Miss Mac

Is anyone else here taking Carafate Suspension for this???? I have to take it four times a day for three months. Doc said that even though it is intended as an ulcer medication, it is helpful in preventing raw sores along the staple line, and helps the tummy to heal.

I do what niassy151 does. If I don't like it, I just start adding other stuff it until I do. My favorite combinations: unjury strawberry Sorbet with Crystal Lite Lemonade Isopure banana Crème with milk instead of Water, and 1/2 banana Syntrax Grapefruit with Crystal Lite Lemonade (tastes like Fresca) Not a big fan of the ready to use brands from the stores, but others on the forum prefer them. We are so individual.

At my 3 week check-up, my NUT told me to cut the shakes/bars back to one day now that I am post-op, or they could slow down weight loss. So, I typically have that after my strength training or 1 mile in house video walk. When I travel for appointments, I keep a Protein bar and a bottle of Water in the car - just in case we are out too long and I need a pick-me-up.

Back in 1984, when I lost some weight and got down to 135, I wore a size 10. That was back when a Gitano size 7 was also labeled "Large". And now, I see ladies on this forum saying they are wearing 16's over 200 lbs, and 12's when they are in the 160's......I don't get it. I have had one closet flush of 22-24's, and will soon ditch the 18-20's in another 10 pounds probably. While everybody had so much on sale on line for Christmas at 75% off,I bought a few things in Large and 14-16, and a few things in 10-12 and Medium, but only about four outfits each size and some skimpies. There is so much empty space in my closet right now. But I gotta tell you...this is a problem I am glad to have.

Walk without a cane. Travel to Scotland and Ireland to tour my ancient homeland (and meet Indigo from this forum ).

At my 3 week check-up I was cleared for light weights (five pounds)and strength training. Prior to that I have been using my Walk Your Belly Flat video by Leslie Sanson. It has 3 miles of in the house speed walking. I can do one mile right now....it's exhausting until I recover more from surgery.

For anyone who needs to talk to someone about possible or threatening domestic violence, this is the message from The National Domestic Violence Hotline website: http://www.thehotline.org/help/ There is no disgrace in asking for help. Our advocates are available 24/7 at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) in over 170 languages. All calls are confidential and anonymous.

Look up The Cycle of Abuse. I am a survivor of domestic violence and escaped from a psyco-sociopath in the middle of the night with the help of workmates and the angels from the local womens' shelter (who had been advising me to not leave when he was home.) Verbal and emotional abuse never go away. They ALWAYS escalate into physical violence. So even if he hasn't hit you (yet) abuse is abuse is abuse. One thing I learned in counseling at the shelter is that we get so used to abuse, that we begin to abuse ourselves.....not taking care of ourselves, perpetuating his isolation by isolating ourselves from family and friends...he follows you to work, or insists on driving you and picking you up even though you can drive yourself. The thing that makes me hurt for you the most is that humiliating you at home has become humiliating you in public. My mean old rotten 2nd ex husband, told me one time in a crowded Subway restaurant, "I am sick and tired of looking at your ugly face." When I cried, he said I embarrassed him in public. Another example is that one time after I had lost 50 pounds, he told me, "Every time you lose weight, you get jowls." He insisted that he pick out my clothes, even shoes and socks, from the mens' department because they were cheaper. Any time he did buy me something, I would not use it, because in a few days he would take it back so that he could buy cigarettes. He told me I would be more fun if I drank more. Nothing EVER was his fault. He said I always made him mad, when in reality he chose to be mad at everything. He thrived on conflict. So, if he has never hit you, think about this.....has he thrown things at you or near you....an ashtray, a telephone, a camping lantern (cracked my ankle). Has he tried to prevent you from getting medical help or minimized your symptoms, feelings, or opinions???? One day one of his 27 cats got up on a high kitchen cabinet and I climbed up on a ladder to get her down. He started yelling at me and I asked him calmly to please not raise his voice at me. He said, "I wish I could beat the Goddam s>>t out of you." This was coming from a man who kept five loaded guns in the house. One time he even shot at a car who passed him on the highway late at night (when he was driving me home from work). Oh, it gets worse...the last straw....we were in the car and I was talking to his daughter on the cell phone. He did not like something in the conversation and smacked me hard in the harm with his elbow. I asked him to stop the car and let me get out. So he started driving more aggressively and would not let me out of the car. The bruise on my upper arm was a big as a 7 ounce steak, Fast forward to the restraint hearing. The county paid for the divorce because it was domestic violence. The judge put him in his place and told him that if he did not shut up he would be charged with domestic battery, terroristic threats of a specific nature, kidnapping, and unlawful restraint. There clearly is much more than I can share here, but I am saying all that to say this: If any of this sounds familiar, you need to decide how to leave. And I am guessing that if you tell him you want a divorce, he will be all sorry, and make you prove to him that you still love him. If nothing else, get some input from the angels at the women's shelter who deal with this all the time. If I had fallen for that tactic and gone back, all the advantage would have been to him. He would have had his cook and laundry wench and second income, and I would have had my beautiful prison ten miles out in the country 1/2 mile down a gravel road, in-between the corn and Beans. The situation as you described is not healthy for you in any way. NO ONE deserves to be abused. You have come a long way, so keep on going and don't look back.

Ditto for what Lipsticklady said. I, too, am a recovering carb addict. I could eat 8-10 bananas a day in addition to my other food. If anything in the fridge had potatoes or noodles in it, I would reach for that first. A piece of toast with Breakfast???? How about 6? Thank goodness for the 3 month pre-op diet. What I liked was that the NUT wanted access to my myfitnesspal data, so that I had to be accountable. I lost 23 pounds on it as a head start for my sleeve. Now that I have had my new petite tummy for a month, I know the importance of maximizing the nutrition that I put in that 1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons that I am allowed. Definitely, 4 hours of extreme discomfort is a good penalty for indiscretions. I had one banana last week and I had to cut it in thirds to last three days. Oh well.

If you get the Syntrax sample pack, mix the grapefruit one with Crystal Light Lemonade and it will taste like Fresca.

Fans of the Beverly Hillbillies will remember Granny's cure for the common cold. Put a mustard poultice on your chest, take a hearty swig of Granny's rheumatiz medicine (homemade corn liquor moonshine, stay in bed, drink plenty of fluids, and in two weeks, you will feel as good as new!

I am at 4 weeks now. I can measure 1/3 cup of my Protein item and 2 tablespoons of something else, and I seem to never finish the last bite.

The doc has me on stool softeners twice a day, plus I drink 2 oz of prune juice at bedtime. Also read the thread about sugar free gummy bears.

A lot of us on here are short shorties, and 100 pounds makes us almost as big around as we are tall. If you need to lose "only" 100 pounds, that is still like walking around with a pony for a belt! I have quit fretting about the hair loss that is coming. If it gets too bad, I will just get a wig to wear when I go out and about. I decided to get it cut pretty short, and then embrace the gray when it grows back in. As for food issues, I am getting over it. I just had to quit watching the Food Network. Many people dread the Psych appointments, but they serve their purpose in exposing the issues that fuel our eating habits. You deserve to be healthy and happy. I am not the only one here who has lost 25-50 pounds several times. We just can't keep it off. There is no disgrace in asking for help.

April, I had a three level fusion in my neck last Valentine's Day 2013. I was scheduled for a three level lumbar/sacral repair (because of the sciatica), in late October, but an unexpected case of ischemic colitis interfered and took priority. The neurologist came to see me in the hospital, since I had been admitted to the neurology wing first. He said he thought it might be o k to proceed with the sleeve gastrectomy since it was already scheduled for December, in hopes that the weight loss itself would be enough to put things off for a while. I am soooo glad we put the spine surgery off. I am feeling so much better already, Good luck with your recovery.

I lost the first 25 pounds in my face, shoulders and chest. My tummy is just now starting to go down. I have had one closet flushing, and will have another about ten more pounds from now. Thursday, I put on a pair of loafers I had not worn since Halloween, and they were so loose I could hardly wear them. My winter coat is too big now. My bras which were too tight to wear this summer are too loose to wear now. Plus, the scale is going down.

Pre-op and post-op I have lost 37 pounds, another 63 to go. So far, my knees are a LOT better. They both have replacements, but I still have range of motion and nerve damage pain, which has subsided quite a bit. I had bad femoral nerve pain which is gone since my belly doesn't lay on the nerve line now. I was due in early December for a spinal epidural for sciatica, but have not had to make the appointment yet. I take Hydrocodone for arthritis and hip pain, but have not had to take any since October. I am walking easier and with better posture since my belly is not pulling me over so much. So far, color me happy. I am just now a month post-op on January 23, and am pleased with the health benefits that I am seeing already.

Finger in the Peanut Butter jar.........me too. I felt like I was really getting away with something naughty, then I found peanut butter in a program provided smoothie recipe.

So long as your incision doesn't look inflamed or infected, the tenderness is normal. I am about 4 weeks out now, and mine are nicely closed up and just ever so slightly itching a little itty bit, not bad. As for the tummy grumbling, mine sounded like a dinosaur fight! It is much better now.

You know what? I wish I could have lost weight without the surgery, but I was getting older and bigger by the minute. There is no disgrace in asking for help. Everyone here on the forum had to do it. Congratulations that you are happier and healthier. Good job!

Dr. Chand's team is awesome. Congratulations that you got your date. I wish you good luck and good health. let me know how your surgery goes.

You will reach a point of no return. For me, it was at the end of October when I was hospitalized for 8 days with ischemic colitis, which had my Primary Physician concerned that he was going to lose me. I knew then and there that I have so many complications from my weight that there was no doubt and no turning back. Either the sleeve is going to work or it's not, and I had to take that risk. Got my sleeve on 12/23/2013, and am down 27 pounds pre-op and 16 post op in 3 1/2 weeks. Recovery has not been bad. I did not have the shoulder gas and nausea at all. Wishing you good luck and good health.

I am from the ...clean your plate because of all the starving children in Biafra ...generation. It IS hard for all of us here to just let it go. It's even hard to not eat the last bite of something just to prove I can do it. My boyfriend and I have separate shelves in the fridge, now, so that I can find my necessary bits of food easily. And I do store some of my leftovers in baby food jars. My container of refried Beans has been in there five days, and I still have half of it left.

This info is from an article on the Spark People website, about what things weigh. When I lose my 100 pounds, that will be like losing the pony I am wearing for a belt. What Things Weigh - Something To Think About - July 11, 2010 from NUMD97 Spark People Things that weigh one pound: 1. A package of butter (with four sticks) 2. A football 3. A package of bacon 4. A box of brown sugar 5. Three medium-sized bananas 6. A guinea pig (not everything listed is edible) 7. A salami 8. A shoe Things that weigh two pounds: 1. A pineapple 2. A rack of baby back ribs (hopefully, this list doesn't lead people to temptation) 3. A Malayan Flying Fox (I like this one) Things that weight three pounds: 1. World's smallest cat, Mr. Peebles (I like this one, too, even if not good enough to eat) 2. A human brain 3. A two-slice toaster (that'll get you thinking) 4. A steam Iron (not to be outdone by the two-slice toaster, I imagine) 5. A box of wine 6. A can of Crisco shortening Things that weigh five pounds: 1. Mr. coffee 12-cup Coffee Maker 2. A bag of sugar (we knew this) 3. A two-liter bottle of soda (now this should give you pause - it did me) Things that weigh ten pounds: 1. A large bag of potatoes 2. A six-foot aluminum step ladder (now that's a lot to swallow!) 3. An adult Maltese dog Things that weigh fifteen pounds (and here it gets really interesting): 1. A 19-inch flat screen TV (now tell me that didn't give you pause? Imagine carrying that around all day.) 2. A bowling ball 3. 2,000 paint balls 4. Medium bag of dog food Things that weigh twenty pounds: 1. A car tire (whoa! Now I know what they mean by carrying an extra tire around your middle.) 2. A karaoke machine (oo la la! That is really something!) Things that weigh twenty-five pounds: 1. An average two-year old toddler Beyond 25 pounds it starts to get really interesting: 30 pounds is equal to the amount of cheese an average American eats in a year 33 pounds is equal to a cinder block (imagine building a house, and then thinking of what you weigh in cinder blocks - it's daunting) 36 pounds is equal to a mid-size microwave 40 pounds equals a 5-gallon bottle of Water or an average human leg 44 pounds equals an elephant's heart 50 pounds equals a small bale of hay 55 pounds equals a 5,000 BTU air conditioner 60 pounds equals a male elephant's reproductive organ 66 pounds equals the fats and oils an average American eats in a year 70 pounds equals an Irish Setter 77 pounds equals a gold brick 90 pounds equals a newborn calf 100 pounds equals a two-month old horse (so that's what they mean by "I could eat a horse!" Never again!) 111 pounds equals the red meat an average American eats in one year 118 pounds equals the entire Encyclopedia Britannica 120 pounds equals the amount of trash you throw away in a month on average 130 pounds equals a newborn baby giraffe 138 pounds equals the amount of potatoes an average American eats in a year 140 pounds equals the amount of refined sugar an average American eats in a year 150 pounds equals the complete Oxford English Dictionary Now after reading this, tell me this doesn't give you some pause. For one, the weight you have been carrying around for so long and for another, how much your weight loss equals in terms of common objects.

Happy Hampster Dance for Miss Mac!!!!!! I made it to Onederland. 198.6 on the scale this morning. That's 37 pounds off since starting my program in August. I can't imagine putting 37 pounds of potatoes in a basket and carrying it around all day, now. I am stoked today.