Miss Mac

12/23/2013 I was sleeved at Loyola University Medical Center by Dr. Bipan Chand. Dr. Chand developed the bariatric program for the Cleveland Clinic. Loyola nabbed him away and since then he has developed the bariatric program for Loyola. He also teaches bariatric, laparoscopic and robotic surgery there. I have lost 66 of 100 pounds of my first goal, but since I am carrying it well, the bariatric physician scaled my goal back to 155 instead of 135. She said that if I can lose 14 more pounds, she thicks that a panni would take care of another 15. That would put me at 140. My original goal was 135. I sailed through surgery and recovery with no complications.

I had chronic diverticulitis for several years prior to my sleeve on 12/23/2013. A month before my surgery I was in the hospital for eight days with ischemic colitis. I came close to having a resection, but I finally started responding to the meds. So, in this past year since being sleeved, I have had lovely digestion with no complications. I hope it stays that way.

I have had propfol for several different surgeries, without any complications. Unfortunately MJ's doctor was using a surgical anesthetic for Michael's insomnia. What an a**. Good point though, that we need to be informed about every step of the process, especially when we are unconscious and not in control of our bodies.

At two months I was eating regular food in small amounts (1/3 to 1/2 cup), just nothing raw.

When I have the spinal epidurals done at the pain clinic, I am laying on my stomach. The doctor rubs anti-septic on that area of my back, and gives me a couple of shots of anesthetic first. The through the same needle still in place, he inserts the shots of steroid. It takes a few minutes and is a little uncomfortable, but the immediate relief is worth it. When he did the ablation, he used the same anti-septic and numbing shots, and then inserted his ablation tool in the needle port. No worse discomfort that with the steroids. Shots were lasting less than six weeks when they used to last three to four months. Ablation is expected to last six months minimum or as long as two years. I can handle that. If there is a pain clinic associated with a hospital nearby, they should be able to do it.

Gonna Make You Sweat, by C&C Music Factory. It is on a Party Starter DVD that I have. It works for both aerobic and weights.

I agree with the others, so while you are waiting this out, here are the basics that you can get familiar with: 1. Eat mostly Protein, and plenty of it. (gravy does not count as protein) 2. Eat more non-starchy veggies than you used to - the greener, the better. 3. Eat less fruit than you are used to. (apples, not apple pie)4 4. Try not to eat starchy and sugary foods. They make you hungry for more starchy & sugary foods. (bread, Pasta, rice, pastries, (usually white in color) 5. As much as possible, avoid foods made in a factory. 6. Drink Water until your eyeballs float. 7. Don't become part of the sofa. (You have no doubt heard of he saying "Dance like nobody's watching".......so at least do that. I crank up the music while I am doing housework - it helps) One thing I noticed on the pre-op diet was that the best way to reduce salt intake was to not eat the foods that I had a tendancy to put salt on (partucularly potatoes and noodles) I wish you the best. Delay is not denial.

Here is a suggestion, but I don't know if you would want to change doctors to do it, if you don't trust that one anymore.........Sciatica has been an issue for me for years, too, with 17 herniated or degenerating discs. (Three in my neck have been repaired). I had been through five years of getting the spinal epidural steroid injections every three months. In spite of losing 66 pounds last year, the issue did not resolve, and my pain doctor is trying to postpone full lumbar fusion for as long as possible. On 10/27/2014 he did a procedure called Radio Frequency Ablation to calm the three nerves causing the worst problem with the sciatica. This decribes the process: Radiofrequency ablation (or RFA) is a procedure used to reduce pain. An electrical current produced by a radio wave is used to heat up a small area of nerve tissue, thereby decreasing pain signals from that specific area. The procedure literal disconnects the pain signal and was done similarly to the spinal epidural and no less / more painful. It took a couple of weeks for the nerves to calm down, but since mid-November relief has been 95%. He said the relief could last anywhere from six months to two years, depending on how quickly my own nerves regenerate. I am retired now, but if I were still working, this would have made all the difference for getting through the day. Same as with my sleeve - no regrets.....I would do it all over again in a minute.

I made it to my one year post-op. My surgery was 12/23/2013. I am officially a veteran!

To be down 60 pounds already is fabulous! It took me a year to lose that much while meticulously following my program. Do you just don't like veggies? It would not hurt to put some sauteed peppers and onions in your omelet, have a tomato with your chef salad for lunch, and a few green Beans at dinner - just suggestions for incorporating vegetation. I would not be surprised if you are constipated, which will cause you to hold several pounds of poo. If so, you could have an apple at bedtime (I frequently have 2 tablespoons of PB with a sliced apple as an evening snack). Too much cheese can gum up the works, too. The best way to get fluids in is to have it nearby and handy at all times. Sip, sip, sip all day long. Keep Water (or tea or coffee or whatever you drink) in the car, by the bed, near the sofa, near your workplace, and where you exercise. I hope this helps. Don't under-estimate yourself.

Stalls are like lovers. Your first will probably not be your last. My longest stall was four months even though I was still at 800 calories. My doctor told me to eat/drink more dairy (allegedly the extra Calcium helps) and eat some carbs. So, I upped my dairy, doubled my carbs from 25 grams to 50 grams (which is still not a lot of carbs, but keeps me out of ketosis) and increased my Protein from 80-100 grams, and increased my Water to 100 ounces (most days). This incased my calories to closer to 1000-1200. Would you believe????? Even though the weight has started moving down slowly....it is moving down again, and I will take that. And yes, I am exercising and following my plan. I did not gain over the holidays.

I had not even heard of the sleeve until I went to my primary to ask about a lap band. I have had my sleeve for a year - no complications - no regrets.

Geeze, I mean "Give you options". I haven't had Breakfast yet - brain's not awake.

I politely disagree with miss Blerdgirl on one point: Come here all you want and ask questions as they come up. I do agree that a journal is a great idea. Start writing this stuff down, because there is too much stuff to remember over a year's time. Post-op supplies that I am glad I bought: 1. Kitchen scale - at a year out I still measure everything. Some people don't, but for me, if I don't track, I lose track. 2. Baby spoons - they really helped me adjust to smaller bites 3. Shake/blender cup with the mixer ball in 4. Mortar and pestle for crushing pills Except for the baby spoons, I use these things every day. Most of our pre-op plans have us doing these basic things to break old habits and build new habits. ( I have heard that it takes 21 days to make or break a habit.) Eat Protein and plenty of it. Eat your protein first, then non-starchy veg, then fruit but not so much. (fruit is an apple, not apple pie a la mode) Wean yourself off of caffein, soda pop, sugar, starches, and foods made in a factory. Start cooking from fresh ingredients so that you can control the content of your food. Drink Water until your eyeballs float. Don't become part of the sofa. If I had a penny for every time a newbie asked for this information, I would have something like $1.08! So, welcome to the forum. You will find that opinions and tact will vary. Just take what speaks to you and disregard the rest. We welcome free speak and open minds, just no shade or disrespect. Most topics can be found in the search bar, just make sure you click on the little arrow for a drop-down menu that will come you options for your search. Clicking on Forums instead of Topics will give you broader results.

I got a nap for my EDG, too. Someone else had to drive. I was groggy the rest of the day, but not in any pain.

GasX Strips were allowed for me. If nothing else, they are great for that medicinal or ketone horsebreath...nice minty taste plus they immediately dissolve in your mouth.

Happens here every night......usually potato chips, pecan sandies, or Peanut Butter sandwiches. I just make sure that I am already full of my permitted foods so that I am not tempted. I keeped boiled eggs, tuna salad, cheeses, nuts, sometimes meatballs on hand so that I have a "go to" available. The smell of the potato chips is the hardest to resist, but I do allright. Sometimes at bedtime I will have yogurt with berries or a cup of hot cocoa. That helps to fill me up.

I guess I would have to learn to like seafood or food raise my own chickens. Do you have a modern kitchen? What is your set-up? What kind of market is available? You said that food choices are good, so I suppose that you can get seafood, lamb, chicken, maybe turkey? What kind of veggies are available to you? Can you get peppers, tomatoes, eggplant, zuchinni, carrots, sunchokes, mushrooms, greenbeans? Surely you can get yogurt and cheeses? I am somewhat familiar with Maltese cooking, which has Turkish, Mediterranean and Arabian influences. Let us know what equipment and grocery items you have access to. Do you take your lunch, eat at a cafeteria, or bring food from home? How big is your refrigerator? You can also PM me.

At a year out, I don't miss it. I was drinking two litres a day. Soda had control of me, and my new tummy can't handle that volume any more. If I started back on it, I would not be drinking Water at all. I was just reading today that a 20 ounce bottle of soda has 16 TEASPOONS of sugar in it. My instructions are to never again have anything with bubbles, and if I whiz my shake in a blender, I have to wait for the bubbles to break before drinking it.

When I eat something spicy, I do rinse the inside of my mouth, but that is probably just a tablespoon. In the old days I would eat a huge plate of food, go back for seconds, AND drink a quart of Pepsi. My stomach must have been as big as a basketball. I love my itty bitty sleeve.

By the time I lost the first 30 pounds, I was starting to feel friskier because I was just plain feeling better and feeling better about myself. My bariatrician doubled my Wellbutrin (which also boosts libido in some folks). Loosing over 65 pounds at this point has reduced my arthritis and neuropathy pain levels, and I was able to stop Lyrica as well. Lyrica is designed to quieten overactive nerves, but it can't pick and choose, so it quietens your nerves everywhere including your nether regions. Dropping that med alone made a significant difference in response and enjoyment. Needless to say, my gentleman friend is delighted with the difference and we have bypassed the frisky norm for our age. (63) So with your current relationship ending, you can, uh......practice .....in the privacy of your home, to keep the mojo going. Just sayin'.

At three weeks I was transtioning from purees to soft. My volume then was 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons, and I could never finish the last bite. Even at a year now, 6 liquid ounces is enough for about three hours for thick Soups or casseroles. Or I can now eat 2 solid ounces of Protein and 1/3 - 1/2 cup veggies.

I am retired now, but one thing I learned as a people/project supervisor is that the one with the most documentation wins! You sound like you have done your homework.

During the year that I have been participating in this forum, I have learned to let posts that are confrontational just roll off my back.......and I embrace the ones that seem genuine. If nothing else, I have just learned a new trick so that I can block posters who are not edifying, supporting, or bariatric curious. It took me a minute to figure out what CP meant, but I got to the right place by going to my account. So, the recent paranoid poster who keeps accusing us of attacking him by responding to his drama (and repeatedly threatens to leave and won't go) is the only one I have blocked, but at least I know how to manage that. Thanks for the tip.

Welcome to the forum. I am looking forward to seeing your posts as you go through this life-changing process.