Rootman

Congrats! keep up the good work.

Braggart

Yes, perfectly normal and will be for some time if not ALL time. I'm pushing 2 years out and can just now drink fairly rapidly but not as rapidly as I once could.

That's nothing, imagine being a guy and not being able to even see Mr. Winky! Glad to see him in plain view nowadays

I know what will immediately shut all the GUYS up - just say you're having "lady problems" and the subject will be shelved pronto! - at least for the guys, can't say what female in laws will bring up.

So basically what everyone else said and adding - don't waste your breath arguing. Grin, nod your head and write the poor sod off that said this. They will never learn, or they WILL learn once it's too late. This surgery changed my life, hell, probably SAVED my life and there was NOTHING easy about it.

Yes, the MORE the better. I have a desk job and took 3 whole freakin' days off - Waaaaay to short. I was moserable for weeks. I can't imagine what a physical jopb like yours would do to you post-op.

I too was expecting another poop thread I wonder if it's not just the typical hariloss and you are losing MORE of the grey hair making the brown hair look more prominant? Can you actually see strands that are changing color?

Yes, I experienced it too. I felt VERY nausaus for about the first 2 weeks. Be aware that you MAY need a PPI like Omiprozol or Nexium, MOST of the acid pumps (proton pumps) are cut away with the lower stomach but the poor small section of stomach that is left is so swollen and traumatized what few pumps are left may STILL produce too much acid for the small space. Check with the doc before just getting something like OTC Prilosec. After a while the swelling goes down and the acid situation usually takes care of itself.

Well I really don't see the need specifically for the VSG it IS a good idea in general, if for no other reason than to make sure that medics always have access to your information and have an emergency contact. It's easy to lose a purse or wallet and with it your only means of identification if you are unconscious or too out of it to respond. There are even some that come in the form of a USB drive or have an URL imprinted on them that a medic can refer to but I seriously doubt that anyone would stick an unknown USB drive into their own computer or trust an online list of information that may well be out of date.

I'm the same as TexasT above. I get a normal full feeling and after more get REAL uncomfortable and I suppose after that I WOULD get sick but have not pushed it that far. It's been this way for a few mmonths for me, prior to this I would get real naseaus real fast.The AMOUNT that I get full from is far, far smaller than it used to be. It WILL take some control after you reach this point but the control is much easier, I used to just lust after food constantly, now I just get a bit peckish and it only takes a few bites to satisfy.

You're doing everything right, just give your body time and the weight will start to come off. The body struggels to maintain the fat stores it has been so diligently packing away for years and resists our every effort to lose it. After a time the body exhausts every "trick" it can use to prevent the loss and will be forced to use up the fat, and the weight starts dropping. So just give it time. Sorry for being pedantic but I think you meant LOSING in your title instead of LOOSING.

As long as you keep the quntity low they are fine and will help ease a sour stomach too.

Congrats and welcome to the ranks of VSG'ers.

I'm in the same situation, I was paniky at first but then realized that my clothes were still jst as baggy and I was able to actually see some muscle definition rather than just tubular shaped limbs. It's important to keep up and maintain the exercise and immediatly cut back the caloric consuption when cutting back on the exercise rate so as not to actually gain weight.

It's really a mixed bag with everyone reacting differenlty to different mixes of anesthesia. I typically have no issues with the mix they gave me for dental surgery )wisdom tooth extraction) but had a hell of a time with any deeper sedation, I didn't want to wake up and would not breath either, the blood ox alarms kept going off. Please discuss this with your surgeon and ask for a consultation with your anesthesiologist BEFORE the surgery date to discuss your concerns.

It's another one of those classic statements which has truth behind it but is in some ways false. YES a pound of muscle weighs EXACTLY the same as a pound of fat - that's ONE POUND, but as you point out takes up LESS MASS, so in mass a pound of muscle takes up less ROOM then a pound of fat. I'm exercisiing like never before and have GAINED 5 pounds since my low point in loss on VSG diet, although my clothes are loser and I am mostly smaller in size. My waist is smaller, upper thighs are smaller but biceps and calfs are a bitter larger and MUCH, MUCH more defined, So I am carrying a lot more muscle than I was and am physically smaller and weigh a touch more.

I too felt real crappy for at least the first two months and was in the same boat. It did get better for me as I suspect it will get better for you too. Now going on 2 years out I would not trade the decision for anything, it saved my life.

Good little article, although it mentions more of things tasting BAD after surgery, I noticed my tastes just changes and things tasted a lot better. Someone who had WLS once told me it was just like after they quit smoking years vefore, things just had a LOT more taste. i HARDLY ever salt anything anymore where I used to just load up everything with it. I used to like spicy food and now I LOVE it. So I wonder if it's not a CAHNGE in taste but a RESTORATION of taste since we are not overloading our pallets with masses of food now.

I splurged and bought a new bike on Saturday, got a lighter weight 21 speed aluminum frame bike that is a LOT easier to peddle than my old steel frame 6 speed Schwinn. 2 years ago I used to bust out in a sweat in making the effort of getting up and going to the bathroom, now I'm peddling a bike for 10 - 30+ miles down our city trails with not much more effort. I'd do more in the evenings but the durn sun sets too fast for me! I leave work and hit the city pool, swim for an hour (120 25 yd laps) and then head home, grab a bite and hit the trails on the bike. If anyone asks 'Was weight loss surgery worth it?" The answer is YES , it was worth it. It was worth the miserable pre-op diet, it was worth all the money (I'm self pay), it was worth the misery post-op, it was worth the hair loss, it was even worth the kidney stones I got from too much Calcium and not enough Water, it's worth the saggy skin and other weird things. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. If you're reading this and haven't done it yet or are just considering it, my advice is to DO IT. Believe me, it's worth it. Edit: 9-3-12 So finally a pic, not very flattering but it'll have to do:

Yes, the bidy has a great mechinism to create new skin as we get fatter and no real way of getting rid of it when we lose. If it bunches up and sags after weight loss the only real way to get rid of it is by surgical removal. The only way to reduce to the point where the excess skin is readsorbed is to reach dangerously thin levels where the body will start and use up the skin tissue as energy, we've all seen the walking skeletons due to starvation or anorexia. THis is very dangerous and can cause MORE issues than it will solve. Working out to fill in muscale mass can help but typically cannot "fix" the loose skin perfectly.

Thanks! I still don't like clothing that's very tight. It's funny to pass the guys wearing the full "costume" in my denim shorts and polo shorts. I may break down and get a "real" bike jersey just to get something in chartreuse for visibility.

Holiday in teh USA so I imagine many are off doing family stuff - which is why I have been online about 4 times today