theantichick

Oh, forgot to add... and you probably already know... RNY and lapband were not options for me because I do need to be able to occasionally take NSAIDs and steroids. for RNY and lapband, the contraindication is pretty much absolute. Lots of doctors will say no NSAIDs/steroids with VSG, but the contraindication is a relative one, not an absolute one. It's a risk/benefit analysis your team does. I'm allowed to take NSAIDs when needed, as long as I stay on a PPI. My rheumy hates steroids, but if I were in a bad enough flare she'd do a short run of them. I have a history of mild/moderate reflux, which was a minor concern with the VSG, but it had always been manageable with diet/meds so we went ahead with the VSG. I haven't had any reflux problems with it, but of course I'm on a PPI forever anyway.

I have rheumatoid/psoriatic arthritis. I finally decided to have VSG after my rheumy advised in favor of it. She said there isn't a guarantee, but... the stomach tissue that is removed with the VSG plays a role in the inflammation hormone cascade, and fat cells store and release hormones that are involved in inflammation. So the surgery can have a positive direct impact on auto-immune aside from the benefits for the joints with the weight loss.

I had to be off of my meds for 3 weeks before surgery and a couple of months after, so my joints were hella sore by the time I had surgery. I felt like I flared up with the surgery, by day 3 post-op my joints hurt much worse than my surgery sites. But the joint pain started subsiding a couple of weeks post-op and has been manageable. I've only had to take NSAIDs a couple of times since surgery (didnt' take them at all for 3 months to let my sleeve heal).

Now, my inflammatory factors are down, back on the meds and dosage I was pre-op and it seems to be working better. My rheumy says there is no need to discuss biologics in the foreseeable future now (we were looking at biologics before the surgery because the inflammation just wasn't coming down). And my joints are happier with 72# lost.

Not a cure, certainly, but I think improvement directly because of the surgery.

You were so right about that and you made a good point. We all eat out. That's normal. But it is all about making good choices. And i was sad to see that person not even attempt to try because it's not easy, but if you're focused it's that hard either. We all eat what we're supposed to and we still eat yummy food.

Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I've absolutely eaten fast food. Once I was cleared for a full diet, of course. The fact I cannot eat ketogenic actually makes it harder for me, because I don't have a hard carb restriction. What I have found though is that I don't want to waste valuable sleeve space on anything that isn't either nutritious (Protein, Protein, protein) or absolutely fabulous. Drive through food generally isn't nutritious to speak of (though there are exceptions) and it generally isn't good enough to earn space in my sleeve (there's a couple of exceptions). But then I also have been in therapy for almost a year with my food issues. I don't emotionally eat the way I used to, and I am learning to get my emotional needs and relationship needs met with the people in my life instead of forming bonds with food. So my hubby is my honey bun now, not that icky gooey thing from Little Debbie. I really worry for people who don't seem to even see that their obsession with crap food is not healthy. I am starting to think that mandatory counseling for no less than 6 months and a sign-off from the counselor saying this person "gets it" should be needed for WLS. And a test to make sure they understand the doctor's instructions pre- and post-op.

Not closing your day doesn't lose you anything. The only thing it does is calculate how much weight you'd lose in x number of weeks if you kept eating the way you did that day. They don't want to encourage anorexics. Once your intake is above 1,000 you will be able to start closing out your days again.

sent from mobile device

Mine counted. I have no problem keeping up at work, I have a cup beside me all the time. It's at home when I can't seem to keep up with the drinking. LOL.

I had a great experience. I packed WAAAAYYYYY too much stuff. All I really needed was a comb, toothbrush, a change or two of underwear, biotene spray, my phone, and my charger. I do wish I'd not packed the rest of the nonsense I took, and used the room in my bag for a heating pad. That was something that really helped the soreness when I got home.

I have a history of severe nausea post-op, and my surgical team did an amazing job giving me meds to counter that. Which caused me to have complete amnesia from the pre-op room when they pushed the first sedative to an hour or so after I was in my room, which has never happened to me. Makes me want to get a copy of my records and find out exactly what they gave me. LOL.

I had virtually no pain from the gas that many people complain about. My surgeon does her leak test in the OR, so something to do with the Water for that may have cleared the CO2 out more effectively, I don't know. My overall pain was there, but nothing too horrible. We'd decided on a milder pain med than she normally prescribes because I don't like the side effects of the one she normally uses, and it was sufficient. I just felt like I'd been kicked in the gut and had that residual severe soreness.

The staff were great, making sure I had plenty of Water and things to drink on day 1, and then Protein shakes and water on day 2 (my doc keeps us overnight to make sure we can keep fluids down well). The tech came in several times to make sure I got up and walked (which helps with the pain, but disconnecting all the stuff is annoying). Slept in short spurts, but that's typical in a hospital. Didn't have enough focus to read a book, so I played games on my phone and facebooked and watched a marathon of whatever crime drama was on TV that day.

Doc came by to check on me Day 2 and discharged me.

Very uneventful, which is the way we want it.

You'll do great. As a nurse, I'll just say that you should work with the nurses about letting them know when you're STARTING to hurt so they can stay ahead of it with your pain meds (if you need them, some people have very little pain). Knocking pain down when it gets bad is MUCH harder than keeping it at bay. And the rest of the time, walk walk walk and sip sip sip (as soon as they let you have drinks).

LOL. One of my bonus daughters, when presented with the quiet game, goes about 5 seconds and then says "oh, well, I lose" and continues her almost non-stop patter. Good thing she's cute.

I've never eaten them, but the concerns with foods safety-wise while advancing your diet are (generally speaking):

hard/sharp edges & seeds can damage a healing incision - I don't know how hard/sharp pork skins are, but they look like the consistency of chips, so if you're not cleared for chips I wouldn't want to try them. For example, I was cleared safety-wise for saltine crackers pretty early on because even though they're hard out of the package, they convert to mush VERY rapidly, even before you can swallow them if you chew well. (The carb content is another issue entirely.) But Triscuits I wasn't cleared for until I was released to a full diet because the hard fibers don't convert to mush rapidly, and remain tough with sharp edges and fragments break off easily. And while I wouldn't choose chips during weight loss anyway, they are kinda in the middle safety-wise, and I wouldn't have wanted to risk it until I was cleared for all foods.

foods that swell up in the stomach can damage the healing incision - I don't know if they swell up or not, my best guess would be that they don't much?

digestability (based on moisture content and density, mainly) - denser and drier foods are harder to digest, so they can cause discomfort. Not usually a safety issue, but the discomfort can be intense, and some foods that are particularly hard to digest (like the Triscuits mentioned above, or fruit rinds, or fibrous vegetables) can have fragments break off and damage the healing incision.

It's always safest to check with your doctor or team for any foods that aren't on your specifically approved lists, up until you're cleared for a full diet. But at least safety-wise, those are the general things they're looking at when they answer the question.

I found a few days after surgery I didn't really like any of the Protein powders I'd so carefully tested out and chosen pre-op. I choked them down for a couple of days and then sent hubby to Walmart for some Premier Protein. I hadn't liked it pre-op but it went down OK at the hospital (that's what they had) and post-op it's the only one I tolerated. After several days of sweet Protein shakes, I was also desperate for something NOT sweet, which is when I discovered I could put unflavored Protein powder in chicken bouillon if I dissolved it in a little lukewarm Water first.

So my tastes started changing right off the bat after surgery. I'm still finding things I used to like that I don't really care for anymore.

I had only been on BP meds for a few months before surgery. After surgery, I kept a close eye on my BP and about a week after surgery my BP was getting low at the same time I was getting lightheaded, so I stopped the most recent med (I was on 2 different ones) per my primary doc's instructions. About a month after, I was having low BP again so we stopped the other one.

My surgeon doesn't even do the pureed phase unless a particular patient has an individual need for it. She says that if your teeth work well, you don't need to blend soft food. LOL.

I like the fork test. I went for foods of the mashed potato consistency (not actual mashed potatoes, just that consistency) at first. My instructions were to start with the softest and moistest foods first, and make sure they were settling OK before working my way slowly up to the firmer/drier foods.

My doc also said that lots of her patients don't tolerate eggs well during this phase, and if that happened not to worry, just to hold off on the eggs until after soft/moist meats like roasted chicken were sitting well and then try them again. And that's exactly what happened. Eggs were a no-go with my sleeve, but after chicken was working OK tried them again and they were fine.

I wasn't even aware there were personal shopper services available without paying an arm and a leg for them. LOL.

Nordstrom has always been intimidating for me, but there's one very close to me and they have the personal shoppers there. Years ago, I got a bonus in the form of a Nordstrom gift certificate, and my sister and I went shopping there and we found a couple of amazing items, one top that I've now worn several times a month for at least 10 years (and one of the few I get compliments on every time I wear it). I may have to get over the intimidation factor and check them out.

And now that I employ my Google-fu (which is certainly stronger than my girl-fu) I see that Macy's has personal shoppers as well.

Bwahahahaha. I may become truly dangerous here.

I literally just ask my 12-year-old daughter. "Mom, that's the wrong color for you. Mom, wear the other earrings. Mom, you need a scarf."

I'll lend her to you, but be warned: she's as mouthy as she is helpful.

Sent from my SM-G925V using the BariatricPal App

LOL. I have a 19 year old daughter who's the same way, but she and I don't share tastes enough for me to rely on her. She has a TOTALLY different idea of how I should look than I do.

I can totally relate!! Never really big in makeup. Haven't got a clue. Max is eyeliner and mascara. I stopped buying it because the stuff was past expiration date by the time I would go to use it again. Know that it is expected when I go back to work...

Loving people's advice!!

My other girl-fu fail, is clothes too. My husband helps me! He is really helpful at picking clothes that make me look good. I have no idea how to dress myself. Waiting until I hit nadir to get a new wardrobe. For now looking for inspiration on Pintrest.

Have a honest friend with good fashion sense?

Good luck at work! Let us know how things go.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

I have to start hitting some resale shops to get me through because I'm almost out of clothes. The only reason I have work clothes is because I am HORRIBLE to try and fit in pants. Tall, huge hips, relatively small waist. So almost 20 years ago when Lane Bryant had a style of pant that worked for me, and I outgrew them, I packed them away in the back of my closet because "I'll get back in them someday". Well, almost 2 decades later, I finally have. Once they're too loose for me, I am going to make a couple of drawstring maxi skirts to get me through until I'm at goal, because I am NOT going through the hell of finding pants to fit me until I'm at goal. LOL. But I'm down to those slacks, and about 4, maybe 5 tops I can still wear that look decent, but most of those are bordering on ridiculously too big. So I have to buy some things so I don't go to work nekkid. LOL. So while this will not be my final wardrobe, I want to start training my eye for colors/styles that are flattering. I will graduate with my master's in December, and should be to goal by then, and my career should shift into at least management at that point with the potential to end up in the C-Suite. So I really need to start looking more pulled together and polished than I have as a lowly programmer/analyst by end of year.

@@ShelterDog64 Hey, if I can't laugh at myself... LOL.

Thanks for the tips. I'll check out the makeup at Macy's then. I've been looking through a lot of Pinterest stuff, and I think I want to go for a Katharine Hepburn kind of style for professional stuff. I'm tall enough to carry it off, and I think it strikes the balance I want. We'll see if I can actually FIND clothes like that though.

OMG. Got home where I could actually watch the videos. Holy Hannah, how long do you ladies spend on your makeup every day? I've never seen so many layers of stuff! I use: BB cream all over, blush if I can find something that works, 3 shades of eye shadow (brow, lid, crease), 2 coats of mascara, and a swipe of a (theoretical) all day lip color. Maybe some basic eyeliner and loose powder to set the look if I'm not rushed for time. What in the name of all that's holy IS all that stuff they're using?

sent from mobile device

Yeah, I over-analyze EVERYTHING. LOL. But with the money I'm about to start laying out for a professional wardrobe, I'd like to do a better job than what I've done in the past. I've hit on a few things over the years that look fabulous, and I get a TON of compliments when I wear them. But it's been very hit and miss. And my overall closet looks very mish-mash. Well, right this second it looks incredibly sparse because I'm down to like 4 decent tops for work and 2 pairs of slacks and 2 pairs of jeans. But before I started culling the stuff that was too big, it was all over the place. Nothing coherent, awful to try and pull together a good looking outfit, much less several. One of the things I miss about bedside nursing is that clothing is easy - scrubs and scrubs and scrubs. LOL. But since I'm now working toward management positions, I want to look a little more pulled together.

I like the Bobbi Brown makeup look, very natural. For every day, I want something that makes me look polished but not overdone. For going out, I like a dramatic eye, but I haven't figured out how to do it without looking like I went a round and a half with Mike Tyson. LOL. And I've watched tons of videos on youTube, but I can't seem to make my hands do what the cutie on the computer is doing. Sephora carries Bobbi Brown, so I think I'll schedule that sooner rather than later.

It doesn't help that I HATE shopping and trying on clothes. I swear, I'm missing the girl-fu gene entirely. LOL. And I'm not rich enough for a personal stylist and shopper.

My online persona has been the Anti-Chick forever, for a reason. I was very much a tomboy growing up, and my mother was never good at the girl-fu stuff either, so I got no help from that arena.

So now that I'm in my mid-to-late-40's I'm trying to learn how to do all the girl stuff. hair, makeup, fashion, etc. The whole concept of this color analysis stuff is throwing me for a loop, though. And there seems to be several different schools of thought on the subject.

Since pretty much every article of clothing I own is going to have to be replaced, and my career is heading for the management arena, I think that this is an ideal time for me to put some extra effort into understanding all of this stuff, and getting help where I need it.

For the old-school color seasons stuff, I seem to be a pretty cut-and-dried Summer, kinda. I was a blonde as a child, it's turned into an ashey light brown as I've aged (adding in some cool red and covering up the grey/silver thanks to my stylist) with light blue/grey/greenish eyes. But I look way washed out if I wear any pastel or "dusty" colors. I look better in brights and saturated colors. (look at me using all the color terminology and all. LOL) I stay pretty safe if I stick to saturated blues/purples/teals and most deep wine/burgundy looks really nice on me, but then my closet tends to look very monochromatic.

But a friend of mine turned me on to another concept, "Dressing Your Truth" that looks more at personality and "shapes" in the face than coloring, and I'm flat out a Type 4 which is supposed to correspond to Winter in the standard color seasons. And I do look good in the high contrast blue/black red/black kind of outfit.

And I just read a book by David Zyla which says I should create a color palette based on the colors of my skin/eyes/hair, and doing that I should apparently never wear black. And should I use my natural hair colors, or the dyed ones I prefer? I already never wear black up next to my face without other colors because it's too stark against my skin, but the DYT model says black is a great color for me.

And don't get me started on makeup. I despise the stuff because it seems the shades are never the right ones for me. There isn't a nude that doesn't look orange on my lip, or a red that doesn't look ridiculous. I've given up and never wear anything that doesn't say "berry" in the color name, but even those aren't quite right. Blush is just flat-out a non-starter because it always looks harsh and like clown makeup. I keep thinking it's because I'm not getting the right colors, but I'm so pale that there's very few shades I can even attempt. It's on my list to schedule a makeover/consultation thing at Ulta or Sephora, but I feel like I should have some clue about basic colors first.

Is there a way to navigate this mess? I'm willing to even pay for a color/fashion consultation, but is there a way to know what school of thought a consultant uses, and which is best? How does one go about finding a good consultant?

Have you tried the Isopure pre-made drinks? I think they taste like gatorade, and are not as filling. I'm struggling with my Protein since I'm just not that hungry and the shakes actually make me feel bad. Maybe I'm drinking them too fast, but Isopure is the only Protein supplement I'm tolerating right now.

There are several other brands of "clear" Protein Drinks as well... One called Protein2O and Atkins Lift. I didn't care for them, but it's an individual taste thing. I liked the Syntrax Nectars especially Roadside Lemonade, but found I needed to blend them in a blender and then let them sit until the foam settled, then they were OK.

Also, you might try freezing some of these clear Protein Drinks. I got ice pop style ziploc bags from Amazon and did that with the lemonade Syntrax to help get both fluids and protein down early on.

You've probably already tried it, but you might have better luck with the GENEPRO if you mix it with savory stuff like bouillon or stock - I liked the chicken bouillon best. I found it didn't clump if I mixed the powder with lukewarm Water in my blender and then mixed it into the hot liquid. unjury has a protein chicken Soup that's pretty decent, but I liked my own powder mixed in bouillon better.

Rheumatologist discussing biologic treatment for my rheumatoid/psoriatic arthritis, and saying the VSG could help with the condition. I'd been on the fence about it for several years, and that tipped me right over.

I hesitated to join this discussion because I have such conflicting feelings about weight now.

On the one hand, I have a lot of compassion for people who are hugely overweight. Science is finding that it's not a willpower issue, and as I've personally learned it's not anywhere near as easy to control weight as some people think (and I used to think). Even when I was heavy, I used to think it was just because I was failing and lacked the willpower to do the right things. Now I know how badly the deck is stacked against us.

I'm also a huge supporter of body positivity. Regardless of size or ability, people deserve to be treated with respect and dignity. There's no reason for anyone to receive substandard medical care because they're heavy, or be ridiculed by people in the street. Hating your body/self is counter productive to being healthy, and health should be the goal, not some ridiculous idea of what looks good that's pushed by media and photoshop. Being overweight does not automatically mean someone is unhealthy, just as being thin doesn't automatically mean someone is healthy.

That being said, there is a point where the weight interferes with movement and being able to care for oneself. As a nurse, I cannot consider that level of overweight to be anywhere near healthy, and this is one of the drawbacks I see to the body positivity movement. When I see someone who cannot move properly and maintain good hygiene because of the weight, I cannot help but wonder why they don't see that SOMETHING has to be done. Of course, drastic measures require access to medical care and many people in this country don't have it, so there's that. But I want so badly to channel Whoopie Goldberg's character from Ghost and grab them and say "you in danger, girl!!".

As for dating and relationships with people who are quite heavy... I am SO VERY GLAD to not be in the dating scene anymore. But if I were, I would not want to date someone who would jeopardize my health by constantly exposing me to unhealthy eating habits and sedentary pursuits. I'm doing all of this so I can get more active and be healthier, and would only be interested in spending time with someone who is also interested in healthy eating and activity. I don't think badly of people who aren't, but this has to become a big part of my life and factor into my serious relationships. It's more like if I were a recovering alcoholic, it would be a poor choice to get in a relationship with someone who drinks regularly. As it is, I'm lucky that my hubby wants to be more active, I'm actually the one who's dragging us down right now with my weight and chronic health issues. He'll go along with whatever I want to do.

I think ultimately we should seek out people with similar goals and priorities to ourselves, especially for romantic relationships. If one of our primary goals and highest priorities is our health, we should seek out people who feel the same and express that in their lives. Otherwise, our goals and priorities tend to change to meet those of the people we spend the most time with, and that can be detrimental to our health.

You may have to relax your carb restriction in order to get enough nutrition in. (not sure what your carb limit is, and if that was set by your doc/nutritionist or not) 50g/day is the general cutoff for ketosis, but each person is a little different. If your goal is to stay in ketosis, you can get urine dip sticks that let you test for it, and you can do some experimenting to find your personal limit. I'd recommend getting an appointment with the nutritionist or someone on your surgical team to discuss your specific diet issues. I get VERY ill in ketosis, and my team doesn't push low carb like some other teams, so I'm doing well with a higher carb limit but staying away from simple carbs and sugars (so far, don't know what it'll mean further down the road).

Also, since you can eat eggs ok, there are Protein powders that are egg white based that might not give you the issues you're getting with the whey.

I want them to check back with those girls in 2 years and see if they kept it off. I hope for the girls' sake they did, but statistics say they won't. That's what the media doesn't get about weight loss. It's not about being able to lose it, it's about being able to keep it off. Frustrating.

I didn't start seeing a real improvement in energy/fatigue until I got back on solid food. So it was 5-6 weeks for me. It got a little better once I was on puree/soft foods, because I could get out of ketosis (I'm an odd duck and get VERY ill when I'm in ketosis) but getting back to my normal didn't happen until I was eating more regular food and my caloric intake started getting back up close to 1,000/day.

I have rheumatoid/psoriatic arthritis. While not the same as lupus, inflammation drives all of the auto-immune disorders. There hasn't been any good studies done, so the data is mostly anecdotal, but my rheumatologist said there was a good chance having the surgery would lower my overall inflammation because the stomach tissue that's removed plays a role in inflammation (secretes many inflammatory hormones) as do the fat cells. While it doesn't promise remission, my experience has been that once the post-op inflammation/flare died down, my overall inflammatory factors have declined and the meds are working better. So we won't have to pursue biologic therapies anytime in the foreseeable future. So the surgery can help beyond just the weight loss. It's not a guarantee, by any means, but it might help overall.