hardwork&dedication

Sorry it's been so tough. Can you tell us a little more about what happened? Is it complications or just the surgery itself is difficult?

Everyone's pre op diet is different. Mine would not allow sugar free pudding or orange juice. Premier Protein is the best, my favorite flavor is caramel. Better than bouillon for chicken broth. Sugar free popsicles. Sugar free Jello.

Ask a pharmacist! They will know best.

No, I havent. But I thought they just meant unless you have a ride because you arent supposed to drive?

I get it, I just moved to a new city and I will probably have to take an uber to and from the hospital because I dont know anyone. Im scared of being lonely too.

Really happy for you! I dont have any children, I have pcos, and Im hoping wls will help me conceive.

I gained a couple pounds, but have still lost ovet 20 pounds even with the gain....and the weight loss doctor said she was very disappointed and that it's a bad sign foe things to come aftwr the surgery...that I will have a honeymoon phase and then gain all my weight back....I was like damn doc. Why do you think I am here if I don't yo yo all the time? This is what I do, I lose weight and then I gain some back because I can't be 100% perfect 100% of the time.

1 hour ago, Arthur Dent said:

Can anyone recommend YouTube videos for entry-level strength training. After meeting with the fitness expert for my evaluations, I bought 10-pound and 20-pound dumbbells. I just have no idea what to do with them. And there's so much information on YouTube -- it's hard to figure out what's good and what's not.

You might try lesmills on demand or beach body on demand. I think tbey have at least a couple free programs you can do.

Breakfast-2 slices of bacon, I had eggs too but I ran out of time to eat them.

Lunch- chicken sausage with organic ketchup

Dinner- Mahi Mahi with brussel sprouts.

Snack- 3 tablespoons cashews.

That's great! Ice cream is my nemesis.

Hey we have been through many of the same things-blood clots, pulmonary embolism, juvenile onset hypothyroidism- Im still waiting for approval for wls, here's to hoping we will both be on the losers bench soon.

Im waiting for approval too, I just want to know!

16 minutes ago, CaitlynR said:

I find this discussion about therapy interesting and wanted to add my thoughts.

I am a clinical psychologist (doctoral level) and work full time as a psychotherapist. I very rarely would say someone "needs" therapy. This may be more about semantics than anything else, but I may certainly recommend therapy, at times strongly, and would advise someone that therapy will likely be helpful or that I am concerned that without therapy there will likely be a lower quality of life, or higher risk of suicide or other poor outcomes. "Need" only typically is only mentioned in cases of imminent risk to self or others or legally mandated situations. This may mostly be a clinical choice as many people will give pushback to the more directive tone of "need" versus professional recommendation and encouragement.

That said, I recommend therapy, many times without the heavy emphasis of a formal recommendation, very freely, both as a therapist and just a person. I very much believe in therapy, both as a practitioner and a client. I have no problem with others, with limited psych knowledge or knowledge about the person, recommending therapy. I believe many to most people can benefit in some way from therapy. There is very little risk, and cost is typically only in terms of money and time (versus medications or other medical options with a greater number and severity of potential risks and costs which must be weighed against potential benefits). The major risk I see is seeing a mediocre or worse therapist. I think educating yourself in advance on the basics of therapy and what to look for in a good therapist is very helpful so you know when you need to switch, as well as knowing sometimes someone is a great therapist but for many potential reasons are a poor fit for you in particular. A good one will not take offense at all for being asked for a transfer as our whole goal is for the client to benefit even if that is with someone different.

One thing that I notice is that some people (not necessarily anyone here) will recommend therapy or say someone needs therapy in a way I feel reflects stigma of therapy or mental illness. The implication often is the person has a mental illness that needs to be treated by a professional (something that absolutely should not be determined by anyone other than a professional after a thorough assessment, and in my opinion a MH professional, but that's a separate topic). A similar implication is when it is known the person has a mental illness, and is told to go to therapy or take medications as a way of invalidating their current experience. In other words (the message is), if their emotions, thoughts or behavior are being attributed to a mental illness, they do not need to be considered as valid as those same emotions/thoughts/behavior displayed by someone without a known history of mental illness and the person should take care of this problem through treating it until it conforms to some standard the speaker holds.

To take this a step further the implied message behind this can be the more harmful "wow, you have some serious problems/are being very irrational/'crazy', etc.". This is a way of distancing oneself and labeling the other person as in the category of "other" as opposed to the speaker and other normal/understandable/"sane" people. That kind of message can be extraordinarily harmful both in perpetuating societal stigma and increasing self-stigma. It is typically not intended to be harmful but hard to challenge as since it is formed through the lens of existing stigma and ignorance the person is likely to be defensive (such as when a unintentional but overt racist or sexist comment is challenged).

In summary: it should be safe to suggest therapy to anyone if you feel therapy may be genuinely helpful. The OP is at the very least going through a time of adjustment and stress, with stated distress about current eating pattern, so I would recommend therapy as an option. Just make sure you don't tell someone (or imply) they have a mental illness or that what they are going through is part of a known mental illness (at least in the context we are talking here). Always try to be aware of your areas of limited knowledge and bias.

It seems very common on these threads for people to suggest counseling or therapy. Being a professional, do you have any resources or guidelines as to what kind of counseling or therapy wls patients might need? Does anyone have any stories to share about how a counselor has helped (or maybe not helped). I have been thinking about therapy myself but I'm not sure to what end. Yes I have struggled with eating, depression, and anxiety....is that pathological....I don't know. It could just be a realistic evaluation of my chances of overcoming my health problems and resulting social stigmas. Is it recommended to go to therapy when what you need is mostly someone to vent to and someone that might help you challenge negative thought pattern? Or is that kind of a waste of resources.

When I had galbladder surgery it took 2 weeks for the shoulder pain to wear off, it really hurt! It's one of my biggest fears going into wls. However, it will pass eventually. Try to use pillows to prop yourself in a comfortable position, keep using the heating pad, and use pain relievers.

I was on blood thinners lovenox and Coumadin after experiencing dvt and pulmonary embolism, and it made my hellishly heavy periods even more so. I am still on Iron supplements 3 years later due to the anemia caused by this situation. However, the blood thinners saved my life. Not an ideal situation but I prefer anemia to another pulmonary embolism or stroke.

Nice, click on the link and request to join the group if you would like.

What a great idea, let us know how it goes!

Facebook Group

Ability to manipulate a variety of macro and micro nutrient goals. Menstrual cycle tracking (temperature, symptoms, days). Medication and Vitamin reminders and tracking. Ability to sync with personal fitness trackers. Exercise and step challenges. Ability to create group challenges. Water goal tracking. Weight tracking.

Im worried too...I had previous dvt and pulmonary embolism. I did make it through galbladder removal without issue though. Make sure they put the compression stockings on you during the surgery, walk as much as you can, and pump your legs when you're in bed. Also drink as much Water as possible.

Wanting children is my number 1 motivation for having this surgery. Im 30 and have been unable to get pregnant. Hoping that will all change soon. Gl everyone

Aww you are cute as a button congrats!

43 minutes ago, Junebug1973 said:

I have decided to have gastric bypass. I have the first appointment on July 27 th. Can anyone tell me what the prerequisites are? I have had a sleep study , cardiac stress test, chest ct, egd , colon and labs through all my other doctors. Also anyone know what Bcbs want a patient to do before they will pay. I have a bmi of 49. No medical conditions except copd and RA.

I also had to do a physical therapy evaluation and a nutritional evaluation as well as 6 months supervised diet.

Tentatively scheduled for rny July 13th pending final insurance approval (which was submitted today!)

Tentatively scheduled for July 13 pending final insurance approval!