Disney

Yes, completely normal. It seemed like a long time before I could swallow comfortably. As for the gurgly sounds, that is normal as well. Your tummy is angry at you right now and is letting you know! You have a lot of swelling and it will continue to make that sound for a while. As a matter of fact, there are some veterans here who still hear it now and again.

Congrats and keep up the great work!!!

Great news! Glad to hear things are going so well for you after such a rocky start! YAYYY!

Mine was scrambled with a little cheese on it. It was delicioso. But please remember that some folks can't tolerate eggs very well early on, and just in case you are one of them, don't get discouraged about it. Just try again later! It took me a couple times before they went down easy for me. Good luck to you

Congrats on the great loss! You look fantastic and you also look happy!

Not much I can add to this post, it is all very accurate and my experience was just as great. Just wanted to add something about leak tests. I was told Dr. Aceves does a leak test immediately after surgery while you are still in the OR and he is still 'looking around' at your new tummy. Then he does a special dark liquid leak test that he checks via your drainage bag. Then there is the swallow study. So, I had three. I don't know if this is something new ( I had surgery in March) but that is what they told me anyway! Maybe most people don't count the first one! Good luck to you!

Don't get yourself down about this maidenari. My student loan was NOT subsidized. MY tax dollars therefore are going to pay someone else's loans. I understand not everyone can qualify for other loans, too. Anyone can get a student loan. So if this is the only way for you to get the money, then do it. And why do you think they give you so much money? The books cost this much. The tuition costs this much. Gas costs this much. food costs this much. It is always more. Thousands more. They are well aware that people do not use every penny for school related things. What is the interest rate on care loans AFTER the 18 months are up? Seems like I read where it is in the teens or low twenties, just like a credit card. Most people do not pay them off that quickly either. Especially if you are paying back upwards of 15-20,000 dollars. BTW, it will not take you 'the rest of your life' to pay back a student loan. I have paid off two. Good luck to you!

You do look great! Thanks for sharing the pics. You are so right, they are very motivational!

I have the Xbox Kinect...it is great IF YOU USE IT....Mine has dust on it just like my Wii...I am so lazy... Someone on here said there is a Michael Jackson Kinect dance game that might get me moving. We shall see

Wow, drinking just builds up in my throat if I do it while I eat. It doesn't wash the food down at all. I sometimes wish it would, because if I eat something too dry, it is hard to go down. I guess everybody is different. Glad you got a fix for your problem!!!

I can't be sure, but I think mine was about as big as a 50 gallon drum. I could eat A L-O-T. Seriously, that is interesting and I never tested mine out to see before surgery.

You look like a million bucks! Best of all, you are happy with yourself. That is so important. Good for you!!

That's fantastic! Great job!!

You look just like a princess. My sister got married in 1990 and she had a dress very similar, too! Hahha Jensharley...those were the 'big hair days' weren't they?!

That is great! Keep it up!

Make sure you have lots of help because I was told no lifting over 10 pounds for six weeks. I made sure to follow that rule expressly even though I have a 3 year old who desperately wanted to be held!! because I wasn't about to risk a hernia or any trauma to my new tummy. Good luck

Dr. Aceves does not give anticoagulants after surgery. I have had a blood clot in the past and he didn't even give me any. When I had the clot, I had to give myself Lovenox shots twice a day for 6 months. Ouch! My flight was about 5 1/2 hours total and I never got up because it was packed like a sardine can and it was not convenient at all. I have always been told that if you could not get up and move around, that you should just pump your ankles up and down. Like hold you your legs straight out in front of you (as much as you can in those cramped seats) and point your toes straight up and then point them straight forward. Just do that as much as you can if you can't get up. It will circulate your blood. Good luck!

That is so great! My mother went with me to Mexico and she had her band out right after we got back home. Her Dr told her she needed to wait 6 months in between, so she will have her VSG in September. Apparently, her Dr. is not as experienced or competent as Dr. Aceves, because he does the removal/VSG in one go. If her insurance decides to deny her, she will be going to Mexico. She is so excited and I am happy to read all of these great results!

I used my tax refund and part of my student loan. Look, the loan is CLEARLY more than the tuition and while It is supposed to be used for school-related things only, what else can you spend that amount of money on, honestly? I have to pay it back, I will decide what I do with it. It's not like it's a grant or some other 'gift'. One bonus, the interest is usually much lower than a bank loan or one of these online WLS loans. I say do it. It is the best decision I have ever made.

Glad to hear you are doing so well. Good luck to you!

We stayed at the San Diego Sheraton Hotel and Marina. It was nice, about $100/night with a nice nautical theme. Some people complain of the noise, but I guess since I had just had surgery and was tired from all the shopping we did, I slept like a baby. Also, I liked the airport shuttle service, too.

This sounds exactly like what I have been wanting. Do you know why it can track outdoor runs, but not treadmill runs (without the footpod) ? Thanks for any info on this

I have had only one or two bouts with nausea so far, but I sympathize. I also agree with the food aversion theory. Whenever I would go on atkins, I could not stand to even smell ground beef cooking, let alone look at it or eat it. Blechhh...Same for eggs and cheese, etc. Because that was ALL I ate. I still can't drink apple juice because that is what they gave me to drink right after surgery and that was such a traumatic time for my new tummy and realizing I could barely swallow anything at all, that it makes me sick to even smell it now. I hope things get better for you very soon

When I was on atkins and lost a lot of weight really fast, my hair started falling out after about 3 months, so he's right about that part, but I was eating a TON of protein (since it was atkins..lol) and it still came out. I have read Tiffykins say the same thing about protein/hairloss. Low protein may affect regrowth, but I don't think there is any food or supplement that will prevent it from falling out to begin with. I am taking biotin for the regrowth and am keeping my fingers crossed

Before my pre-op, I had a big 'ol cheeseburger, fries and a coke from a local burger joint. Which is way better than run of the mill fast food burgers. Yummy! Then, the night before my surgery down in Mexicali, my surgeon let me have an "official" last meal and it was filet mignon and shrimp, loaded baked potato, and another of my beloved cokes. Dessert was a 3 milk cake which I had never tried before and it was to DIE for. Ahhh, it was fun just sharing that...