Teresa, You are welcome to read my profile. If you decide to include a chapter on complications other than emotional/relationships, let me know. Sherri

Three years! Whew, can you believe it's been that long???? Looking back... At my consult, I was 352 lbs. The day of my surgery, I was 344 lbs. Today? 170 lbs. That's a 92% decrease of my excess weight!! Has it been easy? Heck no! In the first year post op, I had 15 endoscopies (due to strictures and 2 ulcers), 2 perforations (from the endoscopes), a revision (due to the perforations), and a triple internal hernia (aka KBS). The 2nd year, my complications had all cleared up and instead, I had to have bunion surgery on each foot..separately (so 14 weeks of being in a walking cast!). And now???? Now, I'm looking forward. Next Tuesday on the 25th, I will be having abdominoplasty (full tumy tuck) and thigh lift done. In March, I'll be getting a breast lift & implant and arm lift. By my 4 yr surgiversary, I will finally have the body that I could have never obtained without the help of weight loss surgery. Every endo, every stricture, every ulcer, every perf, every surgery was worth it for every pound that I have lost and kept off! So...September '04' buds...I hope you were able to or will be able to .... spend your surgeriversary saying 'YAY!!! I did it!!'. Sherri

Anyone else going that share the September 04 surgery date? I'll be there & hope to meet some new friends!! Sherri

Erin, First of all, big huggs. I'm a firm believer that if you have a wonderful marriage pre-op, you will post-op...but if your marriage has problems pre-op, WLS will not fix those problems but most likely bring them to the surface. I feel the same way about having babies. DH is visually handicapped and every since he had to put his business up for sale due to his vision getting so bad that he was considered medically & legally blind, we have had marital problems...every 6-8 months. This started 5 years ago..so definately pre-op. Everything will be going great and then out of the blue I will get an email from him telling me that things aren't working out, that we should go our own ways. Every time I talk things through with him & things calm down until the next round. Myself, I think it's an attention getter. While I am at work, he's home feeling sorry for himself. I am however to the point of being tired of going through this. I feel like my world is turned upside-down each time this occurs. I can't help but wonder if the next time won't be the time I throw my hands up and say 'yep, you're right'. The last time was about 4 weeks ago and I am no where near letting my guard down this time around...which usually I do after about 2 weeks. Instead, I am tryng to prepare myself financially for should that occur. It sounds like your marriage wasn't exactly perfect pre-op. If it were, your in-laws wouldn't be a big factor (btw..I think I love my mother-in-law as much or more than I do my dh...and DEFINATELY more than I do my step-daughter (who is 30)). If your dh is being so controlling that you aren't taking care of yourself as you should and can't be yourself...why would you want to save this marriage? Prepare yourself to make it on your own..mentally, physically, financially. After you do that, and ONLY after you do that, let him know that you both ARE going to marriage counseling or you are leaving him. Take the bull by the horns. But protect yourself first. My sister is going through a divorce and did NOT do this...her ex removed everything from the house and has it all in storage somewhere..and she has no idea where. He bounced their checking accounts & ran up the cell phone charges (that was in her name). He did everything he could to make things hard on her. So....before you lay down the law, protect yourself. Best wishes..... Sherri

Sherry, I've been diagnosed as hypoglycemic for about 4-5 months now. My endocrinologist had a 5 hour glucose intollerance test done to confirm it. My problem tends to be starches: potato, corn, peas, bread, etc. I avoid all sweets unless it's sugar-free...but it's harder for me to avoid the starches. I was never told to get in so many carbs every so many hours. Instead, I'm to get in at least 100g carbs/day...but that had to do with the WLS, not the hypoglycemia. I keep a food journal and make special note of what I ate the day I have a low sugar reaction. Usually, it is very traceable...veggie soup that had the starchy veggies in it, a tamale, a sweet potato. Sometimes, it's not so easy to figure out. There was one morning for breakfast that the only thing it could have been was a few chunks of pineapple (must have been packed in syrup instead of water..???). Once I determine a food is a problem food for me, I try to avoid it. I carry glucose tablets with me and also have a big bottle of them on the counter at home. When I have an episode, I munch on 2-3 of them and if I'm where I can, I drink a glass of skim milk. Don't bring up sugar with sugar. That does start a viscous cycle. Have a few glucose tablets to bring it up, and then some protein (ie skim milk) to maintain it. That was what I was told to do by my endocrinologist and by the dietician who is now over-seeing my food journal with 'hypoglycemic WLS post-op' in mind. I was having 3-4 episodes a week. I'm down to ~once a week. I learn new things about my body all the time! Sherri

Sandy, No..I haven't tried these. There isn't a Trader Joe or Costco on my side of Indy. But...I have such a weakness when it comes to crackers that I would have the attitude of 'Hey..it takes 15-18 to make a serving'. My best bet is to just stay away from them. Remember the old Peanuts toon with chips..'You can't eat just one...' Well, with me, I wouldn't stop at 8. I'd have to have a few when I'm packing them for lunch and a few before bedtime....all with the idea in mind 'it takes 15-18 to make a serving'. Instead, I pack watermelon for lunch..munch on a few pieces of it when I'm packing my lunch for the day...and maybe a few more before I go to bed. To get my crunch fix in, I usually stick to BariatricEating's pork rinds. As long as you eat ~an ounce of another protein (a few cheese cubes is my usual choice), they are low in calories, fats, & carbs and packed with protein. Thanks for the suggestion. I just wish I were the type to be able to have 'just one'. Sherri

Christina, Congrats on your upcoming motherhood. I take it that Eric is post-op as well...? Ragu makes a pretty good pizza sauce. It's in a small jar so you can use what you need and put the rest in the fridge till next time. No mess of mixing in tomato paste. Instead of using flour tortilla's, try the low-carb wheat ones or lo-carb flat wraps. The wraps are an excellent source of fiber also (I find them at Kroger or Walmart Neighborhood stores). If you go to RedLobster.com, they have a link to their recipe for their lobster pizza. Yummy! Of course, if Eric doesn't do well with seafood, you may want to substitute the lobster with chicken. Other food ideas... Ragu makes a no sugar added spaghetti sauce and a Light Parmasean Alfredo sauce. With the spaghetti sauce, I use multi-grain/tomato & spinach/low carb pasta with ground sirloin (as low fat content as I can find). With the Alfredo sauce, I use spaghetti squash and diced chicken breast. Want something quick? Try a grilled cheese sandwich using Velveta Light, Wonder Light Wheat Bread, and Country Crock's Light spread. For my ice cream fix, I have some Healthy Choice ice cream bars in the freezer. Only 90 calories each. Best wishes to you, Eric and baby Kaylan, Sherri

Doreen... See my post to Marianne right before this one.... Sherri

Congrats Sherry! You might want to try PictureTrails.com...and then put it as your link on your profile. You can add alot more pics then and even put them in albums for different events. Feel free to check out mine. Sherri

Amy, Sounds to me like you have the biggest problem licked. You know what you are doing wrong. I keep track of everything in Fitday.com. I had asked my dietician how much of whatever I should be getting (and to still lose weight with). For the exercise I get (~5 miles/day walking), I was told the following: 1200-1400 calories (1000-1200 if I didn't walk so much) less than 30 g fat more than 30 g fiber (yeah, right!) more than 100 g carb 80-100 g protein (because I'm hypoglycemic, need extra protein) You may want to ask your dietician what would be right for you for your particular medical needs. I'm at the point of doing all of that (except having trouble getting in enough fiber) but not seeing it in the scales. Seeing it in clothes some though so I believe my body is losing fat...but gaining heavier muscles. Sherri 344/180/140

Nancy, I'm at work and all my info is on my Fitday at home (loved it so much, bought the program). I'll try to remember to get on here tonight and send you my totals for a typical day. What I was told to target is: 1200-1400 calories (1000-1200 if I am less active) less than 30g fat at least 100 g carbs 65-75 g protein Usually for breakfast I have: 1/2 fat-free cottage cheese with 2-3 oz carb delight peaches (Del Monte) 1 fruit (usually a pear) For post breakfast & post lunch snacks, I have a protein drink...90 to 120 calories depending on which one I have. lunch 3 oz meat 2-4 oz vegetables 1 fruit (usually an orange) Dinner 3-4 oz meat 4 oz vegetables salad Post-dinner snack ricecake or BariatricEating.com Pork Rinds (low cals/fat, 23 g protein...there is NO WAY I can eat 1 serving at 1 setting!) In my coffee, I use sugar free french vanilla creamer. It's only 15 cal/tablespoon. Occationally, I may have a latte at work...so 14 oz skim milk (w/decaf coffee and sf vanilla flavoring). I tend to shy away from cereals and nuts and stick to veggies and fruits. I try to be sure that I don't have beef more than once a day because even lean, it is high in fat. I have been trying to get in more fish (tired of poultry!) and have been experimenting with different varieties of squash to liven up the veggie food group. Oh...most importantly...TONS of water. I know the RDA is 64 oz...I am at least doubled that if not tripled or more. And we are talking water, not crystal light or any other substitute. For me, only water works as well. On March 20th, I decided to target getting in 10,000 steps a day. That for me is about 4.75 miles. Whatever I don't get in from work, I finish up on the treadmill when I get home...only I round it to the nearest mile that will get me over the 10K so usually I finish up with 5.25-5.5 miles. I've missed my target twice so far..big snow & fighting traffic for one day and sick the other day. Today, I'm up to 7500 steps so far. I'll send my stats tonight... Sherri

Louann...congrats on the PS. You will feel so much better with the hernia repaired as well. Are you at goal? I'm at 180 and set a goal of 140 (I'm 5'6") as my final goal. The ps surgeon wants you to be within 20 lbs of your goal. Of course, these last 20 lbs want to fight tooth & nail to come off. It makes me question if 140 is a reasonable goal. It's right smack in the middle for an 'ideal' BMI....which is how I set it. Perhaps, 155 would have been more realistic (the highest end for a BMI of 25). Anyway, congrats!! Sherri

Speaking of high protein.... I just got in an order from BariatricEating. I had ordered some of the microwave pork rinds. They are only 130 calories a serving and 23 grams of protein!! Fantastic for a snack!! I also tried a new protein drink they have that is Nectar Cappuccino. It is 90 calories and 23 grams of protein per scoop. According to the instructions, you can make it a warm drink as well as cold. Can't wait to try it tomorrow! Already tried the pork rinds though and they were yummy! Sherri ps...Is there such a thing as too much protein??? Between shakes, pork rinds, and food, calories, fat & carbs was where the dietican wants them but I had 132 grams of protein!! Too much??