Vixynne

Here's some info from my nutritionist on Vitamins. (Will you be meeting with a nutritionist before surgery? It will definitely help you feel more in control and less jittery about how to eat and work with your sleeve!) 1 Multivitamin, 1 calcium supplement daily (PRE-op) After surgery, wait 1 week to begin vitamins again. Daily multivitamin and calcium with Vitamin D to be taken every day for the rest of your life, as well as B12 and any other supplements necessary based on your lab results. Post-op vitamins should meet these standards--remember this is only what MY nutritionist says, but it will give you an idea of what to look for: Chewable "complete" vitamins--not gummies. Brands include: Flintstones Complete, One-A-Day Kids Complete, Centrum Chewables, Centrum Kids Complete. Or bariatric vitamins (Celebrate brand, Bariatric Advantage brand) as long as they have at least these amounts of the following nutrients: 400 IU Vitamin D 1.5 mg Thiamin 400 mcg Folic Acid 18 mg Iron 12 mg zinc Chewable, liquid or powdered Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D: 500 mg, 3 times per day...space each dose out instead of taking them all at once, because your body can't absorb more than 500 mg at a time. calcium citrate (not carbonate, gluconate, phosphate, or other forms of calcium) is the easiest for your body to absorb; make sure it also has Vitamin D. Allow at least 2 hours between your calcium and your multivitamin supplement. sublingual B12--500mcg daily. (I take 1500 mcg daily and have noticed a HUGE increase in my energy levels. B12 is a water-soluble vitamin, so you can't overdose.) Vitamin D total should be 1000 IU daily. My NUT also recommends Prilosec OTC or Pepcid AC chewables once a day for a month post-op to help healing. Once again, these are merely the guidelines provided by my nutritionist, and I'm just one patient among MANY here on the boards. If you're not sure what you need, your surgeon and nutritionist are the best qualified people to talk to--but this list can at least show you some basics to watch for. Good luck--your surgery will be here before you know it!

I think my response to anyone who has the unmitigated gall to tell me I'm taking "the easy way out" will be to remind them that for over 30 years, there was NO WAY OUT that worked for me. If my choice is no escape from obesity or WLS, I'd have to be dumber than a box of rocks to keep doing that which clearly has never worked for me before. And if the person saying WLS is easy also happens to be overweight, I will probably say, "if it's so easy, why don't you join me--I can give you my surgeon's contact info!"

I've still got a few more things in my signature line below that need check-marks, but it's going to happen! At my last surgeon consult, I was told to expect approval by the end of June/beginning of July, and then I'd have a date set after that. Maybe we'll both be July sleevers!

I agree; taking this step and accepting not only the path that brought us here, but the changes we commit ourselves to making both feel a lot like the 12 steps of AA. I'm 44 years old and still learning how to create my own happiness every day...hopefully this list will act as a reminder!

Thank you for asking this question, Museum-Mama! I wear corsets too, as part of my renaissance festival hobby/obsession. I plan to attend at least a couple during August and September, and I lace 'em quite snugly. You got me the answer to a question I hadn't even thought to ask yet--wow, you're good!

My kids and I go to Water Country in New Hampshire every year. Each year, I'm probably at least 15-20 pounds heavier than the year before. I've always tried not to be too self-conscious about how I look while waddling around in a skirted bathing suit (and probably blinding people with my fishbelly-white skin, LOL) but last year took the prize. At one of the water slides, after climbing three or four stories up a winding staircase, lugging my inner tube, it was finally my turn to plop the tube down, sit in it and go. The pre-slide pool area is about calf-deep, and you have to keep one foot on the ground to keep from floating down the chute before the ride attendant gives you the "go" signal. I waited patiently, got the signal and lifted my foot. Everyone else who did this maneuver went gliding off down the chute...not me! I picked up my foot, and my butt went straight to the bottom of the waiting-area pool. I was anchored. Run aground worse than the Titanic. No amount of wriggling or jiggling could get me to float forward. The more I shimmied, the more wedged into the tube my tuchus became. My mortification was completed when the attendant rolled his teenaged eyeballs, strode across the pool and grabbed the handle of my tube. With a loud grunt, he yanked me to the chute and shoved the tube so that I could stop holding up the line. I'd like to be able to sit in a water-park tube without feeling like that, ever again. Maybe not this summer, since I'll be sleeved in July--but DEFINITELY next year!

I should be getting my surgery date sometime this month--and most likely will be sleeved in July if all goes according to plan! In the meanwhile, I'm changing my eating habits by giving up junk food, fast food, sodas and coffee, and bringing protein shakes into my diet every day. So far it's brought me a 10-lb. loss while I work towards getting that surgery date--I'll take it!

It seems like this procedure (or any WLS, really) is the great litmus test for relationships. All kinds of relationships--family, friends, significant others, spouses, co-workers. I look at it this way; if my connection to that person--or group of people--is so shaky that being sleeved will destroy it, am I really any worse off? Better to clear the negativity, and ditch the haters! I'll be thankful if my sleeve and the success it brings also helps me shake off anyone who isn't really who they claim to be in my life! Sometimes you gotta lift the rock to see the creepy crawlies underneath for what they really are. Rock that sleeve and let them choke on their jealousy.

I can't wait to eat some really good summer watermelon after I'm sleeved. I've always heard it was a diuretic, though--should I be worried when I'm post op? I don't want to lose more fluid than I put in! From what I hear, it's tough to get enough fluids in during those early days.

Every time I joined any kind of "program" (Jenny Craig, Weight Watchers, etc.) I did have short-term successes. I lost weight, thought I had fixed myself, and was depressed and saddened to find that not only would I fail to keep the weight off, but it seemed like every blessed bloody pound came back carrying three or four of its closest friends and neighbors who all wanted to take up residence wherever there was room. For me, the roller coaster of emotions and weight loss/weight gain got to be enough already. I know without a doubt--WITHOUT A SHRED OF DOUBT--that if I don't restructure my stomach with WLS, I will never get the upper hand on my weight. Not permanently. Not reliably. Am I nervous about going under the staple gun? Of course. But I've done my research and my surgeon is well-respected and has lots of experience. Am I scared I'll somehow find a way to self-sabotage and fail again? You bet your sweet patootie I am. That's why I'm going through with the sleeve. It has to be out of my hands; I have to surrender control of my food intake until I can reset my headspace to see food as a fuel rather than an emotional outlet or boredom-bandage. As it says above--when WLS is right for you, you will know it. Trust yourself to make the best possible choice. If now isn't the time for you to get sleeved, you can always try MediFast and see how it goes. For me, it would be an exercise in futility, but that doesn't mean it will be that way for you! And if MF lets you down, if the weight comes back (or comes back with friends and neighbors), the sleeve procedure will still be here. I know that once you give yourself time to think about all your options and all the pros and cons, you'll make the choice that will be right for you. Good luck!

Glad you're okay!

Good for you! I think I might be gaining bravery--once I have an official date, I just might have the nerve to let my FB friends know what I'm doing. I hope everyone on your list is supportive, or else smart enough to keep their non-supportive opinions to themselves!

After my eval, the therapist said "We're all set, I don't think you have any outstanding psychological issues." I said, "You mean, apart from the fact that I teach middle school--you HAVE to be a little crazy to do that." She agreed, but said it wouldn't keep me from qualifying for surgery, LOL!

My surgeon doesn't typically use a drain, and the leak test is performed during surgery. The new sleeve is immersed in Water and filled with air--just like checking a bicycle tire for a puncture. Bubbles = leakage. I asked about a drain, too, and was told he does not typically use them. That being said, I have had 2 C-sections, and I was told that when the surgery takes place, if he sees adhesions that need to be separated from any organs, that could cause a need for a drain. Otherwise, no drain and no post-op leak test. Even if I did have to do a barium swallow or other test, it would be worth it to know I was leak free, though!

I wouldn't say it makes you a bad person. Hurting other people, abusing animals, breaking laws--that'll make people think you're a bad human being. You're not; but you have made a choice to ignore your surgeon/NUT's guidelines, and there won't be too many people on the forums who will tell you that's a fantastic idea. You have had a major surgery (I know you know this), and your body is healing (I know you know this, too). As hard as it is to eat only what is listed by your medical/nutritional team, they put those guidelines there for a reason. You're an adult; you made the choice to be sleeved, hopefully with the understanding that it wouldn't be an easy fix, right? It's not easy--if it were easy, none of us would be fat to start with--but it's the right thing to do for your body. Make your choices, live with the consequences. Do the best you know how to do; when you know better, do better. I'd say you need to be very careful and maybe reconsider your choice, but in the end, it's your call to make, not ours.

journeyRN, I'm sorry for this turmoil in your life. There's nothing I can say to make it better, except that you aren't alone (lots and lots of supportive people here), and if he isn't the right one for you, then the Universe will send you someone who is. I promise. I hope this link from a Facebook page works for you; it's definitely boosted my spirits more than once. You're Beautiful <-----click

There's a lot of wisdom in those words--thanks for sharing!

Found it--and even pre-op, I think I'm in love! Panera's Hidden Menu

Yummy--now you have me craving hummus! What else is on their hidden menu? *runs off to Google*

My Blender Bottle is similar to this one and it foams a little bit. It seems to depend on how much empty space is in the bottle before I shake it. If there's not much Water in the cup (if I'm only blending 8 oz. instead of 12), it foams up a little more. The foam dissolves pretty quickly, though. It definitely eliminates unmixed powder in my shakes.

Does your dishwasher have a basket-like contraption to hold silverware? The one in my dishwasher can open from the top--the part that holds the silverware lifts like a lid--and I just put the wire thingies in there and snap the lid shut before running the dishwasher. Mine looks something like this one: In other news, "Freakin' Blender Balls!" is my new favorite almost-curse-word.

I've been using Syntrax Nectar for breakfasts and occasionally for lunch as well, then a protein-rich, low carb dinner--ten pounds gone in a month, so I can't complain!

You're a rebel. I like that about you!

I can't wait to NOT make those not-so-delicate breath-holding, grunting sounds when I get up from sitting on the floor, or get out of bed, or bend down to pick up something from the floor...

Like Andi said, one of the things I've read about meats is that red meats are often the hardest to digest. Maybe that's why we love our steaks and burgers pre-op--they make us feel nice and full for a long while as our stomachs try to figure out how to break all that carnivore fuel down!