ShelterDog64

^^^^This Sent from my KFFOWI using the BariatricPal App I agree! I've been the hirer in a couple of situations like this and I'd definitely prefer having a new employee uninterrupted and with their surgical issue completed prior to starting employment.

I agree!!

I'm doing the same...nursing it, but it's lovely to have a bit of Pinot Gris! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I know a couple of people who use it and have good labs, as well as good reports from users here on BP. I'll have my first labs in early Sept and I'll post after I hear how they are.

That's it! GENEPRO only comes unflavored.

I actually prefer forearms to AC because the AC tend to be so positional. But someone who only knows how to put IV's in AC's will mess up a forearm because it's less forgiving. The ones I absolutely despise are in the hand. I had one transected in my hand and bled so much it was like instant arthritis in the joints for a couple of weeks after!! Oh, absolutely if it's a primary or even the second site. But this was my 4th IV site (I was getting IV potassium, so I was shredding veins every 8 hours or so) I finally ended up with one in the elbow that lasted for my last bag of K. They started with my hand, which blew ugly and big, then forearm, another forearm, then finally AC. Those smaller veins clearly weren't designed to withstand potassium, at least in my body! And isn't it amazing what it feels like to have to absorb all that blood? My IV issues were by far the most difficult part of my hospital stay Ugh. I didn't realize you were getting K+. I'd never try to put that through a hand vein. Ew, ew, ew, ew, ew. Did they at least dilute it by piggybacking it to some regular IV solution? I think doctors should have to endure some of this stuff in medical school. They don't stop to think about how hard it is on the patient sometimes when they write orders. If the patient can tolerate volume, K+ comes pre-mixed in a very dilute solution that isn't nearly as hard on the veins, but the docs will order the tiny concentrated bags without even thinking about it. When I was bedside, if a doc ordered that, before I even went to get the meds, I'd ask him to order an additional volume of saline or whatever the patient needed so I could dilute it a bit into the veins. After they blew my hand, they made the switch to piggyback. But, I had to drink one dose as I didn't have IV access for a few hours between those forearm sticks...I'd rather blow every IV site on my entire body than drink another dose of that foul stuff. It was like drinking salty, weird, thick blood. I shudder to even think about it.

I actually prefer forearms to AC because the AC tend to be so positional. But someone who only knows how to put IV's in AC's will mess up a forearm because it's less forgiving. The ones I absolutely despise are in the hand. I had one transected in my hand and bled so much it was like instant arthritis in the joints for a couple of weeks after!! Oh, absolutely if it's a primary or even the second site. But this was my 4th IV site (I was getting IV potassium, so I was shredding veins every 8 hours or so) I finally ended up with one in the elbow that lasted for my last bag of K. They started with my hand, which blew ugly and big, then forearm, another forearm, then finally AC. Those smaller veins clearly weren't designed to withstand potassium, at least in my body! And isn't it amazing what it feels like to have to absorb all that blood? My IV issues were by far the most difficult part of my hospital stay

That's great news! Congratulations!

Excellent rant! I've got vessels like fire hoses, when I had surgery the night nurse insisted on restarting a blown IV in the middle of my forearm instead of the antecubital space. Here's the outcome of that:. And 7 weeks later, I still have copper staining in the area. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

@@justhere4theshow Oh, girl. There have been a few instances in the past 6 weeks where I just about tore the head off one of the 3 unfortunate men in my house. My hormone-related insanity has been alleviated somewhat by the fact that I'm sliding into menopause, so I think the estrogen release is actually helpful at times...but oh, those other times. The dogs hide under the bed, the male humans scatter....

I mix it in cold liquids and foods all the time...do you sprinkle it on top of the cold food like the website says to do? And mix with a fork instead of a spoon? It clumped for me a bit until I went to the site and read their 'how to' section.

Sure.....we can all just get along. However.....we can also take it to a higher level by nudging some silly notions outa each other's noggins from time to time. I know for a damn fact that my trajectory has been improved a number of times by the vets here....who posted their opinions that were clearly against my grain and yet their wisdoms hit home. There is no substitute for experience. My opinion is that only a fool would shirk that wisdom, when provided. I've learned to listen carefully.....evaluate and then either incorporate it or call it rubbish and move on. I'm all about not reinventing the wheel. If a template for success is laid out in front of me......why in the hell do I want to venture down an alternate path ???????? I'm a hardheaded guy and don't listen well at times......but I've become a quick study when needed......in crunch times. I consider the health scares I've had the year leading up to my VSG such a "crunch time". I've listened carefully to those who've gone before me......and I am better for it. I've learned to accept life according to the words of a woman that I cherish......"Suck it up Buttercup" and move forward. Only a damn fool would denounce the collective wisdoms of successful patients who've made 2+ years and beyond and are rocking the results. Only a damn fool................. Exactly! Every single word.

@@APanda911 Caprese salad has been a family favorite since my college kid started cooking as a young teen. We love a little drizzle of balsamic vinegar, too! Now I'm craving tomatoes!

@@suzzzzz " I just turned 59 and am determined to not be the old fat lady in family pictures. My family has a long history of that. :-)" I'll be 52 this month and I sure envy the younger crowd around here. I'm in early menopause, fat and post-op crazed right now...my family deserves better than this!

This is another example of how varied everyone's taste is :-) I use unflavored protein all the time, in my coffee, in refried Beans, in any soup that I have, into oatmeal, etc. The brand I use is undetectable once it's mixed in and packs a big protein punch. I can't drink a RTD protein drink anymore, they're so grossly thick and artificially sweet, so using unflavored has been a huge help. What brand do you use?? Mine can't be cooked with and I too get sick of flavours and the texture pretty quickly. I would love to sneak it in soup or something. I can and I will. I'm using GENEPRO, and it's by far my favorite. I gave all my flavored powders away, because I can put the unflavored powder into anything plus I can use Stevia if I want something sweet instead of having sucralose which is in so many flavored powders. *Edited to add: I don't cook with it per se, but I stir it into cooked foods. If your oatmeal or whatever is very warm, add the powder to a little milk or Water, stir with a fork, then stir that into the food.

@@Candygyrl "As a NEWBIE, I find this site very helpful. There are some discussions that I don't agree with and some members that rub me the wrong way but I just move on... " I could NOT agree more! I'm both a) surprised by the number of snarly posts from both newbies and vets and b ) surprised that so many people have a hard time just walking on by. There are people here whose posts I adore and some whose posts I don't...kind of like life, you know? IRL, I don't make it a point to publicly disagree when someone I don't like says something, so why do it here? I DO find this site extremely helpful and I'm getting a ton of support in a little "June 2016" thread we have going on, but I venture outside of it as well, to help where my little bit of experience is appropriate and to glean knowledge from some of the seasoned folks on here. Can't we all just get along?

Charley27, I know you already tried a couple of Cheeze It's and didn't really like them, but think about things like crackers and high carb/low Protein foods like this: If you're only getting in 300 calories a day, those calories MUST be high-quality calories, and carb-y, salty foods aren't high-quality. I know someone insisted that Cheeze It's have protein, but it's only 3 grams for 30 crackers...that's negligible protein at the serving size you're likely to be eating, so they're essentially worthless nutritionally. Have you tried Moon Cheese? 6 pieces has 70 calories, 5 grams of protein and no carbs. They're crunchy, which I crave too, and I'm a little obsessed with the Gouda variety. They're a much better 'crunch' choice than a carb-filled cracker and will give you some much needed protein.

@suzzzzz@APanda911 Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I'm so happy to hear that it's not just me! I KNOW I'm eating right (although I do need to exercise more, but I've got a torn rotator cuff that's holding me back) and I KNOW I'm going to be a success at this, but the little voice that I hate is whispering in my ear that I'm going to fail at this just like I always failed at reaching goal at Weight Watchers, or Jenny Craig, or whatever I tried. Donell, where are you with your positive inspiration??

@@suzzzzz I've been gaining and losing the same .5 lb for days now...just broke through today. How can I be eating SO little and still swinging back and forth? I keep telling myself I've got a big loss coming one of these days!

This is another example of how varied everyone's taste is :-) I use unflavored protein all the time, in my coffee, in refried Beans, in any Soup that I have, into oatmeal, etc. The brand I use is undetectable once it's mixed in and packs a big protein punch. I can't drink a RTD Protein Drink anymore, they're so grossly thick and artificially sweet, so using unflavored has been a huge help.

@@magoosmom Congratulations! What a great checkup!!

My surgery and recovery were as perfect as they could be. I had some intense pain immediately post-op, that was handled in minutes by a dose of IV dilaudid. I did not have a urinary catheter or a drain, I was up to the bathroom and walking within an hour of getting to the floor where I spent 2 nights. I used my pain meds (PCA pump in the hospital with morphine) freely, because I know that when I get behind with pain management, it takes a lot to get me back under control. I also get very bad nausea very easily, so I pounded this concern home with my surgeons, nurses and anesthesiologist/CRNA prior to surgery to ensure that they were being proactive in dealing with it. All in all, it was textbook from start to finish. I'm 6 weeks post-op now and I feel 'normal', just have to watch my food intake and push Water. Good luck to you!

@@AvaFern nailed it. This IS the 'easy' way out in the sense that it will make it easier for me to lose all this weight that's been making me sick, literally holding me back and changing my life in many bad ways. I'm not sure why we value doing things the 'hard' way in situations like this but value technology and tools to ease our lives in so many other situations? My husband has never said 'thanks for doing the laundry, but wouldn't it be better if you'd washed it in a stream and beat it against a rock?'. My mother had basically the same reaction your brother did, but I'm a grown woman and told her that I was making the decision to use a tool available to me to change my life for the better. She's come around and is probably my biggest cheerleader now. Good luck to you!

If you use GENEPRO, look on their website for instructions on how to best mix it into different temperature foods. For example, I use a scoop in my coffee every morning, so I mix it with the milk that I'm going to add since it mixes better with cold liquids. You should use a fork, not a spoon. It does make a difference!

For the first time in about 15 years, I actually feel better during/after exercise. It's a HUGE motivator. And music...I love to strap my phone to my arm, put my earbuds in and walk until my playlist is done. I'm only 6 weeks out and I have a torn rotator cuff, so not a lot of good gym time yet, but walking and running (well, more like dragging myself along at a pitiful, slow jog) is actually enjoyable now.