Obesity Surgery WP Blog

hey there…have a question for those of you who know
more than I about this stuff….. (Nurse hanging her
head in shame here…lol..I should know these things!)
anyhow…(and yes, I will pose this question to my
doctor when I see him)
I have asthma, and am pretty well controlled with
Advair, which is essentially a inhaled steroid…
Anyone know if this is allowed after WLS? My train of
thought says that since it is inhaled, that there
shouldn’t be a problem, since it pretty specifically
targets the lungs….
ALSO….what if my asthma flares up???? do they allow
you short term steroid use at all? Since that is
sometimes the only thing that snaps me out of a severe
attack, I would hope it is….
(more…)

Hello everyone…. I haven’t posted on here in ages, in fact it’s
been so long the entire format has changed I had RNY surgery 3 1/2 years ago. I am very concerned with the fact
that the pounds are gradually creeping back on. I feel like I still
do not eat much but the scales tell me I must be, soooo, what I want
to do is keep a food diary for a while and see exactly how many
calories I am consuming on average. The problem is I cannot find an
on-line site that had food values and food diaries anymore. I used
to use dietwatch.com but now they charge for going there. Anyone
know another site I might try? Any info would be much appreciated.
Gotta run for now, I’ll check back this evening.
Kathy

Hi there. I am 3 months post-op (Open RNY). I am doing really well, I
exercise for 1 ½ hours 6 times a week. I’m eating healthy - protein,
fruits, veggies. I’m not eating any sugar, and almost no breads and
starches. I’ve yet to dump on anything. I’m loosing at a relatively
consistent rate (I’ve lost 48 lbs.). I’m even drinking over 100 oz of water
a day.
So here’s the problem…my head still wants to eat…maybe it’s an oral
fixations, I don’t know. I’ve been snacking for the past two weeks.
Albeit, I’ve been snacking on grapes, and melon, and carrots, string cheese
and such, but I’m afraid that I’m going to end up stretching out my pouch.
I’ve started water loading before I snack on anything…that is helping, but
I’ve still got the cravings. I’m just so afraid making poor choices that
will inhibit the effectiveness of my surgery. Has anyone else felt this
way or have any suggestions?
Thanks for listening,
(more…)

Hi Kim…
It’s your fellow Alaskan and Dr. Todd patient reporting in. I also had
the rumblings in my tummies…it went on for a few days, but now at 13
days out, it isn’t any longer…and I honestly cannot recall when it
stopped. I think it’s normal to be scared about the energy thing….out
of the past 13 days, I think there have been about 4 where I was “stuck”
to my recliner and wondering if I should go back to work part-time the
week of the 28th….however, the last few days have been really good.
Like you, I have adopted a “one-day-at-a-time” attitude…I know that
there will be days that come up where I don’t feel optimal, but, I will
just try to remind myself that any change takes adjustment and to try
and listen to my body, but in the meantime, I am REALLY enjoying my good
days. I was/am amazed at how much energy I have in just a short time
out and all the things that I can do compared to just a week ago. So,
give your body a rest…tomorrow you may wake up and feel great, if not,
(more…)

I guess my problem with your logic is that you assume
that if you are ONLY 100 pounds overweight you haven’t
tried dieting. I myself have gained and lost 600
pounds in the last 12 years. I average a swing one
way or the other of about 45 pounds a year. This is
not good for me even if I was only 100 pounds
overweight. I’ve tried every diet (OK - so I didn’t
fall for too many of the TV ad diets), but weight
watchers countless times, behavior modification
programs multiple times under doctor’s supervision,
diet pills under doctor’s supervision, slim fast, low
fat, low carb, high protein, everything. My list of
tried diets was also quite long.
I too had my surgery through a program that required
me to lost weight before surgery to show my commitment
(more…)

that response about living 15-20 years after wls is so wrong, wrong, wrong,
and I wish people would do there homework before frightening other people for
no reason. #1 spotlight health is sponsered by carnie wilson she had the wls
do you think she only wants to live 15 years and #2 the wls doctors also
sponsor that web site. forgot who wrote that lovely statement but she
probably was reading about the surgerier that were done about 30 years ago
that were very malabsorptive. they are nolonger done today. pleaseeeeeeeee
don’t make statements like that unless you do your research you can’t actully
scare people into not having the surgery who really need it.

Great question! And there are lots of small answers.
Me, I’m a statistically-minded,
can’t-argue-with-the-science kind of girl, so here’s
my answer. It all boils down to this:my surgeon told
me at my one-year check-up that to lose weight I have
to be UNDER 800 calories a day. Willpower or no, I
couldn’t have done this before WLS, and certainly not
for over a year! This simply gets you to the point
where the efforts you make in diet and exercise can
have the effect they’re supposed to.
Someone posted about the lifespan of 15-20 years. I
laughed out loud! My surgeon told me point-blank that
I’d added at least 12 years to my life by having the
surgery, and that was before we knew how my diabetes
would react. The fact of the matter is that the RNY
(more…)

I’m sure you’ve heard from lots of people already (I
get the emails in digest form and am quite a bit
behind!), but I wanted to reply to this, too. LOTS of
people go off insulin. Most, in fact. It takes
longer for some than others. I was taking close to
what you are and waqs taken off insulin at 3 months.
I’m 13 months now and haven’t improved my BGs from
that 3-month mark, but I’m still pretty low on the
borderline. It’s just something my doctor and I watch
carefully.
Theere are a couple of improtant points:
1) talk to your surgeon about this BEFORE your
surgery. Some people are taken off insulin in the
hospital! It will jsut depend on your readings.
2) Keep very close track of your BGs. Even if you’re
(more…)

Hi! I’ve been a lurker and have learned so much from everyone. Soooo,
thank you! My question is this: My insurance will not pay for my
surgery. If the same thing happened to you, how did you manage to
cover the costs?
Thank you so much-
Sheila

In a message dated 4/24/02 12:10:52 PM, kimscott@… writes:
<< What has been the turning point for all
of you post-ops out there? Trying to take it day-by-day, Kim
Kim,
Hang in there, girl. The toughest time for me was the first four weeks. At
four weeks out was when my surgeon lets us begin to eat real food. But you
have the right attitude. Do take things one day at a time and remember this
is just a temporary thing….you’ll feel great before you know it and be
praising this surgery like the rest of us.
Vicki
open RNY 6/28/01
157#…..lost 109# and gained the ability to run up the stairs, work out for
an hour at the gym and mount my horse without a stepstool! Whoooo Hoooooo!