MelissaAnd

I am almost 2 years out from my surgery. I still cannot take the bariatric vitamins. Something in all of them makes me very sick. I have tried Fusion, Optisource, Bariatric Advantage and Celebrate. I finally tried gummy vitamins. i realize that they do not have enough of some of the items and I do take Vit b-12, d, and c supplements as well as calcium. However, i feel that taking the gummies is better than nothing at all! Anyone else in the same boat?

We have all been in your shoes! Trust all of us when we say it will be so worth it! Just take one day at a time and if that's too hard, break it up into 4 blocks of time. It is hard to overcome the emotional rollercoaster that you are on, but trust me when I say you will be so happy that you did this! When I did the pre-op part of my diet, if I felt hungry I had a glass of Water. It didn't necessarily help with the hunger pains, but it made my stomach full. I kept telling myself, I only have x number of days to go. I did cheat one day, but stuck to it for the most part. I wish I had better words of wisdom, but it's tough! Just hang in there and keep your focus on your end result.

I am almost 1 year out and I am always cold! My husband had gastric bypass about 7 years ago and is still cold, but not as bad as he was the first couple of years. I just wear layers, which is a nice change from my pre-surgery condition of always being too hot! I now enjoy wearing sweaters!! I'm glad to be rid of my "fatty" old sweater!

I have stalls all the time and they are really frustrating. But during the stalls, I notice that I seem to loose inches. I never measured myself with a tape measure. I just use how my clothes fit as a guide. So, i believe that I loose one week, then my body adjusts to it for the next 2-4 weeks. In the beginning, I had a 6 week stall right after my 2nd week following surgery too. I was so upset! I thought I was doing something wrong. Then, one day I woke up and weighed! I had lost 6 lbs overnight. I haven't had a huge weight loss like that since, but it helps to remind myself of my theory. I am in yet another stall. But I keep my focus and know that I will eventually start loosing again.

Congratulations! You look great!

What a great attitude! Your post brought a much needed smile to my day! I, too, am loving my sleeve!

A true inspiration for me (and all of us!). You look fabulous!

Congratulations!

Oh! That's awful! I had to fight to get mine too! I had sleep apnea, acid reflux and high blood pressure with a BMI of 38. They denied me at first. I had to get several letters from all of my doctors in support of the procedure. My sleep doctor even wrote a letter stating that even though my BMI was not at the required 40 that I needed a large amount of pressure to alleviate my tendency towards sleep apnea. The insurance company tried to say my sleep apnea wasn't severe enough. The fact was that I would stop breathing while sleeping. It doesn't take a genius to realize that when you are not breathing, you are at risk of dying! It took me about 4 months of fighting, but I was finally able to win. I also ate more and drank a lot of Water before my weigh in. I had to put on about 15 lbs of weight to get the insurance company to finally approve me. It was not an easy win, but I wouldn't give up! Insurance companies are in the business to make money and if they deny you, they are making money on your premiums without having to pay out for services. So, fight for your life and get your doctors to write letters in support of the surgery. Hopefully, one of them will update their knowledge on the benefits of the VSG and help you win your appeal!

I remember having the same problem. It didn't matter what I did for awhile, I just had an unhappy tummy! It does go away, but it takes time. i thought that it was from the healing process. However, be sure to let your doctor know that you are having these problems. it might be something else. I did have another condition pop up and it was my gallbladder, but the pain was very different from this. Best bet, call your doctor and tell them what is going on so that if need be, they can help you with it. Good luck and I hope you are feeling better soon! It's no fun to be post-op and hurting!

Well, it was 4 months before I even attempted a soda. The carbonation gave me a full feeling quite quickly so if I do have a soda, which is rare, I put it over ice and usually let the ice melt to dilute it some. It's sometimes hard to avoid, especially while I was buying clothes for my kids for school at the mall. I try to find iced tea whenever I can instead of soda, knowing that there is more caffeine in it, but I'd rather have tea than soda. Less sugar and its my drink of choice. However, sometimes its hard. I can usually find bottled Water too, but sometimes I just need something else. Crystal Lite and SF Koolaid got old way too fast for me and now I hardly drink them.

Oh! I remember those pre-surgery jitters! They were horrible! I didn't sleep at all the night before and I was so tired the morning of surgery. I kept thinking about all the reasons to not have it done and I was scared. When I woke up from surgery, I was amazed that I didn't have much pain. In fact, it was more discomfort than anything. It only took me a little while to realize that I had nothing to fear, but fear itself and I haven't looked back since! I wish you the very best and hope that you have a speedy recovery! Enjoy your time while recovering because before you know it, you will have so much energy that you won't want to sit still for long! Keep us all posted!

Wow! I am jealous. Most of you got to have food on your pre-op diet. I was restricted to liquids only! It was super hard, but I kept remembering how great I was going to look after it was all over with. I lived on Atkins shakes and Water. I made herbal tea at night as it was during the winter when I had to do the liquid diet. I, too, had huge headaches, but I know that mine were from caffeine withdrawals. It took about 4 days to go away and I haven't had horrible headaches like that since. In fact, I have only had a headache maybe 3 times since my surgery 6 months ago. Plus, I include my weightloss pre-op to my total weightloss. Also, after surgery, I added Jello, popsicles, and broth all of which tasted so good after just being on Protein shakes for 2 weeks! It really will help you after you have surgery. The hardest part for me was realizing after surgery that my way of eating before all of this was now just a memory. I haven't missed food much since then. I do get a craving every now and then, but it usually subsides. I really missed pizza. Now, I can have about a half of a slice, but it just doesn't taste the same. Hang in there! It really does get better. You are making a life-long change that you will be so happy about once you are on the mend. I have not regretted my decision yet and I am down 68 lbs and 6 months post-op. Besides, we are all waiting for you on the loser's bench! It's a great place to be!!

I too had an ichy throat for about 3 weeks. My doctor said it was from the scope that they did after my surgery to check the incisions. Nothing seem to help it and I was constantly drinking and coughing. I just woke up one day and it was almost gone. Also, I was very, very sensitive to smells for the first 3 months. I am still sensitive to them, but not as bad. I still have issues with my tastes changing. Sometimes I can eat certain things and they sit fine while other days they upset my stomach so badly that I never want to eat those things again. I know that my tastes have changed tremendously since surgery 6 months ago. I still can't eat hamburger or beef. I am allergic to most fish so my diet consists mostly of chicken and a very small amount of pork. However, since my life no longer revolves around food, I am OK with this. And then at 4 months, the hair loss got me good! I lost a huge amount of hair, or at least what I thought was a lot. I now have little hairs all over my head and when I rub my hands on my scalp, it reminds me of a porcupine. Some are about an inch long and sticking up on top of my head. The good news is that the hair loss has subsided, the bad news is that most of the sticking up hairs on my head are gray! I keep waiting for the next adventure to start! Who knows what's next, but I don't care. I love my sleeve! You will too! Hang in there and know that this, too, will pass and a new "issue" will probably arise. The great thing is that there are a lot of wonderful people on here who can relate to you and give you great advice on how to survive each one!

I was the same way as you before. It took me about a month before I felt like I had any energy. I still have trouble sometimes getting in all the Fluid and Protein that they want me to take in. It is a struggle everyday, but don't give up! Stick to the plan and do what you can to the best of what they are telling you and it will all work out. I am over 6 months post-op and I have lost 68 lbs. I have stalls that sometimes last weeks, but they alway seem to break. So don't get discouraged if you do hit those stalls. Sometimes, I just eat what I want for a day and boom, I start loosing again. Other times, I go for an extra walk and that does the trick. Our bodies are really changing right now so I just try to remember that my body is "stressed" and to give it sometime and it will start working again. Hang in there! It does get better. Just remember to eat your protein first and chew really well. I would sip in between my meal/snacks.

My doctor required it to shrink the fatty tissue around the liver.

I am over 6 months out and I still can't eat and drink at the same time. I really focus on eating my Protein first and seem to forget about the drinking thing. I usually get something to drink when I put my plate away, but let it sit for about 20 minutes and allow the ice to chill the drink really well before I even consider drinking. I sometimes get that bubble feeling when I first start drinking after eating. I think, mostly because I drink a little too much at first. Then, I wait about 10 minutes and sip the rest of my drink for an hour or more. My husband had gastric bypass 5 years ago and I have watched him put on 30 lbs since his big loss. I am terrified that I will do the same thing so I really focus on what the program has taught me this far. He doesn't eat and drink at the same time still, but does overeat and has forgotten the chew, chew, chew method. So, just because you are eating and drinking at the same time doesn't necessarily mean that you will put on weight unless you are overeating. Since I don't really have hunger anymore, I know how much my new tummy can hold and that's all I eat. I believe the weight-gain is more about what you are putting in your mouth and if you are using what you are taught. I do know that my doctor said that if you drink too quickly after eating, it washes away all your nutrition before your stomach has time to process it. So, I try to remember this since I am still only eating small portions. A few times I have forgotten about this and went back to my old habits not even realizing it. Oh my! The discomfort from the Fluid mixed with the food was enough to remind me of it! I have taken a sip if needed if something doesn't seem to go down right and I have been OK with that, but nothing more than that.

I would definetly go and see the second surgeon. It's easy to feel bad when you have started the process with one doctor and then switch. However, it is your ultimate choice and the first doctor wont loose any sleep if you don't choose him. The support group distance is important, at least for me, especially in the beginning. You will have lots of questions and will want to be close to your group. You will have more contact with the office staff then the doctor so it is actually more important, at least to me, that I felt good with the office staff of my surgeon. The staff at my surgeon's office did everything for me! I didn't have to contact insurance for myself. They did it all for me. Good luck and remember to do what you feel is best! Whatever the decision is, you will love the sleeve!

I buy the Kirkland Chicken Tenderloins ( they are small enough that I can eat a whole one now), Gummi Chewable Vitamins (I can't take the Bariatric ones as they upset my stomach still to this day), Beef and Turkey Jerkey, Canned Chicken (which I use in recipes or I eat it plain with some seasoning on it when I am low on protein), Turkey and Ham lunchmeat, Babybells, Cheddar and Colby Jack sliced cheese, and I usually buy some kind of fruit there. I have a family of 5, two of which are teenagers, so Costco provides great large sizes of everything and that way I don't feel like the "protein" police when the kids want to have something that I bought for me. Congrats on your surgery! It is such a great tool! I am in the beginning of my 7th month and I am truly amazed at the tranformation that is happening with my body! I get compliments all the time on how great I look. You will too, very soon! Enjoy it!

As of MOnday, I am 16 weeks from surgery. I have stopped loosing weight. I haven't lost anything for 2 weeks. I have tried everything that I have in the past and I can't break the stall. I have put on one pound even! Anyone out there had the same issue?

I am a slow loser too! I haven't lost much in the last month...only a pound of two. I know that i haven't made the best choices for food this month, but I thought that I would still loose at least 4 pounds. It seems to be that way for me. Even when I do make good choices, I am only loosing about a pound a week. I am almost at 5 months out and I have lost a total of 60 pounds since the beginning. I really had hoped to be closer to 80 by now. So, hopefully, you find comfort in knowing that you are not alone on this slow process! Be thankful that you have lost something, that's why I am trying to do. It's too easy to get depressed about it.

I was sleeved the same day as you! I am also loosing hair at an alarming rate! I do see a few areas that are thinner than before. I am not taking anything special for it. My hairdresser said to just relax because it will grow back and I already have new hair coming in. It is temporary and it will get better!

I am dealing with hair loss right now. I have tons of it falling out at an alarming rate. HOwever, i don't really notice it too much when looking at my head in full. The lady who cuts my hair said to not worry about it. She can already see lots of new hair coming in to replace it! There really isn't much to do to minimize it. People swear by vitamins, but everyone's body is so different. It might work and it might not. Just be prepared for it if it does happen. This too shall pass and I am loosing weight still so I am happy!