So what do you think:  would you have WLS performed through your mouth?!

See you at the April 19th meeting! 

I do believe I’m going to get one of these!!  If this will work in keeping me (or YOU!) on track in drinking enough water, then I’m all for it. 

I am a Certified ObesityHelp Support Group Leader and will be leading the support group. Please join us!

These folks probably fall into the category of too smart to have common sense.   As Forrest Gump would say, “Stupid is as stupid does.”

With a little planning, you can still enjoy a nice holiday meal that is post-op friendly. There are many WLS specific cookbooks on the market and a web search will turn up as many free recipes floating around web forums and email lists. Here’s one recipe for you Kabuki’s Sugarless Pumpkin Pie

Try these simple tips to help you through the holidays:

• Remember the first rule of WLS eating: protein first
• Stick with sugar-free/low-sugar, lower-carb, low-fat choices: make them and bring them to ensure that you have those choices!!
• Avoid drinking your calories.
• Drink your water!
• Don’t forget to exercise, even though you’re busy - you need to do it!
• Don’t forget to take your supplements
• Drink a protein shake before you leave home to keep you satiated so you won’t feel the need to overeat.
• Keep a protein bar with you at all times, in case there isn’t any post-op friendly food available and you were not able to bring a post-op friendly dish yourself.
• In case you are tempted by a sweet treats or something you shouldn’t: remember, your tool is there, and you may not have dumped in a long time, but you may very well this time and believe me, it’s not worth it. Put that sweet monster down and run the other way!
• Remember that the holidays isn’t really about focusing on food; it’s about time spent with our family and the people we love. Shift your focus on them and you’ll feel better in the morning when you haven’t overloaded on carbs and when you won’t see the scale creeping up.

If you would like to discuss your struggles through the holidays, to help you stick to your goals, there are many fine message forums at ObesityHelp.com, there’s also the LivingAfterWLS forum, WLS Butterfly Network forum, and several email lists at Yahoo Groups: Christian WLS Friends, GastricBypass-InfoCentral, and Graduate OSSG to name a few. Plug-in and get connected to some support to help you through not only the holidays, but for long-term post-op success.

Even though there were only a handful of us there, we still had a great meeting - lots of great samples of various products to try and good information shared.  If you are close to the Fenton area, or it’s at all within driving distance, please consider joining us the first Monday evening each month from 7:00 - 8:30 pm.  The group is open to pre-op and post-op and any surgery type.  This group is lead by Gayle and Amanda and is an ObesityHelp sponsored group.

This is not the group that I am hoping to start for the Crawford/Franklin County areas after the first of the year.   Check back later for more information for developments on that group. 

I dozed for a short time, because of the Benedryl, but then a nice lady came in for her infusion, so I visited with her a bit and talked with the nurse some tending to me and watched some TV.  The time went by faster than you would think.   I left the hospital around 2:40 pm.

The nurse said it could take a day or two before I would notice any difference in how I felt.  Considering that I did not sleep well last night, I’m not feeling a huge surge of energy this morning, but I think I’m feeling better than I otherwise would have.  So I guess that’s something.  I’m hoping tomorrow morning to wake up feeling much more energized. 

Monday morning I’ll be calling my doctor to find out what we do next:  I’m assuming we will need to do some blood work this week (?) to check to see if this one infusion brought my blood levels up to normal.   I’ve heard that many hematologists tell WLS post-ops not to take iron supplements after an infusion, but if I do not, then how can I hope to maintain my iron levels, without needing to do another infusion, if I don’t take supplements?!  So I need to do some research on that and talk to others a little more knowledgeable about that than I am.    While the infusion experience was not a bad one, I would prefer not to have to do this on a regular basis if I can avoid it. 

With my recent health issues stemming from nutrient deficiencies (calcium, vitamin D and iron) ,  I’ve had several people ask me if I regret having had the weight loss surgery. My answer is a resounding: NO!  I do not regret having had weight loss surgery!!

First, I think we need to put into perspective that while I have had some health issues, and while they have had some  debilitating side effects for me, frustrating because it’s taken a while to discover that they were in fact related to nutrient deficiencies and not something else; there are people who have had much more severe complications from not only weight loss surgery but from living with obesity.  I do not regret having had this surgery.  All I need to do is to adjust my supplements - tweak the amounts I’m taking, and perhaps continue with iron infusions periodically, if I can’t maintain with supplements.  But honestly, that’s a very small price to pay to maintain my health.  YES, it’s worth it - it’s just vitamins and nutrients people:  very important yes, but not a deal breaker for me.

Note to the Pre-Op folks:  If there is one key thing I want to stress to any pre-op folks who may be reading this blog entry:  is that you need to know you will have to take vitamins and nutritional supplements for the rest of your life after you have weight loss surgery.   If you don’t - you can die.    Yes, that’s a very serious statement to make; but it’s true.  If you can not afford to buy vitamins and protein powders after your surgery, then you need to seriously re-think whether or not you can afford to have this surgery; because without vitamins and protein supplements after - you will not be healthy and you can do very serious damage to yourself that could be life-threatening.   The total cost each month varies, depending on where you buy your supplements and exactly what all you take, based on the core minimum that all post-ops really should be taking and your specific lab results.    I personally spend about $200 per month on supplements, including protein powders, prescriptions and everything I need to keep me healthy (not including food).

Which vitamins and how many of each you need to take will depend on your lab work; and of course, that means you’ll need to have your labs drawn regularly.  Every 6 months is ideal for labs, then you can catch something if your levels start to drop, before they get too far down.  Once a year just isn’t often enough and some recommend every 3 months.   So maintaining your health as a WLS post-op is work; but it’s worth it to stay healthy.   If you’re taking your supplements, then it really isn’t that big of a deal if you keep it up.  It’s just part of what you do.  If you stop doing it - then believe me, it will become a huge deal very quickly.

I am normally very much an encourager,  but I believe the in telling the honest truth too.  I believe this surgery works;  but I hear of a lot of post-ops gaining and struggling years down the road with this surgery.   In almost* every instance, it was a preventable problem.   I want everyone to go into this surgery eyes wide open.  It’s a great thing - it will work, but you will have to work too.  You will have to know why you became obese.  You will have to overcome your food addictions.  You will have to exercise.  You will have to take your supplements.  If you can’t do that: then don’t have this surgery.  Otherwise, you may find yourself, a few years down the road,  obese once again, and suffering from nutrient deficiencies to boot,  and it will not be the fault of the WLS, it will be your fault for not being compliant with the guidelines of the surgery.

Your tool didn’t fail you - you failed the tool.   Only you know your own true circumstances and if you are making excuses for your situation.   Let’s get real here.  We didn’t rearrange our guts to continue to lie about what we’re eating and make excuses as to why we’ve failed at this.  Be honest with yourself.  Deal with it and work at making it right.

[*There are some cases of known surgery failures.  Where the stoma is larger than it should be, or the food is going down and the intestine is actually enlarged and creating a pseudo stomach and holding food, and all sorts of things like this.  If you believe you are truly able to eat more than you believe you should be, then make an appointment with your bariatric surgeon for a endoscope to make sure your pouch and everything else is working and intact as it should be.   ]

These online free resources are a great alternative to MasterCook and Cooking Light software often used to calculate nutritional information for recipes.