CHM

Hmm...I'm going to go with red lipstick. So not my style (very fair skin + very dark hair + red lips = Snow White ). I virtually never wear it out in public, barring Christmas day or the extremely rare mood. And yet, every now and then, for no reason at all, I will swipe it on just to hang around the house and do absolutely nothing because it makes me feel glamorous and pretty.

Personally, I slept in my own bed from my first night home with no modifications to my sleeping arrangements required. I've seen many people say they can't sleep on their side for a while though. I, however, typically sleep on my side, hugging a second pillow, and this continued to suit me just fine after surgery. The extra pillow against my abdomen helped to support it while lying still. When sitting up, lying down, or changing positions, pressing it against my incisions helped brace me so I didn't strain myself (expert tip: bring a small pillow/cushion with you to the hospital for exactly this purpose). Just take your time and be careful when getting in and out of bed.

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Alliance on Alleria and Argent Dawn, Horde on Bloodhoof. I have no allegiances! Look at me, all making new friends and sh*t...

Hey, who are you calling a ner...wait... Excuse me while I go back to playing World of Warcraft and reading the dictionary for fun.

Spaceballs. "Just what we need - a Druish princess." "Funny. She doesn't look Druish..."

Funny, you don't look "Druish". Omg I haven't seen that movie in forever!

Hey now, easy on the 'eh' sh*t! Oh yeah, and staying on topic... Happy 1st and 4th!

Wait, this isn't how it works??! Well sh*t...I want my digestive system un-Frankensteined!

I've just moved back to Canada after spending a decade state-side. This was little more than a month after FINALLY finding a brand of Protein supplement that I actually enjoyed after my tastes were all thrown off post-surgery. Naturally this brand is not available in Canada, either for purchase or shipping, so I now have to start my search all over again. I'm in southern Ontario and found a GNC at a mall where I bought a couple of tubs of Total Lean 25 (which I'd used pre-surgery) to hold me over until I can find something I like better. The carbs are too high to really be my go-to, and quite frankly they don't taste as nice as the US versions did, so I'm definitely still on the hunt. What are the big nutrition stores here where people get their protein supplements? All I know are GNC, and a friend mentioned Popeye's, which I have yet to check out. Does anyone know of anywhere that either sells or gives sample sizes of a variety of brands? Any good online resources I should know about? Thanks!

LMAO! I was going to say that... The drama isn't centered around YOU for once!

I love pork rinds. They're one of the Snacks I keep on hand and I'll eat a serving usually once or twice a week. Crunchy, salty, bacon-esque...not a bad way to satisfy a craving. Mine are 90 cals/6g fat/1g carb/7g Protein for a 15g serving. Not much worse than an egg!

@@Pillar2butterfly Sh*t, now I'm going to have Creep in my head again for at least a week...

Forum Overlord. It sounds WAY more powerful and intimidating. Now get out of the Single and Looking thread...you are neither!

As always, the first recommendation is to contact your surgeon's office to ask for their guidance, but as not all medical teams offer an optimal level of post-op support, I will follow up with my two cents... Ideally, to start, you'll want a chewable formula designed specifically for bariatric patients. My medical team feels that gummies are not ideal as they are more difficult to break down, which cannot be done effectively by our 'bypassed' digestive systems. Therefore we won't absorb the full amount of the supplement listed. When you are a bit further out from surgery you should be fine to swallow a Multivitamin in pill or capsule form. I second the ones from unjury.com (Opurity brand) - I used the chewables (1/day) for the first 2 months post-op then switched to the capsules (2 twice/day, but higher Iron, B-12, and D3). There are several other brands (none of which I have experience with) that can be revealed by a quick Google search. Amazon.com would be a good, cost-effective resource for such things. My team also wanted me taking a sublingual B-12 (which I stopped after switching to the capsules as they contained my surgeon's full recommended amount), calcium (which I only take occasionally as needed since I use milk for my Protein shakes), and D3 (this was a personalized one due to a history of a significant deficiency - I also stopped this once switching to capsules, but am now showing signs of deficiency again, so they will be resumed). I know that iron is often recommended for a lot of women as well, but I believe that depends on what your menstrual cycles are like - women with heavier/longer/more frequent periods tend to become anemic post-surgery.

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From what I've witnessed and experienced, negative reactions tend to come from one of three places: 1. You're looking good, and you're garnering attention. Attention that other people are used to having, and often aren't accustomed to sharing. This tends to make them lash out in an attempt to make you look bad and shift the attention back to them, where they're more comfortable. 2. They're simply uneducated. Their knowledge of WLS is either decades old, produced from their own misconceptions, or the result of only paying attention to negative news stories or the gossip around failed patients (hey, those stories are more 'juicy'). Ironically, these also tend to be the same people who think they know everything, believe everything they read on the interwebz, and won't even entertain the notion that they might be wrong. (Your family member MAY fall into this category, but I suspect its more likely door number 3...) 3. They have their own weight problem, and you're making them feel self-conscious and/or jealous. They were perfectly content living in their own denial (as most of us were at some point, I'm sure), and here you come all sparkly and successful and shining a spot light on the topic of obesity and weight loss. It makes them feel exposed and defensive, and so they attack you and/or the surgery - usually loudly. This is partly to deter others from thinking about or asking when they are going to do something about their own weight, and partly to convince themselves that there's no point in making changes or considering a step that they're not ready for or able to afford anyway. Painful and frustrating as they can be to deal with, none of these reasons have anything to do with you. You are awesome, and you are doing a great job. And you know that...

I was given my blood pressure and sleeping pills by hospital staff starting the day after surgery. They had me swallow them whole with Water. No issues. You'll be just fine.

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