Frustr8

I'm making it, you will too Sandra, oh there are moments I get a little down but they are getting fewer and farther between. Hoping for good news about my intestinal ulcers, it and my stoma stricture have been altering my life since last October, but I have great hopes by a year I will be so resolved it will be but an distant memory. This too shall pass, sorrow is only limited for me! So on to my finale, haven't made it to where I want to be, but the fact. I am now at 224, down from my high of 365+ means I could break into Onderland close to my one year anniversary on September 5th. Can anyone guess how happy I will be put 1 at the front of my weight? If I had a tail I would wag it from side to side and up and down in joy! I can almost see it on the horizon!????

For me it's my armpits, but your suggestion has merit, I think I'll try and see if it makes a difference. Thanks Green Tealael!

Don't worry , I'm the Endoscopy Kid, had 11 lifetime now. I had an endoscopy exactly 6 weeks after surgery, I told them 2 weeks in there WAS SOMETHING WRONG. And I got poo-pooed, I was inpatient, I wasn't giving myself a chance to heal, I didn't know what I was speaking of. Acted like I was feeding their Dear Granny Poison. Finally , I suspect to try to shut me up, an EGJ was scheduled. See as kangaroos with pouches out duodenum can no longer be visualized. When I woke back up afterwards, Dr Noria, my surgeon's partner shook my hand. Admitted ,yes Frustr8, you were correct and we were wrong. There is definitely something going on. I had 2 ulcers within my pouch, the opening was structured to the point only liquids were getting through and those at slow rate. And I had 5 evil-looking ulcers in the back wall of my jejunem, and we are still fighting the battle to get better. I was so bad the 28th of November I got rehospitaluzed, I had dropped 15 pounds the wrong way, dehydrated and protein anemic. So they interceded, the next day I received a PICC line and received 12 hours daily of TPN, this insured a sufficient amount of protein coming in,more than I could ingest, and it gave my beleagured g.I. system a chance to heal. Had it for 3 months, just when I had got used to its limitations they took it away. I actually cried because I feared I'd regress again. But I am still chugging along, losing 2 pounds a week, now at 224, sounds like a lot to many people but I started 365+, so it's a Dream coming true for me. Maybe in a couple or 3 months I might go into Onederland, can you understand how thrilled I'll be when there is a 1 beginning my weight? When you have your endoscopy, and I would say from what you describe, you'll be a candidate. They will attempt to stretch that opening, if you are not on Carafate they will start it. I take it 6am,noon, 6pm, midnight, my Medicare part D drugplan are cheap cheap cheap. Thanks to Silver Scripts I get the big white horse pills to dissolve in warm water and drink down the slurry. About as appealing as flour paste, it comes also in a liquid but that's not budget efficent, so they sit in Phoenix Arizona and snicker at me. One of my problems is my stricture does not like being stretched so it won't retain an enlarged opening. So we keep retrying, I think they should stent it open but I'm only the patient and not the doctor. You know how that goes. Not sure if barium will show it, although it is pretty heavy. Sure hope you get answers, but I'm almost within reach of my smartphone at all times. If you need to talk more,just pull my chain. Like the Hunchback of Norte Dame, I almost always aswer the chime or bell! Love and prayers?Frustr8

And I am following a little ways behind you, 30w,28w, 26w, 24w, 22w and teetering now on the brink of 18. And I never thought when I lost weight - that I actually could do it! Sure I'd heard the stories, read the pamphlets, even said" Do it Do it "to my surgeon but thought I would lose a tiny bit and then stall into maintainance. After all, I was 2 or 3 times as old as the younger patients, could an old body be taught new tricks? But by golly it is happening for ME, 2 people did not recognize me, one thought I might be my cousin, and I got 3 wolf- whistles. Yeah most females want to slap the whistler silly, I'm gratified, at least for a little while. Better than the little brat who came up to me in the store, asked me if I were fat, a woman or just ugly? I wanted so bad to tell him to go play in traffic but thought some of his family might hear, of course they should have been supervising the little darling, amazing how many people turn their kids loose like that! Don't they remember what happened to Adam Walsh and the others? I NEVER turned mine loose, I went through too much sorrow and pain to be flippant about responsibilities. Rant has concluded, but sometimes things are not better than they once were!

I want to be able to walk a 1/4 marathon, at 73 I think that would be fine. I have 2 bionic knees and an ankle that should have been surgically repaired but wasn't, so. can't get up on my toes to run and too much chance of me falling in the first placeI When you're on the ground what do you sacrifice to get back up? Last time it happened , less than a month ago, sidestepped a curb and fell on my face. Took 2 EMT , one under my good, well better of the 2 ,arm , the other taking a hold of my Levi's belt, Bless you , dear departed Levi Strauss for making a strong strong fabric! There was no way I could get up from the position I was in. And since it was less than a week past my shoulder surgery I got transported to local hospital to make sure I hadn't popped something or broke that arm because I landed on my still sick arm.All I ended up doing is severely bruising it, that was the 10th, the bruises finally are fading but I looked like I had run it through a wringer washer. Oh well, I have never been "average" or even "normal" but I was created to be a success and that's what I'll do as long as I have breath in this 73 year old body, I was made of strong steel not plastic or fiberglass. I'm a keeper, not easily traded in on another model.

Only thing I might add is you will start looking good to opposite gender/ easy snack and junk foods. They will try to see if you'll weaken and let them back in Your Life. Do NOT listen to them , you have come so far, done so much, and you're happier and healthier now. You can, if you want, say thank you for the compliment but I'm staying faithful for life to stomach. We have too long a history now to throw it all away!??✋

And with the meds in a different room I can't accidently overdose on something while I'm sleepy!

Yeah And now I can cheer even better for others because I'm not an outlier after all! Did I tell either of you I did drop 30 pounds the month of March? Really did, when they removed my PICC line and I was no longer getting the artificially high calories of TPN, I think the count was 1403 daily, I dropped Ka- thud. I had not stalled but I was losing maybe a pound a month, but whooee, when they weighed me April 4th before my arm/shoulder repair,i made them do it 3 times because I disbelieved them. I bet I was the talk of Ambulatory Surgery after I left that day! See I had a titanium plate and 12 screws placed when I severely broke my humerus, my upper arm bone in a Workmans Comp accident 9 years ago. Who would have thought it would become less stable from weight loss? That's something I never considered until it happened to me. Big enough it had to be another open incision, so while Dr Doolittle was in there he decided to look around at my internal anatomy. And surprise surprise only one tendon was holding my rotator cuff in place, didn't want to bring me back in for more surgery in a couple months so did a complete repair and that's what hurts like a son-of-a-gun! With just the simple hardware removal it would have been par with a skinned knee in pain, but this other, well we're allowing an extra month to heal up than usual. So no pushing ,pulling lifting, and arm no higher than straight in front.And I am in a sling for 6 weeks minimum, ever try putting on one, getting it cinched right, the Goldilocks way, not too high on the chest,not too low, not too tight but tight enough it does flip. And I try by myself because I'm a bull-headed redhead who doesn't want to be a burden. And then I get flustered and frazzled and finally let my son help. Age does slow this kind of surgery healing down , normally at a month I should be finger-crawllng up the wall in PT, no PT before it's time, wants to make sure I'm totally knitted back together. Joked with me at my 2-week checkup "When do you want me to do your Left shoulder?" see we had already been putting shots in there, didn't expect the Right to flare up. Told him" Not yet , Kenny- Bob, you play TOO rough!" His real middle name isn't Robert just my pet name for him, he's been with me since 2010, long time so we're sorta friends now. He told me when I was there for my pre-surgical appointment I cried, he said he never saw me cry before, not even with the badly broke arm. Said I seemed so stoic, I could handle anything, well that's how bad it was hurting before this surgery. So it is painful now but I am not praying to die so I don't feel it anymore. And I will get better, sleep at night with it on its own pillow, hurts less and I don't try to turn over in my sleep that way! Still only getting 3-4 hours than I got to get up, go sit in the recliner and pop some Tylenol. Oh I still have Norco in the house, not afraid of it being an opioid, it just constipates me to the INTH degree, and I DO NOT WANT THAT!

Good thing to know, I have some age spits that look almost like someone slapped me and left marks. Had them 40 years since I was carrying Tomkitten. didbt stand out so bad when I had a fat round moon face, now that my face is slender they are over both cheekbones. Wonder whole what I am going to look like when I finally reach goal. U was that weight at 15, but I dare say I provably won't look the same! As long as I don't stop clocks or frighten children and horses in the street it's okay.

Is collagen peptides a on- line type purchase or is it marketed retail? I am probably the only human alive without an Amazon Prime account. I guess I'm an old fogey but I don't usually order over the Internet et all.

5 happy things: 1 My surgery and the attendant weight loss. I will never be ungrateful for the Tool-RNY- that is helping me achieve such a loss. Diets never did what this has! 2,) The love and support of Tomkitten , my son, he is my biggest cheerleader. I know I am not the easiest person to live with at times, especially when I went first into weight loss ketosis, as the fat started melting and all those hormones and other nasties got released I varied from crying like a broken pipe leaking, screaming and stomping around the house and complainIng there was nothing food-wise that appealed. 3 )Music- I like mostly all kinds, not hip- hop,that's more like disorganized screaming, I relax to Classical the best. 4) Bariatric Pal and the friends I have made here. It is nice to be accepted, even have my advice requested at times. When I came here I was scared,maybe I had but off more than I could chew, wanting Bariatric surgery at my age! But gradually I learned we are not jydgemental, I learned tricks and shortcuts that had worked for others and I grew more confident, when my surgery date came, I could face it with peace In. my ❤for I now knew things would be okay. 5) Nature in all its presentations. There is beauty all around us, waterfalls, flowers , sunlight, there is even beauty in urban settings, look at the buildings standing straight and tall, think of the people with plans that helped build each one. It is such a totally cool world we live in that I never could entertain thoughts of suicide, I want to hang around and see what happens next! Guess I am a curious beast, after all!

Could Be either of those, could also be your center of balance is shifting, after years of a big booty and a slightly smaller but still obese gut, mine is iffy, gonna have to keep learning my new body. But I am happy to see my Fat Shell breaking away and going for good! 224 pounds yesterday, started at 365+ so the 100s my next goal , maybe by this fall? I'm in it to Win it and I Will!

And i, Grady Cat and Dana, have the opposite problem, I have suddenly started losing 2 pounds a week after being the poster child for Pokey Little Puppy, I'm just scared it may not last. What did I suddenly do right to cause this? If I knew, I sure would have done it sooner!???

My favorite Wal-Mart flavor is Wild Strawberry followed by Strawberry Kiwi. I think they are a little strong so I mix them in a full bottle of water, but they do take the BLAH out of plain water.

So Shanda, do you now also have a Definite Date? I also have a Shanda in my family tree, my first cousin' s Grandaughter, pretty girl and I'm sure you are also. Oh I am excited for you, be Texas strong, be Texas Proud and I'm sure you'll sail right through. Be sure to keep us updated on all the steps of your journey, you are NOW one of us! Best to you today and in the future!

I would do things slightly differently although my friend DanaC84.did not give bad advice. Was your EKG/ECG done through your bariatric clinic or hospital or did a cardiologist do it? If it was not done through a cardiologist, I would consult one. Explain to them you are seeking Bariatric Surgery and this has come up, that you are wondering if this will bar you from your surgery? You may have to go through heart ultrasounds, not bad , I had one myself 2 days ago, maybe even a cardiac catheterzation, not as much fun, but I have had 2 full ones. This is your life and future we are talking about, and , Darlin', you are well-worth it. And then I would also speak to my surgeon, if I were you. If you are curious where I am giving this advice from, I will explain. I had my surgery , an RNY, a little less than 8 months ago. Because I have many 1st and 2nd degree relatives with cardiac issues and also because of my AGE (73) I had to go through more extensive testing before clearance. But I got it from Dr Karve, my cardiologist as well as all the others I had to see. In January it was time for my yearly, she asked if she might send me for a MRI, there was a blip on the radar, you might say. When I got paperwork to fill out from the consulting hospital, she's in a different healthcare system than my bariatrics, there in black and white was the reason she was sending me. She had not spoke of this, nary a clue . To Rule out expansion of Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm, OMG I had no idea! It is even more frightening, my Middle child who was also my oldest son, died suddenly at 31, he also had an Aortic aneurysm, his was in the Ascending Arch, very much closer to the ❤but it exploded and he was dead in the blink of an eye. Took a long time for my late husband , myself and indeed all that knew and loved my Kevin. It was our belief that it was just a freak happening, now with my diagnosis, it is more likely it had a genetic basis. Me, a mother who loved and would given her own life up to save him, may have instead been the instrument of his death. Talk about a never- ceasing Guilt Trip.Well my MRI shows at this time, mine is stable, if you have to have one, mine is the better of the 2 kinds, a fusiform , a uniform widening,if it had been saccular, like berries on the side, they rupture quicker so I would have had open surgery by now since I live 50 miles away from my specialists. Now as to why the latest ❤ultrasound , I have a murmur, it was being watched by my PCP and me, we thought not that uncommon. Well as part of my healing from surgery, I have frequent endoscopies, my pouch developed a stricture, and I have healing ulcers in my jejunem, the part of small intestine my pouch , the Ms Precious Pouch, so named because I fought a 3 year uphill battle to even receive her, attaches to. Well the anesthesiologist assisting had a tantrum fit, well that's what it seemed like, over degree that she was picking up with her stethoscope. Finally allowed the endoscopy to proceed but this time she was there to monitor and faxed my PCP before I could tell him at my next appointment. So that was Wednesday, praying it is either simple aging or a minor functional one, not a valve defect. Along with the other congenital problems, Kevin had an Aortic valve with 2 not 3 leaflets, hopefully I didn't give that to him as well. Funny that of my whole family he always seemed the healthiest, but I guess You Can't Always Tell. So you can understand my cautionary tale, but Bueno702, I am praying yours works out perfect and you do get your surgery. I will never, even with the bumps I've had along the way, regret having mine. At my heaviest I was 365+ unhappy pounds, now I am 224, hoping in a few months to break the barriers and be in Onederland, when I broke 300 I was so happy but it won't compare to writing my weight with a 1 in front!

Do try around, I still have at least one a day 8 months out. for multiple reasons. None are perfect, so find some you can tolerate, I'm currently rock8ng Ensure High Protein Max in Strawberry but sure others might not,agree but to me it tastes like Nestle Quik Strawberry. I can't have chocolate so that limits me on a lot of the brands. Got so weary of vanilla, a lot of people flavor their shakes with Torani sugar- free syrups. $4 a pop extra? Too rich for my Social Security budget to buy more than one or 2.

Keep consistently moving forward even if baby steps, it does eventually smooth and straighten out to your benefit. Make that banana pouch your friebd, you are together forever!

Sounding good, keep on and you may be an success story.?

The old medicine cup of fluid every 15 minutes worked and still works for me. 2 oz every 15 minutes makes 8 oz an hour, 8 hours of doing that and voila your magic 64 oz. Pills you work in between meals , especially calcium, space 2 hours between iron and Good. You eventually set your own rhythm, everybody's might slightly differ.

Are taking biotin or a Hair-skin-nail formula pill yet? A lot of girls swear it helps. 6.5 months out, hmm, your nails may have grown out to the stress point of your surgery, that might keep them weak. Keep them trimmed down, that way they won't catch and tear. Band-aid them if you must, are you getting enough protein in? My late Mama made me drink Knox unflavored gelatin with orange juice mixed in. Did it work? She never let me have a chance to find out.✋?✋

Sure hope you will be able to, that's also my PPI of choice, on Omeprazole both times they tried giving it to me I developed ulcers. It may work for many people but it was not gastroprotective for me. And I have been on Carafate(sucalfate) since last October trying to heal all the ulceration I have. I'm on Medicare/ Medicaid myself so I have 2 special target days each month, the 3rd for Social Security and the 6th when my food stamp card reloads. Not how I expected to spend my 70s but one does what one must to keep alive and kicking. My ulcers are primarily in my jejuneu(small intestine- second segment) right subcostal pain, was worried it was my liver, Dr Noria,my surgeon's partner, said Nope, Liver is fine and dandy, it's those ulcers. I also have a tempermental pouch with some ulceration and a stricture of the opening. Precious Pouch keeps me on a liquid/very pureed diet, vomited yesterday, vomited today from well- chewed roast chicken. Hope my protein levels are still okay enough to heal. I am stuck between what my doctors say I should be able to eat and what she actually permits. So I stir protein powder in most everything, Miralax my shakes and hope I don't get constipated from the iron in my vitamins. I had to have an Iron INFUSION in March as well as a anti- osteoporosis INFUSION. That's only once a year but my iron may be every 3-4 months depending on my blood levels. Sounds like I have a lot on my plate? Well I still am healthier than before surgery, and the things they find? We are getting these blips on the radar fixed before they get worse. Still a pretty good life, I keep losing weight down I might make Onederland on or just after my 1 year anniversary in September. That's a goal I can endorse!??

Angie, I'm glad to see you're "bearing" up well! Sorry I just couldn't miss that punning occasion, but seriously I do hope everything goes really well for you. Always room for one more on our Bench of Victory, and today that's YOU!

Well I guess I'm either special or a little behind, I have a Ensure max protein strawberry in the AM with Miralax and a 1% milk with extra protein powder for evening snack. Still works for me, Precious Pouch usually keeps me on broths, pureed soups, pureed veggies, and occasional chewed up meats, if I can sneak them past her descerning self.

Post and update us when you can, we all ❤hearing happy stories. Praying you will do well!