2Big2Skate

yup, omeprazole here too. Call the doc and tell him your symptoms and get on some acid blockers pronto! Then in the future, like after you're on solids, try to figure out what foods kick it up the worst. For me, certain dairy had to be eliminated. I think over time I can lower my dose.

My JP drain came out the day I was released (surgery on thurs, release on sat). After the first afternoon, there wasn't much at all entering it.

Great job! My 7 y/o used to always think of stuff he and I could do together but he'd say "when you get rid of your belly". (he knew I was trying to lose weight). That broke my heart over and over. So now we're going to go crazy this summer with all the stuff he wants to do! Nice fish. You do any bassin?

Awesome! keep up the good work! Rock that sleeve! How much more to your goal and the start of maintenance?

It's a personality thing too. I don't do well with part-way measures. That's just me. I need firm barriers that I never come close to crossing. Caffeine is a drug I cannot be trusted with. There is no "in moderation" in my world (as a general statement lol). So I decided it was best to not stand too close to the fire. Holy hell I miss it. Especially when it's cold like this. It really was a part of my identity I think. Sigh.

When you wake up in the PACU with tubes all over you, you wont be thinking about coffee. The Water going in the tube, mixed with strong painkillers will satisfy all your cravings! I'm being funny but what I mean is, there's a great opportunity to go cold turkey at that time. You'll have plenty of mental and pharmaceutical distractions.

I just realized my creatine has HMB with it. I use the Betagen. It's expensive but I get a great pump especially in my hamstrings.

I don't know what a snog is, but I think I want one!!!

Good for you! You're brave to jump right into the lion's den like that lol!

Goals are what keep us going through the hard times. These are valuable thoughts to commit to paper..eh..media. Pre-op when the diet sucks or post-op when you just don't feel like hittin the gym before work, remember these things and use them. They can push you forward when nothing else can. Blessings to you on your journey. All my best, Jay

Lot of great ideas here! I'm putting it all in my notebook. I'm finding a lot of the gym performance products contain stimulants and I need to avoid those.

Fitness Gurus! I'm in the market for a fitness monitor. Cost isn't really an option, but quality and utility is. I walk, ride a stationary, jog, play tennis, and of course ice hockey. Is there a product that will count all this exercise and also log heart rate? I'm not very concerned about sleep cycle and I dont want to have to place my finger on a sensor to get heartrate. Last but not least, I'm an android guy, not apple. I'd like to have good linked reporting, either on smartphone or PC. Thanks! Jay

A small small warning. Any time you have surgery with general anaesthesia, you get a trache tube shoved down to your lungs. It irritates you and can rarely cause some damage. My voice has been weaker and gravely when i talk, ever since i woke up. I'm going to see a ENT about it and let him have a look. It's probably slow healing inflammation. Jay

PDx - I definitely am changing upstairs. I used to loathe leaving the house. I'd get home after work, exhausted, and you'd have to set the house on fire to get me to leave it. I hated being seen and besides that the effort to do anything was enormous. I didnt realize how much of a labor everything had become until I lost weight and I noticed myself volunteering for chores and taking the family out for no reason at all. I'm working on looking people in the eye and holding my head high. I'm striding confidently and moving quickly though. And I smile a lot when I talk to people. I haven't bought new clothes yet so Im still a little embarrassed. I think once I pimp some new threads, I'll be meeting the world on my terms in every situation!

The Basis seems good for around-town monitoring, but appears to stink at sports monitoring. Mio is coming out with a new watch called the Link. It's getting pretty good reviews. I like this guys site. He's a nerdy triathalete and he gets toys to test early. The alpha was pretty strong and the link appears to be a vast improvement over the alpha. The only drawback is short battery life while doing HR. http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2014/01/mio-link-first-look.html The other one I was considering is the adidas smart runner watch. It's 4x as expensive and has waterproofing issues. I want to wear this thing on the ice a couple times to gauge my calorie burn and HR levels. That's another reason I can't do the chest strap. My pads would knock it around and it'd be immersed in a torrent of nasty sweat. Jay

Here's a left field idea. Could the weather or season contribute? I find the cold weather and heat running all the time is making me feel like a dehydrated piece of poop. I'm still drinking the same amount but I feel run down and feel thirsty even right after drinking. Buddy of mine told me the skin is an organ and if it gets all dehydrated you will and should feel something bad. I don't use any lotion or anything besides soap. If the skin is taking the brunt of the dehydrating effects of the air, would it pull the nutrients before the muscles can get them? This is why Im not a doctor! Jay

Are you a worrier by nature? If that's the case, you can daily revisit your reasons for pursuing surgery. You know the long term consequences of obesity, now THEY'RE something to worry about! Dream about all the diabetes you won't have. Or new clothes shopping. Or fitting easily into any chair on an airplane or at the movies, etc. Or running on the beach with (significant other/kids/dog/whatever) lol. Visualize the good things that will be on the other side of this short hospital stay. I assume you did your research in choosing your surgeon and hospital? Then rest assured that your procedure has been highly refined and optimized over decades, and now its combined with new technologies to have great recovery times. And we're all here for you. You'll do great! Jay

I dont want to wear a strap though. I'm evaluating the Adidas watch and the Mio watch. And there's an armband somebody makes that's not a HR monitor but apparently works pretty well. I'm so confused! It's a lot of techy gobblygook.

I don't pay any attention to dreams. They're mostly biochemical anyway and your diet and stress are no doubt kicking them into high gear. I was such a coffee addict, I hadn't dreamt in years. When I quit caffeine for the surgery, i started dreaming again and they were/are VIVID. Just treat it like a movie you didn't have to pay for. But when its over, walk out of the theatre and drop the glasses in the bin. It doesnt mean anything unless you let it. Are you on a special pre-op diet yet? Or have you made recent changes? It's a fun ride, the way our body adapts. Be encouraged, looking back its the smartest thing I ever did. And it was real easy. You'll do great. All my best, Jay

Thanks guys, good stuff. What brand/type/flavor of creatine do you use? I use EAS red powder mix but its kind of sweet. Are there any chews or bars?

Yea IT bands hurt here too. I lay on a tennis ball and wiggle around on it on my side. But I first got a lot of manual work done by a physical therapist. If you have persistent pain, I highly recommend getting an evaluation and treatment from a good PT. Theyll teach you how to self manage your individual pain. Jay

Thanks guys. I really need to police my total carb intake. I'm eating good lean Proteins and whole vegetables prepared from scratch. Everything else is shakes/bars or cottage cheese lol. I'm guessing my body just isn't ready for that stage yet. Fiddle - do you need creatine on non workout days? (or do you workout every day?) Thanks again, Jay

You're doing great. No need to panic, just get back to doing what you do and things will settle back into place. Keep up the good work!