Rootman

I tried either Lunesta or Ambien (can't remember which) but these are designed to help you GET to sleep not MAKE you sleep. Once you've passed the two hour mark after going to bed they have little effect. I also take meletonin but I too get wild crazy dreams. I've tried Xanax too and it simply makes me feel drunk and I seem more at ease in bed but sleep doesn't come till typically the wee hours. I swim 1.7 miles 5 days a week, I am typically sleepy once I hit the hay and on the few nights I try I can't read for very long as my eyes feel heavy. It is also exacerbated by the fact I have to drink so much Water to avoid kidney stones, I have to get up to urninate 1, 2 or 3 times a night. Flow is strong and clear so I don't think it is due to any urilogical issues, just the amount of water I drink. I get real fidgity and get achy in pressure points in my hips and back even on a memory foam mattress - I've lost so much padding witt he weight loss. I HAD been geting cold and have piled on the blankets, added a heated mattress pad and started wearing PJ's and socks. This makes me MORE uncomfortable in bed as the PJ's and socks make me get balled up in the sheets and blankets. It's really becoming an issue and affecting my daytime performance.

I've been battling it for decades and have it BAD post-op. I got maybe 2 hours sleep last night. I don't know if it is stress, diet change or something made worse by the sleeve proceedure. It is really getting me down.

I've steered away from white bread - whch MAY ball up in the small confines of the sleeve and casue issues. Celery - the "strings" may ball up too and coconut becasue of the fibers potentially doing the same. There are things that I just DON'T eat anymore, candy, Cookies, cake second and third helpings of anything and etc. - OK well I eat SOME of them very, very little .

It was about 2 months for me, I was draggin' a$$ and then it just suddenly let up and I had SOME energy. I started to really exercise at about 4 months and my energy level just really soared. Now if I could just get to sleep at night

This too shall pass. I felt very similarly but (in my case, hope it's less for you) after 2 months I started to feel real good. I also started to excercise and that helped a lot too.

I'm 13 months out and in the same boat. I find a few saltine crackers mid morning and mid afternnon and a light snack at 9 PM keep me going, it does slow down the weight loss but if you're still losing or maintaining (in my case) it works.

AFAIK, most counties and states g USA terms) have a Health Inspection office that can fine a food service place for keeeping foodstuffs beyond the expiry date. I am not saying you should call and report them but perhaps a subtle hint is in order?

You are not alone. When I hit puberty all those years ago, constipation and insomnia have been my constant companions. And YES it sucks. People don't know how good it is to take a simple dump at regular intervals without working at it. I've also found that I need to drink a rediculous amount of Water, like 1 to 1-1/2 GALLONS a day, which keeps me from getting kindey stones AND keeps my bowells gowing. I seem to be cursed with an incredibly efficient large bowell - which normall has the job of readsorbing excess water form the stool to make a semi-solid. It wants to suck ALL the moisture out and leve me high and dry (pun intended).

Gah! I wish the goof that started this thread woudn't of! We ought to kick him off the board!

Most all the creams / solutions are just snake oil. Scarring is casued by the severity of the incision and the way it healed. If it was cut well and sealed well there will be very little scarring - that is if you are genetically predisposed to NOT scar. I tend to scar like crazy and have scars all over from simple littl ecuts I've gotten but my large incision for the HSG closed very nicely and at 13 months out is hard to see. The silicone scar sheets tend to work as they physically flatten the scar and push it in. Some work well if you react to the process well, some may not stick at all which make them useless. All you can do it try.

Remember with virtuall no solids being taken in there aren't much coming out. Monitor the situation and if worst comes to worst an enema may be in order. If there is no pain or bloating then simply live with it till you're back on solids. I personally have to take 1/2 cap of Miralax daily, although I've been battling constipation all my adult life so the situation predates my surgery.

Impressive! I especially like the old belt around 3 of you!

This is a much debated topic and to tell you the truth there is little to nothing you can do if you are destined to have it you will. It mainly depends on your genetics, skin health, age and just plain dumb luck. Bad genes with a tendancy for this will seal your doom as far as loose skin is concerned. So look at mom and grandma for a possible future. If you have "bad", dry skin that you sun burned the hell out of as a kid all the time then that too will make it more difficult to lose and not sag. Age is also a factor, the older you are the more prone you are to it. I lucked out pretty well, I went from 375# down to ~205 and have very little. My doctor was even surprised as he initially said I would more than likely need a tummy tuck afterwards. He said he's seen other men of my age sag more when they have kept their weight right to begin with. I wish you well! Creams, potions and processes help very little. A good moisturizer halps but not a lot.

Yes, this is good advice, you don't want to tear anything loose before it's healed up properly. AGive yourself a few months off and work on walking or swimming.or some other low impact excercise.

told NO ONE besides my wife BEFORE surgery - mainly becasue I was going to Mx and self pay. I did not want to listen to the moaning and "warnings" I would hget from them - and got AFTER I had my surgery and told everyone. Post surgery I tell EVERYONE. If someone asks how I did it or the subject of weight loss comes up. People need to know it works.

Congrats! I know it meant a lot to me when I actually started to HAVE a neck

As others have said, check with your insurance programs requirements, the BMI and co-morbidities are usually required. BUT, if you are successfully losing weight WITHOUT the sleeve why don't you continue to try it instead? YES, the sleeve is da' bomb but it is mainly for those who CNNOT lose weight any other way/ I see sawed my way up to 375 pounds and caold not lose any more than 20 pounds, and then pack 30 more on afterwards. Just an idea.

Saltines are fine and they are relativly low in calories and carbs being that you don't eat man of them. I've been eating them for months now as quick snacks. 4 crackers and some water provide a quick lift especially in the afternoon when I get sleepy.

Had the thyroid levels checked twice as part of my periodic checks and it's still OK. Something else is obviously going on here.

Aww, shucks, we wuv u 2 !

I echo what the others have said - I simply didn't want something as drastic as a bypass and have my guts totally rearranged. The sleeve is simpler and in most cases just as effective. Oh, and not everyone wants to drive a Cadillac, I'd just as soon "drive" something just as nice and costs a lot less.

Not QUITE. What you are allowed to do is to take the amount OVER 7.5% in OUT OF POCKET expenses off your GROSS INCOME - it is NOT a direct tax rebate. That means if 7.5% of your gross income is $10,000 and you spent $15,000 out of pocket you are allowed to take the $5000 off your GROSS income, that is you will not have to pay taxes on the $5000, which typically is at a actualized rate between 10-20%. So you have a tax benefit of $500-1000, not the full $5000.

We all wish you the best and hope for a speedy and full recovery! Take care and keep in touch.

This is just plain NUTS, IMHO there is NOTHING the psych eval does to warrent $350 or more. This is just greed pure and simple. I feel for you and hope you are able to get past this issue and make a positive change in your life. I wish you the best!

Well I can assure you that there ARE real people who have had surgery in MX on this board. I was sleeved 12/6/2010 in MX and am now over a year out, almost 13 months. It's changed my life. I was NOT impressed by the facilities I went to, but not shocked either. The "standards" ARE lower in MX but I will have to say they get away with plenty of stupid BS here in the USA too - I have horror stories about my wifes surgeries that were done in the US. Many people have gone through the facility and had NO major issues, me included, however it's NOT for everyone. I will no longer recommend the site I went to becasue of issues it had while I was NOT there, treatment of patients and an armed robbery at the recovery house. It's not for everyone but can provide a much needed service to those who otherwise cannot afford it. Do your homework, get PERSONAL advice from those who have gone and study it out thouroughly. Please also conside the fact that if you DO have complications you have little to NO legal recourse against the Dr. or facility in MX, their liabilty laws are far different than the US's. I wish you the best my friend!