Kindle

So it's done! The colon prep part sucked bad, but the procedure was incredibly easy. IV catheter, vitals monitored, roll over with your knees bent, say nighty night and wake up 20 minutes later with new poo! For those interested in the technical, they infused 540 ml of donor stool slurry into my terminal ileum and cecum. And despite the destructive capabilities of C. Diff, my entire colon was beautiful with no damaged mucosa. I've been on Clear liquids and prepping my colon (aka pooping my guts out) for two days, so needless to say I was starving. Headed straight for Arby's and devoured the innards of a ham and cheese. The nurse I talked to said it's pretty much a 100% cure rate. Too bad the insurance companies can't get their heads out of their butts and start paying for it....may they all get C. diff!!

You also missed my poo infusion...just got home. Easy peasy. Just rolled over on my side, took a little nap and woke up with new poo. Only took about 1/2 hour! Been on clear liquids for 2 days, so afterwards drove to the closest fast food place and devoured the innards of an Arby's ham and cheese. Chew schmoo...

Well it's NOT hot here in Idaho... That water froze solid before it even left the bucket! And my long, insulating big girl panties won't come off for at least another month

RJ, I have no problems with productive discussions and differing opinions. Not everyone, however is able to keep it dignified and respectful. It's the personal attacks that some posters get slammed with after posting a rant that makes this feel like high school. I would never purposely insult a member. If I feel their post is repetitive or otherwise annoying, I just ignore it. But I think people should be able to vent their frustrations in this sub forum and receive the same respect and restraint as someone posting about eating a cookie on their preop diet. Based on your posts, I feel You are a more compassionate person than I am and I truly appreciate your presence and grace on this board.

That's horrible! I can't believe he let you go through all of that. That's incredibly unprofessional. Wonder how much $$$$ he made over all these months for doing nothing. Did he at least give you options of where to go? So sorry....what a disappointment.

Procedure is tomorrow...won't know about pseudo membranous colitis till then when the scope goes "up there". Not sure how exactly they get it in, but let's just say they are making me bring my own blender for the prep. They will use the scope to get it near the junction of the small and large intestine, so WAY up there .

WTF!! Why didn't someone warn be about this bowel cleanse stuff they make you drink for a colonoscopy?!? It's the most foul thing to ever pass my lips. And believe me, I've put a lot of gross things in my mouth! I would much rather feast on boogers and semen. And they wanted me to drink 16 oz of it followed by 32 oz water within 1 hour. Are you fucking kidding me?! Took 1/2 hour to gag down about 10 oz. I was told it would be a couple hours to see "results", But it kicked in before I could even fill a glass with water. Apparently the instructions have not been adjusted for gastrectomy patients!

I, too, am all about sucking it up and dealing with life. There's a big "No Whining" sign in my kitchen. I quit reading any post with the words "liquid diet sucks", "help", "desperate", "stall", "regrets" or "will this get better" in the title. More often than not they are whiners repeating what has already been whined about a hundred other times. If they were truly seeking help and advise, they could use the search option and find their answers. WLS is a major surgery with major lifestyle changes required. Don't do it if 1) you don't know what these things mean and 2) aren't prepared to deal with all the possible complications no matter how small or huge..... Diarrhea, constipation, food aversions, hunger pains, nausea, GERD, leaks, infections, more surgeries, etc. I'm not belittling people who have to go through these things, it just would be nice if everyone handled them with the strength and attitude and grace of someone like RJ, rather than whine about regretting this surgery because they are hungry 2 weeks post op and can't stand the taste of Protein shakes anymore. Thanks for letting me tag onto your rant. I'm sure I'll lose some popularity points, but good thing I don't care!

Clear liquids - the sequel. Started my colon prep today...clear liquids only today and tomorrow morning. 16oz "Colon prep" concoction tonight followed by another 32 oz water within an hour. Really? Good luck with that! I will be sh***ing my guts out shortly after. Can't wait. And repeat tomorrow mid morning..... The fact I will be working right up until I have to go to the hospital ought to make tomorrow more fun than I can possibly imagine.

Ice cream, subway, whiskey.

I put Unjury unflavored protein powder in everything at full liquid stage...chicken broth, beef broth, tortilla soup base, hot and sour soup base, dilute/strained cream soups (asparagus, chicken, mushroom, shrimp, celery, potato, tomato, etc.). PB2 added to chocolate or vanilla shakes also made a nice flavor change.

I tipped Joel at the end... $25 US plus all the pesos I had left over. He was having a bad day, so he was under orders from everyone in the van to go spend all his tip money on tequila

Been in your backyard many times to go to the State Fair. Lots of fond food memories there....cream puffs, cow pies, baked potatoes, gyros, Lions Club corn on the cob right there on the corner by the giant slide....mmmm. Sorry, I'll stop now . Great concerts, too.

Just curious, where in WI are you? I grew up in Plainfield.

I'm 3 1/2 months out and went to my doctor's son's 18th birthday party at a local brew pub/pizzeria last week. I managed 1 piece of calamari and about 3/4 of the toppings of a piece of pizza. It was super thin crust, but I still stuck with just the toppings because they are my favorite part anyways. At this point I eat anything I want....protein first....and just stop before I'm full. After all, I didn't have this surgery to be on a "Diet" for the rest of my life.

I have yet to find a protein bar that I like....until now. Natures Valley Protein. There are 3 different flavors and easily found at Walgreens, grocery store, etc. It's not so much a super high protein bar as it is an easy snack for on the go that doesn't have tons of carbs....10g protein, 6 g sugar, 5 g fiber and 190 calories. I travel all day for work, so it's hard to actually have lunch. I have a 1/2 for a mid-day snack almost every day. (Can't eat a whole one...get too full).

Congratulations! That's so great.....I got dibs on Dr. So

Ditto. What treatment plan have you been on for your C. diff? I've had it since January. I did 3 rounds of metronidazole and now I'm on the second round of vancomycin. The antibiotics clear it up great, but then it comes back after a week of being off the meds. I'm scheduled for a fecal transplant on Thursday. Ironically, the gastro doesn't think it's related to VSG surgery. Started 5 weeks postop after I had been on clindamycin for a tooth abscess. He said that's one of the worst antibiotics for causing. C. diff.

So sorry to hear about everyone's discomfort and pain issues with sleeping. Rest is so important for healing so it especially sucks when you can't get comfortable. I could sleep flat on my back and both sides from the first night after surgery. Never had any incision or abdominal pain. I was even getting in and out of my low waterbed which was co-occupied by 2 dogs and 2 cats. It was about two weeks before I felt good about sleeping on my stomach just because I was so gassy and bloated.

Google Protein pancakes. You'll get a bunch of recipes. I haven't tried any yet, but it might be on my menu next weekend. Haven't really looked at the nuts,yet, so they may have too many carbs.... Actually, I've got Bob's Red Mill organic whole wheat pancake mix I might just add extra egg whites and unjury unflavored to and see how it turns out. Maybe make the pancakes thin, almost like a crepe and roll them up with Greek yogurt or cream cheese. That would cut the carbs a little. Mmmmmm. Now I'm hungry. Might not wait till next weekend.... And I know it's eggs, but Huevos Rancheros minus the tortilla has been a favorite of mine since puréed stage. I also mix turkey sausage, cheese and spinach in my eggs for a yummy scramble.

Call your surgeon. May be nothing, but my yellow watery diarrhea turned out to be a Clostridial infection that I haven't been able to get rid of (2 1/2 months and counting). Not to mention it's pretty easy to get dehydrated with diarrhea and our limited ability to take in enough fluid immediately postop.

A lot of surgeons will put a restriction on flying for a certain period of time because of increased risk of blood clots. On the other hand, there are tens of thousands of people that go to Mexico for surgery and are flying home 3-5 days post op (I was one of these). Some things you can do is wear compression stockings and get up and walk the aisles frequently if you have a long flight. So I guess I'd discuss your specific risk and options with your surgeon. You may also want to verify what type of lifting restrictions you will have. Mine was no more than 20 pounds for three weeks. That meant I had to ask for help lifting my bag on and off the X-ray belt and in and out of the overhead bin on my return flight from Mexico. And when I got to my truck in the parking lot, I had to take everything out of my bag individually so I could lift it into the back seat.

From what I remember, there were headaches, hunger and grumpiness. But I put on my big girl panties (literally) and made it through. Never cheated and lost 22 pounds in 16 days. Now it's just a faint memory. And not even my worst memory. You can do it!!!

Great job!

Thanks everyone'! Actually I'm in a size 16 now. Yippee. As for my size, you know how fat folks sometimes say they are just "big boned"? Well I really am...I have a big frame so I've never looked as heavy as I really am. I was a raft guide and ski instructor in my late 20's and I was HOT. Well muscled and defined thighs, back, arms and literally six pack abs. Still wore size 14 jeans, men's M or women's L shorts and tops. I'll never be a tiny gal. It's my hardy Scandinavian genes.