Traci J.

Hi all, so I am exactly one month out today and am down 21 lbs., which is what I was down on 1/10/13 at my follow-up with my surgeon...soooo apparently I hit the dreaded 3 week stall. I did take my measurements and have lost 8.5", all from my waist up! It needs to switch to below the belt next month.....keeping my fingers crossed. lol

Hey love, just calm down and breath. This fear and second guessing your decision is normal right before surgery. I am one month out, and I had NO problems. I never used my pain pump in the hospital, didn't have gas pains I couldn't handle, and haven't had any problems since. No vomiting, nausea, sliming, BM problems...nothing. Everyone handles surgery differently, and it's not an easy thing, but every day it gets better and easier. Just remember why you chose to have the surgery and keep your focus on the end result, and I'm sure you will do great. Good luck!

A 40 lbs. since surgery itself in 2 months is great....I'd say anything over 3 lbs. a week average is great. And just remember, even if you do lose slower than you'd like, it's less loose skin you'll have at the end because it'll have more time to catch up so to speak. Good luck and keep it up.

You can add 2 tsp of sugar free jello or pudding mix to it to alter the taste. I've had chocolate with banana cream pudding; vanilla with orange jello; vanilla with lemon pudding; chocolate with raspberry jello. They were all pretty good...at least good enough. Gotta have some variety when you drink them daily.

Welcome Katie and good luck to you on your journey. It can be rough at times, but keep your eye on the prize and it'll all work out.

Hi all, I'm here. The positive train is coming. I have also seen many negative comments from those holier than thou, but that's just who they are and I try not to judge as we are all on our own paths to success and it's very much a spiritual journey, which unfortunately some people just can't handle well. I'd like to wish everyone the best of luck on their journey's and may you find peace and joy within your hearts in the end.

Y'all are too funny. Just go get yourself some extensions, do some dreads for the white bob marley look hehe

Any medical expenses including co-pays, deductibles, medications, and even miles for travel can be written off on taxes as long as they are a certain percentage (I think it's 7%) of your income. I've had to pay my full deductible + OOP for the last 2 years, plus all my meds and traveling over 100 miles ea. visit....so have qualified. It gives you a bit of a tax break, which is nice. But if you're going to do this, you need to keep all your receipts, or if you use the same pharmacy they can sometimes print you a yearly statement of what you've paid. I keep all my receipts in a folder for the entire year, then add them up. You'd be surprised how much you really spend when you add all those things up....think mine was over $10k last year alone due to my surgery.

My bill was 42k for everything, and my was done with the robot...BCBS allowed 26k. Luckily I only had to pay the rest of my OOP expense. It's extremely outrageous. I work in healthcare, and all hospitals/doctors charge huge fees then the insurance companies all have their own limits on what they will allow. Wouldn't it just be easier to actually bill out what they know the insurance companies will pay them back for??? After all, they can't go after anything above the allowable amount from the patient's anyway. And for people that don't have insurance, they can usually get their charges cut down to what they would normally get back from an insurance company if the patient is wiling to make a few phone calls. My friend had hip surgery and for some reason her insurance didn't pay for it due to referrals or being out of network or something, but anyway, she called the insurance to see how much they would've allowed if it was covered and then haggled with the hospital to get it lowered to that price. Saved her more than 1/2 the cost.

You look fabulous. WTG!

What a transformation....That is awesome.

Just breath, you will be fine. The first week or 2 is rough, but it gets easier. Just keep your eye on the prize and remember why you chose to have the surgery. Good luck and I hope you have a smooth and speedy recovery.

Zumba is a blast, I love it. Have fun with it, you might not be able to do alot but it'll get easier.

I saw this and had to share, cause I am so feeling this way today. Hit the dreaded 3 week stall....

I have a good BM about every other day....coffee helps me go every time.

Congratulations! Enjoy the ride, and I wish you a smooth and speedy recovery.

I'm right there with ya, but I'm not changing anything cause I know it's just my bodies way of catching up to the quick weight loss. It'll start up again...hopefully sooner than later. lol

So today I had my first follow up with the surgeon. I'm down 21 lbs. since day of surgery and he said I was doing exceptionally well considering I haven't had any pain, vomiting, nausea, BM issues, or problems with what I've eaten so far. So I've been told I should make some goals that I hope to meet with help of the sleeve. I honestly don't have many, but here are a few. 1. To not be a diabetic (met 12/20, was released from hospital off my medication) 2. To be below 248 lbs. (that will be the lowest I've been since 2000) 3. To be below 200 lbs. by my 42nd birthday. 4. To ride a horse, without feeling like I'll break it's back. lol 5. To go to an amusement park and ride all the rides I haven't been able to. That's about it. I guess now I need to figure out what rewards I want to give myself when I meet these goals. Not that meeting them isn't a reward in itself.

That feeling will go away when you can actually eat solid food. You will feel much more restricted, so don't overdo it cause you don't want to get sick.

You should be getting 8 oz. an hour, 2 oz. every 15 minutes. Good luck.

They recommend no alcohol for a year, at least my Dr. does. Don't bother me though, I was never a big drinker.

Congrats to both of you. See on the flip side. Wishing you both a quick and smooth recovery.

You can always find a different surgeon. All the things you've done that your insurance requires can still be used. If you're not happy now, how will you feel following the surgery if you were to have a problem? Hope everything works out for you. Good luck!