WL WARRIOR

My post op visits take 2.5-3 hours. It is a group appointment which consists of the other 7 people that had surgery during the same day as I had mine. We have to take turns in the waiting room to go back and see the post op bariatrician. After everyone is finished, then we all attend a group meeting with the nutritionist. I guess this is required now since we never saw a nutritionist during the pre op period. It's great to visit with other bariatric patients, but the waiting around is nerve wracking. Since it is an hour drive to the clinic, these post op appointments take up more than half a day. I'm thinking of skipping the January appointment because I'm working everyday now. We are suppose to do blood work then, so maybe I won't. I like the idea of Protein shots. Are these something you can order or do you need a script?

Do you know how far along you might be?

I was scheduled to have surgery at noon and it didn't happen until 4:30. There were a few things that weren't going right and I ended up getting pushed to the end of the list. I actually wanted to stay an extra night because I was going home alone. I just wasn't ready to take on at home responsibilities so soon. They wait on you hand and foot at the hospital, it really isn't that bad. I was in the hospital for three and half weeks when I had my son. There is a big screen TV with internet and nurses come quickly when you are in any type of pain. I fell the first day I got home and it was quite painful because there was nobody to help me out. I loosened some staples, but it wasn't that big of a deal. A hospital stay is nothing compared to going somewhere like a lower standard 30 day drug rehab. That was over 10 years ago and I still have nightmares. Also, some hospitals are better than others. I just got lucky and was able to stay in a newly state-of-the-art one. And there were nurses that would take less than 30 seconds to come when you hit the call button. I hope you have a good experience.

I just got this book the other day and realized that it's more appropriate for pre op patients. It's a good book with an abundance of info. you need to know about VSG. If you would like this book, I can mail it to you for free. The only exception would be if it cost more than a few bucks to mail. It is a small book, so it shouldn't cost much to mail unless you live far away (I'm in central Missouri). I go to the post office tomorrow, so please let me know if you want the book by then.

I am always surprised about how people think it is okay to give children diet soda. It seems like more and more people are getting the message about the overuse of sugar, however, giving a child diet soda instead of regular is not the answer. I work in the school system and have noticed the changing of of the snacks in the vending machines and from regular soda to diet soda in the soda machines. I witnessed the principal giving young children diet soda as a reward more than once.

I agree with ProjectMe. I was hesitant about going to the Thanksgiving get together because I didn't want anyone to mention my surgery or weight. So, I phoned my mother up a week before and declared that we weren't going if anyone at Thanksgiving dinner mentioned my weight or surgery. This was a big deal because we didn't go to Thanksgiving last year because I was too embarrassed about my weight gain. I only told my mother about my surgery 2 months ago, but she is one that likes to talk. I was pretty sure word had gotten around. Thanksgiving dinner with the relatives went great. All I got was wonderful compliments. I didn't hear any whispering behind my back either. Who knows what they said when I left the room. I just don't really care. I am happy with how well things are going and I'm really not interested in their opinion. Your relatives may be more inclined to give their opinion if you talk about surgery or weight loss issues with them frequently. That is what is so great about this forum. If I want to get advice or share something to do with surgery or weight loss, I can just go here. I've been around people that talk endlessly about their diet, exercise regimine, or the obesity epidemic. So annoying!

Great Job! I have been doing the two shakes and 1 small meal a day everyday with no snacking. It produces good results and isn't very hard to maintain. I'll probably change it up once I get further out.

You can start taking Tamiflu within the first 24 hours. You will feel back to normal within 24 hours after taking it. You have to go to a doctor or urgent care clinic to get it, however. Once you start noticing symptoms of the flu (fever, body aches, headache, or vomiting) head for the doctor to get some. Just tell the doctor that you have been exposed to the flu and are beginning to have symptoms. There are also some all-natural over the counter medicine that shortens the flu. I'm not sure how well they work, however. As a teacher, I try to take Emergen-C everyday to help prevent getting a cold or the flu.

I know we are suppose to stop taking NSAID's after surgery. I thought NSAID's included medicine with ibroprofin. I read the label this morning on some sinus medicine and it indicated that aspirin and non-aspirin were NSAID's. I'm confused because I was even given Tylenol in the hospital right after surgery, which is non-aspirin. What is your opinion?

I meant ibuprofen. I can spell better when I'm more awake.

The last thing I remember before going out was the anesthesiologist. He said he was going to use the same medicine that Michael Jackson died of to put me out. Then I woke up in a state of confusion. I pulled the oxygen tubes from my nose and was trying to yank my IV out. It took me a minute to remember where I was and why.

I agree, you probably won't crave it after a few months. My "forbidden foods" list after surgery are soda, alcohol, gum, seeds, nuts, and popcorn. These are not forever forbidden and it is different for everyone. You need to take it day by day and not focus too much on never having it again. You may find that giving up soda (even diet soda) helps you to lose weight.

Sara, We are very much alike. I had surgery Oct. 7 and am down 55 pounds last I checked five days ago. I'm trying to only weigh myself at doctors appointments. I also speed walk two miles a day and just started to add on Pilates every two days. My son (age 10) likes to do workout DVD's with me, but finds the Pilate's a little too difficult. I ordered a Zumba workout DVD, which he will hopefully find more fun. I'm also trying to add in more new, healthy foods and learn to cook. I've spent the last few years eating too much processed junk because it was quick and easy. Now that I feel more healthy and energized, I've realized the importance and fun cooking can be.

Normal is just a setting on the washing machine. It is typical to get nervous before major surgery. I got to a point when I was fed up feeling sick and being mentally and physically unhealthy. I am a single mom with a 10 year old child. His father died due to some circumstances that were controllable if he had only dropped his pride and tried harder. I don't want to die in 10 years due to obesity related illnesses. That would be a hard blow for my son to bear knowing that his other parent died of something that was controllable. This surgery helps put your destiny or future in your hands. Yes, there is a complication chance. But statistics show that the chances are incredibly low. The chances of dying from obesity related illness is larger if you continue on the same path. Others have written a list of pros and con's to help remind them why they are going through with this surgery. If your list doesn't help put you at ease, maybe you aren't ready yet. I wish you luck no matter whatever decision you choose!

According to my dermatologist, acne doesn't have that much to do with what you eat. I know I've always been told that it did. It really has mostly to do with hormones and stress. I broke out bad before surgery as well, but I blamed it more on nerves and stress. Have you been somewhat of a nervous wreck about your upcoming surgery? Are you getting enough sleep? I would see a dermatologist after surgery if this problem continues.

I am happy for you. I'm just really curious if your psychiatrist gave permission for you to quit your mood stabilizing and antidepressant medication. It may be just a little different for you. I have to disagree about food consumption causing or correlating with bipolar illness. It has more to do with a dysfunction in brain chemistry and is best managed with therapy and medication. I've witnessed people with bipolar and schizophrenia quit their medicine because they felt like they were on top of the world after finding a new partner or losing a lot of weight. It was only a matter of time before they became delusional or manically depressed. I wish the best for you.

I go to a CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) group 2-3 times a month. It is led by a therapist trained in CBT strategies. At each meeting, the group members take turns talking about the highs and lows happening in their everyday life. Then the therapist presents a new CBT strategy, models it, and the group discusses possible real life uses and application. During the next meeting, we start out with if anyone used the strategy and how it helped. Most strategies are tools to combat stress, depression, anxiety, and addiction (food or substances). The number one rule is that there is no victim talk allowed. Which is great because we get new people all the time that want to throw a pity party. I use to see a psychologist but quit because I wasn't learning anything to help me or change my life. It was just me talking for a whole hour. It's great to get your feelings out and have someone listen, but it wasn't for me. I always struggled to think of enough things to talk about for a whole hour. Most of the time, I could predict the advice I would get before the session even began. I like the group dynamic and the feedback I get from peers as well as learning strategies that have real life application. I've got a much better handle on anxiety and depression compared to five years ago and the knowledge and strategies I've learned in my CBT group will continually help me make better choices.

Do you watch the show "Intervention"? I usually don't have time to watch that much TV (especially reality TV). I watched a few seasons of that show after surgery because I was so bored. There were two episodes of post op gastric bypass patients that were doing some incredibly reckless shit. One episode in particular was similar to your hilarious tale. Your fictional confession was very entertaining but quite unbelievable. Now that I think about it, the high quantity of food right after surgery is what gave it away as fiction. I think it would be impossible. There is actually a high incidence of post op patients that begin having drug and sex binges after losing a lot of weight even though they were perfect angels before surgery. They might be a little nervous to post on this forum, however. They are probably better off seeking help from a mental health professional anyhow.

I went through almost the same thing! I decided not to weigh myself at home, so I only discovered my weight loss at my follow up appointments at 1 week and 1 month. During my 1 week follow up appointment, I hopped on the scale and noticed lost 15 pounds. That is 15 pounds in one week! I only lost 9 pounds during my 2 week pre op liquid diet. So, seeing that I lost 15 pounds in one week made me happy that I got the surgery. The nurses and Bari doc were so happy at my weight loss. My one month follow up was a miserable experience. It is my fault, I let myself get miserable over a number. When I got on the scale, it showed that I only lost 11 more pounds in the past three weeks. I told the nurse that I had 1/2 cup of lentil Soup the day before hoping it would relieve constipation. She made me feel stupid for eating something with carbs and blamed the slower weight loss on it. This was a ridiculous notion since I only had lentil soup once in the three prior weeks and had eaten according to the rules besides that. In short, the nurse was wrong. It is normal for your weight to slow down. It will pick back up. Stay positive and be patient! I am still trying to only get weighed at the doctor's office. If you are following your eating/exercise plan, then there is no need to weigh yourself so often. So many little factors effect your daily weight and it may be a good idea to weigh yourself less often so you don't get so discouraged.

This is the original BARIBUDDIES COOKBOOK. It is a little more condensed, so you won't need a whole pack of copy paper to print it out. Here is how to get to the PDF document so you can download it: 1. Go to www.mybaribuddies.com 2. Scroll down the page to the adobe file list until you find the one titled, "Our Original Cookbook.pdf"

My periods after surgery are unusually heavy with very painful cramping. I thought your periods were suppose to be lighter and less painful after pregnancy. Well, that never happened. I thought once I was down 50 pounds it would get better. Nope, it actually has gotten worse. Maybe my body is just a little messed up from surgery and will eventually regulate to more healthy state. I'm on hormone pills now, so hopefully that will help ease up on my heavy periods.

Bariatric cookbook as a free download: www.chicoweightloss.com/cookbook

I also elongated my liquid and softfood phase to lose more weight. It consumed two Protein shakes and lean and fit Greek yogurt everyday. You just have to keep in mind that the post op diet progression is constructed in a way to slowly introduce more dense foods as your stomach heals. I did Protein Shakes and yogurt for 4 weeks. My nutritionist recommended that I start trying more denser foods or my stomach will adapt to liquids. You want to eventually be able to eat "real" food that you can chew and the best way is through the diet phase progression. If you stay on liquids for a long length of time and then suddenly out of the blue eat something hard and crunchy, I don't think your tummy would digest it very well. At two months out, I still do yogurt and a Protein shake everyday. I usually add something more dense for dinner like chicken or tuna.

I didn't have any trouble getting pills down at all. I've never heard of a health professional requiring or recommending that you stop taking antianxiety or antidepressants for surgery. They usually remind you frequently NOT to do that. You should take your prescription pills 12-24 hours BEFORE surgery at home. The hospital will give you your next dose AFTER surgery within the next 24 hours and everyday after that depending on the length of your stay. Once you get home, just stay on your regular everyday pill schedule. The only drug that might have to be stopped briefly before surgery is a narcotic antagonist because it decreases the effectiveness of the painkillers they give you in the hospital. There may be other drugs that have to be stopped briefly, but I know antianxiety and antidepressants aren't one of them. You shouldn't have a problem taking one pill at a time after surgery. Taking more than one at a time can cause problems, however.

I have cardiomyopathy from rhematic fever (heart damage) and pregnancy related heart failure. They told me that I probably wouldn't live through another pregnancy. Your heart becomes enlarged when you have cardiomyopathy and it has to work harder to carry all your excess weight. I was told that the cardiomyopathy won't necessarily kill me (unless I got pregnant) but I will die with it. I was terribly worried about my heart condition during surgery even though the cardiologist said I would be fine. My heart condition has improved since my diagnosis 10 years ago and I am counting on it improving as I lose weight and become more active. I've never heard of cardiomyopathy being stress induced. I know stress can worsen the condition. I wish you luck and hope your condition improves!