Catracks

My upper abdomen looks okay. Okay enough to actually wear a bikini top, albeit with board shorts. Anyway, I got in the pool and poked the right side of my stomach. There was this slow motion ripple from one side to the other like slapping a bowl of Jello. It was so weird that the kids kept asking me to "Do it again!!!" Then there is the lower abdomen. I tried jump up and down. As I went up, it went down. As I went down .... well, you get the picture. I look a lot better, but there are some issues to be addressed and I'm not even done loosing weight. Anybody once opposed to plastics and then reconsidered?

True, but if there is a problem, a U.S. citizen would have very little legal recourse. Also, what would my insurance do if there were complications? Would I have to pay? I believe they are just as good, but there are things I would have to consider.

I can't tell at all from your picture. A friend of mine had a broken jaw (from a fight) and I remember a girl who had to have her jaw broken purposely to reset her jaw correctly. Both had their jaws wired shut and both were in pain. Sorry you had to go through that. I have droopy skin on my upper arms, inner thighs, breasts and the aforementioned abdomen. The upper abdomen and everything else I can deal with. The lower abdomen or panni is a different story. It is not only disfiguring, but painful and not hygienic. It is getting to the point of ridiculousness. I'm not going for the 360 degree cut like I've been seeing and not even a tummy tuck. Just the panni and that is enough. I'm just hoping it won't be worse than the two open abdominal surgeries I've had. That said, I hope the boobs firm up a bit. I can stuff them in a bikini top, but they tend to want to malfunction and spill out the sides.

Mine started to thin a tiny bit at 4.5 months. I think the loss has stopped. It's hardly even noticeable. I have a friend going through chemo so I don't complain these days even when I find enough hair for a wig on the bathroom floor

I'm 47 and have been told that I look younger. The skin on my face and neck seems to have bounced back and I don't have any wrinkles yet. I certainly should because I have smoked for ... wow, over 30 years and am constantly in the sun. A lot of things come into play, especially genetics. I think skin with more melanin in it (darker skin) resists wrinkles a little better. I'd rather take a few wrinkles than bloated and sick any day. That's how I was.

No, Cookies would not be the best choice although to be quite honest, the severe pain that I was experiencing in my muscle (this was not soreness) didn't quiet down until I had a few spoonfuls of my daughters frozen yogurt mixed with Oreo cookie topping. What I needed at the time was simple sugar. A few multigrain crackers would not have sustained that workout. What I needed was a carb load for a couple days before and throughout the day. This is a great article on the subject: The Science Behind Bonking When your body stalls mid-run, it's called bonking. When scientists debate the causes, it's called a food fight. Here's everything you need to know. http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--6263-0,00.html

Maybe you could be a little more specific. I could list 100 major differences both obvious and not so much. I think rather than try to work with your sleeve using differences as a guide, just go by how your sleeve works. The nice thing is that your don't have to go back in for fills and un-fills. Just follow your surgeon's prescribed diet, i.e., Clear Liquids, full liquids, purees, Protein first, don't drink 1/2 hour before and after meals, etc.

Yes congratulations on the century ride. I am so in awe of you athletes. I had a 6 oz Greek yogurt with half a dozen fresh chopped cherries this morning for Breakfast. That is pushing it with my still tiny sleeve. YUM!

I like this article: The Science Behind Bonking http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-242-301--6263-1-2X3X5X7X8X10-7,00.html

It was a combination of all of the above. I'm sure my electrolyte balance was off, but basically after hiking to 10,000 ft. and 8 hours of strenuous hiking, my muscles needed ready to use fuel: Sugars. I know sleevers and weight loss patients have been told that carbs are the devil, but there are times when you need them to perform.

My surgeon gave me horsepill PPIs to take. Went down fine, but I stopped taking them. That's another story.

I got on a flight a few weeks ago, sat down, fastened the seatbelt easily and had to pull it tighter. I will happen for you. I also fit easily into booths at restaurants. I used to be terrified that a place would have no tables. Never fear! These thing you are experiencing will be in the past sooner than you think!

This is all fine for a normal workout. Do not go without the carbs when performing extra, high endurance exercise like long distance hiking, mountain climbing or very strenuous hikes. I learned my lesson. Without the glycogen stores that we don't have a lot of on a high Protein, low carb diet, muscles become fatigued and will actually fail to work properly or start to spasm. You will also start to shiver. Fat just is not converted fast enough for this type of exercise. I think WLS patients are especially susceptible due to our diets. Under the extreme stress, your body will burn through everything and ask for more.

Oops, found this: http://www.verticals...__1#entry265400

It takes calories to keep our body heated up. We do not have any to spare. It got better for me after I got on solid food. Also did a search and found this thread here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/11640-ghrelin-and-sleep-and-heat-regulation/

I think it was a joke. The gas made me uncomfortable until I walked it off, but my incisions never hurt. My stomach was a little tender, but I could not call it pain. Everyone is different.

I cheated Okay, don't fall off the wagon. In the middle of my pre-op diet was New Year's eve. Every year I cook a prime rib roast. The nutritionist said I could take the day off, but to not overdo it. I didn't. I pretty much lived on the egg flour hot & sour Soup that comes in a little packet. You scramble 1 egg in it. I'd have one cup in the morning and one in the evening with all the Protein shakes.

1. Did you follow a pre-op diet? Yes. 2. If so, what/how long was it? Mine was three weeks of nothing but full liquids which included Protein shakes and and clear liquids like broth. 3. On a scale of "no-pain at all" to "just shoot me", how would you rate your recovery process after surgery? Hardly any pain at all. I had no morphine or anything else after the one dose I got in the recovery room. The only discomfort I had was the gas and that was quickly walked off. The day I got home I was walking and going places. Two weeks later I was horseback riding. Surgeon gave me the okay for any type of exercise. I don't think there is much correlation between pre-op diets and recovery. IMHO, factors are: 1. Your own genetics and pain threshold (I had two c-sections and a myomectomy. Both recoveries were fast). 2. Your basic physical fitness and endurance. 3. Your ability to get fluids in and keep them down (At first I constantly chewed ice chips. After that I was continuously sipping) 4. Your ability to walk, walk, walk, walk, walk .... (I did so many laps around my floor that I thought I was going to wear a path. Strangely, I knew there were gastric bypass patients on the floor, but I never saw them. Heard them though 5. Your attitude. (I hate being invalided. I hate being helpless. I had 3 weeks of vacation courtesy of this operation and I wasn't spending them on my back.)

There are past threads with a lot of information. The search feature here is so=so. For expediency sake I will post my lists. They are a bit wordy. Some thing I already had. I still use everything. I may have overdone it on the Protein powder (I bought 1 ea 5 lb bag of chocolate and vanilla). Oh well, I still drink Protein shake now and again. You can mix them into batters and things so it's not a waste. What to Have at Home for liquid and Puree Stage Cottage cheese Ricotta Cheese Pasta Sauce broth (chicken, beef, vegetable beef, egg flour Soup, Lipton cream of chicken) Soups (Progresso Chicken Cheese Enchilada, Chicken, Potato, Asparagus, Broccoli, Mushroom, Tomato (mix with Vons Tomato Basil), bean & bacon, hot & sour egg flour) Chili Crystal Light Refried Beans Mashed potatoes Low-fat Greek Yogurt sugar free pudding Hummus Chocolate & vanilla Protein Powder (Max Protein from SEI) Flavorings for Protein shakes (Torani SF Syrups, SF Jello and Pudding powder, etc.) Sugar free popsicles and Fudgsicles eggs Vitamins Frozen and canned fruit Fat free cool whip 2% milk Avocado La Victoria hot sauce Canned chicken Chuck roast (crock pot) Pork butt shoulder (crock pot) Isopure liquid in Apple, Orange pineapple, Grape and Blue flavor Cheese Small 1 cup and ½ cup size containers for storage 1.5 cup sized mini food processor Small kitchen scale that measures in grams and ounces Measuring cups Small plates and utensils Blender Onesource Active Kids Complete Chewable Multivitamin Bariatric Advantage Lemon and Raspberry Calcium Chews 1500 mcg B-12

I got the hair loss at just over 4 months post-op. It's still coming out pretty easily. It's not like you go bald or anything. My hair is just a bit flat. Heck, I'd go bald if it mean I could lose the weight. I have some wicked bandanas.

You are going to be so happy, because this is going to work. I am 5'1" and was 246. Not quite as high as you, but close enough. You might want to check out The World According to Eggface. She was 5'2" and 300+ pounds. She is a bypass patient, but she gave me hope that us obese petite people can be complete successes. My doctor wanted me to get bypass because of my high BMI, but I think the sleeve is the better choice. We lose just fine and are healthier without the malabsorbtion.

There was a post on this forum awhile ago about this and DUH! it finally hit me. It's not that I'm afraid I will gain the weight back. After years of wearing things that were busting at the seams and too tight, it feels great to slip into something too big and to have to have a belt to keep your pants from falling down. So now I have 14s and 12s in my closet. I belt the 14s and it makes me feel happy. Silly huh?

I just found out today that the 12s are getting loose as I was wearing the 14s. I know this is not going to keep happening, but I'm at one of those stages were I lose close to a pound a day. This is after almost a month of stall. Yes, I've gotten the lecture that I need to have a 3500 calorie deficit to do that and that's all but impossible YADA YADA, but seriously, some days I almost do. Eating 750 calories and maybe burning 3,000+ with the normal fuel you body burns every day plus the exercise. We are all running at a deficit. That's the point.

I couldn't tolerate the Shiritaki at all. I use zuchinni, spaghetti squash, Quinoa or whole wheat pasta. As long as I keep my carbs under 40-50 grams a day, I will lose. I would stay away from any pasta at all for the first few months. You need to train yourself into eating protein first until mostly full/satisfied. 70-90 is a lot to get in when your stomach capacity is so small.

It very often slows on it own and it is normal to stall now and again. Somebody once said that many new sleevers can fart and lose weight. I remembered that because it's often true and funny. I was a steady loss up until 3 months (58 pounds) when I went in for a follow-up. The surgeon said: "You will stall." Sure enough I didn't lose another pound for 3 weeks. I think he jinxed me. Anyway, the stall broke and so far since Monday I have lost 3 pounds. It doesn't seem as easy as it once was. I had to really kick up the exercise and not eat more that 40 grams of carbs a day. If you are follow the diet they set for you, do not change a thing. You are doing GREAT!!!!