LumpySpacePrincess

Hello! I'm a little over halfway to my goal, and now is the time I want to start thinking about the possibility of plastics in the future. I am looking for recommendations for plastic surgeons in the Bergen County NJ/NYC/Westchester area that you have had good experience with. I will be looking for a panni (no tummy tuck, just skin/fat removal), maybe a little bit of lipo on my legs, breast lift/reshape (no implants), and possibly a thigh lift. I'd also like to get a lower eyelid lift to get rid of my dark circles, but that's optional. Also, not to be TMI but is lipo on the pubic mound a thing?? If so, I might consider that also. I am starting to look now because I want to be prepared for the price when I'm ready to go into this. I'm hoping I won't need it, but in case I do, I'd like to have all the info I can! Thank you in advance!!

That's really fantastic!!! You'll be there in no time!

I lost weight the first week post-op and haven't stopped since! Weight loss should be fairly immediate with the greatest losses in the first month and then slowly tapering off to a somewhat steady, lower rate of loss after that. I lose 3 pounds per week and I'm 4 months out. In terms of "seeing" the weight loss in physical appearance, people didn't really start to notice until I had lost about 75 pounds. I'm down to 219 and I'm just now starting to see it in myself.

(I don't have bipolar, but I am in a PhD program for Psychology so I can share some of my knowledge with you. ) I would definitely call your psychiatrist as soon as you can. Let them know what is going on and see if they want you to come in for an appointment. You will probably need a medication adjustment. DO keep taking the dose you are prescribed until you see your psychiatrist. Don't increase or decrease until they see you. In the meantime, try to see if you can write down any new symptoms or issues that have been occurring or anything that is bothering you. Handing your doctor or therapist a list or outline of what you are experiencing is very helpful to them, and aides you so you don't have to remember everything when you get there. You will be OK. I'm sure its just a slight medication tweak that needs to happen.

You will feel the restriction when you get to chunky foods. I thought I was doing something wrong at first, too, because I wouldn't get full. Now I get full very fast! Just stay within your surgeon's volume guidelines and you'll be fine. When in doubt, undereat your sleeve.

I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced fullness and popping sounds in one or both ears since surgery? Seems my right ear has lost its ability to regulate pressure, and I get the fullness, a little bit of hearing loss (not significant but annoying) and an unsteady popping sensation in my ear. Just curious if this might be an effect of anaesthesia??

I have to respectfully disagree with #5. sleeping in your exercise gear sounds obsessive and mildly dysfunctional on a psychological level. If you did that, and did not get up to exercise, there is likely to be an increased amount of shame, anxiety, or guilt over not following through right away. Seems like that would push you back into the "What's the point?" mentality a lot of us have had in the past when we "fail." To be honest, the biggest thing anyone can do to help them during this process is to speak to a therapist about their eating issues. As much as we would not like to admit it, none of us got to where we are because we have a healthy, non-dysfunctional relationship with food. Short term changes are relatively easy, but the long-term changes we need to make are extremely difficult without professional support. The second most important thing is to stop putting moral labels on food. No food is "clean" or "good" or "bad." It just is. By putting those labels on different foods, you are giving the food the power to dictate how you will view yourself for the day. If you didn't "eat clean" does that make you a dirty person? You may not say it to yourself outright, but I'll bet anything you'll be thinking that in some form. When food stops being a moral choice, and simply a nutritional choice, we stop giving food control over our lives and start controlling the food.

It really depends on the psychologist. Some will just have you sit down at a computer and take a questionnaire about your past diet and eating habits, some will interview you with simple questions like what you think you'll get out of the surgery, do you have any unresolved eating disorders, etc. They'll ask you questions about your eating patterns. I've never heard of anyone not getting a positive letter from the psychologist. I had a known eating disorder when I went into surgery, but because my therapist wrote my letter and explained that I was in treatment for it, it wasn't a problem. You'll be just fine!

I'm just a little more than halfway to my goal, and as with any life change, the relationships around me have started to change. I knew this was going to happen in some way, but it has come up for me in a way I didn't expect. I love my boyfriend. He is my best friend and I can't imagine wanting to spend my life with anyone else. However, the thing is...now I don't want to spend my life with anyone! I have noticed increasing thoughts about just wanting to not be in any kind of romantic relationship at all. I used to enjoy sleeping next to my boyfriend, but now I relish the times when he doesn't stay over and I can be alone. I used to like having him here in the morning, and now I look forward to an empty house where I can sit in the quiet alone. I have never wanted to be alone before, even when I was a kid I would rather hang out with people who didn't like me than be alone. Now I find I can't get enough alone time. I know a lot of relationships change as people start to think differently about their partner, but I'm wondering how many others just decided they didn't want a partner at all and wanted to be alone?

Yes, I was one of those people who thought I was failing at this for the first month and a half. But trust me, you won't fail at this as long as you are staying in your portion guidelines. It doesn't seem like much at first, but after three or four months you will see how far you've come! It adds up really fast! My biggest advice to you is not to weigh all the time. When we see only very small changes weighing every day, like 0.2 pounds, we can get really discouraged and its very hard to see just how quickly it adds up. "Ugh, ONLY another pound?" as opposed to "Wow, I lost 6 pounds in two weeks!" Don't know about you, but I'd rather see a 6 pound drop every few weeks than 0.2 pounds every morning! You WILL get through this and you WILL be successful!!!

I was sleeved just a few weeks before you and my NUT says I shouldn't be taking in more than 800 calories per day max. I know that sounds rough, but its not that bad. I would reduce your calories by at least 1000 per day and cycle them throughout the week so you have some days that are significantly lower than your highest calorie day. I usually do roughly 500, 700, 900 then repeat. Its how I've avoided any weight loss stalls during this process and I lose a steady 3 pounds per week.

Do you mean the Bypass instead of the Duodenal Switch? As far as I was told, they will only do DS if other surgeries have failed in the past. Its like a last ditch effort because it is so extreme. At your weight, I'd highly recommend the sleeve. I had it four months ago and I've gone from 315 to 221. With the sleeve you'd probably hit your goal weight in well under 9 months with fewer complications and side effects. The sleeve also has fewer nutritional deficiencies long-term and fewer complications. Your surgeon will look at your medical history and recommend what they think is the best for you.

I have Binge Eating Disorder and Bulimia (exercise, not purging type), so I wanted something permanent and irreversible. The band just seemed like it would be too easy to give into my impulses. "Well, the holidays are coming up and I want to enjoy them. I've worked hard so lets let some Fluid out." I can see that going downhill for me very quickly. I think you've already made up your mind somewhat that the RNY is the way to go for you, but something is scaring you about it; something is holding you back. Instead of making a pros and cons about the surgical procedures, try writing down your thoughts about each. Be really honest about what you would like about each procedure and then see if those reasons are really going to lead you to the result you want in the future. Take into account the medical advice you've been given. Good luck and let us know what you decide!

I've been wondering the same thing! I've lost 94 pounds and my formerly DDD breasts are now just tube socks with rocks! I am looking forward to having a reduction and reshaping, but definitely would be happy with even a B cup! Seriously, tits just get in the way of everything! haha

I got the sleeve because I didn't want to change the way my digestive system functions, but just make my stomach smaller so I can eat less. There is no malabsorption with the sleeve, and less risk of dumping. I also know an entire family of people who are at risk for an aggressive form of hereditary stomach cancer, so they all opted to have their stomachs removed quite a few years ago and they are doing just fine without it. That gave me hope that I would be able to live a normal life after the sleeve, and four months post-op I can say that I am living a normal life. Sometimes I even forget my sleeve is there! I feel like my old self, just not able to eat as much.

My boyfriend sounds like your husband. He's always been very, very skinny but eats enough for three people in one sitting. I can share with you what I've learned over the last year. Eating habits become bonding habits between people who eat together frequently. I had no idea how much my eating disorder had impacted my boyfriend until I looked back at pictures of us from the summer and realized how much weight we'd both gained. Since I have changed my eating habits, the ones I left behind and that my boyfriend still holds by become glaringly obvious. Its like we are watching a different version of ourselves and all you want to do now is say "Stop! I know what you're doing to yourself and its awful and you will regret this later!" The problem is, this doesn't really work, because when we changed our habits after surgery, the food bond we formed with these people was broken. Although we were prepared to break our bond with food, we don't often think about how cutting off that bond will affect the other half of the pair. They cling to the food because its the only part of the bond left that they can grab onto and keep familiar. Its something they will have to work out in their own time. In essence, we taught our partners how to eat to cover up emotions in many situations, and now that's how they cope, just like we did. Its not intentional, but it happens. Instead of addressing the food issue with my boyfriend head-on, I started making up activities that we can do together, out of the house, that have nothing to do with food. Over the last few months, he has slowly started to break away from the food for bonding and gets more excited about just being with me. Food is oftentimes an integral part of relationships, and when that component is no longer there, we have to find something else to replace it to keep that bond alive with our significant others so they don't also turn to food.

I spontaneously grew a few skin tags after surgery, so I think skin problems are probably normal. That said, I want to thank you for teaching me this term! I have a small patch of this under my chin and have been looking for YEARS for a name for it or a treatment, and after looking up keratosis pilaris, I now know what to look for! Thank you!!!!

Perfectly normal. They had to cut through your abdominal wall to get to your stomach and it takes a long time to rebuild those muscles back to the way there were pre-op. I was told no abdominal exercises for 8 weeks, and even then only gentle exercises for a few weeks after that. If you push it too much, you'll delay the healing process. Let your stomach rest and in a few weeks you'll be fine.

I experienced the same thing at 6 days out. Suddenly I could fit a lot of liquid in! Its normal, your stomach is healing and the swelling is going down. My surgeon told me not to worry about stretching the stomach until at least a year out, and that liquids don't usually have the ability to stretch the sleeve unless you are drinking and eating solids at the same time. You're just fine!

I see a therapist for this. Well, I have Binge Eating Disorder, but the emotional connection to food before surgery was extremely strong! I don't think I could have gotten through surgery and these last four months post-op without therapy. I notice you live in New York. I live in New Jersey, and if you'd like help finding a therapist who specializes in eating behaviors, please let me know! I can give you some fantastic references!

I had these for years. Mine cramps were so bad they went from the bottoms of my feet to my hips, and my toes would actually curl into the bottom of my feet! The biggest help I can tell you is to drink a Powerade Zero before bed. It has electrolytes in it that will help balance potassium (which as others have said may be an issue). Static stretching of the calf muscles and ankle circles before bed will also help increase blood flow to the area and reduce the chance of more muscle spasms or tightness.

I didn't have them (BCBSNJ) as my provider, but I do remember the coordinator at my surgeon's office tell me they have a maximum of 30 days to review each case and make a decision, but most cases come back within 7-10 business days. She also told me they're really big on approvals right now so I'll keep my fingers crossed for you!!!

Wow, our surgeries were on the same date (Nov 25 2013!) and we're on the same...schedule! I go through this every month, but to be honest, I don't really give it too much thought unless I find myself eating too frequently. Last night I had one serving of chocolate filled wafer rolls and that satisfied me. Last month I ate a small bag of chips and a couple of Cookies the week before my period. I usually get the munchies the week before and just tell myself its normal and let it go. It hasn't seemed to have a negative impact on my losses at all; still going down a steady 3 pounds per week. I do have some guidelines for myself during these times, though. I allow myself any kind of snack I want as long as the meals I have that day are nutrient and Protein dense. This is something that we will have to deal with until menopause so no need to torture ourselves over it. As long as you keep your calories in check, it would be really difficult to gain actual fat during a few days of increased eating. I do know a couple of women who asked their surgeon for an appetite suppressant to take a few days a month. One of them is on Phentermine (one pill, three days per month max) and she says it helps keep her on track. It will pass, and next week you'll be back in your groove!

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I do see a therapist every Saturday and she and I have talked about these issues. I don't think its depression; I have battled with depression since the age of 3 and this feels completely different. I'm not sad or upset or not wanting to be around anyone at all, I just don't want to be in a romantic relationship. I still love hanging out with my friends, I just am, for the first time, enjoying being with just myself.

Honestly, I would do it. I haven't lost all my weight either, but if my insurance wanted to cover it I'd be on the table tomorrow! Are there maybe some emotions attached to the idea of not having your pannus anymore that are making you re-think it the procedure?