Creekimp13

*sits next to Matt* "Hi!"

I just like the idea of making my hubby wear a monkey suit and buying an expensive dress. Why the hell not? I deserve a little glamour, dammit. LOL

Something about getting really close to goal has me being way too honest. Obnoxiously honest. I'm openly talking about all my screw ups....which, lets face it...people just don't do. We're all perfect, right? And we should inspire others to achieve perfection and never color outside the lines and never backslide and never admit it. Admitting it is setting a bad example, right? Think of the Newbies! Cover their ears! SAVE them! (in truth, I wish someone HAD admitted that screw ups occur regularly when I was first staring this process..I quite enjoy ugly truths...but I'm weird that way) More and more, I think I'm getting close to the end of my time here at Bariatric Pal. Once upon a time, I recall telling someone...if I stick around at this site past when I reach goal and pretend I have some kind of answer.....please Shoot Me. I don't want to be that person. I'm not that person. By luck, trial and error, Herculean patience, Feck all who knows?...somehow, I'm a stone's throw from the holy grail: Goal. The only answer I've got...is that answers vary. No two people have done it exactly the same way. Try hard every day. Don't give up. Use all the help they give you. Weight has defined so much about my life for so long....i'm just burnt out on it. I want to start talking about other things. I'm giving myself another month for the last 4 pounds...but come August...I think i'm outta here:) I know for a few of you....this is welcome news! Bahahaha! It's been a hell of a ride, my bariatric friends. Legendary. I wish each and every one of you.....fulfillment of your expectations and a safe healthy ride getting there. Smooches!

It won't help. Your death breath is ketosis....it makes your breath smell like ammonia and maple syrup. Kinda like a cat pan at house of pancakes. It passes. If you want, you can swish with mouthwash and spit.

One kinda funny thing.... I keep raiding my daughter's closet. All those cool clothes I bought her that she never really liked...are MINE! LOLOLOLOL. She has this one really awesome dark brown leather fitted blazer that I want...but so far she keeps clutching it and glaring at me. "You can borrow it Mom. BORROW! Buy your own damned clothes, Woman! OH MY GOD, are you wearing my underwear?"

My surgeon will work with the patient's preference. Both are safe, effective surgeries. Statistically the average person loses 70% of their excess weight with bypass, and 60% with sleeve. But that's average...so with both surgeries you can also hit goal or screw it up. Bypass is correlated to a few more nutrition absorption concerns, a few more post surgical problems, and of course...the dreaded dumping...which sleeve people don't generally get. Doctors are not trying to screw you over....they're trying to give you options.

I have watched a box of cheezits sit in my cupboard for months. My mom and daughter love them. Ate one today to see if I was missing out on something special. Bleh! You guys have gotta be kidding! LOL...different strokes for different folks for sure! But I get it. I had to flush a bag of cinnamon imperials...because they sing to me. I know, I know...gross little cinnamon candies...how in the world could THAT be tempting? No clue, but I love them with a love deeper than a smother. We all have our weirdness

You know, I think some people do. My stomach has had few objections, and it sure has made life easier. Most everything in those pics I could have eaten at one month....with the exception of the egg and the toast. I used to love eggs...they were a huge part of my diet. They just hit me wrong now. I still eat them on occasion, but after half an egg I'm like...bleh. Not sure what that's about, but it's kinda sad. I eat whole grain toast now, but it took 3 months or so until it was comfortable. And corn on the cob is still my longed for Nemesis. LOL I'm a big supporter of semi vegan diets...so this food looks great to me. Others will scream OMG, the carbs!!!! They can lump it. There are a lot of ways up the mountain. My nutritionist loves my diet. (I eat Mayo Clinic Diet...which resembles Mediterranean or Japanese diet) To each their own. Glad you found something you can live with that you love:) In the end...that's a big piece of the puzzle, I think. Really loving your forever diet.

When you start eating actual food...you will feel restriction. You are normal.

I had this favorite pair of cargo capri pants....have worn them the last five summers cause they have perfect pockets....ya know, a place for my cell phone, a place to stuff a waterbottle, a zippered spot for a credit card and cash....just a really cool pair of summer pants! I took a shoelace and threaded it through the belt loops and cinched them together. The effect was ghastly...the fabric all bunched up and weird.....but that part was under my shirt, and it kept them from falling off my butt...so I figured...meh, why not? I mean, they started to resemble roomy bloomers cinched at the waist with a hunk of clothesline...lol...but those POCKETS! Why in the hell don't clothing designers give women decent pockets? What sick jerk thought up the idea of sewed shut vanity pockets? Just a couple weeks ago I finally thought about saying goodbye to my size 22 wonder pants.....cause I found something super similar at Kohls...and the 16s fit perfect:) (My bestie said the 14s were a better fit, but I like cargos loose) Was kinda hard to throw them away. I mean...after five years of wear and misshaped stressed belt loops...it's not like Goodwill wants them. They were too faithful to put in the trash. They served me SO well! In the end I chickened out and stuck them in my bottom drawer. I'm telling myself they'll be what I reach for the next time I want to paint or do rough yard work or get greasy. I doubt I will....they're crazy loose. Without tying the waist up, they literally fall off me. But I love them. I always felt sexy in them...even at 270. I have a few shirts like that, too.....weird emotional connections to my old life. Stuff I just can't quite let go yet. For the most part, I've been good about sending stuff consigment or goodwill. But a few things just need to hang out a year or so more before I get rid of them for good. No idea why. I just still need that identity bridge.

I never thought I'd meet goal....and I'm literally one or two really big poops...from being at goal. LOL. A little over seven months after surgery. Honestly? I thought I would have the average sleeve experience....and lose about 60% of my excess weight...and end up around 210. I'm a realist. Ending up with average results....sounded great. The really hopeful part of me wished for onederland....I didn't really dream past getting just under 200. That seemed too amazing to be true. To reach 170 in under eight months? it's surreal and bizarre to me. I'm shocked daily. Once in a while we beat the odds. Who knew?

It's well documented.

Test results should be very fast. Easy to do in-house with a test kit. Should not delay your surgery.

So sorry about your dad. Been there, done that, and it's just hard. How do I deal with emotional triggers like that? Sometimes I just plain screw up. And get up the next day and try again. Sometimes I try to redirect....to a comfort food that is a better choice. My current favorite comfort foods are Yasso frozen greek yogurt bars and watermelon. Sometimes I just say to hell with it...and let myself have them. At least it's better than really awful stuff. Sometimes I do really really well....and stay away from food entirely and get into a bubble bath with a good book, or call my best friend, or go for a walk with my hubby or daughter...or even my dog. Have some compassion for yourself. Losing a parent is a lot. If you screw up, just don't throw in the towel. Get back on track. Screw up again, if you have to....but don't stop trying to get back on track.

The liquid diet sucked. Was worst than the surgery in my opinion. Wishing you all tenacity and strength....one day at a time, folks. You'll make it. One hour at a time if you have to. You'll get there. Surgery is the hump...and it's down hill from there. You'll still have a couple weeks of ghastly...but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel after surgery. Good luck!

This is very weird. Your case is extremely unusual. Do you, by any chance, have an autoimmune disorder? Do you take any other medications that might be causing the ulcers? Do you smoke, drink or use other substances? Do you take "natural supplements" of any kind? One of the biggest challenges in medicine...is the fact that human bodies can be unpredictable. Even though we know a LOT about what to expect, what signs to look for, the potential causes for issues.....individuals with idiosyncratic physiological reactions can be really troublesome. Some people will scar more, throw a lot of adhesions, some people will be crazy sensitive to a particular medication or food. I'm guessing you're one of zebras in a field of horses that drive doctors crazy. Sometimes I think people think of their bodies like they think of their cars....if there's a problem, you take it to the mechanic and the mechanic should be able to read the manual and fix it correctly on the first try. To fail to do this is a sign of a bad mechanic. But it's not that simple. Human bodies have all sorts of weird surprises they like to manifest. And while most of the time we can figure out the issues and get help....once in a while, it's just going to take a few tries. It sucks, but it's the truth. I really do hope you get to the bottom of your problems soon and that they find a good solution for you. Best wishes.

I'm still trying to figure out how my doctor's office managed it, but the day of my final nutrition appointment...about three hours after I'd left the office....they called me with my surgery date and time.....which was about three weeks away. It could be that they're so used to working with my insurance company, they figured it was a shoo-in? But yeah...I got my date that same day....and about a week later in the mail, I got my approval letter. The patient navigators and insurance people at my group submitted everything...I had nothing to do with the process. I just did what I was told, went to the appointments I was told to go to...and they did the rest. I feel for folks who have to do a lot of the leg work themselves and suffer through hold-ups. Wishing you a speedy expedition.

Happy Birthday Tealeal:)

Your story illustrates why listening to your doctor's advice about pregnancy is not "optional". You are facing some serious dangerous challenges that could have extremely serious consequences. You need professional intervention. Talk to your doctor immediately and get some professional referrals. Your best odds....are to start listening to medical advice and following it to the letter.

The "Fat Prom" is my horrible name for this event my surgical group puts on every year. It's a black tie formal event where they do a catered dinner....have a slide show of before and after photos...give awards, and have all the patients walk a cat walk to show off their progress dressed to the nines. Music and dancing. It's goofy....but I think it'll be fun:) Someone asked me to post photos from it, so I'll return to honor that request:)

Experiences vary! I was STARVING after surgery. Could eat my own leg off kinda starving...it was awful. Hunger didn't let up until I was eating 1000 calories per day....at around 3 weeks post op. After I hit 1200 per day, no more hunger:) Ghrelin be damned, some folks still get very hungry when they're eating starvation levels of calories. I know this sucks. I hope each of you is lucky and don't draw the hungry card.

Bread was downright painful to try to eat the first couple of months. Got easier as time went on, and I do eat it now....but typically only whole grain and pumpernickel.

Mine was nasty....a big portion of my stomach was sliding up and living in my chest cavity! Not great for breathing! Prolly popped it open in one of my many horse riding accidents when I went flying off and hit the ground with a resounding thud. Or, it might just be genetic. No way of knowing, really. Maybe I strained to poop too hard? (sadly this actually can be a cause of hiatal hernia) My money's on horse crashes. Fixed now and am very glad it is:)

The pre-surg diet sucks. Was much worse than the surgery for me. Post surg diet sucks, too...but at least there's a light at the end of the tunnel!