I'm researching all ...

I'm researching all the protein drinks and, by the way, how long after surgery do we have to drink the protein? Has anyone suggestions on which I should use firts.

I would suggest going to baratriceating.com and get some samples. I got a big thing of vanilla EAS from walmart but am really tired of it now. I got it because I can add fruit and stuff to it but got some samples from the site and am working on them now. I like the Nectar ones my favorite was fuzzy navel. Jan

Hey, We are neighbors. I'm in Fayetteville. We need to get together for lunch or something. I go to the boys and girls club pool and when I have the surgery and lose enough to walk, I will walk on their lovely track. I can't wait.

That would be great to get together. We could go to the Jones Center pool. I'm not sure when their open swims are but could call and find out. Lunch would be fun too. I recommend Dr. Baker if you end up having to self pay. He is excellent. He's the one that did my surgery. Jan

HI there, It has been so long since I have checked over here on the Arkansas board. Nice to meet you. I spent some reading your profile and blog. I am sorry to hear about your daughter and grandbaby. My best friend here is a foster parent. Her and her husband have been married for 11 years and have tried everything to have a biological baby. She finally gave up and started fostering with the option to adopt. She has the same three children that she got when she started 3 years ago. The youngest one was a meth baby. I am proud to say my friend was finally able to adopt him last December. I have seen and heard so much from her dealing with meth parents. It is so sad. I am so sorry your daughter has gotten caught up in this. I am even more sorry for her child. Thank God you are there. Sorry to write all this you probably dont want to hear any of it. As for the protein. I have tried alot. Do you like fruity? The I would go with Nectar. They have alot of really good ones that you mix with water. The best to me by far in the chocolate catagory is staker ****a mocha and I mix it with hood carb count down. Check out vitalady.com she has everything in samples that way you can try almost anything before you buy a big ol jug of something that you can choke down. I started on protein right away. You will find that all surgeons are very good at surgery, but not too good on the nutritional advice after surgery that is why I would suggest a nutritionalist. Mine has helped me in so many ways. My surgeon was like "just drink carnation instant breakfast and you will be fine" well, that might have worked except after surgery I became lactose intolerant. I was into my first carnation instant breakfast and would suffer from severe stomach aches. Finally I put 2 and 2 together and came up with lactose intolerance. It helps keep me away from ice cream though. I do not dump. I wish I did. It seems like the dumpers have better success. You never mentioned the surgeon you were going to use. Anyway take care, its good to see the arkansas board with some action on it....

Hi Angie, My surgeon is Dr. Eches from Fort Smith unless my insurance backs out because my husband is changing jobs. Then, I'll either have to go out of state for medicare to pay or wait until his new insurance kicks in. Either way, it'll be a while. My daughter was so good while being pregnant, she lived with us and never did drugs and was so easy to get along with, but the minute the baby was born, she started using again. I can't tell you how sad I was when I realized that after I went to bed, she left the house and was gone all night. I'd hear the baby crying and get up and she was gone, so I became his mother from the start. When she moved out of my house, she moved in with my son, and my son was the one taking care of the baby. I was getting him during all the holidays and weekends and any other time that I had the time off and was asking her to just let him stay with me. Finally my son became so frustrated with her, that he moved out and that's when I knew I had to get an attorney. I would go to her house and walk in and she would be sound asleep and the baby sitting in the floor unattended sucking an empty clabbory bottle and no clothe and a crappy diaper. I would call the cops and they would say as long as there was food in the house they couldn't take him. Plus, I didn't want social service involved because I would then have to see him go to strangers. So, I got the attorney, best 3500 dollars I ever spent.

Oh wow, what a familar story. My friends adopted son was taken when one of the people from the meth party called in concerned. It seems as if my friend adopted child was laying in his own vomit and was not breathing. He went to foster care shortly after that. I am afraid he is going to have life long problems because of the meth/alcohol use of the birth mother. He will be 2 in June and just started walking! Thank God your daughter did not seem to use while pregnant. But you certainly did the right thing taken him after. While they are using they do not care about anything but themselves. I am sure I am not telling you anything that you dont already know. If you do end up self pay for your surgery you might want to check out St. Vincents Bariatric clinic in Little Rock. That is who I went through because they were they only ones at the time that alllowed self pay. It was right under 15,000.00 for everything. I thought that was a small price to pay to get my life back.

I am going to exhaust my insurance and medicare options first before spending money that I really don't have. I am in academics so we don't make a lot of money. Enough, but not nearly enough for anything extra.