Ginger Snaps

I'm a tough stick for IVs too and mine collapse after about 24 hours, so during my 6 days in the hospital (got readmitted for pneumonia) I had 5 IVs. I was a complete wreck about that! I asked for the house doctor once and he just happened to be a pediatrician and he was fine with tiny little veins and crying patients. I also requested and got a PICC line nurse (I think they're called) -- the ones who have to put PICC lines in if you need them. She wrapped my arm in a hot, thick wet towel and put a plastic bag on my arm and left it there for about 10 minutes before attempting a stick. That worked really well. I've also asked for the anesthesiologist before and that worked well. When I was readmitted to the hospital they sent a girl in to take blood and she had "STUDENT" on her name badge bigger than her name. I very politely told her she was probably a great student but I'm a tough stick and she wasn't going to practice on me. I feel like such a PITA when I do it but it's my body and IVs and blood draws are one of my big phobias, so they can just deal with it!

I'd be in trouble because I've colored and highlighted mine (2 separate events) since surgery four weeks ago. I've never heard anything like that.

Nothing much more to add than @@DLCoggin, but I think you are VERY normal to feel some fear and nerves about having the surgery. My only comorbidities were sleep apnea and reflux and I was a relative lightweight (BMI 36) but my fear of the trend I was seeing with my weight was more than my fear of having the surgery. I was not going to lose weight long term without the surgery. If I stayed at the weight I was or gained, I was most likely going to end up with high blood pressure, diabetes, the entire laundry list. One month out and I have no regrets. I'm down a significant amount of weight from my initial weight and I have had very little pain and other than a little bout of pneumonia right after surgery that got me readmitted a few days, no complications. I have had no nausea or vomiting and so far I've been able to tolerate everything I've eaten (except when I tried half a Protein bar and it felt like I had eaten a brick! lol) I feel like I made the right choice to gain some health and improve my quality of life. It is a personal decision that only you can make but don't let fear stop you from doing what you know is best for you. Best wishes!

Reflux is SUCH a pain! I had my bypass June 9th and haven't had a TOUCH of reflux -- no meds, no Tums... I can even lay down after eating! It's a miracle! lol Best wishes!

Talk to the doctor again. You may need some anti-nausea med to take before trying to swallow the vitamins and such. Or maybe to go on liquid meds for a while?

I've gone out to eat 2-3 times since surgery 4 weeks ago. I ordered an add-on patty with my son's burger at Red Robin. At a diner I had scrambled eggs and turkey sausage (ate very little put the rest in a baggie). And yesterday, at Chipotle, I ordered one of their tacos with steak and Beans only and didn't eat the tortilla (and broke even that small amount of steak and beans into two meals). Since you are not far out from surgery, you will be eating a noticeably different amount of food than your friend. Is there some reason you don't want to tell her? I didn't tell a lot of people beforehand but I do now because I just didn't want to hear the negative talk before. Nobody has been negative so far except to say "I didn't know you were big enough to qualify". If she's a good friend I'd suggest thinking about telling her. If not so much, you might just say you're not feeling that hungry or just order and appetizer and pick around on it a lot so it looks like you're eating. Best wishes!

It's a decision best made by you and your doctor (who know your medical history). I decided on bypass because I wanted the dumping syndrome to help with my addiction to carbs and sugar but also because I had pretty bad reflux and the sleeve can aggravate that. I wasn't so concerned with the rerouting of the intestines like some people who choose the sleeve. I wanted the surgery that gave me the best chance of success and didn't want to start with a different surgery and end up going to bypass if I wasn't successful. I gave it my all the first time. So far, it's going great! Just read all you can on sites like this and WebMD and the Mayo Clinic sites and you can make the best decision for you. Best wishes! Ginger

Welcome Kim! You're going to find so much support and help around here! Best wishes! Ginger

I have a pretty big roll over the csection scar, so I've been used to saggy skin for a while now. I'm only a month out from surgery and I know that skin at least on the belly will be an issue for me but I figure hiding it under clothes will be about as easy as it is now. Once I hit goal and stay there for a while, I plan to treat myself to a tummy tuck and get it all cleaned up at once.

At my hospital, they wanted you to stay in the hospital gown, so I didn't need any sleepwear. It would have been a pain getting on and off over the IV anyway. I wore the clothes to the hospital I planned to wear home, so didn't need to pack any clothes except changes of underwear. I took my own slides because I hate those slipper socks with the tread on them. I just kept the slides by the bed and slipped them on when I got out. I did bring my own toothbrush and deodorant but I didn't take a shower there so I didn't need any other bath stuff. I took quite a few trashy magazines (US, People, things like that) and actually did sit up in a chair and read those one day and then left them in the family waiting room when I left. Phone and charger. My hospital really stressed the "less is better" concept of what to bring and I didn't miss anything I didn't have.

I think it's pretty common to have a lot of emotions after surgery. Are you on pain meds? That can definitely contribute to depressed feelings. I felt very nervous about walking outside and usually made one of my boys (teens) walk with me just in case something happened. It didn't last very long and today (3-1/2 weeks out) we went to the mall and walked all over the place and I felt great. I think what you're going through is temporary and normal but if it gets very severe, I'd suggest calling your doctor. Best wishes.

I know the guy at GNC tried to talk me out of buying Quest bars there and said you can google a lot of recipes using Protein powder. I just did a quick search for recipe Protein Powder bar and found a lot of websites. You'll definitely have to look at the recipes and make sure they are bariatric friendly and not just packed with protein (low fat, low sugars, etc.) Here's one I found that point to a lot of other sites. http://bembu.com/homemade-protein-bars

@Reddrobin If you just started eating mushies I wouldn't worry about it. I just progressed to soft foods and I'm just starting to feel like my stomach is full a little with the runny nose thing. Up until now, I haven't really felt full on the liquids or pureed food -- I just measured my food and ate that much or stopped if I started feeling kind of uncomfortable. I'm not sure but for me it seems like it took a while for me to start having a 'full' sensation.

But where's the protein? That has more sugar than I'm supposed to have.

I just wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who posts from their personal experience and share their stories with others. I am in that dreaded 3 week stall with about 5 days of losing no weight. However, I'm out 23 days and have lost 22 pounds, so with all the info I get here and all the support I've seen others receive, I know it's NORMAL!!! And I'll get through it and I'm not through losing weight and I'll be fine next week and the week after and I will reach my goals! Thanks to all of you who help! Ginger

I think by the time you're up and walking, they'll take the catheter out. I have heard of people having to have them back in if they couldn't pass urine without it.

So I discovered that vanilla Protein shakes with almond milk and a dash of Torani syrup tastes a lot like strawberry ice cream (just melted). I'm planning to get one of those little ice cream machines so I can make my protein ice cream. I would definitely look at the sugar count on the one you found. Even if it's high in protein, if it's high in sugar it should be off the list. Especially as early as you are.

I'd go with a trainer. I actually purchased 8 sessions in the 8 weeks leading up to surgery and I learned SO much. She helped me with the form so I could avoid injury and was able to evaluate and help me know what I needed to work on most. I haven't been cleared to start lifting again, so I'm waiting on that, but then will get another package and start up again. It's great motivation to work out with a trainer (I did once a week) and then do the exercises on your own between sessions. I think it's a good investment in your health to help you avoid strains or injuries, too.

My mom and dad also live far away. I told them I was having surgery to repair my hiatal hernia (which was true) but left out the part about bypass. I intended to tell her the night before surgery so that I wouldn't feel conflicted about not telling her the whole truth. But, my dad had some really bad health situation come up and got out of the hospital after a 10 day stay the day before my surgery. When I tried to tel her that night what I was doing, she wasn't in the mood to talk and was still concerned about my dad so I chose not to say anything. I was also concerned about hearing "you're not that big" because my BMI was 35 but I had comorbidities, too. I will tell her the next time I see her and explain why I didn't tell her before but she will probably still be hurt a little. Since your mom knows you're having the surgery, maybe just call her up the night before and let her know it will be the next day. That way, she can't really try to talk you out of it and she won't have to worry too much in advance.

Every psych eval is different. I didn't have to do any questionnaire or anything. I used the psych I see normally (depression and bipolar) and he spent about 20 minutes asking me about my family history and how long I had wanted to lose weight. We actually talked very little about weight loss. Other people I've seen on these boards had to do questionnaires and some psychological tests but I haven't seen anyone who said they got turned down for the surgery because they didn't get a good psych eval. I remember seeing one person who said their psych said they weren't a good candidate for surgery because they "didn't understand nutrition" but I didn't see that that stopped her from having surgery. Just go in honest and open and you'll do fine. I think people intelligent enough to research the surgeries and seek advice and support here online are generally stable enough to pass a psych eval! lol

What's with the runny nose??? That's my sign, too. I have to eat very slowly or the runny nose happens AFTER that last bite I shouldn't have taken.

My process from first consult to surgery was 86 days. I had all the pre-op tests (cardio, pulm, psych, NUT) but had no pre-surgery diet restrictions or anything like that. Only Clear liquids day before surgery. My doc said he doesn't like to put people on pre-op unless they are very obese because he feels the pre-op diet can weaken you and he wants his patients healthy and strong. Of course it all depends on the surgeon and it's always best to go with the one who knows you best.

What a misfortunate streak of bad luck! Mono is NO fun and for it to throw off your surgery date... ARRGHHHH... I was worried about timing, too because I have a vacation in Belize planned in August and didn't want to have my surgery too close to that date. The last week before surgery it seemed like there was a holdup in approval and that it might delay things. It did work out but I had a week of major stress in there. Take time healing from the mono and don't try to push for the surgery. You really need to be as healthy as possible going into it. It may take another month or two but on the grand scheme of life, it's just a little speed bump and you'll get past it soon enough. Best wishes!

My doctor didn't have me start back on Vitamins until after my first follow up with him -- 11 days. I use unjury brand - Opurity. I take their chewable multi in the morning and then 2 of the calcium citrate chewables at night. I take B-12 and Biotin sublinguals from Vitamin Shoppe. I'm going to the NUT's office to day to get some of the soft-chew Calcium Citrate. I really don't like chewing two of those big whopping tablets a night. I have found it's better not to breathe through your mouth while chewing the tablets... I breathe in the dust sometimes while I'm chewing and it nearly chokes me. I'll be glad when I can go back to swallowing tablets because the Iron in these keeps me constipated. I normally take a multi with no iron.

I pureed refried Beans with a little chicken broth to make them runnier. I also eat Greek yogurt (FF, very low sugar) with sugar-free Jello mixed in to give it some fruity flavor. Pureed chili is wonderful -- you get lots of spicy flavor without the chunks. I use FF Turkey chili with no beans. Tuna and fish weren't on my plan until the week 4 soft foods stage -- not on pureed. I still drink a shake or two a day -- no better way to get a good chunk of Protein in. And I didn't do the mashed potatoes at all -- staying as far away from carbs as I can until I can get my protein numbers in every day.