. I wanted to let you know that I am 61 years old and have had arthritis for the last 7 years.a result of my obesity. I have never taken NSAIDs because of other medical concerns. Other pain medications work just fine. As for worry about other medical problems that some have experienced, you have to take in to consideration that there is much more knowledge out there now than there was 10 years ago. With the help of the Internet and sites like this we are better informed about what we need to do to be successful. Even the specialty of bariatrics is much more advanced. I am planning on following the letter of the law when it comes to my new life. I have never been a "normal" weight, even since kindergarten. That's as far back as I can remember.
In these few short days I can feel the difference. I have no hunger. And even tho I know it may return some day, I'm gonna fight for my life to take care of my new little friend. My new stomach!! I've been given a chance to live a new life, even at my age. I gotta lot of living left to do! ????????????

Surgery date - July 23,2014
Starting weight 276
Surgery date 267
Current weight 169
Happy I finally took the time for me. I have a great support at home and hope I'm not done yet????

Congratulations, cusoon! That is awesome! Let us know when you get your date. The more the merrier!

Congratulations! I also have a surgery date of July 15. Definitely interested in getting a group of us together who are having surgery the same date.

Thank you so much for sharing this wonderful, inspiring post. I am scheduled for Gastric Bypass surgery on July 15th and will remember the things that you have posted on here to keep me going during my journey. Congratulations on your huge accomplishment!

There are so many many posts out there on this topic. Please make sure you do your research and spend time with your doctor discussing your personal health history.
I planned to go with the sleeve and had my heart set on it. When I met with my surgeon we discussed the fact that I suffered from reflux/Gerd. He recommended that I go with RNY instead. I was devastated and actually got a second opinion from my gastroenterologist who told me the same thing.
They both asked me why I was afraid of bypass since it is the gold standard in WLS. I shared my big concern which was malabsorption and of course all the old horrible stories that were out there.
I learned very quickly as I researched the heck out of this topic that if you follow the plan, get your labs drawn like you do regardless of which surgery you have, take your Vitamins which you also have to do regardless of which surgery you have, malabsorption will actually help you.
I also started reading about how many lap bands and sleeves have to be converted to bypass because of reflux. I wanted to go through this surgery only once. Even if you don't suffer from reflux now, both the band and sleeve can actually cause this issue where the bypass cures it.
Only you and your doctor can decide what is right for you, I am only suggesting that you continue to do research like you have clearly already begun. It will be worth it to you in the end.
Good luck on whatever choice you make. Please feel free to reach out.
P.S. Not everyone struggles with dumping syndrome either. If you do the bypass hoping that will control behaviors as some people do you may be disappointed. I would research that as well.