Fiddleman

.. . Ate at a place called azule in mill creek. Chumnuckles have barcardi rum, armadillo (sp?) among other things. Room swimming...swim, swim,swim...

I bet I could get 1200 calories from eating tortilla chips all day long. Those suckers chew down to nothing, especially the kind they serve you in Mexican restaraunts. Just saying that there are ways...

Try the following every day: 1. A cap of miralax, mixed with 32 oz Water . Flavor the water as you desire. Drink. 2. Add 2 tbsp chia seeds to 8 oz of water in a blender cup. shake vigorously every 2-3 minutes for 20-30 minutes or until seeds are gelled. You will know they are gelled enough when seeds stop moving after a shake of blender cup. Add 1 serving of favorite Protein shake into blender cup. Nix thoroughly until Protein powder is properly mixed into gelled chia seed liquid. Drink. 3. Drink 100+ oz of water a day This should help you have at least 1 BM a day, reliably. It has worked great for me. It is important to drink lots of water in order for chia seeds and miralax to do their magic.

Before 18 months? I think it starts to break down at six months. At least that is what happened to me. Hoping it reverses and gives me better restriction.

That is great news to know what is wrong and a plan for removal. Happy Easter!

Any updates? Been praying for your healing.

I just stumbled across the diclofenac patch while researching non oral NSAID alternatives. I have diclofenac in oral form, but it is known to be really hard on the stomach for anyone, sleeve or not. For this reason I am extremely cautious about taking it at all. This is an adhesive patch that can be applied to an area for up to 12 hours. This sounds perfect as we can get the effects of an NSAID while avoiding any GI issues. I am going to talk to my doctor about this because it is prescription only. I wonder why he did not tell me about this, especially after I expressed my concerns about taking a high does of IBUProfen orally. Has any one used these and know their effectiveness? I am so excited as this might provide son real relief without risking the stomach.

Sounds like we should strive for the Triangle or Trapezoid body shapes: http://www.ethicalinstyle.com/ethical-fashion-advice/ethical-fashion-advice-for-men/how-to-dress-for-your-bodyshape/how-to-dress-male-trapezoid-body-shape-male-inverted-triangle-body-shape/ The link even suggests how to dress for these body types. Nicole- your husband sounds like a Triangle Guy.

As much as this may be desirable, I am not brave enough to do this...yet. Wait until I buff up a little from cross fit where I will be able to do "The Arnold" and pump my guns. Right now, I am a bit underweight in the torso and arms.. that is what running will do to you. I do try and counter it by eating 150+ G Protein a day and doing strength training. Gotta kick it up a few notches so I am Abercrombie ready. Lol.

I missed the last one, but have been trying to get there every month post op if I am not on a trip somewhere.

Hi sleeve twin! I was a July 2nd also!

I recently posted the following comments on another thread and thought they were useful enough to live stand alone in a new thread: If it is helpful, my NUT at Swedish hospital in Seattle (yay Britney) recommended eating like the induction phase on Atkins for the pre op diet. I did not have any trouble with that as lots of practice there over the years. The Atkins Induction phase is essentially a very low carb diet, no breads, starches, caffeine, etc. You eat proteins as much as possible with some low glycemic vegetables. The surgeon stated that I had a super healthy and small liver because of doing this type of eating pre op. Most people will end up losing 10 lb. a week by eating low carb before surgery. For example, I switched my diet one month before surgery to be like Atkins induction phase and lost about 30 lbs dropping my weight to 335 lb., probably reducing complications that might have been present had I been 30 lb heavier and still eating junk. I felt it also gave me a good kick start on learning to eat better *before* post op physical and mental struggles. Really important!! Maybe this simple suggestion will help you or others who read this later. I also like the idea of drinking protein shakes before surgery. That will help you get used to the post op drinking of protein shakes. All we drink are protein shakes for up to 3 weeks post op (aka the liquid phase) so the more you prepare yourself for this, the better. However, I do have to warn you that your favorite protein shake flavor pre op may no longer be your favorite protein shake flavor post op. Our tastes often change when going over to the other side. For this reason, it is not a good idea to load up on tubs of protein powder pre op thinking you will be also drinking the same flavors post op. happened to me. MyBariatricPantry.com and other sites like this let you buy sample packets of protein shake flavors. Try some or all until you pick one or more that you do not mind drinking. Again, do this post op as your tastes may have changed after your stomach is removed. I happen to like Nectar sweets (several flavors) both pre op and post op, but did not like Nectar fruits post op where others really like Nectar fruit flavors post op. I used to be big on peach and banana flavors pre op, but hated them post op. Everyone will have different tastes. I still have 1-2 protein shakes daily. They are really helpful for when I need a low effort 1st meal and a recovery drink after working out. Still love to drink Nectar Cookies and Cream even today. I feel good that protein shakes are helping me get in an extra 40-50 grams of protein a day. I try and eat 150+ g of protein a day today. Water and milk will taste different post op, maybe even gross or cause GI issues. I could not drink milk again due to lactose intolerance issues until month 5 post op and plain water again until month 6 post op. You may find an alternative like light soy or almond milk will work just as well as nonfat/low fat milk post op; it will be smoother on your stomach and less trips to the bathroom. Everyone is different. As for water, I could taste all the minerals and it sat heavy in my stomach post op. I am still flavoring my water today at month 9 post op, but can drink bottled and tap water again without flavor if the need arises. Luckily, the need does not arise very often because I have water flavoring in my pocket most of the time. Try and drink as much water as possible to flush toxins from your system. As you are dropping weight, the stored toxins are released into your liver and it needs all the flushing it can get to keep up. I try and drink 100+ oz water a day today. An Atkins style diet without the higher fat foods actually works remarkably well post op to drop lbs month over month until you are able to add back in good carbs around month 5 or 6. For example, month 1 (45 lbs.), month 2 (45 lbs.), month 3 (15 lb), month 4 (15 lb), month 5 (15 lbs.) and month 6 ( 15 lbs). I am maintaining at around 180 lbs now for 2 months. This is only a suggested style of eating post op as it will not work for everyone nor will it be preferred by everyone. As an aside, I also added coffee back in at week 6 and alcohol at month 6. My remaining pre op vices, I suppose. Hey, I am a Seattleite and need my coffee! Today I have transitioned into a Paleo diet with supplementation (shakes and bars) to help optimize my running and cross fit activities. Up until month 5, my exercise was mostly walking / elliptical and I encourage everyone to really get good at walking before taking on additional exercise activities. Besides, your dog will love you for it! Hope this helps! Please add other tips that have worked for you so pre ops will have a smoother transition to post op with regards to eating and drinking.

We better stop this talk and reminiscing of dream donuts before we get a bunch of hate PMs.

Maybe you are right about the hunger thing and artificial sweeteners... I use mostly Splenda to sweeten my coffee. Will have regular sugar in certain things, but try and minimize it. For example, my Protein bars have 2 g sugar for the real chocolate they are dipped in ( nu go slim bars). I have also tried Stevia with success. It tastes better than Splenda, but a little harder to find and costs little more. One thing about Stevia that I can appreciate is It is twice as efficient as Splenda. Only 1/2 amount is needed for coffee when compared to Splenda. Also there are some articles that say Splenda is made in a lab where Stevia is natural. Not sure if the stories that Splenda originally was derived from rat poison R&D are true or just marketing hype by anti-Splenda agenda.

If it is helpful, my NUT at Swedish recommended eating like the induction phase on Atkins for the pre op diet. I did not have any trouble with that as lots of practice there. it is essentially a very low carb diet, no breads, starches, etc. You eat Proteins as much as possible with some low glycemic vegetables. This kind of diet actually works remarkably well post op to drop lbs until you are able to add back in good carbs. The surgeon stated that I had a super healthy and small liver because of doing this when he opened me up. Most people will end up losing 10 lb in a week by eating low carb before surgery. For example, I switched my diet one month before surgery to be like Atkins induction phase and lost about 30 lbs, probably reducing complications that might have been present had I been 30 lb heavier and still eating junk. I felt it also gave me a good kick start on learning to eat better *before* post op physical and mental struggles. Really important!! Maybe this simple suggestion will help you or others. I also like the idea from space dust regarding drinking Protein shakes before surgery. That will help you get used to the post op drinking of Protein Shakes. All we drink are protein shakes for up to 3 weeks post op, so the more you prepare yourself for this, the better. However, I do have to warn you that your favorite protein shake flavor pre op may no longer be your favorite protein shake flavor post op. Our tastes often change going over to the other side. For this reason, it is not a good idea to load up on tubs of Protein powder pre op thinking you will be also drinking that post op. MyBariatricPantry.com and other sites like this let you buy sample packets of protein shake flavors. Try some or all until you pick one or more that you do not mind drinking. Again, do this post op as your tastes may have changed after your stomach is removed. I happen to like nectar sweets (several flavors) both pre op and post op, but did not like Nectar fruits post op where others really like Nectar fruit flavors post op. i used to be big on Peach and banana flavors pre op, but hated them post op. Everyone will have different tastes. Water and milk will taste different post op, maybe even gross. I could not drink milk again due to lactose issues until month 5 post op and plain water again until month 6 post op. You may find an alternative like light soy or almond milk will work just as well as nonfat/low fat milk post op. it will be smoother on your stomach. Everyone is different. As for water, I could taste all the minerals and it sat heavy in my stomach post op. I am still flavoring my water today at month 9 post op, but can drink bottled and tap water again without flavor if the need arises.

Great- looking forward to meeting you in person!

You are such a success!! What kind of exercise do you do?

Darn, I thought I was making progress for a moment...

You would probably be mad at me if one showed up on your doorstep fed ex overnight. Might not even be stale by the time you get it!!