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I have been taking a generic stool softener with laxative every single day or I don't think I would ever go again. LOL. Honestly having IBS before surgery and always having to know where the closest bathroom was. I thought being constipated wouldn't be so bad having never had that problem. Let me tell you, I would MUCH rather go all the time than not go at all. My belly don't like being constipated. Therefore, I make damn sure that doesn't happen.

Green Beans and peas were hard for me. I used carrots, cauliflower and even broccoli. I just made sure those first few weeks they were cooked very well to almost mushy. You can do that with green beans and it works fairly well too but the peas were a little rough for me. I love them now but in the beginning it was a little tougher. I think the first puréed veggie I had was carrots and yum!

The tough thing is they are right. If you don't find something that will work for you, you will get sick and end up in trouble.

You might try one of the proteins that you can add to water. It might go down easier for you.

@@treblecutie23 I am right there with you on the skin front. I never thought it would bother me as much as it actually does. It hurts and can be a nasty place for body odor. I feel like every time I spend money on clothes, I would be one or two sizes different if I simply had my arms, tummy and breasts done. Also, I am forced to buy tops 2 sizes bigger because of the very large bat wings that live on my arms. Then the sleeves look tight and I look like I am drowning in the rest of the shirt. Most people don't realize that that loose skin pulls on your body making life very uncomfortable. I will be 53 on Saturday and honestly don't want to go through the rest of my life feeling like I did not finish my journey. I meet with a surgeon that I am very excited about on July 11th and if all goes well I will at least have my arms done ASAP. Then, down the road 1/2 year or so I will have my tummy and breasts done. I figure I have worked hard and am worth it and SO ARE YOU! Congratulations on taking the next step!

@@dtiller1147 My surgeon has ok'd the ketorlac but honestly I have had no need to used it since my surgery almost 2 years ago. The Dihydroergotomine takes care of my migraine on the first dose and if by some chance it doesn't I choose to go to sleep. After a 2nd dose which I have literally done twice in seven years, it always goes away. Even though they told me ketorlac is ok in the injection form, I choose not to use any NSAIDs for anything. I have even added it to my allergy list. @@Nurse_Lenora Your advice to find a neurologist that is board certified in headache medicine is SPOT ON! People do not realize that there really is a significant difference in that specialty.

I have osteo arthritis of my knees my left being the worst. I had a cortisone shot about 40lbs ago which was nearly a year ago now. Before that, I had to have cortisone about every 6 months and I still had trouble. Anyway, my right knee never bothers me anymore (YAY), my left knee bothers me if I keep it in one position to long but once I get it going it's ok. I will say my mom had severe arthritis of the knees and she had that creaking sound which basically means you have bone on bone arthritis. It is likely that will not improve and you will likely have to do something about it. I had bone on bone arthritis in my left should and boy did that hurt and make a lot of noise when I raised and lowered it. You really should get in and see what kind of treatment plan to move forward with. I am so glad that I had my shoulder done now. I have 100% range of motion. Both knees and shoulders take a long time to recover so be prepared for a lot of PT. I had my shoulder done on 2/12 and I just got my full range back. I have been going to pt twice a week and I still have 3 appointments left. Bad news is, my right one is not good either but I will hold off until I can't sleep on my right side any longer. Boy, that could be at any time...... Best of luck! I hope they can find a non surgical solution for you.

Honestly I set an ultimate goal at the high end of the BMI chart for my height and age. Of course I never in a million years thought I would get there so I set small goals to hit along the way. 100lbs lost, onederland, and so on. That kept me moving toward my ultimate goal. For the last 20lbs which were the hardest, I set mini goals within it. I knew that setting a time limit goal would have been a complete disaster for me so refrained from doing that and thank goodness because it did take me 16 months to get to my ultimate goal.

@@OKCPirate LOL! When I was at my worst with migraine, I had one 27 out of 31 days. I tried sex over and over and although it was fun, it never has helped me. It's a good way for my hubby to never get it. LOL! My migraines are the best they ever have been after losing all this weight too. Some months I will get between 3 and 5 and other months I will have none. I will take those 3-5 knowing I can get rid of them quickly these days. I might also mention that after I lost the first 80lbs I could no longer tolerate the beta blockers as I have very low blood pressure after having high blood pressure for so long. Another benefit of bypass and the diet I follow. I no longer need a preventative, just my DHE to knock it out when it is upon me. I had a brutal one last night and they come on so fast. I know why I got it, I am weaning off of heavy narcotics for all my back surgeries this past year. They had me on so many mind altering drugs to control pain and none of them worked so we started weaning in March and I am finally down to the smallest dose of fentanyl. 2 more weeks and I will be off all that crap that made my headaches worse. I have not had sex in a while though! Damn hubby isn't putting out. TMI, I know but I would be willing to give it a try again! I keep dreaming about it. LOL

@@Daisee68 YAY!!!! Friend, I have been waiting for yours pics for a long time now! I am so glad you finally decided to share them. You are a beautiful person on the inside and the outside. I appreciate the connection we have so much. I swear you are my therapist! LOL. Beautiful!

@@pprl8765 I have suffered from severe migraine my entire adult life many times ending up in the ER for help. If you have ever been to the ER during a migraine it is absolutely not the right place to be. About 7 years ago someone at work suggested going to a neurologist that specialized in migraine. I happened to find one that also suffered from them herself. Migraine is hereditary. Now my son and 12 year old Granddaughter both suffer terribly. Migraine with little to no treatment actually causes damage to your jaw joints. I know because I have severe arthritis of the jaw from clenching due to pain. Anyway my neurologist started me on a couple of basic preventatives that they give anyone who suffers to help prevent. I was on propanalol and topamax for prevention. She also sent me to occupational therapy which taught me how to leverage meditation for those really bad ones. These were all good things but migraines when they come need something to relieve them. She put me on a rescue drug called Dihydroergotomine. You give yourself a quick injection as you feel the migraine coming on. If you get aura, that's the perfect time. I swear, this injection takes hold in less than 30 minutes. You have your whole day back feeling as if the migraine never even happened. This is not a narcotic it's used to open the blood vessels in your brain which is what is causing the migraine. She also gave me a second rescue medication given by injection called ketorlac. It is what they give you in the ER. This is just in case the DHE doesn't work. I can tell you that I have only had to use the ketorlac 3 times in the last 7 years. I have not been to an ER in that 7 years once for migraine. I can treat it at home and I am up and running 30 minutes later. Prior to this I tried everything. Botox, imitrex, something that started with an M (sorry cannot remember the name) as well as many others. None of that stuff worked for me and I swear I have told several people that I know who suffer with them to ask their doctor to be put on a preventative and give them Dihydroergotomine as a rescue drug. 2 of the people I work with that tried it have the same results. It is worth learning to give yourself an injection. I promise!!!! Oh and understanding the triggers and staying away is critical. The first thing my doc did was have me stop drinking caffeine, stay completely away from an artificial sweeteners, red wine. Also she had me stop taking any over the counter stuff because all of besides alieve cause rebound migraines. Excedrine is one of the worst rebound medications. Same is true of any narcotic that has Tylenol in it. When I take pain killers, I get migraines that stay for days and days until I stop the pain killers.

@@Thendy I am sad that your surgery has been postponed! I can remember how bumps in the road made me cry uncontrollably. I was so ready to begin my new life. I know that you are already glad that they found this problem because it likely would have caused complications almost right away. They want you to go into surgery with a good solid base because there are a couple of months right afterward that literally sucks all the stacked up nutrients away from you. The best thing is to get your infusion and follow up with a cardiologist to make sure your heart is healthy enough to go through such a major transition. The surgery is the smallest part, it's life after and learning your way that takes a lot out of us. I hope everything works out for you and you are back on the schedule quickly. Keep us posted and certainly reach out if you need anything. Hugs!

What work best for me was constantly keeping the reason I was having Bariatric surgery right up front. It motivated the heck out of me. I spent my pre op time very focused on learning new habits. - stopped drinking any calories and changed to bottled Water only - no carbonated beverages what so ever - I used to watch tv while I ate. I started eating at the kitchen table and removing all distractions - I am the cook so I focused on removing starches from the menu for myself. Good Protein, veggies and fruit - I began using a smaller plate to serve my food on - I timed my eating to not go longer than 30 minutes and to last around 20 minutes. - I practiced chewing food like crazy (I found this to be the hardest and still do) - I began walking every day increasing the length of time and the distance I was walking My nutritionist was more focused on this than on actual weight loss. I lost weight but it literally was around 10lbs and I was on a 6 month required diet. My weight fluctuated constantly. The insurance company and surgeons want to ensure that you take this step very seriously, it is why they have these monitored programs before they will approve you for surgery. If you want this bad enough, you will do it. I promise it is worth all of the effort and everything you learn now, will help with long term success post surgery. Sometimes I cannot believe how different I approach food. I eat to live, I do not live to eat any longer.

I am excited to say that I am finally at a place where I am considering plastic surgery. I know that I want to have it done here, near my home. I have found 3 board certified plastic surgeons with excellent patient reviews and have scheduled consultations with them. I am very excited about one of them and hope that she is as good as her reviews. I plan to focus on my upper body because it bothers me the most. I have lost 151lbs, nearly half my body weight. I am 53 years old so I don't have great elasticity in my skin. I feel fairly lucky that my weight was pretty much everywhere and I lost everywhere. My arms are the worst though. It is probably one of two spots where I still have some fat but large bat wings that make me crazy trying to cover them up, especially in the summer. As most of you know, when your arms are bigger it is harder to find clothing that fits right. I am in a size 8 pants but a 12 on top because of my arms. Of course the sleeves are always tight and everything else looks baggy. Ugh! I plan to have a brachioplasty, Abdominalplasty and breast lift with augmentation. The girls are lookin sad and empty and they are no longer where they belong. I am trying to gather a list of questions that I would discuss during the consultations. I got the basics down but am wondering if those of you who have had surgery might have some questions that I have not thought about. Did you wish you would have asked something that you didn't? If so, would you mind sharing them with me as I prep for my meetings. They begin on July 7th. Thanks so much for your help!

Thanks guys for the feedback and tips. I found another plastic surgeon late this evening. Completed a request and got a call back at 7pm from her. She is providing a free consultation because I told her that I saw her and her reviews on real self. She of course wants to see me but even after spending 30 minutes on the phone, she gets what I am looking for and asked that I bring in some pictures of breast lifts that look a little too big and a little too small. She said believe it or not, it helps her assess exactly where I will want to be. She is pretty confident I will be able to get all 3 done at the same time and I am ecstatic about that. Of course she said she needs to spend time with me on my medical history and how much work she needs to do for each procedure but I might be looking at one long operation. I personally would prefer that over several small ones but whatever. She also provide a ballpark cost of about 21,000 for all 3 components to get done. That includes a night in the hospital. My head was somewhere much higher so I feel ok about that. Thanks for all the suggestions, they are helping to make my list. I want to make sure we discuss all my worries up front.

@@AvaFern That is a great point on the arm scars! It is honestly the one part of my body that I am most self conscious about because my bat wings are awful. I have lost a lot of weight there but I still have fat at the bottom of those wings. I really don't want to lose any more weight because i like the way I look now and I am at a healthy bmi. For the last 3 weeks I have lost nearly 10lbs which has not happened for me since I was probably 9 months post op. I wish I would lose it in my arms and tummy. LOL. I swear it just comes off my face and butt. I don't have a butt anymore to lose! I think I have been on real self no less than 20 hours over the last couple of weeks. I plan to take some tips from @elode. I read every step of her journey and she had a ton of learnings from her experience that I plan to steal. I will be bringing pictures of what i do want and what I don't want hoping we can get close. I am older and honestly never plan to wear a bikini or anything like that but I really didn't realize you could end up with a brown belly button if you are not careful. Who knew? I am looking forward to a flat tummy, normal arms (I am prepared for the scars) and boobs that don't have to be stuffed in a bra. LOL. I have always been a full C and have been trying on Bs lately. I would not be happy with just a lift knowing it would make me much smaller than I want to be and I think hubby would literally cry. So, a full D would be better which means a lift and augmentation is probably more likely. Thanks again for your feedback.

@@Renkoss I learned my lesson that day with the glucose tabs. My sugar was too low, I couldn't find them and I don't keep juice in my home. I literally tore the cabinet apart and found them and then even struggled to open the container because I was shaking so bad. Now, they sit right on my end table. They are opened and ready to use. I do not use Protein powder at all. Because I have kidney problems I have to be careful not to have more than 70 grams of protein per day. I get that between my one premier Protein shake that I have every morning religiously and my other meals. I have oatmeal or cream of wheat very rarely when I have a craving for it and have learned that I just need to make sure I get that protein snack between. I have found that if you let more carbs into your diet on a regular basis the chance of you developing reactive hypoglycemia is much higher. I try not to let that happen but there are days I simply want something besides protein and veggies. I eat a lot of fresh fruit, dehydrated apple chips and once per day I have a starch in one of my meals. My nut believes in a balanced approach vs. just protein and veggies and so far it has worked for me. Thankfully I only experience that reactive hypoglycemia on occasion. The bad part is when it happens you can actually cause it to go on all day. I have learned to stop it as soon as it happens.

@@1Day1Life4Now Just wanted to be sure as you are giving advice that you understand that it is just as easy to cheat with the bypass. Most people do not get dumping syndrome and even if they do you can eat around the surgery and gain your weight back. The only solution is to follow the food plan as close as you can, exercise and do not eat small meals all day long. 1 (800) calorie beer is almost as much as I eat in a day. My calorie intake is between 1000 and 1200. I am 22 months post op RNY today. Currently I do not drink anything but Water and maybe milk once per week. I will enjoy a glass of wine for the first time in August after I am finally finished with narcotics, I am weaning off fentanyl following 3 major surgeries in 9 months. I personally would never consider a drink with that many calories. I worked too hard to get to where I am.

I slowly weaned off the pressures at about 1 year post op. It got to a point where I was on the lowest possible settings and my mouth was constantly popping open because the minimum pressure was too much.

LOL. I know right?!!! My husband is very supportive. Unfortunately my good behaviors have not rubbed off on him. He goes to the store and brings way too much crap in. I am always looking at donuts, chips, bugles, Cheez its, among other things. Good think I have great will power!

I cannot speak regarding sleeve patients but from a bypass perspective it is critical that you do not eat and drink at the same time. The reason for this is because you can accidentally push larger amount of food through the stoma causing it to stretch over time. Once that stretches, you lose the value of the surgery because food makes its way through faster causing you to need to eat more often. If you happen to be someone like me who probably does NOT chew enough even now, that can be a big problem for you. Never eat and drink at the same time. I read an article about this and followed up by asking my doctor. She confirmed this is true. The article led me to believe that it is true for sleeve patients as well but I am not positive about that nor did I confirm that portion. Maybe someone else knows for sure. The stoma is the part of our surgeries that can get stretched by not following the no drink rule. There are many myths about the stomach stretching when it is in fact the stoma that opens to the small intestine.

I always told myself I was big boned and like you my bones are actually very petite. None of my old jewelry fits and my mother N law's jewelry does fit either. She was tiny!!!! When she passed away I got a lot of her jewelry and I need to get most of it resized. - I told myself after many diets that failed because of regain that I was happy fat. - I told myself I really didn't eat much so I simply had a crappy metabolism and I no longer needed to try. - I told myself many many times that I worked hard, had a ton of stress and deserved to eat crappy food. The list could go on an one.....

LOL. I had to look at this post just because of the title knowing full well beforehand what you were going to say.

I usually bring 2. A delicious fruit salad. Yum! Some type of high Protein dish like meatballs or sloppy joes (no bun for me), lunch meat & cheese rolls, chili dip with veggies for dipping and Fritos for those that don't have to watch it. Recently I made a fruit salsa with strawberries, mango, red onion, jalapeño and cilantro. Then for the chips I took won tons and cut them in quarters, sprinkled them with a very light dusting of cinnamon and sugar and baked them in the oven. Can I say yum!!!!