MrsGamgee

My program is 2 years from first orientation to surgery. As much as I found that length of time frustrating before surgery, I am thankful that they take the time they do. I don't think I would have been able to get through the past couple of months without the prep time I put in. My team (nurse, RD, mental health, surgeon, and internal medicine doc) really took the time to get to know me, and helped me prepare physically and mentally. They were able to call me on my crap when I needed it, and to help me past a few stumbling blocks (again, physically and mentally). They are still available to me now that I'm post op, even though I don't have official appointments until August for my 3 month check in.

6 hours ago, ms.sss said:

I've noticed this too...i've noticed (and so has the fam) that I am so very chill post op. weird.

Really? I wonder if that comes a few months after surgery... because I've been bat crap crazy for the last few weeks. 😁🙃

8 hours ago, kitty0422 said:

I’m so afraid of trying new foods that I’m eating just yogurt, mashed potatoes and pudding.

Those are all slider foods and you obviously will need to move past them sooner rather than later. I've been struggling a bit with soft foods (pain and vomiting from not chewing enough, eating too fast, not taking small enough bites), but my energy has been better with 'real' foods.

Things that work for me... canned salmon mixed with greek yoghurt and some herbs, flaked ham mixed with mustard and some finely diced dill pickle, egg salad (no celery), pulled pork with BBQ Sauce, lean ground beef mixed with salsa, baked salmon mixed with salsa, ground turkey (my best friend these days!), baby bell cheese, string cheese, scrambled eggs, well-steamed broccoli.

Things that don't work for me... chicken breast (unless it is slow cooked in some sort of sauce, and even then it's iffy), and anything chocolate flavoured (go figure).

I don't know how far out you are from surgery, or what surgery you had, but moving through the food stages is important to fuel your body. Try taking a few baby steps into the soft foods and see how it goes. Take care of you!

Me too... I wake up in the morning and it takes two glasses of Water to feel normal again.

I'm about the same distance out from surgery as you, but I haven't experienced any pain that wasn't eating related since the first week (that pain under the sternum). That said, I have read a number of other folks mentioning pain on the side that comes and goes. Considering all the messing around that was done to our insides, it's not surprising that it may take some time to heal up our innards. When recovering from my C-sections, I found I would get odd twinges of pain even months out. Nerve regeneration could be a partial explanation.

If it gets worse I would suggest contacting your surgeon, but otherwise just give yourself some more time. Hang in there!

My pre-op diet was done in 2 phases. For a month I was on 3 ensure shakes a day plus one high protein/low carb meal and fruit or veg for Snacks. That was actually harder than the second phase, the last two weeks. Five shakes a day with 200 calories of fresh veg snacks.

Honestly, it goes by pretty quick. I wasn't perfect on my pre-op diet, but I stayed as close as I could to their recommendations and it really did the job. My weight was lower than what my surgeon required, and surgery went super smooth.

You can do this! Just another step on your journey to health!

I was in the mall the other day (I rarely go because there aren't any plus sized stores there) and on a whim I stopped at a jewelry store. I couldn't recall what size my wedding rings were so I had them sized... size 9. Then I asked the lady to check my actual size... size 7! I'm going to have to start wearing my rings on a chain soon.

I'm a big fan of overnight refrigerator oats. I prep 6 breakfasts on Sunday and they do just fine in the back of the fridge all week. My basic recipe for one serving is

• 1/8 cup quick oats
• 1/8 cup non fat plain greek yoghurt
• 1/8 cup unsweetened almond milk.

Then I tweak it based on what I'm into eating. I usually add some chia seeds and a bit of stevia. This week has been chocolate berry flavour (add cocoa powder to the mix, and top with 2 raspberries). Next week will be banana bread flavour (half a mashed banana, and cinnamon added to base mix, and perhaps topped with a few walnut crumbles).

I'm hopeful that my first stall (hit right on time in week 3) is finally easing. I was bouncing around in a 3lb range for 3 weeks (a lot of threes there). All I can say is keep on plugging away. The scale will begin to move again soon. One thing that has helped me this week is that I've been taking my measurements once a month for the last few months, and while the scale is being uncooperative, the measuring tape has been super nice to me... an inch off my neck in the month of June alone.

I'm on board too...

June has been kind of hit and miss for me. The 3 week stall really got in my head and, combined with other unpleasant post op stuff, I sort of lost focus. I need to get myself recentered and up my activity level. I'm hopeful that the stall is maybe busted and that the scale will start moving again. And while I don't have the equipment to do all the exercises listed, my arms need a lot of work.

Me in a nutshell:

• RnY mid-May 2019
• Current weight: 215.8lb

July Goals:

• Walk 5km (using nordic walking poles) five days a week
• Do arm workouts/photo challenge daily
• Participate in Camp NaNo (a creative writing challenge... 25000 words in 31 days)
• Look super-awesome at my hubs' high school reunion

I had standard RnY on a Thursday morning and was discharged before noon on Saturday. I have two elementary aged kids, so I made arrangements for them to be away for a few days (stayed with grandparents). I had prepped about 2 weeks worth of dinners for my family so that I wouldn't have to be in the kitchen a whole lot immediately following surgery. My hubs brought me home from the hospital and got me settled, and then he left to do some grocery shopping for me. He stayed home the next day, but went to work on the Monday and I was by myself the whole day. I was fine.

The only thing I really needed help with in that first week was getting into bed. Our bed is on risers, and I needed my hubs' help to get situated. I also chose to not take a shower if my hubs wasn't home, just in case. After that first week, I was moving around pretty well, only stairs caused me a bit of a challenge.

When I first started with eggs, I added an 1/8th of a cup of low fat cottage cheese to my scrambled eggs (when they're almost finished cooking). It keeps them from getting too dry/difficult to swallow.

I used to have substantial boobage… before the wee-lings were born and now with some significant weight loss, not as much. I'm only a month and a half out from surgery, but I've already lost enough from the girls that I needed new bras. I'm still a D/DD depending on the style/manufacturer. Yes, they're saggy and not very pretty looking any more, but to be honest they weren't looking that great at my heaviest either. A good bra can perk up even the saggiest chest, but don't spend a fortune on new bras until you are in maintenance.

I also suggest a serious heart to heart with your hubs about the subject. Be honest about what he can expect about how your body is going to change, and how you feel about that. Let him know you're struggling with the unknowns of how you'll look at the end of all this, and your concerns about still being attractive to him. I'm sure he loves you and that your health matters so much more to him than your cup size. Sometimes we just need to hear that spoken aloud.

Hang in there!

51 minutes ago, justmetj said:

I prefer MyFitnessPal

Me too.

Probably not the smartest plan to be looking for sweet treats so early in your journey. Can set up some unhealthy patterns for the future.

Try to figure out what it is about ice cream that you're really craving... is it the cold? (blend a Protein Shake with a bunch of ice cubes for a frapaccino like texture) Is it the creaminess? Add 1/2 a banana to your Protein shake. Is it the sweet?

Whatever it is that you really are craving, there are better alternatives for you. And I also suggest spending some time learning how head hunger is different from real hunger. It really messed with my head, particularly the first couple of weeks when I was living on greek yoghurt and pureed Soup.

Stay strong. You can do this.

Every milestone is worth celebrating! Bravo you!

I'm 6 weeks out from RNY and dealing with regular vomiting. There's not really any rhyme or reason to it. Something I ate easily yesterday makes me vomit today. Water sometimes. My pills/vitamins sometimes. My family knows now if I say get out of my way, I mean now, as I dive for the bathroom or the sink.

My RD told me that some of us are just lucky... lol... and it will pass eventually. Eating slower (glacial pace, chewing a teeny bite a gazillion times) and taking smaller than small bites helps. I actually made it all the way through the day yesterday, until my bedtime pills got stuck on the way down.

Hang in there... if it carries on much longer, I'm going to follow up with my clinic again. I suggest you consider the same.

Happy Thursday Everyone!

So new post operative fun twist... I have crazy acne going on.

I've always had hormonal acne, but it was manageable. Usually on my chin and forehead. Now, it's blooming all over my face, and on my chest. It's far worse than anything I ever had in high school or after pregnancy. Because my acne had increased after the advent of diabetes in my life, and I was hopeful that once my blood sugars evened out it might improve a bit.

I *know* that this is likely just because of the estrogen dumping into my system (thank you fat soluble hormones!), and is simply another step on this journey. It's just adding insult to injury with all the other early post op fun.

Did you face this (no pun intended)? How long did it last? Did you find anything in particular (other than loads of make-up) to help?

Yeah, my clinic was specific about pureeing cottage cheese for the full Fluid diet... I only blended it a bit, just enough to take out the bigger chunks. I also got a can of beef vegetable Soup (low fat, low sodium) and I blended it until it was really just brown goo. I added some unflavoured Protein Powder to it to bump it up a little. My clinic also allowed oatmeal on full fluids (go figure...), so that was Breakfast every morning, with a bit of unsweetened apple sauce. And sugar free/fat free pudding.

Of course, everyone's tastes are different, but that first taste of pureed cottage cheese or refried Beans was absolute heaven! And I lost about 14lb in the first two weeks, but keep in mind that there are many factors that determine how much an individual will lose, and at what rate. Comparison is the thief of joy, as they say.

I agree with Frustr8... it could be a side effect of your meds. Whatever it is, yay you for being able to get your Water in easily! I hope it continues! I initially had an easy time with my fluids, but when I moved up to soft foods, suddenly water began to taste kind of icky and unappetizing, and now I have to be extra diligent to get all my fluids in. That said, I have found that for me, diet iced tea goes down easier. Go figure.

My travel bucket list is enormous (I want to track my family tree through the UK and Scandinavia, and I want to go on a photo safari in Kenya... just to name a couple).

But one experience that really confirmed my decision about getting surgery was a couple of years ago my hubs and I went to Fan Expo (think: Comic Con) and there is a lot of standing in lines to meet celebrities. I had to stand in a non-moving line on concrete for four hours to get Nathan Fillion's autograph, and the impact on my joints was immense. I was in AGONY!! It became abundantly clear that before I went to another geek-heaven event like that, I had to lose some weight, let alone any real travel experiences that may involve walking/standing.

38 minutes ago, Shainadelphia said:

Hello all! As an ex professional singer, and current voice teacher, I thought I'd weigh in. (No pun intended) Haha

Yes, if there was extra fat around the neck that would impact the resonance of the voice, affecting the quality. But that's less important as the hormones!

Estrogen is released from fat during weight loss, but then there is less in the body at a lower weight. The vocal chords are estrogen receptors, so after weight loss a man might sound lower and a woman higher than when there was more weight on the body.

There have been famous opera singers who have lost significant amounts of weight - Maria Callas the most notable. And it was generally agreed she lost a certain luster from her voice.

Personally, I did notice a change. I did loose some of the luster from my voice as well. C'est la vie.

Wow... that's really interesting! Something else to watch/listen for I guess. I'm currently surprised about the appearance of my ankles (cankles no more!). I've lost an inch on my neck in the last month, I wonder if my voice will change. *shrugs*

My blender for my Protein Shakes and to puree things like Soups (in the early days), and my kitchen scale are things that I use daily. Slow cooker gets used often for soups, stews, and cooking meats to a tender consistency (think pulled pork, chicken, etc). Before my surgery, I read many people talk about stocking up on their 4oz food storage containers, but I didn't get it until after. I use them daily to portion out my prepped food. I have a dozen of them and they're always being used.

And I'm planning on saving up for an air fryer. I can see that being super useful in the future.

I'm on Ursodiol for 6 months, as well as pantaloc (for stomach acid). I'll be glad when I'm done with them because my current pill schedule (balancing Rxs with Vitamins, etc) is getting a bit out of control.