Miss Mac

Well thank goodness that you are what I call "a woman fully growed" and able to make your own healthcare decisions. This is for you. They don't have to suffer in your body. Just think, it won't be long before you will be saying "I told you so".

During a scheduled follow-up with my primary care physician, I asked him if he thought I would be a good candidate for a lap band. I knew I did not want a bypass and I had never even heard of a sleeve. He gave me contact information for the Bariatric Clinic at Loyola University Medical Center. They had me watch a 20 minute video on line which explained the various options on bariatric surgery. I asked for a sleeve and the doc agreed that I would be a suitable candidate. I found out of this forum because it was suggested in the documents they gave me.

The possibility of pancreatitis is the reason why I cringe when someone says that ate regular food just days before surgery. I was told that undigested food also puts you at risk for stomach and bowel contents leaking into your abdomen while the doc is in there working with his tools.

What's a 3 in 2?

It took BCBS Federal Employees only two days.

I avoided seeds and nuts of any kind for the first three months. At 21 months, I still avoid watermelon and pumpkin seeds but have no trouble with cucumbers or the little seeds that ride along with tomatoes and berries. I can eat nuts, but I have to watch it because they are dense in calories and are a slider for me.

David Stamps has several videos of modified exercises. My favorite is Chair Boxing, but I also have his Chair Salsa, Chair Tai Chi and Exercise for the Bedfast. I also have several other videos including walking in place, stretches, and beginner strength training and toning.

i was on a low carb 1200 calorie diet for three months and then 10 days of 4 Protein drinks and Water / tea. I lost 23 pounds pre-op.

Eggplant is definitely on the menu at my house. You can cut up the insides and saute it with other veggies you have. The way we fix it here is to saute some ground beef, onion, and garlic and add cut up eggplant. Add enough of your favorite spaghetti sauce to make it kinda thick. Take your hollowed out eggplant halves and stuff them with the mixture. Bake at 350 degrees until the eggplant shell is tender. You could sprinkle mozerella or other cheese on it to increase the Protein.

Closing in on two years, and I am limited to 1000 just to maintain, and that is with exercise. Here is a scientific principle, "You cannot control that which you do not measure." I absolutely agree that taking the time to log your intake and activity will help. You said that you are not always making good choices, so clean up your diet. Here is a policy that helps me and keeps me within my guidelines - Do not eat anything made in a factory.

White female here. At 21 months my largest scar is a faint pink. You wouldn't know I have the other three unless I pointed them out.

About six months out I had the flu, just totally flushed out from both ends. I passed out as I was leaving the bathroom, hit my head on the edge of the tub, and was out for about and hour. When I came to, I stood up and passed out again, hit my head on the tub again and stayed out for about an hour and a half. When I came to the second time, I made it to the bed and fell asleep before I could call an ambulance. I called my doctor the next morning and spent the next day and night in an observation room at the hospital, on a IV to replenish fluids. Since then, I had to get a Life Alert monitor and a Fall Detector.

We pretty much got rid of anything made in a factory.

I took on the mantle as family genealogist. The last time anything was researched or updated was 1989, before the internet and Ancestry.com. It definitely keeps me out of trouble. I made a colorful PowerPoint of each branch of the family and put all of the old family pictures (from as far back as 1890) in groups, catalogued them and put them on the disc, too. My next phase now is a monthly newsletter to my siblings and cousins to highlight an obscure ancestor every month, plus provide updates to my research. I had no idea when I started this project post-op that I would become so well-read in American Colonial History.

Mine was already pretty short, and I had it cut even shorter - think "Ellen DeGeneres" hair. I bought a couple of turbans and bandana scarves like chemotherapy patients use. I was prepared to buy a wig if I had to, but I never did lose any hair. My two year anniversary will be here in December and my hair almost touches my shoulders. It really likes all this Protein and is very soft and happy.

Are you on solid foods yet? That will make a difference. I took stool softeners until I was three months out, then I had room to add a few bites of veggies here and there to keep things moving.

The last time I tried to self-diagnose, I had a really painful shoulder blade. I thought maybe it was a pulled muscle from weight training, so I put BenGay on it, hoping to relieve the pain. Oh my, it made the pain so much worse, so I called my doctor the next day to see if he would prescribe some muscle relaxers. Well, thank goodness he refuses to diagnose over the phone. They squeezed me in the next day, and guess what????? It was shingles. I can't believe I put BenGay on shingles. I learned my lesson. So....I would suggest that you at least let your doctor know what happened, and let him take it from there.

That is when I would get the least damaging sandwich and throw away the bun. Gas stations usually have Jerky or nuts or some kind of Protein bar. If the team has pizza, just eat your way around the crust. You gotta eat something, so just make the best of it and don't feel bad. I have been in jam a couple of times and got Wendy's chili.

I know you love your family, but this sounds like a one-way relationship where YOU are doing all of the accommodating to what they want, and if you have an opinion that they disagree with, there is no support there for you. Please don't do what I did and wait until you have a stroke. One you have the surgery, the worst is over in just a few days. If you have someone who can help you with the kids for four or five days, you will be out of the woods and on your way to a better quality of life. If someone is unsupportive, just shut them down and tell them that your decision is not up for debate. If they can do without you for ten weeks, they can do without for two. Stand up for yourself. It looks like no one will. I wish you the best.

There is no shame in cruising the online dating sites. I met my boyfriend of nine years through Craigslist. (We would have been married at least seven years by now, but because I am retired Federal, and he is with a railroad, one of us would lose our pension). When you post your profile, just tell the truth and run. Be honest there like you are here. Be you, not who someone else thinks you should be. One of the reasons that we have stayed together is that neither one of us has ever asked the other one to change anything about themselves. We emailed everyday for about a month before we even had our first phone call. We had our first meeting at a restaurant, each driving our own vehicles so that if there was no connection, no one needed an awkward ride home. The conversation was good, so after lunch we drove ourselves down the street to a movie theater and watched a matinee showing of Nacho Libre. The next date was a couple of weeks later when we went out for an early dinner and then off to a White Sox game. We have been together ever since. Here is why this gal keeps coming back for more: he makes me laugh. We have sooooo much in common that no one has to compromise, and we are supportive of each other's opinions and interests that do vary. My dear bariatric brother, just do you. And forget that "third date" rule about intimacy. If she wants you to kiss her, she will lean in. Kind, gentle men with old-fashioned manners and a sense of humor are hard to find, so if you are that guy, love will find you. Not all dates have to be in seats. How many times have you heard about women who like a long walk on a romantic beach? Find a public park (nothing remote - that's creepy) and go for a walk. There are lots of places with beautiful leaves changing this time of year. You will find something to do. Maybe your date could suggest something she would like to do. Why wait? Your lady may be out there now looking for you, and you will be a year late. Have you ever heard that saying, "My ship has come in, but I was at the train station." A smile, good hygiene, and a sense of humor will take you a long way. Good luck.

It's a draw between Bufflehead and Lipstick Lady.

It does not happen to me as often, but I have been having one of those weeks. The house is stocked with appropriate healthy foods, but I stand there at the fridge and just don't want to bother. Then I get really hungry, so much that I am sick to my stomach and then really can't decide what I want. I can hear Miss Tummy rumbling and objecting. Part of my issue is that I get anxious about eating or afraid to pick the wrong thing, so I don't pick anything. Then I will crash about 2:00 in the morning and end up licking Peanut Butter on a spoon. I have my two year appointment coming up soon, with sessions with everyone on my team, including the psychologist. For sure, I will be asking about eating disorders and how they might advise me to find a healthy balance. I think it just sucks that I can eat under 800 calories (including the peanut butter) and gain seven pounds in six days! Maybe the two -year bloodwork will reveal if deficiencies or hormones are running amuck. I tried weaning off my Wellbutrin last week and would not be surprised if I just need to stay on it to keep my mood and food anxieties under control. I totally sympathize with you. Although we are not eating junk, we are not eating well. I know I need to get motivated and remember that there is no getting off of this ride. I wish you good luck with your journey.

Be a really good girl until your surgery. That stomach needs to be empty to reduce the chance of any spillage causing peritonitis. Without complications, your recovery will be easier than the next four days. Hang in there.

You can run to the corner drugstore and get some Ambesol or its generic equivalent. It's an anesthetic gel that can be applied directly. More likely than not it will be with the dental stuff instead of the pain relievers.

My surgery was approved two days after the request was submitted, and I would have been scheduled for the next available opening in the OR, which was two weeks later, but I wanted to wait until my boyfriend was on vacation so he could help out. That was only one more week.