mousecat88

Yes, I am (and was) taking Diamox along with the weight loss, and changed my diet... which is how I lost the weight. The doctor does not perform regular lumbar punctures because they aren't good to do repeatedly. I consulted with Johns Hopkins Center for Spinal Fluid Disorders, and they do not repeat them, either. They just kept taking pics of my optic nerve to check for changes. I only had the first one done, and my CSF pressure was JUST above normal. My weight in May of 2017 was 286 and by October of 2017 it was 225. I had been having headaches around my eye since 2016, though, and didn't go to the doctor until June of 2017, which is when I had the puncture done (and a billion other tests) and the diagnosis in July. My weight is back to 280 now because I quit dieting when I saw no improvement in my nerve swelling and hit a 6 week plateau.

Has anyone here been diagnosed with pseudotumor? I was diagnosed with this in July of 2017, and my neuroopthamologist said it would go away if I lost just 10% of my body weight. Well, I lost way more than that. That year, I lost 60lbs and NOTHING changed with respect to my optic nerve swelling and diagnosis (I have since gained all that weight back). After you had the surgery, did the pseudotumor and optic nerve swelling resolve itself? That is one (of many) of the primary reasons I am opting for surgery.

Oh, I know. LAST TIME I kicked him out, he had a deadline. He had a friend looking for a roommate at that time, though. I am the breadwinner in the household and he only has about 300$ in disposable income monthly, so now it's tricky. I am kind of hoping that same friend will open his door for him. I'm giving him until Jan 1st.

I wonder if it would be beneficial to take a fiber supplement during the pre-op period, if you're still allowed to eat food. Wasn't mentioned or anything to me, though.

Oh, good. I had no idea what to expect regarding needing people to get me things or help me with things after surgery. My mom intends to stay with me the first 3 days, but then she has to go back to work. I keep forgetting there won't be any wounds to clean (I had a breast reduction last year and even though I was in no pain, I needed help with bandaging, etc). Yeah, he does need to leave... I just can't be that person and kick someone out without them having a place to stay. I wish I was, though. lol. I know it's not "my problem" anymore, but when you're with someone almost 5 years, you still do care. Siiiiigh.

Blecchhh. Just imagining the taste of crushed pills. Haha. I have a nurse telephone consult on the 15th where we go over my meds, so I guess they'll give me instructions then, presumably. It's also weird to me how it's remotely possible to get enough water in, in the beginning. I've had two friends both end up on IV two or three weeks out for dehydration. Right now I sip water all day long... around 100 ounces a day!

Also, Unjury sells pretty cheap bariatric complete vitamins on their website! (I hate their protein powders though.)

Honestly, some of the pre-mixes are cheaper than the powders. You will have to look at the servings per tub versus the number of bottles in the pre-mixed and do the math. It's cheaper for me to use AdvantEdge or Atkins shakes from WalMart than, say, buy the Bariatric Advantage powder. Some of the tubs of powder are crazy expensive versus the pre-mixed bottles. Some are much cheaper. Just be mindful of the servings in each tub.

I'm allowed to have one frozen meal a day on my pre-op for 15 days. And then the day before surgery I am on liquid only. I guess it's just surgeon-specific.

My (ex) bf and I have dated for nearly 5 years; he lives with me. The last year of our relationship has been rocky anyway, but ever since I told him I had decided to have gastric he became even more standoffish and argumentative. Two weeks ago we had a huge blowout over something completely idiotic, he comes back to the house, and says he has been acting the way he has because he thinks that once I lose weight I am going to leave him and that's all he can think about. Mind you... I have not even had the surgery yet. He said I am going to lose weight, gain self-esteem, realize I am too good for him, and leave him. Well, guess what, pal... I don't need to lose ANY weight to realize I am too good for you. It's been a long time coming, but I think it's even sadder that he is using my choice to get healthier as a justification for being an a*s. The only thing this does is put me in a rough position as far as someone staying with me while I recover. My mom and stepdad are going to take "shifts" as long as they can, but they both work. And the ex is currently dwelling awkwardly in my basement, but will probably not give me a hand at all. It does make me sad because I had hoped he would be there at the hospital with me... but then all of this BS happens. *insert gigantic eye roll emoji here* I am okay, though. I need these next 12 months to focus on me and getting healthy and fit and not dealing with unnecessary dramatics and stress. I have always thrived when single and he actually had moved out of the house for a year and it was fantastic. I hate to say it, but I'm looking forward to this new chapter - of not just weight loss, but of being single and free!

Started my pre-op diet today. I am starting it 6 days early because of extremely poor eating the last 3 weeks - I need to get to my starting weight since I gained a few pounds. Because I only have enough advanced recovery shakes for the 15 days I am supposed to be on the pre-op, I am probably going to supplement with a hard boiled egg or something of that sort. Doc is fine with all this. My formal pre-op diet starts the 16th. 2 Atkins shakes a day, 1 Advanced Recovery shake, and 1 Atkins/Healthy Choice meal. I figure I'll have 1 shake in the a.m., the meal for lunch, 1 shake at 5ish, and 1 shake shortly before bedtime and that should tide me over. The Atkins shakes are thick and pretty filling, and I've always had 1 as my breakfast for about 1.5 years now so I'm used to going several hours without "actual" food. I know that after a few days of a limited diet (I've done a full shake diet before), I actually feel a lot better... so I'm looking forward to this weekend when everything starts to flush out of me. Not too much longer now! I am getting excited!

Gotcha. Thanks! I'm used to taking them all at once with a big gulp of water. lol. Have to remember not to try that one!

Okay, this may be a stupid question... but if your stomach can only hold 2 oz immediately after surgery (bypass)... how are you supposed to take medicines? I take 5 pills that all have to be taken at night before bed (none of which I will ever be able to stop taking when I lose weight)... can I still take them all at once or is that too much at once to digest? This is coupled with the liquid multivitamin I will have to take at night, too. Which THAT says to mix with 4 oz of water. I'm confused.

I am preop and I once was fine with whey isolates but now I cant have them at all. Since I am fine with milk, we determined it was the protein itself. Too much of that protein was making me SO sick. I switched to soy and half soy/half whey. No problems anymore.

I did buy an unflavored rice protein. I haven't tried it yet. I figured I could add it into virtually anything for a boost of protein.

Yes! I randomly decided to buy peaches and pears in their own juice (without even seeing your comment). lol. I couldn't think of any good fruits to puree, even though I'm supposed to have some so they seemed perfect.

Since Atkins is essentially the only protein shake I can have without puking, I hope I can tolerate it afterwards.. otherwise no clue what I'd do.

I cant have any whey proteins, isolates or concentrates. I am not lactose intolerant, but actually intolerant to the protein itself. I've tested about 12 protein powders beforehand. I can only tolerate Atkins (which is half soy) and full soy isolates. Pea protein isolate and egg white proteins make me gag. I just bought a bunch of Atkins, the 15 frozen meals for the pre-op, some chicken broth, and various baby foods for the puree stage. And some unsweetened applesauce. That's all for now.

The best flavored shakes ever are Syntrax. Fuzzy Navel was my favorite. I am intolerant to whey protein now, but before I was, I tried a ton. Syntrax Nectar was best. I am starting preop diet tomorrow and just using Atkins (they are half soy half whey). Pure Protein is really good, too. And 365 Everyday soy is so good. Egg proteins are grossssss. Don't try them. lol.

I am having bypass on the 1st. I can only take 2 weeks because I live alone and that's all the paid leave I have. My boss had bypass and started going to meetings (not a full day of work) 3 days after he got out of the hospital. I did apply for FMLA in case something goes awry and I can't get back to work within 2 weeks... but financially... I will be screwed. Everyone at my doc has said 2 weeks should be fine since I have a desk job, barring any complications. The longest they said anyone has ever taken was 4 weeks, and it wasn't because of pain, but just getting used to the foods.

My surgery is November 1st. I don't have to do clear liquids either. I do 3 shakes a day and one Healthy Choice/Lean Cuisine for 15 days prior. I start that on October 16th. Not complaining! lol.

I am having gastric in 3 weeks and my ultrasound showed I had A LOT of gallstones. They won't remove it during surgery because where they put the instruments isn't ideal for removing the gallblader without doing open surgery. They are going to prescribe me gallstone medicine to try to prevent more from forming after surgery. I don't have any issues with my gallbladder hurting me now. I am scared that since I already have a lot in there, that it may get worse, but the docs have assured me that the medicine will stop new ones from forming so I shouldn't worry.

I smoked a few cigarettes a day for about 10 years and quit several months ago. Within a week of quitting, your lungs feel SO MUCH BETTER. I used to wheeze walking upstairs, thinking it was due to my weight... nope. Now I can sprint up steps and not be out of breath at all (and I am still pre-op). You really have no clue how much it affects them until they start healing themselves. Now, on rare occasion, I will have one cigarette if I am out with friends and I immediately feel wheezy and awful. Good luck to you!

If you're *just* over into the obese range and hesitant about Lapband, have you considered trying a medical weight management program first before surgery? They will prescribe you rx diet drugs and have you on Optifast for several weeks, which may be enough for you to get into the normal range. That would be my first go-to if my BMI was around 30. My friend had Lapband 6 or 7 years ago and is still going strong, for what it's worth. No weight gain, no problems. She does have to go and get it filled some or unfilled on rare occasion, which seems like a huge pain.

Haha. It's Walmart... they'll take anything back here. I already had to return protein powders I ordered off their website. Barf.