I constantly run into Sleevers in their 50s and 60s but I would love to get to know some of you who are bypassers. Seems our life experiences and potential difficulties may make us good support for each other! (You know, little things like menopause, arthritis, etc...). Please come out of "hiding" and gather here. I need to see yall in action! And would love to support you as well!

LOL! There should be a comma after yogurt :-)

Nice job I get my revision on March 7



HW 225
SW 221
CW 305
GW 200

RNY 3/7/18

New to this. Six months to go and nervous. Can't even figure out how to do my profile. But I'm 53 and in rural northern Minnesota. Can't even find my hospital on the profile page but it's in Crosby, MN. Glad to have found these forums.

I am having my bypass done on march 6th , i am having a hard time finding gummy

vitamins , with iron , i have a bad gag reflex and i know i can do them. Does anyone know of where i can get these

How close are you to the Boundary Waters? I've heard your area is unbelievably wild and beautiful. I live in Ohio the first state in the Northwest Territory and the only one without any Indian reserves. I think our last native one, at least a full blood Wyandot/Huron died at Upper Sandusky in 1931. I'm sorry I sound a trifle militant but I'm somewhat a historian and maybe apologist. I suspect I have native American blood on my father's side, they don't talk much about it, my ancestors were absorbed into the Peoria tribe, I believe their Ohio name were the Mingo. If you happen to go on Wikipedia and pull up Peoria Indians the lady pictured there is the spitting image of my father's sisters. My Cherokee friend Cheyenne teases me and calls me a jelly donut. You've heard of blacks calling someone an Oreo, black on the outside,& white within, well I'm told Native Americans call someone an apple, red on the outside and a white soul? Cheyenne says I'm the reverse- a jelly donut, white covering but housing an Indian soul. She means it as a compliment and that's how I take it. Besides I still could be a 1/16th , both sides have been in Ohio since early 1800s, not impossible. Shoot I got off on a tangent didn't I? I am 72, 5ft8in, strawberry blonde hair with brown eyes(about the only sign of Daddy's side) weigh 323 down from a high weight of 355 last fall, I plan a RnY, I have GERD and suffers of that or diabetes are usually steered toward bypass instead of sleeve. I have had arthritis since 25, have had 2 knee replacements and also have sleep apnea. In my favor: I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol, a good heart , fairly good lungs and no diabetes. I should by rights be diabetic as both my parents were. My PCP says I'm a 40-45 year old trapped in a 72 year old body. I long to have my surgery, lose the weight no diet has helped me achieve and,live the rest of my days in a slimmer trimmer and healthier body. I've studied up on WLS, others have helped me on Bariatric Pal and I'd like to,pay it forward if I could. So if you have any questions I could help with, I'd be happy to discuss them. Welcome to our forum, I'm probably the oldest and still haven't had my surgery but hope to have a date soon. My road has been bumper than most but I'm still committed toward that goal. Well enough of me, tell me more of your story, okay?

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13 hours ago, kakatlady612 said:

How close are you to the Boundary Waters? I've heard your area is unbelievably wild and beautiful. I live in Ohio the first state in the Northwest Territory and the only one without any Indian reserves. I think our last native one, at least a full blood Wyandot/Huron died at Upper Sandusky in 1931. I'm sorry I sound a trifle militant but I'm somewhat a historian and maybe apologist. I suspect I have native American blood on my father's side, they don't talk much about it, my ancestors were absorbed into the Peoria tribe, I believe their Ohio name were the Mingo. If you happen to go on Wikipedia and pull up Peoria Indians the lady pictured there is the spitting image of my father's sisters. My Cherokee friend Cheyenne teases me and calls me a jelly donut. You've heard of blacks calling someone an Oreo, black on the outside,& white within, well I'm told Native Americans call someone an apple, red on the outside and a white soul? Cheyenne says I'm the reverse- a jelly donut, white covering but housing an Indian soul. She means it as a compliment and that's how I take it. Besides I still could be a 1/16th , both sides have been in Ohio since early 1800s, not impossible. Shoot I got off on a tangent didn't I? I am 72, 5ft8in, strawberry blonde hair with brown eyes(about the only sign of Daddy's side) weigh 323 down from a high weight of 355 last fall, I plan a RnY, I have GERD and suffers of that or diabetes are usually steered toward bypass instead of sleeve. I have had arthritis since 25, have had 2 knee replacements and also have sleep apnea. In my favor: I have low blood pressure, low cholesterol, a good heart , fairly good lungs and no diabetes. I should by rights be diabetic as both my parents were. My PCP says I'm a 40-45 year old trapped in a 72 year old body. I long to have my surgery, lose the weight no diet has helped me achieve and,live the rest of my days in a slimmer trimmer and healthier body. I've studied up on WLS, others have helped me on Bariatric Pal and I'd like to,pay it forward if I could. So if you have any questions I could help with, I'd be happy to discuss them. Welcome to our forum, I'm probably the oldest and still haven't had my surgery but hope to have a date soon. My road has been bumper than most but I'm still committed toward that goal. Well enough of me, tell me more of your story, okay?

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Thanks! I think we are quite similar in some ways. I'm a few hours away from the boundary waters. I'm closer to the Duluth area, which is quite beautiful (anywhere along Lake Superior is breathtaking). I'm not native--I'm a descendent of Scandinavians who came over in the late 1800s. But I will say--I lived in Kansas for grad school (Anthropology and Indigenous Nations Studies) and then Indiana for PhD work(Archaeology in Social Context), and Indiana had no reservations at that time (2002 or so). I had a job where I read every treaty and agreement and federal court case (took two years)--I loved it! I think you can probably read the treaties online--if you're interested I can dig up the link.

I'm 53 but feel like I'm 33--except I was disabled due to fibromyalgia 10 years ago because I can't use my hands much. Ended up moving back to MN to the very small town (pop. 200) where my parents live. It was supposed to be temporary. Then one hip went, then a knee. Gained weight while trying to get a doctor to believe that my hip really had something wrong with it and that it was not fibro pain. By the time they realized what I already knew, I was too heavy to have surgery. Now I can't walk at all, and my hip had just passed the line into "I need surgery now!" -- as in, I rarely leave my apartment. I can't go places because my hands are too painful to use crutches or a wheelchair, and even using one of those riding carts at WalMart hurts my hands. It's ridiculous. My knee needs replacing too. And I have GERD and a hiatal hernia.

I am pretty much at "Day 1" of the process. Had my first visit at the clinic, met with the nutritionist, and promptly disregarded everything she said and spent two weeks being frazzled and wondering if I really want to have this surgery. Now I'm trying to get with the program and "really" get started in the hopes of an August surgery.

My orthopaedic doctor told me if I lose 50 lbs he'll replace the hip. My plan was, if I can lose 50 lbs on the journey toward meeting all the WLS requirements I would get the hip surgery, then the gastric bypass. (And be a bit healthier for both surgeries.) Then I will be able to walk after the bypass surgery (like they want you to walk in the hospital; and for exercise later).

Right now my biggest worry is that the dietitian has basically given my a "what to eat/not to eat" type of list--protein first, etc. Easy enough to understand. But no discussion of losing weight (which most people seem to do, as a goal before surgery is approved), and no counting calories. And no guidance as to what a "serving size" is. I'm a bit lost as to what to do.

I will see her again on March 20 so I guess I'll soldier on until then. But is this the normal approach toward the pre-surgery nutritionist visits? Focusing on how you'll eat after surgery and assuming you will naturally fall into eating the right portions?

Sorry to go on and on. . .but there's a little bio and my first question

10 minutes ago, NorthernMNJayhawk said:

Thanks! I think we are quite similar in some ways. I'm a few hours away from the boundary waters. I'm closer to the Duluth area, which is quite beautiful (anywhere along Lake Superior is breathtaking). I'm not native--I'm a descendent of Scandinavians who came over in the late 1800s. But I will say--I lived in Kansas for grad school (Anthropology and Indigenous Nations Studies) and then Indiana for PhD work(Archaeology in Social Context), and Indiana had no reservations at that time (2002 or so). I had a job where I read every treaty and agreement and federal court case (took two years)--I loved it! I think you can probably read the treaties online--if you're interested I can dig up the link.

I'm 53 but feel like I'm 33--except I was disabled due to fibromyalgia 10 years ago because I can't use my hands much. Ended up moving back to MN to the very small town (pop. 200) where my parents live. It was supposed to be temporary. Then one hip went, then a knee. Gained weight while trying to get a doctor to believe that my hip really had something wrong with it and that it was not fibro pain. By the time they realized what I already knew, I was too heavy to have surgery. Now I can't walk at all, and my hip had just passed the line into "I need surgery now!" -- as in, I rarely leave my apartment. I can't go places because my hands are too painful to use crutches or a wheelchair, and even using one of those riding carts at WalMart hurts my hands. It's ridiculous. My knee needs replacing too. And I have GERD and a hiatal hernia.

I am pretty much at "Day 1" of the process. Had my first visit at the clinic, met with the nutritionist, and promptly disregarded everything she said and spent two weeks being frazzled and wondering if I really want to have this surgery. Now I'm trying to get with the program and "really" get started in the hopes of an August surgery.

My orthopaedic doctor told me if I lose 50 lbs he'll replace the hip. My plan was, if I can lose 50 lbs on the journey toward meeting all the WLS requirements I would get the hip surgery, then the gastric bypass. (And be a bit healthier for both surgeries.) Then I will be able to walk after the bypass surgery (like they want you to walk in the hospital; and for exercise later).

Right now my biggest worry is that the dietitian has basically given my a "what to eat/not to eat" type of list--protein first, etc. Easy enough to understand. But no discussion of losing weight (which most people seem to do, as a goal before surgery is approved), and no counting calories. And no guidance as to what a "serving size" is. I'm a bit lost as to what to do.

I will see her again on March 20 so I guess I'll soldier on until then. But is this the normal approach toward the pre-surgery nutritionist visits? Focusing on how you'll eat after surgery and assuming you will naturally fall into eating the right portions?

Sorry to go on and on. . .but there's a little bio and my first question

Personally, IMHO, you have your order of magnitude displaced. If it was me I would:

1. Lose 50lbs pre-op.

2. Have RNY surgery. Heal and walk only around your interior apt. if necessary (I walk 10 minutes every 2 hours in my house and have degenerative disc and hip disease with chronic bilateral bursitis and SI joint inflammation/degeneration.)

3. Have hip replacement surgery.

The reason why is because you will have such a hard recovery with the hip surgery and there will be a lot of down time. More so than with the RNY surgery. And if you have hip first, you will likely revert to your old eating habits and have a VERY significant regain. By having the RNY 1st, you will be significantly limiting quantities and regain will be limited or mitigated after hip surgery.

Also, if your doc/RD plan is low carb in approach/no sugar? I'd glom onto it like nobody's beeswax. I'm not gluten allergic, but if I eat a lot of grocery store beef (red meat) or wheat flour, my joints all over my body and all over pain and neuralgia from chemo become unbearable. I go from feeling 50, to feeling like I'm 90 in less than 4 hours. It's a startling contrast that I only realized while going on my pre-op plan this year.

18 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Personally, IMHO, you have your order of magnitude displaced. If it was me I would:

1. Lose 50lbs pre-op.

2. Have RNY surgery. Heal and walk only around your interior apt. if necessary (I walk 10 minutes every 2 hours in my house and have degenerative disc and hip disease with chronic bilateral bursitis and SI joint inflammation/degeneration.)

3. Have hip replacement surgery.

The reason why is because you will have such a hard recovery with the hip surgery and there will be a lot of down time. More so than with the RNY surgery. And if you have hip first, you will likely revert to your old eating habits and have a VERY significant regain. By having the RNY 1st, you will be significantly limiting quantities and regain will be limited or mitigated after hip surgery.

Also, if your doc/RD plan is low carb in approach/no sugar? I'd glom onto it like nobody's beeswax. I'm not gluten allergic, but if I eat a lot of grocery store beef (red meat) or wheat flour, my joints all over my body and all over pain and neuralgia from chemo become unbearable. I go from feeling 50, to feeling like I'm 90 in less than 4 hours. It's a startling contrast that I only realized while going on my pre-op plan this year.

Thanks for responding! I guess my thought was if I can't walk around after RNY then I'm missing a critical part of the recovery. And since I've watched my brothers and father get hip replacements recently and be up and on the go within days I just dream of that happening, plus the moment you wake up and that constant hip pain is just gone (according to them)

As for the meal plan, there is no "plan," in that there are no menus or recipes. It just says make 1/2 of every meal meat. Then if you have room eat veggies, then fruit or whole grain. No mention of how MUCH to eat. It is geared toward getting used to how we will be eating after surgery, and includes all the usual--sip liquids slowly, small bites chewed thoroughly and eaten slowly, no liquid with meal or 30 min before/after, 3 meals/day, no snacks, take your vitamins, no high sugar or high fat food.

I guess I'm so used to counting calories or keeping track of WW Points I can't imagine not keeping track of the calories. But she did not mention anything about my losing weight before surgery (and it would seem to me to be a good thing to do, just to make the surgery easier). For example, the goals she has set for me are to eat 3 meals a day and limit snacking, drink 6-8, 8 oz servings of water per day, and trying to back off on my constant Diet Coke habit. We are also supposed to journal everything. I haven't done that yet. Can't hold a pen or write legibly. In fact, now they hurt from typing, so I'll end here. But I will check back in, and I truly thank you for your help. I have no one to talk to in person about these things.

You have Fluffy Chix and you have me. I was kakatlady612, had trouble with account access and ended up with a new nom de plume, the above. Don't like it as well. The potawatomie recently restablished in NE Indiana near Fort Wayne, a band off the main Shawnee bought land in Bellefontaine, kinda near their orginal territory, they have Ohio recognition but not federal, probably,are hoping for casino approval but it's stuck in some commitee in the Statehouse at last report. You do have a problem with mobility lacking. Could you replace a meal a day with a protein shake? I'll puzzle on this a while, my granny, may she rest in peace, had a motto
The Good Lord never made an itch he didn't make a scratcher to fit it! To put it another way, there's always an answer we just have to find it. I'll put my Wiley Coyote brain to work, remember his motto was Genius At Work, there's go to be something.

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16 minutes ago, frust8 said:

You have Fluffy Chix and you have me. I was kakatlady612, had trouble with account access and ended up with a new nom de plume, the above. Don't like it as well.

I'm wondering, why didnt you chose kakatlady613 (or whatever new number) for your new name?

Didn't think to just change up the number DUH i fought for nearly an hour,you would have thought I was an evil troll,or spammer, either they told,me name was wrong, password was wrong, network would mot accept blocked me for 15 minutes, finally backed out and reached them via Google chrome. Told them I was getting frustrated, made the mistake of saying,i felt like the frust8, kid, and they,liked that. So,i guess I'm stuck with it. Fluffy Chix likes it better.

And 612 is Tomkitten's BD, my real name is Karen kaye, I do have 2 cats that's how the first one got started, but alas I now have this identity.

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LOL, and I'm wondering why you feel it's okey dokey to speak on my behalf? Once was funny, twice was not so much, and infinity is just plain rude.

kserrynotserry. But DAYUM!

Mainly because you are a good person who has always helped,me and I wanted to share you with others if I thought you could help. Mea culpa.

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Thank you. By all means, I am a kind person and a patient one. Share my name by all means, but please do not speak for me or act as my unpaid spokesperson. I perceive that as presumptuous and rude.

Okey dokey I really didn't,mean to upset you, you were the first person on. B P. that made me welcome, made me feel like I was somebody. Even when I don't feel worthwhile you've perked me up, sure I am a little jelly, but I am overjoyed you've turned up victorious. I've watched from a far- and thought Dayum if she can do this, there is some hope for mine. I won't volunteer anymore, won't even quote you if you don't want me to, but please don't block me off. You, Creekimp, Little Green and the rest you're my Bari buds.

Repentantly --'moi

.

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