Need Advice and Help Junebugs!!

Hi! As you know from my posts I am pretty new to the board, and that I have been doing ok so far with my weight loss. Here are somethings you may not know about me and why I need constant help, advice, and encouragement... My mom and my sister have each had the open RNY surgery. My mom was 5 yrs ago. My sisters was 2 years ago. Both had the same surgeon. Because I was living out of state I went with a Bariatric Center in Minnesota. I loved the fact that my doctor did my surgery laproscopic and my recovery time was much more quickly than thiers (I went through 2 stomach stapelings and the RNY with my Mom's Surgery so I knew not only what I would be putting myself and family through, but what recoveries and diet changes would be) I was able to go back to work within a week and they couldn't for 6-8weeks. I have PCOS which they don't understand nor have been tested for themselves (I think they both have the symptoms of). I also have border-line ulcertive colitus (ulcers in the large intesine). Ok... now you know a little more about my situation an believe me there is a lot more... Here is a few things, ok, maybe a lot of things I have questions on... My family (mom and sister) can not help me with due the doctors being so different in thier practices. -Does anyone do the B-12 injections? -What is Ketosis? -Does anyone take extra iron and have any problems with it? -My dietitian said no strawberrys or blueberries as of yet... strawberries for the extra sugar and blueberries for the skins. Any problems? -Not supposed to have any veggies with skins or seeds? (cucumbers, zucini,pickles, corn,peas,etc.)?? -No nuts????? -Protien?? I have become lactos intolorent , having a REAL hard time getting in my 60-80grams per day! Might get in 40 if I am lucky! -I experiance occassional increased heart rate. Example: sitting in the car, just drinking water, listening to tunes, no extra stress or anything out of the ordinary, then all the sudden my heart starts racing like I have run a mile or something. It is usually only for a few seconds. Any clue? -Depression and stress (moving back to my home state, no real housing yet in a temporary situation, no job yet,husband is stressed for the same reasons, my Mom has cancer for a second (which is the main resson for the move),step-son not happy, but at 15yrs old who is?) All this extra stuff does not help me, so instead of picking up a bag of potato chips and chowing down- I started smoking again. What do you do when the world seems to sit on your shoulders?? I know this is a lot. I want to go to a support group but it seems like the one close to me are monthly meetings. I feel I need something more often like bi-weekly or weekly. I am so glad I have found support with all of you!! Thank you for listening (reading) and any advice you can give me! Take Care! Heather

Hi Heather, We all need support right now, I am so glad you shared because when you reach out, you get the support you need! As far as the support groups are concerned, I would call the MD's office and see if they have small group Bariatric Support Groups with counselors. I know my MD office does, there are groups that are 5-6 people that meet with a psychologist for folks who are struggling slightly more than the folks who are good with once a month. Also, go to the gallery page and look for the Minnesota page on this website. It is a VERY active page and there are barbeques, clothing exchanges, "coffees" that meet informally weekly, there is a group called Renewal that meets weekly at ANW hospital, and a large number of other support groups that meet. The Minnesota page is AWESOME! Very, very wonderful people. My doctor has me do sublingual (under the tongue tabs) for B12, so no injections. I know a little about ketosis from Atkins, it is a state of rapid weight loss your body gets in to when you eat low carbs (very low). You can get sticks you urinate on at the drug store that tell you that you are in ketosis. It take almost no fruit or carbs of any kind to truely be there. I don't recall the chemistry stuff I read in Atkin's book though. Mostly, from the RN's I work with, they tell me it is not necessarily a safe or healthy place to be... I take double multivits to get the iron at my MD's request, no problems. I have recently eaten strawberries, no problems, like 2 at a time... No blueberries yet. Protein, I don't drink much milk but I LOVE the Nectar Protein (peach is my favorite) that Syntrax puts out, it is really yummy mixed with water over ice. I drink it every a.m., has 23 grams of protein. Then with nuts, meat, beans and cheese, I always get over 60 grams in a day. Yesterday it was 86 with only 650 calories. So it can be done without milk. If you like milk, get lactose free, it doesn't taste any different. I get rapid heart beat too, mostly after I eat. Ask you doctor what he / she thinks about the non-eating times. Good luck!!! Jo

congratulations and nice to meet you. SOME QUESTIONS: KETOSIS - usually occurs when your on a lo carb high protein diet. (atkins or what we follow post op) and it is a process that your body goes into to burn fat. WERE fat burning machines when in ketosis. EVERY surgeon is different and i have eaten strawberries, cucumbers and im fine and nuts and all is fine. MY sugeon allows that stuff. I know some are worried of the seeds as there is a condition some get after the weight loss surgery i dont know how to spell it dinaticulosis... so thats why they are cautous with those foods. ...... I dont take any extra iron....no Vitamin B and i just got my blood work done for my 3 month post op and ALL WAS PERFECT. DONT supplement unless your doctor sees problems in your blood work. I make sure i get red meats in even if there the hardest to chew and tolerate for me. GOOD LUCK LISA

HI Heather! I did see you post on the Ohio board once....did anyone give you any of their favorite surgeons? There are quite of few of them is SW Ohio that I hear a lot about....all good too! As far as the B-12 injections......I was told to take 250 micrograms a day. I can take an injection once a month or take it sublingal...under the tongue. I actually do both! I have so much more energy when I take the B-12! The doc told me what ever is extra I will pass through my urine so I can not overdose! My surgeon explained Ketosis as a good thing...where your body burns the extra fat off. You do have to be careful though because it will stop because the body feels that it is going into starvation mode and will stop losing weight because of it. Make sure that you get in all your protein. As for iron I take Natachews they are prenatal vitamins (presciption) and find that they will occasionally bind me up. I just don't take them every day and that helps but my iron count is still somewhat low. I guess I should take them everyday huh! I don't have any problem with the berries....but I don't like blueberries so don't eat them. I think you just have to remember to chew very well! Protein......I have upped mine to 80 a day and the weight is coming off a lot faster! ...and I don't recommend this but it works for me.....start off my day with an protein mix. I use the products from Syntrax called Nectar...they have fuzzy navel, roadside lemonade, strawberrie kiwi, iced tea....etc....they have 23 grams of protein and 0 fat 0 sugars...and 90 calories. So...one in the morning, one in the afternoon and one before bed......69 grams right there! I mix it with crystal light....lemonade or strawberry kiwi. I don't eat breakfast because nothing tastes good enough to eat! For lunch I usually have a piece of deli turkey no fat low salt...and a piece of farmers cheese. For supper I eat a Boca burger or a turkey meatball with sauce and a little cheese. I eat about 200 calories a day (if I am lucky) but get in 80 grams of protein! I feel great and I am never hungry! As far as the smoking goes I would be very very careful as it may cause an ulcer in your pouch. Maybe you could go for a walk when the stress gets too bad.....pounding out your frustrations in a positive way may help you! I wish you all the best! It really sounds that you have a lot on your shoulders. This should be "your' time to get to know your new life after WLS and to enjoy the benefits of the surgery. I hope that your mom pulls through okay and that there are jobs out there for you and your DH! Sue

ohhh, do i understand how you feel about protein! i think i "stall" a lot with my weight loss because my surgeon only allows one protein supplement a day and i don't eat enough to get in my 60-90g. my protein drink, the only one i found i can drink, is nectar lemon tea. i mix it with crystal lite decaf iced tea and that gives me 23g. i usually have that at nite, but think i am going to start having it for "breakfast", since usually i skip my morning meal. but, i probably only get in around 40g a day too. i know this feeling of not being hungry will not last forever, but for right now i just can't get enough in! i also experience a lot of trouble with being tired, so i may be trying the b-12 sublinguals soon, and hopefully that will help. i asked my surgeon about the injections and he said he doesn't do them, unless it is very extreme case. i take trinsicon, an iron and b-12 supplement, which i will take for the rest of my life. but i don't think it is getting the job done! good luck on your journey! you have a great support system here! hugs~mary jo

Heather, This is the place to vent and ask for advice! We are all here for you and each other! Ketosis: When our bodies burn fat, Ketones are released in the urine. When this happens, you are in a state of Ketosis. This happens on a low carb/low sugar diet. This is a good thing. You can test for Ketones in your urine with strips called "Ketostix" - you can buy them at any drug store....just ask the pharmacist to show you were they are. They cost about $10 a bottle. I test mine all the time for encouragement. Even when my scale doesn't move, I see that dark purple color on that test strip telling me that I am burning FAT! Sometimes, when you have a LOT of ketones in your urine, you may feel nauseaus. My doc says when it gets like that to add just a little more carbs to the diet to help it out. So far, this has been true for me....I've seen the darkness on those strips go off the chart and almost to black and have been nauseaus...but then I add some carbs (like fiber cereal, cream of wheat, small piece of a piece of toast) and it works. B12 - I was told to take those sublingual (under the tongue) pills - one a day. BUT I just go to my regular family doctor once a month and get a B12 shot. WHAT a difference that makes!!! Soooooooo worth the $15. co-pay. I can tell the difference in less than 24 hours. By the end of the month, I notice my energy gets lower and I feel tired more. I get my shot around the 1st of each month and POW!! My energy soars. I swear by the B-12 shot. Sometimes (if I think of it and have it handy) I will add the sublingual pills...but not that often. It can't hurt you. IRON - I have problems with extra iron. I take the multi-vitamin and it has some iron in it....but I'm also supposed to take THREE iron pills a day. I have NOT been able to do that yet. If I just take ONE....I'm stopped up. I'm not sure what to do about that yet. I know I need the iron....I was always anemic when I was pregnant....so I know I'm prone to it. I'm hoping that adding more foods to my diet will help my bowels to move more often so I CAN take the iron pills. I refuse to become dependent on laxitives, just to take iron. No way. I've been told the same thing about the foods with the skins and seeds. I would like to have them....but then I'm scared to death of having something stuck in my pouch. I did eat a strawberry (just one)...I cut it up into itty bitty little pieces and chewed the dickens out of it. I was in heavan. I did get grapes and sucked the insides out of them...but only about 5 of them. Just enough to get the taste. As for the rest of it....I'm okay with waiting a while longer.....I want to lose this weight. OH, except I REALLY want to make this chicken stir-fry with red, green and orange peppers in it. I've just been craving it so bad....but I'll wait. Protein- I still suck at it. I have protein shakes....sometimes I do them....most times I don't. I eat meat and a little veggie at each meal....but I usually don't eat breakfast. I know I need to change that. That's probably why I'm losing so slow. Smoking - I started smoking again too. I'm stupid. I HATE those damn things. It is sooooooooooooooo bad for us. It can cause strictures and increase the acid production in our pouches, causing ulcers. We just have to get our strength up. We have to replace this evil thing with something POSITIVE like exercise.....well...that's my plan anyway. I feel your pain .... definitely. ((hugs)) Pam

Hi, Just a quick note. I have been eating grapes, tomatoes, peppers, plums, cukes and zucchini, all with the skin on. I also ate raspberries and blueberries last month with no problem. Ask your dr., but at 2-3 months out it has not been a problem for me. Mari

I buy frozen fruit. I eat an egg white and 10 blueberries everyday for breakfast. They agree with me just fine. I have been eating them for several weeks. I also wondered what ketosis is. I went to google and read about it. I take the B12 injections. I have only had 1 and I will have my second one on Monday. You are in my prayerssending hugs your way ((((((((((((((hugs)))))))))))))))))) joni.RNY.6.27.2005

Hello Everyone and Thank you for all your wonderful advice and for making me feel welcomed! Here is an update: As of today I am down 60lbs!!!! I live in Ohio now and am continuly looking for a support group that meets more than once a month. Soon I will have to look for a surgeon just for follow up appointments. I thinking of Dayton, OH since they have a bariatric center. I do monthly injections and I do them myself, way cheap than going to the doc. offfice once a month. And my Doctor in MN makes you learn how to do it on your 3 weeks out appointment. I take 2 multi-vitiams (Chewable Centrum) per day. and I take 2 Calcium Citrate (Walgreens Antiacid 1000mg per tablet). I take 1 Iron per day but usually have bowel problems the next day, Doc. didn't reccommend taking a stole softener yet because it might upset the intestines from doing their job of allowing the absorption of the other pills I take. I am still looking for a different protein, other than shakes. I am considering the Nectar Tea or GNC Fruit Punch. Onto good news. I tried tomatoes (skinless) and cucumbers (skinless) and did not have any problems!! Yeah!! I tried and had no problems with bacon except I am wondering if it gave me a loose movement the next day? I haven't tried the fruits yet. I am going to wait until my 3 month follow up with the dietitian and see what they say. I hope it will be good cause I MISS them! Strawberries and Blueberries (of course they are out of season now). I am still smoking but working on quitting again. Still looking for a job too! My Mom started her Chemo last week and it took its toll out on her this weekend. My sister is going with her this week and I am going next week to be with her. TOO MUCH STRESS!! I hope all is going well with everyone! Take Care! Heather