Dabliss111114

Hi, and Welcome to our little group. Albemarle isn't all that far away, so it won't be too hard to get together. I'm thrilled that you've had your surgery about 7 months ago. That means that you have probably learned so much more than I have in the 4 months since I've had mine. How has all this gone for you overall? Do you feel like you're losing the way you should be? I worry that I'm a slow loser. I've been messing with the same 4-5 pounds for almost 2 weeks now. I go down 1 and up 1, then down 3 and up 2. I get my 60+ gms of Protein in everyday, and my 60+ oz. of liquids, but still can't seem to drop a regular amount every week. Even though I try to get to the gym to exercise at least a few days a week, I'm sure my doctor would say that I'm not getting enough exercise, but I'm doing the best I can. So far it looks like we've got at least 5 of us in our group. We're thinking about trying to meet somewhere after the Easter holiday. How long would it take you to get to Monroe from where you live? Since I started the group, I don't mind volunteering to have everyone come over to my house. We could have some "WonderSlim Pudding" and some decaf as a snack. Have a great week, and keep on posting...... Deb

I've heard only really good things about Dr. Gersin. I think you guys will be pleased. I used the same group, but had my surgery done in Concord by Dr. Bauman. Great surgeon, but he has no bedside manner. In fact, he's got a terrible personality, but I'm very happy with him as a surgeon.

Hi. For sure, join us. I just posted to DDSPICRN that we should try to get together after Easter. You in?

I had surgery January 27th so I am 7 weeks post op. Great!! It looks like you're doing well based on your posts. Are you able to get you Protein and liquids in pretty well at this point? We'll have to plan a time to meet and greet soon. Jaysen made me BEAUTIFUL last night, and he's just about done with his pre-op testing, so hopefully he'll get a surgery date soon. I'm thinking that we should try to get together after Easter. What do you think?

No, not yet. Have you had your surgery yet? I'm going to see Jaysen this evening to get my hair cut and colored. He's now officially my new hair stylist. He's great, and such a cool guy. I'll talk to him tonight and we'll try to come up with something. Love it that you live in Waxhaw. That's close...l'm in Monroe and he's not far either. Look forward to meeting you. I'll be in touch. Deb

You DO have Support!!!!! You've got all of us, each with our own stories and circumstances, but ultimately the same goals. Don't be afraid to reach out to us. That's what this group is about. We're all pulling for each other and that now included you too, no matter where you are in your journey!!! So there!!!!!!

You are very brave to have made this decision to put yourself on the road to better health and a brighter future. You said the the key words in your first post..... You are doing this for you. As hard as it may seem to move past what your spouse may or may not be willing to do to help you along the way, you are strong enough to do this. Without knowing the dynamics of you marriage it wouldn't be fair to judge him for how he feels. Maybe he's afraid that if you change physically you won't want to be with him any longer because he himself needs to lose weight and get healthy, or maybe he's afraid that the change in your size may change who you are on the inside and it scares him, or maybe he feels inferior in some ways and doesn't think he deserves a beautiful, fit wife, or maybe he will be jealous of the attention you'll get. Wherever he's coming from, you can't let it derail you. If you're like so many of us, you've spent way to much time worrying about what others think, or doing everything for everyone else and not for yourself. This is your chance to take care of YOU. You're not alone in this, because you've got all of us on your side. Let him eat whatever he wants......you eat what you need to eat. Keep good thoughts and maybe as time goes by he'll see the remarkable strength you have and his lack of support will turn into pride. Don't give up!!!!

I think I qualify as a slow loser too. It seems that I'll lose several pounds one week, and then not lose anything for nearly a week. I eat my Protein, drink my Water and don't eat carbs. I also exercise as much as I'm able. My NUT tells me not to worry so much about it, and that I'm "on track". I'm averaging about 8-10 pounds a month. I know others that are losing up to 18-20 a month. My doctor on the other hand is not as kind. He's very condescending in general, and when I saw him for my 3 month visit he made a big deal out of "how much volume are you eating?" "how much exercise do you really do?" etc. I try to not let him get to me. This is the same guy who before my surgery threatened to cancel my surgery if I didn't loose at least 12 lbs during my 2 week pre-op. He has a rep for being a jerk, but he also is considered one of the very best in my area. I choose to go with what the nurses or my NUT say, and I feel great, so it is what it is. Slow and steady in the right direction.

So glad to see so many others interested in the store launch. I had posted to this topic awhile back, but wanted to add the VICTORY Protein bars by Oh Yeah. They're all natural and the flavors are great. They even taste better than the Quest bars which are also good.

I turned 62 in January and had my surgery in Nov. 2014. I'm about 3 1/2 months out and haven't felt this good in over 20 years. I wish I had found the courage to do this years ago. My only worry now is whether or not my husband will be able to keep up with me once I reach my goal. He'll be 70 this year.

So glad to hear that you're home and improving every day. Take care and please keep us posted on your recovery.

Mark, I'm so happy that you've shared your story with us. I had my surgery in Nov. and have just gotten to a 60 lb. loss. I can't believe how great I feel and how happy I am that I made this decision. I admire you so much for having made such a huge decision at such a young age. Now you have your entire life ahead of you to live and enjoy to the fullest. Be proud of everything you've accomplished. Having all the surgery is a big decision too. Even at my age (62) I've already made up my mind that when the time comes I'll be eager to have whatever surgery I need to make my new body the one I've missed and grieved for over the last 20 yrs. I look back over these last few months, and I wish I had been able to consider having WLS many years ago. I look forward to the day when I can once again do all the things I haven't been able to do for so many years. I'm curious about the recovery time too. I'm going to follow this discussion so that I can get "educated" on what to expect down the line. Congrats on your incredible success, and be sure to keep up posted.

I've noticed that my rings are already getting too big too. They slip around on my finger moving the stones to the back, which I know isn't good. I think the idea of a ring guard is a good idea until I reach goal and can then have them resized. As for shoes getting too big... what a shame.... I guess I'll just have to go shopping...

When I found the Special K Protein cereal I knew I couldn't eat a big bowl with a lot of milk. I don't drink milk anyhow except for a little almond milk which I use to make my powder shakes when I have them. With the 10 gms of protein I measure them out and eat them as a snack either in the mid afternoon or early evening. My NUT actually said it was a great choice not only for the protein but also for the "crunch factor" that so many of us miss. She also has told me not to worry so much about gms of carbs as long as they come from fruits, veggies and good grains. The main focus should be on the protein grams and liquid ounces. She says that given the amount of food we can actually eat it doesn't make a lot of sense to stress over the number of calories or carbs if we're making good choices for our Proteins. She does say not to make carb choices that include Pasta, rice, potato or breads, and obviously no refined sugars.

I just bought the Special K Protein Cereal in the Cinnamon Crunch flavor and have about 3/4 cup with a little light almond milk. It's real crunchy and tastes great. One serving has 7gms. of protein. They're great for a little snack when you need one too. I also buy the weight control Quaker oatmeal. It has 7 gms. of protein too. I've added a little unflavored Protein powder to it too.

Valentine's Day isn't that big of a deal anymore for my husband and I. We've been married for 10 yrs now (second marriage for both of us) and we're both so glad that at this stage of our lives we have someone who loves us unconditionally and truly wants to grow old together. We're getting there faster than we'd like, but by actively trying to be healthier, we'll have that much more time to spend together. He did jokingly tell me the other day that he probably won't be buying me chocolates this year. I joked right back and told him that was fine as long as he brought me flowers. He probably will bring me flowers though because that's the kind of guy he is. He's been so supportive and keeps telling me how proud he is of me. That's the best valentine I could ever hope for.

I'm 3 months out too. Down 57 lbs. as of today and I'm feeling great too. I love "shopping" in my closet right now, but know that when the season changes I'm going to have to go shopping for real. I'm excited. I've got more energy than I ever thought I'd have again, and I can eat pretty much everything, but in tiny amounts. I do get hiccups whenever I get full, which has become my signal that I'm done eating. Congrats to all of you who have come this far too, and are also doing well. Let's all keep up the good work!!!

I'm so on the same page with most of you. It's one thing for us to share with each other here. That's why we're here. We're all going through a similar life change regardless of what type of surgery we've had, and we're all experiencing the many facets of how those changes affect our lives. I tend to think that it's shear lack of knowledge and understanding that make people ask the probing questions. They have no clue what this journey is about so the only thing they can ask is "how much have you lost?" or "when will you stop dieting?" or any of the other idiotic things they ask. I'm with those of you that are comfortable in responding with something that will leave them perplexed. By turning the question back on them hopefully it'll make them realize how rude or just plain stupid the question is. It's OUR business how much we weighed before our surgery, or how much we've lost, or what size we're down to, or just how long we will continue to "do this". REALLY????? We have to remember that there's no way they can put themselves into our shoes. They can't travel our paths. We just have to exercise patience I guess. Remember, one day we'll have reached our goals and we'll simply blend in with others and not be that person who is "losing weight" anymore. When that day comes the questions will stop and people will finally just accept us as one of them, instead of the biggest person in the room.

I was really sick with an intestinal flu about 2 weeks ago. Headache, fever, chills, nausea and diarrhea. I did see my doctor and that's what he said I had, and that it was going around. I couldn't even keep liquids down for a full day. I did manage to do better with the liquids the next few days, but I had no appetite either. It really zapped me. I just started doing "normal" things like going to the gym this past Wednesday. Take it easy and try to drink and eat as much as you can.

Hi. Overall I did great after my RNY surgery, but I checked "other" because at 8 weeks out I came down with a terrible intestinal flu complete with fever, chills vomiting and diarrhea. I also had some extensive dental work done prior to getting the flu, and my dentist put me on both an antibiotic and had me use an prescription antibacterial mouth rinse. Shortly after getting over the flu I started having terrible swelling and burning in and around my mouth. My regular doctor said it was an extension of the intestinal flu, but finally had me check with my dentist after it didn't get better within a week. My dentist said that I had a thrush infection in my mouth probably caused from the combination of my immune system being weakened from the flu and all the antibiotics. I'm still being treated for it, but was told by both my dentist and my regular doctor that it could take my immune system several months to get back to where it should be.

I'm just over 8 weeks out and have been doing fine.... A couple days ago I noticed that my lips seemed chapped and sensitive. Over the next couple days my lips, tongue and inside mouth are itchy, tinglely and a little swollen. Has anyone else experienced this? I haven't eaten or done anything differently, or had any kind of changes in my meds. I'm wondering if it's a Vitamin B issue?

I don't have an actual milky film everywhere, but I do have a patchy whitish patch on my tongue. My inside cheeks, inner lips, gums and the roof and back of my throat are all really red with what looks like whitish blotches all over. Not really like yeasty stuff but more under the skin. Gross, and so uncomfortable. Everything I put in my mouth burns and brushing my teeth is awful. I sure hope I get to the bottom of it. I'm miserable and really frustrated.

I went to my primary care doc who said the mouth issue didn't look like thrush, but more like a extended symptom of the intestinal virus I had earlier in the week. He told me to rinse with warm salt water and let it run it course. He felt that I would be better in a few days. He said that if It wasn't better by Monday to call back and they'd see me again. Well....today is Saturday and it's not really better. It's not as painful and nasty as it was, but my lips are still swollen and itchy, and my gums are still sore. I don't know what to think. I really haven't been drinking anything with the artificial sweeteners in it, and have not had the liquid protein. I've been drinking mostly herb tea and water. I'm frustrated...... I've also gained a couple pounds even though I haven't been eating much at all. The doc said my body is not happy and that Im holding on to whatever I can because it thinks I'm starving.... How did they test you to finally figure out it was thrush???

I talked to my surgeon's office yesterday and they said it could be one of several different things. I could be having an allergic reaction to the artificial sweetener stevia since I do have hayfever and seasonal allergies, or it might be a case of mouth thrush, which apparently isn't uncommon after WLS. they want me to see my primary care doc. I have an appointment this afternoon. I'll update after I see him. Thanks for you concern.

I've not had any foaming, but boy do I get the hiccups right after I eat. In fact it's my little signal that I'm done! I only hiccup 3 or 4 times in a row, then it's over. Craziest thing....