BabySpoons

On 11/13/2023 at 3:46 PM, ChunkCat said:

It is just such a modern miracle to me.

I totally agree. So glad to hear you had your surgery and doing well @ChunkCat. We truly are blessed and feel so fortunate to get a new lease on life. Actually seeing results when nothing seemed to work for years pre-op is like you said...a miracle. Continued success and thank you!!

That's a lot of Hair loss. Just goes to show how differently our bodies react to major surgery. {{hugs}}

I was always a big fan of veggies which never reflected on my weight sadly enough. But obviously did when it came to testing for coronary artery blockages which is high risk in my family DNA. All clear. I recently had a colonoscopy. Preventative testing at the urging of my doctor. I was worried with my recent RNY surgery in April to do it but was told they only check the lower colon, so it was safe. All clear. Fiber does do a body good. Even had a mammogram. A OK👍

During my soft food phase I made big pots of vegetable Soup. Very soft veggies went well for me. But I was craving salad. I waited till I was given the green light at 3 months for raw, but it gave me the foamies. I still am cautious when eating them and prefer to avoid till further down the road. I was able to eat fresh tomatoes from the garden eventually but had to spit out the skin at first. Baby carrots are another I have no problem with. Go figure. I think it's the lettuce giving me issues.

Stir fry is another love of mine but can't do half cooked veggies either. Eventually I will. I would advise waiting OP. Raw veggies are really hard on your healing tummy. Even more so if you try them before you are supposed to. You will find out like me that even after getting the OK, avoiding getting sick trumps the cravings.

But everyone's different. YMMV. GL

Whether or not this OP was a troll, I find it interesting to read here or watch (My 600-pound Life) that food addiction is so prevalent in some peoples' lives that they would rather die than live without their huge amounts of favorite unhealthy food.

Some live in denial when obese. Thinking we will somehow be OK and continue on in that lifestyle. Co-morbidities will eventually catch up. Others simply don't care, with the mindset, " We're all going to die of something someday". Both mindsets are true of most addictive behaviors.

I think most of us here really tried pre-op. Through endless amounts of diets and/or hours of exercise to finally admit we needed help and did something about it. Hence our lack of regret.

To misquote an old saying, nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.... I say nothing tastes as good as healthy feels. Hugs everyone!!

20 hours ago, jb279 said:

my hair just started coming out in clumps

Oh no!!! That doesn't sound right. Not in clumps. Anyone else here have Hair loss in clumps? What causes that???? 😮

I have a thick head of hair. Has always grown fast. Even my nails. I saw no difference after surgery. Still grows fast but started losing strands at around 3 months. Still happening after 6. I was also told taking extra Vitamins doesn't help so there's that.

I always cut my hair in layers with lots of texturing so no noticeable diff in lengths until.... yesterday. I was in a tattoo parlor with bright florescent lighting, buying some jewelry. Glancing at myself in the mirror I noticed a TON of little short curly frizzies all over the top of my head. UHHHH! And it wasn't even humid out. Haha!

Oh well.... more smoothing product should suffice

As I lost weight, my equilibrium was off. Things shift and not only was my balance off, my bones and muscles ached. Between walking and a few adjustments from a chiropractor, it's greatly improved.

I think it's normal to feel clumsy/klutsy because I sure did. My walking was most obvious. I tripped easily and stumbled over things. Now I purposely walk off road over uneven ground to help strengthen my legs and balance. I still have weight to lose so until I get closer to goal weight, I'm believing it can only get better.

GL and hope you see improvements as you go too :)

I'm surprised you are 2 years post op and just now experiencing dumping syndrome. Kudos to you for avoiding rich, fatty or sugary food until now. (If that's the case.)

Oddly I have only experienced it if I eat refined sugar. I made the mistake of eating birthday cake a couple weeks ago and found out very quickly that I cannot. Fortunately, I didn't have the rapid heartbeat, sweating or nausea but I spent the entire evening and half the night running to the bathroom. My body wasn't having it and went through me like Water. I guess now I know to avoid it, since that was my first try. I have absolutely no problem with artificial sweeteners though.

On 10/19/2023 at 3:33 PM, Kat M said:

Recently I can eat anything but especially carbs

Is this a typo and meant to say, I can't eat anything? If so, that's a problem that needs to be checked out by your doctor.

If you meant you are cleared to eat anything that only goes to show even if you can, you shouldn't. GL

I stopped taking pain meds after week 1. I still had pain week 2 but it was bearable. I had gastric bypass and hernia repair so YMMV. The pain didn't go away completely for weeks but was more like twinges depending on what I was doing and how I moved. Nothing that needed continued pain meds .

GL

One week, then once or twice daily after that. I take 2 stool softeners every day on the advice of my doctor. Softener is not a laxative, so your bowels won't become dependent on it. Keeps things moving. I never have Constipation but notice if I don't have my daily movement, my weight stalls.

I'm close to losing 100 pounds and still haven't had to layer up or gets the brrrs. But even so, I no longer mop sweat from my face like before. Any amount of movement, even while sitting in an air-conditioned room brought it on and was embarrassing. I always carried handkerchiefs in my purse and acquired a small collection of folding hand fans.

I don't really look forward to feeling chilled all the time but will pick it any day over the sweats.

What mindless eating looks like. And eating too fast. LOL

Research Meralgia Paresthetica. I was recently diagnosed with this and had numbness/tingling down both sides of my outer thighs from hip to knee. It's caused from a compressed nerve. Mine from obesity and a lot of sedentary sitting pre-op. My chiropractor is treating it and says my daily walks and exercise have aggravated it. Before it was just a mystery numbness but now there is shooting pain on occasion. Mine is sporadic like yours but is improving as I lose weight, stretch and do prescribed exercises for it.

Not sure this is what you have but sounds similar.

GL

12 hours ago, maintenanceman said:

I have never heard anything about the surgery boosting your metabolism. Can you elaborate?

Metabolic Effects of Bariatric Surgery | Clinical Chemistry | Oxford Academic (oup.com)

Thank you @NickelChip and @Arabesque . Makes perfect sense and great suggestions.

16 hours ago, Fred in Pa said:

A Doctor graduating at the bottom of their class is still a Doctor.

Mine is a PA. The key differences between the role of a PA vs. an MD come to light when complex issues arise. MDs have knowledge about complicated conditions that many PAs may not possess.

I was not happy to leave my family doc of many years for her to begin with. But my insurance changed with work, and he was no longer considered in network, sadly enough. My company has their own doctors and pharmacy, and the coverage is amazing, but the choice of doctors there are limited.

9 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

Did you have questions about this doctor’s competence prior to this appointment?

Yes, before ever considering WLS, I wanted to find an internist to sort out all the meds I was on. Some I knew were necessary, some were preventative and some questionable. To be told that I will be on all of them the rest of my life after my bariatric team told me otherwise was disappointing to hear and questionable.

She's always been quick to prescribe meds. I didn't see her often but when I did, I always walked away with one or two more. She prescribed Ozempic to me years ago before it became a thing. I didn't take it long, after reading it caused tumors/cancer in mice plus it made me feel horrible every day. Then recently, when I saw her to get a release for WLS, she wanted to put me back on it. I declined. Ironically, we had a discussion about Ozempic face at that time. She told me if I lose too much weight in my face after surgery, to look her up and she will fix it. She owns a business that does fillers. botox etc. So she lives in that world.

I guess I've always felt that since she is a PA, she may not be as knowledgeable as an MD when it comes to medication. But I will wait to see what the bariatric team tells me first before deciding anything.

1 hour ago, SleeveToBypass2023 said:

We certainly don't like snap judgements and assumptions about us,

Like assuming I would change doctors based solely on her looks? I recently had 3 of her patients tell me they already changed doctors for some of the very reasons mentioned here. So nothing "snap" about it. If anything, I'm biding my time and giving her the benefit of the doubt. For now.

3 hours ago, Sigh said:

if it is your desire to come off some/all medications you need a doctor that will help you achieve that goal safely,

Agree... I'm more holistically minded and need a doc who's likeminded. Not someone that hands meds out like candy. I'm not working this hard to be told I can never reverse the need for them. I realize it will take time and I may not be able to eliminate all of them but just never tell me never. Not yet anyway.

On 9/25/2023 at 8:45 PM, NickelChip said:

I bought the Pound of Cure book and made the decision to incorporate a pound of veggies every day into my diet,

I'm familiar with Dr Weiner by watching some of his videos on YouTube but haven't read the book. I'm curious of his diet suggestions post-op. I was able to eat large volumes of veggies during my pre-op diet. I could easily eat a pound of salad. I miss that.

But after WLS I can't do volume. Is he suggesting splitting that amount into many small meals along with getting our Protein in? As much as I love my veggies, I wouldn't want to stretch my tummy out meeting that goal daily and honestly not sure if I could, even if I wanted to.

12 hours ago, KathyLev said:

I remember when I was a kid,my mom believed you should "always do what the doctor says"

That is totally not me. LOL I question everything. Thank you for the kind words.

6 hours ago, Spinoza said:

If they are not hurting anybody then fantastic.

And I agree. I am the first one to admit to being a nonconformist. I am a little over halfway to meeting my weight goal and who knows how I'll look when I get there. At the moment friends and family are all telling me how great I look, but who knows if that will change as the scale goes down. To be honest, it won't bother me at all to have a rail thin body. But if it comes with a face that ages me twenty years, I don't think I'll be happy with it or need anyone else to point it out to me. Does that hurt anyone else? No.

My point in bringing up Sharon Osbourne and my family doc is one... if you read the article, she is warning people against the use of Ozempic. She saw and recognized the effects on her own body and stopped using it. Doctors doling it out to anyone that can afford it, regardless of whether they are diabetic or overweight is hurting people. And some of the side effects are life threatening.

And two, how my doctor misuses this drug directly affects me. She's not diabetic or overweight and making decisions on meds for me and others that are potentially harmful to continue long term. More than one patient has voiced their concerns to me regarding her.

So, if you have more than one person telling you it's gone too far, it might be advisable to listen. Especially if it's coming from people you love and trust. If it's from people that are jealous of your weight loss than that's another matter and they can wanker off. xD

1 hour ago, The Greater Fool said:

We each make our choices and have to live with the consequences.

You got that right brother. Thanks for the input.

Calculators are a way to get a good general idea of how much you should weigh based on height, sex and age, What it doesn't do is take into account bodyfat percentages or muscle mass. But gives you a generalized weight reference to go by.

Ideal Weight Calculator

A better determinate is bodyfat measurement. My bariatric team weighs me using a bodyfat scale. Between the two types of formulas, it should give you a good idea where you need to be.

I only ever had one goal because I knew before I ever gained weight what I should weigh so 150 has always been it. But the number to me isn't as important than being in a healthy range and no longer considered obese. So it's subject to change.

GL @earthshrimp and congrats on your weight loss so far!!

This past week I have seen the effects of Ozempic on 2 different people. One a celebrity recently in the news about it.

Sharon Osbourne, 70, reveals 30 pound Ozempic-aided weight loss | Metro News

The other my own GP. When the reaction is... holy shi* upon seeing them, you know it's gone too far. I hadn't seen my family doctor for months but last week when she walked into the room I was taken aback. I wanted to ask but didn't. Pretty sure she's using it unless she's got some major health issues going on. She runs another clinic as well for botox injections etc. I can't help but think body dysmorphia. Skeletal facial features is not a good look. JS

I'm going back in to see her next week for some preventative tests I was putting off until after I recovered from surgery. Maybe it's none of my business but if it's what I think it is, I'm seriously thinking about switching doctors. I'm also going to talk to my bariatric team when I see them in Oct. to discuss my meds. I was told by them that after WLS I should be able to get off most of them. My GP told me I'll probably be on all of them for the rest of my life???? I always wondered if she gets some kind of kickback from prescribing them because in the past she always seemed to want to add more every year. But now that all my tests are coming back normal, what's a doc to do??? It will be interesting what the bariatric team tells me compared to her. That may be the determining factor in whether I switch doctors or not.

Am I wrong to think that if my doctor isn't taking proper care of herself, how can she take care of me? But then I think...well there are a lot of overweight doctors and nurses too. It's a conundrum... but atm wanting to keep me on all my meds is a bigger concern.

I ended up having an abnormal result on my pre-op echo test. I was so worried about having arterial blockage and how it would affect me qualifying for WLS. A heart catherization was scheduled and when I asked my bariatric surgeon about it, he said a large percentage of his patients are heart patients and if blockage was found it would only delay the surgery date.

Thankfully my heart was good. Said it was an echo glitch but needed to be checked out further due to my families' heart health history. I've never been so relieved when I was told no blockages.

You shouldn't have to redo any of your other pre-op testing if something is found. It can push your WLS into the next year which would cause you to pay out another year of deductible co pays though. 😞

Good luck with your testing!

5 hours ago, kmac1 said:

crossing the finish line after 12 hours, 33 minutes and 38 seconds of hard work in the Chattanooga Ironman!

What a great accomplishment following WLS. Very inspiring!! Way to go!!

I don't use butter, but I do olive oil. I have a spritzer bottle and sometimes use it when baking or air frying. You'd be surprised how little oil you need to crisp things up. But I mostly use 0 calorie cooking spray for that purpose.

Also, heating olive oil to high temperatures cause it to lose a lot of its health benefits. Better to have a good nonstick skillet than fry anything. Even with a healthier choice of oil.

The thing to remember is that the use of high fat oils can clog up your arteries and spike your cholesterol regardless of our weight. I know a lot of unhealthy thin people. Use sparingly.

9 hours ago, Deep6 said:

I got religion when I got stopped up, and got the "foamies."

Bad situation...great line. LOL

At 5 1/2 months post op, I am finding myself getting less nauseated and my tummy tolerating things way better. I can eat more too which is a bit concerning but I'm not experiencing the foamies lately and realizing I haven't had to use my barf bags in a good while.

I am stalled ATM, which is OK. It's to be expected. I had a good long run without one. The restriction is still there but not as painful if that makes sense. If I don't finish a meal, I set it aside and eat a bit more later. That can get some people in trouble, so I stay mindful of how many calories I consume in a day.

20 hours ago, Penguin733 said:

I was wondering if the feeling in the stomach while eating will forever be present?

I hope mine is. I need that reminder to stop. But it definitely gets better to where you can enjoy your meal but know when to put the fork or spoon down.

GL