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You might want to put a call into your doctor but either of those should be fine. The main concern is not taking any medicine that can irritate the stomach. Those shouldn't.

I had a complete blood panel, endoscopy, six month supervised diet program and psychiatric evaluation. The week before surgery, I had more blood work, a doppler exam of my legs and a chest X-ray. A week post-op, I had more blood work and another doppler. They were checking for blood clots. If you still have your gallbladder, they may also check it pre and post op. Good luck! Believe it or not, the time flies.

Congratulations! You're taking the steps to have an amazing 2013. Keep us posted on your progress.

This will change for you, believe me. I was sleeved 8/20 and for the first time in forever I'm not upset with pictures that I'm in. It's a huge relief and actually an emotional moment when you look at a picture and realize how much you've changed. Get ready, you're about to have an amazing time!

You'll do great. It is a bit scary but the good news is they'll give you the nice drugs that make you forget pretty much everything. In case it helps to know what to expect, here's what happened when I had mine done. Once they get you back in the waiting area and you've changed into the hospital gown, they'll start an IV. they will then roll you into the procedure room. It's not like a full tilt operating room (at least not the one I was in) but more like a dimly lit exam room. They will strap this device around your head that is designed to keep your mouth open and teeth apart. It's to avoid them damaging your teeth as well as preventing you from biting down on the scope. That was the scariest part for me but it didn't last long. Once that's in place, they'll turn on the happy juice and next thing you know you'll wake up back in the waiting area. You may have a sore throat or jaw for a couple of days but that's about it. My jaw was sore because I would stop breathing due to my apnea. So they would have to do something called a jaw thrust to get me back on course.

You can try Wolf Brand turkey chili. It's not too bad. Or get a package of McCormick's chili mix (make sure to grab the low sodium version) or any other mix that strikes your fancy and a pound of ground turkey meat. You usually need either a can of chopped tomatoes or tomato sauce. Brown the meat, throw in the mix and the tomatoes and it's ready to eat in about 10-15 minutes. It's really tasty. I add some low fat shredded cheese and am in heaven. I'm from Texas so there are no beans allowed but feel free. They'll just give you even more protein.

It will happen, don't worry. I was sleeved a bit over a month before you. I hit a stall for about 2-3 weeks where I wasn't losing an ounce (and yes, I weigh every day, too!) For me, the change came when I actually added a bit more carbs to my diet. I'm not saying it will work for you and I'm still doing low carb, but I went from about 25-30 grams a day to about 50-60 (not every day). Since then, I've lost about 10 pounds. So try shaking up your routine a bit. Increase/decrease your protein or carbs. Try walking a bit (if you're able to.) It gets your body out of its rut. Good luck!

Congratulations on your new sleeve! You probably won't feel a lot of restriction while in the liquid stage. Once you start introducing soft foods, you'll definitely feel it! The most important thing at this moment is getting enough Water in your system. The bariatric nurse gave me some great tips for the first week or so. Aim for 80 ounces of water (this includes broth) and 60 grams of Protein. For the first few days, I used these little 2 ounce measure cups they had at the hospital. I'd fill it up and then make a tick mark on a piece of paper. You're probably at the stage where you don't need to do that. But I found it a very helpful way to make sure I was getting all my liquids in over a day's time. Regarding an appetite, it could be a couple of things. You might be experiencing some acid buildup (very common). Try taking a Tums or two and see if that clears it up. I knew I had to pop a Tums when I felt like there was foam in the back of my throat. You could be slightly dehydrated so try sipping some water or broth. Finally, it could be head hunger. If you're like most of us, you're used to eating on the regular. Your head knows that and starts sending you signals that it's time to feed the beast. The only way to overcome that is to remind yourself that you're most likely not experiencing true hunger. I'm four months out and I still rarely feel true hunger. It's the head games that will give you the most problems in this process. Good luck and hang in there! It's so worth it.

As others have said, just don't make it a habit to chew and spit out food. Apparently, this is considered an eating disorder if done on a regular basis. It also sends a signal to your stomach that it's time to eat and it will start producing digestive fluids to deal with the food that never gets there. So you could feel worse than if you had actually swallowed that pepperoni! The good news is that the liquid/puree stage really doesn't last that long and you'll soon be introducing foods back in. Enjoy the (turkey) pepperoni!

Mine was a reaction to the surgical glue. I went to the surgeon's office just in case and they did put my on anti-biotics to be safe. One trick you might try it marking the outline of the red areas with a pen. If it spreads beyond the circle you made, definitely see the doctor. Mine got better after about 5 days.

Can you handle Stevia? About Time uses that to sweeten their powders. They come in at 31 grams of protein per scoop and zero carbs! Some are the flavors are kind of yucky, but I really like the chocolate. You might give them a try. You can order it from the About Time website or from Vitacost. Good luck!

I would strongly encourage you to have someone with you at least for the first day. It made it so much easier to have someone there who could help me in and out of the chair and heat up some broth for me. Good luck!

Congrats! When I went shopping for new jeans last month, my daughter pulled an 18. I tried them on to humor her and was shocked that they fit (I was replacing 26's)! Literally speechless for several minutes. And now they're loose! I think this is one of our rewards for taking this serious step - the joy of seeing tangible progress. Keep it up!

You're probably in ketosis, which it's a good thing. It means your body is in major weight loss mode.

I haven't tried Syntrax's version of unflavored powder so I can't help in that regard. However, I have tried a couple of others and the important thing to know is that although it's unflavored, that doesn't mean it doesn't have a taste. And it's not particularly pleasant. You also have to watch how much you add to your food because it definitely changes the consistency and taste of things. I hope you get some better feedback than mine!

Another reason to love my sleeve: I actually lost 2 pounds over the long Christmas weekend! And I ate whatever I wanted, just a lot less of it. I'm four months out and am just now adding a bit of carbs to my diet. I actually think that has kick started my loss. I stalled for over two weeks and once I upped the carb intake, it's been a steady loss. I hope everyone had a great holiday and stayed safe!

I did. They don't hurt but it's a little unnerving injecting yourself if you've never done it. I think I did it for a week? Just be make sure you don't move the syringe around too much because you can bruise yourself.

I'm sure you'll be fine then. Don't stress out too much.

Congratulations! The time will fly.

Did they require a certain percentage of loss? I'm sure the fair is temporary so hopefully it won't matter. Good luck!

Most Americans have more D3 and many women are low on the B's. It shouldn't delay things but you may want to check with your surgeon just in case. Good luck! (By the way, I was low too. Post op and after taking supplements, all my levels are good.)

My surgeon had me drinking five a day plus broth. It was tough the first couple of days but it actually kind of freed me from obsessing about what I was going to eat. I think it's good for you mentally. But I'm not going to lie, I did get sick of them about two weeks post op. Fortunately I could start adding soft food so it definitely helped

Reading these kinds of posts reinforces how lucky I am to have my pcp. He mentioned the possibility of me being sleeved in January and shared that both he and his wife had undergone the procedure. I personally thought it was too extreme until he encouraged me to check into it and I attended a seminar led by the surgeon who eventually did my procedure. There are strong negative views about bariatric surgery in the medical community just like in our everyday lives. You just have to figure out if it's the best thing for you and not let others' opinions drag you down. Not to say you don't listen to solid medical advice. The sleeve isn't the right choice for some people. Work with a physician you trust and connect with your insurance company. You may be pleasantly surprised how supportive and helpful they can be. I know I was!

Good luck to all of you! The months will fly, believe it or not. Regarding excess skin, there are a lot of factors. Genetics and how long you've been obese are the two major ones. I've been overweight most of my life so I'll definitely need plastics. But right now I'm concentrating on doing everything I can to tone and tighten.

If you buy a reputable brand it's completely safe. Just check to make sure it doesn't have too many carbs. After that, it's just a matter of what tastes good to you.