ObesityHelp

Post Date 3/9/08 3:50 pm
Topic: RE: day light savings time

Augh, I have hated DST ever since I lived in Japan, where there is no DST. It was lovely.

Post Date 2/9/08 6:39 pm
Topic: RE: How would you respond?

Hi Brandi,

Yes, I've always dumped. And it seems as though I dump at different levels of sugar and fat, so it always keeps me on my toes. Since I don't know when I will dump, it keeps me from pushing the edge of the sugar envelope, so to speak!

The anemia developed within the last 3-6 months. It's completely my fault, and I am paying the price for it. Take your vits!!

Post Date 2/9/08 4:27 pm
Last Edit: 2/9/08 4:28 pm
Topic: RE: How would you respond?

Let me see...



1 - I had to have my guts surgically altered.



2 - I can only eat a few ounces of food or else i vomit for hours and feel like i am having a heart attack.



3 - if i have too much sugar or fat I will dump. My longest dumping was six hours where my blood pressure plummeted, my heart rate went through the roof, I was nauseous, I vomited, and alternated between night sweats and being freezing cold. For six friggin' hours!



4 - I can't absorb all of the vitamins and nutrients that I ingest, so I have to supplement my diet with protein, vitamins and minerals. I need B12 injections twice a month or else I am in danger of neuropathy.



5 - I became so anemic that I had a mini stroke a few weeks ago - just because I wasn't able to coordinate my iron and calcium schedules.



6 - I can never "go off" my diet for the holidays, for a birthday or other "special" occasion. "Just one bite" could very well kill me. (ok, I am being a little dramatic here, but dumping can feel like you are dying!)



They said you are lazy? That you aren't responsible for your losses? Then I would say, EFF YOU!!



And yes, I have had this experience, mostly every week at my job (I work for a bariatric practice.)



Congratulations on your success!!

Post Date 2/9/08 4:15 pm
Topic: RE: How much iron are you taking?

"Concrete butt"??

OMG, I just spewed tea all over my keyboard!! lol!

Post Date 2/7/08 5:01 pm
Topic: Are You Taking Your Vitamins?

A few weeks ago, I was at work, talking on the phone. Suddenly, I had a sharp pain in my left eye and it radiated throughout my head. Shortly thereafter, I was unable to speak. I knew what I wanted to say, but couldn't. I felt as though I was trapped in my head. It was as though I wanted to say the word "dog" and "watermelon" came out of my mouth. The whole episode barely lasted two minutes.

After my mother reminded me that my uncle died of an aneurysm, my PCP sent me for an MRI and MRA. To make a long story short, I had a TIA or Transient Ischemic Attack - a mini stroke. TIAs can be brought on by severe anemia, among other things. Guess what was dangerously low in my labs? You guessed it - hemoglobin. I hadn't been taking my iron consistently.

I knew about the dangers of deficiencies in Calcium, B-12, and a host of other vitamins and minerals. But I never knew (or acknowledged?) that anemia would bite me in the @ss so hard. It was frightening, to say the least.

Don't make the same mistake I did, please. Take *all* your vits.

Post Date 1/6/08 7:00 pm
Topic: RE: The long running discount at a buffet question

I say greedy. Who said that they were fat and eating too much? Customer says it, restaurant denies it, says overcharge was a mistake. Screaming "fat" ensures headlines. Not much sympathy if he screamed, I bogart all of the crab legs so you don't get any!

Just my two cents.

Post Date 1/2/08 7:33 pm
Topic: RE: How do you know if you will dump?

I wouldn't assume that you don't dump. Maybe you dump at 19.5 grams? Maybe next time you'll dump after a few bites. Don't be tempted to test it.

I am over three years post-op and also assumed that I don't dump as readily anymore ... until I ate a piece of pie one day and spent the next hour with my head in a trash can! So now I just treat my pouch as if it were shiny and new.

Post Date 1/2/08 7:25 pm
Topic: RE: HELP!! Extremely Slow Loser

It is never too late to work your tool! Think of this as your wake up call and get busy following your pouch rules.

I too was complacent and ate way too many carbs before the 6 month mark. I got so freaked out by "the honeymoon is over" speech at my surgeon's office that I then started to walk the straight and narrow.

And...don't forget to celebrate your success! 55 pounds is terrific!!

Post Date 1/1/08 7:38 pm
Topic: RE: HELP! Psych Evaluation Coming Up!

Our office uses three written tests plus counseling. It's 3-4 hours.

Just be yourself, and be honest. You'll see the same question several times, so if you are dishonest, they will know and it's a huge red flag. As I tell our patients, there is the "garden variety" crazy, and then there are the folks that shouldn't be walking around unsupervised. There are few of the latter, thankfully.

Post Date 1/1/08 7:24 pm
Topic: RE: Insurance companies

It's not necessarily the *company* that does not have a benefit - it is the *policy* that your employer chooses.

A six month diet is pretty much standard these days. I'd much rather go through a six-month diet than have to be a self pay patient. At least you have a benefit - be thrilled about that!!

Post Date 1/1/08 7:15 pm
Topic: RE: Health or Vanity ?????????????

Well stated!

My priority was my health. Now that I have achieved that, I am working on inner and outer beauty (notice the order of priority?)

Post Date 11/27/07 7:46 pm
Topic: RE: OT: Angry!!!!!

Atta girl, that's the spirit!!