2013newme

It's Superbowl weekend!!! What we used to do: chips, dips (lots of fattening dips), salsa, beer, wine, ribs... basically we started with the "Puppy bowl" and ate way through midnight!! So changes this year... still have ribs (for daughter who loves them), cottage cheese, blueberries, but I also am making homemade guacamole, bean dip (this is super yummy - I pureed this at first and now eat it - see recipe below) and hummus - oh an no beer or wine this year :-). But I don't know how I can "dip" into these???? Any suggestions? I am still on soft foods - and I know that my stomach will only allow about 4 tbls/hour on these things.... Any other suggestions - in addition to the how to "eat" or "dip" into the hummus and guac? Bean dip: black beans (don't drain if pureeing into dip), salsa (I use about 1/2 jar of arriba medium), about 1 tsp. lime juice, 1 tsp. cumin - and optional is about 1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese. pour everything into sauce pan and cook on low for about 30 - 45 minutes (because I wanted the beans soft). You can then puree this into a dip - yummola!

socaldixiegal - great idea on the ramekins!!! I wish I could use celery and jicama right now - looking forward to when I can have those! I will try the taco salad idea - love it!

Last night, in the middle of the night, my dogs were fighting in bed next to my head. I woke up in panic from a dead sleep, and instinctively picked up one of my dogs (28 lbs) and pulled her over to the other side of me. Immediately afterwards, I started having pain in my stomach and where my largest incision is (which is almost healed). I laid still for about 45 minutes hoping it would go away - it didn't, so I took some pain medication. I still didn't sleep and couldn't get comfortable with the pain. This morning, the stomach pain seems to be gone, but where the incision is is really hurting - first time ever. Could I have done some damage or pulled out staples? how would I know? I'm 3 weeks post op and have been doing fabulous until now.

Thanks CBD - that helps - I will give it a day or 2!

I also was repaired with a hernia at the same time as my sleeve - when I asked (post surgery) my docs if this was causing me additional pain - they said no - it is almost a "non event" compared to the sleeve. I would talk to your doc to find out more about why you feel so bad! Hope you get better soon!

make sure it's not the morphine that is making you nauseous - ask for different pain med - and definitely nausea meds! Hang in there - it DOES get better each day!

sheree212 - so - do you have to do 6 months of supervised diet too with your insurance? I had to do 6 months supervised diet with a doctor - luckily I had done this with my PCP prior to thinking about weight loss surgery. I also only did one group nutrition class with Emory - again - I pushed things through....by the 2nd one - I had convinced the doctor (Williams - she isn't there anymore) that I met the 6 months supervised diet with my PCP, and I had shown Emory that I was serious by losing 10 lbs in that first month with them. I would go ahead and do the psych now - get it done with so you have that in your back pocket. I would also get to your pcp soon - the medical necessity letter took longer than expected from my pcp - not that they didn't agree to it - but it just took forever in my mind - also, if you see your pcp - have them help you document your 2 year weight history for when you have come in - it helps that they recorded it "officially". Can you do the nutritional assessment at Emory? I did a one on one with Meghan for that. as far as the approval - I was approved quickly (Aetna) - but again - I found out who my case manager was and pushed them on the process. i was hoping to get in before the end of the year - but just didn't work out because of the holidays. So - I was approved like Dec. 14thish and had my surgery on Jan 8th - but again, this was because of the holidays. Keep in mind that AFTER you are approved, you see the surgeon - and then you have a post-op nutrition class - and then you see the surgeon again - and THAT is when you get your surgery date! So - you can see why I pushed things through... I got my approval date Dec 14th and immediately scheduled all those appts to get it done quicker.... I didn't wait on tracy to coordinate this - I coordinated it myself. I'm not surprised about Tracy - she seemed to be dwindling down on the job when I was there - not answering phone calls, etc - so hopefully the new coordinator will be on top of things for you!

whew - I think - I just rechecked my discharge papers, and it says, "advance physical activity as tolerated" - so I think I'm ok.... who would have thought that I WANT to exercise? wow!!! I'll see how long this keeps up... but for now- I'm going with it :-)

hmmm - Jeff - not sure now that I should be breaking a sweat yet - I didn't get clearance, but I wasn't told not to - I just started.... guess I better check in with the doc now (just did my 2nd day of exercise also)... I'm feeling so good - it just felt like it was time! I know what you mean about the stomach thing - my new tummy definitely has a mind of it's own :-)... but then again, that's why I did this - because my mind couldn't do it by itself :-)

I was sleeved Jan 8th at Emory on Clifton... honestly, I just let them pick the first available doctor for me, which turned out to be Dr. Stephen Davis. I researched him after the fact... my thought process is.. it's Emory! they wouldn't have class B docs there!! I can tell you that I really pushed my way through things - didn't wait for Tracy - I made things happen - even with my insurance... but I also thought that everyone I interacted with was positive and supportive every step of the way! I didn't have much interaction with the surgeon - he really had handlers (and fellows) that do most of the work and interact with you - which I thought was really fine too. I didn't feel like a number or not special because of it - but I also knew it is a teaching hospital and that was to be expected! The post surgery I thought was fantastic too - I have read alot of what people go through on these, and I have to say that my post-op experience was excellent. The nurses love bariatric patients they told me because we are motivated.. the bariatric patients are on the same floor as ENT surgeries for post op - just fyi. The nurses just wanted me to be comfortable - so they made sure I had pain meds - and when I figured out that morphine was making me sick, they immediately switched me to hydrocodone - it was just that easy...the first night, they were in every hour - which sucked (but I think that is true every where) - then the next night - they totally left me alone - I had to call them to help me get out of bed when I wanted to walk - but again, I didn't feel neglected at all - they were awesome at the hospital. The fellows and the surgeon came by to visit me the day after surgery and the next day - they were very helpful answering questions and making sure I understood discharge instructions.... all in all, I had a good experience, even without researching my surgeon there! I'm happy to talk/answer more questions about it if you want - I certainly didn't know all the ends and outs going into this thing - and now I'm 3 weeks today post op - and feel fantastic!!!

3 weeks today - and supposed to get 60 grams in a day - tough going since I'm trying to "eat" soft foods in addition to my shakes!

Happy 3 week anniversary to all our Jan 8th sleevers!!!! I hope everyone is doing great! I feel great!! Today I started my exercising in earnest... 20 minutes of walking (it's a start :-))... before today, I was "moving" by not really exercising! It actually felt good to get out there again! Hope everyone else is enjoying this 3 week milestone!! Can't believe how far we've come!!!

I just can't believe this issues you have had - I'm so sorry for you - I wish it was better for you!!!

Last night I felt like a "real" person again! I got to go out to eat with some good friends for sushi. over the course of 2 hours, I had miso Soup and one order of sashimi Yellowtail (fish without rice)... It tasted soooo good and I felt just fine. Sometimes when I put "food" in my mouth, I "feel" it for sure - but I took my time and enjoyed each and every little bite I took! I also put Water in a wine glass so I could feel like I was socially drinking as well - it was a great little mind game - I felt totally full and totally like I was a normal person again! I amazed my friends too - I used to eat at least $50 - $75 worth or sushi all by myself (I love sushi) - and last night, my bill was less than $10 (including tip)!! :-)

I have 3 from the surgery itself... and I have 1 where they put in the pain medicine ball tubes - just a very small slit really - and then I have two marks (for lack of a better word) where they had the drainage tubes (they look like strawberries - just like I skinned my knee (or stomach in this case :-))

I love how we can talk about passing gas on this forum... and it is OK - and not only OK - but encouraged... and we all encourage each other in the passing of the gas... it is awesome... but it also cracks me up where we are in our journey together with this!... just made me smile today :-)

After being released from hospital 2 weeks today, I actually went into the office for the first time (for about 4 and 1/2 hours). I have been working from home this week (part time), but actually drove into the office today! I actually haven't been in the office for a month because of 2012 vacation I had - so when I saw people, they were like - "WOW! you look great! Did you take some time off or something?" "Did you do something to your hair?" It felt great to get this reaction already... I didn't tell anyone I was having WLS - just that I took PTO!! he he he! I'm down 23 lbs since pre-surgery - so I guess it is starting to show! I was so excited to put on work clothes because I was down 2 shirt sizes - yay me!! Of course - I am exhausted now - I still get tired easy - does anyone else feel that way 2 weeks out also?

gosh - i hope you are ok... I am concerned for you with all that bruising!! Mine looked more like Lynkaye1 - only the "slits" where they went in.... and vomiting blood sounds worrisome - I hope everything is ok for you!

wow - fantastic... 2 weeks out and 33 lbs!!!! I am two weeks out and down only 13 lbs from day of surgery (23 lbs from beginning of year)! I am feeling good about losing the weight, but I see your loss and wonder what I need to be doing!?! My doc has me on soft foods - not puree, but chicken or whatever as long as it is super soft! What are you doing at this point? Keep up the great work!

So now that I have "officially" accepted responsibility for my weight gain over the years, now I'm trying to figure out what led to this roller coaster life I lead! My last blog, I talked about being on phen-phen and loving it... then getting married and 2 kids later - poof I'm topping 259.6 lbs! But there is a lot in between that time span that I need to reflect on! So - in my late 20's and early 30's - newly married, fabulous job, living in DC - smoozing with the politicians, climbing the work latter, away from my mom.... hmmmmm - can't think of a single reason emotionally that I should have gained weight... I think I stayed a size 10ish - wavering between an 8 and 12 probably - so not too bad. Though, again, I thought I was HUGE! But honestly, other than eating out, and enjoying an adult beverage (oh and not working out) - I'd say life was even for me during this time! Moving into my 30's - 2 kids now! Moved to Atlanta - lived in the burbs with the white picket fence (literally, a white picket fence)... hanging in the cul-de-sac in my sweater sets.... I gained about 40 - 50 lbs with each kid - though I lost "most of it" each time - but stayed in the 170s - 180's for the most part. I played tennis on the neighborhood tennis team - and in my late 30's, started running... I got down to a size 8 - 10 again and looked and felt good! Then BAM! It hit! My daughter is in kindergarten - teachers think something is "not quite right"; tests begin... nothing unusual - but still something "is off".... she enters 1st grade... and now the fun begins.... without going into the details of how we got there... we found out my daughter was dyslexic! The end of the world!!! We thought we had to brightest (her IQ by the way is 1 point below Genius), most perfect child... oh my god... what are we going to do? What did I do? I went into Mamma Bear mode.... started looking at private schools that specialize in dyslexia, started taking her to special tutoring sessions (driving an hour home from work to pick her up, then driving another 45 minutes to the tutor, waiting an hour, then driving an hour back home (rush hour). We started eating in the car - snacks on the way there, dinner from Mickey D's or Chick-fil-a on the way back... 3 x per week!!! I stopped running - who has time for that when you have a full time job, 2 kids, and this new "the world has ended" weight on my shoulders? My daughter was accepted in the top school - whew!! but that meant commuting 1.5 hours each way every day... but I was willing - because it was only supposed to be for 2 - 3 years (a transition school, where there is remediation and you go back to the "real world"). So we ate in the car...ALOT!!! My daughter isn't gaining weight because she is active (see a pattern from my mom here?)... but she is also on ADHD meds with acts as an appetite suppresent. I however, am gaining weight... not on the tennis team anymore, and definitely not exercising! Now add in my son - the pre-schools are saying he has some issues too - oh here we go again - at least we know what to look for this time - right? But we have him in a pre-school that is for advanced kids - and he is falling behind - and the teacher is bullying him - yes bullying a 4 year old. He went into a depression - 4 year old!!! He was the happiest kid - every day is a good day - and then boom - depressed! We pulled him out of that school and went to another school - he was happy, but not learning - but happy :-)! In Kindergarten - we decided to nip it in the bud - have him tested and boom - he is dyslexic too (it is hereditary and I probably had it but overcame it with my intellect and my dad is). We enter him into the same private school as my daughter - and now have $50,000 in tuition plus uniforms... plus the commute... and eating on the go! But - it was only temporary - right? So we did it... and then.. came the time for my daughter to be retested (every 3 years) and to start thinking about the next school..... I remember it clearly... I had just started a software development leg of my company... I was 30 minutes from walking into a board room filled with CEO's and CIOs from major companies (7 of them) to pitch my latest product.... and the psych called.... "Hey Krista - just wanted to let you know I'm coming up with some "weird" results for Natalie".....pause...."I'd like to run some additional tests"....pause...."I think she may be on the autism spectrum...and by the way I think she comes by it from her dad"! THUMP!!! OMG!!!! Did she just say AUTISM? OMG!!!!! So I compartmentalize that, and do my presentation... them come out and just CRY!!!! Turns out... after the initial testing and 2 second opinions... she is on the spectrum... and my husband is accepting that he may be too - but what is he going to do about it at almost 50 years of age?... Now my world is crumbling... AGAIN!!!! I have to find a new school, I have to put her in a "social skills" class (she was "shy" all this time - not autistic), I have to rearrange my life... AGAIN!! My world ended during this time - how can this be? So I started taking Lexapro to "deal" - and I probably drank way more wine than I should any given week... and I most definitely ate out every meal and did not exercise! OK - so, I found a school - only it is 2 hours from our house... my son is still at the dyslexia school - the complete other direction... so now what? Oh - sell our house and move closer! We also decided to go ahead and move our son to this school as it is a school for all types of learning differences! So - we move, move schools, and I also decide to sell my businesses.... I had to make changes - I had to do something!! But selling my business turned out to be a VERY bad idea (I'll write more on that another time)... and turns out, my son has Asperger's too - OMG - TWO KIDS on the spectrum!!!! Though actually with my son, they don't know how to diagnose him - so they just gave him that DX - he really has more working memory issues and his IQ is on the low side! So - moving from my past - I think I did very well overcoming my mother and childhood stuff... I did very well with moving up the corporate ladder, and I did well early in the childhood raising area.... My weight gains - major weight gains started when trouble hit my perfect little life! I turned to food (and alcohol - though I wouldn't call myself an alcoholic) to solve my problems - to comfort me! Food was the one staple that was there - no matter what - I could count on a drive-thru... I could count on a good sushi meal (I mean like $50 - $60 of sushi for me alone)... I could count on a bottle of wine! I can see the crisis that hit - I can see how I used food - but what I don't know yet, is how will I overcome the "next" crisis?????? More to come as I figure out this journey! Look for my scary boss story coming next - this is when I hit the top of the scales!!!

Littleone75 - thanks for sharing your story with me as well - Kidney failure - been there on that one too!!! My cousin (who is like my little sister we are soooo close) had TWO kidney transplants - one when she was 18 and another one about 10 years ago... I do know the stress of that - and can ONLY imagine it being my own son!! Stay in touch and let me know what you are doing when that comfort of food is there again! I want to learn from my mistakes and the will of others!!

I have brought you all through my mother and childhood issues, and then my comfort food needs with my own children's issues.... but my TOP weight hit after I sold my business and started working for the boss from HELL!!! I know we all have had them - and trust me, LD (the boss with name change to protect the innocent (me)), was not my first experience with dealing with a difficult boss, but I can assure you - LD reached new limits - and pushed me over the edge to my highest weight of 259.6 lbs (I'm 5'3")!! I sold my business to help me destress - as I realized that while I may be all that and a bag of chips, I couldn't do it all :-)!! With my kids diagnosis, and all the other chaos, my husband and I decided to sell my business. Luckily, my top client wanted to buy me out - including transitioning all of my fabulous employees! It was no task taken lightly, but I promise, I just needed to do this for my sanity and my health.... so I thought! So - I sell my business to my number one client, who I'd been working for as a consultant, and boom - they have a reorg... and I start reporting to LD - who has a chip on her shoulder - and is very jealous of me (it took me over a year to see it was her not me)! She slowly but surely started taking away my duties, started berating me (cussing at me, telling me how worthless I am, telling me what a failure I am to the company, etc. etc.). It took me about 6 weeks to realize what she was doing...she was trying to push me out! So, I went to HR, the CEO (who bought my company less than a year earlier), and other VPs to plead my case. Guess what? They ALL took my side, but couldn't stop her - seriously - they are afraid of LD too! By Christmas time, I was a mess.... I have NEVER been depressed before - EVER!!! My mom came into town, took one look at me - and told me I needed help (as in medications)... and I hadn't even told her what was going on! I was having a nervous break down! I cried all the time, I didn't move off the couch for ANYTHING (kids, dogs, nothing) - I felt helpless! My doctor said, "you have got to snap out of this... you are a smart, successful woman. You have started 4 different successful companies (I had an embroidery business for a while that I sold, consulting company, and software development company - all successful... and I still have a company where I buy and rent houses), and have so much going for you." But I couldn't see it! LD took me to my lowest point - she bullied me beyond return. I even went to my lawyer to see if there was something I could do - but there wasn't because of various right to work laws that I won't get into. So...I was put on XANAX, sleeping pills, and Lexapro. I drank alot of wine - and guess what? I ATE!!! ALOT!!!! For 3 solid weeks, I checked out of life! The CEO finally saw the light and moved me to work for a VP that I LOVED - I worked for this VP early on in my career - and he taught me the way to lead! Funny how it all came full circle! But, that meant a "demotion" - same salary (with no raise allowed for about 10 years) - but a new title and no "power". I took it! I mean I love this VP AND I can keep my salary! At this point in my life, I really don't care about titles and promotions and all that climbing the ladder stuff... been there done that! I am really starting to see that balance is the key - work/life balance - never knew it before - but I'm starting to appreciate it now! I had to force myself into that relationship (work/life balance) - and it has been a rocky road getting there. I feel so much better mentally now (no more XANAX, sleeping pills or Lexapro)! It's been a year now since I made that move - and on 1/1/12 - I was only 2.6 lbs lighter than I was at my highest weight!! Not because I didn't lose weight in the previous year being out from under LD - but because I lost the weight - and regained it! After I moved to VP and away from LD, I went on a vegan only kick... I loved it and I felt so healthy. I lost about 35 lbs... then BOOM!!!! My grandfather (whom I'm VERY VERY VERY close to) needed heart surgery... my whole family came for the summer to stay with me (my mom, aunt, grandparents, and cousin - and brother for a bit). I spent 6 weeks at the hospital - every day! I won't get into the specifics - but needless to say - I ate hospital food or out every meal during this time - and turned to comfort food! So while LD was out of my life, I found another crisis, and food to comfort me! Work was going well - I was just upset and stressed about my grandfather. The good news is... at 92, and two major heart surgeries, he is back on the golf course and doing great!!! As I write these blogs - I am beginning to see where my pattern is... crisis=food! So now I just need to figure out why that is, and what to do about it! More reflection and thought on that coming up!

Evidently I have a haital hernia - I didn't even know I had this (or acid reflux) before I had my pre-surgery endoscope. My surgery is Jan 15th and the surgeons will be stitching that up in addition to my VSG. Has anyone else gone through this procedure at the same time as their VSG? I am just wondering if there are any additional complications, things to watch out for, etc?

I am surprised by this thread honestly.... I guess I haven't seen that much negative - I guess I think of it is opinionated.... and I sometimes have a hard time getting people to respond to my questions/posts... so it must be me :-)! I hope this turns out to be as positive as you want it to be - I would hate for haters to be out there! Good luck to all on your journeys!

I found out I had it too just before surgery during my endoscopy. My doc said it is quite common for obese patients to have this! Really it was no big deal - they did the VSG and repaired the hiatal hernia at the same time (with stitches)... I don't see why they wouldn't do the VSG - they are going into the same place and can repair at the same time. Good luck!