Day Dreamer

I am looking into the sleeve with Dr. Oldham out of Etown. Surgery to be done at Baptist East. Anyone else in the Louisville - Etown area? I am looking for feedback on the BlueGrass Group in Etown. Thanks!

What do you take for heartburn while prego? Can you still take Prilosec while prego (I took this postop, by prescription)? (Side note - I haven't had heartburn since I was 6 months post op, and I am 2 yrs out now!) I don't go to the OB for another week and my heartburn is harsh. Thanks in advance!

I have to wait a week before I even get to meet my OB. *sigh I think I used TUMS back in the day, as well. May need to Google. Thanks!!

This is really encouraging to hear. I do worry about not gaining enough or gaining too much. Even worse, losing it after baby. We worked so hard and went through so much (surgery and dieting)... just want to be extra careful. Great post!

I am 3 months out and to be honest, shakes get boring. I love fall time because it means Thanksgiving foods! Or pumpkin pie... ohhh purrr! If you crave that comforting taste / smell of pumpkin pie during fall, why not try a pumpkin Protein shake. Yumm-O! 1/3 cup canned pumpkin puree <br sb_id="ms__id586">1/3 cup milk <br sb_id="ms__id588">1 dash of vanilla 2 packets Splenda <br sb_id="ms__id592">Cinnamon (to taste)<br sb_id="ms__id594">Nutmeg (to taste)<br sb_id="ms__id596">1 scoop vanilla Protein powder ice My friend used coffee creamer to make her shake extra thick - not good for those of us watching our carbs. Super tasty shake and makes me LOVE fall time Enjoy!

You get this surgery because you want a better life for yourself and your family. But what happens when your spouse doesn't want a better life for anyone except themself? How much do you take before you just throw in the towel? I had my VSG on Monday 6/6/11. Things were rough, I stayed in the hospital 5 days instead of 1. During my 5 days in the hospital I saw my spouse maybe 45 minutes total. He was too busy swimming at the hotel, shopping at the mall and eating out. He says he was keeping the kids busy. Ok. Getting liquids in is a real pain. But you know what, I am a fighter - so I am finding ways!! I sit here across from the one person that is supposed to be my biggest cheerleader and well, to be honest, he is my biggest critic. It is getting old. Many of my friends have said "once you lose weight, you will leave him". I blew it off as rubbish because I love my husband. But the more he curses at me, the more he yells for no freaking reason, the more he sits around complaing about everyone and everything - the more I have to wonder - how long can you kick an injured dog before she bites the $%*@ out of you!?!??! I am so close. Right there on the verge of just saying, you know what, pack you %$ and leave. If we didn't have kids maybe it would be easier. The surgery seems to have added stress to this situation 10 fold. He asked me what time my appointment tomorrow is and I said I don't know but the slip is on the fridge. He then progressed to curse me out for not remembering and told me that I should drive my @)#($&% self to the appointment - which I am not supposed to do - because he has a "hot date". yeah the whole "hot date" thing came out of left field. I don't know what his issue is. But seriously, I am so over it. I am here trying to heal, trying to take care of my kids and he acts like the 3rd child. He has not mentioned the 24 lbs I have lost already. He has not made any mention of any changes - and I can see it in my face. I mentioned how much I lost and he just blew me off. He continues to eat junk food right in front of me. Ok so what.... I am ok. I have been sucking it up. I will grab a SF pop or leave the room. I shouldn't put my families eating habits on hold because of me. I did say one night that I was so hungry and he looked at me said, "Too f)(**&^ bad, that was your decisions to have the surgery." OK WOW... blow me away. I knew he wasn't totally on board but he knew I had a mass inside my stomach that needed removal anyway. So the surgery was going to be bariatric or to remove the cancer mass. So why not both? Either way I would be losing weight because I wouldn't be able to eat normally for while. Why write this? Well I have no where else to vent I suppose. This is my blog and I am not one on not saying what is going on. Maybe I will look back on this entry and think I over reacted or maybe I will be divorced and wonder why I didn't leave earlier. Maybe I will shake my head because the same thing will be happening and I will have done nothing. No big shocker there either. Hopefully, I will look back and see that he was having issues and didn't know how to communicate very well - or at all. One good thing.. my VSG is totally preventing me from falling into a pile of alfredo pasta or pint of ice cream. Now I have to deal head on with my issues. If you think VSG will make your marriage better, think again. You will have to learn to deal with the issues in a new way, preferably with communication. I suppose this is one of many reasons post ops go into a deep depression. Who wants to bother your friends or family with this BS? Not me. So learn to process it and keep moving on. Will I go to my appointment alone tomorrow? If I do, damn sure there will be hell to pay. If not, good for him. He is safe for one more day from the dog bite. Cheers/

Hi all! I was Sleeved on 6/6/11. SW was 264 and CW is 180. I should be happy but I am still having body issues. I still see that 264# girl looking back from the mirror. I wear a sz 9/11 in juniors but still an XL shirt - UGH. My arms are flabby at the top - no amount of lifting has taken them back to a toned, nice look - although they are MUCH smaller than before. My bottom is flat - no shape at all - and hangs lower. I have started doing more hind leg lifts and stairmaster moves to help put the buns back in the oven. Hehehe! B00bs are another story.. my once glorious D's are now full C's.. full? Oh no.. not full as in a hand full, but as in a sack of skin full. Gross, I know. But totally true. I was so against a b00b job, but now I really have no choice unless I can go the rest of my life throwing them over my shoulders like a backpack. Sigh. On the flip side, I can fit tons of crap in my bra now - so no need for a purse. Hmm. What do I eat? Oh girl.. I eat it all and then some. There is nothing that I cannot eat. However, I try not to eat Pasta (maybe a bite), no bread (ok a bite at best), and a few other things. Yes I drink soda, but only when I am having a mixed drink (rum and diet coke). No beer - I haven't even tried it and I don't want to. meats go down ok, but too much and I feel aweful. I can eat (bad) carbs like crazy ... crackers - OMG, I can literally eat a half box of flatbread crackers. Cookies are the same. I have to smack my own hand to stop. Prime example of why you need to change your eating habits early on. Stall? My middle name. Probably the cracker habit. My normal day looks like: B- Protein shake S1- nuts (pistachios or almonds) L- Soup, Jerky, Protein Shake or other S2- more nuts or jerky (whatever I can find at my desk) Some times, insert sad face, the vending machine junk finds its way to my mouth. Sigh D- lean meat (chicken usually) and veg I usually drive into some crackers before bed. Exercise - I have an under the desk cycle (yes, I use it at work all the time). I have hand weights at my work desk as well as beside my couch. I have done Zumba, cardio and walking. I have no routine in place. I try to lift every single day. And I need to work on my cardio again. I am slacking. I know. Insert stall nod here. Overall - I am happy with the results. I eat pretty normally. I don't order when we go out, so I am a cheap date. I can eat a few bites off someone else and be happy. Or if I must order, I order a side only (like green beans). I am tired a lot and always cold.. but I also have thyroid disease (could be the weight loss or the thyroid). I love that I can shop in the teen section of ANY store! I love that knee high boots zip up easily and are usually too big on me. I do wish I could break these month long stalls easier, but I think adjusting my eating and exercise would cure that - of course, that takes motivation and action. LOL

Let me qualify the following by starting with - I am happy with my weight loss LOL Ok rant time... I have lost quite some weight (30+ in one and 1/2 months) yet I have not dropped sizes! I have seen post where people lose 10 lbs and drop 2 sizes... ?!?! I have lost almost 40 and no size change? Everyone mentions how much I have lost, so I know it can be seen. But why oh why haven't my pants size changed yet?? Granted my pants are not snug, so I can notice a tiny bit - mostly in the butt and thighs. For me, I swore that I would use my pant size as my guide and not my evil scale - but that just isn't the case. I have to use my scale because nothing is happening in the pants department. Is this odd??? My stats: 5'9", 226 and still in a sz 18 ?!?! Pre op: 264 and sz 18 hmmmmmmmmmmmmmm>!?!?! The pix below: 2 from July 2011 1 from March 2011 All in sz 18's

Just wondering if anyone has tried Chia seeds post op? I searched and dont see any mention of them, which is odd since they are the hot thing right now. Here is the back story: Chia seeds are tiny little seeds that expand like 8 times their size when introduced to a liquid / ingested. I am wondering if we can use them post op (in small amounts of course) ?!?! I see people putting them in greek yogurt, in smoothies etc and so I bought some. They sit on my shelf as I am too afraid to test drive them yet. On a side note, there is nothing that I cannot eat / drink. Nothing really hurts anymore. Soda is fine. Bread etc. So I am not too worried about the expanding part... mostly because I know I wont use enough seeds to fill me, but more so I worry about breaking my seam wide open. (I know, I know, dont stress that so far out.. but sigh... I do). Anyway, if you have used Chia seeds, please let me know the amounts you use and how you used them. Thanks!

Good information!!! I will make it tonight!! Thanks!

My polyps were removed during my surgery. I am 6 months out and fine.

Umm... It is different for everyone but I had my surgery on 6/6/11 and my tummy still does it. Now it is much louder!! It really freaks people out. My DH constantly ask if I am hungry. Sigh. it is what it is.

Lets just act like adults for a moment... LMAO ok ok.. my bad. You know, the disagreements dont bother me either - it is the Sleeve Know-it-alls that bug the crap out of me. They comment on your post about YOU CANT DO THAT... or YOU SHOULD NEVER... The thing is, you are not a DR and even most of the Drs are still learning about VSG and life there after. We have to learn and grow together. Maybe sharing your experience would be better than bashing them for drinking coffee etc. We can all learn from each other. Disagreements are ok... but sometimes you have to agree to disagree ... back to the fighting HAHAH

Definitely try eBay!! And post the link here so some of us can grab up those sizes :smile1:

It took me a week to roll on my side but I used pillows to help. (I am a side or tummy sleeper.) I slept in my bed just fine, but sleeping on my back sucked. LOL Then again, I didnt have my JP drain or OnQ still in when I went home.

We eat out A LOT! (Yes, even post op) But now, I generally do not order anything! I pick off my hubby's plate or one of my kids plates. If the waitress really starts bugging me, I might order a hot tea or coffee - they usually think you are sick. But when other people stare, I never attribute it to my small plate or stealing bites off everyone else. In my own twisted world, I attribute their staring to my sexy new look Ok maybe that isn't what they are looking at but who cares?!?! Enjoy your meal - even if you only eat a few tiny bites. Just smile and keep it moving. Worse comes to worse, say something. "Can I help you?" That tends to keep haters at bay - or - can open up a convo with someone secretly considering WLS.