FocusOnMeNow

Also try super stretching your calf. And definitely get some good running shoes for your walking. Google sports podiatry medicine and see what they recommend for heavy runners. Also check your shoes to see if they wear on the outside edge or the inside edge. If the outside then you are prone to supination (or under pronation), if on the inside over-pronation, if in the middle its better. Definitely worth a visit to a podiatrist for some custom orthotics. You can go have your gait analyzed at a running store which could help. You should also be switching your shoes out about every 6 months or so many miles. It may take less miles for those of us at this size to wear down the cushioning etc in a good pair of shoes. I struggle with ankle and knee issues also and have told quite a few people that I am getting surgery "for my knees" (which is actually true). I am:-)

Potassium magnesium and coconut Water also will help you stay hydrated. Glutamine is an amino acid that also helps with recovery. Nature's Best, makers of Isopure make a supplement powder which tastes like a$$, but they also add it to some of their yummy isopure Protein powders (each servings contains 4 gms of glutamine), some of which also contain tons of Vitamins. Win, win, win. But honestly if you're that sore then...eat something, some carbs, not a lot but SOME and potatoes (not french fries) if you eat the skin they have tons of potassium as well. I have no idea what HMB is unless you are referring to something used to treat patients with melanoma, which I'm guessing one would NOT want to take if they did not have melanoma. But I most certainly am NOT a doctor. You might want to consult with yours and not start taking a whole bunch of weird so-called "natural" chemicals. I frequently remind folks that cocaine and opium are also natural. That doesn't mean that its healthy to take a daily supplement of either. Also some other "natural" supplements like ephedrine were later banned by the FDA because people were keeling over from heart attacks since it was essentially speed. If you want to know if something is truly evidence based google Cochrane Library and then search for Cochrane Reviews and see what they say. Good luck!

So it not only takes WLS surgery patients some time to catch up with their new identity as a thin person but also those who are close to them. My mom went from over 300 to 160 lbs. She is 5'10" and that would be a perfectly healthy weight for her but it seemed to me that she was literally wasting away. Although it is NONE of her business, I do believe that she is only commenting out of concern. It might be helpful for you to just pull up or print out a BMI chart and show and tell her "Mom, you don't have to worrry, see my BMI of 20-21 is right smack in the middle of the healthy weight range." "I know I seem super skinny compared to how I used to look but actually compared to those with a healthy weight I am right where I should be." And then "I appreciate your concern" and just repeat that no matter what she says. Just keep in mind that you do NOT owe her an explanation, but it can be your GIFT to her to help her worry less. My mom is 68 and I never saw her as frail prior to her surgery which she had about 8 years ago. But now she does look like a very tall little old lady. Not that 68 is old but she has been through a lot of health issues some of which were unrelated to her weight. Also, she cannot argue with hard evidence and has to get a grip on herself after that :-)

@MommyMegan - Congratulations! My surgery is scheduled for August 17th and I hope to be where you are about a year from now:-)

Isopure Fruit Punch is basically kool-aid Protein. Yum. I am pre-op and drinking some now. Also you may want to try mixing your Protein shakes with almond milk instead of cows milk or Water. I like Premier Protein myself. All Isopure powders are pretty yummy. Look for them on Amazon. I believe that their vanilla is the #1 selling Protein powder on Amazon. Premier Protein has way more protein but some of the EAS Advantage Carb Control flavors are yummy too (especially RICH Dark chocolate and Cafe Caramel). Way past my bedtime goodnight Sleeve Sisters (and brothers).

@@DebiDoo - Are you doing any exercise specifically other than walking? I'm not sure what your actual surgery date in June was but most doctors have specific exercise restrictions so you may want to consult those. And yes it is "just" your stitches pulling. That sharp pain could be them pulling through your tissue. If you don't want that to happen then you need to scale BACK your exercise until it heals a bit more. I have seen several guidelines (yes they all say different things but that's a different thread) - some say not to lift anything more than 20 lbs for 6 weeks. Some say no swimming for 3-4 weeks. Rule of thumb - if you are having SHARP pain STOP what you are doing and let yourself heal. This does not mean not to exercise, it just means to do a different kind of exercise (think something like walking or bicycling if that doesn't hurt your abdomen). You should continue to call and/or visit your Dr. and if you are not getting quality care with them and are still having distressing pain then proceed to your nearest Emergency Department and get the care that you need. They will take care of you there but you may have to wait.

@@lealor - My goal and what my surgeon is writing down as my goal are two different things. My goal is to....OMG I cant believe I'm putting my actual weight on the internet...My goal is to lose 50% of my body weight (his is for me to lose 60% of my "excess" body weight). That being said, I now weigh about 279-280 and my goal weight is 140 although to be honest if I got to 150 I would be thrilled. So my goal is to lose 140 lbs. My knee pain is quite serious and while I know that knee pain can drastically improve much of the damage is already done and so I am likely going to still need a knee replacement at some point down the road. But hopefully when I'm 66, not when I'm 46 because knee replacements ALSO will need to be replaced. My Dad is 87 on his 4th hip (yet still completely unable to walk). I do not want to go through what he is going through. I don't want to be on my 4th knee replacement in my 80s. I do not want to go through a major orthopedic surgery and 12 weeks of painful physical therapy and still not be able to walk. So I am going to try to lose as much weight as possible to put that off for as long as I can. I am also going to try to lose the most I can lose during the "honeymoon" period. And learn healthy habits to last a lifetime.

@@lealor and others re how much time to take off work: I too have heard of folks taking a few days off work - something to consider is that IF you are still on pain medication in most cases your employer will NOT want you to return to work and in some instances you could be accused of working under the influence (yes even if you have a prescription, it does not mean that its ok to come to work whether you feel intoxicated or not). It is my understanding that lots of folks want to be on pain meds for the first 5-7 days. Also even if only a desk job, my understanding is that the 2nd week you might be able to make it in but will still be kind of weak, and may very likely still have trouble holding down adequate fluids. That REALLY needs to be your FIRST priority. I know that you have to work to pay for the surgery in some cases, but you will have to pay a LOT more if you have to be readmitted to the hospital for dehydration or worse. I have put in for TWO WEEKS off and told them that it is highly likely I will be able to check emails or dial into conference calls the second week (IF I AM ABLE) but that if I still need pain meds etc (or just time to deal with physical and emotional recovery from surgery) that I will NOT be working at all the second week. It is much better to under promise and over deliver than to over promise and under deliver.

@@boosh10 - While the instinct is there, and I myself would probably have to be physically restrained from actually punching her in the throat. The way I WISH I would react would be this: I would not confront a co-worker ever about a non-work related issue. I also would not go to HR at this point unless it continues. Not that you shouldn't but just because I know that lots of folks who go to HR find out that it can backfire. If she is confronted and she is smart she will very likely claim that she had NO IDEA that you got surgery, and wasn't talking about you. I know people who have denied claims made to HR when there was documented black and white PROOF, which you don't have. What I would do is make some kind of slightly snarky, but non-confrontational comment about something ANYTHING that she does the "EASY" way when you are ONE on ONE with her. So she knows you are onto her scheme and you are NOT letting her off the hook for it completely. When she proclaims that whatever she is doing is NOT in fact any easier than what others do, then I would say that sticking to a diet ANY diet is NOT easy but that we all have to use whatever tools we have to reach our goals, and that you would appreciate it if she has something to say about you to say it to you directly, like you are talking to her now instead of making snarky comments about you to 3rd parties (whether you are present or not). Then tell her that YOUR health and how YOU choose to address it is none of her business (just like its none of your business to discuss her health or how she chooses or doesn't choose to address it). Then go about the rest of your day ignoring her like the pimple on the a$$ of humanity that she is, and be just as sweet and helpful as you can be to her and anyone else in your workplace. And feel free to tell her to "bless your heart" as much as you like;-) Especially if you are down south. Lastly, assuming that your boss knows...I would also let her know that you have always respected her and appreciated having her as a boss. I would also let her know that she inspired you to want to lose weight (whether this is true or not), and that even though you took slightly different paths to achieve the same goals that it doesn't mean one path is superior or inferior or easier or harder, and that both options were THE BEST for each of you. "We all have our crosses to bear" "we all have our own struggles"...But that you don't appreciate her participation in any kind of conversation about you, your health, etc that is not work related. And I would not say this to her, but it is highly likely to be a major violation of any HR policy your company has if she has disclosed or discussed your health condition or treatment with ANYONE (even if she found out originally through another channel). And if you did go to HR I would ask them that you overheard a conversation amongst others in your department (or whatever department they are in) which led you to believe that they were discussing your health condition. And just so there are no hard feelings maybe they should send a reminder to everyone in your department that one's health conditions and treatments are not suitable topics of work conversation and are in violation of Federal and state privacy policies, specifically the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). I would not name anyone by name. But just state that you would not want there to be any misunderstanding if someone had inadvertently found out about your surgery and did not realize that it was not an appropriate topic of conversation. In any event I would not directly confront or retaliate against anyone (at least not if you need your job paycheck). Living well REALLY is the best revenge. And being a rock star on your job who can also rise above and be the better person, I really do feel is worth all the visine or diarrhea in the world. But if you really want to get back at her....go buy some raw shrimp and cram them in the tiny spaces of the rims of her tires. It is actually harmless, but the smell will be HORRENDOUS (especially this time of year). The smell will last for several days and she will have NO IDEA what is causing it and it will drive her bat $hit crazy. Do not even think about doing this if you have ANY chance of being found out or if your parking lot has video surveillance LOL. I hope this helps.

@@lealor - I am scheduled for Aug 17th I found this great book on amazon called "The Weight Loss Surgery Coping Companion" it has great tips to help us deal with loneliness, anger, anxiety, depression, identity issues, and of course the urge to overeat. It also has a section about how to find a therapist. Luckily for me I had started going to therapy first. It was not my therapist that suggested weight loss surgery but working with her is what helped me to realize that I needed to focus on me (hence screen name). And gastric sleeve WLS is just the best way I can think of to take care of myself and my health.

@@no onions My wonderful employer only offers an FSA instead of an HSA and when I even asked them for the past two years in a row to offer one, they claim that our $2,000 deductible is not a "high deductible" which it has been for several years now according to the IRS. FSA limit is only $2500 per year. Oh and also since none of this would be a covered service none of what I'm paying even counts toward my deductible. Luckily our HR Director just retired so hopefully we will get someone who is living in the 21st century soon.

I am self pay and my estimate is $18,000. We'll see what it comes out to. And yes I have BCBS insurance but my employer specifically excludes it. Nice, right?

I cannot echo the comment above about Vionic shoes enough. I have custom orthotics in my sneakers but of course what is the first thing I do when I get in the house? Kick off my shoes and put my feet up? I got Vionic slippers to wear around the house and they were NOT cheap but not only my PF was better but also my knee pain going up and down the stairs in my house. And you might just sweat it off your feet, but you might want to talk to your orthopedist and/or podiatrist about some kind of topical NSAID gel that you could apply to your feet (at least at night before bed) to help with the inflammation. I know as WLS patients ibuprofen by mouth is out of the question, but if you apply it topically to the feet it should not hurt your stomach. Otherwise you could also try any number of over the counter topicals - aspercreme, salon pas, biofreeze, etc. I would not go the capsacin route myself with the feet. I once put a sock on over it and boy did it burn and most capsacin says not to put any compression on the site. Again you would basically have to apply in bed right before you go to sleep to keep the stuff from rubbing off, but if you did so it might make the stretching more productive when you wake up in the morning. I hope this helps and again cannot say enough good things about Vionic.

@@SassyTassy - Let me first say that I agree with you that men are shallow. Sorry guys but its true. And yes some women are too. Now that we've got that out of the way. Lets assume that 90% of men are totally shallow and the other 10% are the nice guys. I do think that the reaction that we get as obese or morbidly obese has a lot more to do with a lot more factors than just being shallow. For me, myself I currently have a BMI over 42 which is considered morbidly obese, I weigh about 280 lbs. It is hard for me to walk, and I am ashamed of how I have let myself go, how I have let myself get to this point. When I recently saw a man in public who was well over 500 lbs I had a deep desire to run up to him and say "You are so brave", "I know who hard it must be for you to be out here walking around because my knees hurt too," "I know that you must be in so much pain physical and emotional, and you are so brave to be pushing past that to do what you need to do".... but of course I did not go up to him or say ANY of that. Why? Because of course I didn't know him, and didn't know if what I wanted to say would ultimately be helpful or hurtful to him. My heart went out to him, because I knew that those were pounds of pain, that he did not want to weigh that much (none of us do), and that he must be struggling with a lot physically and emotionally at that size (just as I am at my size). Also, I have been in a relationship with a man that I really, madly, truly, deeply loved. I gave it my all. I made a lot of sacrifices to help him with a lot of his health conditions. He did not have insurance and I took a lot of time off of my job getting him enrolled in various indigent care programs both at far away universities and closer to home. He made some tremendous changes in his life for his health and that was great. Then he was faced with yet another health condition. And what did I see? I saw that I cared about him and his health 110% more than he did. I begged with him, pleaded with him to take some responsibility for his health, including getting the health care subsidy he was entitled to under Obamacare. And he refused. He said to give him another year (it had already been several years). Of course I still loved him and cared for him, and told him that I would give him another year, but that he had to take intermediate steps now to ensure his health. He wouldn't do it. He ultimately broke up with me. He was not going to take care of himself unless I actually paid for it, actually drove him to the Dr. etc. All I needed was for him to meet me halfway and act like an adult in a relationship rather than a child that I had sole responsibility for. It broke my heart because I really loved him and would have done nearly anything for him, but here's the kicker: he wouldn't do a thing FOR HIMSELF. So now I am focusing on myself and my health instead of his. It has also dawned on me in these two scenarios that part of the reason that other people treat us differently is because of HOW WE TREAT OURSELVES. And part of it is just because people are a$$holes. I have seen on dating sites "looking for someone who doesn't weight more than 120 lbs" - ahole for sure. I have also seen "looking for someone fit who takes care of themselves" - someone who wants to lead a healthy lifestyle and they are looking for a partner in that lifestyle rather than someone whose lifestyle they will have to accomodate or take care of. Obviously, we all have to play the hand we are dealt with our various spouses/relationships and their health down the line, but it is not wrong that some people don't want to sign up to take on our pounds of pain because they have their own issues that they are dealing with. So my plan is to deal with mine both physically and emotionally for the next 6 months to a year BEFORE I start dating. I do believe that in a good relationship people DO take care of EACH OTHER. But if I want to be in a relationship with someone who is going to make me a priority and be good to me, then I have to make me a priority and be good to myself FIRST. Hence my name "FocusOnMeNow." So yes some people are totally shallow and we can write them off. And some people will not be good to us no matter what and we can write them off too. But I totally believe that we will naturally attract more good people into our lives who will treat us well, once we start treating ourselves better. We also have to forgive ourselves for the past and forgive ourselves for being the ones who never put ourselves and our health first. And now that I am doing that I think I can start to forgive myself. I hope this helps.

My VSG is scheduled for Aug 17th, and I am already looking into body lift/belt lipectomy for 18 mos-2 years out. I am a bit concerned about the pain and the recovery from such as it does appear as if they actually saw you in half (almost) like a magician. I would definitely be interested in hearing more from anyone who has done that. Someone said 6 week recovery. Um, even if I had cancer I don't think I could take 6 weeks off from my job. FMLA or not, someone else would be doing my job by that time. I was also thinking of getting something akin to the "mom job" then getting the back done later but it DOES seem like just getting everything done at once and having one long down time and one anesthesia bill would be preferable to multiple different procedures over different time periods. Please share your thoughts if you have been through plastics and how it went. Also, hats off to those of you who had good results in Mexico, but after watching a few episodes of "Botched" there is now way I could do that. Your are much braver than I am.

@@drmeow FYI- a "hater" is someone who's jealous of what you are, what you've done, what you have not someone who actually "hates" you. I highly recommend Urban Dictionary to look it up. You can also find lots of things in the Urban Dictionary lots more offensive than Cunning Linguist on that web site. @@Cunninglinguist - Your name is awesome. Your accomplishment is incredible. And you clearly have an IQ a few points higher than most. Sounds like you're the full package and you will go far both personally and professionally in your new life;-) Hope there are more like you stateside when I get back to my gorgeous self about a year from now:-)

So I am a boss myself, and know that it is definitely easier in my line of work to be out at certain times compared to others. And I am also lucky that I have a great boss. But most bosses are people too so they might be more supportive than you think. Anyway, I told my boss before I even had my first consultation (I think the same day or day after I scheduled them I told my boss). He actually had to have shoulder surgery last year so told me how to research and go to consultations with at least 3 docs to make sure you are getting the best doctor. At his suggestion I scheduled mine for mid August so that I can take off the last two weeks in August which is the closest thing to downtime we really get at my job. They initially gave me umpteen different appointments on different days but now I have asked them to consolidate them so I am out of the office less. And by the way if your surgery is not until January and they cannot consolidate or reschedule any of your appointments, then I personally would look for another care team who would do so. But again I am lucky to be living in a major metro area where I have my choice of excellent surgeons. Good luck and I'm glad that you told your boss. For many others, I truthfully tell them that I am getting surgery "for" my knees. In all honesty it is the pain in my knees that was the final decision maker for me. I actually had gotten a referral to an orthopedic surgeon, and then realized that what I REALLY needed to do for my knees was to lose the weight:-)

Also, I am not a doctor, but EVERYONE is prone to nausea and vomitting from the pain meds: hence the universal "nothing by mouth" from night before. It is so people don't just starting vomitting stuff up and then potentially aspirating it during surgery. And yes, I think asking them for the phenegran and other meds UP FRONT before surgery before you start to feel nausea is a GREAT idea, which I will also discuss with my surgeon. Some of the liquid narcotics have made folks sick as well. I am hoping for PCA (patient controlled analgesia) where you push a button and it comes in through your IV as long as they will let me have one. And when they cut me off from that I am going to request plain old liquid tylenol and/or tylenol with codeine (because I know that I can tolerate that well already). Good luck everybody!

Sara Kelly Keenan and others, I am trying to come up with a "top ten" list of things to do when I am stressed and need "comfort" instead of eat. Any suggestions, in addition to exercise I mean? Any suggestions would be most helpful. Especially any for stress at work and/or stress at work when someone brings in your favorite chocolate cake, etc. I am still pre-op but want to be successful in the long run.

I have ordered liquid prenatal Vitamins from amazon. I was going to order BodSmith but they are sold out, so I ordered "Buried Treasure" Prenatal Plus. It has a ton of everything EXCEPT Calcium which I ordered a separate Calcium liquid Vitamin from BodSmith because you cannot absorb Iron if you take it with calcium. It just takes 1-2 tablespoons of each, so I plan to put the one with Iron into a clear Protein drink like Isopure shake it up and hopefully will not be able to taste it at all. I plan to add the calcium (which is orange cream flavored I believe) to a vanilla Protein Shake which also has some calcium. I am pre-op but my tummy already is sensitive to too many vitamins. My understanding is that many of the liquids are even better absorbed. I check the prenatal for iron, Biotin and zinc (the biotin and zinc is to hopefully help keep my hair) and the iron is well for iron which is hard to absorb with most Protein drinks that have a ton of calcium. I could also add the multi with iron to a 5.5 oz low sodium V-8 as well, the V-8 has a lot of potassium as well. Anyway, that is what I currently take my pre-op vitamins with because it kind of "settles" my pre-op tummy. I hope it will do the same post op. Good Luck!!!

Prior to committing to surgery I did my own research and searched for pre-op and post-op diets from various hospitals online and found that they did in fact differ quite a bit. In all the appointments that I have with my NUT it appears as if they want to custom tailor something to my blood work (supposedly though all my levels are fine, even vitamin D). Perhaps due to your hernia or other factors you might be considered high risk (for instance if you ate too much too soon and vomited it up, could that affect your hernia healing?). I don't know, and I'm not a doctor, but that being said is exactly why I plan to stick to exactly what my doctor tells me. I also understand that it is easier being said than done. If you have been on full liquids for longer than 2 weeks that does seem overkill. Perhaps just call them and ASK them if you could possibly blend 1/2 a ripe banana into your protein shake? But I would be very weary to go against their advice. I know that this is incredibly hard just try to hold onto a few more days until you go into the next phase. Good Luck. I will be where you are in a few weeks.

Um, I have heard massages also help with loose skin, and although they too can be expensive I plan to aim for at least one a month (and possibly every two weeks if I can afford it). Perhaps I will set a lb goal I have to reach in order to get one as well. I am for now forgoing any more mani-pedis so that I can focus on skin firming stuff such as Spanx and Dr Denese Firming Body Serum (with retinol) and acne.org's 16 oz AHA lotion. I'm hoping this will help with loose skin as I would rather forgo the belt lipectomy (aka full body lift aka being sawed in half) if I can help it. I realize I may only be delaying the inevitable but at least I can try to take extra care of my skin during my weight loss journey.

So all of us have bad days, disappointments, break-ups right? And those don't stop after the sleeve. I am excited to form new habits but with the old eating, drinking, off the table, what are healthier coping mechanisms, especially for the first few weeks after the sleeve when activity will be somewhat limited? I told my therapist I keep hearing things to de-stress like yoga and take a hot bath. She joked that I would need a bathtub in my office and could get awfully pruny:-) But really what changes and new habits have worked best for you? What would you recommend for those starting out on their journey. Ideally, I would like to try to start some of these prior to surgery (in six weeks), if possible.

@@TexasGirl86 sounds like time for a new shrink to me;-)

Thanks to all. I have walking and journaling as my main go to things. I will just keep working with my therapist to help deal with overwhelming issues. Also, I think that taking care of myself now instead of just taking care of others will be a big help as well.