"I love Dr Chu and her staff ! They make sure you are knowledgeable about all your choices and the risks involved before surgery. The nutrionalist, Kate, has taught me a lot of things I wasn't aware of concerning sugars and food labels, ect. Dr Chu makes certain you go through several classes and seminars before making your decision with her on what type of surgery would work best for you. We decided on the RNY because I was afraid I would eat cheat around the lap band and I also needed help with my sugar addiction. I'm so glad I had the RNY ! I was blessed with a no complication surgery in March 2009. I had my surgery on a Tuesday, went home on Wednesday, and was shopping on Friday, lol. The thing that helped me was walking. They suggested three trips down the hall during my hospital stay but I made eight trips. The more you walk, the less sore you are and the faster you get back to normal again. I have fibromyalgia among other health issues so moving around is a must otherwise your body gets too stiff and sore. I was also blessed not to have any nausea/vomiting problems either. I followed my diet to the letter and averaged between 60 and 90 grams of protein per day so I didn't experience any hair loss. The first month all you can do is walk. I would time myself by the kitchen clock and walk 5 minutes at a time up and down our hallway in the house until I did at least 30 minutes total a day. Now I swim every morning and run laps inside the pool for exercise. I do have to take either Nexium or Prilosec because when I skipped a few days I had the nausea/vomiting when I tried to eat. I had reflux issues before surgery so that was nothing new. I also have to eat some kind of protein with any carbs or I might experience a drop or rise in blood sugar like someone with hypoglycemia. I only had two episodes and now that I eat protein with my snacks, I do great! After the 6 week liquid diet, you do get tired of flavored protein shakes, soups, ect. I used the unflavored Isopure to add in protein to my mashed potatoes, grits, applesauce,ect. for a change when I graduated to the soft food diet. We have a Nature's Own shop that serves sugar free protein drinks and you can choose to add anywhere from 25 to 75 grams of protein. They are my "fast food" when I am out running errands :o). In my family, I was the only overweight person so they didn't want to give up their junk food snacks. I have found plenty of sugar free or healthy alternatives that are fast to grab for myself. My family snacks on my healthier versions as well now so that means less junk comes into our kitchen :o). My weight loss is slow and steady. I lose about 3 pounds every 10 days. My skin is glowing and just after 4 months, I've lost 55 lbs and three dress sizes. I was able to get off half of my meds and cut the remaining doses way down now. I no longer have severe back pain and that alone was worth the surgery! I have more energy and feel so much better now. Looking forward to continued weight loss and learning ways to keep it off :o). The support from Dr Chu and her staff has been the best. I would do it all over again in a heart beat!
Terry Crews
Louisiana"
