MayMarie

Congratulations on your success! Fantastic job!

when you post on a public forum you won't just get people agreeing with you. If you ask "did I make a mistake" then you have to be prepared to hear "yes I think you did" Yes which is why I said they did ask the question. But your goal weight has nothing to do with whether or not another person needs surgery. This particular individuals BMI was considered obese and they obviously had a surgeon approve their case. A good majority of us could probably have lost weight with diet and exercise

Yeah then that's not okay. They should be documenting the correct thing in the computer system I hope.

You're right. But I noticed I kept telling them I was a 6 on the pain scale. They kept writing 5 because that was their goal. I felt neglected at times. I had to beg for Dilaudid because I was in so much pain in my neck and shoulder.I'm a nurse. Documenting and treating a patients pain differently than what they tell you it is is unethical. A patients pain is always what they say it is and should be treated accordingly within the parameters of the physicians orders. (And, yes, that includes drug addicts who are playing on their phone laughing while telling us their pain is 10/10. As long as I have a physicians order for pain medication and it has been the appropriate length of time since their last dose I have to treat their pain). All that considered, we do try to move patients off of IV pain medication to the oral as they approach discharge because you'll only have oral when you go home. That may be why they shied away from the dilaudid but they should still treat your pain if it is out of control or at the very least explain that to you the way i just did.You know, now that you said that, I think she was trying to get me used to the liquid norco since it's what I would have at home. But it was impossible to sleep that night because of the pain. She finally gave it to me when I started sounding like I was going to cry. I don't like the way Dilaudid makes me feel, but it does help with the pain, so I'm all for it at this point, lol. I just found it strange that they kept putting a 5 on the board instead of a 6. Even when I said 7, they put a 5. Holy crap! Almost 100 pounds in 7 months?! You go girl! Thanks!! I've been following my diet and working out with a personal trainer. I feel very fortunate to have been so successful and with no complications! Ohhh okay. So on the white board at my facility we have to write a "pain goal" on the board which is not the pain you are currently experiencing but your pain goal which is a tolerable amount of pain for you. So that's saying for me a 5/10 is tolerable. I can go without pain medication until my pain is a 5 or more

My stats: Surgery 1/18/16 5'7 HW 297.6 SW 267.6 CW 175.2

You're right. But I noticed I kept telling them I was a 6 on the pain scale. They kept writing 5 because that was their goal. I felt neglected at times. I had to beg for Dilaudid because I was in so much pain in my neck and shoulder. I'm a nurse. Documenting and treating a patients pain differently than what they tell you it is is unethical. A patients pain is always what they say it is and should be treated accordingly within the parameters of the physicians orders. (And, yes, that includes drug addicts who are playing on their phone laughing while telling us their pain is 10/10. As long as I have a physicians order for pain medication and it has been the appropriate length of time since their last dose I have to treat their pain). All that considered, we do try to move patients off of IV pain medication to the oral as they approach discharge because you'll only have oral when you go home. That may be why they shied away from the dilaudid but they should still treat your pain if it is out of control or at the very least explain that to you the way i just did.

Yeah, the hospital wasn't giving me my meds as often as they should have. They didn't even come in to make sure I was walking. It was a shitty hospital. Good thing my surgeon is fantastic. The only pain meds that helped me is Dilaudid. The liquid Norco barely touches the pain. I can't wait till I'm done with this liquid diet. I'm so sick of eating broth and Jello. I miss my Protein shakes and tomato soup. >_<;I only took my liquid norco 2-3 times. I'd never taken pain medicine before that and it just made me sleep. I wouldn't over do it with the medication but if you're in so much pain that it's preventing you from walking then taken some. How long are they expecting you to do clear liquids? My surgeon did clear liquids the first day and then full liquids for 2 weeks so I was drinking protein shakes when i went home.You're so lucky! Mine is making me take clear liquids for the next 4 days. I miss my yummy protein shakes and tomato soup. Take your time and do it the way they say. By the end of next week you'll be sick of those shakes and tomato soup and won't be able to wait for pureed foods lol. Those first few weeks doing the food stages was the hardest thing for me. It felt like it took forever but now I'm 7 months out and don't know where the time went! Just stay on track and you'll be at goal before you know it!

I lost 30 pounds before surgery and it was fine. The only way losing weight usually disqualifies you is if you're really low BMI to begin with from what I understand

Pain medicines are considered as needed so they are really only given when they're asked for, although they should be assessing your pain semi-frequently.

Yeah, the hospital wasn't giving me my meds as often as they should have. They didn't even come in to make sure I was walking. It was a shitty hospital. Good thing my surgeon is fantastic. The only pain meds that helped me is Dilaudid. The liquid Norco barely touches the pain. I can't wait till I'm done with this liquid diet. I'm so sick of eating broth and Jello. I miss my Protein shakes and tomato soup. >_<; I only took my liquid norco 2-3 times. I'd never taken pain medicine before that and it just made me sleep. I wouldn't over do it with the medication but if you're in so much pain that it's preventing you from walking then taken some. How long are they expecting you to do Clear liquids? My surgeon did clear liquids the first day and then full liquids for 2 weeks so I was drinking Protein Shakes when i went home.

Surgery 1/18/16 HW: 297.6 SW: 267.6 CW: 175.2 Down 122.4 total, 92.4 since surgery!!

Take your meds, walk walk walk, and drink fluids. Brace your tummy with a pillow while walking if you have to, it really helps! Definitely brace when you go from sitting to standing or when you cough!

My challenges: dealing with some serious relationship issues that my s/o does not seem to be taking so seriously. Frankly, I'm at the end of my rope and I think our relationship may be as well. Areas of improvement: I am starting to notice some serious muscle definition. I've been working out with a personal trainer for 3 months and I feel so strong! It's a great feeling. Wins: I graduate with my Bachelors Degree in Nursing on Saturday! I got my associates degree in 2014 and have been working full time as an RN while going to school full time for my BSN! So excited to be finished. Also I went shopping for a dress to wear to the commencement yesterday and I was trying on SIZE 12 DRESSES! I was in a 22/24 this time last year! Talk about a win!

You look fantastic!! Congratulations on your success.

I'm curious to know why you want to lose "just enough"? This pre-op time is crucial to make changes that will ensure your success after surgery. Cutting out carbs, soda, and fried foods now is only going to benefit you. If you are gaining during this time perhaps counseling or more frequent appointments with your dietician would be beneficial?

You look HOT! We need that 1 year update now! Get it girl!

I feel like people are being a little critical on here but they did ask if they needed the surgery. The only thing you need to qualify is a bmi over 40 or a bmi over 30 with serious comorbidities

The hunger you're feeling may actually be acid. Did your surgeon order a PPI for you to take? Pantoprazole, oneprazole, or any other similarly named drug?

And ive heard that the less you have to lose the slower it comes off. My starting weight was 297.6 and I just hit 175.2 today after 7 months

I'm assuming that you have multiple comorbidities as that is the only way you would have qualified for surgery (with my surgeon anyway). Either way 5lbs in 5 days post op is a good loss. After surgery some people even gain due to fluids given in the hospital and inflammation. Just stick to your plan. Focus on fluids and Protein and don't look on the numbers so much until you're a little further out.

I'm a TCU and I had 6 weeks off. No way I could've gone back after 2. Maybe I could've pulled it together at 4-5 weeks but my surgeon said 6 full weeks with the type of work we do

Thank you all for the kind words!

@@mylastchance21 as you can tell in my "flexin" picture I have some flabby arm skin that hangs down a little. The rest of my body is the same. Some loose belly skin, some loose thigh skin. It's too soon to really tell if it's going to snap back or not. I sill have a decent amount of weight to lose but I am young and so far I'm not feeling that bad about it.

I've been doing it on my own (and with the help of bariatric pal). However, you know yourself better than anyone and if you think counseling is what you need to get through it then definitely do it! If I had to go to the gym by myself I'd see little to no progress. I have to have a trainer to coach me and teach me how to work out, counseling is no different! Just working on a different part of your body (and the most difficult at that)!

@@flip26 I am truly lucky to have had essentially 0 complications and bumps along the way. I never had food intolerance, vomiting, stricture, dumping, or any of the other common things you hear people talking about. I have had some mild hair loss but no one has noticed except me and it lead to the best haircut I've had in years! My main challenge has, and always will be, myself and my will power. I have had some hangups here and there where I allowed myself to have "a little of this" or "a little of that" and ended up in a month long stall -- for no good reason but my own lack of control! A few bites here and there adds up to no weight loss (and can add up to weight gain if you don't correct yourself)! I am back on track, counting my calories, carbs, and Protein meticulously and have finally broken through my stall! I have lost 8.4 pounds in 3 weeks just by getting myself focused.