clabelle2007

This is for anyone who has a Fitbit. I would like to create a group in which you do weekly and weekend competitions with each other. You can find me by my username Teeara T.

Thank you for sharing, I for one will be following your story. What you said about nursing homes is only so true. I admit this having been formerly a STNA for 25 years. 3 1/2 years ago I had my right knee replaced,.insurance insisted I go to a LTCF which is the abbreviation for long term care facility. Having worked most of the ones in my town,we have 6, I chose the one I had worked the longest for, over 11 years. Things had changed there. They met me at the front door and crammed me into small sized wheelchair. I am sorry to say even in 2014 my rump was big enough to have his own zip code. It took 3 people to transfer me out, one under each arm and one to hold the chair steady. They then took me to be weighed on the whirlpool chair because of course I couldn't stand on a regular scale. Came back to the room and my friend Becky who was working there marked the clothes I had brought in. They did bring in my supper tray and remove it that night. But by the next morning I must have had a miraculous recovery because although they might bring my food tray in They never returned to pick them up. You are supposed make notations on how well each patient is eating, part of the job. Well I could have been flushing it down the toilet for as much they cared. I never attended any activities, why? Because I was never invited and I wasn't sure whether my doctor had okayed it. I did get therapy twice a day, but with the assistance of a walker I was taking myself to the bathroom and back, bathing myself in the washbasin, carrying my own food trays etc. The nurses came in and dispensed medicine, gave me a breathing treatment now and then, finally when the house doctor came in I demanded to be released to home.I told him I'm performing all my ADL myself,that's medicalese for activities of daily living, so I saw no reason to remain. Let me tell you how I greeted my patients:" Hi my name is ***** and I will be your aide today.Welcome to our facility. We have many fun activities here. The Doo Woop Trio will be presenting music from the 50s tonight, tomorrow Mrs Jones our activity director will be teaching us how to make small floral arrangements for our rooms. If you would like to go either time,please turn on your light. We will be happy to either walk you down or take you in a wheelchair. If you have any other requests please turn you light on and myself or one of my co-workers will be happy to help you. We all hope you'll enjoy your stay with us". Was I the last person who cared like that? After staying there for 3 days I wonder? True tale: Little gentleman was in pain and/or suffering from demetia catercornered across the hall from me. Had tried time after time to climb out of his bed. Should have had a mobility alarm on if they weren't going to watch him closely. Well lo and behold he clumb out of the bed crawled to the hall and collapsed. I tried my light,no answer, I called out verbally for an aide, no answer. What did I do next? Well with a freshly repaired leg I surely could not pick him up. I yelled at the top of my lungs. "Nurse to Room 203 STAT! "That did get results. She came running then tried to bawl me out. She said "That is very unprofessional to act in THAT MANNER!" I looked her right in her beady little eyes. I said "Ah but I am not an employee, least of all Your employee ,I am now a patient and we can do whatever we ***-**** please. I have worked in Long Term Care and,know legally thats the way the mop flops in this state and I have been on both sides now!" She slunk from the room, knowing she was in the wrong, I could have reported her to management for neglect of duty as my poor neglected neighbor's room was in direct line of vision from her duty desk, and LOL I was right, she was wrong and she never darkened my door the rest of the shift. Sure I felt some vindication but I still felt so sorry for my neighbor, he deserved a better standard of care than he received. I'm sorry for going off on a rant but I cared about and for those entrusted to my care & it hurts to feel I was the last of a dying breed.[emoji40][emoji34]
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I'm also seeing tons of the "you only lost how much weight in X time" comments. It's not a race and any loss is progress.

I completely agree with you, and i'm glad you kept yours a secret to avoid the negativity.

I'm only 5'1 and according to the BMI, anything over 130 is over weight for me so imagine what it takes to be considered morbidly obese, not much.

I think everyone should be supported for trying sooooo hard to take control of their life back.

Venting*** sorry
So i'm in several other online support groups right. And i've started volunteering at my local surgery center support group too.
But lately in 2 of my other online support groups i've been seeing a ton of negativity and body shaming smaller sleevers/ by passers. It's so rude to me.
I just feel so bad for anyone that has to go through that. Someone recently posted something about people being in the 200's not needing wls, and that they should not post their before and afters.
First off, aren't we all having the same struggle? Both physically and mentally.
Secondly, nobody really knows another person's reasoning behind their decision. If your insurance is paying for it, it is because they are obese and possibly have other co morbidies. So i'm all for any and anyone feeling like they need to make a change to keep the weight off and get healthier.
I just think some people should attempt to be a bit more open minded or just not say anything. This post i'm referring to literally started a cyber war, which is so crazy to me. Nobody would ever judge someone for being much larger and deciding to go down the wls route...just saying.
I think everyone should feel welcomed and supported.

I do think that bariatric surgeons should make one of the prerequisites of surgery....having a clean dental bill of health at the time of surgery. Mine never asked me about my teeth, nor did he ever look in my mouth. I was kinda...shocked...by this.
I think this is important because tooth infections are dangerous. They can migrate to your heart valves and kidney and cause life threatening infections.
And while I don't think that bariatric surgery by itself will cause catastrophic dental issues, I do think that more care needs to be taken with dental upkeep in the years following bariatric surgery because our mouths are exposed to food more often and we don't always brush after our many tiny meals. Emphasis needs to be placed on the potential of tooth problems if you fail to take your Calcium and D. Emphasis should also be placed on increasing routine maintenance....brushing more often with more little meals.
Would be really cool if dentists offered a bariatric surgery consult to give advice about increased dental hygiene and the importance of resolving any existing issues before surgery and about taking calcium.
I just had a check up and my teeth are healthy, no issues. But I know a lot of folks neglect their teeth for one reason or another and it would be wise to provide some education at the bariatric surgeon's office.

@Creekimp13 It is probably good that you did the surgery now instead of 20 years ago because the surgical techniques have gotten vastly better. Nowadays, robots do much of the work. The net benefit is a much shorter recovery time and much cleaner, more precise surgical work.

Surgery should always be looked at as risk -vs- benefit.
If you don't believe that the benefits justify the risk....you shouldn't do it.
If you do believe the benefits justify the risk...you should.
It's really that simple.
To me....this looks like you're not yet ready to accept the risks.

About fatty liver disease. Most people getting surgery (greater than 75% of obese people) already have fatty liver disease. I'm guessing the biopsy would be to stage it, if you have a particularly unhealthy looking liver at the time of surgery. Weight loss surgery generally helps to treat it. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5061986/
If you have questions about any of this....talk to your doctor. It's what he/she is there for.
This surgery is safer now than gallbladder surgery. Particularly, with the preventative labs and imaging you'll be doing, (chest x-ray, ekg, imaging of your stomach, lab work)...there shouldn't be too many surprises. At a major hospital like Mass General, you'll be in good hands.
When weighing your benefits vs risks...
make sure you include the risks of obesity: increased risk of heart attack and stroke, increased risk of several cancers, increased risk of loss of mobility, increased risk of cellulitis, diabetes, sleep apnea, etc...etc...
You really do need to be 100% sure that you're comfortable with the decision you're making.
My first bariatric surgery consultation was almost 20 years ago...and I had my surgery almost 4 months ago:)
Part of me wishes I'd done this years ago...because I'm feeling fantastic and believe I made the right decision.
The other part of me is glad I waited because time and research opened up more options, and I found a group I absolutely love and feel comfortable with.
What ever you decide....best wishes:)

I have no underwear help for you, but had to comment as I too can relate to the Missouri humidity. If I intend to sweat (like say go for a walk for exercise), that's fine. But tell me WHY, must the heat and humidity be so bad that I sweat and sheen walking from my car to my office. Naturally, when I reach my office, I promptly turn on my fan and blot my forehead with a paper towel. Ha!
Good luck to you!

Don't swing from the chandeliers, your center of balance may have changed.

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This is a virtual weight loss simulator(link below) It's not perfect but, it will give you a visual of weight loss.
https://modelmydiet.com/
Real people what they look like at your curent weight to goal weight
http://www.mybodygallery.com/

What we need is an app, you feed in at: say 300, it would show you what you would look at 250, 200 and 150 and say your goal weight of 135. I would love the royalties off of that! Has any intelligent Web Geek come up with that yet?
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I am just made Scrabbled eggs with veggies and a slice of pepper jack cheese

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There are now 4 forms of communication:
Telephone-
Telegraph-
Internet-
Tell my relatives,
Enough said?
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Yes! I am constantly cold@ Doesn't help that I live in frigid Minnesota. I am dreaming of a tropical spring break! I used to be hot all the time. I actually prefer the cold!

I have 38 DDD boobs but when I was smaller I had nothing. My SO was talking about how big they are the other day and I said kiss 'em now cause this may be the last days of disco my friend. Haha

I’m in Woodbury. I finished all of my appts today. They will submit for insurance approval now. I’m going for a band revision to bypass.

I’m going to Meadowbrook. Anyone have experience there? They have been very nice so far.

Plan to have the surgery in June due to work and travel until then. Can’t wait!

My fav dessert for awhile was sugar free choc pudding with sugar free cool whip. Yummy treat

Saint Paul here! I am still on my pre-op appointments; Surgery will be May or June. Having surgery at United or Abbott-my surgeon goes to both. Welcome!! Hi all Minnesotans! Megan

Okay, The name of the bar isn't that offensive that they need to block it out. Think "Richard's bar."

Oh, many years ago Hudson was home to the only "marathon" I have ever run--d**k's Bar 1 Block run. They had a Water station at the halfway mark.

@oregondaisy This is a concern of mine. I've was a solid D for years and years. Then I had two kids... and they sort of deflated a bit. Now, facing WLS, I'm sure they'll end up looking like tube socks.

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What the hell is a JP drain????? OMG OMG OMG. Can't they just put me under and wake me up when I'm skinny??? :((

I was going to call this Break On Through To The Other Side (thank you Doors). But I figured I'd get sick of it after a while. I'm going to use this space to keep track on the 2 week march toward surgery and then to keep track of the recovery and progress. That way I can keep it all together and if I just do one thread, it's all in one place without clogging up the Blog Area. I'm sure it's gonna be excruciatingly boring to everyone--me included! I'm a list and minutia kinda gal. I like tracking and counting--although I can be equally lax about crap. So I stop just short of OCD town (not that there's anything wrong with that).
My official 2 week liquid diet starts tomorrow. I decided to jump on it today because Sunday feels like a great place to start and because it's hard to do better than yesterday as my last food day before surgery. I'm a Texan, born and raised, and yesterday we had a fairwell to my ass and thighs via a Texas BBQ tour through Houston and Tomball. I ate so much brisket, sausage and ribs, I can honestly claim to be over it. Growing up in a BBQ family, slow smoked meats is almost in my blood. So it was only natural that I would choose that as the last rights.
I'm having RNY on February 20th and as I understand it, moist (fatty) brisket might not be my friend post surgery. Supposedly high fat foods (which moist brisket is) might cause a sort of "dumping" in the poop department. So I figure my future, once healed, might only include lean cuts of brisket and smoked meats. It's a choice I will readily make to lose weight and get my health back.
So the morning Day 1 hasn't been very difficult--a little hunger and growly tummy, but nothing that makes me feel anxiety. Protein Drinks on board and this afternoon will shop for SF popsicles, SF Jello and Bone Broth. I think I'll stick to packaged bone broth so I can get the actual nutritional information from a certified source. There's no real way for me to tell how many calories and carbs are in the bone broth I make here at home.
My Pre-Op Plan includes: 80-100g of protein; low fat; 60g carbs and somewhere around 1000cals per day.
4-5 Protein drinks containing a minimum of 15g of protein per serving. They must be low fat and low sugar and can't contain over 4g of sugar per serving. I can have clear low sodium broths, sugar free drinks, sugar free jello and sugar free clear popsicles (no fudgsicles or ice cream based pops).
I will do this from now until February 20th.
I'm pretty sure I will be doing plenty of the following:

My hubby keeps ice cream, soda, candy, chips and fast food....at work now. My kiddo sends healthy recipes and we have cook offs and exchange pix of the new dishes we're trying. My bestie takes me walking.