Foxbins

Call them and ask about another elective procedure--like a boob or a nose job--and ask if they would cover complications, like infection, from that.

I was so happy this morning, I have been at 200 lbs. for the past 3 days. Yesterday I gave blood (a pint's a pound, but yesterday was my 22nd pint over the past 10 years here in California) and drank tons of Water to make up for the Fluid loss. They make you stay 15 minutes after you donate in case you start feeling unwell, and there are Cookies and juice besides water. I had a water and took a package of snack-size Oreos. They were my first cookies since...Christmas, maybe? Anyway, I ate a cookie, looked that the other three in the package, and threw the rest away. They didn't taste all that good and I didn't feel like I needed to eat them all. I drank my water and I was fine. Now, before surgery, I would have eaten two packages, taken one for the road, and had juice instead of water to drink. Tomorrow I may wake up at 199.5, but for today I am really happy to know that I can continue to give blood without feeling crappy and that I can resist the Snacks...oh, and today I went to a training for work and ignored the donuts in the morning and the cookies in the afternoon. I am not hungry and so grateful that surgery did that for me.

Thanks! Well done to you too--still hitting the gym? I have slacked off and need to get back if I want my BodPod stats to improve...

I'm 56 and have lost whatever my ticker says, 79 I think. I hit a normal BMI six weeks ago, so I have lost 100% of my "excess weight" and am losing some more so I can have a little wiggle room with the holidays coming.

Two things--My stomach was bright red and itchy for about a week after surgery, in part from whatever antibacterial stuff they scrubbed me down with before surgery, but I think the majority of the itch was from all the hair growing back. They shave the operative field and that's generally from below the boobs to hip level. Maybe it's that for you, too?

Do what Oregondaisy said. Eat dense protein and a few green vegetables. Track your food intake--a few bites here and there adds up fast. Drink water when you feel hungry, then take a walk, then eat a small protein-based snack if you are still hungry.

Yes. 79 lbs down in nine months and I'm not hungry anymore!!!

Before my sleeve, I burped a lot and had heartburn, but I thought it was because I was fat. My surgeon repaired my hernia when he did the sleeve. Post-op, I was still burping but that was due to the CO2 gas and swallowing air when I ate and drank. I'm taking 10 mg of omeprazole a day for heartburn, don't know if I'll still have it if I stop the meds. Congrats on the 200 lb loss!! That's great!

I am 56, have hypothyroidism, and before surgery lunch and dinner had to have dessert attached or I wasn't happy. I decided that I would break the carb monster's hold on me as I was learning to eat in a new way and maybe give myself a boost to overcome my age and thyroid issue. I did extremely well and did not eat over 30 gms of carbohydrate until my 7th month post-op. Black cherries and fresh peaches are some of my favorite fruit and I found that eating 6 or 8 cherries or 1/4 of a peach daily did slow down my weight loss but I love them so I ate them. Now that the season is over, no more 'til next year. I don't eat white carbs at all anymore--bread just balls up inside me and hurts, and pasta--well, pasta makes me want more pasta. I am a carnivore at heart and quite happy with my steak and seafood diet.

Low carb worked for me. I ate (and still eat) lots of shrimp, scallops, and fish because they're also low-fat or good fat. Ground turkey with taco seasoning, egg and tuna salad, and, surprisingly, steak. Chicken does not sit well with me but I have no problems with steak.

Preop protein shake-Premier Protein Shake from Costco-Chocolate is good Iron pill- Sundown Naturals Perfect Iron-I ordered mine on Amazon. It's carbonyl iron and doesn't upset my stomach Multivitamin- Centrum Chewables-Eat something, chew and swallow the vitamin, eat some more. I can't take them on an empty stomach but "sandwiching" between food works. Vitamin d- Nature Made 1000 I.U. I take one each day. Calcium-ReViva Calcium Citrate liquid from Costco.com. 1 Tbsp = 500 mg. However, too much gives you the runs, so I am still looking for a chewable that's tolerable. Vitacost.com is not too expensive but really sweet. I chew them up with two almonds at the same time and that helps to cut the sweetness. I tried the BA Chocolate chewables and they are disgusting. B-12- Sublingual, 2500 mcg. twice a week. Any kind is fine, I buy mine from Walmart as they dissolve fast. Hope this helps.

What kind of facelift did you have? Was it a lower, midface, or a forehead lift or a combination? My sister had a forehead/brow lift and she was numb in the forehead/bangs area for months, but the feeling gradually came back to most of the area. My butt sags badly and my thighs look deflated, but people see my face all the time so that's where I decided to do the work first. Lower body lifts kind of scare me so I'm trying to build glutes to fill up saggy bits. I'm so flat in the rear now! Fortunately, I kept my boobs. I had Botox for the first time last month and I am underwhelmed...there was a killer headache for about three days and my eyebrow only moves on the end. Weird!

I looked pretty good in the face until about 20 lbs ago--then I lost the fat pads that were under my cheekbones and in my nasolabial lines, and what did the cavities fill with? Wrinkles! I have thrown in the towel and had a consultation with a plastic surgeon. He and I agreed that the upper 2/3 of my face looks good and I need a lower face/neck lift and something to plump up the nasolabial lines. He is suggesting a fat transfer for that, I am thinking Juvederm. Any thoughts?

First of all, congratulations on your loss! Now, on to your worries...I am wondering if there is something else going on with you and your surgery is a good place to direct your emotions....If not, I am sure that you, like everybody else here, has tried to diet and keep the weight off for years and it didn't work. That's why lots of us chose surgery--to get off the yo-yo diet treadmill. Secondly, the stomach is not too important in the overall scheme of things. It's mostly a reservoir. Some animals don't even have stomachs, food goes directly into their "gut." It does produce acid to aid food breakdown, intrinsic factor to help absorb B12, and hormones that influence hunger and satiety, (but these last are poorly understood). Obesity will certainly lead to other conditions which can kill you, whereas lack of most of the stomach...you have removed the reservoir part. It still makes acid, churns around to start digestion, sends small amounts of food to the small intestine. I can't imagine a situation where you would need your stomach back. If you cannot get enough calories by mouth, you can have enteral feedings by tube. Your sleeve should not interfere with fertility at all if you are well-nourished and taking your Vitamins. Your fear of being criticized for having this surgery--well, you are an adult and made an informed decision using the best information available to you at the time. If anyone lectures you, you aren't a child, so stand up for yourself. What's done is done. Focus on the positive, your improved health, your improved confidence, and your longer life. You are eating like a naturally thin person does and it's a big change.

38 lbs. in the first three months

I had no nausea or vomiting post-op and recovered uneventfully. I am 4 lbs from my goal and only 9 months out from surgery. I appreciated being in a hospital just in case something went wrong and he was the right choice for me.

I drank low-cal Gatorade during clear liquids. It tasted better to me than plain water. I stopped after I started eating food, the low-cal had too many carbs for me.

I went alone and I was fine. I spent most of the time sleeping. If I had brought someone, they would have been bored senseless. I had a book to read and never opened it, there was TV but I never watched. Just slept, sipped my liquids, walked the halls, and peed a lot.

You are fine. Frozen yogurt turns to liquid in the stomach and can't really exert much pressure on the staple line. Vomiting, however, should be avoided. In the future, eat slower and take smaller bites ESPECIALLY when it's something that tastes good. I can really scarf a favorite food down and then pay for it afterward--things I don't really care about eating I tend to eat slower.

You will have to eat on a schedule whether you are hungry or not. I lost my hunger immediately after surgery and have found that I need to eat by the clock. Breakfast at 7:30, snack at 10, lunch at 12, snack at 3, dinner at 5:30, snack at 8. You will feel so much better when there is a steady stream of nutrients coming in and it will spare your muscles from being metabolized.

Take the pain meds, rest is good for you. I took a nap or two everyday up until about day 14. Keep sipping whatever feels best, warm still is best for me in the am but then ice water the rest of the day is great. You will feel a little bit better each day.

33% gone--Good job! Put on those running shoes yet or do you have to wait a couple more weeks?

From the Nexium website: "DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION: The tablets should be swallowed whole with sufficient Water. The tablets may also be dispersed in half a glass of non-carbonated water. No other liquids should be used as the enteric coating may be dissolved. Stir until the tablets disintegrate and drink the liquid with the pellets immediately or within 30 minutes. Rinse the glass with half a glass of water and drink. The pellets must not be chewed or crushed." You don't want to chew or crush them because the active ingredient is time-released and destroying the outer coating releases the medication immediately. I didn't know I wasn't supposed to be dissolving tablets in apple juice... Tjplication--You aren't the first to chew them. There was a thread here a while ago about how bad-tasting they were and that person was chewing them also. I am surprised, though, that you were instructed to chew or crush them at the hospital. They should know better.

I started my thyroid meds again and the Nexium on day 5; chewable vitamins and calcium on day 14 but they didn't stay down consistently. Vitamins stayed down when I started taking them with food after week 4.

Beadingnurse is right--there is no "typical"weight loss. If you work your program, you should be able to lose as much as you want. I got to a normal BMI less than 8 months after surgery but I only had to lose 73 lbs to get there. I am losing more because I choose to be smaller. Pick a goal but don't be afraid to modify it if you want. BTW--you will be considered a "surgical success" if you lose 50-65% of your excess weight. That is how most of the research studies define a successful surgery.