Foxbins

They are barely noticable. If you know where they are, you can see them but from a foot away they are invisible.

I had to send a $500 deposit.

Scar tissue grows over and around them as your stomach heals. They are surgical steel or titanium; won't set off airport metal detectors. They don't look like staples used for paper--they are very tiny and very closely spaced together. However, if you are talking about the staples some surgeons use on skin incisions, they are removed at your post-op appointment.

I took it for three months and tried to stop but had terrible reflux about the 4th day after I quit. I took it for four more months and then tapered the dose down--skipped a day, took one, skipped a day, took one, then after a week or so I skipped two days and then three, then stopped altogether. I've had 2 or 3 episodes of reflux since but nothing that requires a daily PPI. Now I just take a Pepcid if I need it.

Look at my ticker! Also, I'm 57 and have hypothyroidism, so if anybody should have lost slowly it should have been me. "Losing slowly" is relative. Did I lose 60 lbs my first 90 days? No. Did I lose quicker than any diet I've ever been on? Yes. Was I at goal in less than a year because I didn't have that much to lose? Yes. There are advantages to having a low BMI.

He must have Barrett's esophagus. It's pre-cancerous changes to the lower esophagus tissue due to stomach acid (GERD). My surgeon prescribes a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) for the first 3 months post-op to deal with acid issues. I don't know anything about the rate of incidence in bypass patients, I've seen a number of lap-banders with Barrett's, and some VSG patients after surgery develop GERD. Barrett's can also develop in people who do not have surgery but who have GERD. As long as the acid is controlled, Barrett's can be prevented.

I have a Bodybugg. I used it for a while until I got my routine down, it's a good tool for that. Fitbit does the same and I think it is a little less expensive.

No. Cigarettes will hurt you in the long run, but you know that. Please find another way to deal with your feelings. I smoked for twenty-two years, so I know. If your therapist is not helpful for your issues, please find another one. The American Psychological Association website can steer you to someone in your area.

Calcium CITRATE chewables are available mostly from specialty bariatric sites. I get mine from Bariatric Advantage, but Vitacost and other sites also have them. You can find liquid calcium citrate a little easier--Costco.com sells one called Reviva and I think Walmart also carries a liquid.

I was terrified, too, but it all went away the day before surgery when I was very, very calm. I had no pain, nausea, or vomiting post-op and a very easy recovery. I've lost 96 lbs and wear a size 6! You can do it!

I would start the conversation by saying, "I'm new to the area, I moved here for my job." As he or she takes your medical history, then you can say you had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy and need follow-up labs. I don't see any need to emphasize that you had surgery in Mexico. I was fortunate that my PCP was willing to do my follow-up care although she was concerned I was going to Mexico for surgery. Do you have a list of the labs you need and the frequency they need to be done? If you come prepared to ask for what you want you'll probably get a better reception.

I'm sorry, I don't have any price estimates. I'm waiting another six months (when I will be at goal for a year) to see if I get any skin tightening at all before doing any consults or scheduling bodywork.

My hair stopped falling out at month 9, about the time I hit a normal BMI; I have no idea if the two are related. It started at about 12 weeks and I lost a lot, not bald but very thin in spots. Now it's all a couple of inches long.

I had a facelift, neck lift, and chin implant in Costa Rica this past January. I'm very pleased with my results. However, I'm looking at Dr. Sauceda in Mexico or Dr. LoMonaco (in Texas, I think) for body work. I want someone with extensive experience in post-morbid obesity patients and both of them have that.

Congratulations! I didn't have any real pain at all, but I was doped up really good for the first two days through the IV. No nausea or vomiting, either. The CO2 pain in my shoulder hurt the most and was helped by a heating pad that I brought with me. Walking also helped. I mostly dozed and slept until day 3. I had a little pain that day and was given sublingual Supradol that worked well. The doc will give you a box of it to bring home, I think I took one before my plane left and one the day after I came home, and then never needed anything else for pain. You'll do fine and he makes a lovely sleeve.

Do not fear, you are doing fine. My weight loss fluctuated month to month even though I ate the same 600-800 calories each day. Mostly I lost about 2 lbs a week, sometimes a little more, sometimes a little less, and one month I only lost 4 lbs. Keep to your plan and keep active and the weight will come off. Every little bit helps and it all adds up to a big number in the end if you persevere.

I didn't eat any treats until I was at goal. For me, I knew they were a slippery slope and if I could justify it once, I could justify it repeatedly. I told myself that I had eaten more than my fair share of the world's ice cream before surgery, that it was nothing special and nothing that I couldn't have when I was at goal. When I finally ate some, it didn't taste as good as I remembered.

I, too had a very uneventful recovery--no nausea, no vomiting, no pain. It was difficult the first week or two to get in enough water--I did the best I could and always managed enough so I was never dehydrated, but it took awhile to get in 64 oz, partly because I wasn't a Water drinker before surgery. I went back to work at 2 weeks post-op, got physically tired easily but I could concentrate. As someone else said, it's a full-time job just drinking all day the first couple of weeks. I'm sure you will do great.

You have received some solid advice here. I would add, please journal your food. You can't know how much you are eating unless you measure and document. It helps to see where and when you are going off plan and will be really helpful when you are at goal and trying to get into maintenance.

I think I got the 0 warning notice after I said I was a skinny b**ch. How many warnings do you get, I wonder, and then what happens? Banned for bad language? A quarter in the curse jar?

First of all, as far as I know there is no definition of a "stall." Is it when you don't lose weight for one day, two days, a week, two weeks, a month? That said, there were many, many months, including my first month after surgery, when the scale did not move for 3 days and then there sould be a drop on two or three pounds. Most months I lost 8-9 lbs, which is a little more than a quarter pound a day, As the months went on, I sometimes stayed at the same weight for longer periods. In April 2011, I stayed the same for six days and then lost half a pound, but for the month I was down 8.5 lbs. In May 2011, I stayed the same weight for 11 days, and lost only 4 lbs that month. The following month I lost 11 lbs. What I am trying to illustrate is that if you stick to your plan and just trust that you will lose, it will be a lot easier on you emotionally. When I got on the scale and saw the same number a few days in a row, I just said to myself, "Well, maybe tomorrow." Plateaus (I like that word better than "stall") happen. They start, they end. Take a deep breath and just move on.

I ate 600-800 during my losing phase. Now I am in maintenance and I don't eat 1500--I average about 1300, and generally stay between 1200 and 1400. Unless you are exceptionally active and willing to accept slow loss, I would not eat 1500 a day if I were you. Did you know that physician only get two hours of nutrition education in med school? My best friend, the MD, told me. I almost fell over.

Yes, my mailman asked me the same thing. I said, No, I want to look like this and I worked hard to get here! I wasn't offended at all.

I AM a skinny b***h! And loving it!