MIZ60

Do they not need a more current report from the cardiologist than 2 years ago? I saw one and also had a chemical stress echo less than 3 months before my surgery. Of course if you are paying cash perhaps it is not needed at all but if the doctor requires the nicotine test you are going to have to do it. The scheduler being rude and unhelpful is bound to have a supervisor so call them tomorrow and let them know you have not received your paperwork...avoid being accusatory and speak calmly since that will help your cause more. Good for you to quit 2 years ago....I quit almost 9 years ago and so glad I did. Good luck!!

I tuck them into my regular panties if I am wearing jeans or capris. If I am wearing dress pants, skirts or dresses (work) I pair them with a pair of shapewear bike short that end a little above the knee. Everything stays put and easier to go to the bathroom. I do have a couple of shapewear slips and full body suits that I only wear with my fancy dresses on a cruise or other vacation since they are not as comfortable.

Just the camisole.....snap crotch stuff gives me flashbacks to bodysuits I wore in high school or kids' onesies

That has waaaaay too much sugar for me but since I love flavored coffee I just mix my Columbian Supremo coffee from the Keurig with about 3-4 ounces Premier Protein shake. I like chocolate, caramel and vanilla done this way. Just like a Starbucks latte without the guilt....

For me, the most comfortable bras right now are some underwire camisole ones that are considered shapewear but I wear them all the time. They tuck in to your panties and create a smoother line and there is no pressure around the band or fat roll below the band. Maidenform, Spanx and others make these but I usually find them at stores like Ross and SteinMart or on eBay. A little hard to get into (step in and PULLLLL up) but once on they are quite comfortable and eliminate the muffin top phenomenon with pants or jeans. I have a couple of these right here that I love called Slim Cognito from Spanx. I did a quick search and apparently you can get them online from WalMart….who knew??

This right here makes me think of the old saying "Opinions are like a$$holes because everyone has one". He is clearly misinformed and his opinion is based on incorrect thinking and understanding of basic physiology. I know you know this... Surgeons as a group tend to be arrogant and many have minimal interpersonal skills. They know how to cut and sew and that is pretty much it. I have known many great pediatric ones over the years but they are a different breed. If he is a good surgeon with a good reputation just ignore his fitness advice and carry on. Or, clock him with one of your huge, ripped muscles and teach him a lesson in girl power

I felt exactly like you did before surgery. I honestly did not think of myself as the size I actually was and it stunned me to see pictures that proved it. I avoided the camera for the last couple of years.... I did not develop weight issues until I was in my 40s--my RN job was physically active and as a nurse practitioner I did a lot of walking and occasional wrestling with kids to examine them . Once I started gaining weight I just bought bigger clothes but still did not make the mental connection. Even now (and I have done this for years) I will ask my husband "Is that person the size I am/was" when we see an overweight woman. This aggravates him but he usually says "no she is bigger than you ever were". He told me last week to quit asking him that... I am documenting my weight loss with monthly pictures....I still have a long way to go. All I see is a fat girl I do not really recognize. I have body dysmorphia.

I used to have an unhealthy relationship with cashews and Kettle chips before surgery but now if I find myself a little "munchie" I eat about 2 tablespoons of cottage cheese or natural peanut butter and that works well for me.

I had a small amount (maybe 1/2 ounce) of Jameson in connection with a toast at a friend's birthday party when I was exactly 3 weeks post op. I just knew I would have a seizure and pass out but nothing happened.

You wild woman!! Glad you did not get sick at a restaurant...that is actually among my biggest fears

Wrong----he was hospitalized for 9 days in critical care in a coma after falling and having a brain bleed at 72 years if age. He gained 60 pounds of fluid during the time he was hospitalized and had surgery to remove the clot in his brain. Multi organ failure (including kidney failure) is very common in such a situation even for younger, healthy individuals. Diet is only one contributor to coronary artery disease and heart attacks----sex, heredity, exercise and medications also play a very big role. Since his family did not allow a post mortem exam (autopsy) it could not have shown anything. Urban myths

That is not the look I am going for but whatever....

I don't believe this is true either. Back in 2008 I was devoted to following Atkins and lost fairly easily from 220 to 180 through strict adherence. You eat a lot of fat (I chose healthy fats like olive oil, black olives and avocados much of the time) and I noticed a huge drop in appetite and a huge increase in mental alertness and energy. It all fell apart when I quit smoking in 2009---I still sort of followed Atkins but started eating processed carbs more as well as potatoes and rice as well as other carbage. This resulted in gaining over 100 pounds by 2018. Processed carbs, starches and fruits are my nemesis and I just have to avoid them. This is not true for everyone but it is for me.

Since you are a month post op it is not clear if you are asking about a surgery related problem or something unrelated. Maybe a little more information, feel free to PM me if you don't want to put it out in public.

That is SO GREAT for you and I am very happy for you. Happy Birthday also!!!

Happy Birthday!! That breakfast looks so good----my favorite meal of the day.

I noticed loose skin and cellulite even before surgery and of course it is more noticeable now--once the estrogen went away at menopause my skin really looks old but it is what it is. I am diligently doing my upper body weight training every other day in addition to daily walking and oiling my skin after each shower. I already needed face/neck work due to 30 years as a smoker and that is also getting more noticeable. The rest of it I am going to live with.....that is what they make SPANX for. I already have the man of my dreams so being nekkid is not really a concern and I will wear a bathing suit any time I feel like it!!

As previously stated, I initiated the discussion with my doctor regarding the referral to the surgeon. I do not think he would have ever brought it up and I am not sure why but I am seeing him next week and asking him. He is about my same age and sometimes I think maybe it is uncomfortable for him to discuss weight with women since many are very sensitive about it. By the time I saw the surgeon a few weeks later I had already done a lot of research about the options and about the surgeon himself and his level of expertise. I had already decided on the sleeve and he agreed...he told me only if I had severe GE reflux would he recommend the bypass. Interestingly, I saw my pulmonologist this morning for a routine followup and he was very surprised that I had discontinued all 3 of my asthma/COPD medications about 2 months ago and having no symptoms at all, even when walking 1 1/4 to 1 3/4 miles per day. At our last appt. I did tell him that I was in the process of having VSG surgery done. I have lost 47 pounds since last seeing him. After listening to my lungs, he then sat and asked me a lot of questions about my surgery and how difficult it was for me. I told him it was rough for the first few days but now it is not difficult at all. He then said, "I am going to use your experience and recommend the surgery to some of my other patients who might benefit from weight loss". He is in his 50s and I guess it just surprised me that the recommendation was not more common.

I am a little over 2 months post op and I am happy for the restriction and being satisfied with a significantly less amount of food. For example, met a friend at my favorite farm to table place this AM after my doctor appointment. I LOVE this place for breakfast and would normally eat a 3 egg omelette, breakfast potatoes and 1-2 slices gluten free toast and feel stuffed when leaving. Today I ordered 2 scrambled eggs and pork sausage (3 patties). I ate just about 1/2 of the eggs, 1 of the 3 sausage patties and 1 small piece of potato (from my friends plate) and was completely full and satistied (still am about 3 hours later) The rest is in the fridge for breakfast tomorrow. I never feel extremely hungry and only rarely snack between my 3 meals daily. I eat very few carbs other than vegetables and occasional beans ( like maybe 1/8th of a Fuji apple or 6 sweet cherries) and avoid all processed junk, even if it is low carb or low fat or whatever.

PA education is much more based on the medical model of care and it could be described as a mini med school I guess. Since most (but not all, sadly) nurse practitioners are already seasoned in the world of health care by practicing as an RN for at least several years they are not just brand new to the complexities of caring for patients. Even medical students do not actually lay hands on a breathing person until the 4th year, before starting the typical 3 year residency. In my case, I had already been taking care of kids for 8 years before I started the NP program which I guess gave me a good foundation to build on. Fluffy, please don't be sorry because I know you were not trying to be condescending or anything like that. It is important me to correct assumptions that are sometimes wrong about my profession.

Okay, this made me laugh out loud...makes it sound like some kind of fly by night vocational school or something. I went to school at UT for both my baccalaureate and masters degrees in the School of Nursing. The nursing model and the medical model are completely different and while there is some overlap there are also key differences. I am proud to be a nurse first and foremost. Texas started referring to us as Advanced Practice Nurses (APNs) quite a few years back and I am okay with that.

Not sure about Michigan but the places I have practiced (Texas and Nevada) in for the past 28 years are NOT like this. I am credentialed and empaneled with insurance companies as a nurse practitioner and assigned to patients as their primary care manager. I worked for several years on a military installation and was the only pediatric person in our area so there was no one supervising me. There is a collaborating relationship between a NP and a doctor that is pretty vague. Many states do not even require that. The Texas Board of Medicine dropped the requirement years ago that a doctor had to register the NPS that had a collaborative relationship with them. I provide whatever level of care the patient needs, including ordering tests, treatments and medications and referring patients to specialists or other facilities as needed. A few situations (usually the school system or preop physical for sedation) require a physician signature on paper work and guess what, I have a signature stamp in my drawer for that. I have stabilized very ill children while waiting for an ambulance when none of the doctors was even in the building. Say I have a child sick with the flu who also happens to have lupus. I call the pediatric rheumatologist to discuss with them the management of the child in terms of medications and labs. The only time one of the MDs in the office gets involved is if I want to discuss it with them. I have never been told that a referral had to come from one of the doctors I work with by an insurance company or a specialists' office. What you are describing may still exist in some backwoods places but NPs are consistently found to be as good and often better at primary care than physicians, in terms of patient satisfaction and outcomes. Okay, stepping off my soapbox.

I have had the same primary care doc for about 14 years and he has never said anything about my weight, even when it rose pretty rapidly over the last several years. He was always willing to order labs when I requested them but never offered anything at all in regards to weight loss. When I asked him for a referral to the bariatric clinic he seemed a little surprised but just said that I met all the criteria and he would make the referral. I assume this is because I am a nurse practitioner myself and obviously aware that I was becoming increasingly obese. As my asthma and back pain got worse even though I was seeing specialists it was never suggested to me that I lose weight. I KNEW that the weight was a big part of the problem but I guess I was in denial. But no doctor ever told me. Now I will say that discussing a child's overweight issues with them and their parents is very difficult but I do it when necessary. I try to be really gentle but parents for the most part get very defensive but the truth is until a child is earning their own money and providing their own food the parent IS responsible for what foods are available to them. Kids can be very manipulative and just because they want 2 liters of soda and a huge bag of chips every day does not mean the parent needs to provide them. All nurses are educated about nutrition and certainly qualified to discuss concerns about a patients' weight in the context of their other health problems and to provide them with information and referrals about weight loss options in their community. Nurses educate parents about nutrition in prenatal and WIC classes.

I do not think cooking changes the amount of protein in a piece of bacon or an egg white. The tracker I use (Fit Day) does have an option to pick cooked on many things but I do not think anyone eats raw bacon although I know some eat raw eggs.

A lot of great advice here but you have to do your part and make the decision to change TODAY---get rid of all the processed, refined crap you are eating. You do not need it, your dogs don't need it and it is so bad for you. You need lean protein, fresh or frozen vegetables and a liberal amount of healthy fat. I do not think pureeing the meats in a blender and adding broth and plain yogurt to make them doable would be wrong. Curious what you are drinking instead of water. Crystal Light and others are okay but juices and sodas are not. 64 ounces per day minimum and actually more is better. Make sure your protein shakes are low carb and IMHO smoothies loaded with bananas and berries are not appropriate. Commit to 7 days of no sugar, no fruit, no processed junk food and veggie carbs, protein and healthy fat only and you will feel less hungry. I would stop the insulin for now since being a bit high is much safer than low with Type II diabetes and continue to monitor. It will be rough for a few days but you can do it. All kinds of exercise on YouTube or tapes/discs that do not require leaving the house. Post on here several times a day for support and encouragement.