WLSResources/ClothingExch

@@AnnainOK, have you omitted a part of the discussion? As you tell it, the counselor's response to your question and comment on your long-term whole egg-plus-whites seems a non sequitur. If your account is accurate and I were you, I'd simply be irritated by her pointless statement, not to mention its rote character.

@@Joan24 wrote: "... I do not feel I am prepared to go ahead with such a drastic choice. I haven't been able to find out what my diet is expected to be in the future, 2+ years and forward after the surgery. But I have been told that I can no longer have... " Speak up now. Responsibile practitioners will inform patients in advance of what to expect. I believe that they have a duty to inform prospective patients of what to expect without being asked not only what to expect in the first weeks, but over time. My view of things like this for myself is that I generally don't care what will/will not be doable later on, but I don't want surprises; tell me now what to expect then. This holds for most things medical. You might ask about those specific foods that you've been given to understand will be forbidden. It may be that Pasta, for example, is frowned upon for its poor calorie/nutrition ratio. In such case, you may be able to have some now and then later on. It might be a matter of wise menu-planning rather than pasta's being problematic to the digestive system. (I'm speaking in maybe's, might's and could's, as I'm a band person, not a sleeve person. As it happens, band people sometimes have to eliminate some of the foods you mentioned because they don't go down well if at all.) The surgery practice works for you; it's your employee. In most ways the staff is more experienced and knowledgeable, but you're the one who knows what you need for peace of mind. Their experience and knowledge make them accountable to you. Laurie

Ooooh, thanks @BLERDgirl. I made a couple of changes. Maybe I should have dropped pebbles so that I can find my way back in when I'm ready to do more. @@proudgrammy -- Chiclets (with the "e") are the square gum things with the hard coating, remember?..... And you are a chicklet. I was your current age when I had surgery. If, however, you tell anyone I said so, I'll deny it.......Don't worry about my initial questions. BLERDgirl solved my confusion. Laurie

I went to "My Profile," but couldn't find where to make changes to expand the personal info that shows down the left side of screen. My guess is that the surgery date that shows now, Nov 1999, is BP system default? My goal now is the change the screen name from "WLS Resources/Clothing Exchange" to something warmer and less ponderous. I also hope the options will let me mention the clothing exchange in that column. Other changes, too? Please point me to the correct place(s) to make the amendments/additions. Thank you. Laurie P.S. The system gave a location for my surgeon that is incorrect. When I clicked her name to make the correction, I got a message that she isn't in the BP surgeon database. That makes no sense, as the system also put her photo up.

agree, but teenagers don't have taste buds! Au contraire. They certainly do. It's unfortunate, however, that the tastebuds were misplaced.

Thanks, again, Kathy. I found a couple of things, such as changing screen name, but realized that I don't know what I want to change it to yet. Couldn't find a way to change date of surgery or other things that are listed on that same page. Is "signature" what you have at the end of each post, your starting weight, current weight and such? This may be easy peasy for you. That's because you're a young Chiclet. Laurie

A woman who speaks Spanish posted almost 24 hours ago and has had no replies. I hope someone here is able to respond to her. All I can understand is that she's 4 months post-op and recently learned that she's pregnant (7 weeks?). She also wrote something about having or having had PCOS (I think). I don't get exactly what she's asking, but she probably needs to have her bariatric surgeon consult with her OBG. If she's also expressing unhappiness about the pregnancy interrupting her weight-loss, I'd tell her that it's temporary and that she's going to have someone new to love. It worked like magic long ago with someone in the same situation; she reordered her priorities with joy. Maybe I'm chicken Little, maybe her question is basic rather than fretful. It would be terrific if a BP member is able to check. Here's her link: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/353380-embarazada-4-meses-despues-de-cirugia/ Thanks, Laurie

Two evals? Your medical plan is psycho, sneaky and paranoid. I was already in therapy when I was preparing for surgery in 2009. My therapist, who "evaluated" me and wrote the letter for my approval package, told me that the medical plan wants only to see is that an individual has realistic expectations of surgery; understands that surgery is not a magical solution; that it is necessary to change eating habits and exercise, i.e., do the usual things that make for weight loss; and is fully capable of understanding and following doctor's orders before and after surgery. I can't imagine that the purpose of the eval has changed, at least not by much. Your surgery practice can tell you what it's about/what will "pass." I think you'll hear that, If you're reasonably emotionally and intellectually sound and generally functional, you'll be fine. Go get 'em, Tiger. Laurie

@@Tssiemer1 -- Thanks for that. I hope she knows that she must tell her surgeon.

@@Weighting2BeFree -- That's a whole different picture, a much prettier one in terms of your mother-daughter interaction. I'm glad you filled in the blanks and admire your suggestion to you mother. Very wise. As an aside, I think that eating because of boredom and eating because of a void both come under the "emotional eating" umbrella. So do several other types of negative eating, including eating when something happy happens. Best wishes as you keep going. Laurie

I had a great time at my first NYC/LI meeting. Being able to connect on line is valuable, but sitting down from time to time with people with whom I share a significant experience is invaluable. Maybe if I hadn't been a chicken Little about the Avon Walk, more people would have come. Navigating the streets was easy as the proverbial pie. In fact the streets were even better than usual because of all the pink-clad and costumed, festive people taking part in the Walk. Support meetings like this, to me, can accomplish so much. They are a forum for comparing experiences, whether good or not so good or downright bad, sharing discoveries and doing some creative problem-solving. These sessions work for people, uh, like me, who a re having a rough time and for those who are good shape and want to stay that way. I'm glad I made it in. Looking forward to the next. Laurie

Hello, hello? Hawaiian Punch itself is a barf-fest.

Thanks for the pointers. What will they think of next?

I'd like to delete some, not all, from the drop-down list (top/right side of screen) . Can I do so right there? Or do I have to muck about in different areas of the website? Thank you.

Alex, this is great. I'm still learning my way around BariatricPal and not finding the link to the Store. Directions, please. I'd like to explore and will let my clothing exchange people know about it. I can also mention it when I get to the various support groups around town; people approaching surgery are always looking for good sources. Laurie P.S. Just saw your reply to Elode and now have the link. I was still typing the above when you "sent."

I appreciate the fuller details. I'd forgotten that sleeve patients wait a good month to go beyond liquid. Down the line I may be discussing revision to sleeve with my surgeon, so the reminder is welcomed.

Jane, thanks for your comments on why you use the Protein drinks. I guess it's simply a matter of preference. I know I'd be unhappy with them.

Hey, I just ran down the left side of screen. I seem to be the only lapband person who posted in this topic. In the band world, we're advised not to drink our calories (except the for a brief period right after surgery). From the start I had no interest in liquid Meal Replacements. I'd much prefer to eat good food and enjoy good taste and the familiar, "normal" act of chewing. Please tell me what purpose these drinks you're discussing serve. Are they primariiy a source of Protein? If so, why? Wouldn't you rather eat, enjoy the sensation of chewing, taste real food? I'm curious, not critical. Laurie

This will be my first NYC/LI Chapter meeting. Looking forward to meeting members and to seeing Liz GoWalking again. I had the pleasure of meeting her at the last clothing exchange.* P.S. on the Avon Walk. The street closings to accommodate the Walk route mainly will affect people navigating Manhattan's surface on wheels -- buses, taxis, bikes and the like. Laurie * Here I go again. If you don't know about the exchange, it's fun, free and five and a half years old. Click the link for details on the next event, Thursday, October 22 in midtown. Clothing Exch Master PATIENTS.docx

She reacted exactly the way I knew she would. Judge judge judge! The good news is that you have confirmed what you have long known: That your sister-in-law is a jerk. Her dismay at not havng been told from the beginning is not because of familial concern for your well-beng, but for the gossip value. A decent person would not say, "....you shouldn't have told me," but rather "I should have asked first." Now you know not to confide in her again. The bad news is that you have confirmed what you have long known: That she would "Judge judge judge!" You had a hand in this, but now you know not to confide in her again. Think of who else you might want to share with and know will be happy for you and respect your wishes. Since you'd kept the surgery a secret, what have you told people when they've asked about your weight loss? When people who, like you, chose to keep secrets but didn't know how to handle questions, I've recommended the truth: "I changed the way I eat and I started to exercise." Laurie

Elizabeth Regina can tell you anything, but it necessarily will be subjective. Ludwig may think syntrax is wunderbar, but Vladimir will cry "Nyet!" Finding a product that is palatable is a hit-or-miss affair. Everyone has wasted money in pursuit of a not-loathsome product. The good news is that you won't be consigned to any of them forever. Blow your nose and pull up your socks, woman. WLS isn't for weaklings. Laurie

Hiccups are not bad. They're variously cute, annoying, embarrassing or some degree of painful, but not "bad." It may be that you were sipping too quickly. Let a little time elapse between sips. Small sips. That may or may not eliminate the hiccups. You'll probably also find down the road, when you're eating real food again, that you hiccup part way through a meal. Hiccups are common signs of having eaten enough at that sitting. When you do hiccup under such circumstance, stop eating for a while and see if you're not sated. Hiccups are often referred to as a "soft signal" that it's time to stop. Since you mention "meek" hiccoughs, here's a tip for the next several days. If you have bold hiccups or need to cough, sneeze, guffaw or some such, hold a bed pillow firmly against your middle (incision area) to brace yourself. The pillow will minimize pain at the incisions from the jolts. You're fine. Laurie

Weighting2BeFree wrote: "My mom asks me all the time if I regret it." Weighting2BeFree, I hope I may speak. You didn't ask for responses, but your opening words set something off that I think is important and common enough that it can apply to anyone. Otherwise I'd send you a private note. If we round off your number, you've lost 100 pounds and your surgery was only seven months ago. You're on a gorgeous, thrilling, fabulous ride. Why would anyone repeatedly ask if we (I'll put it in general terms) have regrets? When people ask, usually it's because they think we do regret or they want us to regret. Their motives are suspect. They may be resentful, envious or jealous of something. No matter what, it's never about us and always about them. People who ask questions like "Do you regret?" need to deal with their own stuff and not put it on anyone else. We'd have good reason to ask them to stop. No one is allowed to block the light from shining on us. When it's about weight loss, we all know of people who resent or fear our success. Most often they are overweight and fear being left behind in some way. They either don't want to be the only one who is overweight or think we may drop them. A little reassurance may be the solution. It goes hand in hand with a clear statement of friendship and reasonable expectations: "You will always be in my life. I love you. I need to know that you love me and want what is best for me, as I do you. I count on you to encourage and be happy for me as I do you." Laurie

Esmii, I agree with the others about getting help for your depression before you consider surgery. Since you mention March 2016 for surgery, you have time to be better prepared emotionally. You wrote that you've felt depressed for a long time because of your weight (but you haven't said what your weight is), so it's hard to know if it's on its own or if it might be post-partum depression. Separate from depression, I've been "reading between the lines" of your messages and I would guess that you're not ready to make the decision to have surgery. You feel negative about surgery and it's important to go to it with a positive attitude. It sounds as though you've heard people who know nothing about surgery say that it's the "easy way." THere is nothing easy about it. People who have surgery lose weight just as anyone else does -- by changing eating habits, food choices and by exercising. THere is no difference. Oh, one thing: We have surgery. That's not easy. I also get the feeling that your understanding of surgery may be incomplete. It's absolutely necessary to be aware that surgery is not magic. It is only an aid, a tool. As I said above, we must still do all the old-fashioned stuff -- change the way we eat and think of food and execise. Losing weight still is work and success is something to be proud of. Success is worked for and earned; it doesn't fall from the sky like fairy dust. My suggestion is that you first get help for depression. Take time to decide about surgery, but attend your surgery practice's support group meetings. It helps to stay connected to the surgery world. If you don't attiend, it may be the same as walking away. You're the one who must make a choice about surgery. At the same time, if you don't have it, it should be because you made a conscious, well-considered choice not to have it -- not because you let yourself drift away and forget about it. As self-pay, you've already spent quite a bit of money. Tell your surgeon now that you want to delay in order to deal with depression. I think the surgeon and NP's will agree it's wise. Let them know that you want to be sure that, when you're ready to continue the process, you won't have to pay for any of the same things again -- that the total price you were quoted at the beginning will stay the same. You started by saying you feel guilty about spending so much. Losing weight (and keeping it off) is for the rest of your life. At 25, you have a lot of life to look forward to. You want to be able to enjoy it with your family -- your beautiful children, your husband -- and everyone else who loves you. No matter how much the surgery, it's a small price to pay. I hope I've been clear. My head is fuzzy today because I've been at the computer screen for a long time. Laurie