Over and Out

I just discovered their S'Mores flavor. Yum! But since I can't have snacks I have to make a meal of them. But I already have, twice!

Thanks! I think I saw that in the grocery store today but wasn't paying enough attention to stop and look at it. Next time I will!

Oops, it was you who said I'm overthinking this! Yes, it's true. I have collected so much info on the surgery my head is spinning. I haven't been in the hospital since I had my tonsils out as a kid, and I don't even remember that. So there's a lot of nervousness for me about both surgery in general and the bypass in particular.

It's not so much that I'm worried about missing out on foods. It's that there won't be any foods to eat that will provide me with the nutrients I will need. There is just some stubborn streak in me that keeps saying that it is unnatural to be getting your nutrients from a chemically constructed shake or bar for the rest of your life. Maybe I haven't put this well in my first post, but I thought that at some point after surgery I would be able to just rely on food (and vitamins) to provide my body with the nutrients it needs. And you're right, I am overthinking every. possible. step. of this process. I only know a few people who've had it and they have died, so I am very nervous.

You know, I've never thought about being allergic. I was always just told I was a picky eater, along with my siblings. But I did notice that in my early thirties I started being sensitive to foods I used to like--and especially to the smells of those foods. I couldn't even look at some foods (I remember a Sushi restaurant that I had to leave, and just walk around for an hour while my friends ate--I couldn't even look at their food). And don't get me started on cilantro! 10 year later I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia, and assumed the sensitivities were because of that. Then ten years after that I was told I have a hiatal hernia and that that's the reason for my pain and discomfort now. But--I already have an appointment with my doctor to request a referral to an allergist, because this week has been ridiculous. A foot of snow Sunday, everything's fine, warmup on Monday, I'm sneezing like crazy. There's not even time for pollen to have come out yet! I grew up here with no allergies; now that I've been away and come back I am miserable with them. So I want one of those scratch tests where they test for everything they can think of, and now I can ask for any possible food culprits to be included! Thanks for suggesting that!

Well, my guidelines are to eat protein first, then veggies, fruit, or grain. On my first visit she told me to eat "regular" versions of mayo, salad dressings, etc, because the low-fat versions often have added sugar. And she encouraged me to add sauces, dressings and stuff to make meals more interesting. And absolutely no calorie counting. Three meals a day, no snacking. So I did what she told me. Ate a lot of eggs with cheese (a little cheese is okay if it's melted), chicken, and beef, and made a lot of different chicken salad recipes that used cashews and walnuts and mayo. I got really sick. (I remember trying a low-carb diet like this a few years back and the same thing happened--too rich for my blood, I guess). So month two I have been pretty boring. I hate having to eat breakfast so I bought protein shakes that I drink about half of to wash down my medications. I keep frozen cooked portions of beef and chicken in my freezer, and thaw those out. Warm them up, steam a bag of veggies, and that's my lunch. Or I add the beef to some lentil soup or throw extra chicken and veggies in some chicken noodle soup. Weight watchers frozen meals with extra meat for the protein. I get Subway chicken sandwiches if I'm not home. I find most fruits too tart so I just don't bother anymore, although I will dunk a Red Delicious in a bowl of brown sugar oatmeal. Month three has been pretty much the same, but I've started adding in more things like mashed potatoes and plain rice because my stomach has been bothering me the entire month and nothing tastes appealing to me at all right now. I just want bland things right now. (When I don't care about what I eat, I eat carbs. Wheaties for breakfast, Toast for lunch, pancakes for dinner. Mom's homemade bread and her mac and cheese. And 1 to 2 quarts of milk a day. I love milk. It's forbidden on my food plan.)

That's interesting to know, thanks for posting. My friend has always had trouble keeping weight on, so I guess I just assumed that was part of the Crohn's. Never would have thought of bariatric surgery as a possible treatment, but it does make sense the way you explain it.

An EGD is a standard part of my bariatric program's plan, to be performed within 30 days of surgery. I'm not sure how that compares to an upper GI, but they are looking at the same stuff. I'm curious as to how you feel a gastric sleeve will help your Crohn's? (I have a friend who suffers from Crohn's and it seems like she gets little to no relief with whatever she tries.)

I think the place to look for answers is your weight loss surgery center--make sure they accept Medicare and see what questions they are willing to answer. Or call a couple different centers if you haven't decided on where you want to go yet. My clinic put me through to their insurance coordinator. That person might also be able to give you a Medicare number to call so that you can call them and ask some questions. (Rather than the number on back of the card, where you get people reading the Medicare book back to you, no matter how many "supervisors" you are supposedly talking to.) I have Medicare and my clinic says they usually approve everything without a problem, as long as you have met their criteria. One of their criteria is 6 months of consecutive, "successful" appointments with a Dietitian. This is a requirement of my surgery center anyway, so no big deal. But Medicare will not pay for those appointments. My center knocks the price waaaay down so it's affordable. Those are the types of things I would want to know in advance, because otherwise when I got my explanation of benefits from Medicare saying I owed over $200 for one visit, I would have freaked out.

Hi everyone, I have what may be an unusual situation in that I am not "settled" in my life. Because of illness and disability I am temporarily living in a small town (less than 200 people) in the middle of nowhere. Once I lose weight and get some orthopedic surgery, I am going to move. Here's my dilemma. I have started a program (two nutritionist visits) in one clinic that is 60 miles west. Very good reputation. There is also a clinic about 50 miles east, also with a good reputation. In my imagined (hoped for) future, I will be living in the town that is 50 miles east, which places me 110 miles away from my doctors if there is a complication in the coming years. I am wondering if I should switch over to the program that is in the town where I will be living; it seems to make more sense to me that in case of emergency the hospital has my records and the surgeon and staff are right there. I'm getting a bit nervous because as I research RNY I keep seeing a lot of folks going back to get gallbladder surgery, or other emergency surgery for problems related to their RNY even years down the line. It just seems like it would nice to be in the same city as your doc. So--Is it better to have your surgeon nearby or does it really matter, as long as you have good medical care available? Thanks for any advice you can give me, I am questioning everything right now.

This is what I need! Especially the cooking classes. Everyone laughs when I say I don't know how to cook, but I am dead serious. I want some kind of community-ed class that starts with the absolute basics. If you hand me a chicken breast I have to get on the internet to figure out the temperature to cook it at and for how long, much less trying to put any kind of actual flavoring on it, lol! I'll have to check on what their program offers post-surgery.

Okay, now you've got me thinking. . . I tried to look up the quality of the two places. Even though I have heard from people who have had surgery in both places and loved their programs. The one I've started is a comprehensive center, while the other is a low-acuity center (which I don't quite understand--but I do know I am going into a specialized clinic and I think the other is part of a hospital setting). (the ratings are from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery). I looked up my surgeon vs the one I'd have if I switch. Mine is older, and thus has more experience, and is also a specialist in the GERD clinic they have there (I have a nasty hiatal hernia caused by gastritis/GERD) His name is followed by "M.D., FACS," so his training has been more rigorous. There are 3 other surgeons (all FACS) there as well. In the other program they have one doctor, an M.D. I don't know about the long-term followup in the one I've started, other than that follow-up appointments are required and support groups recommended. One of my big frustrations right now is being too far away to get to support group meetings because I can't drive at night (and these are dark, lonely, country highways). But I don't know if the new one I'm looking at even has support groups, I have searched the web and can't find anything, even though it is a much bigger city. Hmmmm... I'm starting to like the idea of sticking with where I am and then transitioning the aftercare.

As I'm internet shoe-shopping right now--has your shoe size changed as you have lost so much weight?

Thanks!

Thanks! Mine is fairly good at that when we're inside but if we're outside and she sees a squirrel, or a bird, it's over. I do use a gentle leader. But I don't actually walk her because I can't walk (hip arthritis). I shuffle along hanging on to the railing to get her outside to do her business. Usually, 4-5 days a week she will go and spend 6-8 hours being a backup sheepdog on my parent's farm. Then she comes back exhausted and snuggles with me. So it's just those little in and out trips I'm worried about--and picking up after her.

I know this is an older thread, but it seems to perfectly address my concern. I live alone, and am very independent. I stayed with my parents after a hip surgery and was so stressed out by the constant noise and activity that it really wore me down. I'd really like to just get home after my bypass, and be there alone. I have a nice, quiet apartment. My parents and brother (an EMT) are a mile away. I have emergency pulls in my apartment that will bring nurses to my door from the nursing home my building is connected to. So, help is not far away. The trouble will be in convincing everyone (especially my mother) that it will be okay, so I'd love to know how you all managed if you did it alone. Also, I have a rambunctious 70-pound dog. I'm worried about handling her after bypass surgery. Any opinions on how long it would take before I'm healed enough to not worry about being yanked around a bit? Thanks to anyone who sees this and has ideas for me I'm worrying far ahead of time, but that's how it goes with me.

Okay, The name of the bar isn't that offensive that they need to block it out. Think "Richard's bar."

Oh, many years ago Hudson was home to the only "marathon" I have ever run--d**k's Bar 1 Block run. They had a water station at the halfway mark.

Thanks! I've been thinking on it today and decided I'm going to have to do protein shakes. It's just too hard to prepare a meal (because of hand pain) and my GERD is so bad that most meals are pretty unappetizing to me. And plain chicken breasts with plain steamed veggies do get old I've been looking at marinades and sauces/seasonings to use, but most will just aggravate the situation. Supposedly that will go away after surgery. I never manage to eat breakfast, but now I have to because I've been put on prednisone (must take with food or milk). And also because I'm supposed to have the 3 meals per day. So I decided that for now my morning meds are going to be taken with a shake. So a shake, then maybe a nice noon meal following the guidelines and then a shake for dinner. Maybe if I drop some weight my hip won't hurt as bad as it does now? (p.s. I got weirdly lucky with my apartment I moved into a few years back. The only one they had available was the wheelchair-accessible one. And now that's pretty nice to have (even though I am not in a chair)--the guardrails in the bath are really helpful. And the apartment is so small that I always have a counter or bookcase to use as a steadying device. I'm looking for a wheeled desk chair that I can just roll into the kitchen--right now I can't stand long enough to really prepare much of a meal [or wash dishes], but there is space under the sink to pull a chair under.)

Thanks for responding! I guess my thought was if I can't walk around after RNY then I'm missing a critical part of the recovery. And since I've watched my brothers and father get hip replacements recently and be up and on the go within days I just dream of that happening, plus the moment you wake up and that constant hip pain is just gone (according to them) As for the meal plan, there is no "plan," in that there are no menus or recipes. It just says make 1/2 of every meal meat. Then if you have room eat veggies, then fruit or whole grain. No mention of how MUCH to eat. It is geared toward getting used to how we will be eating after surgery, and includes all the usual--sip liquids slowly, small bites chewed thoroughly and eaten slowly, no liquid with meal or 30 min before/after, 3 meals/day, no snacks, take your vitamins, no high sugar or high fat food. I guess I'm so used to counting calories or keeping track of WW Points I can't imagine not keeping track of the calories. But she did not mention anything about my losing weight before surgery (and it would seem to me to be a good thing to do, just to make the surgery easier). For example, the goals she has set for me are to eat 3 meals a day and limit snacking, drink 6-8, 8 oz servings of water per day, and trying to back off on my constant Diet Coke habit. We are also supposed to journal everything. I haven't done that yet. Can't hold a pen or write legibly. In fact, now they hurt from typing, so I'll end here. But I will check back in, and I truly thank you for your help. I have no one to talk to in person about these things.

Thanks! I think we are quite similar in some ways. I'm a few hours away from the boundary waters. I'm closer to the Duluth area, which is quite beautiful (anywhere along Lake Superior is breathtaking). I'm not native--I'm a descendent of Scandinavians who came over in the late 1800s. But I will say--I lived in Kansas for grad school (Anthropology and Indigenous Nations Studies) and then Indiana for PhD work(Archaeology in Social Context), and Indiana had no reservations at that time (2002 or so). I had a job where I read every treaty and agreement and federal court case (took two years)--I loved it! I think you can probably read the treaties online--if you're interested I can dig up the link. I'm 53 but feel like I'm 33--except I was disabled due to fibromyalgia 10 years ago because I can't use my hands much. Ended up moving back to MN to the very small town (pop. 200) where my parents live. It was supposed to be temporary. Then one hip went, then a knee. Gained weight while trying to get a doctor to believe that my hip really had something wrong with it and that it was not fibro pain. By the time they realized what I already knew, I was too heavy to have surgery. Now I can't walk at all, and my hip had just passed the line into "I need surgery now!" -- as in, I rarely leave my apartment. I can't go places because my hands are too painful to use crutches or a wheelchair, and even using one of those riding carts at WalMart hurts my hands. It's ridiculous. My knee needs replacing too. And I have GERD and a hiatal hernia. I am pretty much at "Day 1" of the process. Had my first visit at the clinic, met with the nutritionist, and promptly disregarded everything she said and spent two weeks being frazzled and wondering if I really want to have this surgery. Now I'm trying to get with the program and "really" get started in the hopes of an August surgery. My orthopaedic doctor told me if I lose 50 lbs he'll replace the hip. My plan was, if I can lose 50 lbs on the journey toward meeting all the WLS requirements I would get the hip surgery, then the gastric bypass. (And be a bit healthier for both surgeries.) Then I will be able to walk after the bypass surgery (like they want you to walk in the hospital; and for exercise later). Right now my biggest worry is that the dietitian has basically given my a "what to eat/not to eat" type of list--protein first, etc. Easy enough to understand. But no discussion of losing weight (which most people seem to do, as a goal before surgery is approved), and no counting calories. And no guidance as to what a "serving size" is. I'm a bit lost as to what to do. I will see her again on March 20 so I guess I'll soldier on until then. But is this the normal approach toward the pre-surgery nutritionist visits? Focusing on how you'll eat after surgery and assuming you will naturally fall into eating the right portions? Sorry to go on and on. . .but there's a little bio and my first question

New to this. Six months to go and nervous. Can't even figure out how to do my profile. But I'm 53 and in rural northern Minnesota. Can't even find my hospital on the profile page but it's in Crosby, MN. Glad to have found these forums.

Hi! I am new to all of this. But I'm about 15 miles up the road from you! I haven't been able to find any kind of support groups in our area (without driving 2 hours). So I was wondering if you knew of any?