Holiday

Hello all. I finally made the decision and started the process. 2/14/11: Verified with Saint Luke's Center for Surgical Weight Loss that my insurance would cover their program 2/15/11: Attended St. Luke's Seminar 2/23/11: Attended first pre-op Dr. appointment. Sandy explained that I would need a 1) sleep study, 2) appointment with their nutrionist and exercise specialist to begin a three month supervised diet/exercise program, 3) psych eval, 4) letter of medical clearance from my GP, and 5) copies of notes from any doctor I saw in 2009 and 2010 showing my current weight. I would also need to attend at least one support group meeting. My appointments for the psych eval and diet/exercise specialists were set. I briefly met Dr. Price. 2/24/11: I received a call from the St. Luke's Sleep Lab to schedule my sleep study. 2/27/11: Completed sleep study. 2/28/11: Received call from UHC. They explained that my policy does not cover Saint Luke's Center for Surgical Weight Loss . In addition, my policy requires a 6 month medically supervised diet. You might imagine my reaction to this news. I was devestated and furious at St. Luke's for assuring me that my insurance would cover everything when they clearly had NO IDEA. 2/28/11: Reserved a spot in the upcoming seminar (3/7/11) at the only local program my insurance does cover, The Bariatric Center of Kansas City at Shawnee Mission Medical Center. All I can do now is wait to see what my earlier mistakes will cost me and try to move forward despite them.

I haven't been around much since I had surgery. The site went nuts and wouldn't load properly for the "formative months" after surgery, so I kinda quit coming around. But I find myself really needing to connect with you guys on the maintenance issues these days. I hope you'll have me back. Before surgery, I was not a dieter. Diets clearly weren’t working for anyone else, not in the long-term, so I didn’t really bother with any certain plan. Instead, I exercised and tried to be aware of what I ate. Clearly, that didn’t work for me. I ended up, at my highest weight, at about 235 pounds on a 5’1” medium frame. On a recent Disney World vacation my hips, back, and feet hurt so much that the thought of going back made it clear that either I had to lose the weight or I’d be one of those people on the motorized scooters at the ripe old age of 34. The greatest gift of this surgery was the clear guidelines and the months following surgery in which, while unable to eat as I used to, I changed my approach to eating and understood that I can manage to eat anything I want, just not everything that I want. I recently celebrated my 1-year anniversary. In that year, I lost 100 pounds, with my lowest weight being 134.4. The upsides of surgery are undeniable and I have no regrets. This was the verry best decision I ever made for myself. I’m a bit of an introvert and misanthrope, but I find myself jubilant for days when I get some appreciative attention. No one has flirted with me for years and it feels great. I have become a bit of a clothes horse (LOL) and have a great time shopping and dressing, things I never cared about in the past. I generally just feel a whole lot better about myself and the world, I find. But learning to maintain my new habits, my outlook, my motivation, that is where I find myself struggling. I’ve noticed since I made it into the 130 pound range that eating has gotten noticeably harder. It could be timing, my weight, my body’s adjustment, my mental state, or any combination of factors. But suddenly I find myself in a place where my past handle on controlling my eating has become completely unhinged. I’ve tried the “let’s just get back to basics” approach a few times and then found myself right back to the bad habits. So, what are these basics and the bad habits? Here is the score: Daily 60-70 grams of protein daily – easy, peasy without fail 64 oz of water – I think I’ve been pretty good here, but I recently began to really push water I hopes that it might solve some hunger issues. Weekends are my only big concern and I’m actively working on it. 2 Bariatric Fusion multi-vitamins daily – like clockwork I exercise (cardio, strength, and core) 3 times a week without fail, shooting for a 500 calorie burn each time. I also use my heart rate monitor when I walk the dog and track what calories I burn. I track my food, even my crazy binge eating days, every day on myfitnesspal.com and my food diary is open to my friends. I’m “HeatherTakesCharge” if anyone wants to find me. I am still trying to lose, so I try to keep my net daily calories (after exercise calories burned) to 800-1000. I find myself well over 2000 calories too often. My ultimate goal is 125 pounds, though I’m not overly concerned with it. As long as I’m not going up, I’m pretty happy. My biggest scare happened last week. I woke up one morning and found my weight above 140. Something has to change. My blood work, taken every 3 months since surgery, has been perfect. No issues. I can comfortably eat a HUGE amount of food compared to the limited number of bites I read many of you saying. My restriction is definitely there, but not like I’d hoped. I’d love to go back to the days when I could only eat a handful of bites at a time. I feel physical hunger pangs as well as dealing with head hunger. For the first 6 months, I could easily eat a piece of candy and satisfy my sweet monster. Now, even thinking about eating something sweet sends me into a monster craving to which I too often give in and in a ridiculous, binge eating way. It is SO scary. I swore I’d never eat like that again, yet here I am. I have intense acid reflux without medication, but my prescription Prilosec controls it well as long as I don not forget to take it. I battle reactive hypoglycemia occasionally. If I get a handle on it quickly, I can recover. But sometimes it just ruins my day, both calories-wise and by making me feel ill for an extended period. My food intake during the day is usually exemplary. It is the time I am at home when I make the very worst choices. My partner is fighting some insecurity and self-esteem issues, leading to what I consider deliberate attempts to sabotage my eating. Her answer is, “You did this to yourself. I’ll do what I want. You make your own choices.” Therefore, at least at home, I am unable to keep out the foods that I find most damaging. And she is the primary cook. I try to make my own dinner sometimes, but if I do it constantly, this also becomes a point of contention. Her choice of meals or places to eat out NEVER consider how it will impact my diet. The sabotage extends to the gym as well, with at least one melt-down a month about how my trips to the gym are ruining her life. Seriously. But that is a whole different issue, I know. I’ve dealt with the relationship issues successfully in the early months, so I know I can continue. But it is simply one more strain on the bigger picture, you know? So that is it. My head isn’t in the game any longer. I feel myself becoming more and more depressed and fearful that I’ll slip into that old “I’ll eat what I want” person who can not find the motivation to get back on track.

I don't think having a frozen meal when you're pressed for time otherwise would hurt you at all. I found a posting (forget where, was months ago) from a fellow sleever who doesn't cook. She wasn't losing weight as fast as her doctor liked, so her doctor gace her a list of acceptable meals with some guideline for trying others. here is that list. I saved it. Lean Cuisine: Glazed chicken Three cheese Chicken Chicken Parmesan Meatloaf with Gravy and Whipped Potatoes Smart Ones: Chicken Marsala with Broccoli Picante Chicken and Pasta Penne Pollo South Beach: Garlic Herb Chicken Healthy Choice: Beef Tips Portobello Traditional Turkey Breast Meals must meet the following guidelines: *Fewer than 300 calories *Fewer than 10 grams total fat *Less than 45 total carbohydrates *More than 15 grams of Protein *Less than 600 milligrams of sodium (preferred but not essential) Hope this helps!

I struggled with this, too, until about 6 weeks out. It defiinitely gets better. In the meantime, my tips are the ones you hear so often - eat very, very, very slowly. "Full" takes some time to register, so if you're eating with any rapidity, you'll likely become over-full suddenly. I also measured based on the volume I was currently tolerating. Early on, 2 tablespoons was my standard measurement for mushies and about 1oz for solids. That increased little by little. I'm at 7 weeks now and can tolerate about 2-3 oz of meats, 6-8 oz of mushies like yogurt or Soup. But still only with a very careful watch on eating slowly and analyzing how I feel. And even tonight I mixed it up, with 1 oz of cheese, 1/2 cup of soup, and some Protein puffs and suddenly realized I had mindlessly taken two bites too many. It doesn't happen as often these day, but it can still happen if I'm not being mindful. Hope this helps. Here's wishing you much luck and patience and you adjust.

I'm 7 weeks post-op today. I haven't stressed much about how much I am losing since surgery. Instead, I keep very careful track of my calories, Protein, and Water on MyFitnessPal so I'm not overeating. There isn't a lot of guidance from my doctor about how many calories I should be getting at this point. My guidelines are a simple 60-70 grams of protein a day. Reading everyone else's posts I determined that a daily goal of about 800 calories is what others are using for their goal, so I adopted that as my own. I should also note that I spent 7 days on a cruise ship with no way to track my food, but I lost 0.2 lbs. I'm not having any trouble eating or meeting my goals, but I wonder if my weight loss is typical or could be improved upon. Surgery Day: 208 7 week anniversay: 183 Is this normal? 25 lbs in 7 weeks?

Thanks so much for your quick replies and encouragement. I've felt very good about the journey until I started doing the math and second guessing myself today. Thanks goodness for this forum!

I am 15 days post op and having the exact same issue. I had a followup with my doctor a week ago - he said I probably tweaked my back using the terrible hospital bed or laying around so much. He also mentioned that it could be a sign of a bad gallbladder, but said this doesn't usually become an issue until months 3-6 post-op, from the quick weight loss. "Something to watch," he said. I asked if it would be okay for me to have a massage to work on it and he said as long as I can tolerate lying on my tummy, it isn't a problem. I have a massage scheduled for tomorrow morning. Hopefully it will help.

Hi all. I had my surgery on October 11th at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City under the care of Stan Hoehn. Day of surgery: Surgery at 10:30 am. I woke up in a lot of pain in my abdomen. The original recovery room pain meds didn’t help. The next meds they tried caused an allergic reaction - rash, trouble breathing, inability to focus, nausea. It took hours to convince the nurse that the Dilaudid was a problem. In retrospect, as I am allergic to morphine, I can’t believe they gave me a morphine derivative and then denied I was having a reaction, but that is having a bad nurse vs. a good nurse, I suppose. For the record, all of my other nurses and CAs were the best and truly a great group of healthcare professionals. The Demerol that they finally put me on (about 7:30 pm) gave me a bit of itching around my eyes and nose, but was far more tolerable. I was able to suck on ice chips, take a walk around the unit, and sleep pretty comfortably. Day 1 Post-op: Felt great, was doing great with all tests and measurements. Able to start Clear liquids. Every bite felt like I was filling my stomach with air – uncomfortable but not painful. Started taking Lortab Elixir. It tastes terrible, but it was nice to get away from the powerful drugs. Went home moving well and optimistic. Took my everyday meds (Wellbutrin,Kariva, and Zantac) and went to bed around 10 pm. Woke around 12:30 am feeling crazy nauseous and vomited repeatedly – very painful. Woke again at 3:30 am for another round. I was in so much pain and so nauseous that I could not get the Loratab down. Day 2 Post-op: Spent entire day in bed. It was almost too painful to get up to use the restroom. Too scared to take Loratab in case itmade me vomit again. Too nauseous to eat or drink, though I forced myself toget in 25 oz of Water before bed. A frightening, dismal day. Realized that I was not supposed to begin taking the Kariva or Zantac right away, so that was probably the cause. Day 3 Post-op: Called the doctor because I was so sick thatI was barely able to get anything down, including water. They prescribed an anti-nausea medication that dissolves on your tongue – took one and haven’t been sick to my stomach since! Still sore from vomiting, but feeling 100% better after getting the script filled and taken. Easily get my water and Protein minimums met. Took a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood and then took a nap. Day 4-6 Post-op: Energy is great and pain management is easy with liquid ibuprofen or Tylenol. Having soreness in my back, but probably due to too much sitting around. Was able to do household shopping and light cleaning around the house. Able to bend easily to scoop litter boxes, vacuum,and any other task that doesn’t require heavy lifting or pulling. Eating hasbeen an adventure. Protein shakes and liquids in general are no trouble. More solid things are hit and miss – pureed shrimp was okay, but salmon caused sliming. And sliming is no fun, but not painful, thank goodness. String cheese was fine once but not tonight. Hummus, eggs, avocado/yogurt Soup, and refried Beans have been no trouble. I find I am able to take one biteof just about anything and I am fine as long as I chew, chew, chew. And, ofcourse, I’m not trying anything outside of my nutritional guidelines. On the downside, I can’t tell when I am full, so I have been tying to keep all portions at about ¼ cup, as that seems to work without making me slime. Starting tomorrow, I need to really up my protein and water intake, so that might be a challenge as I feel like I have something in my mouth all the time already. LOL Hunger is mostly gone, but head hunger is alive and well. Dr. Hoehn prescribes a self-injected medicine called arixtra to help prevent blood clots. We must inject ourselves once a day for seven days following surgery. I was dreading this and was pleased to find that it is so easy and painless. Swab some tummy fat with an alcohol prep pad, pinch, and jab. The needle is so fine that I haven't felt it even a little. Believe me, super, duper easy. I see my doctor tomorrow to have the staples removed. I’m hoping to be cleared for a bath as I dearly love soaking in the tub. I've been showering, of course. I just miss my bathtub. Otherwise, I feel very much on track. I’m using myfitnesspal.com to keep track of every bite and that is so helpful. I am “hswelch” there if anyone would like to find me there.

Hi all. I had my surgery on October 11th at Shawnee Mission Medical Center in Kansas City under the care of Stan Hoehn. Day of surgery: Surgery at 10:30 am. I woke up in a lot of pain in my abdomen. The original recovery room pain meds didn’t help. The next meds they tried caused an allergic reaction - rash, trouble breathing, inability to focus, nausea. It took hours to convince the nurse that the Dilaudid was a problem. In retrospect, as I am allergic to morphine, I can’t believe they gave me a morphine derivative and then denied I was having a reaction, but that is having a bad nurse vs. a good nurse, I suppose. For the record, all of my other nurses and CAs were the best and truly a great group of healthcare professionals. The Demerol that they finally put me on (about 7:30 pm) gave me a bit of itching around my eyes and nose, but was far more tolerable. I was able to suck on ice chips, take a walk around the unit, and sleep pretty comfortably. Day 1 Post-op: Felt great, was doing great with all tests and measurements. Able to start clear liquids. Every bite felt like I was filling my stomach with air – uncomfortable but not painful. Started taking Lortab Elixir. It tastes terrible, but it was nice to get away from the powerful drugs. Went home moving well and optimistic. Took my everyday meds (Wellbutrin,Kariva, and Zantac) and went to bed around 10 pm. Woke around 12:30 am feeling crazy nauseous and vomited repeatedly – very painful. Woke again at 3:30 am for another round. I was in so much pain and so nauseous that I could not get the Loratab down. Day 2 Post-op: Spent entire day in bed. It was almost too painful to get up to use the restroom. Too scared to take Loratab in case itmade me vomit again. Too nauseous to eat or drink, though I forced myself toget in 25 oz of water before bed. A frightening, dismal day. Realized that I was not supposed to begin taking the Kariva or Zantac right away, so that was probably the cause. Day 3 Post-op: Called the doctor because I was so sick thatI was barely able to get anything down, including water. They prescribed an anti-nausea medication that dissolves on your tongue – took one and haven’t been sick to my stomach since! Still sore from vomiting, but feeling 100% better after getting the script filled and taken. Easily get my water and protein minimums met. Took a 15 minute walk around the neighborhood and then took a nap. Day 4-6 Post-op: Energy is great and pain management is easy with liquid ibuprofen or Tylenol. Having soreness in my back, but probably due to too much sitting around. Was able to do household shopping and light cleaning around the house. Able to bend easily to scoop litter boxes, vacuum,and any other task that doesn’t require heavy lifting or pulling. Eating hasbeen an adventure. Protein shakes and liquids in general are no trouble. More solid things are hit and miss – pureed shrimp was okay, but salmon caused sliming. And sliming is no fun, but not painful, thank goodness. String cheese was fine once but not tonight. Hummus, eggs, avocado/yogurt soup, and refried beans have been no trouble. I find I am able to take one biteof just about anything and I am fine as long as I chew, chew, chew. And, ofcourse, I’m not trying anything outside of my nutritional guidelines. On the downside, I can’t tell when I am full, so I have been tying to keep all portions at about ¼ cup, as that seems to work without making me slime. Starting tomorrow, I need to really up my protein and water intake, so that might be a challenge as I feel like I have something in my mouth all the time already. LOL Hunger is mostly gone, but head hunger is alive and well. Dr. Hoehn prescribes a self-injected medicine called arixtra to help prevent blood clots. We must inject ourselves once a day for seven days following surgery. I was dreading this and was pleased to find that it is so easy and painless. Swab some tummy fat with an alcohol prep pad, pinch, and jab. The needle is so fine that I haven't felt it even a little. Believe me, super, duper easy. I see my doctor tomorrow to have the staples removed. I’m hoping to be cleared for a bath as I dearly love soaking in the tub. I've been showering, of course. I just miss my bathtub. Otherwise, I feel very much on track. I’m using myfitnesspal.com to keep track of every bite and that is so helpful. I am “hswelch” there if anyone would like to find me there.

Good luck you guys!

Here I am! Here we go! Weeee! Everyone excited? Nervous? What are you doing to prepare?

Mine too! I'm so excited!

Just wanted to pop in and make myself known...not a lot of activity on this forum. Come out, come out, where ever you are!

Hello, Swizzly. Friends of family are of course welcome, too. Heck, everyone is welcome!

I love this! I was super happy to see my name on the list and realize that there are SO many of us! Thank you, Chris, for putting together this list. Good luck to us all!

Hi, Shell I thought a funnel would be useful for getting shakes and powders to cups and mugs without a mess. Click the link (on the word funnel above) if you're still not sure what I mean. Good luck with your surgery.

October 11th - less than 5 weeks before my November cruise. lol This should be quite a trip. Hope all you KC area sleevers are doing well!

Day two of my pre-op liquid diet was better. I drank a ton of water. I didn't have my 4th "optional" shake. And I felt great after buying a bunch of jello. It was a relief to take bites, if that makes any sense. I also bought a new tea to try and some different flavors of crystal light and propel. I get bored easily.

I have been struggling with whether I should tell my friends and family about my surgery...there are bound to be more questions and uncomfortable situations if I say nothing, but am I inviting judgement by being upfront? I guess you just can't avoid people altogether. lol Parents suck sometimes. Why couldn't he be happy that you're so brave for taking this step? Or proud that you've taken serious responsibility for your health? Hang in there - this is a hard journey. Thank goodness we have this opportunity to connect to people who understand.

Here I am in day 1 of my 2 week pre-op diet. I've been very excited to get here as it is a major milestone on the journey to getting "sleeved." I have to say, it hasn't been the easiest day for me. I feel a little like the universe is taunting me. The day began with a very good peanut butter cookie shake and a cup of peppermint tea. When I arrived at work I was greeted by an email that a co-worker had brought in homemade apple crumble. No problem. I filled my water bottle and went on with work. Lunch consisted of a terrible orange cream shake and I found myself both nauseous and wanting something more to eat. I filled my water bottle and went back to work. A few minutes later, the server from our executive dining room came by and offered me a piece of the leftover Robert Redford cake - one of my favorites! I gritted my teeth and declined. A few minutes later I ran into another co-worker who exclaimed how good he felt after indulging in a delicious, high-fat lunch (his words....can you believe it?). Are we such a food-centered world or am I being way oversensitive? Probably somewhere in the middle, I understand. But it is hard to not resent the easy, breezy offerings of empty calories without a thought for the consequences. I know, I know - I have made my decision and I can't expect the whole world to get on board just because I have. The payoff is going to be tremendous. I can't wait to start seeing the consequences of my decisions!

There are a ton of Youtube diaries out there. Here are some of my favorites: Kellawanda AtarisStar luvenit1979 Maryposa1978 I started my 2 week diet today! One more pre-op testing appointment (EKG, chest x-ray, and bloodwork) and I'm all set.

wow - congrats! Sounds like you're doing great!