RedCardinal

I've been using a CPAP for about 15 years, and I couldn't sleep without it. I thought I'd use this question to say a few things. For the sleep study, they connect sensors to your legs, head, and various other places, and then tell you to have a good nights sleep. LOL. Fortunately, you don't have to sleep long for them to get enough data for results. Once they measure the apneas, they may fit you with a CPAP to calibrate it for you. Once they did that for me, I fell into a deep sleep immediately. I was very sleep deprived. This was done a long time ago, so I don't know if the procedures have changed, or how they vary from place to place. About the CPAP. I know people have a lot of trouble with the mask, they feel claustrophobic, etc. The right mask is critical. There are many different styles, and it's worth it to find one that's right for you. The therapist will give you the one they like. What do they know? They're not using it. I personally use the SWIFT LT with nasal pillows. It's very lightweight and non-confining. cpap.com has many different masks that you can research. Finally, My sleep apnea was debilitating. I fell asleep in meetings and suffered migraines. That has all cleared up. Good Luck.

I haven't done any research on this, so it may be just folklore, but I've heard that some of us hold onto weight when we're starving. Good peasant stock and all that. If famine is a part of your genetic history, maybe you're fighting that.

No vitarins per say, I picked up some flintstones chewables. I was looking for some good pre-mixed protein. Ann

I'm scheduled for surgery feb 4 at Emerson in Concord. If you look in the support group section of the forums, there is a boston thread. It's not very active tho'.

The point is to fix the problem *before* all the complications, possibly irreversible, show up. I had my grandmother as an example. I can see what her life was like when she was older, and I know that that's what's in store for me if I don't address these problems now. Right now my comorbidities are not affecting my life, but it's been a steady progression of increased medication and additional affects from being overweight. We're trying to correct something that hasn't happened yet, and that's really hard to do. The brain and the heart don't always agree.

I just cleaned the apples out the fridge and made a big batch of applesauce in prep for surgery. I'm lucky there's an apple farm up the road and they have a big end of season sale. The plan is to freeze it in qt bags.

I think you have to look at your own history. I asked myself the same questions (getting sleeved Feb. 4). My dieting history suggests I can stick with something for about 6 months. I know I would lose about 60lbs (but I need to lose twice that). Whenever I've had success I swear I'm going to maintain the new weight, but I haven't. Without the sleeve, I know I'll work really hard and lose some weight but not enough, and be contemplating the sleeve again in two years. That's 2 years of additional health problems.

So, I know we have to eat differently, small bites, chew a lot (and a lot and a lot....). Is the chewing thing the way it is forever, or just immediately post surgery? I'm wondering if the digestive process works the same.

So, My surgery is schedule for Feb. 4. YIKES! Anyway, I've started telling family and friends about it and I've noticed an interesting response. While everyone is supportived, the average sized people are all for it. "Good for you" comments and stuff like that. My overweight friends, are more in the camp of, "Are you sure nothing else will work?"

Nope. My grandmother loved cardinals. She struggled with obesity and suffered many ailments because of it. Genetics don't lie so I have a very clear example of what lies in store for me if I don't have this surgery. I'm doing this for me and in her memory. I've finally accepted that all the other things I've tried aren't going to cut it. Surgery Feb 4...

I think it could work for you, but not yet. It is very possible to gain the weight back, even with the surgery. I worked with a nutritionist for a few years to modify my eating behaviour. I lost 25 pounds and kept it off for a long time. That told me two things: I needed surgery to achieve significant weight loss, and that I could stick with the new eating habits required to be successful. It's really important to find a nutr. that you click with.

I live alone, and I'm wondering what kind of help I need to line up for the first two weeks post surgery. Should I have someone stay with me? Is it enough to have someone stop in once/day?

Some people like the "aversion therapy" aspect that comes with the RNY. many people can't tolerate fatty foods or sweets, which makes it easier to eat right. I personally have worked hard over the past few years to improve my eating habits and I trust myself to eat right without the forced restrictions.

What is one thing you wish someone had told you about gastric surgery? Good or bad. No matter how much I research, I fifigure'll still miss something, hence the question.

Does anyone have a resistance band workout that they like? I'm still pre-surgery and am looking for a workout that's compatible with the still-out-of-shape me.

So I'm 46, and scheduled for surgery in February. I can't know, but I wonder what my life would be like now if I hadn't gained the weight I did. I'm not married, and I have no children. I'm sure there are job opportunities that I've been denied because of my appearance. Don't get me wrong, however; for the most part I'm content with who I am and have a very successful career. So, certainly, losing weight will not magically make my/your life better. But the important thing to realize, is one big obstacle to living your life well will be removed, and hopefully the other obstacles can be overcome. I'm shy, and I think I use the weight as a justification/excuse for not being more social. Once that excuse is gone, I think there will be some underlying issues that I'll have to address to move on to the "new" me. Good Luck.

I concur with this. While I think addressing this via e-mail is a good approach (it avoids all that personal awkwardness) the proposed e-mail was just TMI. I don't know if it's necessary to remind him it's against company rules to spread the information (although it is). That's for you to determine based on the people and circumstances.

To be honest, you could just go into your boss and say you didn't tell him the truth on the type of surgery you were having, and you'd just as soon not go into detail. I figure my boss assumes I'm having some type of female surgery, and I'm okay with that misconception.

Your boss isn't allowed to ask you questions, but he did anyway. He could use a refresher from the HR department on what's appropriate. For comparison, I just told my boss today. I simply said I was taking 2 weeks medical leave for a procedure. I also emphasized that it was nothing to worry about. I didn't want them thinking I had something life threatening. Confession is good for the soul. Tell you boss and maybe he'll learn to respect the privacy of the next person.

I'm still pre-op, and had a good q&a with the nutritionist yesterday. She said, in her experience, that she has only had one patient be successful adding carbs (grains, starchy vegs) back into their diet. She really believes that for long term success, the diet is the same 5 years out as 6 months out. The reasoning is that the carb meals don't satisfy you enough, so you eat more. (in a nutshell). This is very discouraging to hear. As someone at the beginning of the process, I like to think that I'll be the exception, that I can control things, have the occasional mashed potatoes, and not have a problem. I suspect this is a pipe dream. I'm still trying to wrap my head around this and get used to the idea. One good/bad thing about the sleeve, is that it doesn't have the same food restrictions as other WLS procedures. It's incumbent upon us to enforce the right choices. Good luck.

I have a similar profile, although I'm 46 and 280 lbs. I actually attribute most of my weight gain to the PCOS and corresponding insulin resistance warring with the low-fat diet craze; at the time I was gaining weight, no-one considered low-carb. But I digress. On the go-for-it side: My health has been a steady procession down the list pf problems for a typical obese person, PCOS-->weight gain->sleep apnea->diabetes/hypertension/high cholesterol. Its pretty clear to me I will keep moving down the list to the more dire conditions if I don't lose weight (stroke, heart attack, poor circulation, joint pain). If you feel this describes you, then you are a good candidate. On the try-something-else side: the diabetes medication Victoza (generic liguratide) has done wonders for me as an appetite suppressant. It really helps keep me from being a slave to hunger. On this medication I've been able to be successful at losing some weight (25lbs) and maintaining the loss. One possible option is to try this in combination with a diet/behavior modification plan to lose weight. I've been really successful working with a nutritionist and modifying my eating habits. Unfortunately, It's just not producing enough results for me. But the work I've done has given me a lot of confidence that I can handle the rigors of wls. Hope this helps.

I've been wrestling with this a little too. I mean, why not try HMR (an 800 calorie diet) without the surgery? If I'm willing to change my diet drastically, why do I need the surgery too? That's what I'm asking myself anyways. Here's the conclusions I came to. I need to lose 130lbs. I can probably do Atkins or HMR or something for 6 months an lose a lot of weight, but I won't lose as much as I will with the surgery, and at some point I'm going to get tired of the diet. I'm pretty confident that I won't gain it all back, but I would gain some. I'm counting on the surgery to help the diet be more successful, and to help keep the weight off. In some ways its frustrating, because I really don't have a lot of hang-ups regarding eating. I feel like if I could just lose the weight I have, then I could keep it off without the surgical help. Unfortunately, losing such a large amount of weight with just dietary changes is not realistic.

Hi all, I'm new to the forum. There's so much information here, I'm getting a little overwhelmed. I figured I'd introduce myself and ask for some pointers. I'm a textbook case of someone who will benefit from WLS: diabetic, hypertensive, PCOS, sleep apnea. I've resisted surgery in the past because I didn't feel that I had made enough changes in my lifestyle; I was afraid it wouldn't be successful in the long term. I'm now at the point where I've done all that I can do and I know surgery is the right option for me. It's pretty clear that whatever is next in the textbook is what's next for me. I was happy to hear about the VSG surgery, as it addressed the concerns I had about the RNY surgery. So my head has made the decision, now I have to follow through. I've had the preliminary appointments with the Dietician, Surgeon, and LSW. I'm meeting with the surgeon again in a few weeks, where I really need to make a commitment and move the process forward (i.e. set a date). Below are some to the questions and concerns I have, your input is appreciated. What are good questions to ask the surgeon? The Dietician gave me a pre/post op diet and said "here's how you have to eat to be successful". Unfortunately she's about 15 years younger than I am and everything she said has the tone "of course you want to eat this way because we know it's the healthiest way to be." This includes no grains, caffeine, red meat as a long-term permanent diet. I want to "buy into" the program, but she pushed a whole lot of my buttons - too much cool-aid, not enough reality. What are your experiences with nutritionists? Is this normal? What do you wish someone had told you before you had your surgery? Thanks for your help.