ShoppGirl

That looks delish. Maybe you could do a bariatric food blog or something.

Yea the lettuce and pickles were free foods on my preop diet and was allowed a zero sugar yogurt as a snack so instead of eating it all at once I used it as a “salad dressing” and ate it with my free food just to be able to chew on something when my brain was telling me I was hungry. Sounds pretty gross now but it worked. ?‍♀️

You are doing pretty amazing with coming up with healthy versions of normal food. You will be ahead of the game when you get back to your normal foods.

This looks really good. I had a lot of pickle salads on my preop diet. I think it was just lettuce, pickles and plain yogurt. ?

Well my bariatric surgeon is a general surgeon so when the oncologist asked if I had a surgeon I said yes so she called him and he also installed my chemo port two days later (thank god). Well my body “spit a stitch” which is not uncommon but the Oncology PA said it could cause infection and obviously that is my lifeline right now and requiring another surgery would delay my treatment so I wanted it looked at by the surgeon office. I seen the surgical PA. He took it out and it’s fine but it also gave me a chance to talk to him about my fitness and nutrition. He said that I am so dedicated and I have been doing so great that he is not worried about me. He said I shouldn’t be trying to run at a huge deficit right now though because the cancer actually burns carbs and so does the chemo so my body may need them right now. He said it’s more important to fuel my body to keep up being active since active people are proven to have better outcomes. I have to admit that I’ve been pretty fortunate so far with the side effects of the chemo at least ?‍♀️ . Anyways, I told him that since that low Fiber aka high carb diet I have been craving sugar a lot. I told him I am trying to satisfy it with veggies and fruits but I’m not 100%. He said that great try to have my sugar wrapped in fiber and not plastic. He said that he has no doubt that once this is behind me that they can get me back on track. i told him that my next phase requires really high steroids to be infused weekly and the oncologist said most people gain but they are able to lose it. I said she must not have had a patient like me. I asked if I’m having a real hard time since I will be past the honeymoon period if we could use like Wegovy to get me back on track and he said that’s an option. I told him that I think I may only need it for like a month to detox from these carbs because they really are like a drug to me and I feel like I need like 30 day rehab and then I can do it. He said that they will not abandon me and we will figure out whatever it takes to get me to my goal after I beat this. That made me feel really hopeful that I will still be able to pick this back up. I was worried that I would have to gain a lot back before anyone would give me Wegovy if I need it, but it sounds like it could be an option sooner (I’m guessing I will have to pay OOP but hopefully only for a few doses to get to the regular dose).

There also should be a thread for people having surgery in January if you haven’t found that yet search January in the search bar and it should pop up. Lots of people with the same nervous feelings that you have. Also, if you really have a lot of anxiety, I made lists and organized everything. I mean down to a tea. I got out my book that the surgeon gave me. I read it covered to cover and I made a schedule for two days before surgery. I mean every little thing I planned out. I have an anxiety disorder, so a lot of therapy has taught me to control what I can when I feel like something is out of control. Yours will be different because every surgeon is different, but here’s a copy of mine. I just found it in my phone. I shaved two days before because they don’t want you to have any fresh cuts because of infection and I’m a model patient because of my anxiety. ? I left my crochet bag in the car for my husband to bring up after I had a room and he seen if I was feeling up to it or not. I also had a second bag at home packed with things I would want if I was staying more than one night which was a good thing because I did stay longer. Anyways, some of these things may not even matter to you, but for me just planning it out so that I knew that I wouldn’t forget anything made me feel more in control of my part so once I got to the hospital, I was able to turn it over to them to do what they do every single day because I had done my part already. Also from my list anything that needed to be at an exact time, I set alarms in my phone and labeled them with what I was supposed to do like take that nausea pill or stop drinking liquids or whatever. Review Sunday night Two Days Before (Mon) Switch to the liquid diet. SHAVE, drop off donations and pick up Walmart order, Wash Comforters. 2:00 Therapy on Zoom Pack other bag for 2nd night (move my one rx tonight so I don’t forget and take it in the morning) The Day before: (Tues) Skip that one medication starting this morning, Pack hospital bag and crochet bag switch from full to clear liquid this evening, remove rings, change sheets, take my shower with the special soap, take the nausea pill at bedtime and of course nothing at all after midnight. Surgery Day: (Wed) Wake up at 3:30am and take my allowed meds with 12oz of regular sugar Gatorade- finishing everything before 4:30, (don’t pee) take my second shower with the special soap, toss towels in wash, brush teeth and get dressed (nothing on my body or hair at all except clothes). Then head to the hospital at 5:15. Also remember not to pee after that Gatorade because they need a pregnancy test shortly after I arrive at 5:30. *Bring bag, phone, bariatric book with questions, will, DL and ID. (Remind Hubby to bring a sweater) Surgery scheduled for 7:30am ?

Wow that’s unfortunate but I know there are outliers. My friend lost all her weight really quick (too fast if you ask me) and now the maintenance dose for her is too high. She is having to go off of it because she cants STOP losing and she is getting weak because she can’t eat. I guess most people fall in between these two extremes. Hopefully before long all of these meds will be covered for everyone. They are doing so many studies and learning they work for so many things in addition to weight loss and diabetes. I think it’s just a matter of time ?

Some theatres in the US you are allowed to bring food in as well. The ones in malls especially. It supposed to be food from the malls food court but I have never had them say anything about bringing In my own food at those theatres. I think it’s just about money honestly. The snacks are astronomically more expensive than they cost in stores. The exact box of candy that you can buy for $1 in the store is $6. A regular popcorn is $9 and regular drink is $8. You get a little discount if you get a rewards card and go often or go on special days but it’s upwards of $10 for a small popcorn and drink on the cheapest day. You can get a popcorn/ drink combo at a food court in a store for $2 just for reference. I almost always bring my drink from home at minimum to save money. Post surgery I bring my snack. Usually a little bag of skinny pop and I make sure to eat food food before I go.

Well post sleeve alcohol has absolutely no effect on me. I figured it’s a waste of Callie’s and money and stopped drinking. Post revision I figured why try it now that I’m used to not having it

Bless your heart. That was an awful day for you I’m sure. Well I guess maybe we should try the lowest dose of all meds to see what they do to us the first time just to be safe. I always wondered about like antibiotics whether the dose was going to be enough. Never thought about it being too much, though. I think it all depends on where the meds absorb in our bodies and a pharmacists would probably know as much if not even better than the Dr about whether we are actually getting the intended dose or not. I think they study more in depth about HOW the drugs work where the doctors just have to know what works for most patients. Of course they know how to find the answer when they have a patient like us, and ideally they do, but they may not know off hand for every single drug.

We can probably all remember the nerves. It’s a journey for sure but you will be a few months out and in a new groove before you know it and well on your way to a healthier version of yourself. Take measurements and pictures now and along the way and maybe even write a letter now to your future self to read when the weight loss slows down to give you the motivation to keep it up. Answer the questions of what is your reason for doing this and what your wishes are for your future self. The mental is just as important as the physical in this so journaling and logging your progress using something other than the scale can be really helpful.

I think some doctors are on board with this newer research. I was told after that camera thing that with being a sleeve and being a year post op I could’ve taken the ibprofin they suggested as a one off. I know you have to be even more cautious with bypass but I think they are starting to allow it for certain things. I’m sure like anything they don’t have a crystal ball and can’t guarantee it will be fine but maybe ask your surgeon their opinion on a very rare NSAID before your next removal. I don’t know why I forgot all about that.

Exactly. If it were the men having to do it they would whine until the standard of care would change. I’m sure that they could easily give you the option to do it at the hospital under twilight anesthesia (especially if you have not given birth and it will be worse), but because most women can “deal with it” and don’t complain they aren’t going to change it. A friend of mine who has had two children just recently had an issue switching hers. The strings were cut too short and they weren’t visible so they had to go digging and searching with hooks. The regular gyno couldn’t get it so she had to go back and see the surgeon who was finally able to remove it but she said THAT was awful because it took so much longer and even when they scheduled for the surgeon knowing that it wasn’t routine anymore they still didn’t have her take anything!! I know that for some people it’s not a big deal but we all know that our bodies are different and our pain threshold’s are as well. There really does need to be more consideration given to these things. I’m glad that you have that visit behind you and hopefully have 8 years until you have to deal with it again. Maybe they will make some changes to the procedure by then. ?

I don’t have any advice on the pain relief to add but I do want to say I’m so sorry that sounds awful. Also, i agree 100% that they overlook female procedures when it comes to pain relief. I had to get my IUD removed the other day because of a medical situation and they didn’t even tell me to take something over the counter to this time. When asked I was told I wouldn’t need it. Lucky for me mine was only in for 11 months so it wasn’t bad because of less scar tissue or something but still. I also had that camera thing for polyps in office before they decided they couldn’t get them all and needed the big one in hospital and since I can’t take NSAIDS that they usually suggest I was told I didn’t need anything and that was a horrible experience. I was advised that it wasn’t anything as bad as giving birth. I said so that’s the new yardstick. I said do YOU want to go give birth on your lunch hour and then go about YOUR day. I mean I know it isn’t nearly as bad as giving birth because it’s only minutes in duration, but the cramps are pretty painful nonetheless. And is it really a comparison. Are we just letting women suffer through other stuff we can control the pain for just because childbirth is painful and we can’t fix that? I swear if men had to do this procedure they wouldn’t even try it in office first. They wouldn’t expect them to deal with the pain or the inconvenience of having to do the same procedure twice.

I started with just walking. My friends all live a descent ways away so we made phone dates in the beginning to get me going. It worked perfectly. I still felt accountable to them even though they were walking around their own neighborhoods. I also stuck close to my own house for a while. I did as many laps around the block as I could but I didn’t go far away just in case I would start hurting or something it would be a short distance back at any point. After I gained a bit of confidence, I checked out the community center and they have fitness classes there for cheap. There is no contract and you can try out as many different classes as you want. I like cardio and yoga and still do the yoga now (plan to get back to cardio as soon as my health permits). There are also videos online but for me, having the group of women that are starting to be more like friends is pretty helpful in keeping it fun. As others have said, though the best exercise is one that you don’t hate. And you may not love it from day one but you should get a pretty good idea of whether you hate it pretty quickly. ? Try a pretty good variety and you will find something you enjoy I’m sure while getting some good exercise along the way.

Ugh. It pisses me off when doctors make any of us feel like some number they come up with is applicable to each of us when even we know that all of our bodies are unique and the complexity of obesity. A weight difference of three pounds could be ANYTHING!! i know this is a little different because it chemo but it’s really not because like anything it’s not true weight gain so an example is when I come home from chemo I weigh about 6-7 pounds more than I did that morning and the next day. But everytime, the following day I drop it all. I don’t understand the science but it’s something to do with inflammation that any of us could have for various reasons to some degree. Also three pounds I know for a fact I have lost from a bowel movement. I always weigh myself first thing in the morning and I weigh about 3-4 pounds less than if I weight myself later in the day. . Long story short three pounds is absolutely nothing to stress about and if your doctor does then either smile and nod and tell them you will do better or express how ignorant they are being but whatever you do, DO NOT let that get under your skin!! Your loss is incredible. As @Justarwaxx suggested, Don’t let anyone negate how hard you have worked. Instead Celebrate your amazing progress and if anything use his or her ignorance to fuel you and keep going. 100 pounds is absolutely Amazing and takes real lifestyle changes to accomplish. All you have to do at this point is to stick with it and the rest will come off in a matter of time. The time may vary person to person but it will happen. You’ve got this!!

Lots of great advice. You can start with walk pushups too if your arms are really wimpy like mine. They seem fairly easy but if you do them correctly and you do a lot they actually do build you up to be ready for the raised ones.

I get your anxiety as I struggle with it as well and I’m pretty sure that I worried about the same thing but I would be surprised if they would have scheduled your surgery or your preop appointment if the surgery hadn’t been authorized. These surgeons are beyond busy and their office and surgical time is limited and worth a lot of money. Think about it, If they schedule you before they should and end up with a slot they can’t fill the Surgeon loses money and I’m sure they aren’t very happy if that happens too often. With the preop and authorizations required for this surgery it’s probably pretty difficult to fill an opening. They would need someone else that’s just been approved by insurance and still has over two weeks notice to do their preop appointment with the surgeon and start their preop diet and that date works for them and their driver. Most likely those people would’ve already been scheduled with their own date or they won’t be able to do surgery that date for one reason or the other. Long story short, they probably already got your approval and just didn’t tell you. That or they deal with your insurance company alot and they know the exact criteria and turnaround without a doubt. You really should be fine.

It’s soooooo cold it’s hard to get up and get my exercise done early like I’m used to doing. I’m sure it’s been cold for many of you already in other parts of the country, but this is not typical for me. How do you guys get going early when it’s so cold? Also, I want to eat more when it’s cold too. Its like my body is not used to it and thinks I need to store enough to hibernate for the season. I don’t have anything i absolutely have to do today so I reluctantly got up and made breakfast then got back into bed to eat it. It’s almost noon so I guess I should do my walking now and then get my shower while it’s warmest but this plan won’t work long term. I have things to do. ?

Good for you. It’s important to love the skin you’re in. You are so much fitter and healthier already than when you started. Everything else is just a bonus in my eyes. Buy the dress now, do the thing you’ve been putting off now, live your life NOW!! You have come so far already and if you are like me you already feel 100 times better. The way you feel and your health are so much more important than any number on the scale. Try to make the scale second to the priority of being healthier. That would be a good resolution for many of us.

It was so weird though that BRAT diet is Bananas, Rice (white), applesauce and Toast (white) so basically carbs and not protein and not much else. Well between the diarrhea which is why I was on the diet and the food without any nutrients I was getting weaker by the day. I was staying pretty hydrated so I think that majority of it was just the drastic change in nutrition. Just one week with All them carbs and I was up hungry several times a night (craving sugar), lazy and fatigued all day and it was just snowballing by the day. I don’t ever want to go back to feeling that way!! I can’t believe that was our normal for so long and we had no idea how much better we were supposed to be feeling. The nurse is the one who told me to do that diet and I questioned it with my history but she insisted but as soon as I seen the Dr she said she never would’ve put me on that diet and took me off. I hate when the nurses overstep their authority and won’t just ask the darn Dr. Anyways, it’s a warning for me about how that diet makes my body feel and I don’t want to do it again.

This is such an amazing feeling and a wonderful way to go into the new year!! Congrats!!

Well today was round 4 of my chemo and immunotherapy and steroids, etc. Messing with my tastes a bit on certain stuff Things don’t taste gross just not good. I came home and i did chicken breast with a little ceaser side salad and a tiny bit of spinach tortolini. I know that last one was not ideal but it made the meal go down easier if that makes any sense. I guess it’s a balance for now to get the rest of what I need in nutrition wise and it was cheese filled so still protein. ?‍♀️ I am about to go eat some mixed fruit now for my snack. I also did five miles walking and tomorrow morning I have yoga. I think that getting my nutrition and exercise is really helping my body deal with all of this because I did the stringer one up front so it’s been two months and i don’t have alot of side effects yet. The doctors are pretty amazed. Knock on wood I am able To keep it up because I had to do that BRAT diet for a week and I could feel myself getting weaker and my sleep was off and I wasn’t wanting to exercise. I am REALLY trying to keep to my habits as best as I can. I hope everyone else is doing well with juggling their bariatric journey with “life” as well.

It’s always best to refer to whatever literature your dr gave you but I was told that anything that I could fairly easily cut with the side of a fork was considered soft food. i was lucky and didn’t have any issues with intolerances but i did go real slow starting with eggs and fish. I stuck with stuff I know was fine from days before for breakfast and lunch and had one new food for dinner. That way if I did have any issue I was home and I knew the most likely culprit.

Did you have a problem drinking while you were in the hospital? I was lucky that I did not but It’s not uncommon to have to take super super tiny sips for a little while but usually they won’t release you until they see you can get down some fluids. They gave me tiny little medicine cups to measure out I think it was one ounce of water and then I was supposed to take tiny sips from that. If smaller sips don’t help It can’t hurt to call and run it by your doctor though especially if the pain is intense. I think any new pain or pain that gets worse after the hospital should be reported to them just in case. They should have a surgeon on call after hours if they are closed for the holiday. Also, keep track of your fluid intake for the next few days and ask them if you should arrange for fluids if it continues to be really low (your probably good for a couple days if you spent any time in hospital on an IV but I’m not sure you did if your surgery was yesterday Especially if your having any diarrhea on top of not getting your fluids. I had no clue they could do this as an out patient and it was just a copay. Was way better than waiting until it got out of hand and ending up in the ER. Sugar free popsicles may help get fluid too. Also different temperatures if fluid sometimes help. Room temp or warm (not too too hot). Another thing that comes to mind is whether you are on a PPI. That may be something to ask about if not.