Foxbins

I have 2 caramel calcium citrate chews from Bariatric Advantage. They are sweet and have 500 mg of calcium toward my daily 1200.

Light-colored stools are usually related to gall bladder issues. Your nausea could be related to that as well as dehydration. Do you have any pain or discomfort below and under your ribs on the right side?

That's the one!

Hey Crosswind, Congrats on the weight loss. I just had a facelift in Costa Rica 2 1/2 weeks ago. One of the women at the recovery house where I stayed aferward had a tummy tuck and a breast lift by Dr. Chiavarria (I know I am misspelling his name--I can email her and get the correct spelling if you're interested.) Stay away from Lieberman, Cohen, and Rosenstock in Costa Rica, lots of complaints about them. Dr. Sauceda in Mexico is highly regarded by the folks on Obesity Help and almost all of his patients are post-WLS. He's doing in-person consultations in Las Vegas this June.

I'm a year out and trying to get into maintenance. I undereat my sleeve so I generally try to keep my portion size to 1/2 cup. I drink right up to the time I start eating but wait 30-45 minutes after eating before I start drinking again. I can drink loads if I swallow steadily but not too fast. If I drink too fast or take too big a gulp it comes up as a watery burp. If you have lost your hunger you will be satisfied with 4 oz, there isn't any reason to eat more and overeating is very uncomfortable when you are on solid food.

There's a guy on Obesity Help who has lost more than 300--

Maybe you're dehydrated from not getting enough fluids and spitting. Do you feel really dry? Dehydration can cause nausea and make you feel really crappy. Go get some fluids in the ER if your insurance will cover it. If not, you must find a way to get some kind of liquid in you. Hot chocolate, milk, lemonade, anything. Please keep us updated--

I low-carbed my way to goal and beyond but I didn't start counting until I was eating solid food. I think Beans and dairy are good for you at this stage, but that's just my opinion. Scrambled eggs are still difficult for me to eat a year out. Try soft-boiled or sunny-side up.

Today I took a shower and for the first time in 9 months there was no hair in the shower drain. I am soooo relieved. I have hypothyroidism and my hair started falling out about 3 years ago. Add the surgery and I ended up with really thin hair, not bald but a little wind sends it flying all around because it's so light. Hoping for lots of regrowth in the future.

The teeny spoon is good but undereat your sleeve. At 3 weeks out I was still on full liquids and getting about 320 calories a day from 2 Protein shakes. Now, I measure 1/2 cup of soft food (like cottage cheese) and if I finish it, fine, if not, that's okay too. For lunch today I microwaved 4 meatballs (about a tablespoon each) but could only eat 3. I ate the last one as a snack about 2 hours later. You will figure it out over time. Good job on the exercise!

You won't really feel "full" on liquids. Right now you have post-op swelling so it's difficult for even liquids to go down, but they leave the stomach quite quickly and don't fill you up like food will eventually. You cannot stretch anything with liquids. Keep drinking as much as you can. I found that hot liquid was easier to tolerate than cold too. Now I like cold better except in the morning.

I'm a year out and feel the same as Pdxman and clk. I feel "empty" but not true hunger. Sometimes old habits rear their ugly heads and I think I want chocolate or a pastry but if I have a bite, the second bite really doesn't taste good and I throw the rest away. It is so strange not to buy cakes and ice cream anymore. I have tried them but I would rather eat protein or roasted vegetables now.

I had my gallbladder removed 10.5 months after my sleeve surgery. I did not take Actigall; approximately 30% of persons who experience rapid weight loss have gall bladder problems. Other factors which increase risk of gall bladder disease are being female, obese, and over 40. Rapid weight loss causes cholesterol to precipitate out of bile, forming small stones. The stones can block the bile duct or pancreatic duct causing inflammation and pain. Since the gallbladder only stores bile, removing it just means that the bile trickles into the intestine all the time instead of being released at intervals. It's really not a big deal and the surgery is very common even in those who don't have rapid weight loss.

I flew from Mexicali to San Francisco 5 days after surgery. You want an aisle seat so that you can get up and walk during the flight without climbing over people. Get up every half hour or so on the flight and walk down the aisle and back. Don't cross your legs, and flex your toes and calves when you are sitting.

1 year surgery anniversary today and I can go all day without thinking about food. On days when I do I am bored and looking for something to do, and what I did before surgery was eat, so I try to stay busy.

I had more than 100 stones and mine was done laparascopically--the stones are tiny, like grains of sand or little pieces of gravel. I felt awful the first 36 hours and then bounced back by a week later. I think it took me longer to improve because i'm 57.

I had an attack of gallstone pancreatitis 10 months after my sleeve surgery abd had my gallbladder removed on 11/30. Gallbladder issues are pretty common with rapid weight loss, in people who are obese, and in women, just to name a few risk factors.

My lift was done on Wednesday at CIMA hospital in San Jose Costa Rica. I had Fentanyl for pain and felt good the first day and evening, then the swelling started. I kind of look (and feel) like a balloon on a stick. I didn't have my eyes done, but I had a chin implant that I had been considering for ages and in consultation the doc and I decided that it would be a good thing to do to balance out my profile. So far I like it a lot though it's buried beneath a lot of swelling and bruising. I was discharged mid-day the day after surgery to a recovery house. I have large purple bruises on each side of my mouth, down my neck, around my neck, and my neck and chin feel very tight. My ears are so swollen they look like a boxer's after a few bad rounds. There is not much pain, mostly a feeling of uncomfortable tightness under my chin and around my ears. Its raining here and I hope it clears up so that I can go outside. I brought all eight seasons of The West Wing in case I get bored but mostly what I want to do is take naps. Had a shower this am and feel pretty good with the gunk out of my hair. Sutures come out Wednesday--wish me luck! I can't open my mouth very wide so I'm surviving on shakes and fruit juice, I hope the swelling will go down soon so that I can eat some meat or fish.

The first 36 hours after my gallbladder removal were awful but after that I recovered really quickly. I wasn't prescribed Actigall after my VSG because statistics say that only 30% of rapid weight loss people have gallbladder issues--I happened to fall into that unfortunate percentage. After my gallbladder removal my surgeon did not give me any dietary restrictions and I haven't noticed any issues eating anything.

I tried the Celebrate calcium (I think I have tried all chewable calcium citrates) and they're pretty chalky to me. I am using the Reviva calcium liquid because it also has magnesium in it for 1 dose and Bariatric Advantage caramel chews for the rest ( 250 mg/chew, so 4 a day). If you put your order on autoship it comes automatically once a month (or whatever you specify) and shipping is free. I factored the carbs/calories into my low-carb plan and for a while all my carbs came from supplements. Now that I'm at goal, i consider them "constant" calories, like my coffee with half and half, that I'm going to have every day. I don't even log them anymore, I just know that 150 calories a day is due to supplements and my morning coffee. If your B12 is 2500 mcg you are just urinating the excess away. I take mine twice a week and my levels are terrific.

Please let us know what's happening and when the docs say you will be okay--

A heated mattress pad rather than an electric blanket. It's the same principle, just underneath you. No more sliding into a cold bed each night as I prewarm the sheets before getting in. Also, I bought cashmere/wool socks so my feet would stay warm and usually I am wearing at least 2 layers around the house.

It gets better. For me, when the time came that I could eat all the things I had been wanting, one taste and I didn't want it anymore. For one thing, I was losing weight steadily and didn't want to slow things down. For another, it didn't taste as good as I remembered. I used to have a terrific sweet tooth and now, although dessert sounds appealing in my head, in my mouth it's not that great and I can push the plate away after one bite.

Good, it's a localized infection then. You should be okay tonight and call your doc in the a.m. They will most likely clean it out again, maybe do a culture, and might change your antibiotics. You'll be fine.

Are you running a fever? If not, I think you are okay to wait until tomorrow. If you are...is there an urgent care center near you? Might be easier with the kids someplace like that rather than an ER.