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ShoppGirl

Duodenal Switch Patients
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Everything posted by ShoppGirl

  1. ShoppGirl

    Pre sadis surgery

    Awesome, Just remember to walk walk walk. The only thing that’s different is that your stomach will not be swollen to make you feel like you want to ear and drink slower. Of Course you still have to so your intestines can heal. Knowing the measurements for food at each given stage was very important because of this. I would’ve been able to eat alot more but probably would’ve hurt myself. Of course you won’t be hungry so it’s not hard. Just measure everything. Best of luck to you
  2. ShoppGirl

    Pre sadis surgery

    I had a sleeve 3/9/2021. I was a lower BMI and on meds so the surgeon thought it was a good idea for me. I lost from 235 to 168 pretty quick, stalled there for a few months and then started gaining. For the start with the sleeve it felt like more of a diet. The only thing that made it a bit more successful was the fact that I didn’t have hunger for a while but as soon as it came back, so did the weight. I went back to the surgeon at 258 this time and he said that obesity is very complex and the sleeve is just not enough of a metabolic change for some people. I revised to the SADI 8/7/2024 and at three months post op I have lost 60 pounds with about 40 left to reach my secret goal. From day one I have known that this is different this time. I am able to actually enjoy some of the healthy recipes I am trying. I am making stuff from scratch and I have energy and motivation to exercise. Don’t get me wrong. I would love to binge watch my favorite show while eating a pizza but exercise also makes me feel great when I’m done and the healthy food doesn’t taste terrible so the healthy choices are a lot easier this time. For me, recovery was a breeze with the sleeve. I asked them the moment I woke up to take me off of pain meds, and I went home the next day forgetting at one point that I even had surgery. This was because I did not have any gas pains the first time around. After the SADI, however, I did have very significant gas pains and spent five days in the hospital because I could not get off of the pain medication that they did not want to send me home on. Once I finally was able to pass gas a few times, iI was fine, went home and did not need any more pain meds, other than Tylenol. It sounds like you already went through the worst gas pain so I can’t imagine the recovery being much harder for you. It’s the same basic thing the same laparoscopic incisions. Feel like you’ve done 1000 crunches. Take the second to go from sitting to standing or sitting to lying down but once you’re up, it’s not so bad. My doctor did not operate on the stomach, some do re-sleeve it, but he felt that resleeving carried more risk than it was worth in terms of additional weight loss. I was pretty nervous about that to be honest, but I am back to my pretty normal portions already but that’s not an issue because I am eating 100% clean this time. One thing with the SADI is, it’s fairly new in medical community time frame. I have seen a lot of specialist from different fields and not one has ever heard of the SADI. I always have to tell them it’s a modified duodenal switch and they get it. So your doctors may not be aware of it meaning you really need to understand the surgery yourself to make sure that you ask the right questions for future care. Another obstacle for me has been that the nutritionist in my area at least are pretty much worthless when it comes to the SADI. I have been fortunate enough that the nurse practitioner helped me work out my macros by viewing my Fitness app and my food log app and I have worked out something that is working for me. Aside from that, I could not be happier with my choice. I was told I could do SADI or Bypass revision. My surgeon did a gastric emptying study, endoscopy, and a barium swallow test to make sure everything was OK with my sleeve and to see what I was a candidate for. He ended up leaving it up to me because either would’ve worked, but he advised that the weight loss statistically is a little more and more durable with the SADI revision. it is pretty normal to be nervous at this point in your journey, but statistically this is a relatively safe procedure and honestly, the risk are far less than the risks of all the other diseases and conditions that will pop up eventually if you don’t do anything. I hope this helps. And good luck on your surgery.
  3. ShoppGirl

    Nut Butter Receipes?

    Them balls sound great. I haven’t tried the nut k brand but a grocery store near me has the machines where you can ground any kind of nut you want with no additives. I make peanut sauce for my spring rolls with it. Super simple one is just equal parts nut butter and soy sauce. It’s pretty salty so if you don’t like that try low sodium soy sauce. I do 2 tbsp of each and it’s surprisingly good for being so simple.
  4. ShoppGirl

    Chewable Vitamins vs Swallowing

    How often do you do your labs? Are they okay?? My team has us do them every 3 months for the first year at least.
  5. ShoppGirl

    Chewable Vitamins vs Swallowing

    I didn’t mine my chewable before or after surgery. I only switched because I need more iron. I really like the bariatric advantage calcium chews too. They are like starbursts, 4g carbs each though. Adds up.
  6. ShoppGirl

    August Surgery buddies

    That’s awesome. Kept that heart rate up too. I get to start back exercising Saturday but I need to check to see if I can go back full on or if I need to start with like just walking.
  7. ShoppGirl

    August Surgery buddies

    I was so excited to learn that they changed the fitness app with the update so now you can pause your rings for a day or several days. I’m guessing it still averages in a zero for that day but, it doesn’t break your streak if you are down for recovery and pause it. I have an almost two month streak except the one day when I got my new phone I they used the backup from the night before so my activity for the day didn’t transfer over 😢 but at least this five down days won’t break my streak. Just in case anyone else uses it.
  8. Try to research if you have patient advocates available to you. If you are feeling unwell and can’t advocate for yourself they are there to help you with that. It’s sounds like the people you are seeing are letting you slip through the cracks. It isn’t that people are not believing you, but having a hard time believing the situation because this should not be happening to anyone. Emergency rooms cannot deny you life saving medical care regardless of whether you have any insurance at all. An advocate should be able to do the research, legwork and arguing that you are not feeling up to in order to get you the care you need. Also, what about a feeding tube. I think that can be out patient.
  9. ShoppGirl

    Maintenance confusion?

    I wish I could say from experience but I never made it to the maintenance phase with my sleeve and I’m early out from my revision. From being on the boards though it seems what most people do is to add like 100 healthy calories at a time and wait and see if that makes them gain and keep upping it until they find what their body is happy with. Of course if you level of activity or type of calories changes you may have to adjust so I think if you don’t choose to log your food daily you may want to at least spot check it like once a week just so you can see if your habits change gradually and keep on track for what works for your body. Congratulations on nearing maintenance!!
  10. ShoppGirl

    August Surgery buddies

    I am okay. The test itself went okay. Wasn’t as bad as I expected. I wonder if that’s why I’ve been spotting with my period. I got the IUD a little while back because I had polyps and they said it would decrease the lining and reduce the risk of them coming back or something like that. Anyways, I had completely stopped getting my periods for like a year and recently I have been spotting. Nothing crazy, but it’s more than I had.
  11. ShoppGirl

    Report Your WINS ..What is your today's win??🥇

    That’s awesome!! I need to go through my stuff. I have some that I know I missed the opportunity to wear. I really need to get organized.
  12. ShoppGirl

    August Surgery buddies

    Yea I think we have to realize that life happens and we will have things come up that break our perfect streaks, but that doesn’t mean we have failed and need to throw in the towel. A day or two off track isn’t the end of these world so long as we get back on track soon.
  13. So I recently found out my community center offers a couple of Yoga classes and the one that works for me schedule wise is called stretch and flow. I am just trying to get the supplies I will need to get started. I am an absolute beginner. I do have a yoga mat that I bought to put under my Ab roller but it’s not very thick so I’m not sure it will be good for my knees. Do I need a thicker one. I also noticed they have some that say they are good for sweat which I’m sure I will do even during regular yoga because I sweat super easily. Should I go with that one? If they had one that was both thick and good for sweat I would just go with it but it seems to be one or the other. The sweat one is prettier though. lol. What about clothes. So far in this size I just have a couple pair of bicycle shorts I wear to walk around the block. I assume I need pants of some sort but do people really wear the flare bottomed ones anymore or can I go with the slim leggings? Any particular material or better yet brands that work better for one reason or another? Also, I don’t think I’m quite ready to be out in public in just a sports bra do some people wear shirts? I assume I will need something more fitted like a tank maybe (oh boy the first showing of my big white arms, lol). Any suggestions there. Amazon also has mat bags and straps, yoga straps, balls and bricks plus knee pads. Is any of that necessary to get started? I suppose I could get the knee pads and use the mat I already have but the mats aren’t terribly expensive if that would be one less thing to have to carry and buy anyways. Ooh and they did have a mat towel that says it had something in the corners that sticks it down? It’s for hot yoga but for me I think right now any yoga will be hot yoga. Would you advise getting that? Also, what about the socks? Are they helpful? Do you go barefoot otherwise or wear regular socks? They have contact Info for the instructor on the site should I email her and let her know I’m a beginner and want to attend or just kinda show up, stay towards the back and do what I can? Also, where do people put their stuff? Like is it okay to bring in my purse and phone or should I lock that In the car or what. It isn’t like a gym where everyone knows everyone. It’s just the community center so I’m not sure who will be there and I’m 99% certain there will not be any lockers. One last thing, is yoga considered strength training? Do I still want to do my walking for cardio that same day or do I take that day off? Sorry for so many questions but this will be my first group class in over 20 years and my first real month of exercising at all in just as long. I honestly don’t really know what to expect other than the fact that I won’t be able to do much to start but I need to get over that just like I did with the walking.
  14. ShoppGirl

    Balloon in...mental battle begins

    I hope you get cleared for purée too but if not Core power shakes are thinner and smoother tasting to me. You can also thin the ones you used to like with milk (probably 2% if your requirements are like mine were). For the puree I didn’t like puree mean. The thought of that grossed me out too much but I did do puree egg salad and that wasn’t bad.
  15. I’m with you @Arabesque I think it’s awful too. Texture, visual and taste. It’s odd that it tastes too salty to me, though because I usually like more salt than most people and so many people like it.
  16. ShoppGirl

    August Surgery buddies

    Well today was crazy but I still managed to stay on track with my nutrition. I just finished eating dinner since I missed lunch and had to eat it late. I wasn’t really hungry so I just ate some chicken breast to get my protein. The good news is that my calories were way lower today so that should help offset the fact that I didn’t do any exercise.
  17. I am having the SADI and I don’t know if that’s the reason for my issues (because this is kinda new) or if everyone gets this type of runaround. I have some questions about what vitamin I should be taking and the post op diet that neither of the TWO differnt nutritionist I paid for could answer for me and I questioned what one told me about the pre op diet. I figured I could just ask the dr at my post op about the vitamins but realized that I am scheduled to see the PA. Well, I met said PA already and I didn’t like him. He clearly knows ALOT about bariatric surgery, just not the SADI specifically . I had a whole list of questions and everytime I asked one he skirted it and talked about the other surgeries in general. Basically he said a whole lot or words and answered a whole lot of nothing. Well thankfully the Dr did not make me feel rushed at all and he answered every one of them on my next visit so that worked out fine but I do not want my follow up with that PA.. I called and asked his office if I could change it to the dr and they would not go for that but did claim that the NP actually knows a lot more about the Sadi so they changed my follow up appointments to her. Fingers crossed they weren’t just saying that. Then I asked about the pre op diet and what the nutritionist said which was that for the two day liquid diet I was not to have anything red or purple. The receptionist says you shouldn’t be having anything that comes in red or purple anyways. I said um…jello, popsicles, diet drinks such as crystal light and gator aide??? She says well you aren’t supposed to have any of that for the Sadi pre op. I said well then I must have the wrong book or something because I’m reading it from what you gave me And it lists all that as well as fudge sickles and yogurt. She puts me on hold then tells me I should just come in and talk to the NP before my surgery since I have so many questions. I said I feel like because this is new everyone is your office knows that the procedures is different yet all of the information you are giving me is generic for the other two more common surgeries and I am supposed to just magically know somehow what to do differently. She says well it is the correct information you just aren’t supposed to have this and this and this. I bit my tongue. I said you know I’m am really not trying to be difficult. I Just need to get the correct information. I know that this is routine for you but this is my body and it’s major surgery. I’m anxious enough without having to cross my fingers that I’m doing my part correctly and don’t do something that is going to jeopardize my life or my surgery just because someone handed me the wrong paper and told me the wrong things to do. My god It’s just so blooming irritating that I should have to go through all this, waste my time, money and frustration just because they don’t know. If they don’t know an answer just say that. And get back to me after they learn it. It’s that simple. Don’t try to fake your way through it and give me the wrong directions rather than just admit they don’t know. Idk if I’m just getting old when I feel like it’s a generational thing that they feel like if they are just confident enough that it will be okay even if they are wrong. Then again I’ve seen this in all ages. It’s okay to admit when you don’t know!! It’s the medical field And little mistakes can cost lives. So far I have paid two incompetent nutritionist and i am having to go for two extra office visits just because they don’t know the information the first time. But even worse what if I didn’t ask and did the wrong pre op. Okay Rant over. 😂
  18. Yes but apparently in the medical world that is pretty new. I have yet to find a doctor who isn’t a bariatric surgeon who has even heard of it and many surgeons still do not perform it or they are only beginning to.
  19. ShoppGirl

    Yoga Supplies and Tips Please

    Gotta love kids. They are so brutally honest. But of course compared to a 14 year old they are flabby. I am suddenly very aware of my saggy arms too and I have only lost 59 pounds so far. I think part of it was just normal aging and I just wasn’t paying as much attention before to them as I suddenly am now. My belly skin is starting to get pretty jiggly too. I am dropping the weight rather fast though. BMI of 39.2 to 30.3 in 3.5 months. My secret goal is another 51 pounds so I’m sure it’s gonna get a lot worse if I can get there. Unless insurance helps, plastics are not an option. I’m really hoping it snaps back a bit with time but I will be doing a lot of crunches and pushups I’m sure. Does it make it easier or harder to stand back further? I am just doing them exactly how the instructor showed me in class which is my feet back a ways but not as far as you describe. I haven’t told her yet they are getting a bit easier for me now. I assumed the next step was knee pushups, but they hurt my knees so if I can alter the wall ones and skip the knees that would be ideal.
  20. ShoppGirl

    Yoga Supplies and Tips Please

    https://a.co/d/5efMT0T The old one I have no clue what the care instructions are I just tried it thinking if it didn’t come clean then it was garbage anyways. That link above is the one I bought recently. They have really good reviews and they are cheaper than the Manduka brand. It’s really pretty and very vibrant colors in person. I have washed it in the machine three times now in a front loader and it still looks fine but who knows after a while. I take it out immediately and hang it up to dry (over my bar stool). Mine doesn’t have any kind of guarantee, though, that I know of anyways and no it’s not very thick at all. In fact when I went to the other gym that uses one mat I learned that my knees hurt when I don’t have that second layer where they cross one another so I guess i will be stacking two on top of one another for that class now. I quickly grabbed my towel and put that under my knees last time because they were hurting and that worked but it was a little awkward. I agree it sounds like a money thing them expecting you to use their brand specifically. If you buy their cleaner you basically end up paying for a second mat anyways and if you don’t they can say that you voided the warranty and not replace it. Either way they save money.
  21. ShoppGirl

    Yoga Supplies and Tips Please

    The one I got on Amazon and it says machine wash. I just looked and the material says rubber although I don’t think it’s just rubber (the back definitely is). The other one is older and it is some synthetic material and feels like it may have foam in between the layers. I have a third one that I do not use often because it’s kinda slippery since I sweat a lot. So I pulled the old one back out and put that one away. It’s not very porous so I feel like I am able to get it clean enough with the disinfectant but I honestly don’t know what’s in the one they have and I need to make or buy my own to take with me to the PIYO class at the gym. which btw was actually super fun but a lot harder just because of the pace of it was so much faster than the YOGA class i am used to. I did that for the first time this morning. My friend went with me and she is really tiny but not necessarily super fit considering. I was surprised though when she told me afterwards that she wanted to quit and just lay down like five times. It was pretty tough. I would say I was able to do half of what the instructor was doing. Like I can hold the pike or downward dog for the first half maybe but then by the time she adds stuff my arms give out and I definitely can’t do the one handed stuff. I have been doing wall pushups to try to strengthen my arms but I guess it will take a while My heart rate was still up the whole time so it’s a workout for me regardless but I would like to get to where I can do it and get toned and have better balance and coordination someday.
  22. Sometime shoulder pain can be caused from the air that gets trapped from any surgery. I would probably run it by your surgeon though. Especially if you have already passed gas a few times and didn’t feel any relief. I was in the hospital after my bariatric revision surgery for 5 days because I couldn’t pass gas and the pain was so bad I couldn’t take it without the meds they weren’t going to send me home with so I stayed. Post sleeve I had no pain at all. I asked them to switch me to Tylenol the first time they brought the pain meds and I went home early the next day. The difference was all because of trapped air. I think it varies from person to person how much and where it manages to get stuck too. When I finally did pass gas I knew that I needed to keep it up because I instantly felt some relief. It took like 5 or 6 times and then I finally felt soooooo much better. I went home and took half a pain pill while my hubby went out for Tylenol and I didn’t take another. That gas is no fun.
  23. ShoppGirl

    Egg Drop Soup

    I would probably hold off a bit. I mean if you strain everything out I guess it would still have a bit of the flavor but I don’t remember the broth being super flavorful. I confess it’s not a fave though so it’s been a while. I found a soup at Walmart that had a pretty flavorful broth. It was their Marketside brand chicken tortilla. It’s over near the deli where they have the Panera soups. Of course you need to strain with a very fine strainer. Their tomato bisque wasn’t bad either for purée stage. It’s pretty high in fat though. Not sure if that’s true of all tomato soups. You can just search deli soup or panara soup and see the options and view the nutrition labels. I spent a lot of time viewing labels and adding stuff to my cart that I could have on puree and added to my saved for later for the soft food stage while I was just laid up in bed. I bought WAY too much food but when I got to soft food I cooked every night and I froze a ton of food so it was nice when I started to exercise because when I get home late from a class I had stuff I pulled out of the freezer and put in fridge the night before. Now I intentionally Cook double batches of stuff so I don’t have to cook as often but I always have home cooked nutritious food.
  24. ShoppGirl

    Yoga Supplies and Tips Please

    So I have been using the sanitizer that they have at the community center to clean my yoga mats and tossing them into the wash once a month (we use two across one another). The one new one I bought is for hot yoga and says machine wash so I guess it’s fine once a month but the other is older and I don’t know what the care instructions are. It seems to be losing chunks so I am thinking machine wash is not such a good idea. Also, I just tried the classes at a gym and they did not have any disinfectant for us to use. Any tips on what to use for daily disinfecting as well as how to deep clean them? I read so many different things with tea tree oil and vinegar/water but the ratios of vinegar and water are all different and the tea tree oil it doesn’t specify how much. I just tried doing them with soap and water in the driveway but that was a disaster. Apparently I used way too much soap so they are back in the washing machine now. And no I didn’t add more soap. Although I almost did toss a pod In there out of habit. 😂

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