Larissa P.

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Taking calcium citrate without the magnesium has REALLY made a difference.

For those not in the know, I was going - all day - since my first surgery - nasty, liquid stuff, could barely live life out of the bathroom. And gas wasn't pretty.

So, first I used Primal Ultra Defense. That helped a lot. But not enough.

Then, I added Digestive Advantage IBS. That helped more. But not enough.

Then, I realized I was taking what was essentially milk of magnesia all day with my calcium. So, I switched to calcium citrate by itself. Hot damn!

I'm almost normal now. I still watch sugars, including lactose, but if I take it in small amounts with plenty of other food especially protein it's all good. :)

Thanks for all the suggestions because each step I tried was a direct result of the DS board.

I have no more clothes that fit.

None.

Zip.

Nada.

I was forced to go buy some (even though I'm broke) or look really stupid in big baggy clothes.

And, I ... I grabbed all 18s to try on ... and was shocked they were swimming on me!

You'd think I'd be happy but I'm pretty upset that I'm gonna spend this money on something I'm not going to be able to wear for long, lol.

Anyway. Happy or mad? Ugh, both.

I CANNOT talk on the boards about ANYTHING to do with my experience - heck, even when I'm talking about something else (like plastic surgery) - without someone jumping on me, telling me it was MY fault I went against advice and got butchered by the wrong doctor.

Well NO FARKING SHAT. I didn't know that . Tell me again about how I screwed up, because you know, if you don't remind me every second, after every word I type, I might not remember.

And tell me again how I have NO RIGHT to ask questions, give advice, or comment about symptoms, feelings, life in general because I made a bad decision once.

And keep on blaming and acting as if I am in denial of the whole fact I made a bad decision despite the fact that I have never denied it, blogged about it, told the farking NEWS about it, and have posted it in red at the top of my profile.

Keep doing it, because apparently I need to be punished for life over this. FARK.

Ok, this is what I look like minus 115 pounds or so thus far.

Before:



After:

They look aweful to me (not unexpected), but the doctor's office said they were fine and keep taking ADEK multis and the numbers will improve.   They think I'm fine with multis, calcium and B12 only.

Ha.

At the end I post my current supplement schedule. Keep in mind I just started taking the vitamins in earnest recently.

Test	Results		Reference
WBC	5.3		4.5 - 11.0
RBC	3.9		4.3 - 5.9
HGB	11.8		11.7 - 15.7
HCT	35.7		35.0 - 47.0
MCV	91.5		80.0 - 100.0
MCH	30.4		25.0 - 34.0
MCHC	33.2		30.0 - 37.0
RDW	16.1		11.5 - 14.5
PLATELET COUNT	376		140 - 440
MPV	7.8		7.4 - 10.4
NEUT%	50.4		30.0 - 75.0
LYMPH%	35.5		20.0 - 45.0
MONO%	9.1		1.7 - 10.0
EOS%	2.4		0.0 - 6.0
BASO%	2.6		0.0 - 3.0
NEUT#	2.7		1.4 - 6.5
LUMPH#	1.9		1.2 - 3.4
MONO#	0.5		0.1 - 0.6
EOS#	0.1		0.0 - 0.7
BASO#	0.1		0.0 - 0.2
Calcium	8.5		8.4 - 10.2
Albumin	2.6		3.2 - 5.5
Iron	37		35 - 150
Iron Building Cap.	228		250 - 450
Unbound Iron Bind.	191		150 - 375
% Iron Saturation	16.2		15 - 55
Vit B12	407		211 - 946
Hematocrit	36.9		34.0 - 44.0
Folate, Hemolysat	7.4		(not given)
Folic Acid RBC	622		468 - 1258
Ferritin	43		13 - 150
Pre-Albumin	17		20 - 40
Vit A, Serum	23		19 - 83
Vit E, Serum	5.1		3.0 - 15.8
Vit K	<0.13		0.28 - 1.78
Parathyroid Harmone	26		15 - 65
Vit D, 25-Hyd	25.7(A)		32.0 - 100.0

I'm getting in tons of food only protein now, I really hate shakes. My vites:

Vitamin	Dose/Day	Waking	Breakfast	Lunch	Dinner	Bedtime
Multivitamin	2x RDV	X			X
Vitamin A	25,000 IU		X		X
Vitamin D	50,000 IU			X
Vitamin E	400 IU				X
Vitamin K	100 mcg			X
Calcium Citrate	2000 mg	X	X	X	X
Iron	150 mg					X
Vitamin C	1000 mg					X
Copper	2 mg					X
Vitamin B12	5000 mcg Sublingual					X
B Complex	Super B-Complex		X
Zinc	50 mg	X

I uh, never get on the scale. I was sick for so long, I didn't give a %$@# what I weighed. I only ever got a weight at the doctor's office.

So, this morning I said what the heck. I'm feeling better and eating more than ever so wondered where I was...

199

I haven't been below 200 in 10 years.

Onederland in less than 6 months.

I guess - I have to start celebrating to good side of all this mess and take some pictures, which I also haven't done since surgery. I do know I can cross my legs, too, though not tight. And they can use the blood pressure cuff on my upper arm now instead of my forearm. And I'm in size 18 which again I haven't seen in a decade or more.

Time for an update. Sorry I don't post much anymore, but the stress of dealing with my health problems and being flamed here when looking for support made this place one I wanted to avoid.

Anyway - I have revision surgery in the beginning of July with Dr Provost, who basically had to cut out a portion of my stomach and the pyloric valve completely because of all the scar tissue completely blocking the movement of food and liquid. After a few weeks, believe it or not, my damn body started going overboard with the scar tissue production again and creating another stricture. This time, they put two stents in me to hold my stomach open while I healed for another month. They removed these two weeks ago, and injected steroids right into the walls of my stomach for good measure.

Now, I can eat. And a decent amount, too. I haven't been able to tolerate protein drinks so it's a blessing to be able to eat all my protein in actual food. I'm delighting in chicken and beef and pork and cheese and different flavors and sauce. My weight stayed stable for several weeks now, so I think my body and nutrition is on the upsweep! I just had my labs drawn so we'll see just how bad I am.

The other good news is that I am able to swallow and tolerate vitamins! So, I'm scrambling to get my act together in that regard.

Politics aside, I NOW HAVE INSURANCE. That's right, and it covers ALL OF MY PRE-EXISTING CONDITIONS including the surgery and complications that I have suffered.

Visit this website: http://www.healthcare.gov/law/provisions/preexisting/index.html

Until 2014, when ALL insurance carriers, private and non-profit, are required to accept everyone regardless of pre-existing conditions and charge them the same premiums, there is a temporary insurance offerred by the federal government for those rejected now and having no insurance the previous 6 months.

All I had to do was apply for insurance - I applied for BC/BS - answered their health questions brutally honest and got my nice "FARK NO we ain't insuring you" letter, and sent it along to the PCIP with my application. I was approved. My premium is $387 a month and my deductable is $2500 for the year. That's steep, but better than uninsured. And I can now use a mail order pharmacy that will save me hundreds!

Won't help me with the tens of thousands I owe now, but will help with the future health care I will need.

Thank you, President Obama.

I honestly have crawled into a hidy hole because I was still having issues with recovery and getting a lot of negative posts/feedback (and positive, I can't lie, but the negative was hard to read every day).

But I can't ask people to care, and get involved (even if only emotionally) and then leave them in the lurch, that is irresposible and cruel.

So, my apologies for reverting to hermit like behavior, and here is the update.

After my dramatic surgery donated by the wonderful Dr. Provost, about 3 weeks post surgery I started nausea and vomiting again. He tried in vain to treat me with round-the-clock anti-nausea medicines but I ended up in the emergency room so dehydrated that they said my kidneys were on the verge of shutting down!

This time, Dr. Provost was very aggressive, making sure I got fluids, but also electrolytes AND TPN nutrition - IV nutrition - which up until now, in ALL my hospital visits, no doctor had ever ordered even though I asked. He consulted with a gastroentologist who did an EGD. They diagnosed another stricture - and placed two stints (plastic tubes) in my stomach (or what's left of it) to hold it open for a few weeks and hopefully - oh please oh please - when they are removed my damn stomach will STAY open.

The stents in aren't like my favorite feeling (I do randomly gag and puke but NOTHING close to what I was suffering), I get hearburn like crazy despite taking meds for it, but I've eaten more food and kept it down over the past few weeks than the past few months! I can feel myself getting stronger.

Next week or so I get the stents removed. Good luck to me.

http://www.the33tv.com/news/kdaf-medical-tourism-follow-story,0,3349638.story