Tiffykins

YAY YAY it looks great.

Isn't this the main reason it's recommended that we take calcium citrate instead of carbonate? I didn't know about the C. difficile either. I'm really going to focus on weaning off my Prilosec as I can once I have my yearly follow up sometime next month.

Are you trying to upload directly from you PC? The best option are JPEG files. Are you trying to upload them to a personal album under the Photo section, or directly to your profile page or avatar? Let me know what the failure message says[/url] exactly and we can try to figure it out from there.

I probably didn't walk as much as others that got in there protein from the beginning. But, I could not tolerate any of the Protein drinks, mixes, even the ready to drink made me sick, or the taste was horrific. When I first came home, I was pumped full of nutrients and calories through a pic line, and that gave me what I needed initially. I only went about 3 weeks without getting in my protein. Obviously, I didn't jump into 60 grams per day when I first hit mushies because restriction is extremely obvious on mushies. I had to work my way up. I took my Vitamins and supplements religiously, and wasn't willing to miss those. Overall, I had a super slow recovery due to my complications, but I don't necessarily think going without the full 60grams of protein per day set me back anymore than I already was. Hope that makes sense.

I'm so sorry to hear that y'all are having to endure this exhausting process. My leak was repaired completely different than most patients. I was a revision from band to sleeve, and the damage from the band wasn't seen during pre-op testing, so we really had no idea that the tissue was so damaged. My leak was close to the top of my remaining stomach tissue, and esophagus junction. I was my surgeon's very first and only leak so he consulted with another surgeon, and they decided to use heavy suturing and no stent was placed. I did come home after 10 or 11 days in the hospital with JP drains and a pic line in my arm that was a catheter that was placed in a main artery that dumped off into my heart and it fed me TPN which was a liquid that contained 1800 calories, nutrients, Vitamins, antibiotics etc every day for over 2 weeks. I was prohibited from consuming anything by mouth. No food, no Water, no ice chips, I wasn't even allowed to gargle mouthwash in fear of some of slipping down my esophagus. I went with nothing to eat or drink by mouth for 22 days. I am not familiar with the stent repair method as I didn't have one, but I do know there have been a couple of cases on obesityhelp and one other here that had a stent and drains for a much longer period than I did. Once I was pulled off the TPN, I went straight to clears for 17 days then onto the rest of the post-op diet. I was hospitalized again about 6 weeks post-op due to abscesses in my abdominal and pelvic cavity. They suspect that microscopic bacteria hid out in there, and even though I was on heavy antibiotics, my body just couldn't fight these off. I had pigtails drains placed, and was hospitalized for 7 days. The pigtail drains stayed in a couple of weeks until the abscesses were drained, and the heavy antibiotics they had me on cleared them up. They took samples of the drain Fluid every few days to check the bacteria level/count to ensure the antibiotics were working. Once this ordeal was over, and I had the drains removed, I was cleared for regular activity, and haven't had any issues since the beginning of the 3 month post-op mark. I can't comment on how long this may go on, but I know that until the stents come out, and she can pass a leak test with 100% certainty I would not get comfortable until she cleared the leak test. If she's able to handle the jp feedings without a lot of nausea, and her temperature is staying normal, I would feel confident in what your doctor is telling you. I know it's hard to believe them after being through so much. It took me months to mentally feel "okay", and at the mere thought of having another issue, I would get panicky. Some called me paranoid, or that I was overreacting, but after what we endure with a leak, I feel we have every right to be paranoid. If you do not feel like she is progressing well enough, fight for more testing, or a 2nd opinion. Right now, she can't really fight for herself, and I'm grateful you are with her. I will keep your wife, and your family in my prayers and thoughts.

You're doing so great, and all these victories are going to coming your way. I agree that it seems that men tend to "heal" or lose that post-op swelling faster than most women. I don't understand it, but the guy's I've friended over at OH have told me the same thing. You're stomach isn't stretched, and you're doing great.

Awwwwwwww thanks again for the update. The gas is a total boogar, and I hope she gets relief soon. I'm glad she's been able to walk, and rest. Give her a big (soft) hug from me.

Just wanted to pop in and check for an update. Hope all is well, and you're up walking, sipping and resting when needed.

This brought on some sniffles and watering eyes. I can only imagine the pain you are experiencing, not just physically, but emotionally as well. The sleeve is a fabulous tool. It's given me a great life, and I wish the same for you. Congrats on getting your date.

I feel you 100% on this one. I don't have any great advice because John is starting in on "how tiny" I am. He always like kind of thicker girls. Well, least to say, I am far from thick at this point. He tries to force feed me, or push sweets on me. I know he is kind of concerned because I am small, but I made him go to my last appt so he could hear my lab results for himself and hear what the doc had to say about my overall health and loss. He laid off for a little bit, but now he's suggesting that I indulge in dessert with him almost nightly. I'm sorry that you are getting these comments. I think a lot of our issues go back to my size, and that John has kind of lost his eating partner. We used to share yummy goodness stuff all the time, we'd sit on the couch cuddled up with bowl of ice cream and homemade Cookies, now we still cuddle, but I skip the treats. I'm just not sure how I can convince him that I'm not going to sabotage myself and eat my way back to being obese. I do tell John sometimes that if he doesn't anything positive or good to say to keep his lips zipped. He doesn't understand the struggle with obesity. He's fit, lean, and built nicely. He has a rockin' body, and is one of those guys that can still wear his jeans from high school. I know it's frustrating. Vent away, and know you aren't alone on this one.

Thank you Jane. . . What is a posh? I can't wait to see your dress, you are going to look gorgeous ! ! !

Which code are you using? Are you using a ticker from Tickerfactory.com? The bBcode should work for you. If you're trying to upload it as a picture, it will not work. You'll need to copy the bBcode, come back here to Edit Signature under the USER CP, and then paste the bBcode into the signature box. Hit Preview signature to ensure that the signature looks like you want it, if it all looks good, hit SAVE SIGNATURE.

NSVs are hard to come by these days for me, but yesterday it happened. I did 4 hours of yard work. We have about 1.5 acres, and it's been over 3 weeks since we were able to mow (damn rainy weekends in Florida). Anyways, I mowed, trimmed hedges, trimmed our large tree in the front yard, and cleaned out the mulch so I could replace it this year. We have a riding lawn mower and it only takes me about 1.5 hours to mow so that was a breeze. But, all the other stuff was pretty intense. The tree I trimmed was a boogar, and then I drug all the big branches into the bon fire pile. Some of those branches were 4-6 inches in diameter & some of them were about 8-9 feet long, and I trimmed them with a hand saw. The tree was growing into some power lines, and it had to be trimmed before the power company gave us notice. I raked the front yard, and cleaned up all the mulch. The husband got home, and was shocked that I was able to get so much done. He thought I had paid someone to come do everything. I just laughed at him, and told him that I did it all. NSV came when I realized that I was not dying from exhaustion, I wasn't sore from all of the work, and I felt so good that I showered, and went to John's softball game. Pre-op I would have never done all of that without taking several breaks, and being absolutely worn out. I didn't stop for those 4 hours, and was hellbent on getting it all done.

Driver, best wishes on getting that drain out. I know I was elated to have my 2 removed. It was the most awkward, and uncomfortable feeling that I have experienced when they pulled those drains. But, I felt so much better once they were out. Congrats on your success thus far. I really hated all the Protein mixes/types/flavors as well. Hang in there, you're doing great.

I really hate walking, treadmills, and ellipticals. I think all of those are so boring and mundane that I never stick with it. Once I was released to work out, I did walk more, and started doing some ab/core workouts. About 2 months later, I joined the Y and started a weight lifting routine, and 1 day of heavy cardio. I found motivation because what I was doing held my interest. I did have more energy, but I also saw results. My clothes were fitting better, my body felt good, and I loved going to the gym. I love Hip Hop Abs videos and that was my cardio for the day. I tried Spinning, and I honestly believe that routine was invented by the devil himself. Zumba was a blast, and I enjoyed it when I went. In February, I had my gallbladder removed. I wasn't allowed to work out for 6 weeks so I canceled my Y membership and that's when the motivation kind of went out the window. I just recently started doing a little more working out at home. I have the Wii active by EA sports, and it holds my interest. We have weights, and a bench in the garage with attachments that I could use, but I hate it. For me, now that I am below goal, and just living life, I've lost all my motivation to work out. I'm out of shape, and need to build more muscle mass to tone. I just can't get into a routine. So, I know that doesn't give you much hope, but it's been my experience. I have to really enjoy whatever I am doing to stick with it. I've done Hip Hop abs for years, and it's the one thing I always go back to doing. I can stick with it, and I don't feel like I'm working out. The key for me is to do what I like and something that holds my attention for more than 10 minutes so I don't start thinking about the laundry that needs to be done, or the errands that need to be ran.

YAY for finding a new protein, what's the carb count on those? And, is the calcium citrate or carbonate? I got totally screwed on Mother's day too. My kid wanted to play outside with the neighbor kid all day, my husband was worn out from playing softball for about 8 hours on Saturday, and he is sunburnt to a crisp, so he felt horrible, I got nada for Mother's day. And, the kiddo ruined going out to dinner by being a jackas$ and not coming home when he was supposed to be home. Dad grounded him, and we had italian delivered which is not what I wanted, but I didn't want to cook. Sorry for the hijack, but I wanted to let you know we can be bitter about Mother's day 2010 together.

I'm glad the stall broke. I can only imagine how frustrating it can be since I never experienced a true stall until I was a few pounds away from goal. I just wasn't willing to not follow the guidelines, and I think that's why I didn't experience stalls, and why the weight did kind of melt off for me. We started right around the size weight, and BMI so you will lose faster than say someone that is 70lbs lighter than us. But, you gotta stick to the program if you want it to melt off. I had to be strict to get my results. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it to hit goal within 6.5 months, and continue to lose a few more pounds to get me to a healthy/normal weight per the BMI chart.

Thanks for the great update ! ! !

I would see what the surgeon would charge you privately for just the sleeve. Have your insurance company pay the hospital, the anesthesiologist, and all those fun charges and you pay for the sleeve. What is the reason your insurance is denying the sleeve portion? Also, would your surgeon be willing to a do a peer to peer review with the insurance company. That is another option. I have tons of appeal information if you would like me to share it, but it may not help any. Also, there are some amazing revision surgeons out there that accept self-pay patients. I know money is difficult to come by, but if you can get a low interest loan, or your parents help with the cost, I think it's an amazing surgery. I had a band, and before it does any real damage to your stomach tissue like it did mine, I hope you are able to get it out. As for any follow up care you would need, like lab work, and weigh ins, you could always have your PCP pull your labs, and you could send them to your surgeon if he would be willing to let you pay for the sleeve alone. Your PCP would not have to code the labs being needed for weight loss surgery. It could just be for follow ups especially if you have co-morbidities. I'll keep you in my thoughts, I know how frustrating the band situation can be.

One of the many reason why I did not choose a malabsorptive procedure, and why I am so diligent about taking high quality ADULT Vitamins. Thanks for sharing. It's important for people to realize just how serious vitamins/nutrients are for our bodies to function.

Hey chickee, I have several different things that I was about to donate to the woman's shelter. You'll be needing 14s soon, and I have those as well. Shoot me a message, and I'll go through my stuff this week, and see what I can get to you out of my stash.

I refuse to go out for Hibachi, and not have an enormous glass of plum wine. John laughs because I make him pay about 14 bucks per glass (which is a bit more expensive than my little Riesling I drink at the steak house), but he knows it makes me happy. And, you know the old saying " Happy Wife makes a Happy Life", well he's learned that life lesson very quickly. Ha ha ha

I'm a self-proclaimed "scale whore". I had to weigh daily sometimes 3-4 times a day. It kept me accountable, it gave me something to look forward to every day. I never had a true stall (14 days with zero weight lost) so I never had to experience that frustration. The longest I ever went without a loss was 10 days, and I was within a few pounds of my goal weight. The only issue I have with being a scale whore is now that I am below goal, and somewhat maintaining, I miss seeing the number drop on the scale. It's a catch 22 to be honest, I loved seeing the numbers drop every day, but once it stopped, I was pissed. I simply replaced missing that "high" from losing with buying super adorable tiny clothes. Well, okay, I admit I've been a shopping whore since I got out of plus size clothing, it's only gotten worse now that I am in single digit sizes. It's a really personal choice, and I had to weigh every day. My batteries died once, and I freaked out because we didn't have the right size of batteries. I went to Wal-Mart and bought batteries immediately. It probably wasn't very "healthy", but it's what got me through the losing stage.