Kittymappus

Let me tell you, prior to deciding to have my surgery my diabetes wasn't well controlled. Why? I ate pretty much whatever I wanted and took my metformin only most of the time. Once I started preparing for the surgery and eating better, I was able to cut back my metformin a lot (I was on the highest dose my doc could give me). I'm ashamed to tell you but before I decided to have surgery, my A1C was up to 10. TEN! It was part of what made me decide to have surgery.
My surgeon took me off my diabetic medication the day of surgery. I was nervous but I tested my blood sugar twice a day and it was always good. At about 4 months after surgery I has bloodwork done and my A1C was 4.5 and I haven't taken any meds.
I'm sure everyone's results vary, but it resolved my situation for me.

I'm the 10th also
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Dr. Neff works out of UT Austin department of social work which is where I attend school too. I haven't met her yet but I am very hopeful I can get into one of her classes this fall! If you like her you might also like Brene Brown who is out of UT Houston. You can find her stuff on her website. www.brenebrown.com
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Dr. Neff works out of UT Austin department of social work which is where I attend school too. I haven't met her yet but I am very hopeful I can get into one of her classes this fall! If you like her you might also like Brene Brown who is out of UT Houston. You can find her stuff on her website. www.brenebrown.com
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I'm just two weeks out of surgery and stalled. I have read about it, I expected it, nevertheless it is a concern. I think it's like having your first child and he/she drops his/her pacifier it get washed sterilized and given back. When the third baby does it you wipe it on your jeans and stuff it back in.
I consider myself an intelligent individual but I got so much out of Surfer Girl's post. Who needs to go to therapy, just read this it all makes sense.
This thread should be a sticky, so it is there and easy for future rounds of patients to find.... They are going to need it.

Today is my one-year anniversary of being at my goal weight. To be fair, this morning I was three pounds over goal because I was kind of a pig yesterday, but most days I fluctuate anywhere from 1-4 pounds on either side of my goal weight. I am happy with this range. I weigh myself every morning and on days when I wake up near the heavier end, I pay extra attention to how I eat and usually the next day I am right back within the 1-2 pound range. Sometimes I drop a little lower, but for the most part I’m right around goal. The most I fluctuated upward was to 137 for one day back in October, and I was back to 131 by December.
While I have lost weight before, the lowest I had ever been was 137, where I stayed for about a week. I have never maintained around the 129 range as an adult, let alone for an entire year. I had surgery in September 2013, I had plastics in August & November of 2014 and March of 2015, hit goal on April 1 (the last 4 pounds took almost 4 months to lose), and have since lived a fairly normal life. All of my fat clothes are either gone or in storage, my closet is filled with clothes in sizes 0-6, and xs and small, and while I am cognizant of my food choices and the scale everyday, I am normal and I am happy. My hair that fell out substantially during the first year after surgery and again about six months ago has grown back to the point I am almost at the level of thickness I was before surgery. All of my blood values are within the normal ranges, my blood pressure is fine (although I still take a small dose of a hypertension drug), and outside of a sleeve that doesn't tolerate certain kinds of food, I am fully recovered from that surgery and all of my plastics procedures. There is a daily fear that I will gain weight, but it's something I deal with everyday. I think this fear is what keeps me in maintenance because every morning I wake up and I owe that scale my weight. As long as I hold myself accountable everyday, it is not difficult to stay the weight I am. Most days I eat between 1200-1800 calories, although some days I will snack more and hit 2200, or just not feel like eating and be around 800. I don't pay attention to Protein, but according to MyFitnessPal, I get about 45-50g a day. I record my food fairly regularly most days, although sometimes I forget to add things. Overall, the last year has been a good one, and unlike prior to the sleeve when I felt like I was starving half the time, I'm rarely hungry now and when I eat too much it's usually because I'm bored and grazing.
I used to say that I just wanted to be normal...a normal sized girl. Now I am, and it was worth every second of the road that got me here. I wish I could go back and tell the version of me that rolled into surgery 2.5 years ago that it would all work out in the end…I certainly could have saved myself a lot of stress if I could have seen today, in September 2013.

Hello all!
Before you come at me sideways with your remarks realize this is simply what happened and I do realize that I should have done much differently. Hindsight is simply what it is... Hindsight. So save it!
My surgery was on Thursday the 25th of February. It was actually moved from the 18th of February because I was sick and told my doctor I wasn't able to follow the diet accordingly. He moved it back a week. Still even when I felt better I didn't follow it like I should.
I was to be on shakes 3 times a day for two weeks prior to my surgery. I only got a few shakes I'm per week and for the rest of my meals I was not only eating what I shouldn't have been but I was eating worse than how I ever eaten before. Of course I didn't want to tell my doctor the truth because I wanted to just get it done as I figured it would be much easier to follow the post op diet.
Man I had wished that I got my surgery pushed back. I ended up with a ton of internal bleeding. I vomited blood shortly after my surgery while I was in recovery. My vitals were out of control and they had to call rapid response. Turns out I lost a litre of blood and I had to go back under surgery again to fix my issue.
While the surgeon didn't say that not following the diet caused such complications, I know that if I had choice again I wouldn't even think about going off the preop diet. The pain and scare from internal bleeding was so unbearable I wouldn't wish it on anyone and for what just a little extra junk food?
All is ok with me now. I had to stay in the hospital a couple of days longer than normal but I'm out and following my diet as I should be. So if you're reading this and you're preop and you're tempted to go off your diet... Please don't make the same mistake I did. My medical team was amazing but I put myself at such great risk just to get some junk food in. Please share any thoughts or questions!

I'm may 10th!! Yaay for us!!!

I have mine scheduled for May 17th. I'm a college student who wanted to wait until my semester is over so I have a nice long recovery time.
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

Okay, here goes.... 120 pounds down -- and trying to hang on for dear life!

Here you go! Lost 94, but close enough!

The difference between "sleeve" and "pouch" is not a big deal.
But ... as I understand it, per medical nomenclature, a "pouch" is a food container created from the upper portion of the stomach during RnY (gastric bypass) surgery. During RnY surgery, the surgeon staples the greater portion of the stomach separating it from this smaller portion of stomach. This smaller portion of stomach does not include the pyloric valve at the bottom of the larger stomach, which regulates the flow of food from the stomach to the intestine. This new smaller stomach area (without a pyloric valve) is now called a "pouch." The surgeon then stitches the bottom of this pouch to a portion of the upper intestine that's lower down than the natural length of the intestine above it, giving food less intestinal surface and length along which it can be absorbed. Without a pyloric valve, food that's eaten flows directly (without restriction) from the pouch into the intestine.
The banana-shaped sleeve created during VSG surgery still operates just like the larger stomach did (with valves at both ends -- the hiatal valve up top and the pyloric valve at the bottom). With both valves, the sleeve offers food restriction that an RnY's pouch does not. And with the stomach fundus removed (not just stapled off), VSG surgery removes ghrelin (the hunger hormone) from the equation altogether.
In short:
1. RnY (gastric bypass) uses intestinal malabsorption to help patients lose weight.
2. VSG (sleeve) surgery uses restriction and greatly reduced ghrelin to help patients lose weight.
Anyway, that's how I've understood the major distinctions between these two procedures. (I'm a sleeve patient.)
EDIT: Here's a picture of the new gastrointestinal connections found post-RnY surgery:
http://www.bariatric-surgery-source.com/image-files/ximg-med-rny-gastric-bypass.jpg.pagespeed.ic.bt9H0OYtw3.jpg

To answer you question, the answer is NO! I am no longer relevant!
I have been through the basics, completed the process..and have moved onto living a normal life again with no worries about dieting, gaining or loosing weight...I can eat and drink foods people on diets would never dream of...
It seems like every other post is about whether someone can eat a cookie, or what do I use with dip....how about chips? Or crackers? That's what I use, but people starting out can't hear that, nor would they understand.
Sometimes, it seems like I have stumbled upon a Jenny Craig or weight watchers website....Over the last 30 years or so, I have been on every diet known...and it's all the same old mantra, and I am reading it here every day again and again.
The latest is strategies dealing with Halloween ????? I happen to like Reeces cups or Hershey bars...and the thing is, I don't expect people to understand what I just said.
There is huge gap between veterans and people starting out....like babies learning to walk and marathon runners....
Bottom line, I have come to a place that people just starting out can never dream of being a reality...We simply cannot relate, and honestly they are probably better off not knowing half the things I have discovered...(There is a life after weight loss)
It only confuses and distracts them.
Only thing me and people starting out have in common, is I can say "I've been there, done that" And know this, it will take you to places you never dreamed possible....IT DOES WORK!!!!
Sooner or later you will (Have to) finish this and move into a new realm.
All Journeys (I don't like the term) must come to and end sooner or later, otherwise your wandering around the wilderness forever....(making everyone in this business rich)
Everyone on this forum today, was not here when I first came (with the exception of one or two)
Where did everybody go???? Did they ALL FAIL? I don't think so...Like graduating from High School they have all moved on to bigger and better things...why would they want to hang around? (I keep asking myself that question)
Sad part about this is, when you come to this forum, all you do hear and read is people just starting out with no first hand experience, people complaining, lost, frustrated, confused looking for answers...and/or just having major, serious complications.
It would be easy to think that this is all there is to all this....when in reality everyone here is a minority...a very small segment....there is a whole world out there of "Veterans" you don't even know about and never hear about.
Not everyone has had problems...not everyone has found this difficult....and sometimes all that can be interpreted as negative...and when you're up, you don't need to be around that all the time.
Yes, there is a Veterans section here...but is it really?
To a very large extent I have to keep my mouth shut, keep my opinions to myself.
Many just would not understand.
I have definitely become Irrelevant....

My date is may 13. Going to texas. Really want this to be done already. What are you all focusing on 6 weeks out. I am trying to focus on drinking Water. starting Protein. eating slower. So far knowing I am having the surgery is causing me to eat more not less.

I have mine scheduled for May 17th. I'm a college student who wanted to wait until my semester is over so I have a nice long recovery time.
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

I work out 6 days a week sometimes 7 if you include yoga. I do a bunch of different things as I like them all so fitting them all in is sometimes hard. I do crossfit, spin classes, run 15 plus miles a week, yoga, and then workout video's like Insanity,T25, P90x. Working out was never my problem though as I worked out 6 days a week before surgery. I could just never outrun my fork. I am happy to say I can now workout as much as I want and not be starving all the time.
~LA

Syntrax nectar, Isopure, and GENEPRO are my best friends.
I just started puréed food yesterday and was able to get most of my Protein from food. For bkfst I made a green strawberry & spinach smoothie with coconut Water and a scoop of GENEPRO. Each scoop is only a tbsp and 30g Protein. You can add it into anything, it's great. A lot of times I add it to unsweetened applesauce.
Then for a mid-morning snack I used a Hillshire Snacking pack (grilled chicken bites) and puréed the chicken with the honey mustard dipping sauce. Each pack is 15g protein and 120 cal. It was delicious.
lunch was a pack of lemon pepper tuna mixed with a couple tsp mayo, puréed. That was only about 123 cal and 18g protein.
And dinner I puréed some grilled chicken and hummus, with a couple of pitted kalamata olives thrown in. That was about 200 cal and 20g protein.
In between all of that I drink as much Water or Syntrax Nectar (if I need protein) as I can. Some days I don't hit 64 oz but I try to get as close as possible. Syntrax makes it easier to hit liquid and protein simultaneously.
Sent from my iPad using the BariatricPal App

@@leonelbreton
Something to try. Isopure Water. 40 grams Protein in a bottle. Added bonus is hitting your Water requirement.
You can buy them in single bottles at GNC or Vitamin shoppe
http://www.gnc.com/Natures-Best-Isopure-Zero-Carb/product.jsp?productId=41842836

Life is about change. We are supposed to learn and grow as we experience different things and grow older and hopefully wiser.
Although your core values may not change (some of those may even change), huge events in our lives SHOULD change us a little.
I know I am a different person than I was when I got married 27 years ago. Then I changed even more when I had my 2 kids. I've learned some things after losing both my parents that has changed my outlook on certain things. Now that I've had WLS and maintaining my weight loss, I've grown and changed a little yet again. Sure I've changed. But once again it's for the better.

I believe that we DON'T change at our core because that is set based on out morals, values and beliefs. However, there is a major change in my personality. Having been discriminated due to my size and appearance, I am more confident, hopeful, and while always happy, even more so.
Also, because my health is great, I have more energy, and am exponentially more active. Now, that said, I have new associates that I've met at the gym and at various activities, because my longtime friends are still inactive, like I used to be. However, I still love my friends and spend a lot of time with them. However, because I don't want to make a big deal over my weight loss, when they comment, I just say thanks and tell them how much healthier I feel. Even though I am excited to pieces over the weight loss, I don't call attention or make over the physical change because I am sensitive to their struggles.

You all need new friends. I would never keep non supportive people in my life and I would not consider people that treat me that way as "friends". I'm worthy of more than that and they aren't worth my time. If you are going to change anything, I hope you change the company you keep.

That is amazing! Congratulations!

I have hypo thyroid as well. I'm 5 1/2 mos post op and have lost 92 pounds so far. 74 since being sleeved. Still have 50 to go. I was surprised at my 2 month blood work that my T4 was actually high and my Doc had to decrease my meds.

Austin, Texas here, getting sleeved Tuesday at 7:30am
Craig Martinez
Austin, Texas

I disagree. Why should she postpone a surgery she has worked so hard on preparing for just bc her husband is a DICK. I think you should go ahead and make a hotel reservation and constraint on YOU. You will be able to heal in peace and privacy. Just pak for anything you will need. You do what you need to do for yourself .... no one else FatKellyRN>soontobe<SleeveKellyRN