cfuture88

GOOD FOR YOU!!!

I prescribe Chantix for patients all of the time. You must be careful to monitor yourself for depression, mood issues while taking it. Within two weeks it makes cigarettes taste odd (like they are stale). This medicine sits on the nicotine receptor sites so it makes your body think you have nicotine so any cravings you would normally have are not there. You still have the habit stuff left, like, "it is break time, I should have a cig" or "I am in the car, it is time to have a cig." You are supposed to quit smoking the second week into taking it but you can also keep smoking and gradually the taste being weird and there being no "high" to the smoking, and no craving to have a cig RIGHT NOW!!!!!!, you begin smoking 1/2 the cig, then less times per day (because, again, what is the point/pleasure to it.) You buy a pack that lasts you a week, then 20 days, and after three months, what is the point. Then you begin forgetting to take either the am or pm dose (whichever is the most bothersome to take) and a month later you no longer smoke, care about it, crave it, and barely miss it. The studys have included people on it up to a year. Don't be in any hurry to go off of it if it helps. It is great stuff. As always, if you have a hx of liver issues, have your doctor follow you more closely. Now, the reason you have to stop smoking for surgeries it that nicotine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning that when you smoke the veins get smaller, meaning less oxygen to the surgery site, meaning decreased healing and increased recovery time and possiblility of incisions opening up spontaneously (dehiscence). Not a fun thing. This is why people who quit smoking look less pasty and yellow after a few weeks- more oxygen in the blood.

I added international to my phone for the month I was going. Was slight extra cost but I could use it all I wanted.

Chloroseptic lozenges NUMB the throat- they are the only ones that do. Like the cherry or lemon/honey the best. I also love theraflu-lemon flavored. I don't really like the taste when I am well but I love it when I am sick. You sip it hot. Also motrin/ibuprophen.

You feel dry because you are in ketosis, i.e. losing weight. Dry mouth, bad breath. May be worthwhile to use "oasis" for your mouth because a dry mouth can contribute for periodontal disease and cavities. Drink alot and know that that dry feeling is you losing weight. Now, I called the OCC 3 days after my surgery and Dr. Acosta came on the phone in a couple of minutes, spent as much time as I desired, gave me good advice... I do think that their immediate post op care (after hospital) leaves a lot to be desired. They should call after 2 days, and 1 week, and should send out a questionaire, and when you go back to the OcC for fills, you should be weighed and meet with dr. Mirando if you want. I am a nurse and although I thought the perioperative care was good, I did notice holes in the aftercare.

Go to the nearest teaching hospital and make an appointment to see the attending for the orthopedic department. They are usually up on the newest and latest. Don't like old docs because their ideas are old. Don't know if your doc is old but if not he is a bastard- so get rid of him. Sounds like something weird is happening and he should have, at the very least, sent you for an MRI.

I went for my 1st and 2nd fill in TJ at the OCC. The second fill is 10/10- I am hoping that will help. After that I will go to NYU at the suggestion of a member. I went to a pharmaceutical meeting last night and ate great food, and way more than usual, like I said great food and I am the same weight!!! So, I hope you are all correct and I am jump starting this metabolism. It is so counterintuitive to having dieted all of our lives, the not restricting our calories in such an obsessive way as to end up starving and shutting down our metabolism. And I realized after speaking to all of you that I did lose better when I ate more and didn't get obsessive about losing. At this point I feel like the scale is alive and I have to visit it every morning. Ellen

Ramona- you are so nice. I wondered where you had been. Hope you leg is not too bad, and what are you trying to sell, if it is okay to ask. El

Jena, Willi, Cathy, Denise and everyone so far- I am still tearful but now it is because of your advice and kind words as well as whatever is also going on. I do know, Jena, that after you said it, that I kind of felt this way right before my first fill but I was gaining. At least I am not now. I so look forward to going on in the evening and piping up when I have something to say. I don't tend to be very mushy on here but I have found many of you that I have come to care for. I appreciate your tender ministrations. Ellen

Mindy and Dawn, thank you for the perspective. All you newbies, I appreciate the support. Sorry for the paranoia, and thank you for all the private messages I recieved. I am going to up my water, walk more, and not be so strict about what I eat. I am going to try not to feel so sorry for myself.

I'll up my water, I do walk, but generally I hate to exercise. I have no idea why I am feeling so down. I felt fine until I realized that all the other topics were being answered except mine. Thank you. E

I did not have trouble wearing anything. Elastic waist pants. Never felt pain outside. Good luck. How exciting. Ellen

Well, good, cuz I'm worried about you. Sip, Sip, Sip. And, sleeping a lot is a sign of not enough protein and dehydration- I had it happen to me 4 days post op- felt a million times better after protein bullet

Hey, I was upset too when I realized "full" meant "lump in chest", kind of.... I chew and chew and when I start to barely feel that feeling I stop for a couple of minutes to let it slide down, if I don't it just gets worse. If you get to the point you are sliming, you should have stopped a couple of bites ago or chewed more. When I am stuck, I can't burp, swallow, and my throat feels like someone is choking me. As time has gone on, I have realized the only way I can prevent feeling that way is to stop way before I want to. Sorry you are having such a tough time. Ellen

I have not lost ANY weight for three weeks. So I have a question. Are we supposed to eat at least 1000 calories/day in three meals OR are we supposed to eat about 1/2 cup of food , three times a day. I do not eat fat (certainly no added fat), try to eat lots of protein (tuna, egg, a little meat). Vegetables, a little fruit. Hardly any carbs. Clear protein in my water. Have good restriction in the AM but now lousy in the pm. AM-Eat a banana and have protein powder in my coffee, fat free half and half. Eat egg salad, or tuna salad (no fat mayo) on Rice crackers for lunch. Salad with shrimp, veg, very little low cal dressing for dinner. I can eat a lot at dinner which is why I go for salad with stuff in it. Snack is baked apple with cool whip free. Sometimes I wonder if I am not eating enough, but then what is enough? For dinner I certainly eat more than 1/2 cup but I also know that often I am only eating 600-800 cal/day. I know i should exercise more but my question really is about whether there is a calorie recommendation/day and the idea that not eating enough shuts off the furnace. Any other ideas??? I feel like I AM in Hell. (and the NSVs have stopped too.) I am going for a fill on 10/10 but I still need the advice because it is bound to happen again. I am so pissed off that I am (stupidly) fantasizing about an overfill. Now, that is sick. HELP!! :-?

How wonderful. You are so there for others. Glad for you. Ellen

Try and get ahold of some clear protein (bariatric eating.com) (protein "bullets") and add it to water. And cold liquid if you can tolerate it will do a lot more for the swelling than warm water. You need to constantly sip water so you do not get dehydrated and if you get sleepy or dizzy, or are not hardly peeing, you need to go to the hospital. I feel for you. Ellen

i ate healthy request cream soups, squished sugar free jello in my mouth, and got protein bullets off of bariatric eating .com (42 gms protein in 3 oz., they are clear and taste like vitamin water or diluted koolaid rather than the chalky "choclate" drinks) diluted them in 24 oz of water and drank them throughout the day. Ihad no trouble after that. BUT... you do get a dry mouth, bad breath, from the ketosis. Normal. And you are losing weight. I also felt much less tired with the extra protein. Later I ordered "KIT KAT" bars from them (choclate/choclate peanut butter/mint choclate- "wafer" protein bars and protein chips (not as good but okay)- and I take them to the movies when I go instead of candy.) I still drink protein in my water. Ellen quote name='Tara2sassy4u' date='Sep 26 2008, 07:29 PM' post='52305'] Hey Queen Fiona, Thanks for your post and the does make sense, but I have gained 4lbs back and I am barely eating! Very disheartening, I could live with not loosing but gaining back what I already lossed is enough to make me go crazy. I am wondering if part of it is that I was not getting enough protein. I realized on Wed this week that I was barely getting 20grams of protein a day, and Dr. Miranda had said at least 30 grams per day- 50 grams of protein was the max. Yesterday I had 27 grams, and still working to get that up today. I am thinking that maybe my body thinks its starving itself, so that is the reason for the gain. I have a call into Dr. Miranda. I got the protein water finally, Safeway didn't have it had to go to luckys's and I also ordered some 25g liquid protein from Bodybuilding.com, so hoping by Monday I might see a shift. Cheers, Tara

I cannot imagine, no matter how much they say that these people are being medically supervised, that pushing people that hard during the exercising, is a good thing. They are nazis and although I love the show, I am very happy that no one is doing that to me.

You have to get some taken out as you are stretching your pouch since everything is held there and cannot get out and you are throwing up? which is not a good thing. Some of the girls I met in mexico had this happen to them and had a "muffin top thing where there pouches relaxed on top of the band instead of being above their band. Their bands were loosened and they were told to go back to a liquid diet for SIX weeks to give their pouches time to regain its elasticity. Don't want to scare you (even though I am sure I have) but the six weeks of liquid may be something you should do even if it is not recommended to you since that is what they say to do at the OCC. Ellen

I stop eating the minute I have a hint of the lump and wait until it totally goes away before I take another bite. If I don't it only gets worse and pretty soon it is hard to talk and obvious that I feel uncomfortable.

I went on vacation, went shopping and found 16W jeans- like Kitty, no elastic. I have not worn regular pants for 18 years after i had my college freshman. I wore those pants everyday- went back and bought some black ones and some regular 14s I liked them so much. AND i bought a top with short sleeves. AND I can pick things up off the floor without feeling like i am either short of breath or going to fall over AND I never have a problem with any part of personal hygiene= I did when I weighed one pound over 255. It was weird. I am happy all of you are writing about this because i do get discouraged that the scale doesn't move for days on end. OR I go away for a few days and the scale goes up even though I know I did not eat a lot. Oh well.

Just wanted to thank everyone for their comments. I posted the topic and had to go out of town so never got back to it. Was not trying to be rude. Sorry. Anyway, thanks for everything. Have been trying to stay away from MOM, senekot, miralax as all of them are laxatives (as are ex lax) and you can become adicted to them. You can use Colace as it is a softener but no laxative. (I was a program director for an eating d/o unit and many people were dependent on laxatives. The exercise is probably key, as is trying to get in more fiber. WIll try all and thanks again. Ellen

I just wrote this huge thing about bowel habits, and it was all erased. Can't go for 6 days, lots of gas. Eat salads, drink water, put benefiber in everything. No abdominal cramps. OR go 4 times/day small amounts, smaller diameters (I know it is weird but none of us really talk about this stuff and not only do i not think it normal to not go for 6 days, i also don't lose any weight that way either. ) Sometimes I use 2 squares of chocolate ex lax but I don't want to be using laxatives either. Are others having this difficulty and what are you doing about it. I eat three times/day. Protein, veg, fruit, carb. Chew. etc.

Julie- tried to send you a message but your mailbox is full. Ellen