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Whatever

I had a big ole post about our hair raising meeting with a rabid Trump supporter the other day. I had facts and figures, demographics and logic. I even included some of the hateful, horrible quotes from this Trump supporter. Great stuff!

It’s still sitting in drafts. Why? Because why bother, that’s why. I could dish up 10 pages of facts and figures and it would change nothing. I can tell you all about what this person said and it would do nothing to change their mind. And why call out ONE Trump follower, when I know for a fact there are several of my friends who hide their affiliation from me, thinking that I don’t know. Hypocrites!! I cannot stand a hypocrite.

I think Trump will win. Mainly because his followers (cultists) are “passionate” and they will vote. He brings together the rich white christians and the inbred hillbillies alike. He stokes the fears of these people to a fever pitch and they are POSITIVE that the brown people coming for them – especially those horrible Muslims. Ugh.

I am disgusted with this country. I am saddened that these people will get their way and we’ll have a racist, fascist moron in office. I feel that he’ll get in because Millennials won’t vote and voting for Hillary is just an act of defense, not of confidence in Hillary.

Returning to the Clinton/Bush era for them [Millennials] is like suddenly having to pay for music, or using MySpace or carrying around one of those big-ass portable phones. They’re not going to vote for Trump; some will vote third party, but many will just stay home. – M Moore

Getting people to go out and vote when they are not enthusiastic is nigh impossible. But those Trump assholes, oh yeah, THEY will hit the polls in droves, giggling with glee to elect a gibbering toad, just to “shake things up”. I’m not a fan of Michael Moore, but this post sounds about right: 5 Reasons Why Trump Will Win.

[…] and the anger that so many have toward a broken political system, millions are going to vote for Trump not because they agree with him, not because they like his bigotry or ego, but just because they can. -M Moore

I’m afraid of the Supreme Court justices that will be put in place by this misogynistic asshole. The SCOTUS will be ruined for the REST OF OUR LIVES. Since Justices serve forever, the result of having a moron like Trump in office will be very, very long lived. Of course the drooling masses of Trump supporters don’t care about that. Most of them don’t even know what the SCOTUS does. Women’s rights and LGBT rights are particularly in peril. Trump supporters DGAF about either of those groups.

Even the Legislative branch is Majority Republican right now. We. Are. FUCKED. And I am afraid of the jackassery that could happen. Probably will happen.

The 2014 elections gave the Republicans control of the Senate (and control of both houses of Congress) for the first time since the 109th Congress. With 247 seats in the House of Representatives and 54 seats in the Senate, this Congress began with the largest Republican majority since the 71st Congress of 1929–1931. – Wikipedia

I really wish I could have confidence that HRC will win. Maybe it’ll happen. As Nick likes to say, “Hitler didn’t have to win”. I guess we’ll see. It’s going to be a LONG election season. Sigh.

So that’s the Reader’s Digest condensed version of my large, fact filled post that called out the racist Trump supporter in a very clear way, which served no purpose. ::shrug::

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Short Post: Reflux Follow Up

The apple cider vinegar caps are a NO GO. Just made the acid worse. I’ve read that this will happen because the acid reducers are basically screwing up your stomach’s sensors. Makes sense. Anyway: NO on the ACV. I’d say that the peppermint and caraway oil supplements would probably give the same results. I may try them at some point, but not right now.

I got a 24 hr stomach bug Mon-Tue last week, so I didn’t take any supplements those days. The acid seemed to start to back off. Could’ve been because I was on liquids only for the time I was peeing out mah butt. But in any case, I went back to my standard supplements on Wed without issue. The acid is still somewhat less than it was. Good sign!!

What I take daily now:
1 multi cap (has 100mcg Vit B12, which is over 1600% DV, but I will add an additional B complex soon)
1 turmeric cap
1 vit D tablet
1 selenium cap
1 Kyodophilus cap
2 calcium chews

Some days, the caps are fine, other days they give me indigestion. Just like everything I eat/drink. Sigh.

I’m down to 2 Zantac a day, usually don’t start feeling reflux until the afternoon. But it varies. I always try to take one near bedtime to prevent overnight issues. BUT that, of course may or may not work. Nothing is a given, nothing is reliable.

TMI ALERT!! The last two nights I’ve been plagued with painful gas cramps that wake me up. I’ve not had a BM since Thursday. This, too, is “normal” now. I don’t have regular BMs and they could be water, regular or hard as rocks. NOT PLEASANT. But it makes sense since I cannot eat more than 1/2 cup at a time anyway. ::shrug::

So be ready for reflux and erratic BMs after VSG. I am not unusual in my symptoms. You’ve been warned! I still think it’s worth it, btw, despite all my bitching. I’ve lost another 6#, which brings me to 21# since surgery, 31# overall.

I TOLD YOU I WAS IMPATIENT. So, I am losing, just not as fast as I’d like. Typical. Sigh. :P

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Tales from the Land of Reflux

Today, I’m reading about Apple Cider Vinegar as a remedy for reflux. I just got my ACV capsules, which I will be trying out today. One before meals with water. I can’t drink 8oz of water at a time, so I’ll take it with 4oz. The theory is that the ACV assists with digesting food, which will lessen acid production from the stomach’s proton pumps. We shall see.

I love that I’m also reading that high protein meals can cause more reflux, which is exactly what I’m experiencing. AWESOME! All I can get down is 2-3oz of protein which exacerbates the reflux, so I don’t eat… rinse and repeat. I’m living on one protein shake and a couple of small protein snacks per day with some miso soup as a meal. And vitamin water.

At this time, anything solid/protein (chicken, ground meat, lunch meat) I eat causes stomach discomfort and reflux. The only things that do not do this are protein shakes and miso soup. Liquids and non proteins don’t seem to aggravate the reflux as much as solid proteins, which is a big fat bummer. Basically I’m two steps back to soft/liquid foods with little protein. This is not good. Hopefully it’s temporary – it has to be temporary, I can’t live on NOTHING!!

I hope the ACV helps. I’m taking 150mg Zantac every 8 hrs or so. They DO NOT last the advertised 12 hrs.

I will probably have to deal with this for the rest of my life. This makes me sad. It makes me hate food, which is a BIG part of my life. This problem is screwing up a huge part of my life! For me, it’s kinda serious.

A big part of my identity is (WAS) food. Now I can’t eat it or enjoy it. Gee, wonder why I’m so depressed!!

It is estimated that 25% of VSG patients have reflux after surgery. I’m betting the actual number is MUCH higher. Judging by what I’ve seen on the various forums, I think it is pretty damn common. It bothers me that I see SO MANY patients remain on PPIs indefinitely and their Drs consider this A OK. It is NOT OK to be on PPIs forever! ESPECIALLY women! While the PPI drugs do stop the reflux, they open the door to several other big time problems such as osteoporosis, h pylori infections, ulcers and thinning of the lining of the stomach. I had no reflux on PPIs, but the crazy rebound acid I’m experiencing tells me that prolific acid production is a BIG side effect of VSG that is really not being addressed by Drs who perform VSG. They prescribe PPIs and consider it a non-issue.

I think we, VSG patients, need to demand better after care. We need to press our Drs to do more research and find a way to stop this acid production that is ruining our post surgical lives. I don’t WANT to suffer with reflux for the rest of my life. But from what I’m reading, it looks like I will, thanks to the shortsightedness of the medical industry. But, hey, why should they care? The sales of PPIs are astronomical and having large swaths of the population dependent on them is a good reason to NOT explore alternatives and prevention.

This is not an indictment of VSG Drs in particular, it is more towards the medical industry that doesn’t do its homework. But I think VSG Drs should be aware that we, their patients, expect a higher quality of life. Our Drs should be actively working to FIX THIS, rather than bandaid it. Perhaps if I’d known that it’s likely I’d have serious reflux after surgery, I might’ve thought harder about doing it. I would have likely gone through with it anyway, but at least I’d have KNOWN about this. Reflux should be listed as a probable side effect in the literature. For those of us who have never had any issues with it, it is a rude awakening to have constant pain.

I will keep you posted about the efficacy of the apple cider vinegar capsules before meals. ::fingers crossed::

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VSG and Reflux

Well, aside from not losing much weight, the truly sucky part of my sleeve recovery has begun. As I wrote about the other day, I decided to discontinue taking Prilosec because I didn’t like the long list of issues that can arise with long term use. I was expecting some acid rebound, so I had Pepcid, Tums and Zantac on hand.

I had a couple of days with no acid after I discoed the Prilosec. Then it hit me hard. I beat it back with Zantac and it was mostly OK (pain level 3-4) for a few days. THEN, day before yesterday, the acid started really hurting, like 7-8 with spikes to 9. I took Zantac and Pepcid, but didn’t get much sleep that night. Then yesterday the acid was terrible all day, despite the Zantac. I even took a Prilosec before dinner, to no effect. The pain kept me up most of the night last night. I took a Zantac around midnight when I got up and went to the couch to sit up for a while. I dunno about YOU, but I cannot sleep sitting up. So all together, yesterday I took Zantac, many tums, Prilosec and another Zantac. FINALLY at around 4-5am, the pain eased off and I slept a little. I moved to the bed around 7am and slept until 11am. No pain today, but my stomach feels weird. And I feel like little bitty RAT TURDS.

I took a Zantac this morning and I’ll take another before bed. Hopefully I’ll be able to sleep tonite.

I talked to Amy and she is still having reflux at 7 months. She takes Zantac twice a day and still wakes up with reflux every morning. Which tells me that I’ll probably have reflux for the rest of my life. Great. I never had any issues before VSG.

YES, I have buyers remorse. I have horrible reflux, I can’t eat anything, I can’t drink anything alcoholic (reflux and I can’t get drunk at all) and I’m very depressed that I’ve only lost 17# in TWO MONTHS. Overall, VSG has been mostly negatives for me.

I know intellectually that this is all just the Period Of Suck that everyone goes through, but it just doesn’t matter, I still feel crappy and depressed. Ugh.

I have a theory that the reflux (that is VERY common) with this surgery is partially due to the design of the sleeve itself. Let’s think about this. They make a narrow tube from the esophagus down to a pouch at the bottom. What do tubes do well? THEY SIPHON. I think sleeve patients get reflux because the tube siphons the stomach acid right up to the esophagus and VOILÀ! REFLUX. I hope someone who designs these bariatric surgeries reads this and will rethink the shape of the sleeve. Why not mimic the original shape of the stomach, just smaller?

Anyway, those are my thoughts on the HORRIBLE reflux that I and many other sleeve patients suffer with. Maybe in the future, they can do something about it by changing the shape of the sleeve. All I can say is that Prilosec forever is NOT the answer. Zantac is not much better, but it appears that I’ll have to take something for the foreseeable future. Which makes me SAD.

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Week 6.5 Daily Foods Snapshot

So, I hope to do a video for you tomorrow, but I wanted to give you an idea of the kinds of things I’m eating on a daily basis for an idea of what it’s like after you’ve healed. Also: the videos will now be ONCE A MONTH, starting with July. The next video (besides tomorrow) will be at the END of July/beginning of August. This is to retain my sanity about the weight loss numbers.

Ok, so, daily eating. There is a learning curve, I won’t lie. My serving size is that of a toddler for the most part. I eat protein first, which means that is about all I eat. I ate shrimp ragout the other night which was full of veg and tonite I’m making gyro sausage w/ sauteed greens, but mostly I’m eating just the protein. We typically have baked fish and I can get in about 4oz of that. I find that different foods fill me up in different ways, which has been interesting. I’m also eating salad again, which makes me VERY happy. I’ll have a wee salad for a snack in the afternoon sometimes. Vitamins are SO important, folks. Get a good multivitamin, take tons of B12, take calcium + D and take iron if you run anemic. (I’ve written about vitamins in depth here.)

Alright, here is a typical day for me. I’ll include the protein count and variations just FYI.

8:30-9am
1 cup of coffee w/ creamer and cream (may or may not finish; about 10oz)
2 eggs, either whole scrambled or beaters w/ salsa (10-12 gm) OR 1/2 cup cottage cheese 12 gm
take vitamins and supplements (SEE Prilosec info below.)
1 20 oz Vitamin water that I sip all day (yes, there’s sugar, but there’s also a TON of vitamins)
noonish
4-5 slices of deli meat (usu ham or turkey) 8gm
4 crackers either triscuit (sriracha!!) or Ritz
1 cheese stick, string or cheddar 6gm
afternoon snack 3-4pm
small salad OR
more meat + cheese 14gm
fizzy water zero cals 12 oz
dinner 7ish
Baked fish filet (cod, tilapia, salmon, about 4 oz) 17gm
OR protein with sauteed veg, various protein, I aim for 15gm+
8ish
protein shake 30 gm (sometimes I have this in the afternoon instead; trying to move it to the afternoon)
another fizzy water if I can manage it 12 oz
For a grand total of around 85 grams IF I have the meaty snack; without the afternoon meat, it’s 71gms, which is within spec. Liquid intake is 65oz IF I get in the second fizzy water, 53oz if not (I count ALL liquid, including coffee and shake). These are under spec, but for me, this is better than I was before VSG. I’ll take it.

I am happy with these numbers. However, every day can’t be a winner, so sometimes it’s barely 60gms. Eh, what can you do?

Now I know you’re looking at the water intake and gasping in disbelief. Well, I’ve never been much for drinking allll day, so 44oz of drink is good for me (one vit water and 2 fizzy waters). I’m doing well at getting in the second fizzy water.

Another thing I’m messing with is Prilosec. When you leave the hospital, you are told to take a double dose of TWO per day, in order to assist your stomach in healing and to prevent the reflux/heartburn you’ll get from your stomach acid going crazy. I switched from the Mexican omeprazole caps to US Prilosec tablets when the first ran out. According to the US package, it is supposed to be ONCE a day. I’ve been trying once a day with varied success. If I don’t take it at night, I’m DEFINITELY refluxy. Today I did not take the morning dose to see how that goes – so far, so good. I’m VERY concerned about acid rebound, which is the effect that Prilosec has when you take it for months, then stop taking it. The whole point is to get your stomach to STOP making too much acid on its own; I fear that taking too much Prilosec for too long will cause me more pain in the long run. Here is a compelling study about the dangers of Prilosec. Here is another. Interesting to note that the long term effects is another area that the Drs don’t seem to have much info about. Long term effects COUNT, people!

I will keep you posted on the stepping down from Prilosec. I’m going to ONE per day before bed and getting some Zantac to use if I feel refluxy during the day. I really don’t want to deal with a stomach that makes too much or too little acid. The body is a marvel of self regulation if you allow it to do its job. I feel that too much Prilosec is interfering with my body’s attempt to self regulate. I feel that my stomach will regulate the acid production if given the chance. I’m giving it that chance. (This is why Drs can’t STAND me and call me “noncompliant”. Whatever. I know what’s best for MY BODY. Deal with it.)