theantichick

My response would be that I think I'd rather have loose skin than have it all filled with fat that's killing me. It's hard when people we love are against our decisions. My parents don't want me to have the surgery, but I know it's out of concern for me, and that they'll support me even if they don't agree with it. I'm sorry that your daughter is taking out whatever she's thinking about this on you. But you have to do what you know to be right for you.

I'm still a couple of months out, but am reading the topics people post about what foods to have on hand post-op. I see a lot of recommendations for sugar-free popsicles, sugar-free Jello, sugar-free pudding, etc. Which makes sense. But I have to be super careful with nutrasweet. It is a migraine trigger for me, and I don't think I'd be wise to have a lot of it post-op when my body is recovering and likely slightly dehydrated (which is another migraine trigger). Every pre-made sugar-free popsicle and jello I've found has nutrasweet in it. Does anyone have any suggestions around this? And while I don't usually have time for things like making popsicles from scratch, I do have plenty of support at home, and will be off work completely for a week and then working from home as long as needed... so if the only answer is make it from scratch, I can deal with that. I just wouldn't have a clue how to make something like jello from scratch. Incidentally, while I know some people think Splenda is poison, I don't agree. However, I have noticed that Splenda leaves a horrible aftertaste in my mouth for hours and hours after I've eaten/drunk something with it. So I'd be happy to find alternatives without it as well, but it's not critical. I have started using monk fruit sweetener for my coffee, and it's good but I don't know how flexible it is for cooking and baking and things. I've been pleasantly surprised that most of the Protein stuff (Isopure, Bariatric fusion, powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury, etc.) are not sweetened with nutrasweet. So at least I don't have to go too far out there to get my protein in postop.

Thanks, I'll have to find out where to get some to try.

In keeping with my rant about flying, does anyone have issues with their autoimmune when traveling? The airport and flight wore me out much more than I'd expected, and I'm glad I packed my pain meds, I definitely needed them the first night in the hotel. sent from mobile device

Wow, the travel really did me in, I'm flared up like woah. Looking forward to the long weekend so I can rest and recover!!

Live in Arlington, work in Irving, VSG tentatively for early August with Dr. Hafford in Irving.

I was going to discuss having the sugared ones with my doc because of the nutrasweet thing. Like you said, it's only going to be for a few days, and there won't be a lot of intake those days anyway. Hydration may be more important than cutting sugar at that point.

And of course, my appointment for this month's "supervised diet" meeting with the doc got re-scheduled. They tried to push it out 2 weeks, and I griped that they were pushing out my surgery date, so they worked me in next Friday. The insurance hoops are ridiculous.

Yeah, I don't abuse it, but I'll have access through December 2017 unless I flunk out. Kidding. I made my first B in my graduate program this spring, and was P.O.'d about it.

I love the peppermint and the chocolate with coconut. There are several other ones that are really good... chocolate with nuts and lemon zest. sent from mobile device

I love Luna bars, around 12g Protein each. They taste like candy bars, though. If my sweet tooth changes after surgery, I may have to find another brand.

I know you've already had it, but I like to clear things up about propofol (the drug Michael Jackson was taking). It is actually an incredible drug. I was an ICU nurse, and we used it all the time for patients on ventilators. It is the best of the twilight sedation meds for GI procedures. It is safe when used in a monitored situation (which GI procedures always are) and it clears out of your system very quickly (but you still need someone else to drive). What made it so unsafe for MJ was that he was using it inappropriately and was not being monitored.

I believe that social isolation is awful. I'm a screaming introvert, and as someone else said earlier, that doesn't mean I don't like people. I love spending time with my close circle of friends, I just "people out" and need time to recharge alone. I was married to an extrovert who would get drained when alone, and recharged while with people. Needless to say it didn't work out, though honestly it wasn't the introvert/extrovert thing that killed it. My health has made it hard for me to spend time with my close group of friends. We stay in touch online, but it's not the same. I had to go out of town for training last week, and thought it would be so awesome to have a week in a nice hotel and so relaxing. It was actually the opposite. One of my goals in losing weight and getting healthier is to spend more in-person time with my chosen family.

would an extra hook extender make enough of a difference to make them comfortable until then? you can buy them at JoAnns fabric store where the notions are. Actually it probably would, and I can't believe I didn't think of that. I used to do costuming and spent more than my fair share of hours at JoAnns.

Yeah, one benefit to being in a healthcare graduate program. All I have to do is grab the DOI and search it in my university's library.

I'm struggling with the bra issue right now. All of my bras are just enough too tight that they're terribly uncomfortable (and they're all way old), but surgery is planned for early August. Seems silly to buy new bras if I'll only be wearing them until fall, when I know I'll have to buy again and no clue how my fit will change. But being completely uncomfortable until then seems inappropriate as well. Bras and undies are things I'm not inclined to get used. The rest of my clothes, I'll get at resale shops as needed until my weight is stable again. The foundation garments, I'll just have to buy a couple at each stage.

He doesn't appear to be with that website anymore, but he is prolific in the medical journals. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&as_sdt=0,14&q=%22Mitchell+Roslin%22&scisbd=1 You have to have access to medical journals to read most of them, but I was very interested in this one: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1550728915008588 Paired Editorial for “Insurance Mandated Medical Weight Management Prior to Bariatric Surgery”Quoted from his introduction paragraph:

In addition to all the things that had been building up for years, I had three things that happened in rapid succession that made me decide that this is the choice I needed to make. 1. Diagnosed with auto-immune arthritis. 2. Had to leave my dream career (ER nurse) only a couple of years in because of a combination of overweight, out of shape, and the arthritis. 3. Topped 300 lbs (that had always been my "I'll never let myself get that fat" weight) Since the auto-immune affects so many things, I asked my rheumatologist what she thought, and she said I should do it without hesitation. That was the confirmation for me. Then my rheumy referred me to someone within her clinic group and I really liked her, so I'm now doing the insurance hoop dance. Targeted surgery date early August.

This is a huge one for me. My surgery isn't until probably August, but I'm trying to start working on good habits now. I was a paramedic, and I'm married to a former Navy guy, and we both scarf our food like it's going to disappear if we don't eat it fast enough. It's a hard one to overcome.

I'm a former paramedic and ER nurse. There are about 1,000 reasons for an abnormal EKG, and a *huge* number of those are benign. If you aren't having symptoms of a heart problem, then there's a really good chance it's going to just be something to have monitored intermittently throughout your life. I had a reaction to medication and developed a highly irregular EKG, and needed a minor procedure to fix it. (Though I admit it's a bit odd to use the word "minor" in relation to a heart procedure, but it really and truly was minor.) Because of this history, I have to have a stress test to clear me for surgery, so I saw my cardiologist this week. I still hold the record in his office (and he specializes in rhythm disturbances) for the number of irregular heartbeats recorded. (For the medical types out there, I had 59,507 PVC's on a 24-hour holter monitor.) I'm 4 years out from the procedure, and I have zero symptoms and my resting EKG is completely normal now. So, even in the very slight chance there is something going on that needs to be corrected, please rest assured that the experts have lots of options open to them. At the very least, don't stress about this until you have more testing done.

I used to love flying when I was younger. I grew up in Alaska with family in Texas, Indiana, and new Mexico. Flew all over the country, regularly. Flew intermittently through my 20s for business and vacations. For a number of reasons, I hadn't flown since before 9/11 so my business trip this week has been my first foray on a plane with the tsa nonsense and the whole carry on luggage nonsense. I now hate flying. And it's only partially because the plane seats are so freaking tiny. 17" across... I looked it up. That's nuts. And not just for wide loads like me... most athletic men have broader shoulders than that. No way to have any speck of personal space. I'll lose weight after the surgery and not have to squeeze my butt and thighs into a seat, but it's not going to make me any shorter or do much about my shoulder width. My knees were touching the seat in front of me and the head rest was in my shoulders. And that's not even considering the dammed tsa. That was a nightmare. I will be fixing my name on my passport and getting pre check as soon as humanly possible when I get home. I also think I'm checking a bag next time, because trying to pack for a week business trip in a roller is just nuts. I'm not sure where I was going with this, but needed to rant somewhere. It was a miserable airport and flight experience, I don't care for hotel stays, and I get to endure the airport and flight again tomorrow. Geez. sent from mobile device

I was an ER nurse. You'd be amazed how little the average person knows about their anatomy and functioning of their body. sent from mobile device

This is my first business trip (and first flight) since before 9/11 and my first trip anywhere since the PsA. Lots to learn. sent from mobile device

I am planning to wear a lot of clothes with drawstring waists and frequent the consignment shops! sent from mobile device

I didn't need an extender, but it was a near thing. It's sad when a greyhound bus is more comfortable than a plane. sent from mobile device