MrsGamgee

Thank you so much for your input... It's been years since I've used Glucerna, and then it was only as an occasional supplement while I was pregnant. I hadn't considered the lactose in them. I've never noticed a problem with dairy before, but I've also never been relying on it so heavily for my nutrition. I'll have to keep an eye on that. As for water, I'm a water fiend and have been for years, so I'm not seeing an uptick in my water intake (60 - 80 oz a day). I also connected the fact that I've got a sensitive bladder that's irritated by artificial sweeteners (if I drink a coffee with Splenda I have to be near a bathroom a half hour later, no question) with the Glucerna, so that may explain the peeing like crazy.

I had to do two nights... and my husband hated it because I made him sleep on the couch both nights as he's what usually disturbs my sleep. 😁

One of my diabetes meds has the side effect of causing vaginal yeast infections... yippee! My doc put me on a once-a-month med to prevent the infections (can't recall the name just now). Haven't had to deal with the yeast beast in over a year, thankfully.

My husband and I did Ancestry dna. We chose it specifically rather than 23andMe because it doesn't return information about genetic medical conditions. Canada is (or was at the time, it may have changed since) the only G7 country that doesn't offer protections for foreknowledge of genetic conditions... so if I were to find out about some big bad illness likely in my future, it could affect my ability to get or retain life insurance, etc.

I'm a little late to the party, but I want to join in too... Current weight: 251 Weight loss goal for April: 10 Surgery: RNY upcoming on May 16, 2019 Personal Goal: To keep true to my pre-op diet. #1 - I'm proud of the fact that I have stuck it out for almost two years in my program to get to this point. #2 - I'm not really into journaling. I've done it at different times for different purposes, usually in times of emotional upheaval. I've been doing really well with my food tracker for the last few months though. Haven't missed a day since the New Year.

Excellent! Thank you so much!

I'd love to know who you're following for healthy recipes!

I really struggled with that last night... I foresee getting a lot of reading done in the next few months.

I haven't made it to the losers bench yet, but from everything I've read and heard what you're experiencing is totally normal. Your body has just been through a traumatic change, and with it comes a lot of adjustment. You're healing. That means that you're going to be more susceptible to emotional swings, including anxiety. Everything is going to feel bigger, more serious, worse than it would when you are at your best. You're learning how to nourish your now very different body, and to top it all off, the stores of estrogen that have been in your fat cells for years are now flooding your bloodstream making you feel all kinds of crazy. There's a phrase that I've read quite a lot on these boards... Embrace the suck. Protein shakes suck. Pain sucks. Stalls suck. Own it, and then try to look forward. This is phase to be gotten through on your way to a better, healthier you.

LOL... well, I haven't had much of a choice in the timeline. Some folks here do participate in medical tourism, but that's far outside our budget. It's felt like a bit of a plod to get through this long wait but I can see the finish line... or rather the next starting line. I'm glad something I said was helpful to you, and thank you for the reminder of that. I will be needing it myself over the next several weeks.

My plan for this year's Easter treats (I have an 8yo and a 6yo) is one small chocolate bunny for each of them, which I know they will guard with their lives, and jelly beans, which I can't stand. I've removed all my usual danger foods from the house and my family is aware that they won't be back for quite some time. Thankfully, I'm the one who does the shopping/menu planning/cooking so I've got the upper hand on what comes into the house.

Oh man, Frustr8! What a saga! Holding you up in prayer... and your doctors! You and your chipper outlook are miraculous!

It's the truth... I deal with a bit of anxiety and it's always helpful to me to remember.

There aren't many of us here... glad to meet another bariatric patient from north of the 49th parallel. As for the socks, I will adjust if I have to. But I won't like it.

Hmmm... hadn't considered having to wear socks all the time post-op. My poor hobbit feet only tolerate socks begrudgingly when there is snow on the ground (okay, so that's still at least six months of the year here). I hope that maybe I'll miss this after-effect of surgery.

This thread is so important! I just read the most disheartening blog post from someone who had a very difficult time post-op, written one month after her surgery. If I had read it before I had committed to this road, it would have terrified me to the point of turning back. I love hearing your successes and knowing that the rough stuff isn't the norm. I'm going into this with my eyes wide open, but I'm expecting good things.

I think, like many areas of bariatrics, different doctors have differing opinions. My dietician is hard core on the not drinking while eating or for 30 minutes after to prevent the flushing through, but not so much on the 30 minutes before. I'm allowed to drink up to 10 or 15 minutes before I eat.

I've been thinking about a tattoo as well, when I get to my goal. I'm leaning toward something incorporating a line from my favourite book that feels fitting to me now and about reclaiming my health... "Renewed is blade that was broken..." written in elvish.

Dear God, I hope so! lol

I've been really honest with my kids (8yo, 6yo) about this from the beginning. They know that I take a lot of medications for my various co-morbidities, so we talk about it in terms of me getting healthier so that I don't have to take so many pills. We also talk about things like maybe next year at the fair I'll be able to go on the rides with them, that I'll have more energy to play with them. I don't often refer to the idea of losing weight, but rather getting healthier.

My program has asked me to lose 10% of my body weight, and I've been working on that for the last 18 months (yes, my program plays the looooooong game). I'm about 5lb away from that 10% mark at the moment, and I'm hopeful that my pre-op diet will take care of the rest. I've had a lot of difficulties losing anything because of a couple of my medications, and it's been a frustrating road.

@Frustr8 Things are indeed finally moving forward. I had to absent myself from the boards for a while as I was getting very discouraged that everyone I knew here was getting their surgeries while I was still treading water. But I have a date now and am preparing to begin my pre-op diet (phase 1 of 2) next week. 49 days and counting! Is it safe to assume that things finally got sorted for you and you are now on the losers bench?

My DH is a full foot taller than me (he's 6'4'') and is high in the overweight category. He put on some weight after we got married 12 years ago and it's stayed. He still sees himself as the stringbean 17 year old with pipe cleaner arms, so he doesn't see a huge need to lose weight. I refuse to police his food choices though. I do 99.9% of the cooking, so that helps him a bit. His family has this tradition of 'bed lunch' which means a mini meal just before bed (usually a peanut butter sandwich for him) which has always thrown me, and he's working on cutting that out. I'm hopeful that when he sees me losing some significant weight he might be inspired to make some further changes (if for no other reason that it might lessen his snoring!).

I mostly meant the slippers. There's something about hospital floors that skeeves me out.