Miss Mac

Baby utensils. You pick up smaller bites that way.

I think Magnesium Citrate is what I had to drink before a colonoscopy. It does come in a few flavors. I think mine was lemon. One thing that I do on a regular basis to help prevent constipation now is taking 2 magnesium supplements a day. Other things I keep on hand are prunes, prune juice, Smooth Move Tea, and Miralax. if I have a hot chocolate before bed, I will put a scoop of Miralax in it. The sweetener in sugar free gummy bears is a digestive irritant to some folks. They have difficulty with certain sweeteners giving them the whistling s***s.

Welcome to our normal. Here is a link that might encourage you. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/page-129?hl=%2Bfinal+%2Bstraw#entry4094671 You have so much to look forward to when your health and quality of life improve. Are all changes bad? I remember when Dad bought our first microwave in the 1970's. Mom thought it would make her brain explode until she realized how much easier it made her life. Yes, I have personally changed since my surgery. I have more confidence and don't take anyone's BS anymore. I realize my value and am more sympathetic towards people who have to rise above overwhelming circumstances. Plus, I know a whole lot more about nutrition.

This may be bariatric heresy, but you asked for a quick fix. Read these reviews for Haribo sugar free Gummy Bears. If you are brave, go ahead. I will admit that I have used them a couple of times with results within a couple of hours. Just be sure you are at home and close to a toilet you can call your own for a while! http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Free-Gummy-Bears-2LBS/dp/B00CMS8RQC/ref=sr_1_2_s_it?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1457295223&sr=1-2&keywords=haribo+sugar+free+gummi+bears#customerReviews

I have a list from the National Institute of Health, but the link on comment #8 covers it.

My Protein requirement was increased from 60 grams to 80. At 6 weeks, I was told to let shakes be the exception rather than the rule, and get my protein from real food. On your list I see a lot of cheese. I agree about the sodium comment. When I got stuck, I had to drop nuts, Peanut Butter and cheese, and reduce dairy. Most of my protein now comes from lean meats like chicken and fish, eggs, and Beans. Chili seems to be my "go - to" when I don't know what I want. I wish you the best. Hang in there.

Worry is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do, but does not get you anywhere. The Dali Lama said, "‘Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow, it empties today of its strength. I call what you are going through - Hampsters in my head. They get in there and just run amuck, distracting me from other thoughts that are more productive, and disabling me acting on other things that would make me happy. The hair loss is disheartening, but it is temporary. It sounds like you are doing a lot of things right, and you are getting good results. Take time to go through the postings on this link: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/219831-what-was-your-final-straw-that-broke-the-camels-back/page-129?hl=%2Bfinal+%2Bstraw#entry4094671 There are now 1, 287 posts about why we all put ourselves through this. As you look through it, you may see successes that you have already had. You have already lost 45 pounds and in some ways must be reaping benefits from that. Let that thread encourage you. You did not say whether or not you are taking an anti-depressant medication. I went into depression after a stroke in 2010. I was so worried about having another stroke that I was checking my blood pressure every fifteen minutes. My doctor put me on Buproprion (Wellbutrin) and the bariatric doctor tripled the dose. It makes a difference for me and keeps me level all day. Find a project to do. For me it was expanding my family genealogy back several more generations, through Ancestry.com. Find something to keep your hands and mind occupied. Open the drapes. Get outside. Volunteer somewhere. Decide what you would do if you could do anything in the world you wanted, and then start to do it. No matter how impossible that goal seems, if you cut it into small enough steps, you can find a way to start. Take one minute at a time. Spend time doing the things you enjoy, and avoid doing things you don't. Socialize with people you like, and stay away from people you don't. Live every minute like it's your last. Remember you have two choices in life. You can spend the next five minutes being happy, or the next five minutes being sad. Whether happy or sad, you are using the same amount of energy in that five minutes. Work at a place you enjoy and where you like most of the people. It's depressing if you don't like your job or the people there. Acquaint yourself with your mood ebb and flow and embrace it. If you have more energy in the morning, utilize mornings. Maintain a regular schedule - awake at the same time each morning, take your meds at the same time, go to sleep at the same time. Have fun and laugh often. Rent funny movies. Laugh and smile often. It's contagious. Get a puppy - or two. Come here often for support and let us know how you do.

Sometimes, we just get tired of being strong, but I think you are handling this right. Just remember to take care of yourself so that you do not get physically weary as well. I hope your son can find the peace of mind that he needs. Hugs from Miss Mac in Chicago.

Hang in there, Kiddo. I lost 22 pounds pre-op and then gained 12 pounds back from IV fluids in the hospital. By the time I lost those 12 pounds, I was into week three. It was not until week four that I really started to drop any measurable weight. Once I hit six months, the weight started coming off in Milligrams instead of pounds. It is what it is. Some of us are just slow losers and every excess pound is going to go out kicking and screaming!

Because of orthopedic issues that limit my activity, the weight X 100 would pack on pounds very quickly. Much to my dismay, maintenance for me settled at 1,000 calories. There are many days where it just feels like I am not eating enough, and I go to bed hungry. I keep sugar-free Jello on hand, but it's not a filler. My nut told me to spread my food out so that I can have a little something at bedtime, but then I don't have enough energy to sustain any exercise or household activity. Bummer. So, this week I have experimented with drinking 4 ounces of milk at bedtime and am not doing too badly with that. This is so subjective, though. I have some spinal reconstruction coming up at the end of the month and expect to be in a turtle shell brace for six months. If my activity drops any further, I will have to cut back to 800 calories to maintain without gaining. One bad habit that I started up again is going through all kinds of books and articles reading things like 32 Ways to Help Lose Weight Quickly or Five Foods You Should Never Eat if You Want to Lose Weight, or The 21 Day Diet - Lose 21 Pounds in 21 Days. Geeze, it seems like this will never end. I am delighted with my sleeve and weight loss, but it's no lie - the mental battle is forever. Finding that perfect balance between food, energy, and maintenance is a crazy-maker.

First I tried baby food, and that just wasn't palatable. Applesauce was plain and had no Protein. So, my dear boyfriend cooked up regular food, like homemade pot roast and veggies, and pureed it in the blender with some broth. The main idea is to progress without having any bits in your food yet. Just take something non-starchy with some lean protein you like and make your own purees.

I am glad to hear that you expect hearty support from your friends. Other folks have not been so blessed and suffer great turmoil when alleged friends go hostile. Ben Franklin said two things about confiding in people. He said: "Three can keep a secret if two of them are dead." and "To whom thy secrets thou doest tell, to him thy freedom thou doest sell."

I did not HAVE to, but I did anyway, and I am sure it helped. I have attached a copy with my personal info deleted. See bottom of this post. Feel free to use its concepts. Good Luck. By the way, once they received my insurance packet from the surgeon, I was approved in two days! Copy of REQUEST FOR APPROVAL FOR WEIGHT LOSS SURGERY.docx

Some women turn into Fertile Myrtle after bariatric surgery and significant weight loss. Here is the pregnancy forum: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/427-pregnancy-with-gastric-sleeve-surgery/

It's worth asking the doctor. I learned my lesson about self-diagnosis this way: My left shoulder was hurting really badly and I thought it might be a strain from resistance training the day before. So, I got out the Ben-Gay and rubbed that stuff around. The pain got even worse, but I continued with the Ben-Gay for a couple more days. Finally I gave up and called the doctor, who took me in right away the next day. As soon as I pulled my blouse back to expose the shoulder he told me that I did not have a sprain, I had Shingles! I had shingles and was rubbing Ben-Gay on it. Geeze Louizze! Being that shingles is a nerve irritation and rash (common in people who had chickenpox when they were kids), it did not go away for one miserable month. Oh, here is a second example: A month before my sleeve surgery I got back pain for a few days. One day it got so bad that I could not stand up or sit down. I was stuck bent over trying to tie my shoe. I ended up with an ambulance ride to the ER. They took a X-rays and CT scan to see if it would help with a diagnosis. OMG! I had ischemic colitis. Part of my bowel was not getting its blood supply and was shutting down. I was in the hospital for eight days and was on the verge of losing a section of bowel before my condition turned around. My doctor told me later at a follow-up visit that he thought he was going to lose me! Never again will I rely on "Google-itis" or self diagnosis. If something hurts, my doctor is going to know about it. Please call your doctor.

When I got my gallbladder out years ago, I had ghost pains for about a year.

Since you seem to have had a four pound gain between leaving home and arriving at work, you either consumed 14,000 calories in the car or drank 1/2 gallon of fluids or there is a four pound difference in scale calculations. There used to be a scale at the doctor's office that registered a 6 pound difference from the one at home. They got a new digital scale a coupe of months ago and it weighs the same as home.

Oh, my.......I am glad they got you some relief. Did the doctor suggest that a high Protein diet had anything to do with it? You would think that with all the Water we drink, that it would not be a problem......still concerned. You are not the first female in this forum to mention this. What do expect that the urologist will need to do????

I can't believe I got 93%. I guess I just watch too much TV.

The pre-op conditions are a right of passage. You will probably be incorporating these four principles that many of the rest of us were required to do: Drink Water until your eyeballs float. Eat lean Protein at every meal, and eat your protein first. Do not eat anything made in a factory. Don't become part of the sofa. Here is one way to make the time pass faster: Schedule a root canal for the day before surgery. It will be here before you are ready!

Are you talking about insurance or self-pay? I had good insurance and only paid about $150 for the whole experience. The cost of self-pay varies greatly, although many who go to Mexico pay considerable less than those in the U S .

I had 10 days pre-op liquids only, two days Clear Liquids in the hospital, one week full liquids at home, a week and a half of purees, two weeks of soft foods, and then regular cooked foods at one month. If you have one day pre-op liquids only, you are one of few. The phases will be over before you know it.

I have come out ahead on the deal because I am not buying chips, crackers, Cookies, candy bars, soda etc. All this stuff was making me sick and fayt anyway, causing extra health problems that raised my healthcare expenses. The money I save is used for new clothing.

Sounds like he was just wanting to make sure that you are available to pursue. From what I have heard from you on this forum for the last two years, I think you are an awesome person, and I would not mind being your neighbor. Now, as for picky........if he treats you kindly and handles you gently, everything else can be overcome.

JustWatchMe (comment #5) I read the article on maintenance and ordered that essential oil combination that he mentioned. I will give an update when I see what results I get. http://www.breadandb...om/Surgery2.pdf