Indecision
I am 54 years old and have been a member of this group for awhile, but
haven’t posted anything-just an observer until now. I presently am
about 100 lbs. overweight and have lots of knee and joint pain. As
far as I know there are no other co-morbidities that I suffer from,
but they could be there without my knowledge. I have read and read
and read so much about WLS. It seems like the postings here seem more
negative than positive and it scares me. Are you EVER able to eat
normally after your surgery? I read so much about no milk, etc., etc.
and all these vitamin deficiencies. I have had my initial bloodwork
and interview with the nurse, but haven’t gone any further. This is a
new year and I want to start a new life, but am really hesitant. I
guess I just need a little pep talk! Thanks for any encouragement you
can give me!
August 26th, 2007 at 11:48 pm
In a message dated 1/3/2006 4:59:08 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
oinklp@… writes:
Are you EVER able to eat
normally after your surgery? I read so much about no milk, etc., etc.
and all these vitamin deficiencies.
I think that most people can drink milk again. But it really does depend on
you. Whether you will become lactose intolerant or not is the question. It
isn’t against the rules to drink milk though. Or at least not against my docs
rules. You probably wont drink much milk though once you get past the point of
drinking protein drinks. Which happens when you reach the point where your
able to naturally take in enough protein. My diet right now looks fairly
normal. I can eat all fruits and veggies and actually any meats etc. that I
wish.
But, I eat much smaller portions than I used to. But not so small that people
notice and think somehting is up(such as, is my food ok?) that sort of
thing. It takes about 1 year I would say before you are at the point where you
can
start eating more and adding back things like bread. You wont want to eat
much bread but it will eventually be ok to have a half sandwich or a half a
bagel etc. I think the biggest change for me is no sugar. Now I found that I
can
tolerate some sugars in smallish doses but I would advise you to stay away
from sugar. It really isnt necessary and you will get enough sugar naturally in
your diet that you really shouldn’t add anymore to it.
l
Merry
*
**~.,.~**
*~ Christmas! *~*
**~.,.~***~.,.~**
*~*~*~From *~*~*~
**~.,.~***~.,.~***~.,.~**
*~ *~*~*~*~The Rogers *~*~*~*~*~*~
88888
88888
August 27th, 2007 at 5:21 am
Well, obviously I can’t tell you what to do, but I can share my own
experiences. I had my surgery almost 2.5 years ago, and am almost (next
month) 48. A large part of the reason I had my surgery was “prearthritis
changes” in both knees. I have a very strong family history of bad knees
on both sides, and carrying around more than 150 pounds extra with every
step sure didn’t help. They hurt, and that problem wasn’t going to go
away on its own.
I had open RNY, 100 cm. bypassed. I am now less than half the woman I
used to be, but having more than twice the fun. I can get down on the
floor with my son, age five (I started late!), and get back up, without
a forklift or screaming in pain. Within the last few weeks, I have
caught myself doing something I would NEVER have expected. If I’m
looking for something on a lower shelf, I squat. Yes, I said SQUAT, you
know, weight on feet, heels up next to butt, knees bent. I do steady
myself a bit when coming back up, but that’s more a balance issue than
anything else. I have slightly bad balance, but again, that’s familial,
and predates my surgery.
Are there potential issues with the surgery? Of course. It is a risk. So
is driving a car, but it’s one I chose to take, and am glad I did. I did
not have any other comorbidities YET, but family history indicated that
it was probably just a matter of time. I felt the risks were worth it,
if I could possibly avoid being practically bedridden like both my
grandmothers, if I could avoid the hypertension and cholesterol problems.
For me though, the miracle has been the dramatic improvement in my
quality of life. I feel like, for the first time I can remember, maybe
ever, I’m an active participant in my own life, rather than just a
passive observer. I can do things with my son, and he runs out of energy
before I do. And he’s a normal, healthy, thin little boy! I can walk
into just about any store and find clothes. The exceptions are my old
reliables, like Lane Bryant and The Avenue, which don’t carry sizes
small enough for me. I have started wearing sexy clothes that I never
did before. Horizontal stripes. Bright colors. Form fitting, not dresses
by Omar the Tentmaker. I can tell if I gain a few pounds, because my
pants no longer have elastic in them, and my jeans are SNUG.
So I have to pay more attention to what I eat, and take more pills than
I used to. I think it’s worth it, at least for me.
–
Eleanor Oster
eleanor@… (personal address)
www.smallboxes.com/gastricbypass.htm
San Jose, CA
Open RNY (100 cm bypassed) 07/15/2003
David P. Fisher, M.D., Kaiser Richmond (CA)
~5′9″ tall
05/09/2003 319 Orientation
07/15/2003 ~290 Surgery
Current 157±2 Goal until plastics?