4ALongerLife

sorry on the returns in shipping and handling cost! i've been finding out about that lately myself (i am looking to try strawberry mousse from nectar Syntrax... that's a good mixing Protein powder and you can buy 13 bags of trial sizes for like 11 or 13 dollars on bj bariatrics.... i didn't ask for strawberry mousse and i bet i'd love it). anywho, my apologies on your ordeal with isopuke. some ppl rave and love it, not i popeye. cytomax pure protein is undergoing a remarketing i just found out this weekend. it'll be called whey isolate or whey protein in Vitamin shoppe but still by cytomax. the ones that i like are 160 cals and the bottles are about 20 oz and 40 g of protein (to anyone else that might be reading this and wonders!). yeah i'll miss Cookies lil monster, but nothing taste as good as being thin feels..... or so I hear! he he (hope we ALLLLL know soon!) hugssss

sleeveInSD has it right.... do do do your incentive spyrometer (10 times an hour if you can, do it on commercials) and walk as much as you can stand. Glad you are better now JaniRN, wishing you success in your journey and saying prayers for you!

You DA BOMBBBBBB.... rock it rainydayz!

I too wish you the best with surgery. Know that you do have support here, you just have to ask for it.

Well, from what I understand, it's all up to your dr. on how long the preop diet is. My dr. asked that we all lost 25 lbs prior to surgery and I did that in 14 days 4 weeks prior to surgery, thanks to new hypothyroid pill dosage. But from what I know, that's his 'standard' diet. All of these diets are done to shrink your liver, which is done through weight loss. Not sure if he asks all patients to lose weight earlier on .... but since he's had the surgery himself, maybe he didn't want all of his patients to suffer. I'll ask him next time I see him. And he did use staples. He even told me a more clinical version of the reason that the leak occurred (and the staples name) but if I had that good of a memory, I'd be on jeopardy! (dang it, i need ginko biloba!)

Unjury chicken soup is good...... fyi. Just don't overheat it... or it'll clump up. You can buy it online. But the clear liquids are not a "thrilling" stage, sorry.

Thanks so much writergirl and notime. I just worry I'm going to fail on this as well as the other million diets that I've done. And after all that I've done complication wise, dammit I don't want to fail. (praying) Sorry I have "my moments" where I freak. I just happened to type it out lol.. thanks for your support.

CamarilloCA, where did you buy those cases of Isopuke? I mean, Isopure Sorry I hated those, they tasted like watered down Protein bullets which make me wretch. But fyi, GNC and Vitamin Shoppe have really GREAT return policies. Vitamin Shoppe is like 30 days on returns I think. Keep your receipts - you can even bring them back opened w/in so much time. I LOVE the Cytomax Pure Protein clear liquid drinks - specifically the tropical (which is green and I call it my nuclear kool aid) and tangerine. They are much more flavorful. I have a watermelon one chilling in the fridge to try as well (as they were on 50% off since they are remarketing them and renaming them, but thank you jeeshus they are still making them!) lol and btw, I LOVE your picture... that's too cute!

Hi Suzcomptime! I had extreme pain in my left side. It was the abscess (where my body sucked the leaked contents and tried to singly put it into one area to protect me... our bodies are so amazing, but mine was still in A LOT of pain).

You aren't alone. Come on here and find a few ppl to ask and speak with. I'm not "close" to anyone yet, but there are several great supports here (like Lissa, she rocks!). But there are several others. You are NOT alone.... hang in there.

Eggface ROCKS. I've not tried this .. I didn't know how it'd be... so glad to read your post. Thank you!

Only if you strain it! Yeah take all of the good stuff out..... But fyi - I loved miso soup during my clear phase. Again, strained, but it was very filling (we got it from a local sushi shop that is very good).

Someone showed me today at lunch (thank you LBeauty!)... put your food in, then choose "number of servings" and on the serving size on the furthermost left side, put a 0 then on the right, put 1/8 or 1/4 or 1/3 .. whatever amt you have eaten of the food. I have a masters too, but had to have someone show me on my iphone! lol

In the beginning, Did you follow all the recomended precautions like the liquid diets a few weeks ahead and then Clear liquids? My dr. had me do a presurgery diet for 3 days prior to surgery. It started with soft foods, then two days of clear liquids. I honestly don't know how I got through it, but I had to ask my husband on was it that bad. Just like childbirth, I forgot how bad it was, lol. Did you do pre op and post op test? Did your dr. check over for leaks, if so when? Yes, I did all pre op tests and post op tests. I was checked for leaks several times as I had pneumonia after my original first 3 days in the hospital. Normal length of stay for my dr. in the hospital is 2 days but my temp kept spiking more than the usual small spikes you have after surgery. So they kept me an extra day on antibiotics, "to be sure" that I'd be ok. I remember before discharge on the original surgery (3/5-3/7) I was checked for a leak and was all good. After admission for pneumonia (3/9-3/14) I know I was checked at least once for a leak and nothing was found. Did you follow the reccomended liquid diets after? and the blended solid diet there after? I only made it to the progression of liquids after my original discharge. I was on clear liquid for a while then my dr. does a one week "step" up between clear liquids and fulls... where you can add milk Protein shakes and protein powders but not the cream Soups yet. I was readmitted with extreme pain in my left side (come to find out it was a leak/abscess in my diaphragm and that hospital stay was 3/19-3/29). I remember one night during my pneumonia stay I added Protein drinks because I told my dr. I felt hungry a lot. He said I could try to add some protein, and I took 3 oz with protein and was very full that night in the hospital. I didn't want to touch it again after that so I made sure I only got my 4 oz an hour - and only 1 oz every 15 mins. I was very strict on this, until I got to the milk protein phase. I did 4 to 5 oz.s in an hour of Premier Protein vanilla shakes. Now I haven't been able to drink them yet because I saw what came out of my abscess and that color looked very familiar... Did you pick up heavy things or over do it? NO, NO, NO again I say NO. Believe me, my dog missed me holding her. Who was your Dr.? Dr. Harry Meyers in Dallas and Plano TX What kind of reaction did you have and how did you know something was wrong? Well I've detailed my reactions I think and I knew something was wrong whenever I had a shooting pain in my left side (where the bra line is on the left of my back/kinda my side) and about 3 am I could NO LONGER sleep. I went to the recliner, trying to get comfortable .... about 845 am I had to page my dr. and told him I was in so much pain... he said go to the hospital NOW, I'm calling them. So 3/19 I was admitted to the hospital that afternoon, after doing ANOTHER barium swallow, then a CAT scan that found the abscess (thank you to that radiologist) and whammy, they saw the leak. Just to add, most of what I've read on leaks are not caused by anything. Honest. It's not the dr., it's not their skill (or lack thereof)... it's freak'n "luck." For me, it was come to find out, my stomach line (the new sutured one) necroted away from the suture line and that exposed everything going into my belly. Wasn't anything but "luck" (yeah I have a choice f work for this and it's not "fun"). But then again I understand now that most ppl that had what I did spend 3 to 4 months in the hospital where I spent almost 1. So I guess it's better for all of this to happened to me than someone else.... but I still am thinking of that f word and it ain't "fun." I do not believe it to be anything my dr. did wrong. Mind you ... these sort of complications only occur to 1% of the population. Or so I've read! One additonal question that I think is important for anyone considering this journey: Do I regret my surgery? No, not anymore but for a while, yes I did. But I have to remember why I did this and it is not for vanity. I did this to hopefully beat cancer, heart disease and diabetes that runs in my family and has killed my mom at 56, my paternal g'ma at 50 and my father at 63. I want to live longer for my son, I want to be around as long as I can be for him and his family (or so I hope). I've lost 52 lbs (mostly due to all of these complications) and I hope to continue to my goal weight, at least 40 more lbs down the line..... and hope that I increase my life expectancy and "beat" my genetic predispositions. (sorry this was so long!)

Hey ThinningMike... the Cytomax pure Proteins are being remarketed as "whey (something I can't remember if it's whey isolate or whey protein) by cytomax". I buy them by the case and just an fyi. They aren't gone from Vitamin Shoppe (or anywhere else) but they are repackaged. Sadly I was so happy that they weren't gone. What a robust life huh? lol

Kudos to all of you and best wishes! My father died at 63. He said many a times he wanted to do something like this, but I don't guess he ever gained the courage to pursue it. IDK if he would have, would it have helped him live longer, but there are many a days (if not every one of them) that I wish he was around for me to have found out. I wish you all the very best luck with your surgeries and I wish you a successful journey!

Are you drinking liquids throughout the day as well? I've been told don't drink close to eating (you know the rule you've read 30 mins before 30 mins after eating do not drink). I'm having head hunger issues, they are a pain and hard to control fo sho! I'm trying to stick to 4 oz.s in an hour, period. Not sure if that's "right" at this point in the progression, sorry alot help i'm not i guess

I'm struggling with getting enough liquid in most days, but even when I do for a few days... I don't go as much as I did pre-surgery. And glad you asked because I thought it was just me as well!

You guys are such an inspiration to me. Thank you for your inputs. IDK why I am resistant to myfitnesspal.com but I'm gonna hafta try it. I write down what I have but then I don't always know the carb intake and other items. And btw, I know blackberry juice, that's the most caloric intake I've seen yet on here but for as much as you work out, I believe you have to do that. My dr. told me the same (I used to do 5 to 6 miles on the elliptical 5 times a week and an hour of weight lifting before or after the elliptical... and my dr. told me I'd probably have to have at least 1800 calories after my metabolic test but right now, I'm just trying to figure out all of this diet as I progress back to normal and still how to lose the remaining weight). Thank you guys for pushing yourselves to success and sharing the details with the rest of us. It is purely inspiration! Thank you.

Everything in this country revolves around food. I've missed so many meal times with my family and my son's said, "Mama I miss you at the dinner table." But should I sit there and watch them eat? lol... um no. Anything that is worth it, It's not easy. And this sho ain't easy! But I try to remember, I did this to not die of the heart attack that killed my mother at 56 years young, or the one that killed my paternal grandmother at 50 years of youth, nor do I want the diabetes or cancer that killed my dad at 63. You aren't alone in your frustrations. It's just a period of change, a biggun. Hang in there!

I am in the mushies phase now and I'm doing cottage cheese, apple sauce, ricotta cheese with SF syrups, yogurt, cream of wheat, protein puddings, egg salad, crustless quiche (or so's the plan, it's in the fridge now), cream of chicken soup, cream of chicken and mushroom soup (sometimes I add more chicken to these cream of soups... just taking a can of chicken, packaged like tuna, and adding it for addtl protein) and my clear protein drinks. I'm struggling with my drinking, still!

Thank you Lissa! I hope to be successful like you are and have been... keep up the great work!

OMG You should change your name to FFranny on here Joni.. you crack me up! I don't remember being uncontrollably gassy. I DO remember feeling bloated. Let's just say not great experiences while I was on flagile but I had that for pneumonia and a leak. Yuck I WILL be "allergic" to flagile forevermore!