Spaz80

Hi. I'm just getting back into posting and thought this was a good place to start. B: Protein shake (made with milk) L: Bologna & cheese sandwich, 3 Dos-i-Dos D: Not sure I saw someone post about pepperoni and parm and wondered what that was. Can you share? Thanks!

So my mom is making her some dinner, following her special protein diet. She's eating something called turkey ham by Jenni-O. She's currently cooking it in a pan with some olive oil. Boy does it smell good. Oh and she's having an egg. I can't wait to try some of the stuff she comes up with when I'm eating solids again.

When you were a post-op what were some of your favorite recipes that got you through that phase? I see a lot of things for ricotta bakes which sound delicious. Thanks for sharing.

I think I'm in the same boat. I was losing and then I've gained back two pounds. Doesn't make much sense. I've got to stop getting on the scale every day too. When I was home from work right after and I got my scale (it was a gift) there was one day where I was on it like every hour. I think it might have been just the idea of having my own scale. Who knows. I'm hoping to get on the losing track again here soon though.

Just keep in mind that most sugar free candies, if eaten in large quantities, has a laxative effect. So don't eat too many in one day.

Now I'm wondering about business lunches. Can't really share meals there. Guess I will see what happens the first time I go to one when I get back.

I got a card at my three hour pre-op nutrition. It is on the back of my surgeons business card. It simply states that I've had weight loss surgery and to allow me to order from the children's or senior's menus. I haven't used it yet since I'm not up to eating a lot of food. I think I eat about 2 oz right now. My concern right now is the conferences that I attend. I have one coming up in September. I put on my registration form that I needed a chicken breast and mashed potatoes with no sauces for my meals. I'm hoping that they will help me out. They have been good to me in the past.

I signed up today for this website. I'm on there as Spaz80. Joined the VSG group too.

I have UHC. I went through a six month supervised program before anything could be submitted. Then I was told that I might have to appeal, but woo hoo I didn't. Got approved the first time around.

I'm feeling the same way. I was told yesterday I could start on soft foods. I thought woo hoo I can eat more than just popsicles, protein drinks, and jello. Last night I had an egg with some cheese. Today I got up and couldn't bring myself to eat anything. So it is a challenge. I'm hoping it will get easier. I know too that I have to eat in order to give my body the energy it needs to make it through the day. Just seems kind of tough when eating is not something on my list at the moment.

Hang in there. I hope everything is OK and that you continue on your journey as quickly as possible. Sounds like you have had a rough time of it.

I have to take B12. It is good for energy and your metabolism. I would take extra.

Did your surgeon or nut not give you an indication? Just curious. Here's what my surgeon's office recommends: Multivitamin (Gastric bypass 2 servings/day, Lapband or Sleeve 1 serving/day) - Take with meals to prevent upset stomach (1 at Breakfast 1 at lunch or dinner), must have Iron in multivitamin (18 mg/serving) i.e. Centrum kids chewable, Flinstones kids chewable, liquid Multivitamins Iron if you have a history of anemia or menstruating women take daily, 65 mg elemental iron per day (good types of iron: ferrous fumerate, carbonyl iron, polysaccharide iron), take with meals, AVOID ferrous sulfate (most constipating form) i.e. Bariatric Advantage, Vitamin Shoppe, Vitron C (66 mg/tablet) only when able to swallow pills Calcium all patients take calcium citrate, calcium citrate is best absorbed after surgery, avoid calcium carbonate (Tums, Viactiv chews), 1500 mg calcium citrate/day, your body only can absorb 500 mg at a time so 500 mg 3 times a day, take separate from multivitamin and iron, liquid (Vitamin Shoppe, Costco), Chewable (Bariatric Advantage lozenge or Vitamin Shoppe) powder (UPCalD, Bariatric Advantage calcium crystals), DO NOT EXCEED MORE THAN 2500 MG/DAY, should have magnesium (keeps stool soft) and Vitamin D (increases calcium absorption), 8 oz milk = 300 mg calcium B12 needs to be sublingual (under the tongue), 1000 mcg once a week, not necessary for daily B12, but won't hurt if taken daily, Trader Joe's Bariatric Advantage, or other health food store Vitamin Schedule: Breakfast: Multivitamin and Iron (if necessary) 2 Hrs Later: Calcium Citrate Lunch: Multivitamin (& Iron) 2 Hrs Later: Calcium Citrate Dinner: Calcium Citrate B12 anytime during the day Sorry it is a bit much. Vitamins are to start after staples removed (2 weeks after surgery). I can't find it but I think I was told after 4 weeks I can swallow things whole. I'm hating crushing pills. My celexa tastes horrible. My Benicar isn't so bad. I also take synthroid and a birth control pill. I start my vitamins either tomorrow or Friday.

I put in to take two weeks off through my disability at work. FMLA is available, just keep in mind it is not paid. If you have short term disability then you can get paid while you are out. I'm not sure that it matters where you have your surgery, so you might want to check on that.

This is a question for those that are further out. I was on the BE.com website and saw a link for a company that sells medical ID bracelets. I was wondering if anyone has gotten one since their surgery. Since they can be engraved with up to five lines of information, I was wondering if this was something I should be considering to alert medical personnel to the fact that I have had this type of procedure along with my other medical allergies that I have. I say medical allergies, I'm allergic to two types of penicillin that give me hives. That's about all I have. Any advice or anyone have one?

I love this idea. I can't imagine what it must be like to know what that extra weight felt like. I may have to do that soon. I'm almost down 30 lbs. and I can't even begin to understand what I have lost.

Hi everyone. I'm from Southern California, Los Angeles area. I was sleeved on August 20, 2010. I'm one week out. I attend my surgeons local support group meeting in Burbank. If anyone is interested, sent me a message and I can give you information. If you are in the area and looking for a surgeon, mine is our guest speaker at our upcoming meeting on September 15. Anyone else interested in chatting or what not, send me a message.

Hi. I have told all of my co-workers. I've been at my present job 3 years. I started talking about it from day one when I had committed myself to the surgery. All of them have been and continue to be super supportive. No one ever asked why or accused me of taking the easy way out. When my last day of work before surgery came, they all gave me their best wishes for a successful surgery and speedy recovery. Secretly they really want me back in the office fast. :lol0: I found it best telling them so when I started looking different I wasn't playing twenty questions. Most of my co-workers are excited to watch the transition of me. :001_smile: It is in one way kind of embarrassing, but good to know they are on my side for a healthier me.

Hi, I'm Spaz. I'm a 30 year old woman living in Los Angeles, CA. My weight loss story is similar to most. I've been obese most of my life including my childhood. food was always a comfort to me in the worst times of my life. I have also been at the other end when I starved myself in high school and actually fit into a size 2, which didn't last for long. I met my surgeon for the first time about six years ago. That's when gastric bypass was still the only surgery out there. I got frightened, felt I was giving up, and told myself I can do this on my own. Two years later I was back at his office hearing about bypass and the lap band and again got those same feelings and never did anything about it. Then came the end of 2009. I was staring 30 in the face and still had not lost any weight and only put on more. I decided in December that I was going to have WLS because it was my only chance to get healthy. I met for the third time with my surgeon in January of 2010. At that point I was at my highest weight ever, 302 pounds. I didn't falter this time. I made an appointment for my pysch evaluation before leaving and did that in just a couple of weeks. I'm currently involved with a six month nutrition class that is required by my insurance. I'm hoping to have surgery in June. I have thought about the lap band but after all the stories I'm considering the sleeve very heavily. I am getting more information at my next meeting so I can read more about it, but I think it is the one for me. I will keep you all posted on my journey. Also, I managed to lose 7 pounds between January 8 and my second nutrition appointment. I gave up my affair with Diet Pepsi cold turkey and haven't missed it since.

Wow has it been a long time since I came here. Sorry I wasn't on more. I just wanted to post an update, quite a few months late. I finished all my insurance requirements in June and received my approval letter for surgery in July. I had my VSG on August 20, 2010. By all accounts of time, today I'm one week post-op. I did great with surgery (my first ever). I had a minor complication when my blood pressure spiked Friday through Saturday morning and it was 200/100 most of the night. It started coming down Saturday morning. Oh and I was a PIA in recovery. Screaming, whining, demanding stuff, but I made it through. So far everything is good. I'm doing well with my liquid intake and getting in Protein. I go Monday, August 30 to have my staples removed. Assuming all goes well there, I will move on to pureed foods. I'm so looking forward to that. I'm really happy I followed through on this and I'm looking forward towards the results. So far between the pre-op diet and the last time I weighed myself I have lost 20 lbs. That's incredible to me. I look forward to losing a lot more.

I know that there a multitude of threads on here about questions to ask of the surgeon and the surgery center. I started a list of the ones I can find which I know is in no way or means comprehensive. But I'm hoping you guys can help me by adding to it. I'm meeting with my nutritionist on Tuesday and wanted to give her my list of questions so I can get the answers. I'm still in the pre-op stage, but I'm leaning heavily towards having the VSG done. So any help would be awesome because I already know what an awesome group you are. So here is my list: 1. How many sleeves has Dr. Q done? 2. What are his complication, leak and death statistics. 3. What size bougie is used? 4. How long is the hospital stay? 5. Does Dr. Q take an x-ray of the sleeve post-op? 6. How many leak tests are performed and at what points? 7. Does Dr. Q oversew or use glue on the staple line?

I saw my PCP last night at a meeting she was having for her patients and we got to talk a little bit. She told me in no uncertain terms was I to get a lap band. Most people don't lose all the weight and we talked about the complications of it. I told her I was thining about the sleeve and she kind of had a funny look on her face almost like she didn't know about it. I explained it to her a little and she's going to do her own research and get back to me. Either way she's thrilled that I'm moving forward and doing what I need to do to get healthy. :crying:

Keep it up wannalise. There are still days when I think just one won't do me any harm and then I realize that it is the slippery slope. If I have one then I'll want another. So best just to stay away from it. I can't believe how different I feel though. Very strange how one thing can make such a difference. You are doing great. :001_tongue:

I most likely will have a TT. My question is, and keep in mind I haven't had WLS yet, I already have problems with my breasts. I get rashes and get bumps similar to pimples that really hurt. So if that continues I might have to get a breast lift. At one of the support meetings I went to, they had a plastic surgeon who specializes in PS for weight loss patients. She was really informative and had some great before and after slides. It really made you stop and think about conturing your body after you've lost the weight. Of course like some others I will be waiting until after children as well as it was recommended by the plastic surgeon and my primary care physician.