Howdy
Well, I went for my consultation yesterday and
have decided to go ahead with the RNY. Talked about
emotions. Within 12 hours, I have felt exhilirated,
terrified, relieved, worried and nervous (not to mention
that I had a final exam to think about too!) One thing
that I am really worried about is being thin because
I’ve never been thin. Well, I guess I’ll just cross
that bridge when it comes.<br><br>Anyway, now it’s a
matter of waiting for the insurance to approve — hope
and pray. I can’t thank all of you who have posted
information on this site. Your comments and support have
definitely helped me to make this decision.<br><br>Oh, I’m
going to have a new ID soon, so if you don’t see
anything from "SingingBeanCounter", look for
"Mary270".<br><br>Have a great weekend everyone 
April 21st, 2003 at 4:02 pm
>exhilirated, terrified, relieved, worried and
nervous…<<br><br>Congratulations on your approval! Between now and your
surgery
date you will go through all of those emotions — and
many more — over and over again. I’m waiting for my
surgery date to roll around and I am going nuts! Keep
coming here and asking your questions; you’ll have tons
of them pop up every day.
September 3rd, 2006 at 11:34 pm
Hi Luanne,
congrats on your approval for surgery. You will have alot of questions and
don’t hesitate to ask them all, because the more you know the more comfortable
you will fill when you do have surgery. Blessings to you during this holiday
season.
Beary Big Hugs From Texas
preop 324
postop 301
September 4th, 2006 at 4:55 am
Hi Crystal,
Cindy here, I had GBP surgery 11-12-03. I haven’t had any problems with
diarreah yet. I have had plenty of rumbling in my tummy, but I have been passing
the gas, which is a huge relief to the tummy. As far as being around people when
they are eating, it was a little uncomfortable at first, but something I have
noticed is that I savor the smell of the food and it seems to satisfy me. It’s
actually kinda weird. Can’t explain it anyway. The hardest thing for me is not
to drink after I have eaten. Very, very, very hard. As for milk, I have switched
to Land of Lakes Dairy Ease, no problems with drinking this and it’s actually
sweeter than I thought. You might want to try it.
I was doing great, till 11-24, Monday, I woke up to get ready for my
doctors appointment and my incision start leaking. I was frantic and all around
scared out of my witts. What could this be. Well, I went to the doctors and they
said I had an inner incision infection and that I had to go back into surgery to
have all the stitches removed and that I would have to have it packed with
sterile dressing everyday so the wound could heal from the inside out. Well here
I am and it’s Wed. the day before thanksgiving and I am doing much better. My
activities have been cut to nearly nothing. With this incision being open, but I
do have a binder that I wear which gives me great comfort and allows me to move
around a little with very little pain. This is not waht I thought I would be
going through at this point and yesterday was a extremely emotional day for me
and I cried most of the afternoon. But praise be to God, He woke me up this
morning with a renewed spirit. God’s Blessings to you.
Beary Big Hugs From Texas,
Cindy
11-12-03
324/301/175
September 5th, 2006 at 9:02 am
cindy. Susan here I had gbp-lap. 8/02. 180lbs gone. feel great! I too had a
leaky incision. It was very painful. I also had to return to hosp. for nine
days. Infection made me real sick. Once all healed everything just fell
into place. During that time I honestly had second thoughts about what I had
done to myself. It really does get oh so much better. Take it easy in healing.
Give yourself time to readjust to your new body. It may not look new outside
yet but it is very new inside. Stick to the liquids/pureed food as long as
you need. Start out on solid food cautiously and slowly. Goodluck and keep
the group posted. We are all here to help support your journey and each other.
September 5th, 2006 at 2:17 pm
Hello Grape, or cindi? just wanted to tell you that I
am so glad you got through all that having to go back
into the hospital and everything. That must have been
terrible for you. I am glad that it is over, and that
you have a better life. I had mine,nov 17th 03. It is
a real change but everything went well with no
problems,and I am getting stronger. I have lost 24 lbs
in 11 days.take care.
=====
youv’e got to sing, like you don’t need the money, Love,like you’ll never get
hurt.Youv’e got to Dance, Dance, Dance,Like nobodys watching, It has to come
from the heart, If you want it to work.Betty
September 5th, 2006 at 4:24 pm
Great weight loss, Betty! Congratulations.
Pam in Niceville
_____
Hello Grape, or cindi? just wanted to tell you that I
am so glad you got through all that having to go back
into the hospital and everything. That must have been
terrible for you. I am glad that it is over, and that
you have a better life. I had mine,nov 17th 03. It is
a real change but everything went well with no
problems,and I am getting stronger. I have lost 24 lbs
in 11 days.take care.
=====
youv’e got to sing, like you don’t need the money, Love,like you’ll
never get hurt.Youv’e got to Dance, Dance, Dance,Like nobodys
watching, It has to come from the heart, If you want it to
work.Betty
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September 17th, 2006 at 7:03 pm
Hi Gloria, I’m really sorry that you have had to go through all of this stuff.
Just remember we all have our roads we have to travel and we all lose at
different rates. I personally thought I would have lost more that 15 lbs in
3weeks but I also had a very large infection within my incision and had to be
taken back into surgery to have it all cleaned out. So that was a set back for
me. I was encouraged to look at the positive, that it really could be worse. I
want you to know that I will keep you in my prayers and know that God has a plan
just for you and He is always with you. He is big enough to handle all of your
emotions, anger, frustration and uncertanty. God showed me that I just need a
little more time to recover and that He wanted to to come to Him. You are avery
strong woman, just by taking the step to have this surgery, you will make it
through this time in your life. Know that you are a beautiful person. Sing like
your in the shower, everybody sounds good in the shower, smile like there is no
tomorrow because today is a gift that’s why we call it the present. Take care
and chin up.
Beary Big Hugs from Texas
Cindy
11-12-03
323/295/175
September 18th, 2006 at 12:24 am
Hi Betty, Congrats on your surgery. As for feeling full on soft food/liquids.
You won’t feel full. I just started a few days on meats and it sure does make a
big difference. I wasn’t sure how much to eat either. But I scrambled an egg
lightly and cooked a breakfast pork chop. I actually only ate about 1/8th of the
meat and all of the egg. I felt full. It was a wonderful feeling. I did talk
with my dietician today and she was very helpful. Dr. Stegemann and the practice
he belongs to, S A Surgical Consultants don’t believe that we should drink
protein shakes, because they go right through us and it doesn’t help us in
developing our new eating habits. Every doctor is different and you should
follow your doc’s advice. But i have graduated to full solid. So now I can eat
meats, fish, chicken, beef etc. I am scared to eat steak, they say it’s really
hard for our new system to digest. So I will start off with like hamburger
patty, or cooked crumbled hamburger. I hope this helps you a little.
Sending you Beary Big Hugs from Texas
Cindy
11-12-03
323/295/175
September 18th, 2006 at 3:48 am
Cindy, A lot of doctors don’t believe in the protein drinks.. If
you choose to go that route, please watch your protein levels in
your labs. Get copies of your labs and track them yourself, because
the docs will only tell you whether they’re "within normal limits" -
won’t tell you, hey, here you were at the top of the range and over
the last 3 sets you’ve dropped to the bottom of the range." - and
once you drop *out* of the range, you will require TPN feedings to
get back in normal range. And it will happen to proxi’s just as
with distals. Not all proxis, but it can happen.
I found that a good filet from Outback Steakhouse was actually quite
easy to eat. There’s hardly any gristle at all and the meat is so
soft. But then, I have problems with eggs <G>.
I’m not suggesting anyone go against their doc’s recommendations. I
am suggesting that we do be proactive in watching our labs so we can
spot trends and, if need be, correct them before they get out of
hand.
Good luck!
Pam in Niceville
_____
Hi Betty, Congrats on your surgery. As for feeling full on soft
food/liquids. You won’t feel full. I just started a few days on
meats and it sure does make a big difference. I wasn’t sure how much
to eat either. But I scrambled an egg lightly and cooked a breakfast
pork chop. I actually only ate about 1/8th of the meat and all of
the egg. I felt full. It was a wonderful feeling. I did talk with my
dietician today and she was very helpful. Dr. Stegemann and the
practice he belongs to, S A Surgical Consultants don’t believe that
we should drink protein shakes, because they go right through us and
it doesn’t help us in developing our new eating habits. Every doctor
is different and you should follow your doc’s advice. But i have
graduated to full solid. So now I can eat meats, fish, chicken, beef
etc. I am scared to eat steak, they say it’s really hard for our new
system to digest. So I will start off with like hamburger patty, or
cooked crumbled hamburger. I hope this helps you a little.
Sending you Beary Big Hugs from Texas
Cindy
11-12-03
323/295/175
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September 18th, 2006 at 12:29 pm
Cindy, just a word of advice on the ground beef and other beef products. Use
VERY lean cuts, cook very well, have very small portions at first. Everyone
is different but I got so very sick my first "beef" experience. Ground turkey
is better in place of the beef. Makes great meatloaf, lasagna, sauces. It is
much less greasy and very tasty. I have made several dishes for my family
using turkey instead and I did not tell them. They could not tell the
difference.
I flavored with a small amount of beef bouilion(sp).
September 18th, 2006 at 7:50 pm
I think the most important thing is that any meat you have is moist.
So don’t cook it to death. I don’t dump on fats, never did, so very
lean would have been much worse for me. I do a lot of crock pot
cooking for my meats, but I always pour the "gravy" into a separate
container when it’s done and let the grease separate out and throw
that out.
Pam in Niceville
_____
Cindy, just a word of advice on the ground beef and other beef
products. Use
VERY lean cuts, cook very well, have very small portions at first.
Everyone
is different but I got so very sick my first "beef" experience.
Ground turkey
is better in place of the beef. Makes great meatloaf, lasagna,
sauces. It is
much less greasy and very tasty. I have made several dishes for my
family
using turkey instead and I did not tell them. They could not tell
the difference.
I flavored with a small amount of beef bouilion(sp).
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April 28th, 2007 at 8:32 pm
Hi! My name is Peggy and I’m almost 2 years out of a gastric RNY come
May 5th. I’ve lost 279 lbs and only have about 45 more to go. I’ve
become really concerned the last month or so, because my appetite has
seemed to increase much. I don’t want to gain this weight back and
try to sick to simple low calorie snacks, such as carrots, veggies,
fruit etc. Can anyone who is this far out give me any advice? I’m in
the process of having my teeth pulled and I am limited at this time.
Please help me if you can!
April 28th, 2007 at 11:29 pm
Im in the EXACT same boat! Ive got a consultation with a RD next week because,
It seems that i am constantly hungry!! I would say see the nutritionist or
dietician in the office where you had your surgery.
Hi! My name is Peggy and I’m almost 2 years out of a gastric RNY come
May 5th. I’ve lost 279 lbs and only have about 45 more to go. I’ve
become really concerned the last month or so, because my appetite has
seemed to increase much. I don’t want to gain this weight back and
try to sick to simple low calorie snacks, such as carrots, veggies,
fruit etc. Can anyone who is this far out give me any advice? I’m in
the process of having my teeth pulled and I am limited at this time.
Please help me if you can!
April 29th, 2007 at 9:45 pm
Hi! You’re pretty much on schedule. Around 2 years out, we’re well past
our honeymoon, and really struggling. I’d stick with high protein, since it
is more filling than the vege snacks, and the small amount of fat is more
satisfying (and assuming you’ve had an RNY, you are probably malabsorbing
some of your fats). Carbs (for most of us with a disturbed sugar metabolism)
tend to make us crave more carbs. What are you doing for protein drinks? I
know that when I really do my protein drinks, (and I make them like a
Wendy’s Frosty), I can’t eat that much. They both cut my cravings, and
provide nourishment - and might be particularly good for you while you’re
having your teeth worked on.
Hi! My name is Peggy and I’m almost 2 years out of a gastric RNY come
May 5th. I’ve lost 279 lbs and only have about 45 more to go. I’ve
become really concerned the last month or so, because my appetite has
seemed to increase much. I don’t want to gain this weight back and
try to sick to simple low calorie snacks, such as carrots, veggies,
fruit etc. Can anyone who is this far out give me any advice? I’m in
the process of having my teeth pulled and I am limited at this time.
Please help me if you can!
April 30th, 2007 at 9:57 am
Pam,
How do you make your shakes to be like the Wendy’s frosties?
That really sounds good. I ended up having 6 jaw teeth pulled today
and so far not been able to eat anything other then some chicken
bouillion. My mouth really hurts and warm and cold things sound
good. The frostie one sounds really good, but I’ve not been able to
make them taste very good at all. I buy the protein drink from Wal-
mart in chocolate and vanilla. Please tell me how to do it! *S*
Peggy
May 1st, 2007 at 5:50 am
Well, you have to use a good strong blender. I actually use a magic bullet,
because it’s the easiest, and I can eat right out of the cup I make it in.
I put in 1.5 cups of ice (in the magic bullet, it’s put ice in to the top
of the 3 lines)
.5 cups of water. (one-half cup) – (in the magic bullet, it’s add water
almost up to the middle line)
add my protein powder to equal 30 gms of protein,
2 teaspoons of dry coffee creamer
1 teaspoon splenda
1/8 tsp of cinnamon OR cardamom
1 tsp of instant decaf coffee
Blend until the ice is blended –
I also use the IDS Vanilla Cinnamon and ICS Cappuccino. Almost all my
shakes are made with ½ PS100 choc and ½ one of the others. You may want to
try a chocolate shake with your WalMart chocolate, but add a teaspoon of
cocoa powder, to see if that helps the taste.
The great thing about doing this is that I add a serving of UpCalD, which
gives me 500 mgs of elemental calcium in each shake. I do 4 shakes a day
and this gets it all in.
NOW, for those who are early out, this will be too much shake for you to get
in during the 30 minutes allowed. But I’m 2+ years out, and have a greater
capacity.
Pam in Niceville
_____
Pam,
How do you make your shakes to be like the Wendy’s frosties?
That really sounds good. I ended up having 6 jaw teeth pulled today
and so far not been able to eat anything other then some chicken
bouillion. My mouth really hurts and warm and cold things sound
good. The frostie one sounds really good, but I’ve not been able to
make them taste very good at all. I buy the protein drink from Wal-
mart in chocolate and vanilla. Please tell me how to do it! *S*
Peggy
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_____
May 1st, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Pam,
Thank you so much for the recipe! It sounds yummy and I will
try it today, since I’m NOT able to eat anything, due to my teeth
being yanked out yesterday! *S* I do about 1 to 2 shakes a week,
because several people told me I didn’t need the shakes now being
this far out. They also told me it just added unwanted calorie
intake. I still can’t drink much or eat much at one time and usually
5 or 6 bites of anything fills up my little hole! *S* Drinking the
shakes certainly makes more sense now. The protein I get at Wal-mart
is a Whey protein and it’s really nice tasting. I do find myself
craving veggies and fruits all the time. I don’t eat much meat,
mostly because I’ve not had healthy enough teeth up to this point,
but I eat nuts and other things, trying to get my protein in for the
day. Many times it’s a real chore and I know I don’t get enough.
I’m really glad to have found this group, for I’ve not had any
support at all since having this procedure done 2 years ago. It’s
been a learn as you go thing!
Peggy
May 1st, 2007 at 9:52 pm
Well, Peggy, I use the protein shakes as a meat replacement, myself, but
have to be careful not to let myself get sucked into the wrong kind of
carbs. How does your protein, albumin and pre=albumin labs look? The only
way to really tell what you need is by watching your labs. And I don’t mean
when the doc says “they’re fine” – I mean by getting a spread sheet and
posting the labs in them so you can watch trends. If you started pre-op at
high normal protein levels and are now hanging down at low-normal protein
levels, then you need more protein,IMHO.
You might consider joining another group – it’s a large group, but has an
active group that post often. You can only post after you’re a year out,
but you can lurk earlier.
We have members there from 1-20+ years out. You get a real handle on the
issues faced by longer termed post ops.
Pam in Niceville
_____
Pam,
Thank you so much for the recipe! It sounds yummy and I will
try it today, since I’m NOT able to eat anything, due to my teeth
being yanked out yesterday! *S* I do about 1 to 2 shakes a week,
because several people told me I didn’t need the shakes now being
this far out. They also told me it just added unwanted calorie
intake. I still can’t drink much or eat much at one time and usually
5 or 6 bites of anything fills up my little hole! *S* Drinking the
shakes certainly makes more sense now. The protein I get at Wal-mart
is a Whey protein and it’s really nice tasting. I do find myself
craving veggies and fruits all the time. I don’t eat much meat,
mostly because I’ve not had healthy enough teeth up to this point,
but I eat nuts and other things, trying to get my protein in for the
day. Many times it’s a real chore and I know I don’t get enough.
I’m really glad to have found this group, for I’ve not had any
support at all since having this procedure done 2 years ago. It’s
been a learn as you go thing!
Peggy
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_____
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:23 am
Well I’m not really sure because I’ve not had any blood work drawn since my
surgery. I don’t go to the "fat" doctor any more because a year out, he no
longer sees you. I’ve been healthy so not returned to any doctor for
anything else. I feel and look great so just take it a day at a time.
Peggy
Well, Peggy, I use the protein shakes as a meat replacement, myself, but
have to be careful not to let myself get sucked into the wrong kind of
carbs. How does your protein, albumin and pre=albumin labs look? The only
way to really tell what you need is by watching your labs. And I don’t mean
when the doc says “they’re fine” – I mean by getting a spread sheet and
posting the labs in them so you can watch trends. If you started pre-op at
high normal protein levels and are now hanging down at low-normal protein
levels, then you need more protein,IMHO.
You might consider joining another group – it’s a large group, but has an
active group that post often. You can only post after you’re a year out,
but you can lurk earlier.
We have members there from 1-20+ years out. You get a real handle on the
issues faced by longer termed post ops.
Pam in Niceville
_____
Pam,
Thank you so much for the recipe! It sounds yummy and I will
try it today, since I’m NOT able to eat anything, due to my teeth
being yanked out yesterday! *S* I do about 1 to 2 shakes a week,
because several people told me I didn’t need the shakes now being
this far out. They also told me it just added unwanted calorie
intake. I still can’t drink much or eat much at one time and usually
5 or 6 bites of anything fills up my little hole! *S* Drinking the
shakes certainly makes more sense now. The protein I get at Wal-mart
is a Whey protein and it’s really nice tasting. I do find myself
craving veggies and fruits all the time. I don’t eat much meat,
mostly because I’ve not had healthy enough teeth up to this point,
but I eat nuts and other things, trying to get my protein in for the
day. Many times it’s a real chore and I know I don’t get enough.
I’m really glad to have found this group, for I’ve not had any
support at all since having this procedure done 2 years ago. It’s
been a learn as you go thing!
Peggy
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_____