jennyblue111

I was sleeved in August. & I can relate to all I've heard so far. As for me, I got off Prozac about 2 months ago, & am trying to not medicate (all Dr. regulated). I can tell a big difference in what I call my "Oprah" eating~ emotional eating. When I feel out of control or unwanted emotions, I'm definitely leaning on food for comfort for the 1st time since surgery. I can't really binge b/c i simply can't hold that much, but i find i continually graze, & I'm definitely not using food as fuel like I should. I've lost 75lbs; these last 2 months I've gained for the 1st time. 5lbs. The good news.. I have a place I can tell on my illness..here, my Dr., my accountability partner, family, & friends. & telling on it is HUGE for me. These days binging consists of bad food choices like 1 ice cream bar, 5 Dove chocolate squares, 2 servings healthy trail mix, 2 servings of granola, 1 serving of Kettle chips, a roll.. individually, not together, cuz my stomach only holds so much. So it's not nearly the binging sizes or bad choices it used to be! & 5lbs in 2 months.. Although that was traumatizing mentally, to gain instead of loose, I'm learning my surgery was not a life cure, it was just a do-over, & I need to use my post-surgery program, support, & common sense the rest of my life! This surgery was the best thing that ever happened to me physically, mentally, emotionally. It's a do-over not a cure. I'm a human being; I need to give myself a break sometimes. & I need to use the tools I have gained to stay healthy mentally, emotionally, spiritually..& physically. I get out of it what I put I to it. I wish u all the best. You'll get amazing things out of it too.. as long as you do the work. & if u have small moments in time u do t feel like doing the work, don't beat yourself up. & if u have long moments, seek help.

I'm 9 weeks post-op & have lost almost 40lbs. I'm @ about 190 lbs. I don't have as much weight to loose as some; 160's kinda my goal. I go from being terrified I'll look emaciated when all is said & done, to still being considered 'the chubby girl' after all this. It's a crazy yo-yo! I try to just have faith that if I follow my program, my body (which I've never had faith in before, but it deserves a chance) that it will all balance out. I do know, for me, my less rapid weight loss has not caused my skin to look deflated, or my muscle mass to burn up, or my hair loss to start yet. Besides I tend to store fat & emotional eat when I freak out, so I just can't afford to do that, or be overly comparative w/other folks. It's nice to hear someone's @ about the same time/weight loss ratio as me. I hear such great fluctuations on this site.

Well, I wasn't excited to loose boob weight, they were one of my good features before surgery. Now they point south, & a few more lbs lost, they're gonna qualify for the cover of National Geographic. I'm slightly mortified ..& saving up for a lift/implants on my 1yr sleeve anniversary!

I've seen results! On some, it regrows hair, & on others, it stops the falling out process. It must be used everyday for full effect & I suggest u give ur 3 months to see results. If no results by then, you're probably not going to see any. New hair growth can barely be seen, as peach fuzz that sticks up @ makes your hair seem frizzy, about a cm long in about 2 months.

P.S. Now if you're loosing your hair, coloring it won't affect that. Take your Vitamins, meeting all your food/protein/liquid requirements is very important to reduce hair loss. There's also hair treatments/shampoos that can help that. & if your hair is dry/damaged, for heaven's sake, cut out the heat styling- flat iron/ rollers/ curling iron/ blow dryer- as much as possible!

I'm a stylist @ an Aveda Concept Salon & I was sleeved in Aug. There is absolutely no reason I can think of to not color your hair. Not only do I color mine, but I smell it & work w/it on my hands all day. Color isn't absorbed into your bloodstream & generally doesn't have anything in them that could do anything to you but cause a topical complication, like an allergy or chemical burn, or offend your nose, as in stinky. Aveda color is 97% all natural, & some color brands make your hair healthier than if you didn't color it. Now, if your experiencing damage or weakness in your hair, I wouldn't recommend bleaching/hilighting your hair, or anything else that 's a harsh chemical/brand. Hope this helps. You can certainly message me if you have any questions.

Try Propel Zero, Sobe Zero, & Vitamin Water Zero. Great taste, no sugar . I take Celebrate chewable vitamins (Amazon.com or NUT) & had no problems as long as I don't take the one's w/iron & I take them w/dinner. If I feel sick, I'm asleep & don't know it & when u exercise, make sure your heart rate is where it should be for however long it should be. Lots of luck. I haven't had a stall yet, but I'm definately in a slooooowwwwww draaaaggg. I'm trying to pump myself up for change too.

So.. Yeah, crackers. They're on my mushy food list, it they don't have seeds, which is nice. I crave something I can actually chew w/crunch! I'm not a mushy food texture kinda person. I'm over refried beans, soups, potatoes, oatmeal, yogurt, cheese.. So I've discovered I can eat cracker (4 or 5) w/tuna salad, cheeses, sausages.. I'm not sure if the carbs are just a slider food for me.. or if I just love that I can crunch something, tho. Any experience, strength, or hope on this? Any suggestions! I was sleeved Aug. 1.

Yea!

I like Propel Zero, Vitamin Water Zero, & Sobe Zero

I got a prescription @ inject myself.

I got a 3 ring binder from my Dr. I have a suggested & not-suggested food plan. It was explained to me why there are things I shouldn't or wouldn't be able to eat. I was also told the sleeve is a do-over, not a cure for my fatness. It's a chance to have a relationship w/food as fuel, & meety emotional needs elsewhere. I have a therapist & nutritionist for both these things. It's been an awesome experience for me. That said, I tried a small green tea frappacino w/fat free milk, no syrup, no whip, 2 scoops Protein yesterday; it was my 1st trip to Starbuck since surgery 4 weeks ago. I got 3/4 of it down, & got tummy cramps. My body just didn't like that much sugar I guess. So, I'll be going back to my frozen Protein drinks for now.

Colace or Dulcolax softener, they have the same active ingredient. Worked wonders! I was mortified asking, & buying it too. But it was worth the results!

I'm a hairdresser @ an Aveda salon, & was sleeved Aug1. As I hairdresser I've seen the hair loss in sleeve, band, & bypass clients,w/bypass clients being the most extreme. I'm waiting to see what mine's gonna do. Taking Vitamins regularly (have your Dr. check your bloodwork), keeping your Proteins way up, & keeping hydrated from the VERY BEGINNING is way important. The less shock your body goes into, the better your hair will be! Even if u don't have hair loss, the texture might get drier. Try Aveda Damage(or Dry)Remedy Treatment Masks. If you're experiencing hair loss, try the new Aveda Invati System-shampoo, cond., & spray for the scalp. It works best when u use all 3. It will definately help u stop loosing as much & help u regrow what u lost. If u go on Aveda.com, u can watch testimonials, but I've seen it 1st hand. I can also tell u, when people start to loose hair, they get nervous about touching it. The worst thing u can do is not touch it. Your scalp needs to be stimulated! (Remember the old '100 strokes before bed' tale). So, shampoo it vigorously, brush it well, massage it regularly, & stimulate those follicles! Unfortunately, everything u put your body through can affect your hair. Some bodies react worse to the shock than others. Anesthesia alone can cause your hair the fall out or get dry, if you're sensitive. The trick is to stay on top of the damage. Hair color can make it feel thicker, & lighter colors don't show the scalp as much. Aveda color is 97% natural, so it's very safe for this purpose. Long hair can feel like more hair loss than short hair, so a shorter cut might make u feel better about it & make it look fuller. I wouldn't recommend perms @ all in this stage of the game. Feel free to message me if u have any hair questions, I don't always check back w/the posts. Good luck, & hope this helps someone.

Im 4 weeks post-op. Sometimes my stomach does have its own conversation. & sometimes my throat argues w/it. The throat probably aggravates me most. I told its probably temporary, as the acid in my throat will eventually settle down, & I'll have more room in my stomach as there's less swelling & the scar tissue settles.

I've thought the same thing about quite a few things.. Fried chicken, donuts, steak.. *couldn't I just lick it.. Hehe. We are just human. Doritos fall under the solid food category, which was recommended @ 6-8weeks post-op, as tolerated. I'm 4 weeks out & @ a very cautious mushy/soft food phase. Mostly, I'm concentrating on changing my habits/choices, & working on dealing w/my life instead of eating it away. Food as fuel is what I'm hoping for w/my sleeve experience. Good luck!

BahhahaahA. ha! Oh, that was great! I love it! There are just some things I hope to never have the desire to put in my new stomach & new lease on life, that basically cost me the price of a new car! Why on Earth?!

I had decaf w/chocolate or vanilla Protein & some 2%milk a week after. Reg coffee twice since then. But now that I'm not addicted to caffeine anymore, the thrill of the buzz is gone, & honestly the protein gives me a better jump start.

I went thru 3 deodorants before I could even stand to smell something so close to my nose!

Till I try again & either pass or fail. I've done the Prilosec/ Prevacid AC thing for a week, just ate some very mushy twice baked potatoes! A couple of bubbles, but no acidy pain, no torture! Whoohoo! Highly recommend my meds! Man, I thought I'd be drinking my food forever for a minute..

Same issue w/me when I started mushy food. Im on Prevacid since post-op. Dr. Said I could take Prevacid in a.m., & Pepcid AC @ nite, & to back up to full liquids. I'm 3 weeks post-op & was told its a common problem while my stomach is still angry, swollen, & developing scar tissue. This solved my problem.

It sounded like my insurance wanted me to have proof of a Dr. supervised diet for 6 consecutive months no greater than 2 years away from my proposed surgery date. What it really boiled down to was a height & weight record from a physician for 6 months straight, citing that I've been fat consistently for 6 months & haven't shrunk in height. They don't care if u were actually on a diet plan or actually gained or list weight. But Weight Watchers doesn't count, it's not Dr. supervised. Some insurances will accept dated photos of your fatness as proof of eligibility for surgery. In short, it just depends. There was a financial coordinator @ my Dr.'s office that advocates for the patients, that helps take care of all that rigamaroo. Maybe your Dr. had someone like that that can help u since ur insurance won't. They are very familiar w/all that insurance crap. It's a shame your insurance is treating u that way. I'm sorry