Miss Mac

Last time I was in a size ten was in 1985. Last time I was a size eight was 1972.

I am going to go for a pair of white skinny jeans, size 8 petite. I am in size 20's now.

I was just sleeved on 12/23. I did not have to have a band or drains. I was sent hope with adequate pain control, which I only needed for a couple of days. The steri strips fell off on their own on Tuesday, and today I am not wearing any bandages at all - just loose clothing so that the incisions can get some air as they heal. The hardest part of all of this for me was not the anticipation of the surgery, but the scheduling of fluids, Proteins, and what can I eat this week? yes, Desert Pixie...stand on the edge of the cliff and fly. We will see you on the other side of the losers bench.

Coincidence: In my fridge is pistachio pudding made with unflavored protein powder added. I also swirl in a little bit of SF whip cream.

I am 11 days out from surgery on 12/23. I will admit to eating some baby food items.

I am 8 days post op. I have the patch, too....so, no nausea for me.

Well, I've lost 30 pounds so far. I cannot imagine carrying 3 ten-pound bags of potatoes strapped around my waist all day. No wonder I could barely walk. 50 pounds lost will feel even better.

The sublingual B12 that I pick up at Walgreen's is NATURE MADE. It has 1000 mcg and I got the cherry flavor. For real, it melts under your tongue in seconds! Nature Made products are often in their weekly ad and come "buy one get one 50% off"

Hot Flash Woman is Cold Woman now. I thought the hot flashes would never end - it's been 12 years. I will count this phenomenon as a perk. Today I am toddling around the house in flannel pajamas which I had bought years ago but could never wear. I even had an extra blanket on my side of the bed last night. Last winter I slept with a window cracked open.

I am leaving behind 100+ books on diet, nutrition, weight loss, and every fad trick that came across on the talk shows. They are packed and ready for the Veterans' charity truck to come by. I am leaving complacency behind and taking pro-active responsibility for my health. I am leaving behind - the food Network. I just can't watch all those food shows anymore.

My stated goal is also 135 for my 5'4" frame. Just got my sleeve 12/23/2013. My family has always used the "big boned" excuse to justify morbid obesity, but I know from my high school weight of 108, that I am not big boned. I really would like to get to 125 so that I can have a few pounds of buffer zone for weight fluctuations. No one can tell you at what weight you feel healthy.

Catheter, no drains

Right now I am sipping on Unjury Strawberry mixed with Crystal Lite Lemonade. Also, I put their unflavored protein in my food.

I have never told anyone this before, but Happy Hogmanay to you, too!

My experience goes back to 1973 (when I was 21), but I doubt gallbladders have changed much. My pain was in my back just below my right shoulder. Unconsolable knife stabbing pain that was so bad that all I could do was lay on the cold kitchen floor to get relief. Finally ended up in the E.R. one day, where they gave me a fatty creamy liquid meant to soothe ulcers. That threw my gallbladder into full-on spasms and emergency surgery (back when they cut you half in two). My gallbladder had burst in the ER thanks to a rapid misdiagnosis, and the surgeon had to go fish for stones everywhere. I agree with the others on this forum.....fatty, greasy, creamy, or rich foods will assault your gallbladder right way. That's the bad news. The good news is that gallbladder surgery is done laparoscopicaly now, with minimal invasion, small incision, easier healing, quicker discharge from the hospital. One thing my primary physician has taught me is not to get "Google-itis" when symptoms come up. A while back, I thought I had a shoulder injury from exercising, and I put Ben Gay on it. That just made it burn plus hurt. When I finally gave in to go see him, I was flabbergasted at his diagnosis - shingles. So what I am saying is that it's time to call your doctor when you aren't sure what something is....good luck and get well

My BCBS Federal was submitted on November 20, 2013. I was supposed to patiently wait for the doctor's office to give me the call-back. But I learned from others on this site to be pro-active. So, on Monday 11/25 I called BCBS and was told my surgery had been approved on 11/22. I called the doctor's office and was told that the certification specialist was out the whole week for Thanksgiving. Lucky for me, On 11/26, I received a letter from BCBS stating that they had approved five days 12/23 - /12/27/2013 for my hospital stay. I faxed this document to the surgeon, and they went ahead and locked in my date for 12/23. I wish everyone could have my surgeon, Dr. Bipan Chand at Loyola University Medical Center in Chicago. So, I was sleeved on 12/23/2013 and have had NO shoulder gas pain. I am 8 days out now, and starting to get some energy back, and no longer need pain meds. The steri strips fell off today. Count your blessings that you have BCBS Federal. It is the best insurance I have ever had - ever! Good luck to you. I will see you on the other side.....

When mu NUT found out I was using almond milk for my shakes, she advised me to use dairy milk instead for the added protein.

I have been doubling up by using my beverage as part of the Protein. Extreme smoothies have 35 grams per 11 ounce can. The chocolate and vanilla are both pretty good. Also, the Isopure powder has 55 grams per serving. I mix that with Crystal Lite. unjury has a strawberry flavor Protein Powder that mixes well with Crystal Lite lemonade. I have learned already to be creative. I put the unflavored powder with sugar free Jello. I make Sugar Free Chocolate pudding with skim milk and chocolate protein powder, and I mix sugar free vanilla pudding with skim milk and orange protein powder - taste like a Dreamsicle. Just use your imagination and double up. When I can move on to soft foods, I am going to whip up a batch of Peanut Butter balls. I got this idea from the forum. Mix chocolate protein powder with creamy peanut butter then roll into small balls. I refrigerated the ones I made pre-op. They tasted like Reese Peanut Butter Cups. I have even put cheesecake protein powder in Greek yogurt...oh yummmm. Once you start adding these different flavored protein powders into everything, your grams will start to stack up for the day.

I am worried about that too. I am only six days post op. I lost 28 pounds pre-op, and the weight had to have come from my ears and chest......my 53 inch belly did not budge.

First new habit is to become a Nutritarian...that is to deliberately eat clean fresh food, and maximizing my nutrition by only consuming foods that have nutritional value. Exercise more. Exercise has been difficult due to weight and arthritis issues, but as the weight comes off, I should be able to step up my game.

Bariatric Choice has whey Protein barbeque chips, pizza chips, ranch crunch, and sea salt with vinegar. I was pleasantly surprised with the BBQ and Pizza ones I bought online at BariatricChoice.com. I ate all the ones I bought over a period of three months, so when I get to my phase four routine, I will buy some more. They are packed in serving size packets, with 10 grams of protein in each pack. They were worth the asking price $12.95 for 7 packets.

There is a charity truck that comes around here every three months. They use the donated items to stock a resale shop for veterans. So, I have been collecting my stuff for the next pick-up. Other thrift stores are a good resource also. My experience with thrift store shopping is that (just like retail stores) there is very little women's plus size clothing. I am sure that any organization like that would be grateful for your items. Another suggestion is to contact any women's shelters in your area to see if they could use your items to disperse to women in need. A lot of times when a woman escapes from a volatile situation, they escape with the clothes on their backs. I know we all probably hate to throw out good things. Good luck with your new sleeve.

Congratulations on making this life-saving decision. Stay with the forum as long as you can...the folks here have helped me cope with the particulars of this surgery and our recovery. I am 4 days post op, so I can tell you that the best two things I put in my bag were Chapstick and a nail clipper. Please keep in touch with us. It takes a village to get us all started on our journey to Healthy.

I am 4 days post-op now. When I came home, I was 5 pounds heavier. The surgeon suggested that I not look at the scale at least for a week, and then, only once a week. However, I got on the scale this morning, and my hospital weight is starting to come down. Hopefully it will continue in that direction

My discharge was Christmas morning and I will unpack my bag this afternoon. Two things on the take list that I am so glad I took, were the Chapstick and some nail clippers. The doc would not let me use the Gas x strips or the Vitamin C lozenges. The nurse offered Cepacol lozenges which I refused. They are quite nasty. So, I just nibbled on ice chips and put on Chapstick every now and then. The doctor extracted as much CO2 as possible, so I did not have the chest pains that some folks have. I am glad to be home...slept in my lift recliner last night.