QOTD-Monday-

Interesting...I'm noticing the carb crash more, too even with high fiber complex carbs. That's a new one for me, too. How far are you out now? I can't remember your surgery date.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?
My dad's death from cardiac problems complicated by a lifetime of being overweight, horrible knee joint issues and wanting to see my grandkids someday

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?
LOTS of research for 2+ years before I ever had the nerve to see a surgeon

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?
I am a 'sugar-holic' and wanted something that would be a deterrent to my sweettooth and I didn't like the idea of a 'foreign body' inside of me that might slip or erode

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?
Yes, the only two things they would cover at the type were lap-band and RNY

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?
Do as much of the "head" work BEFORE surgery and understand how you got to where you are and how to keep from going back there;
Get into a good support group and stay active in that support group;
Use the pre-op diet/exercise time as a test bed for eating/drinking the way you will after surgery
Learn how to forgive yourself if you aren't perfect but don't get complacent either. [I know that was more than one but hell, I have lots to say!]

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?
See # 5 above!

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?
Yes and no.  I am more adventurous but I still like most of the same foods just in much smaller quantities

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?
Chicken and Pork - my pouch gets VERY grouchy if they are the least bit dry or I don't chew them up enough - they get 'stuck' more often than not so I stay away from both

9.  Any regrets?
None

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?
Again, I am way too mouthy to name one!! 
I can walk [I don't do 'run'] a 5k or a 10k with no issues and have participated in dozens with my daughter since surgery - I can buckle the seat belt on an airplane with NO extender - I can shop in the 'regular' size clothes section and have even ventured into the Junior sizes for workout clothes......quite a change from a XXXL or a 24/26!

Now you know I can't cut and paste but here goes:

1) The straw that broke the camels back for me was my college reunion! Had a ball but the morning I was to fly home I awoke with my feet 3-4xs their normal size. I ended up flying home barefoot, in a mumu,and had to have a seatbelt extender on the plane. The next day I discovered the sheer bulk of me had broken 1 foot and cracked a bone in the other!! I was done!

2)I did lots of research, reading of books and started participating in a support group 2yrs before my surgery!

3) The clincher on which surgery, was the sugar intolerance and dumping of the RNY. It was also more permanet to me!

4) I could not have had the surgery if insurance had not covered it!

5) The one thing to tell newbies...research, research, research!!

6)One thing a Newbie should do before surgery...start changing your habits BEFORE you have your surgery!!

7) My taste buds did change after surgery, for instance now I like tomatoes!

8) I cannot eat pasta, rice (maybe 1-2 nibbles), sugar, Long John Silvers, Some breads...I am a big ol dumper!!

9) Even after 8 surgeries and upwards of 15 hospital visits since and because of my surgery, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I explained it to my mother this way...Icould die and be buried in a piano box with people saying  "if only she had lost weight!" or I could die and be buried in a casket with people saying " she fought till the very end!" I want to be a fighter!

10) The best thing that has happened is that I am living life not just existing!!

Meggie

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?  i was just tired of being tired ..couldn't walk from the car to any point without being exhausted .....many many other things too.................

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?  Not really alot of research - but I wasn't totally blind either. 

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?   I thought that there were only 2choices:  Lapband and RNY.........I chose RNY because I feel that the lapband would have allowed me to cheat more. 

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?  NOPE

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  The "honeymoon phase" ends way too soon...........the "not trying" to lose soons becomes a "task" and more difficult to stay on track the further out you get.......  

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? ENJOY THE RIDE.....GET INVOLVED IN GROUPS.........  ENJOY THE RIDE ..............I wouldn't have changed my decision for nothing.....I'd do it again in a heartbeat.....

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?  YES....................they still are...........I have NO desire for soda / pop or any carbination -  tried it and it just tastes like I remember Alka Setzer.................yucky 

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?    Haven't found any really - Some things just bother me or affect me more than others.......some days I can tolerate a certain item and then next week - my pouch won't think of it................. 

9.  Any regrets?  NO WAY !!  

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  I feel like functioning again...................I feel like a person.............I feel good because of my decision and I'm not embarrased by that decision at all !!  

 

I will ready all the other responses later, just gonna drop by and answer right now.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?  PCP

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind? Not totally blind because Mary had WLS 18 months before me.  Hers was considered a complicated case.  I saw her success and figured I would not have any real problems.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  Left it up to my doctor.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? Not at all.  I didn't even think my insurance would not cover it.  Even when Mary had hers.  I did not know what other people went through trying to get WLS.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery? FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S ORDERS.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?Make sure they have something to eat on and with to limit portion size.  I still have over 30 of the small desert cup sized glad containers.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? Not really

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?I have a hard time with steak, but not because of WLS.  I got dentures the same time as WLS and am not comfortable they can chew the steak enough for my pouch.  Some sugar affects me, but just for about 5 minutes.  It's crazy, but at Tracey's dinner, I had flan for desert.  Twenty minutes later I got light-headed.  It passed after 5 or 10 minutes.

9.  Any regrets?Just that I did not do it sooner.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?The best thing would have to be how I feel about myself.  When I was big, I would not wear any bright colors.  Stuck with black, dark blue, and other dark colors.  Now I have become a clothes *****  I counted them up a couple of months ago.  I have over 80 shirts in my closet.  That is just casual dress and dress shirts.  It does not count my logo tee shirts (mostly Rangers).   I used to be happy with 20.

 

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? Shame!!!!

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind? Lots of research that i continue to do today and forever...

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have? RNY was the surgery I wanted in the first place, i was a self pay and could only afford VBG

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? No, I knew I wanted RNY

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery? Read it, write it down, study it...cause when you cross over to the other side...you just forget everything youve ever learned...oh and book mark everything

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? Dont sweat the small stuff....life is awesome...dont stress your family out over your surgery

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? Oh yes, and my smeller is on point, like a blood hound

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now? Nothing that I know of this far out, havent tried everything yet

9.  Any regrets? Only that i didnt do this sooner

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery? Im feeling better about myself, so self worth....cause "I be damned"....

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? PCP diagnosing me with early Diabetes and Cardiologist telling me if I didn't do something that I would be a heart attack looking for a place to happen.  Both parents died from Coronary Artery Disease, and my mom had Type II which exacerbated the CAD.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind? Lived on the computer researching for about a month.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have? Originally wanted LB, but Dr Davis recommended the RNY due to the amount of weight I needed to lose. Plus he just didn't think I would do well with LB.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? Insurance effected WHO did my surgery.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery? Choose a Doc who had performed MANY surgeries.  The more he/she has done, the better they are at it!  

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery? Take lots of before pictures, clean your house really well and get rid of all the "crap" food in your house.  I know that's 3 but they are all important, IMHO.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? Somewhat, there are things that I liked the taste of and now are just icky to me. I like more spicy foods now tho.

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now? I can't eat broccoli and I can't eat any meat unless it is freshly cooked.  Leftovers tend to be too dry (unless I work with it and put it in some sort of cheesy sauce) and get stuck!

9.  Any regrets? None whatsoever!

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery? Again, can't do just one.
No more CPAP machine, knees don't hurt, back doesn't hurt, I'm healthier and happier. No more seatbelt extender on flights, no more embarassing "looks" from people when I eat out, cute clothes. I could go on and on, but will stop there.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS? 
This picture ----> 

was the last straw for me.......  after another FAILED DIET, of course.  I had always been active for a fat girl and it was getting harder and harder on my kneed and hip joints - tired of living with the pain.

2.  Did you do a lot of research or just jump in blind?  Lots of research.  Thought about it for 5 years before I took the leap.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  I was originally going after the lapband, but after seeing the results side-by-side at Dr. Garth's seminar I started to research RNY.  That, and the 4 people at work who were 5 years out RNY encouraged me to go with it.  I wanted a permanent fix and I saw way too many complications from eroded and slipped bands.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?  Yes - I researched lapband, RNY, VSG and the DS but my insurance would only cover lapband and RNY s o it was those 2 or nothing.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  It is still up to you to eat right to keep the weight off - you can't continue to indulge every craving and expect to keep the weight off long-term.  For me it is much easier than dieting alone because now I have a built-in portion-control tool that is always with me and not something I can "start" on Monday.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?  If you aren't willing to be compliant with your vitamins and protein then don't consider it, or don't expect to have the best results.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?   Not really.  Initially everything was too sweet and salty but then that wore off and my taste buds went back to normal.

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?  Can't think of any I CAN'T eat.  Some I can only eat a small amount of like pasta and bread.  I don't dump per se but feel crappy with too much sugar so I am careful - which is a GOOD thing

9.  Any regrets?  None whatsoever.  Best thing I ever did for ME.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  There are so many things that make me happy, but if I was to pick the ONE BEST it would be I feel NORMAL again ****uit laffing - not talking mentally here.....).  Normal-sized people who have never been trapped in a fat suit have no idea how much we struggle to pick things off the floor, buckle a seat belt, walk up a flight of stairs, etc.

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?  My kids... I didn't want them to be embarrassed of me and I wanted to be able to do things with them.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind? Yes and no... I really only researched the band because I knew RNY wasn't for me.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have? I knew from the beginning it was the lapband or nothing.   RNY was not an option I could live with  ( personal choice) and there wasn't enough information out there yet on the sleeve... so the band it was.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision? Again yes and no... my insurance would pay for 80% of my lapband if I went to their doctor of choice.  I did NOT like him, well let me rephrase that I did not like his staff... never met him!!!  So I went self pay and picked my own doctor!!!  But it did not effect the type of surgery I had.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery? RESEARCH, RESEARCH and RESEARCH!!!!!  Also if getting a lapband find a doctor close to you so that fills and follow up care are easier.  Also shop around many doctors out there include free fills... or at least make sure you can afford the fills before you do it.  No point in getting a lapband if you can't ever afford to get a fill!  Okay that was more then 1 thing...oops

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?  Talk to people who have had the same surgery and get an idea of the pros and cons so you know what your getting into.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery? Yup... somethings are just too sweet!

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now? I choose not to eat rice, bread or pasta... I also don't drink soda.  I have problems eating meat that is too tough or dry.

9.  Any regrets? Only 1... why didn't I do it sooner!!!!!

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  I would not have meet so many incredible people if I had not had WLS!!!!

 

1.  What is the ONE thing that pushed you into having WLS?  There was more than one but since you are making me pick the medical condition I was most worried about was diabetes.

2.  Did you do a lot of reseach or just jump in blind?  My step-sister had RNY with my surgeon 2 1/2 years before I did so I understand a good bit about it; hindsight I needed to know even more.

3.  How did you decide which surgery to have?  I knew I'd outeat the lapband and seeing some people from Cameron that had the RNY I knew that's the one I wanted along with hopefully dumping.  I rarely ever dump.

4.  Did insurance effect your decision?  Nope I had an exclusion didn't matter which one I chose I had to pay for it.

5.  What ONE thing would you tell Newbies looking into having surgery?  Research and learn ALL you can about nutrition, exercise, vitamins and the long term life of a WLS person.

6.  What one thing would you tell Newbies to do BEFORE they have surgery?  Figure out why you chose food for comfort, therapy is very important I feel.  I DIDN'T and I wish I had to help identify the triggers.  I have looked for a therapist here that deals with food issues, they don't have any where in Houston I would of had options.

7.  Did your taste buds change after surgery?  Absolutely

8.  What foods (if any) CAN'T you eat now?  I have problems with scrambled or fried eggs.  I can eat them in chicken or tuna salad or even boiled.  Also, sometimes mayonaise causes my stomach ot cramp.  Other than this I can eat just about anything I want.

9.  Any regrets?  No and yes.  No regrets about having surgery, I do regret some of the choices I made between 18 months and 2 years out.  Knowing I don't dump and I can eat anything makes it harder now to say no.  It was better "thinking" I'd dump.

10. What is the ONE BEST thing that happened because of you having surgery?  I can play with my boys, that includes climbing and running.  I would of never done that at my highest weight.