Vabeachlady

Brn2blossom, what is in your pumpkin smoothie?

Mommabird, I hadn't thought about coffee flavorings. Probably a good option go keep it a "clear" liquid. But, Kelseycakes20's cousin's amazing shake sounds interesting. Would she share the recipe? If not for this year would be good to keep it in mind.

Thanks for the comments. It's interesting that some surgeons have their patients use blood thinners and some don't. I'm not afraid of it hurting...afraid of just doing it. If I watch needle when I get a shot or give blood, or even watch someone else, I get very faint. Good advice on the pain meds. Surgery nurse said essentially the same thing. I know everyone is different in pain tolerance, how long did you need pain meds?

I don't have any post surgery experience, but do have weight gain experience. I have a tattoo on my abdomen that I got before I put on 150 pounds. It has stretched a lot, almost to being unrecognizable. I imagine that shrinking would make the objects smaller, possibly less detail apparent but still recognizable. Let me know how it goes.

My surgery date is set for Dec. 1. I thought I was SOOOOO smart to wait till after Thanksgiving so I could have my "last" Thanksgiving. DUH!!! I forgot all about the 7 day pre-surgery liquid diet!!! Looks like it will be turkey broth instead of turkey for me. LOL. Guess it's as good of a time as any to start that part of the journey.

My NUT recommends UpCal D. It is a flavorless powder. It's available in packets and a 20 oz. container. I found it on Amazon and ordered some. Want to be prepared for after my surgery 12/1. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009R2IJLE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009R2IKUO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I posted a topic a month or so ago about having lost a lot of weight during the weight trial and I wasn't sure if I needed the surgery. Had barium swallow xray and went to surgeon for results today, Have severe reflux with esophageal inflammation and hiatal hernia. Said that there is a surgery for the reflux, fundoplication. It often doesn't work for obese people. The most successful treatment is the gastric bypass. I was still waffling on my decision because I've continued to lose weight. But, with the new information today I've made my decision to go ahead with the gastric bypass.

WOW, what a great idea! Have you seen any that have a computer chip or something that can easily hold dynamic information such as meds, cataract replacement lenses, etc.?

Insurance requires a 6 month weight trial prior to approving surgery. I began in April and through diet modifications alone (no exercise) I have lost almost 50 pounds. The nutrition classes and support group meetings have provided me with tools that I haven't used in the past. Now that it is getting a bit cooler it will be easier for me to start including exercise into the mix to hopefully lose weight more rapidly. I have to attend one more nutritional meeting in Oct. If I maintain the weight loss that I have so far, I will have lost 60 pounds possibly more. That is over 1/3 of the weight needed to reach my goal weight in just 6 months. I am beginning to question whether or not I should proceed with weight loss surgery. In one more year it is conceivable that I could lose it all, not have the risks associated with surgery, not have the difficult adjustments and possible issues after surgery, won't have to take all of the specific Vitamins etc for the rest of my life. When I started this I learned that I would need the bypass due to GERD. That was ok. I was prepared to do whatever it took to lose the weight. I didn't expect to be so successful at sticking to the recommendations for eating. At this point I really do not know what I should do. Did any of you experience what I think is very good weight loss after beginning the journey? If you are here, I'm assuming you went on with the surgery. Are you happy with that decision or do you still wonder if you could have done it on your own? Do you think I'm fooling myself to even consider being able to proceed without having surgery? Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

I know there are pros and cons for the various types of WLS as well as pros and cons for trying to do it on my own. Reading the various opinions here reinforces that. And they are good for me to see. Like WLS itself, I consider all of this information to be a tool to help get to where I want to be...healthy and fit. I do have a lot of confidence in my surgeon and the entire group of people associated with his practice. I visited both of the notable groups in the area and researched what they do and the outcomes. All things being essentially equal between the groups, I selected this group and surgeon because they feel right. Ability to talk about everything and bedside manor are also important to me. Right now I am facing the major test as to whether I will opt to do it by myself or proceed with surgery. My sister is having surgery for breast cancer on Tuesday. My father (88) was taken to the hospital Friday and admitted for breathing difficulties. He has emphysema and this is his first major setback. We normally share responsibility for him but it is all on me this time. I have and always will be a stress eater. If worrying about both of them and having to go work on top of it, doesn't trigger a weight gain I think I may have a chance to do it myself. So far I'm not doing so good. :-) Not as bad as I used to do but definitely not good. No decisions will be made until some time in October/November and a lot will depend on results of upper GI. Thanks again for all of your input!

I visited my surgeon today. When I was weighed, I had lost another 4 pounds and said "good". As his nurse asked me why I was there I didn't mention anything about my weight loss so far or thinking that I might not need the surgery any longer. I only wanted to see about having the GERD checked to see about qualifying for the sleeve instead of the bypass. As she finished entering all my information, she said "Wait a minute. You've lost 52 pounds since you started the trial?!? What are you doing?" I told her I was just reducing carbs and fat and increasing Protein. She was incredulous. When my dr, came in he said he had been monitoring my weight loss during my trial and was very impressed. He called me a rock star for what I have done. Said that it was like 1 in a million people who could have done that. We continued talking about how I was doing and why I was there. Since my GERD has changed he does want to do an upper GI to see what may be going on. If everything looks OK with that and I continue to maintain this weight loss he doesn't think I need to have surgery. He brought that up, not me. He wants me to continue the trial. After the GI series I go back to see him to talk about it all. I think that I will ask him about doing lap band in Dec. That will give me all of Oct. and Nov. to see how I do. Lap band instead of either of the other options because it is less invasive and is reversible. Additionally, my insurance will not cover WLS after this year. If I have the band and discover that I need something more or that there are issues, I believe insurance will take care of that as it will not be "new". This group doesn't normally perform the lap band any more because of long term issues that have arisen. But I'm thinking it might be the best option for me. After reading everything that you all have written, I think I still need the extra tool to keep me straight. Still lots to think about and look into.

I want to thank everyone for your honest comments. All have given me "food" for thought. After many years of yo-yo dieting I essentially gave up 15-20 years ago. No real attempts to lose between then and now. Of course I "knew" what I should be eating but never did it. I looked into WLS several times during those years but didn't reach the point where I knew I HAD to do something until this year. My success so far has really surprised me and made me think that maybe I could reach my goals without WLS. But today, I proved to myself that I'm not past the stress eating that has always been my downfall. One of those days where I wanted and did eat everything that wasn't nailed down. Sure my choices were far healthier than I've ever eaten, but I did eat much more than I should have. One of my main reasons for pursuing the WLS was to have a tool that would give me a fast and unpleasant reminder that I was making a mistake. I know I need that tool to help me reach my goals and to regain my life. Meeting with surgeon Thursday to talk about this and to see about getting EGD and/or upper GI to check GERD and hiatal hernia.