sweetie716

@@rhya2k I was freaking out that I would develop some kind of hemorrhoid or a rectal prolapse or some other kind of stuff that I read could happen with constipation because I was scared of having to have someone check it out. I was also nervous about calling my surgeon's office to talk about my lack of poop because, as we know, it feels like a very personal issue. However- I started thinking- that's what they're there for and what they're trained to deal with/treat. After talking to them about it, they were clearly used to talking all about this kind of stuff. Don't let your feelings on the topic keep you from getting help from people who just want to help you feel better! I know it's easier said than done, good luck!

water with mio or crystal light!

@@kclessofme I would say my swelling seemed to stick around for about 5-10 days total. It really started going down during that range, and I'd say it was pretty much down by day 10. I would say to walk as much as you can tolerate to keep that blood flowing and get rid of any excess gas you may have as well. You have plenty of time before your new job. Congrats, btw on the surgery and the new job! Best of luck to you!

I had a major backup last week/weekend. I had to call my doctor because I was getting nowhere for all the trying I was doing. I had even taken laxatives without any results. They suggested I try an enema since I just couldn't do it on my own. I picked up the Fleet Mineral Oil one and was able to do it at home pretty easily. I would definitely do it again if I got to that point of just constant pressure and discomfort. Since then I've been really hitting the Fiber hard- like you, I do the benefiber a few times a day and since the blockage was removed things have been moving along pretty well.

I've been wearing as many dresses and skirts as possible because they look so much better than my huge pants. The crotch in most of my pants comes a good way down my thigh, and they are still pulled up to my waist. They are just looking really sloppy. Isn't it a nicer problem to have than too tight clothes??

I'm 5 weeks out today. I eat 2 cheese sticks for Breakfast, one between working out and leaving for work (5:30 or so), the second around 9:30 or 10 in the morning. lunch is a premier Protein shake. I eat around 4:30-5 and again between 7:30-8. Those are my two times where I eat some meat. I always measure out 3 oz of meat (chicken, turkey, fish, etc.). Typically in MFP I come out between 62-72 g of protein and between 475-550 calories.

I went for about 6-8 months and then went back a few times to a different meeting, and I enjoyed it-especially if you can find a strong meeting. I found it very helpful. In fact, I lost the most weight I ever did on my own by attending those meetings. The awesome parts are: the support, the potential friendships, the literature, the different tools you can use to help yourself- phone calls/emails, journaling, etc. You can even get yourself a sponsor, which was awesome. However, it got to be overwhelming when my sponsor wanted me to try making phone calls each day in addition to journaling and talking to her. I would say just be careful to find a good fit for your sponsor if you choose to get one. The 12-step approach can be difficult and a lot of work, but just set boundaries for yourself as far as your time and level of involvement so you don't get overwhelmed like I did. (In my sponsors defense, I was very young and just trying to follow directions/be compliant, and I really didn't talk to her about how I was feeling about the time commitment she was asking of me.) Good luck! I'd say if you're interested you should give it a try

My nut said for biotin to be effective at helping manage hair loss that we should take at least 3000 mcg per day. I found some chews at gnc that were 5000, but are expensive at 30 for 30 chews, although they were buy one get one half off. However, just the other day I was in cvs and they had 10000mcg for only 10 for 30 chews. I'm only a month out, so everything still has to be crushable or chewable still, so you may be able to get away with just a straight pill. Probably cheaper and easier on the carbs!

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To me, the only way that would be offensive is if someone used it in a non-medical sense, like if someone used it to describe me without knowing my weight or bmi. Kind of like when some of my past doctor's would assume that I had diabetes, when I never had problems with my blood sugar. I kind of felt like- if you want to test, by all means do- but please don't assume that all obese people must have diabetes, because they don't. I don't know why people would take offense to the use of 'morbidly obese'- especially if you're using it to describe yourself in a more specific and medically accurate term than just 'fat.' That's interesting.

I have my calcium and biotin chews as dessert. I got the berry flavor of each!

I haven't heard of the oct 14 reinstatement, but they didn't actually get rid of the supervised diet requirement, it just went down to 3 months instead of 6 months.

Where did you find it?

I also have a very busy day at work, and no privacy to eat on my own (i'm a teacher). Normally, I will eat a cheese stick between classes and for lunch I drink a Premier Protein shake. And I ALWAYS carry my Water around so I can get my fluids in during the day. Before surgery I ate a Protein Bar after school before tutoring. I'm only a few weeks post op, so it will probably be another few weeks before I can eat the Protein Bars again. Good luck! It's totally doable, as long as you make taking care of yourself a priority. It does take a bit of pre-planning/pre-packing, but its worth it. As far as going back to work, I feel so grateful that I felt really great right away. They kept me overnight, let me go the next morning at 11 am. My husband and I went to the store and I was walking right away. My inlaws were in town and we did a lot of shopping and I cooked or baked almost every day. It was pretty awesome. I did start to drag a bit after all the activity for the day, and I did have to make myself sit down periodically and focus on drinking and getting my protein, but I really didn't have too many problems. I just got back from Christmas break at school, and I was 3 weeks post op, but its been a pretty easy transition. I had to plan out my medicine/vitamins/food schedule, but it's been good. I get up at 4:30 to go for my walk, go to work at 6:00, then work until 4 or 5, then go home and make dinner and do whatever. Good luck to you!

I don't have PCOS (at least not diagnosed, though I have many of the symptoms), but during my nutrition counseling before the surgery, my doctor told me that after surgery they recommend staying under 50 carbs per day for post-op patients in general. I don't know if PCOS patients would have a further restriction or not. I hope someone has the info you're looking for

I did the 4 week diet, and it really wasn't bad at all. For me the first day I was nervous I'd forget and accidentally eat something out of habit. The other not so good thing was that by the end of the last week (the all shakes week) it got really tough to drink them. I liked some things about it, like the fact that I didn't have to plan and cook meals. I think it helps if you just decide right now that you're going to do it- like it's not an option to go off plan. I'm sure you'll do great! Good luck

I am back at school today, too! My students were pretty happy (except for 2nd period, lol) It was weird getting ready and getting my bag together today. I think I felt hungry last night and this morning. I thought most of us weren't supposed to experience hunger for a while, so I wondered if it might be acid or something else like I've read on here. I'll probably have to ask my doctor about if it keeps coming back. I didn't tell anyone and I've gotten some compliments, like I'm looking good and stuff, but I don't think it was specific to weight. This morning was the first time ever that I've worked out BEFORE work. It was 4:30, but it's nice to not have to worry about what the rest of the day will bring because it's already done. I was expecting to feel tired, but so far so good, only one class left to go, then a BUNCH of meetings- faculty, then test training make up. It will probably take FOREVER. Well, I hope you have an awesome rest of the day! When did you have your surgery? Mine was Dec. 11. I was aiming for Dec.15, but my doc only operates out of the hopsital I needed on Thursdays so I opted for the 11th rather than the 18th to give myself plenty of time to feel better.

Ok, I just had my nutritionist 3 week nutrition class today, and he gave some tips on why the scale may slow down this early out. He said that if we don't have some form of food/protein in some form every few hours it affects how our bodies process the nutrition. Stalls are hardly ever from eating too many calories at this stage in the game. He suggested that we start something within an hour of waking, and at least every 3-4 hours after that. Super early on, the plan my nut gave was to drink 2 oz of Protein every hour and the rest of the time drink on Water, but as we go forward he's told us to now use Protein shakes more like a meal, and only work on it for 20 to 30 minutes, then put it away for later. This was the nutrition class for 3 week people for weeks 4-8. Different doctors and nutritionists have different suggestions, so go with what they say, but I thought this info was pretty helpful and so I'm passing it along for what it's worth. Good luck on breaking that stall soon!

I called up the surgeons office and scheduled an appointment. My insurance bcbs mi required a six month supervised diet/exercise plan. My surgeon also required a sleep study, upper gi, nutritionist visit, and a psychological clearance. After all that got done, we set a date. But to get the ball rolling, I'd just call up the surgeon or center that you are looking to have do your surgery (and feel free to shop around) and go from there. A lot of times they'll have things so streamlined you just have to show up. Best of luck to you, enjoy the journey and do your best to start making changes preop because it really does make things easier in the long run

It took my insurance about 2 or 2 and a half weeks to approve me, then I had to wait a week and a half for a doctors appointment to set up the surgery schedule and get all the nitty gritty type info. I think it would have been 1-2 weeks more for the surgery, but I scheduled for a month and a half later due to my teaching schedule. Good luck and I hope everything goes great for you!

I have been stalled for about a week now. I've been getting in all my protein, water, vitamins, and walking. It's so frustrating. I used to read these posts and think just hang in there, what's a week or two? Ha. It feels like an eternity after you've been dropping a pound or pound and a half a day for two weeks straight. Like other posters mentioned, I did get my period almost two weeks out, and stalled 2 or 3 days in, and haven't really moved since. I just hope that when it does break, I am still losing at least close to the same rate I was before. Can anyone comment on that? After the first stall, do you keep losing at the same rate as before or does it slow down a lot?

It is hard to drink all the Protein stuff. I'm about 2.5 weeks out, and it got better again for me. I was sooooo over the shakes when i was around where you are and for several days on and off, but it's been getting better for me lately because it's now just what I have to do, so I don't think about it as much. I also got to start purees so I had a quarter cup of greek yogurt w/ Protein powder friday, and refried Beans yesterday and today along with the Protein Shakes. I don't see myself being able to get my protein in without them for quite some time, so they are just going to be part of life for a while for me. I hope tomorrow is a better day!

My surgeon's recommendation was to do clear liquids for 2 days after the procedure, then full liquids for the next two weeks (this is where the protein shakes came in).

It took mine at least 5 or 6 days to go down.

I called my doctor about "that time of the month". I'd heard there were ibuprofen Patches, so that the nsaids weren't being digested through your stomach, but mine still said no nsaids ever. My doctor said I could take tylenol products. It seems like some doctors handle the nsaid question differently, so I'd probably check with them. I've read that the nsaids seemed to cause ulcers in bypass patients, and the verdict may still be out on sleevers so some docs are just saying no to out of an abundance of caution. I really can't remember when that article was written or where I found it, but I'd still say check with your own doctor. I hope you feel better soon!