LumpySpacePrincess

No, your surgery won't be delayed because of that. I was also Vitamin D deficient. My NUT told me that unless you live in a place that's really sunny year round, you're probably deficient. They'll just bump up your supplements before surgery. No worries!

Yes!! I wish I had thought of that! Honestly the only thing I really used were my phone and a change of underpants. Most of the time I was too groggy/thirsty to concentrate on anything for more than maybe a minute. But I was only in the hospital for 24 hours, discharged about 18 hours after surgery. I will say one thing..you will probably feel fantastic when you are still on the pain med drip. I felt good until about three hours after they took me off; heck I practically skipped out of the hospital I felt so good! It wasn't until I got in the car with all the jiggling that it got painful. So if you have a small travel pillow you can use to hold against your belly for the car ride home, it really helps!

I'm sorry you are going through such an awful time! The surgeon will probably want to give or increase any nausea medication you are on, and maybe double your Prilosec. Lots of sleevers have sleep issues the first few weeks after surgery, and the vomiting can be controlled, so don't lose hope!! A few more weeks and you'll be just fine.

Up until two weeks they told me nothing larger than an m&m. After that they said I could swallow anything. I still do chewable Calcium and Vitamins at 6 months out, though, because those are usually so large they get stuck frequently. Plus the Citracal gummy calcium are actually kind of good! lol

Most helpful thing for me was building a bed wedge so I could sleep in my own bed. I took a bunch of bed pillows and kind of built a half pyramid out of them, and covered them in a blanket so they wouldn't move around. This way I was able to replicate being in the inclined hospital bed. Every other day I'd remove one pillow to make it a bit lower until I was sleeping flat. I know a lot of people slept in recliners, but to me there's nothing like the feeling of being in your own bed!

I had surgery almost 6 months ago, and every time I start an exercise routine my weight loss slows down considerably and almost stops. If I have a week where I start a light fitness routine (10 minute cardio workout plus 10 minutes of strength) my losses go from 3 pounds per week to maybe 1 pound. If I stop working out and move less, my losses go back up to 3 pounds. Anyone else have this experience or have any idea why this might be? I'm not going to complain about not having to sweat my butt off to lose weight, but I do realize I need to do some toning exercises so I don't end up looking flabby when I get to goal.

We eat out of boredom because that boredom is actually a deprivation in some other area of our life. We eat to fill a hole when we can't figure out what should really go in that hole. If you take a few minutes to think about what you're actually feeling when you're bored, you can discover some amazing stuff. Are you really stressed out and avoiding an activity? Are you missing social interaction? Are we anxious about our weight loss? There are so many emotions running around in our heads during times like these, and if we take the time away from the food and actually sit back and think about what's going on, we can fix the problem instead of putting a food bandage over it. Just a little wisdom from someone recovering from binge eating disorder and bulimia!

Is it possible? Sure! But what happens when you have your first bite of real food after 5,6,7 months and it tastes so good that you can't stop yourself? I tend to over-restrict when I'm on a diet, which at some point will lead to an enormous binge when I finally do eat. My surgeon told me that we have to start eating solid food at two weeks out because if you don't, your digestive system gets all messed up and your stomach won't function properly. To give you a really grim example, I know a woman who was liberated from Auschwitz after the war. She said many people there had been living off some strange broth for months before the liberation came in. The soldiers made the mistake of giving some of these people their solid rations and many of them died within a couple of days from the shock to their system. Stomach cramps, diarrhea, irregular insulin production probably in there, too. So while its a good idea in theory to try to lose weight, it won't work in the long term.

I have the same goal! My birthday is June 16, and last time I weighed I was 208. I'm not weighing again until my birthday because I want it to be a surprise. Good luck!! I'm sure you'll have a great birthday when you see that 1 as the first number!!

I had them, and I got my approval in about 6 days. Longest 6 days of my life, but thrilling to hear I was approved at the end. Good luck!! Who is your surgeon?

At four months I was eating about 1/4 to 1/3 cup chunky foods, or about 6 ounces of things like yogurt and thick liquids or purees. At 5 months out, I can reasonably eat about 1/3 to 1/2 cup of chunkies and about 8 ounces of purees, but I always keep my portions to 1/2 cup, except for greek yogurt which my NUT told me to eat the full 8 ounces of. In terms of what I eat...well, the only things I don't eat are rice and Pasta because they fill me up too fast. I tend to try to stay away from breads and starchy veggies because they are sliders for me. I do occasionally have a treat, like Cookies, chips, etc, but I keep it to one single measured serving or less per week. I tend to lose at a steady rate even when I eat these things, but I know many people who can't; I consider myself lucky. I get in a single serving of veg per day, and try to get in a couple servings of fruit per week (apples mostly). I will usually cook up a big pot of something on the weekend and eat it three meals a day for almost a week. Last week was turkey chilli with beans; this week its Thai green curry with chicken and veggies. Next week I'm thinking low-fat beef stew or low carb spare ribs. The only other thing I eat daily without fail is the 1/2 cup of 2% milk I put in my Cappuccino in the morning.

Take some children's liquid tylenol and see if it helps the fever. If it does, then you're fine. If not, then I'd let your surgeon know.

It depends on the insurance. I had completed the 6 month diet before I even considered surgery. It was at the end of that 6 month diet monitoring that my doctor told me I needed surgery because I kept gaining weight. It didn't affect my insurance approval, it actually showed that I couldn't lose the weight on my own. If you are unsure, call the surgical coordinator at your surgeon's office. They are very knowledgable about what each insurance company is looking for and can help you.

I think it really depends on the people in your life. I told everyone I know via Facebook, and then called a few people on the phone and told them there as well. I have a ton of really supportive people in my life, and even the one or two who were skeptical I just ignored their comments. Now at 5 months out I can say everyone is happy I told them. I think a lot of people have reservations about telling others because they are afraid they will be seen as a failure at losing weight on their own. To me that's like saying someone who goes through chemotherapy is a failure at beating cancer on their own. You are doing the absolute best thing for yourself and you should be proud that you are taking the steps to regain your health and your life.

OK almost all of us have been through the hair loss stage after surgery. Right now I look like a reverse Bozo the Clown with no hair on the sides and tons on the top! But what about a sudden spurt of new hair growth in weird places? I'm suddenly growing a lot of hair...well, between my "cheeks". Like TONS of it. Am I the only one, or is this common?

Totally normal! At a month out, you'll be telling people this was the best thing you've ever done! Its scary at first, but wonderful as the months go on.

I'm down a little over 100 pounds, and even though I still have over 60 to go until my goal, I'm wondering if its time to think about a panni. When I lay down, you can easily see my ribcage, and my stomach fat and panni just kind of sit in this...hole on top. Or everything flops to one side all loose. For those who have gone through plastics, have I lost enough to be considered for a panni? I don't want a tummy tuck because my muscles under the fat are fine and firm. Did anyone pay out of pocket, and if so, what was the cost?? I am really eager to get this thing removed. It started growing when I was about 12 years old and never really shrinks. It feels like the fat isn't even attached to my body anymore, just kind of sitting inside this skin sack on my stomach. Thanks for the advice!!

I say go for the courthouse wedding and invite a few close friends out for dinner after. Weddings usually aren't for the bride and groom, but more to show off for everyone else. I will say that my first marriage sounds a lot like the setup (family problems etc) that yours is, and we would probably still be together if we had kept family out of it and just eloped. Instead the wedding turned into a big fiasco and years later his family still hates me because I didn't take his grandmother's advice on my hairstyle. Look at it this way: get married now because you want to be married. If you want a big party later, you can always hold a wedding to renew your vows. Take the money you'll save and have a really nice vacation, just the two of you!

I go to Red Lobster all the time and order the steamed crab legs. Crab is really low in calories but high in Protein and goes down so smooth. I almost ate one of the biscuits once, until I saw that a single biscuit is 150 calories! EEk! Maybe when I hit goal, but that's just too much for me!

My brother does this since his wife is highly allergic to wheat. They use a Zyliss Julienne Peeler and just shred the zucchini that way. Its really cheap but a great tool for all sorts of things! Just a tip, you only need to toss the zucchini into hot Water for a few seconds for it to cook. It can get mushy fast!

Try Kiyonna plus sizes. They have dresses with sleeves that are very fashionable! I bought one for a wedding back in February and loved it!

You probably would be fine to go to your own place, and most insurance will cover a visiting nurse at least once. I was up and around doing chores the day after, albeit slowly and pausing a lot. I was back to normal by day 5, just a little more tired. The air mattress would be nearly impossible. Getting up and down off a floor is just not going to work. I'd be wary about staying with someone who thinks they have bedbugs as well, because even if she doesn't have them, there's still a chance and you don't want to have to deal with dragging those back to your own place. Did your facility actually say that you can't come back there after surgery, or just that they can't be liable for anything that happens? You might still be able to go home, they just won't be able to have people monitor you. Honestly, though, you probably won't need it.

People who have never been obese will never understand that its not just eating less and moving more. They don't understand the complex metabolic problems we go through, the disordered eating patterns and thoughts surrounding food. They don't understand because they've never had to learn about it, and probably never will. Rest assured that if she had been in our position, she would be looking into surgery as well. I don't think people try to be offensive, I just think they truly don't understand.

Yeah, I think you just have to maintain your weight, not lose. But now would be a fantastic time to start using the tools a lot of us post-op'ers utilize, like calorie trackers (my favorite is sparkpeople.com) and your BMR calculator to figure out how many calories you can eat to lose or maintain. Track your calories every day to make sure you don't go over your BMR. Again, you don't have to lose, just maintain your weight! I know its frustrating, but it will all be worth it in the end...I promise!

Starting to, yes! Our hormones are finally back in balance!! Being obese suppresses so many hormones that are essential for healthy sexual functioning. Honestly,though, I don't know why you'd be here reading this when you could be gettin' some! lol