kacee

I got a subscription to WLS Lifestyles. Looks like an interesting publication. You might check it out on line. I'm all for any supportive publication geared to the WLS group that may give some insights, interesting articles, recipes, and anything else to support the journey!

Hi guys! Kacee here checking in post-op on surgery day! Was at the hospital (Park Plaza, Houston) this morning at 6:30. They put me in my room to wait and I fell sound asleep. They came in to take my BP and it was 85/44 which left them blinking and saying "Man, you really ARE unconcerned about this procedure, aren't you!" After taking it several times on several machines my highest reading was 110/69 which made them happier and said it wouldn't give the anesthetist a heart attack....haha. Found out that Dr. Spivak WAS going to use the low-profile port which I had asked the staff if I could get. Things went smoothly and the operation was at about 10:20. Dr. Spivak was lovely as usual and his med-support staff were outstanding and understanding. It was "bouncy" in the pre-op room with three of us yakking our heads off with the nurses (who played show-and-tell and showed us where their ports are, which was neat). Discomfort initially, but only in shoulder area which then went to my neck in recovery (I'll say about an 8 in pain). They shot me full of wonderful drugs in recovery and I was a happy camper. Back to my room around 2:00 or so to sleep on and off. Had jello, ice tea, water, popscicle and marched around the floor several times (they kept saying "SLOW DOWN! This isn't a race!" Pre-requisite for leaving was a nice healthy PEE which I could not muster. They kept filling me with saline bags in my IV to no avail, until I was feeling like Tweedle Dum from Alice in Wonderland bouncing around like a big bubble. The nursescalled Dr. S. about 6:00 we alternated walking me around (NO PROBLEM) and sitting on the potty with running water, etc (all the little tricks of the trade to get me to go). Nothing. Finally decided to cathetherize me about 8:00. Use a straight cath...got it in okay but nothing happened which left four nurses scratching their heads. Finally decided to use a Foley and there it came. A lovely 500 cc's for them (Dr. S. required 300cc's for me to leave). Been home in bed for a while. Taking my meds PROACTIVELY because I can feel the stiffness coming on as it wears off. The incision site feels FANTASTIC. NOTHING like what I expected (nothing like when I had my appendix out years ago). The only really obnoxious part of the day was the catheterization, and it payed off with instant relief for my bladder. All in all I am about 200% better than I ever thought I would be post-surgery!!!!

Hey ragdoll! Actually, I am feeling better this morning than I have felt in the last couple of days. I've been so ANTSY, but I think now I know it's finally here (T-minus approximately 24 hours....right?) I am starting to kindof mellow and go into a "zone". I'll be busy today getting in my last day at work, getting the dogs to the kennel, packing for Mom's. And....are you ready for this...I STILL don't have a "before" picture! Gotta get that today! Tried last night, but the camera ran out of juice so it's charging up. I've got too much to do to be tied in knots. And I know myself...once I get to my Mom's tonight it will be like a sleeping pill. When I have a HUGE day ahead of me it's like somebody hits me in the head with a rock.....all I want to do is lay down and sleep. (I used to do this in college during finals.....which was not a good thing...I slept and slept and slept). I gotta go get ready for work, so I'll see you 23rd-ers on the flip side!!!! Not long now! My refrigerator is STUFFED with protein drinks, liquids, pudding, jello......super overkill I think.

Maybe I am in the minority here....I am so excited I am about to BITE myself to get this done. T-minus and counting....just about 30 hours. I have NO qualms about going under the knife at all. Generally when I make my mind up it's full speed ahead and damn the torpedoes, and I feel like that now. The only thing I wish is that I could just go home and go to sleep and wake up and have it be Wednesday morning and get on with it. I'm sitting here at work tapping my fingers on the desk, hardly able to concentrate on anything. I am in the ZONE and ready to GO!

I was trying to explain to my mother the other night my psychology of eating and how I think about food. I told her that the FIRST thing I think to myself when I get a plate of food is "Oh God, is this going to be enough or should I order something else too?" And that is no matter HOW much is on the plate....I feel the need when serving myself at home to both cook large amounts (just for me) and put HUGE portions of food on the plate (enough for a very LARGE grown man to eat) and no matter how much I put on my plate, I still wonder if I should put on MORE. She was dumbfounded. She said she had been thinking about that for days and how alien it was to her.. I told her that in addition to this feeling, I also have a HUGE aversion to leaving ANYTHING on my plate. It really causes me extreme angst when I cannot finish a meal and I will do it even if it HURTS. That amazed her too. Especially since she wasn't one of those Moms who said "clean your plate!" when we were growing up. Isn't that weird!

Not sure about problems during the "installation", but I think if you have problems down the road and have to have something done that will count on your insurance as a "medical necessity" abd be covered probably. That's a guess on my part, though. I am self pay too, so am looking at the same thing.

"I can only eat one thing at a time. I eat counterclockwise." HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!! You and my first boyfriend!

"The band may be the solution you need.....it is very helpful for people who are volume eaters (whereas the RNY is better for people who are sugar addicts)." Yep....the more I researched, the more the band seemed perfect for me. I am TOTALLY not a sweets eater....NOR do I like Pasta at all. I think that gives me a head start. My downfall is not so much specific foods...it's just the AMOUNT.

"I sometimes overeat - and then I'm punished by the food backing up into my esophagus - that certainly will keep you from doing it again for a long time!! It is an excellent way to 'reprogram' what your mind and body want to do next time you sit down at the table." Yep, that's what I am looking for. I learn pretty quickly when I get a "zap" for doing the wrong thing. Also, for the "quantity problem"....I know when I cook I will still have that....so I went out and bought a FoodSaver so I can vacuum package all my leftovers. <!-- google_ad_section_end -->

No, I am ready. When my feet are to the fire I can do amazing things. The band will help to reinforce me, but I will be successful. I have baby plates and baby silverware. I may come to the point where I pack my big dishes all away!

Michelle - Yes, I was raised here. Maybe we don't know each other. I could be just having a combination deja vu and senior moment. I don't know where Magnolia is...

Your mother is most DEFINITELY jealous. This is not about you at all. This is an insecurity on her part. Ever heard of Misery Loves Company??? You have been your Mom's company in obesity. She is losing that and she is PISSED because there is nothing more aggravating than losing your "partners in crime" and being left in the proverbial dust while everyone else is proactive in their own lives. You have NOTHING to explain or justify to her, or anyone else for that matter. You can simply say that she is welcome to have her own beliefs on this but you are doing what YOU feel is in YOUR best interest and is right for YOU. AND you need all the support and encouragement you can get right now and in the future and you intend to surround yourself with those people a with positive outlook and you hope SHE can be one of them. But if she can't then she will have to understand why you may keep your distance for a time.

Michelle, I'm not sure, but I THINK I may know you. Where in Houston are you? I am also in Houston (Clear Lake area). Dang, your name is SOOOOOOOOOOO familiar!

Gotta say, never been to Vegas myself, and it IS pretty cheap for the most part.

Are you concerned about your "protein" for the first 48 hours? I'm packing to go to my Mom's for the first two days and I am not sure what all to bring in the way of sustenance.....do I need to bring a protein bullet to mix with crystal light or anything or do you just do water and broth and stuff like that? Just trying to get my ducks in a row here.

Forgive my ranting......I guess I get carried away about this...

<p><p><p>You might consider giving your friends and family the chance to be supportive and excited about your upcoming situation. Most people will be incredibly supportive and, yes, inquisitive. EDUCATE them! It's not like you are having a tapeworm installed! People ask because they are interested and fascinated. I was interested and fascinated. I asked deep, probing and, to many people, totally "inappropriate" questions of those who would open up to me. I learned a LOT. They put it all out there. And guess what. HERE I am getting banded on Tuesday and hoping to climb back into the race of life for the first time in 25 years, and by GOLLY I thank the good Lord every day for those people!!! Folks, we don't have to be and SHOULD NOT BE ashamed of this! (And I am sorry, but I DO believe that MANY people who choose to hide the information are doing so out of fear of rejection or someone making a "bad judgment" against them, whether they admit it or NOT.) People have been calling us DISGUSTING FATTIES behind our backs for years. What are they gonna call you now that could be so bad? "There goes that guy/girl who had "that operation" and was a disgusting fatty and low looks....uh......normal."

<p>I hear ya!!!! It's been about 12 years for me since I stepped into onederland and let me tell you I am looking forward to it! One of my big goals is getting back down below 190 because that's when my stomach fell out of my pants (I literally remember the day and hour it did that...getting in the car to drive somewhere and all of a sudden I felt this "plop" and looked down and felt and suddenly my stomach had a DOUBLE CHIN!!!) ARRRRGGGHHHHHHHHHH</p>

I think this poll is confusing. If you mean diet pills and appetite suppressors I'd say that they are not a good thing. With the band or bypass you are effectively doing THE most radical eating-changing thing to yourself....why on EARTH would you compound that with diet pills and suppressors....not to mention the fact that those things aren't good for you in the first place....and in the state our bodies are in now I would think our hold on balancing the checmicals in our bodies is tenuous As for supplements, heck YEAH. We HAVE to take supplements (i.e. vitamins) because with the small intake our bodies are getting we need those added vitamins and minerals to maintain normalcy. But....each to their own.

Also.... this is not the kind of topic you bring up in casual conversation. When you tell people what you've done, they are FASCINATED, ask questions, want to know more, and MANY times are, or have friends or loved ones who are, considering the procedure themselves!!! It's an educational thing.

My concern about NOT telling people...if you have been a certain way for a LONG time and suddenly you start loosing dramatically, the first thing I would think of is that you were SICK, if there was no comment made about it. That can really freak out your friends and family. I also look at TELLING people like this....it helps hold MY feet to the fire! If you don't tell, and you fail, you get off scott free. If you tell and you fail, you're gonna feel REALLY bad....a little added incentive to get on the stick and follow through!!!

I know the feeling. I KNEW my insurance would deny me and I'd be a self-pay and I was okay with that, but I HAD to go through the motions and get that denial first. It seemed like it took them forever and they were still waffling until I held their feet to the fire and asked em point blank if there was any snowball's chance they would authorize it because I didn't have the doctor sponsored program and they said no way, and I said That's all I wanted to KNOW! It would have been so easy if someone had said that early on..... Good luck and hang in there!

How do you folks take fish oil after being banded? I have been taking some vitamins called Encora which have HUGE fish oil capsules. I want to take the Omega oils, but how do you find something small enough to swallow? Has anyone tried Coromega?

Applesauce would be my first guess. I'm not looking forward to smashing all the blood pressure/cholesterol pills I have to take. Yuck.

I may try this "Coromega" stuff. It is comes in little packets and is orange flavored. I googled for "bariatric fish oil".