Daisee68

@ - How are you doing? Did you find another surgeon? Apologies if I missed a post about that. Either way, just wanted to say outstanding work so far! Your loss pre-op is wonderful! Keep up the work! Hope you have found a resolution? For what it's worth, my suggestion would have been to find another surgeon also.

@@songsmith - Here is the one I used http://www.donateyourbra.com/index.html. I just liked their concept. I know there are some others though. Some Soma stores take them as well.

I haven't yet but I am going to have to. t 100 pounds down I get a lot of strange looks when they look at my license and wonder if it is really me. Same with passport.

So today I got laid off. Makes no sense but supposedly purely a financial decision. They're paying a severance. I'll be fine. 47 years old and first time I have lost a job. BUT I am trying to focus on a few positive things 1) I had insurance pay for my surgery that I might not have had at another company; 2) 100 pounds ago I wouldn't have felt too confident going out to look for a job 3) a little time off might not be a bad thing and 4) so far I haven't turned to food or alcohol as I normally would have and don't have the capacity or ability to do that anyway. Life goes on. This could be worse. It was a good ride while it lasted....

@@Djmohr - Thank you for the kind words. Today was not a good day as I had to call my clients and tell them. I cried most of the day. You are right it is like going through all the stages of grief. I did see my therapist today and I guess it helped a little just to talk to someone who is not in the midst of the turmoil with me. Mostly we talked about having a plan to keep busy to occupy my mind, but right now I am tired and just want to sleep. So many people go through this and much worse and I am trying to keep this in perspective but just wasn't very successful with that part of it today. Perhaps tomorrow will be better....

How very frustrating! Don't let it get to you. Don't give up! How much Protein per day are you getting? I would say that could definitely be part of the problem if you aren't getting enough. Also, I do eat beef jerky but try not to do so everyday. If you are eating it pretty often, it could be the salt in it that is hurting you a bit. Of course, I eat a lot of cheese too to get my protein in and many here believe that is a bad choice too due to the fat. I think you will eventually find the combination that works for you!

@@katiet0526 - Thanks for the kind words. Re diet and exercise, I am not sure I know the secret other than really sticking with the plan. Sometimes it falls off fast and sometimes stalls but I just keep moving forward. I have gotten a TON of great advice from @@Djmohr who is also our height and slightly lower starting weight than you are or I but has lost 134 pounds. She has been great! So for food, I am getting about 800 calories per day at 6 months post-op. Some days I do go over but not too bad. I generally get between 80-100g protein; 40-50g carbs and 20-30g fat. I still drink at least 1 Protein shake per day. I need to focus better on veggies and better carbs which I am not great with. I didn't like Pasta or rice to begin with so that has helped. I did given in and experiment with chips and cheez-it crackers a few weeks ago and realized it was a slippery slope for me. For me, it is too soon as those are binge foods for me. I do not drink before, during or after my meals. I track my food religiously (have not missed 1 day in 6 months) because it is the only way I know how I am doing. As I get towards the end of the day, I can tell what I need to eat for dinner - more protein, less fat or more carbs, etc. I have to confess I am not as good with my fluids. I often get my 64 ounces or more but some days, not so much. For exercise, I just finished 12 sessions with a personal trainer (2 per week) but otherwise I am not consistent with my exercise. I walk and do some DVDs (Walk Away the Pounds with Leslie Sansone mostly). See? No secrets. Just stick with and work the program. In the beginning I felt like it was coming off too slowly but it just adds up eventually. Actually, I think my biggest secret is that I am still meeting with a therapist who specializes in bariatric patients. I see her now every 2 weeks (though in the beginning it was once a week). She has been a huge help in getting me to understand my food addiction. My addiction is not gone (as I found out with a potato chip and subsequent Cheez-It binge), but now that I have finally admitted it is an addiction, I seem to be able face it easier. Some days it is out of just sheer willpower and I white knuckle through the day. Some days I stay busy enough that I am not hungry. Oh and I had a stricture at about 3 months so because I was getting so sick, I was turned off by food for quite a while. I am much better now but still have to be careful. Tried steak last night for the first time, but it didn't work, so I won't try that one again for a while. I hope some of that helps. If I can ever help with more specific questions, don't hesitate to send me a private message. Maybe I can pass on some of the knowledge and encouragement that I have gotten from some of my mentors on here! Really sorry to hear about you losing your job before surgery! I cannot imagine how stressful that was/is! Or you @@Niki15! Talk about strong! You guys are total warriors! Keep up the great work!

Yes normal. I had the same issue and asked the same question. Once the swelling is down it does get much easier. My NUT said not to worry but still follow the 30/30 rule and don't push it. Still don't gulp. But I think at 3 weeks I could easily get 16 to 20 ounces in an hour (not every hour all day just that I could get in much more than I could the weeks before).

Somehow my cup size is getting larger while my band size gets smaller. Not a bad thing I guess but starting in a 46C. Now down to 38 band and the C definitely doesn't fit. DD too small (muffin boob is GROSS!) and DDD is a bit too big, so I got the bigger ones and stuffed them with what I lovingly call chicken cutlets! Still have 40 - 50 pounds to go so I will be very curious what they look like in the end!

Thanks guys. Just so it doesn't sound like I m superwoman, I wrote that to try and remind myself of the positives. Tomorrow might be different but today , so far, I'm doing OK. (Well tonight I am. This morning not so much. ????).

Wow! Great job!

There are A LOT of Protein options for shakes. Which have you tried? Premier Protein Ready to drink are good. Precision Engineered whey Protein Isolate in both chocolate and vanilla are good. I personally don't like Isopure or Synthrax nectar but lots of people like those. How about just plain milk? You have to find something you can drink as it will be important for the first 6 weeks or so.

UGH! How frustrating! I completely understand giving in to that pressure though and don't think you have failed. It sounds like you handled it well. My thought would be next time a small white lie like "I have a medical issue that doesn't allow me to eat fried foods" If pressed you could say specifically gallbladder issues? PS I have been CRAVING a chicken biscuit from there. Not going to try it now thanks to you. They do have really good grilled chicken nuggets and get the buffalo sauce (lowest calorie and keeps the meat moist) in case you find yourself there again!

I too am a daily weigher - second thing in the morning as @@wascott says.. My scale has 5 memory buttons supposed to be used for 5 different people; however, I am the only one that uses it, so the 5th setting shows 322.6 which was day of my seminar at the bariatric center. 4th setting shows 296 - day of surgery weight. No idea what 3 and 2 say (should have used another milestone) but I use the number 1 setting daily and the other day as I realized it said 222, I had to also click on the number 5 setting to make sure I wasn't imagining that I have in fact lost 100 pounds! I also track it with my food log (Livestrong/MyPlate) which shows a graph. Love looking at that one. I am very cautious not to get hung up when it goes up slightly or doesn't go down. It motivates me on the days it does though! I admire you @@KindaFamiliar that you can focus on something other than the scale. Not sure I will ever get to that. We Americans need that instant gratification you know!

Perfectly acceptable.

@@phatfatgirl - For what it's worth, I don't like milk either and I also use Premier Protein almost exclusively. Definitely give those a try!!

I have not used them, but I know some here who have. I would caution though that I have been told our bodies will only absorb approx. 25g of Protein in an hour, so drinking one won't necessarily get your protein in for the day. Maybe split it in half? Why can't you get Protein shakes in? Just don't like them or do they upset your stomach? I am sorry you are struggling.

@@bellabloom - oh how I wish you could see my therapist. Not only dies she specialize in bariatric patients, she is a recovering(ed) bulimic herself so she really gets food issues. I can ask her if she does phone consults or even can recommend someone in your area. Where do you live? Send me a PM if you prefer.

That would be very frustrating for me. My dr told me she strongly recommended against sleeve for me because I had bad acid reflux but even with her encouraging the bypass, I had to research it and come to the decision on my own. I would want the dr to explain in detail why they feel sleeve is better for me specifically than my initial choice. I would suggest calling on Monday and saying you want to discuss.

So sorry you are struggling. I agree that some days I really wonder how this will be long term and really am beginning to understand that I didn't really fully understand the ramifications when I went through with it. I am thrilled to have lost the weight but having had a stricture also, I totally get where you are coming from. I had my stricture dilated and was doing really well but got sick today after eating too fast or too much or whatever. It was not fun and brought back bad memories. I was "running behind" the average patient because of the stricture so although I am 6 months out, I am more like 4 months or so of the average patient. I am sorry you had to go so long as you were, but I just wanted to point out that you are running behind others because of your delay so it makes sense that this is all more difficult for you than the average patient 1 year out. Here are some thoughts I have for you though - 1) are you seeing a GI dr? I wonder if possibly your dumping or pain is from something else not necessarily WLS related like I don't know - IBS, Crohn's, Gallbladder, etc? I am dealing with an issue that has me seeing a GI specialist so I thought I would throw it out there. 2) Are you actively seeing a therapist that deals with bariatric patients? I have followed your story and was heartbroken for you for you experience at the resident therapy, and I think you have been seeing someone for food addiction issues but what about one that deals with WLS patients? My therapist does this almost strictly so she is prepared to recognize some of the "normal" issues we go through as WLS patients (She called me out on something last week which I disagreed with and ticked me off at the time but a few days later, I could see she was right). She has truly been a God-send. I would not have survived this without her. Maybe find someone new if yours does not meet this description. I don't know if you were really looking for advice or just needed to vent. (I tend to try to be a "fixer" which just like a man! ) So if you really were just needing to vent, then I want you to know I do get it and your feelings are valid. This is hard and you have every right to feel frustrated and exhausted given what you have been through! I wish you all the best! HUGS!

Third day after any surgery always seems to be the worst. I recall things getting much better after day 5. Take your pain med. No need to be a hero. If you feel like it is anything unusual, call your dr. There is always someone on call.

@@chasingpolaris321 - Just curious if you ever found out anymore about this. I hope you are feeling better! I thought I would tag on to your post to see if anyone had any thoughts. I still have my gallbladder and have been having the typical Right Upper Quadrant pain. I have had 2 CT scans (normal), Ultrasound (normal no stones) and HIDA scan with CCK (showed 76% ejection fraction - below 35% means abnormal - apparently mine is "above" normal). Went to GI dr who said it didn't sound like GB to him but gave me Bentyl (anti-spasmodic) and said if it didn't help, we would know for sure it isn't GB. Well good news (I guess) is that the med does help. I take it only when it hurts instead of as a preventative and generally within an hour, the pain has subsided. The pain doesn't really seem typical because it isn't triggered by food (obviously not eating high fat anyway). I can wake up with it or be woken up in the middle of the night with it and it sometimes will hurt for several days in a row then go away for a week or so. GI dr is stumped and told me to ask my bariatric surgeon. I had my 6 month appt yesterday and she sort of poo-pooed the idea. She said it is likely Sphincter of Oddi and that the Bentyl is perfectly safe to take long term. She felt that no further tests were necessary as I had plenty to know there wasn't anything really wrong. I hate being dismissed by doctors.... So, any ideas out there or more info about this SOD? Do I really just live with it and take the Bentyl as a pain med when needed? I did this surgery to get off of meds and so far I am taking more than when I started. Good news is the nausea and vomiting finally seem to have stopped (that was all due to a stricture which has now been fixed). The GI dr told me to call him after talking to my surgeon so I will do so next week but was just looking for some insight. The info I could find was a bit confusing other than to say it appears to be a relatively rare (yet common if that makes sense) side effect of gastric bypass. Appreciate any advice...

Congrats!! That is awesome!

@@Fatty McFatster - I am SO glad your dr called back! I hope the new med will help! By the way, my favorite additive to Water was the Orange Crush powder stick (by the Crystal Light). I mix it in 32 oz of water instead of 16 oz as called for because I don't like it so sweet. It really helped me get the water down.