Tiffykins

Amen ! ! ! I thought marrying a guy 6 years my junior would be a good balance. Ummm, yeah not so much. He can't keep up, he just looks at me mid-week like "really honey?" ha ha ha. It's not just his age, it's his job, demanding schedule, and crazy hours on call.

Granola bars, and pork rinds are always on my roadtrip list ! ! ! Hope you have a blast.

Pre Op /The Op If self pay - What does your fee involve? Is there some follow up care thrown in there, like labs at 3,6,9 and 12 months? Pre op diet – what to eat/drink and how long for? Do I get a nutritionist/psychologist? What size bougie is used? (This is the medical instrument which determines the size of your remaining pouch) Do you oversew the staple line? How many incisions do you make? Do you go in thru previous scars? How many nights in the hospital – is there facility for someone else to stay in my room as well? Do they need to be with me 24/ during my hospital stay? How many leak tests do you do? How many sleeves have you performed? Complication/leak stats? How many if any deaths? Who do I contact if I think I have a problem (most places give out an emergency number)? Is the hospital equipped an ICU and blood bank in case of complications? If complications do happen to occur, are these complications/additional surgery/days in hospital covered by the original quoted price of the surgery? Would you remove my gall bladder at the same time if needed? Can you give me some patient testimonials or do you have any before/after pictures of your patients that I could read/look at? Is it standard operation procedure, ie: no nail polish, no body jewellery? Do I need to stop taking any particular medication pre op? (Take a list of what you take and dosage) Post Op How often are the post op check ups? Where are they? – is price included? What supplements/anti acid drug would I need to take and for how long? Do I need labs done post op? – Are these checked with you or my local doctor? DO I get a dvd of the operation? Post op diet? How much weight would I be expected loose? What if I loose too much, how to maintain? Do you use heparin? – Will I have to inject it myself? How soon after the op can I……drive, swim, work out, lift weights, lift my kids?

I recall my mother ironing my dad's western shirts with the little patterns, triangle pockets, and pearl snaps! ! ! Guess what I saw as the featured items for men at Old Navy this last week? ? ? You got it: I shuttered a little! ! !

Last night, we had a girl's night out and a club with a mechanical bull ! ! ! Never in my life would I have done this pre-op, but I went, I saw, and I conquered. . . It was a slow, sexy ride, so no tumbling off the bull ! ! ! It was a blast, and I proved to myself that nothing is impossible! ! ! Sorry for the poor photo quality, the pics are taken with camera phones! ! !

Ohhhh geez talk about memories ! ! ! I'm 33 now, class of '95, and it's so funny to see trends that I wore in middle and high school coming back with a vengeance. I was at my son's school yesterday for our PTA board meeting, and there were girls wearing converse all-star shoes with thick (like 2 inch) neon pink and neon green shoelaces, seriously? ? ? Remember tapered leg jeans? Now, they're back, and skinny jeans are in as well. But, I actually saw a few kids wearing tapered leg jeans. I thought "EEEKKKK it's me 20 years ago." I think I'm just going to start counting back the years now.

I haven't, but I know there are a few people on here that had to go to twice daily dosing, or switching over to Prevacid. Some people take their PPI at night on an empty stomach. I still prefer to take mine first thing in the morning and wait 1 hour before eating.

Your posts just seemed scattered Carrie. I know you are hurting, and believe my heart breaks for you 100%. I honestly do want you to find joy, and happiness, but it's all confusing because your anger/emotions seem to be all over the place. I wish you success, and happiness in the future. You do deserve it, and I wish nothing but the very best for you.

I've add you to my friend's list, and you'll now be able to view my blog and photos. Best wishes on your journey ! ! ! You're gonna love the sleeve.

Soft food should be the consistency of a thick liquid ( no chunks or solid material ) and it should be chewed very well before swallowing until it is a liquid consistency ) Tofu Low fat cottage cheese Cereal oatmeal Precooked pureed rice Low fat Yogurt Yogurt mixed with fruit very well blended Cream Soups eggs Boiled pureed fruit ( example pear, apple ) Watermelon, papaya or melon in small pieces Boiled pureed vegetables Beans In addition to those items, I could have blended chicken, tuna, egg salads. Also, blended chili with beans, refried breans (pinto beans, black beans) all slow cooked in the crock pot.

My main question is were you happy living with the band? I think the majority of your anger and resentment lie with your family pushing in to doing it before you were emotionally ready because it needed to happen at a specific time to accommodate "life happenings". I know your mad at the anesthesiologist, and angry at the situation, but I still do not see resolution being found until you confront the real problem that you've outlined in your previous posts. I'm not saying you do not have a case, but I'm surprised that you don't have enough guts to deal with the issues with your family. You'll never see the doctor again, you'll never have him prep you for another surgery, but every day for the rest of your life you have to wake up to a husband that essentially guilted you into having surgery when you weren't ready for it. I recall specifically your post on OH when your friend that used the same surgeon wanted to know about the HIPAA violation. You practically begged her to not say anything until after you had surgery so you could live a normal life and be somewhat human was the jest of your posts. You wanted this surgery, you were miserable with the band, and even admitted that you were so tired of not feeling "human". So, I'm extremely confused as to why the anger is being projected on the anesthesiologist entirely. You're not willing to confront your husband and family because you don't want to cause a rift. Your sitting silently allowing this anger and resentment brew, and unfortunately, suing the anesthesiologist isn't going to heal those wounds. I do honestly wish you the best, but I honestly don't see you being completely happy until you take a hard, cold look at the people you're really angry with, along with the medical staff that treated you unfairly and poorly. I'm not negating your case with the anesthesiologist, but I think you're only seeing forest, and not all the little trees in the big picture on this one.

I had the same concern considering the long term side effects and complications of RNY and lapband weren't well documented except in the last few years. I did independent reviews of medical journals, patient testimonials, and read tons of research articles on gastrectomies (complete or partial) for stomach ulcer and cancer patient. I found no long term complications related to the actual gastrectomy portion of their surgery. These patients had diseased tissue to begin so the complications were more related to their condition/disease and not the actual surgery. This gave me peace of mind knowing that I was going to be okay. There are 1000's of people living without their stomachs. They have to take different supplements, but they live long, healthy, and fulfilling lives. Check out springerlink.com pubmed.com for research articles. There are at 5 year studies out that you can find for VSG as well.

YAY YAY Kathy, I'm so proud of you! ! ! Let your ass hang on for dear life. Mine is gone, gone South that is ha ha ha. I need to hit the gym, or get back to working out because my hiney looks horrible. You'll love having a hiney to add curve once you lose all your weight. I mean it's bad that I've considered buying the "booty pop" panties just to get some junk in my trunk.

I didn't work out until I was 4 months out, and I focused on weight lifting and 1 day of cardio. At 8 months post-op, I had to have my gallbladder out. I quit working out, and I never got my mojo back. I do not work out at all now. I'm too busy with everything else in my life. I went back to work part-time as a direct sales advisor for lia sophia, I volunteer on base with my squadron, and military spouse club, and I'm on our PTA board with my son's school. Add that on top of my active social life, I literally have little time to work out so I just don't do it anymore. I'm sure I need to, and could lose more inches, but I'm content with how I look and feel at this point. When I was working out, I lifted 3 days a week. I focused on a different area of the body every day, and I did 1 hard day of cardio and core training.

Some surgeons/programs say "no" others give their patients straws in the hospital immediately post-op. For me, I could not sip through a straw immediately post-op, but I know others that had zero problems and it made getting in their liquids much easier. I was just super gassy, and sipping through a straw caused a bubble that I couldn't burp out, and it just had to escape on it's own. It didn't keep me from eating or drinking any more than usual. It was a little uncomfortable. A couple of months post-op straws were absolutely fabulous, and I drink out of a straw all the time now.

I agree with Lori 100%. I never had a problem dating or getting attention from men when I was single and fat, and it really hasn't changed the amount of flirting that goes on day in and day out for me at 125lbs. My husband notices it more than I do, and he was obviously completely oblivious to men flirting with me when I was fat. He's a bit more protective, and bit more frustrated when I get all the attention. But, he's learning to just deal with it. He knows I'm not going anywhere. I've actually found that when I wear my wedding band, I get more attention from men. It's like a magnet. My husband said "it's because they know if you were to go home with them, you'd leave them in the morning and go back to your husband." It's a sick and twisted mindset, but it's true. Plus, it's a challenge for a man to land a married chick.

I had lost right around 120lbs in 7months.

If your Protein Drink is made with Water, it counts as clear liquid. If it's made with milk, then no it doesn't count towards your clear liquid intake. Soups count as a meal so they don't count towards your liquid goal either. I know it's confusing, and tough to get in your liquids plus meals. Just sip all day on some Clear Liquids. Water, crystal light, sugar free gatorade/powerade, broths all count towards your clears.

No one can predict if they'll tear, but you increase your risk for a leak if you're willing to push your sleeve. If you're cleared for solids, and breads then your surgeon has a different guideline than the majority. You also have to consider that food particles can lodge in the staple line if tissue hasn't sealed over it completely. People have gotten abscesses on their staple line, and that leads to a leak later down the recovery road. Try to stick with the dietary guideline given to you by your surgeon. Your stomach is still healing, you may not get a full signal, and overindulging this early out may lead to discomfort and vomiting. Again, your job right now is to protect the staple line, and form better eating habits for a successful weight loss. I can't even imagine being able to eat 1/2 hamburger unless it was just the meat that early out. Heck, I could barely eat 2oz of meat at 2 months post-op much less bread.

At 2 weeks out, my program still has everyone liquids. If you're on the mushy stage, and it isn't working go back to full liquids. Your body just may not be ready for that stage, and you pushing it isn't going to make it better or help your stomach heal any faster. I measured my food by volume not weight. Meaning, I used little 1oz measuring cups to measure my food. If you're eating until you get nauseated, stop doing it. Cut back to 3oz of yogurt, or 3oz of mushies. If you're throwing up, your body is telling you "hey, I don't like that". Think of your sleeved stomach like an infant stomach. Would you continue to shove foods or liquids into a baby if it threw up? No, so do not do it to your stomach. You can track your intake on any of the tracking sites. I prefer myfitnesspal.com but there are many fitday.com fatsecrets.com etc etc. Just find one that works for you, and track everything. My program dietary guidelines were: 600-800 calories 60+grams of Protein no more than 30grams of carbs 64oz of water/clear liquids I ate 4 meals per day with at least 15gr of protein per meal. This is easier to achieve once your body is ready for mushies. At this stage, my surgeon's goal is for his patients to stay hydrated, and to get in protein where we can. After we get to mushies, he wants us off Protein drinks, and getting protein from food sources. Are you using protein drink/shakes to supplement? This will give you liquid plus protein. My day looked like this (back in my losing stage) Breakfast - 3-4oz of yogurt (no fruit) greek yogurt will give you more protein and you can mix all kinds of stuff in it to help with the flavor Lunch: 3oz of chicken salad (blended chicken breast and mayo, miracle whip, or some greek yogurt with a little dry ranch dressing powder mixed in) Early dinner: 2oz of sharp cheddar, 2-3oz of chicken salad Dinner: Beans (typically pinto, chili, kidney), 3-4oz of cheese, and I would mix greek yogurt in the beans. I didn't snack during my losing stage. I didn't get in the habit of grazing.

No, you haven't stretched your stomach. Your body is healing, and the initial trauma is subsiding. The swelling will decrease with each passing day, and week. It sounds as if you one of the lucky ones that don't have a ton of swelling, and getting in your liquids/protein will be easier.

Yeppers, I'll fix it LOL. Sometimes typing 80 wpm doesn't work out so great! ! !

I waited a few months to have alcohol, and the first time it did hit me fast and hard then I was sobered up quickly. As the months have progressed, I can easily drink, catch and maintain a good buzz. I was advised to stick with white wine first, or vodka and some sort of juice. I drank wine, and still stick with wine for the most part. An occasional mojito, and my fave is rum/cokes when I'm out on the town. My tolerance is now back to how it was pre-op. I can't remember when I had coffee, but it was around 2-3 months out. Today, I drink 20-24oz of coffee sweetened with Splenda, and full fat creamer every morning. I recommend testing the waters with alcohol at home first to avoid an embarrassing situation out in public. Sip, sip, sip is my advice for the first time. I have found that creamy, rich drinks like white russians/mudslides kind of make me queasy, and not feel so great. So, I'm sticking to the light liquors, and wines.

This is my experience to a "T". I think we're a little arrogant to think people really pay us that much attention. We're the ones with the food issues, not other people. I don't want to watch other people eat, and I'm pretty sure few to zero people notice that I'm not gorging myself. I've been open about my surgery with my social circle, but I attend numerous functions monthly that revolve around food with strangers. And guess what, people just don't care. I never get asked "why aren't you eating?" nor do I hear "is something wrong with your food?". Early out (like 3-4 months out) when I was playing it safe with mushies, Soups, etc, one server did ask me a couple of times if I was sure the food was "okay". I assured her it was fabulous, and asked for a to-go container. No biggie at all. I think if/when we don't make a big deal about it, others follow suit. I refuse to miss out on a fabulous social event/function just because I eat the same amount of as most 3 year olds. It's a wonderful world of fellowship, friendship, and fun when food isn't the primary focus of the night! ! !