Miss Mac

The first three days were the worst for me, too.......the other eleven - no problem.

I had a colonoscopy in 2010 because of chronic diverticulitis and won't need another one until 2020 unless an issue comes up. Like with most first time procedures, the preparation and the waiting and the worrying is the hardest part. It would be nice if was as simple as a chest x-ray, but it is important for the whole body to function properly, not just the pretty parts. I had the twilight sedation like the others, but I do remember the doctor having to navigate a what felt like a sharp corner. Overall, the whole experience was a distant memory the next day.

Krispy Kreme?????? Oh, man............what pleasant memories of when I though sugar and grease were food groups. Congratulations on having the strength to resist. As my people say "You done real good."

At one year and one day (officially a bariatric veteran, now) I can eat anything I want, but what I want has changed. Tummy real estate is limited, so I have to be responsible about what I give my body to thrive on. I do eat Mexican food with the reminder that I can't follow jalepenos with a big glass of milk. So, what I do is make sure that if I have salsa, I have a little sour cream, too.

Anytime Miss Tummy objects to something that I eat, she makes sure that I am miserable for at least four hours.

I am 5'4" and started this process at 235 pounds. I chose 135 as my original goal, because that was my healthiest adult weight when I was in my early 30's. Last week at my one year appointment, the bariatrician reset my goal to 155. She said that if I lose another 14 pounds (I am at 169 right now)and take another 12-15 off with a panniculectomy, then I will be at a healthy weight for my age (63).

I took my first photo a few days before my first appointment. The next one I took was last week for my one year. I wish now that I had done it every month. I weigh myself almost every day, although many others don't. If I don't track, I lose track.

You are right smack in the middle of normal. That third week stall can last anywhere from a couple of days to two or three weeks, then you will start losing again. Today, 12/23/2014 is my one year surgiversary. I have lost 65 of the 100 pounds set with my original goal of 135. My last stall lasted from mid-June to the end of November, then all of a sudden on December first, it started dropping again. I guess I am a slow loser. I have decided that I am not going to stress out over it. The second year is just as important as the first. One advantage of losing more slowly is that your skin has a better chance of regaining elasticity. Those of us who have gone before you will keep encouraging you to stay with the plan your team gave you. Have faith in the process and don't become part of the sofa.

Stay out of the kitchen as much as possible.

Did not have staples for my sleeve....had surgical glue and steri-strips. However, when I had a knee replacement in 2007, the staples were in almost a month. My pain level went from 10 to 2 in just a few short minutes. I was so glad to get them out.

Yes, and speaking of sleeping......the bed feels bigger.

It has taken me a year to lose 70 of the 100 pounds I need to lose. Don't worry so much about average. Go to this link to see some non-scale victories to watch out for. It is a long thread, but will give you an idea of more meaningful ways to observe your success. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/276681-how-about-some-nsvs/?hl=%20nsv

Since you are the one who will suffer the consequences of morbid obesity, this should 100% be your decision - not your parents. It is called morbid obesity for a reason; as the weight starts to suck away your quality of life, it eventually kills people before their time. If you don't think you can do this with diet and exercise, then by all means join up with our big bunch of "losers" and do it with surgery, diet, and exercise - no shame, no shade. Otherwise, you are looking at a lifetime of joint pain and replacement (I'm telling you now, that the pain from a knee replacement is 10,000 times worse than bariatric surgery. Uncomplicated bariatric surgery is a hangnail compaired to a joint replacement) Here is a link to a Sparkpeople article about what things weigh. My total from pre-op to when I finish up plastics is 100 pounds - that's a two month old colt. That's like wearing a pony for a belt! So far, I have lost an adult Irish Setter, with a mid-size microwave oven to go! http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage_public_journal_individual.asp?blog_id=3421351 If this is what you feel you need, and your doctors are supporting you, don't wait until you are in your 60's and life has passed you by. I agree that if your parents can agree to be open-minded enough to go with you to a few appointments, that may help. You may just have to agree to disagree on the subject. Are you still on your parents insurance, or do you carry your own? If you do not live with your parents or depend on their insurance, then just never mention it again and go do it. They can't undo your surgery once you have it done. You will be your own best advocate.

If I eat something that Miss Tummy objects to, she will keep me miserable for at least four hours. She definitely is the boss of me. No amount of Water helps - it just takes time to work through.

My surgery was 12/23/2013. While everyone was having on-line sales to grasp income from Christmas shoppers, I bought all kinds of clothing for myself, in several sizes down. Most was at least 60% to 75% off.

Your surgeon's insurance coordinator has dropped the ball, and they probably should not have set your date and put you through the pre-op liquid diet without solid approval. Call your insurance first thing in the morning and insist on speaking to a supervisor and ask them to set up a case manager nurse for you as well, so that you have only one person that you need to reach instead of playing phone tag. Delay is not denial, and surgeons don't make any money by cancelling scheduled surgeries. I hope this can be worked out for you. The waiting is the hardest part of this process. Once you actually have the surgery you will be so relieved.

One thing that I like to mention to newbies is that all questions are welcome. Just be aware that opinions and tact may vary. Be prepared to incorporate what you need and simply disregard the rest. Even though someone may sound short with a new person, their concern may only be that they don't want a new person to fall off the cliff. Email and texting rob a conversation of body language and tone, making it more difficult to fully understand where someone is coming from. At a year out, I will still do 98% of my eating at home with food prepared from scratch and nothing made in a factory. But if I am travelling or delayed, then I may indeed go into a restaurant and make the healthiest choice that I can.

When I had surgery on three vertabrae in my neck, the neurosurgeon asked my boyfriend to not smoke around me for at least six months, so he smoked outside. When I had my sleeve a year ago, my team said nothing about it.

My insurance is BCBS Federal which is the best insurance I have ever had ....ever. Maybe you could get a federal job - not kidding. Even if you got insurance that requires a pre-op supervised diet, those 3-6 months provide a valuable learning curve. You develop your new habits before the surgery, which makes it easier to be successful.

The term morbidly obese is a reality check for us. Morbid obesity killed my mother, who died of an abdominal aortic aneurysm at the age of 67 (I just turned 63). She was 5'2" and weighed 320 pounds. Morbid obesity killed my oldest brother who died of a massive heart attack at the age of 47. He was 6'2" but weighed 420 pounds. Many of my aunts and uncle did not make it into their 70's. All of those who made it into their late 80's and 90's (my mother's mother died of natural causes at the age of 98) were not overweight. I am sure that many of my 60 first cousins will not make it into their 70's and we have lost several already to morbid obesity related conditions. Look at my family photos in my gallery, and you will see why I had to do this now. I was rapidly becoming my mother.

In my one year since surgery, I have eaten at IHOP 3 times. I don't order the pancakes or French Toast, I even stay away from omelets because they put pancake batter in it to make it fluffy. I order scrambled eggs and bacon and hot tea. I take 1/2 the eggs and bacon home, and the tea to go so that I can sip it on the way home. No damage done. I have had Wendy's chili twice and Baker's Square chili once, and a chicken fajita at a Mexican restaurant. I think because of the sodium, my favorite Chinese food is off the board until I reach maintenance.

Start typing, then the tool bar comes up. If it is faint, just click on the icon in the top left corner. Then the toolbar should open up.

I think I had my first steak around six weeks. It is harder for me to chew and swallow fish as opposed to beef. Go figure.

Born at Camp McCoy Army Hospital in Wisconsin (1951). Currently living in a Chicago suburb on the south side. My paternal ancestors (according to recent DNA of my brother) are the ancient Stone Masons of Great Britain.......think Vikings (I was born with red hair), Orkney Islands, Stonehenge, with a 17th century stop-off in County Antrim, Ireland. My most famous direct ancestor was Alexander McCullough who was a scoundrel, murdering horsethief, who was the last person in Scotland to die by the guillotine. To balance that out, we have uncles of that generation across Luce Bay, who sheltered protestant reformer John Knox. Hadrian's wall was built to keep us and allied border clans (McDougal, McDonald, Ross, and Munroe) from harrassing the Romans on the English side of the border. Ancestral home is Cardoness Castle.

I, too, wonder why the Omeprozole is every other day. Mine is to be taken every day about 1/2 hour before Breakfast before I eat anything. At 3 1/2 weeks are you eating purees or soft food yet? When I started to actually eat something, I had to chew ridiculously well - even mashed potatoes and pudding, just to incorporate saliva to aid digestion. Just be aware of what you can tolerate, and don't push it. Your stomach has been through a lot, and is the boss of you now. Not a good time for caffein, bubbles, straws, or anything spicy. Measure the amount of food you are allowed, and never eat the last bite. Signs of fullness can be reflux, hiccups, even sneezing.