PdxMan

Trust me ... I do!

So, I post a link to this article about twice a year and I think it is due. The article speaks to emails, but text messages and forum posts will also apply as the basic underlying medium is the same. In my opinion, we just need to assume when we read a message, there is a very good chance we are mis-interpreting it.

That is exactly what I did. Bought a hickory smoked hambone (ask the meat dude at the grocery store) and made lentil soup with onions and carrots. Grabbed a rotisserie chicken from the store and after it cooled in the fridge, pulled the meat off, added veggies, cooked, pureed. I use the 8oz mason jam jars and toss them in the freezer. Then, on my way out to work, I grab one and I am set. As you progress though, you puree your Soups less and less until you are eating like a real person! And don't forget to add veggies, even to the chili, as those are the best carbs to get. I have suggested to so many folks on here to not do the low-carb thing. With such limited calories, we need carbs for energy.

Call me what you will, but on my first date (with my eventual wife), I told her that I do not Celebrate Valentine's Day. I am not going to let Hallmark tell me when I should recognize the significant other in my wife. If she has to be told when to recognize me as an important person in her life, then I don't want any part of it. Buuut ... we recognize each other and our affection for each other throughout the year. I bring flowers home and buy her some "thing" occassionally. I will make her favorite meal in the middle of the week for absolutely no "special" reason other than to see her smile. I try not to have it be on a "special" day so as to make every day special. I know a lot of people do this, too, and also celebrate Valentine's Day, and that is great. It's just not for me. This morning, I gave my wife a kiss and said, "Happy Valentine's Day," and that will be about it. I will be taking my daughter out to the fanciest restaurant in town tomorrow. She is looking so forward to it trying to find a "fancy" dress. Call me an old codger, but this works for me. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone.

Any and every Soup, pureed. Doesn't look as nasty as the baby-poop pureed meats. If you are eating those, just don't look at it when you eat. I pureed lentil/ham/veggie soup, chx veggie and turkey chili. Easy on the tummy and soooo delicious.

As you do your due diligence in researching whether a WLS procedure is right for you, please be sure to research the complications and talk to your surgeon about them, too. I am not going to quote an absolute percentage, but I do know that for the sleeve, it is under 3%. Iggy fell into that 3% and I read through a lot of her posts during her recovery. It was truly heartbreaking and I am so thankful she is recovering and remaining a member of VST, if for no other reason than to remind folks researching the sleeve to do their homework and know the complications. My surgeon had less than a 1% complication rate, so be sure to ask them, too. And not just leaks right after the surgery, you need to ask them about complications with their patients 2,4,6 ... months out as that is when some of the issues present themselves. I am not a risk taker by any means, but i was willing to take on the <3% complication rate and believe I would be able to get through whatever it would be. I had <3% chance of a complication, but I had a 100% chance of complications from being morbidly obese. I needed a change with my relationship with food and the sleeve has helped me do this. I love my sleeve and wouldn't change a thing.

What I find interesting is they have not responded, yet, after being so heated with you, NurseGrace. I checked their activity and noticed they were on and surfing the forum for quite a while after I posted. As OP and since I quoted a post of theirs, they should have also received an email (default setting, can be changed) their post was quoted and the listing of their content would have reflected a new post to their thread. Hopefully, my post struck a sympathetic nerve and as a mental health professional, reminded them of the oaths they took.

I did not have this issue, but getting IV fluids is very common for those who cannot, for one reason or another, get their fluids in. If you had some complications with infections which is delaying the healing process, you definitely do not want to compound the issue by being dehydrated. You are doing the right thing by staying on top of this. Just do what they suggest and know this is just a minor blip on your road to recovery.

4 days post op here. My surgeon told me as long as I felt comfortable it was fine. Just no acrobatics. 4 days ... scissors. Yup. All good.

*hugs NurseGrace hugs*

Oye ... yes. you should fix that. Otherwise, people are going to see that gets through the filter and then we're going to see it everywhere. That is totally f****d up.

Ha! That is what I tell my wife when she says how weird I am. "Hey, you must be really weird, then, because you picked me!"

Uhh ... I play for the other team.

It's her idea! Woot! Woot!

Being less Celibate

chicken wings ... I used to be able to throw down 12-18 of the big ones. Not the ones you get at restaurants. I'm talking the big ones. I make them for the Super Bowl every year. This year, it took me all game to get in 6. And that was all I ate. Before, it would be the wings, 7 layer dip, hot dogs, nachos ... Yeah, no chicken wing eating contest for me.

Sorry, I just find this post so funny. From this, I take it you have a background in the mental wellness arena. Assuming this is true, throughout this entire thread you have been pressing the point that not telling the ENTIRE story of a personal, medical decision, you are committing a lie of ommission. First off, you of all people should know that we all have our own moral compass. You do not live by my morals and I do not live by yours. I'm sure there are many aspects of my life you would find objectionable and I'm sure I would find many aspects of your life just as objectionable. Don't impress your morals on me and I won't impress mine on you. Deal? Just to let you know, when discussing the number of kids I have with people, I do NOT let them know I had a vasectomy. I have been asked if my sunglasses were prescription which I replied, "No, they're just regular polarized lenses." I did NOT say I had lasik eye surgery. While playing tennis and I nail my seventh serving ace, I do NOT tell my opponents I had shoulder surgery 5 years ago. By your morals I am a big lier. Sorry, the entity I have to answer to is OK with that. I'm just amazed someone in the mental health field would feel so obligated to try to shame people. Not only on one post, but continually throughout the thread. Just respect that you have an opinion on something and they have theirs. Perhaps you should examine your own shortfall that you must press this point ad nauseum?

You have to request the test. The AndroGel is the more expensive option and you have to be sure to thoroughly wash your hands after. Touching people after, especially pregnant women, is a bad thing. I get a shot in the hiney each week. So cheap my insurance covers it 100% (they didn't cover $1 of my WLS). It's not a big deal. Takes less than a minute. Your doctor may even let you do the injections yourself. My Dr office is 2 blocks from my work, so it's no biggie for me.

Blood test. And the testosterone supplements do not work. If he has an inkling his testosterone levels are low, then they most likely are. Sex drive is not the only indicator. Inability to focus, depression and just drive in general are affected.

It may not be the cause, but if his levels are low, it could help. BTW, if I hadn't gotten any in 2 years, I'd be a little off kilter as well. Just sayin'

Why not start counseling right now? How well do you communicate? Are you rigorously honest in every aspect of your life? Sometimes it takes courage to make the first move and do the behaviors you desire from your spouse. If you want them to communicate more about their feelings, then you need to start with doing it yourself. If there is unconditional love there, you will be fine. It's like this. If you want backrubs, start giving backrubs. *** EDIT *** Has he had a physical lately? Had his testosterone levels checked?

Yeah, I was the same way. I could always gain faster than I lost. I weighed myself once a month, so I never knew if I was a slow loser. I didn't want to beat myself up for not losing day to day or week to week, so weighing once a month, I always saw a loss until I hit goal. It kept me motivated.

I am actually sitting next to about 3 cases of Girl Scout Cookies my co-workers bought from my daughter.

I started probably at about 4 months with iceberg lettuce. When I was totally OK with that, I started adding in romain dropping iceberg alltogether. Then, started adding spinach in the same way. At about 6 months, I was adding kale. Just take it slowly and listen to your body.