Danny Paul

I belong to few forums (non bariatric) and each of them has its problems with Trolls. Even if the forum requires one to provide bonifide ID to join. Seems some people consider trolling on websites a form of entertainment. Eventually they get banned.

Candy, No problems making the transition. My medical team are great and they are on top of everything. It was a six month journey for me to get the insurance ok for the surgery. My only "problem" is how I now feel towards food. Food and I had a great relationship pre WLS. Now, I'm never hungry and I do not get any enjoyment from eating food. Like many in my monthly support group say, I used to live to eat, now I eat to live. I get my 80 grams of protein in each day and struggle to get in the 64 ounces of fluids, but I do. I'm taking vitamins to keep my nutrition needs in check. A multi vitamin, calcium 2x a day (citrate not carbonate) and b12(sub lingual) I underwent WLS to get off my many meds. I'm off seven of nine meds that I was taking so, I consider this a success. Good luck to you and remember we are a keystroke away if you need us.

I'm 60 and had WLS surgery 8/29/17 i am a type 2 diabetic who took four medications to control it. When I left the hospital I was taken off the meds. My a1c is now in the acceptable range. My BP with two meds was 120/80 I discontinued the meds and am down to 117/74. I had gerd and to a med for that. My gerd is gone and so is my med. This surgery helped me get off so many meds and in the process probably helped save my liver and kidneys also. Its doing what I wanted so Im happy.

I had open heart surgery prior to my WLS and I was apprehensive about my WLS. I think its only natural to worry before any surgery. Good luck and enjoy the new you.

I thought that I would stay home for a week after surgery and go to work. I was wrong. I was exhausted for my first two weeks and needed to drink my fluids, walk and sleep. After week two I was ready to go back to work. As for fluids, if you like tea drink as much herbal tea as you want it counts toward your fluid intake. My doctor told me to lay off coffee the first few months. Good luck.

I knew pretty much everything that I needed to know prior to my surgery. Like you, I asked many questions. Knowing what to expect and actually experiencing it are two different things. From everyone I spoke to I knew that I would not have much of an appetite but not wanting to eat is totally foreign to me. It's a strange feeling not wanting to eat, wanting food or enjoying food. As you ready yourself for your surgery think about this, you will lose weight. The weight will come off but you will experience stalls which are normal. (Don't be a slave to the scale) Your health will get better and you will experience the strangeness of all these wonderful things. You are taking the first step towards a healthier life.

Yes, my doctor insisted on herbal tea since it is caffeine free. I still drink a few cups each day. There are so many flavors to choose from and unlike coffee I can drink it without a sweetener or creamer.

The only chocolate I get these days is the chocolate protein shake. Pre WLS I was a chocolate fiend. It wasn't a good relationship as it contributed to my weight gain and I'm sure it didn't help my diabetes. I'm trying to not introduce the foods that led to my health demise pre WLS. I'm the type that a "little" always turns into more than I should have.

Just hit my 40lbs off today!!! Yeah!!! My surgery date was 8/29 I lost no weight pre-op so my 40 is definitely all because of surgery, best decision ever!!! I had my surgery on 8/29 also and hit my 40lb loss as well. It doesn't seem like much compared to others but for me it's a ton.

After a severe case of constipation I eat preserved plums aka prunes. I buy them at Costco. Been regular ever since.

I was dizzy and that was due to my BP meds. After adjusting the meds down I was still dizzy. I decided to stop the meds altogether. My BP is fine and I'm no longer dizzy.

As you get further away from your surgery date how is your appetite? Has it increased, if so by much?

I bought a home blood pressure machine to monitor my BP daily. My BP pre op was 120/80 with meds. It is now 114/72 after I took myself off my meds. Sometimes it does go up to 121/79 but for most times it stays at 114/72. When I had my three month post op visit I told my surgeon that I took myself off the the BP meds. (I also spoke to my primary care Dr as well) Both know the reason for my WLS was to get off as many meds as I could. I excercise 4x a week at the gym and I stick to the plan as far as eating goes. Pre surgery I didn't put any additional salt in my food and I still don't. As for the BP monitor I took it with me to the Dr to see if it is as accurate as his. It passed the test, so I know my readings are correct.

As I sit here everyday looking at the forums and experiencing my WLS I realized something about my cousin. Last year my cousin came to visit and I was surprised to see that she lost a lot of weight. She said that she was into a completely new lifestyle that included meditation and inner soul searching. When we went out with the rest of the family for dinner I asked if there was anything special she had to eat. She said no and that she would only eat a small amount of food that was placed on the table (we were eating family style) and that would be sufficient. Now, after my own WLS and putting two and two together I realized she had WLS. I haven't spoke to about it as I too kept the people I told to a bare minimum. It will be interesting when we meet again and she sees my weight loss. I'm sure she will put two and two together and figure it out.

unfortunately nausea is common with some WLS patients. When I was sent home the Dr. gave me anti nausea medication in case I needed it. Fortunately, I didn't. Contact Dr. and ask to be prescribed anti nausea meds.

Unfortunately, we all have high expectations for our WLS. I'm almost 12 weeks out. On the day of my surgery I weighed 211. Yesterday at the surgeons office I weighed 175.5 that's 35.5 pounds. You've done in two months what I did in three. I'm guessing you'll do even better as you progress. I also look at what I call the residual benefits. My A1c went from 7.5 to 6.4(diabetes on the way to being reversed) All diabetes meds (4) discontinued. BP from 120/80 with two meds to 117/72 with no meds. Cholesterol 201 (with two meds) to 140 (with one med). So you see everything good can't be measured in pounds lost. You're doing well keep up the good work.

At my monthly group meetings I often hear about what you describe from others in the group. It's always family members looking down on them, their friends now are jealous and stop calling or the group drifted away from them because they are not the fat person anymore. After a few group sessions I noticed one common denominator with these comments. They are always directed at women. It seems none of the males in the group had the same negative experiences that the women have. It seems women bear the brunt of the criticism whether they are overweight or if they lose weight. It's different for guys. If we are overweight it's the norm, the thin guy in the group is out of place. When we lose weight everyone is cheering us on and asking for our advice on how to lose weight. When we eventually gain the weight back (hopefully not after WLS) people say hey, you lost it once you can lose it again. It seems from what I'm hearing women aren't treated the same.

If you are in the puree stage and can't puree your Thanksgiving food, chew chew and chew your food. Chew at least 20 times and don't swallow the food if it has big pieces intact. Chewing does two things, it slows down your eating and it softens up your food making it easier to swallow. I would reconsider the cranberry sauce since it's loaded with sugar. Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

I'm getting my eyes done and insurance is picking that up since it will improve my vision. The bags will be on me since that is considered cosmetic. I asked the doc if he could do anything on the price of the bags and he said no. (5K) Glad to see your doctor worked with you. I'm sure you'll look and feel better.

Enjoy the holidays and get ready for a life changing experience in the new year. You got a great time for the surgery.

I've been to three celebrations where cakes were served post op. I've posted this before, I don't enjoy food. Pre op food and I were the best of friends. I have no desire to eat anything much less sweets. For me it's a very strange feeling since i always wanted and did indulge in food. To those who still crave the sweets and fight the temptations I salute you. I don't know if I could be as successful as you if I still had those cravings.

My first two weeks post op was only liquids. It was full time job just to get 64oz of liquids in each day. I didn't have to worry about proteins or vitamins. I don't know if I could have gotten in 100 grams of protein at that stage. It was water, herbal tea, broth, sugar free powerade and sugar free ice pops and jello.

I ate homemade chicken soup. The soup had the liquid that I was used to and the chicken introduced the solid food which was tender since it was in the soup. The next batch after that I put in some thin egg noodles.

When you say gained, how much you talking about? I went up a pound and a half but then my weight started to fall again again. I just stayed with the plan and didn't deviate. I also stopped weighing myself everyday and did it once a week.

I work outdoors and I have a small cooler. I put an ice pack in it with my 32oz water bottle, two muscle light shakes, 2 yogurts (oikos triple), string cheese, canned salmon/tuna fish and edamame beans. These items are light and you can eat them throughout the day on the go.