Caradina

Great dress! You look awesome!

I say live it up! Just remember that they may be noticing, but those who wern't interested when you were larger, don't deserve you when you're smaller.

Look at that tiny waist! You're awesome!

Your sodium may be too low. When I was on a liquid diet before, this happened to me often, and it was that I was not consumig anough sodium. Drink some pickle juice.

I keep reading about the skin brushing. I'm going to try it for sure!

Your story sounds just like me! I also opted for self pay in MX but due to being in the US and having no insurance. My BMI is the same, and I'm 33, but you are alittle taller than me. I remember wearing a 12 in 6th grade and being teased horribly. I don't remember not being overweight. I can't wait for my sleeve. I'm going on March 22. When is your date? I'll be rooting for you! We can take back our lives!

Could you have alot of skin? I know that some folks can have even 20 lbs of skin "hanging around". Unfortunately if thats the problem, surgery is the only way to fix it. I'm anticipating this issue for myself. I have been this large since I was 12 or so... my skin has been stretched out forever.....

Medicalfinance.com and Care Credit both denied me. I also was denied for a personal loan from my bank and also from the credit union my mother works at.... so the in house financing from Belite was my only option, but it's actually turned into a good thing in my mind. Dr. Rod sounds awesome, maybe research him too, if one doc is offering financing, and the other isn't , and both are good surgeons, it's a no brainer right?

Bless your heart! I appreciate all the help I can get! I'll be flying and having surgery on the same day, March 22... I can't wait. I dream about the sleeve, think about it all day... troll these forums all day at work.. LOL

Raw eggs too.

I had this issue after some other surgeries too, and I fully expect some of this from my sleeve. I stop washing it with shampoo. I use just conditioner and rinse well. The conditioner carries out the scalp oil and freshens it up. It'll feel alittle oily for a week or so and then it just magically adjusts. I was sceptical too, when my roomie told me about it. She's been doing it for years and has a beautiful head of waist length hair.

You're only 16?? You should just stay quit. TRUST me. I started smoking at 13... and I quit a month ago in prep for my sleeve. I'm never going back. If I feel the need to smoke socially at a party or something I'll get an E-cig and use a non nicotene liquid in it. You don't need that monkey on your back!

Oh you poor thing. I would be devastated! I opted to self pay in Mexico to avoid the whole insurance nightmare. It's frankly been worth it to me to have the peace of mind to know that it is only my decision to have this... and that some insurance company and their ignorance won't stop me. Good luck with the appeal, and keep your head in it. It'll happen for you, one way or another.

Thanks Helen! Ok... stopping the worrying. LOL Belite has been awesome so far, very quick to respond, and getting all of the paperwork in was easy and very professionally managed. I'm not worried about much, I just hate hospitals. I've received some horrifying care here in Detroit in the last year, so from what I hear, the TJ hospital will be a leap up. Who would have thought?

I'm really hoping my sex drive comes back. I'm so exhausted all the time, and so disgusted by my body, and sex is so uncomfortable now that I'm bigger that I really just don't want to either. He's not small either, so with his gut and my gut... yeah. So here's hoping that the sleeve gets me my groove back! I know what you mean. I want to want to, but I usually don't.

I can't recall where I read this thread, but in another thread on the same issue, several people said they just had their Isopure, or protein drinks or whatever in their full form and sealed. They put them independently in the tub, not in their baggie and ignored the 3oz rule. When the TSA asked about it, they explained that they were having/had just had gastric surgery and could only consume specific liquids, and that they needed to be doing so almost continually. They were allowed to bring them through as such with no issues. The tSA had a special scanner that checks the liquid. The TSA website talks about how you can bring things like liquid medication, breast milk and other necessary liquids in larger format if actually necessary. It's a thought. I might just risk it and see. The worst they can do is make you pitch it or check your bag if you won't toss it.

Thanks Capt Derel. It's true, I'm like a bottomless pit! Life without the HRT is worse though. I'm hoping this will be the "magic bullet" that will hekp me control my hunger and eating while also controlling my hormones. It's depressing to be so young and to have this to worry about. (I see that you're close to me in age, so I'm sure you agree!) Your success story is inspiring, so hopefully it'll work the same way for me. Thanks for your comment. It's a weird comfort to know that men can deal with this too. It's so often thoguht of as just a women's thing.

Your story is so like my own childhood that it breaks my heart. I so so so understand. I'm at an alltime high myself, and I find that I'm cancelling cosial obligations, because those people haven;t seen me since my recent 30 lb balloon, and I'm afraid of what they will think to see that I am even bigger than never ever before! (Even though it was caused by medication and a health issue.) The photo on here is also my Facebook photo... It is 3 years old, and 60 lbs lighter...Some people have not seen me since then. It's sad. I can't wait to be that thinner, pretty woman again. Try to be gentle with yourself, and KNOW that you aren't alone.

I'm going to be in the air or in transit almost 9 hours each way.... Worrisome. I'm buying some of those protein shots. They are 3oz, and am placking my ziplock with mostly them. Then bringing a sample pack of shampoo and conditioner so they take up less room. I'd like to avoid checking baggage. That just seems stupid.

Oh no!! I'm going to TJ at the end of March with Dr. Rod. I picked him because of his experience with scar tissue as well, because I have had 5 laproscopic procedures for reproductive issues in that same area. I hadn't heard anything bad about TJ before this.... Now I'm alittle worried. It sounds no worse than the care I received recently at a Detroit hospital though... Sad. I'm hoping it was a fluke, Because I'm traveling alone, I need those nurses to help me, because I'm going to struggle if I need to self advocate too much.

I've never not been on some sort of hormone. My reproductive system started trying to kill me at the age of 12, as soon as it realized it was there. My resultant hormone issues are a large part of my metabolism issues, which caused my weight issues. I expect to be a slow loser, because my PCP feels that this surgery will allow me to eat a small enough calorie load to lose weight. Right now, I starve on 2000 calories, and am always hungry, because of this awful fake estrogen feeding the insulin resistance thing. The hope is that the sleeve cuts my hunger, so I can eat less and eventually reduce the insulin resistance so I can maintain a healthy weight. Blah. My health history is like a book.

Awww! You look amazing! Congrats on your success!

I wonder if your thyroid is messed up. I'd go to the doctor and get a metabolic workup.

I've always taken a vitamin every day, so adding another one is no biggie.

I lost around half of my hair after my hysterectomy last summer. I was thin and fine to begin with. I'm really scared about losing more with the sleeve, because my scalp shows now. I guess I'll have to hope and pray it doesn't get much wore, and if it does, I'll shave it off and start over and wear wigs until it comes back. I was told it has more to do with hormones and a shock to the system than with protein. I lost my ovaries and so went into instant menopause, which is probably what caused it. Because the fat loss releases so many hormones in women, this might be a connection in a VSG case as well.