MitchieMay

Are you using a CPAP machine? Has the surgery made a difference in your need for it? Any recommendations or thoughts about the ongoing need for it? Apparently, I snore like a Mack truck (so I am told). I was diagnosed with moderate sleep apnea in 2011 and prescribed a CPAP machine. For reasons too lengthy to go into, I was completely non-compliant with using the machine. During this pre-surgical clearance I was referred back to a pulmonary specialist. Best thing that could've happened to me because he was so much more. On Saturday (Yes, 31 Oct) I started using the machine. I have done so every night since that date! What a difference it has made in my life, even in the short time. I sleep better (go figure). I have more energy. I am not craving chocolate. (that was the worse) And, I feel better in general. I feel like a poster child for the CPAP..and sound like one, I'm sure. I would love to hear about your experiences and observations if you are/were using one post operatively. Thanks!

I did not realize how long it has been since I checked in with you. Well, 23 Nov 2015, came and went. I am now Day 29 Post-OP, as incredible as that sounds to me! In addition to making a concerted effort to do what my surgeon asked of me pre-op, I think that he is just an incredible surgeon! After getting home, I never had to use any pain or anti-nausea meds! Thank God I have had little or no problems at all. So, now that I am in the transition of "soft-to regular" foods I have to pick up and get serious about movement. That requires a mental/mind shift that I have to work hard to do. I have gifted myself with a Tai Chi Groupon to get me started. That is my post-Christmas goal! I hope that the both of you are going to enjoy the holiday downtime with family and friends, relaxing with good conversation and no stress!

MelroseMama, I hope you have done well.

Bugsy72, Day 6 for me and it has not been easy but I have not let it get hard. So far, I definitely drink a lot of Water. I have tried different Protein powders for variety, I get on the treadmill (not as often as I should), and I savor the low sodium chicken broth that I can have twice a day. When it gets bad (it does) particularly if I stay up later, I drink more water and head to bed, put on my cpap gear, and before I know it, another day! It has worked (so far). Lastly, I do a lot of researching WLS, especially about why I've got to do this liver reduction diet. My other motivator is that I want to do my part to make this surgery a success...so my surgeon can do his very best work. This diet is VERY important to achieving that goal. Good luck to you! Nothing is impossible for you!

Dr. Sowemimo I have decided to copy this into a Word document to put in the folder that I am going to create for my post-op period. I have no doubt that it will prove useful when I am in the midst of trying to figure things out, stay the course, and to find encouragement. Thank you, and your group, for sharing these wonderful insights with us.

Well, this is an eyeopening conversation. Knowing and doing are two different processes in the brain of someone fighting weight. One hopes that when a person gets to the point of deciding to have WLS they have committed to doing. Apparently, that is not always the case. I do believe, and know, that people will often say ANYTHING to get into the door, or operating room in this case. Health care professionals are at the mercy, in a manner of speaking, of the patient in front of them being truthful. They don't interrogate and submit their patients to a lie detector test. Unless it is a very obvious condition (medical or mental) I'm not sure how anyone (including the doctor) can predict the bad outcome. I actually feel sorry for the non-compliant people you describe. They do need help, serious help. Kind of makes you wonder what percentage of people fall in this category

James thank you so much!

I am rooting for you AmandaKaye. Life is difficult at best, a lot of the time. If we can learn to separate our problems into little individuals hills to climb, I think we are better off. One hill was needing/wanting to take the weight off. Check, you did that. You wanted to get rid of that depression. Check, it is still a work in progress. Now, one relationship is gone and you are open to another. Check, another work in progress. Personally, I think that you are doing fantastic because it sounds like those works in progress have no slowed you down. You are not backing down on your commitment to keep the weight off, staying active and maintaining your physical fitness. And, lastly, you did not sound completely pessimistic, but realistic and optimistic about finding a stable relationship. You know exactly what that will look like...you will know it when it happens! Kudos to you!

Lallylocks, congratulations! You are doing so well! It is inspiring for newbies like me. So, between your and Toasty's comments I know just like everything else, it is a toss up. That is pretty much what my pulmonologist told me. But, I had to get some idea also from folks who have undergone a WLS. Thank you to both of you...fantastic!

Well, I have been trying to review, experiment on Meal Replacement flavors, and stock up on what I will need post-op. My post-op diet per my surgeon is to reduce the size of my liver. I guess that it what they are all supposed to do. It consists of liquid Protein Meal Replacements (5/day), low sodium broth (2/day), sugar free Jello (1/day) and lots of Water. I don't officially start it until the 9th, but I have been trying it on for size (toleration), started Mon. I discovered that it is more likely than not that if I get rid of any already cooked food, I will have no problems staying the course. Unfortunately, by 5pm, I remembered this is just an experiment and so I pulled out and microwaved leftovers that I had in the frig. I know that I could have done without the food, but it was there. Just wondering does this sound anything like your experiences?

Amanda, you have let the sunshine of truth help you move forward. This is not going to be the easiest thing for you, but you know where you are trying to go. Don't let anything stop you! Not anything! You and I have to remember that if it required me to walk across the Death Valley in barefeet I would do it. This is nowhere close to that. So, when you (and I) are tempted to eat something that we know is not on the prescribed diet, go get on the treadmill, take a walk, call a friend, drink some Water, whatever distraction you can find! I know that you can do it! I am going to need you when mine starts on Monday (9th) to tell me everything that I am telling you now and then some. I have some meditation tapes that I haven't touched in a year. Maybe it is time for me to pull them out and see if getting started (seriously) with meditation will help me to focus on something other than my stomach as I go through this. I am rooting for you!

Thank you esskay77. Wonder how they feel about that? I am sure it is an affectionate acronym.

Awesome!

Sammie, today is your day! My thoughts and prayers are with you today. Hope you do so well that we will hear from you by Friday! I am the eternal optimist.

I am new here and have not had any procedure so I can't answer that question. However, I wanted to respond to what you wrote about the concerns about the family. This is a very big decision and one that I am sure is not about your vanity. Most of us, I suspect are doing this because we don't want our health to deteriorate from all of the things that obesity can cause. On my maternal side, there is a storied level of Type II diabetes, cardiac issues,renal disease, hypertension....and morbid obesity. Your decision, I suspect is to ensure that you have long and healthy years with your family. Your self-esteem is a big part of the quality of that life we must have too. Perhaps you won't be "soft and squishy" anymore but you will still be "the best cuddle buddy"; that does not require you to carry the extra pounds. We potentially won't be around long to be a cuddle buddy if we don't take action. Good luck on your journey to find the procedure that is best for YOU!

Will someone please tell me what a NUT is? I guessing nutritionist, but not sure. I looked all over yesterday after seeing it on someone's post....could not find it anyplace, including in Alex Brecher's The Big Book on the Gastric Bypass or this website! I'm a newbie, so forgive my ignorance.

At the end of the day, you will make the best decision for YOU. I am also the type of person who when I am making a big decision, and then things happen like this, I conclude it must be an omen that I shouldn't be doing it anyway. Typically, that is just my indecisiveness, fear, or my ambivalence speaking. I think like someone else said, fear and ambivalence is pretty normal for those of us headed down the path of WLS. Being here is really helping me understand how normal I am. Yesterday I read a few things that Eric Brecher (he is good) has written for us on this site, and Dr. Sowemimo which helped me tremendously. Keep talking and reading. Regarding this issue, get as much information as you need (ask questions) from the clinic and then decide. The only right answer is your right answer, the one that you arrive to on your own. It is too big a decision for anyone to decide for you. We are with you though, whatever your decision is in the end. Good luck to you!

23 November......I've got a little while and also facing my two-week pre-op diet. I am experimenting this week with Protein Meal Replacements so I will know what tastes good. But from all I am reading, it is probably a waste of time because my tastes are likely to change post-op. But, I am an eager beaver!

And, you can do it...you will do it! Congratulations, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Good stuff!

You rock!

I am a newbie like you so I don't know the correct answer to your questions. If I were facing the issue, I would schedule a visit with my surgeon to discuss this. I believe that ethically you will be given the "right" answer. My understanding is that a bariatrician helps people with courses of action that are appropriate for them, not just to have surgery. I know that you are disappointed at even the possibility that you may not be able to have the surgery. But you have obviously worked hard and should be proud of your success. With that said, I think your best bet is to speak with your surgeon and with him/her make a decision. Good luck...and all the best in making the right decision!

BTW, I just purchased The Big Book on the Gastric Bypass. So glad did! Love it! Thank you for trying to share knowledge, hope and encouragement with all of us!

I am glad that you posted this Alex. We need good and accurate information because this is a very serious health dilemma and a decision that people need to be well informed to make. My take away from your message is that there is no one size fits all AND there is no "mine is better than yours". Perfect! We really don't need anyone feeling a need to defend because of their individual complications. I am finding out that there is a percentage of complications with any of the WLS procedures. I just pray that I will not have any with the RNY that I have elected to undergo! We are all in this together, same goal, and hopefully for the same outcomes.

Was the drop so significant that you are no longer eligible?