Kindle

I agree with sprocket....definitely let OCC know your concerns. And of course there are tactful, constructive ways to do this...you don't want to come across as the the irrational, PIA client. It is a small enough facility that it shouldn't be hard to address these issues with the staff. And considering they are a relatively low volume clinic and most of their business comes from word of mouth (I've never seen an online OCC advertisement) I think they would want to make things right. Btw, how's everyone doing? Sure wish I Was down there in the warm sunshine!

I told my hairdresser/nail tech, so it was practically like posting on social media!

I haven't posted it on Facebook, but I've been up front about my surgery from the beginning. Personally, I wouldn't feel comfortable misleading people to think my weightloss was from diet and exercise alone. So when anyone asks, I tell them I had surgery and answer any questions they have. Being open and educating people about what is involved and how much work we still have to do can only help with the stigma that our society has about obesity and WLS. Fortunately, my honesty has been met with very positive responses. People are curious about the procedure ( Most have only heard about Lapband and bypass) and the fact I went to Mexico adds another bit of excitement to the story. In the end, everyone is happy for me and some admittedly jealous, but in a friendly, "good for you, wish I was brave enough to do that" kind of way. The two negative responses I got I just ignored and moved on with another topic. One was a friend terrified of doctors and surgery in general, and the other was pure jealousy....their problems, not mine. Good luck with your journey and good for you for being brave enough to post on Facebook and comfortable enough to share your decision to have surgery. I'm glad I did.

I've read somewhere that that can happen because of the reasons already mentioned. Our center of gravity changes and different muscles have to do more work. Having a strong core helps prevent and correct this, and I'm a big believer in chiropractic care. But In my case, all of my lower back, knee and ankle pain completely went away within 2-3 months of surgery. (I broke L4 and L5 when I was 18, so I know about chronic lower back pain!).

I developed C diff from antibiotics I was given for a tooth root abscess about 6 weeks after my VSG. My symptoms were severe cramping followed immediately by diarrhea (like 5 seconds later). It wasn't associated with eating, and happened 12-15 times/day. Because of the type of antibiotics I was given (clindamycin which is one of the worst for wiping out your normal GI flora) my PCP immediately suspected C diff. The first test came up negative. But I read about the test and found that the ELISA method they used has a high false negative rate. So I made the lab rerun the test using PCR and it came back positive. (My PCP was on vacation at the time, so I was communicating with him via text and pretty much dealing with the lab myself) Let me know what your doctor thinks and how your tests came out. My treatment plan was fairly long, so I'll hold off on the details until then.

Thanks everyone! And no, no working out or gym time for me. Those muscles have always been there, just buried under 100 pounds of fat. I have a physical job with lots of bending, squatting and lifting, and an active lifestyle with physically demanding recreational options....horseback riding, hiking, kayaking, rafting, skiing, snowshoeing, etc. Not to mention shoveling snow, feeding and watering horses and stacking 80 pound bales of hay. Now I can do all of these things without pain and having to stop all the time to catch my breath. Best wishes to everyone!

Thanks for the update and your apples to apples comparison. Sorry you had some issues, but glad everything turned out OK. It's weird about the IV bags, catheters and ice chips. My bag never ran out and my nurse came in repeatedly to refill my little sip cup. I was given a choice of water or ice chips. And I watched my nurse put on new gloves everytime she walked into my room. I actually was the last of 5 surgeries. But I had an IV in and was receiving fluids by 1pm, even though I didn't go into surgery until 3. My sister and the husband of the 4th surgery patient stayed at OCC until 6pm but I barely remember my sister being there when I went back to my room. I FaceTimed with my sister back at the hotel when I finally woke up about 9pm and she said it was a pretty funny and somewhat incoherent conversation. ???? I was in the last room next to the bathroom, so I got to see everyone doing laps all night. And now that you mentioned it, I vaguely remember the club music. I guess it wasn't that big of a deal since I can't sleep in hospitals anyways. I basically just watched TV all night, just like after my neck fusion surgery. Anyways, glad your daughters are doing OK and you guys have found good "snacks" at Walmart. We found a little corner stand in the Avenude Revolucion area that had like 20 different flavors of homemade popsicles and the hibiscus was very yummy...tart instead of sweet. Unfortunately I don't remember the name of the side street it was on.

I actually did "play dumb" with one client. He is very creepy and not someone I wish to talk to on any personal level. I ran into him at the post office one day and he kept saying I looked different. I explained I just got a haircut (which I had). He just kept going on about how great I looked and I kept talking in detail about my haircut. He even followed me out to my car, gushing the whole time...seriously creepy dude! But I did get a laugh over my life changing haircut.

I live in a very small community, too. 2 traffic lights and about 3500 households in the whole county. If I told one person about my surgery (which I did), everyone was bound to find out, so I just went ahead and told my hairdresser/nail tech all about it when she asked about my weight loss. There was seriously a little "gathering" around the nail table as I told my tale. Two people even got my surgeon's name and contact info. And that saved me from having to explain it to at least a couple hundred others because you know how gossipy beauty shops are! And of course every one of our clients asked about my weight loss and It actually got to the point my business partner was answering the questions. She'd heard my answers so many times it was like she had had the surgery. She even had two clients call her at home because they were afraid I had cancer. She assured them that no, it was just WLS. But now that most everyone knows and the questions have slowed down, I can just smile and say thanks as everyone tells me how great I look and how jealous they are! But I guess I could have had a grand time spreading some juicy gossip (or pretend I hadn't lost any weight) instead of the boring old surgery story.

I was out of my room for 2 1/2 hours, but the actually surgical time was like 45 min. The rest was chatting with the anesthesiologist, induction, surgical prep, closing incisions, and recovery.

If you go with liquid protein "shots", check the ingredients carefully. Certain ones are made with hydrolyzed collagen protein which is low quality and not readily absorbed. As for powders, everyone is different, but I like Muscle Milk cake batter, banana cream, and red velvet cake, Un Jury unflavored and chocolate, Syntrax Nectar lemonade, peach, cherry, and Apple, Syntrax Matrix vanilla, Spirutein banana, jay Robb piña colada, and Garden of Life chocolate, vanilla and chai. I did not like isopure at all. You can get samples of dozens of different protein powders from Nashua nutrition before investing in a big tub. I also found single servings of a lot of products in my local whole food stores. One of the best protein bars (as far as ingredients/protein/fiber/calories) are quest.

Thanks miss Mac! That was the exact list I saw but they didn't have the "in the immediate family" part on the last line.

Actually the website I was on listed "premature death", not "risk of premature death". But you're right @@Elode, I will keep my funnies to myself from now on. But it's nice to know at least somebody got it.

Ask your doc...it makes a difference. Clear liquids.... Isopure, Water, crystal light, Vitamin water, life water, pedialyte, Gatorade, Powerade, Soup broths. Most people do sugar free everything but I couldn't because artificial sweeteners hurt my sleeve. Full liquids.... Same as above plus Protein drinks, diluted/strained cream Soups, drinkable yogurt. And I added unflavored Protein powder to all of my soups.

I eat when I'm bored and when I watch TV. I try to find something to do....clean my office (this actually turned into a two week distraction), wash my truck, write Christmas cards, do laundry, etc. Winter is a lot harder because most of the distractions I used in the summer are no longer available. the other thing is to fill a 32 oz container with water or tea or whatever and not eat anything until it's gone.

Obviously everyone's tastes are different but I've got a Keurig, and I like a big cup of the darker roasts.....Barista Prima Italian Roast decaf, Green Mountain coffee Dark Magic decaf, and Tully's French Roast extra bold decaf are what I've got right now. I like the Caribou blend decaf and Newman's own special blend decaf if I'm making a smaller cup. I just ordered a 30 pack variety of decaf K cups from Amazon, so I'll be taste testing some new ones shortly. Twinings makes a decaf chai Kcup, and celestial Seasonings has a Bengal Spice flavor tea bag that is decaf and tastes like chai when you add milk or Premier vanilla Protein. I also really like their Sleepytime vanilla tea bags. camomile tea at bedtime was a godsend in the beginning...it helped soothe my tummy at the end of the day and helped me sleep (I've always had a bit of insomnia) I think decaf coffee gets a bad rep because there's usually only one option available at restaurants, gas stations, etc and it's not the best quality one...just whatever's cheap and convenient for management to be able to say "yes we have decaf". I seriously couldn't tell the difference between decaf and regular once you get into the higher quality versions.

Suggestions on what to drink? Clear liquids or full liquids?

Surgery at 3pm, out by 9am, shopping by 10am. Back the 3rd day to have drain removed. I had no nausea or pain and could drink (sip) just fine, so I would have been very bored actually staying in the hospital that whole time.

. ????❓❗️

That's been happening to me for months.

I get the same error using safari on my iPad. At this point I can post replies and create threads from the app only. And if you are reworking the apple app, it would be nice to be able to see profiles and tickers. Those are the main reasons I prefer the full website. I basically have to switch back and forth....browse the forums on the website but switch to the app in order to actually post anything. PIA.

But it wouldn't surprise me if they STILL wanted you to attend all your nut and psych visits and complete the 6 month supervised diet before submitting the paperwork. ????

Plantar fasciitis is not on the NIH's list of WLS comorbidities. If your BMI is under 40, you should check with your insurance companies's requirements.

I did both...pureed a bunch of soups, cooked veggies, and tuna fish. But also ate refried beans, soft scrambled eggs, soft cheeses, mashed potatoes with unflavored protein powder, guacamole, hummus and tons of plain Greek Yogurt flavored with protein powder. And of course continued with my protein shakes.

I really don't understand why some nuts have a problem with Protein supplements. whey isolate is the #1 best absorbed form of protein available, absorbed faster and just as completely as any "real food" protein. It is, in fact, simply the concentrated and dehydrated part of milk that separates out when they make cheese. The rest is casein which is the type of protein that ends up in the curd part and what is in cheese. (Casein, BTW, is what body builders like to take at night. It is absorbed slower than whey and gives them a "slow burn" of amino acids as they sleep). Milk is about 20% whey and 80% casein, which makes the 100% whey protein supplements better and faster absorbed than milk. Not to mention the calorie factor.... 60g protein = 60oz skim milk = 675 calories (even more for 1%) vs 60g protein = 3 scoops whey isolate = 270 calories. And yes, there are some products out there that may be of lower quality protein and not as readily bioavailable. (I.e. Hydrolyzed collagen) But rather than educate themselves, (and us) these nuts just try and keep it simple by saying all protein supplements are bad.