Born in Missouri

After one month I finally discovered the obvious. I had everything on hand but I wasn't able to get my act together. Fatigue and anemia, what an amazing combo! I mixed two scoops of unflavored whey protein powder and added it to a cup of plain Greek yogurt. It tasted fine completely plain since I like plain yogurt, but I decided to sprinkle in some sugar-free peach Jell-O powder as an experiment. I had second thoughts afterward, though, since artificial sweeteners taste horrible post-surgery. It ended up being okay. No grit. No aftertaste. Anyway, that's 22g of protein that I managed to get down without a problem. I thought I'd notice a mealy texture from the protein powder but it blended in smoothly and perfectly. I also have some Matcha-flavored whey protein powder that might be worth trying in yogurt, too. I haven't opened the container yet so I don't know how it'll work with yogurt.

I mentioned on another post a game I like to play when being put under. It's silly really, and not worth repeating.

Thanks for pointing this out, Jess.

You're not the only one going through this. Here's someone else on this forum experiencing a funk, too. I also feel down, but depression came with me before surgery. I take medication for it, not sure how much it helps.

Has walking helped to release some of the gas?

I feel like a freak for not having a sweet tooth.

I feel nothing in the way of hunger, and I'm exactly 30 days out. Getting enough protein and the recommended fluid is still a daily struggle. I'm not nauseous, I just don't feel interested in food or anything actually. I'm afraid of losing muscle and developing various nutritional deficiencies despite taking all the required supplements. Losing weight under these conditions is not what I consider ideal.

This OP received advice from multiple posters, including me. I responded first, and I spent considerable time composing a lengthy reply with a lot of thought invested in it. True, no one needs to take our advice, but to completely dismiss the effort is just rude.

@shrinking_wildflower I know what you mean. My youngest son is home for the summer (back to University of Missouri at Columbia in the fall) and is clueless about how to help me. My husband is the same way. They mean well, but they probably wouldn't even notice if I was bleeding out from my eyeballs. Most men just don't have the ability to "anticipate needs" the way women do. Babies need things, and we just have the ability to sense (most of the time!) what they need. We're naturally wired for it. I truly believe that. I love all my boys, but they're clumsy caregivers.

I used to live in El Paso. Different time zone. Different climate. More like living in New Mexico. Loved the mountains, but missed all the rain and snow normally in Missouri.

Then you've got it made, Girl. I hope you'll be sharing regularly as you progress. Are you sure you're feeling okay post deer? I'm still a bit worried about you. The mother in me can't help myself. Keep monitoring your stools for blood. Bright red vs. darkish black-purple.

Do you know if your surgeon requires a one week or a two-week liquid diet? I don't think you're doing it for "no reason". The fact that you're willing to jumpstart the process shows how serious and committed you are. You'd be surprised by how many people aren't as motivated as you are. That's a good sign that you are going to be a big success story! My surgery was tentatively scheduled before I was approved, too. Insurance companies often say they take weeks to approve you, but often the turnaround is much, much quicker. It only makes sense for them to be conservative with their approval timeframe. At times, there may actually be a backlog of paperwork awaiting evaluation. My paperwork was sent in on a Friday, and I was approved on Tuesday of the following week. The doctor's insurance person/staff tends to know which carriers take longer and which don't. I have UnitedHealthCare, PPO. I think it's great that your doctor's office got you locked into for that date. How disappointed you would have been if they had required approval first. What if the approval had been received in time, but your surgery date had been given to someone else. On my surgery date, my surgeon had two other patients. I was number three in his queue. Ask if you'll be his/her number 1, 2, 3, etc. The smaller the number, the earlier you have to show up for surgery. The first two cases ahead of me turned out to be complicated cases. I was tentatively scheduled for 12:30pm, but ended up on the table at 5pm. I was slightly disappointed, until I asked myself, "Hey, would you want Dr. S to rush his surgery with you just because someone else was anxious for their surgery to begin?" My answer was, "No."

@Creekimp13 Your experience is truly inspiring. I'm probably a realist in this regard, too. After so many weight-loss disappointments, why should this one be any different? I've asked this same question of others, but how did you arrive at your goal weight? How disappointed would you be to drop even more weight?

Glad on all counts, McKenzie. I'm glad you have a strong support system. I bet you've scared the becheezits out of everyone in the last few days. As a mother of four, it's always a big worry when something scary like this happens to a child. As for your fiancé, he better get used to the idea of for better or for worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health, after car-deer accident and post bypass surgery... Life is full of surprises, some more surprising than others.

Are you feeling on your own despite other people being around? Sometimes our "family support systems" are clueless about how to help, particularly when we've always been the one helping them.

Are fellow Texans the only people capable of understanding you? I'm assuming DFW stands for Dallas-Fort Worth.

What else is going on in your life? Do you feel that you haven't met anticipated goals? Are you taking your vitamins? Depression can be an underlying condition that's part to pinpoint sometimes. Did you have any depression before your surgery? Are you taking any meds that might be causing you a problem? You didn't provide much information, and your profile says very little about you as well.

Itching often accompanies healing. Don't be too eager to remove the glue since you might end up removing the scab underneath it.

I think it depends largely on how much weight one needs to lose to reach their goal weight. According to your stats, you need to lose 31 pounds to reach your goal weight -- and you're only one month out. You might be surprised and exceed your goals. Wouldn't that be great? Congratulations on the weight you've already lost. How has your recovery been?

It's good that you found your way here. At least now you can get accurate information and helpful advice from people who've been where you're thinking about going. It's normal to be nervous. I'd be worried about you if you weren't nervous, but it's important to separate your rational fears from your irrational ones because it's the irrational fears that frequently do a number on us, and can prevent us from moving forward. Anesthesia is a piece of cake. That's one of those irrational fears. Anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists are highly-trained professionals. I honestly don't know anyone who's had a problem with anesthesia. Do you have any medical conditions that might be of concern... problems with your lungs? Heart?

Watery, bloody stools? I hope that's not because you have a bleeder internally. What tests are they planning to run? Is this your second visit to the ER, or did you initially go after your accident? This is just horrible. Do you have a good support system to help you get your life back on track? Do you live at home with your parents? (I ask only because your user photo is of a very young woman.) As if your recovery isn't a challenge enough, you get into a car accident and get gut-punched by an airbag. Who needs this kind of drama, particularly now?

@mimidi Just curious, but does your doctor's office sell you those pre-packaged foods? What do you mean by "food" during your pre-op liquid period? Is your pre-op diet one week, 10 days, or two weeks?

The American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery has a nice site. https://asmbs.org/patients/it-starts-now-video-contest With all the competing WLS sites out there, it's hard to go wrong with a site supported by the very profession created to help surgical weight-loss patients.

Understanding the purpose of the pre-surgery diet helps to cement its importance in your head. Visualizing my surgeon trying to lift my too heavy "unshrunk" liver and possibly not being able to do his job properly, was enough to convince me to not cheat. Also, and I'm not sure how often this happens, but imagine being told that your surgery had to be rescheduled because you didn't follow the diet? Then... you'd have to start the diet all over again for your new surgery date, and you wouldn't get any credit for the six days you've already invested up to this point. More co-pays might apply as well. Plus, hospitals don't just write-off a failed surgery attempt. I should also disclose that my pre-surgery diet was only for one week, not two, so I feel a little awkward "lecturing" you about this. What do I know?!

Is the deer okay? (Just trying to lighten the mood. ) Didn't you post something the other day about your extreme fatigue?