SKCUNNINGHAM

There is a product available over the counter in all pharmacies. It is located where the laxatives are. It is a salty granular product - quite inexpensive. If you can't find it, ask one of the pharmacy employees. You mix it with water and drink it. It is awful and you will not enjoy the experience at all. Believe me, if you drink it at six in the evening, it will start working. I would plan on staying in the bathroom for a while. After you finally quit going, give yourself an enema. (also available where the laxatives are). The combo of the two will clean you out. This is the process I went through when I had a hysterectomy years ago, and I repeated the process prior to my sleeve. (My choice, not my doc's).

You look great! You should consider doing some modeling in some fashion shows or some such - the way your standing looks like you are at the end of the runway. All your work has paid off - enjoy the benifits.

Although I had my surgery in February - I hosted my husband's three day family reunion not long after my surgery. I cooked, baked cakes, bought bakery goods, etc - and served food throughout the three days. I had decided before the surgery what I could eat and when, and just set my mind to it - with little or no problems. I sat at the table with the family - ate my meals - and talked up a storm with folks I hadn't seen in a year. Everyone knew I had gone through the surgery, and eveyone was supportive. Looking back on the reunion - it was a lot of fun and I have great memories of it - and I don't remember any feelings of deprivation. Once, years ago, I was on the modi-fast diet. For nine months, I mixed powdered Protein mix into smoothies (no calories added except the protein powder) and ate nothing but smoothies and broth. I went through Thanksgiving and Christmas celebrations with the family. My sister and law and I cooked the whole shebang for both celebrations. She was suffering from really bad inflammatory bowel syndrome at the time - and all she was eating was mashed potatoes. She had her potatoes, and I had my smoothie and my broth. We had a great time during those holidays. It really came home to both of us that the celebration of the holiday with the family is about so much more than just eating a great meal. It is about family and friends, and sharing accomplishments, and catching up on what people are doing. Both holidays have much deeper meaning than just a gift exhange and a calorie festival. The important thing is making up your mind before hand, and making a plan. Then - you just do it. It got to the point that it really didn't bother me. Good luck with your surgery. If you do go through the holidays on the pre-op diet or just after surgery - my thoughts and prayers will be with you.

Two things were making me tired at about the period you are: 1) I needed to back off on BP meds - my BP was running about 90 / 55. I went to the doc and got to cut the meds in half. 2) I was anemic and had to start supplementing Iron. You probably need to go to your doc and get checked out.

To help me learn to know how much I was eating - I got myself a simple digital food scale (from Bed Bath and Beyond - many places have them). It has a button to push to turn it on, and a flat place to put the food. If you set a dish on top of the flat place before you push the button, it registers as zero with the dish on top, so you can put the food directly in the bowl. I would measure an ounce of meat, then sit down and eat. If I finished the ounce, I would get another ounce, and so on. I started out being able to eat one, then two - now three before I get full. I find out for the type of Protein I'm eating what the protein and calorie count is and convert that to the size portion I consume. I record everything I eat - still - and track my calories consumed, liquids ounces drunk, and the grams of protein, carb and fat. I also use measuring cups to measure some foods (cottage cheese, etc). I use 1/4 c, 1/3 c. and 1/2 c. I also bought a book that has all sorts of food listings (calories, Proteins and carbs). I have it setting next to my food journal. Also - you can find the nutrional value of almost anything by going to your browser and typing in the name of the food followed by nutriion. (for example: pork tenderloin nutrition). This will pull up all sorts of listings that provide the information. You will probably find one or two you like, and will go straight to them the next time. It is really important to get as much liquid in as possible. You should sip continuously throughout the day - except for while you are eating and the 30 minutes after you eat food. It is very easy for sleeve patients to get dehydrated, and that causes all sorts of problems. Walking and cardio is probably better for you during your early losing period than weight lifting.

Congratulations! What an outstanding discovery! As far as I know, on me, the light is purely theoretical. I hope it will be making an appearance sometime before year-end. About your size 9/10 pants - with current sizes (I swear they are bigger than they used to be) - they may be equivalent to a size 4. Anyway - what a nice thing to happen.

Quel - what are you eating and drinking? Are you keeping track of your Protein, carbs and liquids? Are you exercising? It's hard to give you ideas on what to do differently if you don't let us know those things. About being constipated - the first thing you need to do is to make sure you are drinking sufficient fluids. You need to be drinking at least 60 ounces of Fluid per day (I try to get in 80). Nothing moves through your system well if you don't keep it hydrated. Second, I don't know how much Fiber you are eating. Myself - I don't eat high fiber foods except some veggies - so I take fiber supplements. I put one or two benefiber packets in my morning smoothie or in other drinks sometime during the day. You can take 3 a day with no problem. They are tastless, and even mix in Water or crystal lite with no problem. Third - I need to utilize a stool softener to keep things moving along (again I think its because I don't eat high fiber high fat foods). I use Mylanta (again in my smoothie or a drink) most days (probably 5 out of 7 days). I also take about a tablespoon of flax oil every day. Mylanta isn't a laxative - it won't cause damage long-term. Doctors recommend it all the time for WLS patients. My bathroom habits aren't like the were pre-surgery - but it makes sense they are not. Less going in, less going out. But with the fluids, fiber, Mylanta and flax oil I have achieved a regular, painless schedule. If you decide to try this, it will take a few days for your system to kick in and achieve whatever your new normal will be. Good Luck!

I have some of this issues that you are talking about - but haven't gotten to the point of eating the wrong things to any large degree.As you can see by my ticker - I have had good results in the almost 7 months - but this is only 7 months compared to the rest of my life. I feel the pressures and want to respond in the same old ways. food has always been my emotional crutch, and I need help to address underlying issues. I am going to seek professional help - I would recommend you do too. You can hurt yourself physically if you don't get yourself in control. You don't want a leak. Please take your of yourself

If it is the smell of the Protein that is getting to you - try these. Try mixing protein powder into the 60 calorie puddings, or into cottage cheese with applesauce, or into Jello, or into homemade popsicles. If the smell is bothering you, rub something that has a smell you like under your nose - vanilla flavoring, lemon flavoring, etc. Or, if you like the smell / taste of coffee get some very strong, aromatic coffee Beans and put them in a little jar with a tight smelling lid. Loosen the lid, stick your nose into the jar of coffee - inhale deeply, take a bite of the protein mixed into something you like the taste of. If that's not working - get some vicks vapor-rub. Put some Vicks Vapor-Rub under your nose and inside your nostrils, or put it on cotton and place it in your nostrils. Eat the least upsetting protein you can get in your system while you are only smelling the Vicks. Police officers use Vicks to go into houses with dead/decaying bodies. If it can block that smell, it should be able to block the smell of the protein. If you are amenable to being hypnotized, a hypnotist could make not notice the smell and not react to it. It should be simple to do and be done in a single session - if you are able to be hypnotized. These may seem strange to you - but I would do da*n near anything to not have a feeding tube put in. Good Luck.

Random thoughts about what the sleeve has given me . . . In the last 6 1/2 months I have gotten rid of sleep apnea, high cholesterol and elevated triglycerides. I am off of 75% of my blood pressure medications. My joints don't ache like they used to. I sleep better than I have in years. In addition, I am able to do Zumba classes and enjoy them. I can ride a bike again. I am more active at home and find doing things around the house and property much easier. I can get down on the floor with my grandkids and not have help to get back up off of the floor. I am not ashamed to have a picture taken with family members or work associates. When I meet people for the first time, I am not worried that being morbidly obese will negatively impact the first impression I make. I am looking forward to traveling with my family next month rather than dreading the ordeal of traveling while being morbidly obese. I WON'T HAVE TO GET THE DA*N SEATBELT EXTENDER ON THE PLANE. I weigh less than my husband (by 50 pounds now!) I am smaller by far than his ex wife (yea!). My wedding rings fit again! I can go into any women's shop and find clothes that fit. When I go into one, I don't feel like a freak from the circus that has wandered in.

The following is what I would do in your situation. This is my opinion and in no way is meant to pass judgement on your situation. I would sit down with my husband and make out a budget for all of the things that are broken and need repaired, and an ongoing household budget assuming you get your foster son. Include a savings amount to build - rebuild your surgery fund. I personally would spend the money to get things fixed before I spent money on surgery if I was self-pay. I would talk to the foster agency to see what hoops you have to jump through to get approved and how long it is going to take before he can be living with you. I would make sure having surgery wouldn't impact your ability to foster (approval or feeling good enough to foster a child) I would talk to the surgeon and see if I could postpone surgery for a few (3-4) months - or until your surgery fund is built back-up. You could start / continue a sensible pre-op diet and get used to cooking for / having a child in the house prior to jumping into surgery. You could be losing weight while you get used to having a child, and re-building the fund. Sounds like you, your husband and your mom have big hearts. Best of luck to you.

I am so happy for you! Tears of joy are leaking from my eyes. Babies are wonderful and they are all God-given gifts - no matter how they join the family. I look forward to pictures of the little darling.

I have taken it every day (2 tablets) since about 1 month post surgery. The last time I had my hair cut, my beautician said she could see a new growth of hair over all my head, all the same length. She attributed it to the Biotin. Yes, my hair has thinned (I am at 6 1/2 months), but it is bearable. coq10 is good for your heart (I take it)- I don't think it does anything for your hair.

For Proteins, I was eating chicken, tuna, salmon, fresh fish, shrimp, pork roast (cooked in a crock pot), moist cooked ground beef, beef roast (cooked in a crock pot), baby bell cheese, laughing cow cheese, string cheese and cheddar or swiss cheeses. I really didn't start eating the pork or beef unitl about 3 months - at 6 weeks, it still upset my stomach. I also seldom eat eggs - I have a very low tolerance for eggs - they make me break out in hives if I eat too many (old alergy - nothing sleeve related). Eggs are a good Protein source and usually people have no trouble digesting them. The only dairy I ate was lowfat cottage cheese, lowfat Activia yogurt, or greek yogurt. I would occasionally (maybe once or twice a week) have a 60 calorie sugar free pudding cup. I might mix 1/2 applesauce or Water packed peaches with the cottage cheese. For veggies - I ate tomatoes, green Beans, squash, cucumber, sugar snap peas, carrots, green peppers and carrots. I started asparagras at six weeks. I stayed away from raw celery (only ate it cooked), and brocolli / cauliflower (raw or cooked) - didn't start it until later. I would make smoothies for Breakfast with nectar Protein powder and frozen strawberries and frozen banannas. I would sometimes use different fruit in the smoothies. For 1 smoothie , I use at most 1/2 bannana and approx 6 berries. I would eat a 2" long piece of corn on the cob maybe once /week. I would eat little melba toast squares occasionally with the laughing cow cheese on it. I didn't eat any other crackers or bread. I didn't (and still don't at 6 1/2 months) eat bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice or crackers). When I cook post roast, I might bend my rule and now eat a 1" cube of cooked potatoe. I drink EAS /Myoplex Protein drinks for breakfast if I don't make a smoothie. I also will occasionally use an Isopure PLUS Protein Drink. I also ate sugar free popsicles. Hope this helps - good luck with your sleeve.

Another positive side effect - I find myself smiling a LOT more.

I agree with everyone else -its the acid! Don't force yourself to sit at the table and watch others eat if it bothers you - give yourself a break. Also, try ISOPURE PLUS (not regular ISopure). The 8 ounce bottles either in punch or grape frost flavor. Tastes way better than anything else. Once I knew I liked it, I ordered it from Amazon.com.

Wow! If you ladies started kickboxing and boxing after 3-4 weeks, you must have capes and camis with a big red letter "S" on underneath your shirts! I am filled with admiration! I used to box a little with my trainer (back in a previous thin, healthy time in my life) and did a tiny bit of kickboxing. I couldn't do it all the way because my lower back would go out. I loved both of them. I still have my gloves (red) and hope to get back to it. What an ausome workout! Go for it! Post pictures!

Congrats on getting the surgery behind you! Today will be better than yesterday - you may even get to go home. Keep walking and sipping!

Two potential side effects - one applies to women 1) You will need to supplement Vitamin B12 2) women's hormone levels go a little nutty during the rapid weight loss phase, because fat cells store estrogen and it gets dumped into the blood stream. This can cause disruptions in cycles and some puberty like symptoms - but this tempers after a few months. I don't know about guys hormones.

On rare occasions, I will eat one hushpuppy. I will eat melba toast or a piece of flatbread. I'm not doing regular bread still - and I'm 6 months out. Don't even want to try to see how it sits with my sleeve until I hit goal. I sort of mentally think of "white carbs" as BAD STUFF to stay away from.

CONGRATULATIONS! You have done great! And you look smaller than 150. I am 5'4" and weighing 162, and I'm in 14's just to give you a comparison. I am so happy for you - enjoy your success.

I have no regrets. I had an easy recovery - one night in the hospital and then the rest at home. My only side effects since surgery are mild anemia (which I have had most of my life) and reflux (which I had prior to surgery for years). I did go through puberty hell for a couple of months due to the estrogen from the stored fat cells being dumped into my bloodstream - but that is over. That isn't a side effect of the sleeve - it is a side effect of rapid weight loss (no matter how you are losing it). I have no buyers remorse from having a body part removed. I have previously lost my gallbladder, bone spurs on my feet and all my reproductive parts. Part of my stomach didn't phase me at all. The reason I did the sleeve (with 118 pounds to lose) was to keep it off - not to lose it. I am a champion weight loser! This is the 5th time I have lost approximately 100 pounds. (see the thread on all the diets we have been on) I think this is my only chance to KEEP it off. You ask about being worried on long term results. The five year studies are fine - no bad results there. People have been living with gastrectomies for many years - lots longer than five - patients who had most of their stomach taken out because of some medical problem. I think my chances of living past 60 (I'm 54 1/2 now) are much better with the sleeve than without. And whatever time I get to stay here prior to starting the afterlife, I expect I will be healthier and happier. In summary - no regrets!

Julie - Sounds like you have found a new way to do a chiropratic adjustment!

Chunk - I think we all loved to eat and drink (if not alcohol - sodas, milk shakes, etc). You have to balance your love of that lifestyle with your desire to live a longer and healthier life. You will not be able to eat the quantity of food you do post-surgery you do pre-surgery. After a year, you will be able to eat almost anything in small quantities. You could probably drink in small amounts. I have discovered a small serving of food (whatever it is) satisfies me and I don't want anymore - and the family celebrations don't miss a beat if I have 1 small helping rather than eat like a pig at the trough (like I used to). And if I have a small sip of a mararita then switch to something else it certainly doesn't impair my enjoyment of the evening and it doesn't seem to bother anyone else I'm not drinking (more for the rest of them is their attitude). It's a tough decision - and you are right to give serious consideration to whether this is a step you want to make. This is a forever thing, not something you will do for a couple of months then can go back to how you were before. Good luck.

I am 6 1/2 months out and I eat around 800 calories per day, and get in my Protein. Here is what I eat in a normal day Breakfast at 5:30 am smoothie consiting of 25g Protein powder (Nectar's Fuzzy Navel or Vanilla), 1/3-1/2 frozen bannana and 6 frozen strawberries, mixed with Mylanta powder, benefiber powder, 1T of Flax oil and crushed ice and Water. I use my Magic Bullet. (210 callories, 24 1/2 g Pr, 26 g C 1g F) Snack at 10:00 am Baby carrots or raw sugar snap peas or cherry tomatoes (40 cal for 10 grams C) or 1 baby bell cheese (56 cal 6 g Pr, 0 g C, 6 g F) lunch at noon Tuna (one of those packages of white Tuna) mixed with 2 T of dill relish and 2 T of lite miracle whip (130 Cal 18 Pr, 4 C, 5 g F) Either the carrots, snap peas or tomatoes (40 cal , 0 gr P, 10 g C, 0 g F) Snack at 4 pm 1 baby bell cheese (56 cal 6 g Pr, 0 g C, 6 g F) If I don't get in the snack at 4 and don't eat anything until driving home, I munch on a snack of beef jerky (120 C 22 g P, 5 g C, 1.5 g F) dinner around 7:30 3 oz broiled chicken or fish (163 c 25 g Pr, 7 g F) or 3 oz beef or pork (max would probably be 223 cal 22 g p 15 F) or 8 shrimp (boiled with the tails on) (40 cal 8 g P ) about 1/2 c cooked veggies (asparagras, squash, etc) (20 calories 5 g C) Depending on which choice I make during the day - this can be from 700 - close to 900 calories. Depending on what protein I eat at 4 or driving home, I select the protein choice I eat for dinner to get me to the total protein I want for the day. I try to hit around 800 calories and get my protein in. I I choose a day where I eat Activia yourt for a snack, I back of on the veggies so I don't go crazy for the carbs that day. I don't eat white carbs very often - and when I do it's a tablespoon of rice with my chinese food.