Frustrated and need to vent

You sometimes have to take vitamin adjustments into your own hands. My surgeon's office handles mine, and now that I am three years out, they are finally getting an understanding of the huge amounts of vitamins we actually need to keep levels even OK. I also have to supplement 40 mEq of potassium daily to keep mine at the low end of normal or just below normal. I take 500 mcg. of K a day. I take 50,000 iu of A a day and that barely keeps me in the normal range. If you want labs checked tell your doc what you want-don't wait for them to take the initiative. My PCP is very good about ordering things for me if I want things checked more often than yearly. And my surgeon's office told me last month that they are thinking about following their DS'ers every 6 months instead of yearly, which I think is a good idea.
-Wanda

You do know that Vitlady recommends we start out on 100,000 of dry Vit. A, right?

docs.google.com/Doc

I think having surgeons follow thier patients every 6 months is only a good idea if they know what they are doing.  Otherwise it is just another opportunity to give people crappy vitamin/supplement advice.

Like others above have said - you're probably just going through the hormone dump.  Hormones are stored in the fat cells and when you lose a lot of weight fast they get dumped into the blood stream and tend cause some issues.  It is not a forever thing.  But there have been many here who, during this phase, used anti-depressants so they weren't so "touchy" and depressed.  That might be something you want to think about.

Your body needs fuel to lose the weight.  You need to eat to fuel your body.  Your tummy is tiny which means you need to eat more frequently than you are used to fuel your body.  It is kind of a mind **** to think that you do actually need to eat to lose weight.  I have found that sometimes when I am the hungriest and eat the most are the times that result in the biggest weight drops.  As long as you eating what you should (protein) then you will be fine and lose the weight.

The one thing that helped me actually see the changes in myself was to take pictures every month - or at least every 3 months.  Then I would put them side by side starting with my pre-op (OH HOW I HATE THAT PIC) photo...I could then actually see the progress that I had made - even when I can't really see it in the mirror.  It takes awhile for the mind to catch up, for sure!  So try that and see how that makes you feel.

I'm sorry you have already lost some friends.  That are peeps that we think are really going to be there for only to find out that, for whatever reason, they can't handle it when you are no longer the "fat friend"....if that is the case they weren't really true friends.  It sucks and I'm sorry for you.  That just blows.

***hugs*** Yes, you ARE changing in more than your weight. It is a simple fact of life for extreme weight loss. You just don't see it yet. Also, mood swings and behavioral oddities due to the rapid weight loss can be pretty impressive--and also something you might not notice.

Grazing is the RIGHT way of eating for a DSer. How else do you consume a pound-plus of meat, fish, fowl or cheese in a day?

It is totally normal to not be able to see the changes. I found my ongoing therapy work to be very helpful in  keeping my mind in real time with my body.

If your A is low, take more dry A as palmitate, which is Vitalady's Tender A. Take potassium supplementation. Your bruising might be about iron and related micronutrient drops rather than K.

You're doing just fine. Now, what are you doing to take care of your mind? I highly recommend therapy.