MichiganChic

You look wonderful! Congratulations!

I hope you are on the end of that infection. It really did make it easier once I had that cleared up. I felt like I couldn't get on with things....even though I was. It was just a constant worry and/or irritation. My abscess felt like a baseball in there, and was about that size. Yours might heal quicker because you had a drain right away and you had IV antibiotics. I probably needed one right from the start, but I think my doc underestimated just how bad it was. Either way, I'm better now and you will be too, hopefully really soon! Let me know how it goes.

I had one in the incision they pulled my stomach out through. It started getting red about 5 days post op. I met my doc in the ER, and he had to open and drain it. I got antibioitics, and it drained a lot, then closed up in about 7 days. It then opened up about a week later and drained, I went to the office, and they opened it up with silver nitrated, and it drained a lot and my skin closed up again. I didn't think the infection was gone, so I went back in and he cut it open, put a small drain in to keep it open. I got that out a week later, and my skin healed up in a couple days. That whole process took about 7 weeks. It was unpleasant, but as far as complications go, not that bad. It really needs to heal from the inside out, but skin kept healing over. If the wound were bigger, I would have packed it to keep it open until the inside healed (I'm a nurse), but the wound was just too small. Hope your heals up quickly and that you do well! What's going on with you?

Seems like it might be a slider food to me.

I can see it, too! Congratulations!

I feel the same way, which is why I didn't tell anyone I was having surgery. I want to fly under the radar, but it's impossible. I work in a hospital and interact with lots of people all over every day. I appreciate the compliments, but I wish people could just say "you look great", take a polite thanks, and move on. They all want to know the magic secret. I feel like if they knew I had WLS, they would be scrutinizing me even more. I'm looking forward to the day it's history, and they get used to looking a thin me. Oh - and I REALLY hate it when they say "you are losing weight" as a statement of fact. That's not even a compliment, I consider it a judgement. I've started not responding to that one, lol. Maybe next time I should say something sarcastic, like 'you aren't losing weight". Just kidding, I know most people have good intentions, but it does wear me out some days!

Sannah, Just wanted to stop by and say hi, and let you know I'm thinking of you! I stop in to catch up on your progress, and I remain impressed with your positive approach. It really will make the difference, and when you get to the wellness side you so desire and deserve, you'll look back on this and know how strong you are. Such an excellent role model for your daughter. xo Teri

I could have written that, so I do know that fear. I have been doing really well, but lately I can eat a lot more than I could a month ago. I also know that I'm about 10 weeks post op, and I rarely was able to do well on a diet longer than this. I worry that I'll always be one who just "sticks something in my mouth". It would be super easy to do! There is no way this surgery will work for me without ME doing the work. I read that some people on here will lose no matter what, but I know for me, that's not the case. Thanks for the honest post.

In my opinion, if you are following the rules of the sleeve like protien, hydration, no snacking, calories, exercise, etc., then you are doing all you can, and time is your friend. I think if you are truly doing the right things, there is nothing we can do impact it. Just my opinion.

I have a cupe every day (sometimes 2 on weekends) in the morning. I drink it fully caffienated and black. I knew I wasn't giving that up indefinately. They wanted us to wait at least 4 months - I think I made it about 5 weeks. I have no problems with it.....except I drink it pretty hot, and I can feel it in my upper intestines! I think it just runs straight through my stomach.

I am almost 10 weeks out, and I take ibuprophen. My doc cleared me to take it at about 8 weeks. It was one of the major reasons I didn't want the RNY - those patients can never take it due to risk of ulcers at the anastomosis site. However, I would not take it until your doc says to.

HI Carol - congratulations on your success! Half way to goal has to feel great! I was lucky that I didn't have a waiting period and my insurance covered the procedure. My first seminar was early October and my surgery was December 19. I'm glad I did it, and looking forward to losing lots more!

Yay, YOU! Congratulations!

I had a similar thing happen in my organization - I told my boss and not HR, yet the VP of HR said "heard you that surgery". I was astounded. The next day she sent me an email to apologize, but I'm still mad. That's why they call it PHI (protected health information)!!

So sorry to hear this! Sending good thoughts your way, let us know how you do.

You look WONDERFUL! Congratualtions! How long did it tiake?

I was very out of shape, but I could walk, so that's what I did. Started with about 30 minutes a day, worked my way up. It used to take an hour to walk about 2.5 miles, now I'm up to nearly 4 miles in an hour. I didn't even realize I was going faster, but little by little, my endurance and strength improved. I still feel pretty out of shape, but no where near as bad as I was 8 weeks ago. I've also added some strength training to my routine. I think the key is doing the most you can without over doing it, and keep at it daily. Good luck

Good article, thank you for sharing.

Interestng article, thanks. I see that Ghrelin also enhances memory retention....hope I don't become forgetful or get Alzheimers....

I think if you are at or near the weight limit, it sometimes is not reliable. I've noticed mine used to give varying readings and I would take the one that came up the same two times in a row, lol. Since I'm down 50 pounds, I seem to be getting two identical readings right off the bat. Also, you can get unreliable readings if your scale is not on a level hard surface.

I'm 9 weeks, and I've noticed it, too. I can now eat about 6 oz, or 3/4 of a cup, depending on what it is. But I was only able to tolerate 3-4 oz. I think it is the swelling decreasing, and we are healing. I think it's headed more toward the normal of what our lives will become. I never push it to see just how much I could eat, because I don't like that full feeling. However, even being able to hold more, I'm still around 800 calories a day. That's great for the short run and rapid weight loss, but it's really not good for long term health. Also, if you read what the people who are more than 2 years out say, they all confirm they can eat more than at first, but still have restriction. They are also at goal...so I'm thinking we are good

I'm 8 weeks, and I finally quit worrying. The nurse at my docs office said they had 2 patients with leaks so they did a lot of research to figure out how to prevent it in the future. She said the research showed the first 3 weeks were most critical. My doc said you are pretty much healed by about 6 weeks, but fully, microscopically healed at 2 years. I do know they are very cautious with advancing the diet, and I can't eat things with seeds, no nuts, etc till about 6 months. If you look on the complications forum, you will find stories of people having complications many months out. This is a good question, but not sure there is a good answer.

Agree with the why from above posts, but thought I also add the how. I've been getting my calcium citrate from a variety of sources. I'm supposed to have 1500 mg in divided doses (you can't absorb it all at once). So I take two citrical petite, 400 mg each (much easier to swallow), one Bariatric advantage chewable, 250 mg, after lunch, and one Calcet Chewy bite, 500 mg after dinner. Having a couple of the chewables is like a treat, but the pills are more portable and efficient. There is a slow release citrical on the market, but sadly, it's not all calcium citrate. That would have been so much easier!

Exercise will help keep your metabolism up. And nothing will prevent stalls, sadly.

I didn't want malabsorption, and I didn't like rerouting my intestines. I also wanted to be able to take NSAIDS if I needed them. Statistically, RNY results in about 10% more loss of excess weight, but you can lose 100% of excess weight with either surgery if you work at it.