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How about your daughters asking their OB/Gyn if their PCP isn't cooperative. I had my biannual pap about a month after my VSG and I told her all about it. She volunteered to set up any lab work I needed. Also, are there ever any health fairs in your area? Our local hospital has them once or twice a year and offer discounted wellness blood work. OCC has a list of recommended labs, so maybe you could ask for "add on" tests when getting a wellness check.

I actually had the dual challenge of not only not stress eating, but also stress drinking. I used to have a large (or 2 or 3) cocktails everyday after work. Most of my social activities involved drinking, too. I don't have a magic formula as to how I stopped, I just did. I still have shitty days at work and I still have emotional issues in my private life, I just don't drink or eat my way through them anymore. Surprisingly, learning how to celebrate the good things without food and alcohol was just as hard. I read Cynthia's book, too, and that did help get my head in the right place. And I realized after a few times of not drinking and binge eating when I wanted to that the world was not going to come crashing down. Dealing with life without my crutches has gotten easier as time goes on. And as for socializing, I still do eat and drink at parties, it's just in extreme moderation.

I had my surgery 10 months ago with Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez at Obesity Control Center in TJ. My experience on a scale of 1 to 10 was a 9. It would have been a 10 if I could have stayed longer because I was having such a good time with my sister. I paid around $7200 for surgery, plane tickets, postop meds, and 4 nights at the Marriott for me and my sister. And yes, they oversew the staple line.

I took my own hydrocodone as well as tramadol to Mexico just in case and never had a problem. There shouldn't be any problem if your meds are in their original RX bottles in your name.

I'm not sure what I received IV, but I never really had any postop pain. I was sent home with sublingual ketorolac (an NSAID) but only took it for 3 days to help with the inflammation in my new sleeve....makes it easier to eat/drink if your tummy's not so swollen. Basically I just felt like I had done a zillion sit-ups and had some mild cramping from the drain, but certainly nothing that required narcotics. (I brought my own hydrocodone and tramadol just in case, too)

@@Domawa Totally normal, they pumped you full of fluids and your body is swollen from surgery. You are also starving your body so it's holding on to everything it can. I gained, too and It took a week and a half to get back down to my surgery day weight. It has NOTHING to do with your overall success. Just trust the process and stay off the scale for a month or two.

@@sleeve 4 me. I am 10 months out and at my lowest weight (-100 pounds and 12 pounds below goal) But here are my weight "gains" since VSG.... Gained at least 5 pounds immediately post op. Took 11 days to get back to my surgery day weight. Gained 3 pounds at 6 weeks out for no apparent reason, stalled for a month and then continued to lose. Gained 11 pounds in 1 day at 2 1/2 months out after receiving IV fluids when I was severely dehydrated from diarrhea due to a clostridium infection. Gained 4 pounds on vacation at 9 1/2 months out. (Probably water weight from all the alcohol I drank) Dropped those 4 pounds plus 1 extra within 10 days of returning home. Not sure if this is what you were looking for.

As I approached goal, I added more fat (1% or 2% milk instead of skim, full fat yogurt and cottage cheese, 1/2 and 1/2 in my coffee, avocados, Peanut Butter instead of PB2, lots of nuts, etc) and more healthy carbs (lots of fruit, whole grain bars, whole grain cereals, bread, starchy veggies like corn, potatoes and yams). I make sure I still get my 60g Protein and 64oz Fluid everyday. I didn't stop losing completely since I'm 12 pounds under goal, but I slowed my loss to only 10 pounds in the last 3 months. I figure our bodies will stop losing when we find our new normal balance. I am able to eat a lot more now than I could at 6 months out, so you might, too. And it will be easier to stop losing once you can eat more.

I had no hair loss at all. This could be a good poll for Alex to post.

I added unflavored protein powder to every cream soup and bisque I could find. I diluted and strained them to eat during my full liquid stage and just blended but skipped the straining during pureed stage. I also ate a lot of split pea soup and bean soups ...both of which I've always loved. Huevos rancheros (refried beans, cottage cheese, soft scrambled egg and green chili sauce) was my favorite pureed meal. Ate lots of homemade guacamole, too.

@@jjinWA you are definitely in a rare position to be able to compare apples to apples. I'm sure everything will go well and can't wait to hear your critique!

Oh yeah, edamame, roasted soy nuts and pumpkin seeds, too.

You're right, when I tell people about my surgery, they get a double whammy. Not only did I have WLS , but I had it in Mexico! It's kind of funny to watch the shock on their faces. Ironically, my parents were more concerned about the surgery part than the Mexico part because my aunt and uncle have travelled to Mexico for years for medical and dental care. And my mom has had her share of dealing with incompetent US doctors. By being open about my surgery, I've had many opportunities to dispel many myths about both WLS and medical care in Mexico. My OB/Gyn was so impressed she has recommended my surgeon to other patients. Even my skeptical PCP acknowledges I made a good choice. And I know at least one of my client's friends had VSG in Mexico after hearing how safe it actually is.

I usually don't have time for breakfast and I don't get a lunch break, so I basically graze all day until my first meal in the evening. My go to's are mixed nuts with craisins (sorry Bufflehead, but I eat tons of nuts), beef and turkey Jerky (very filling), Protein smoothies, protein bars, raw veggies with cheese dip (Asiago artichoke is my favorite), popcorn, apples with Peanut Butter (I used PB2 until I reached goal), Plain Greek yogurt flavored with Protein Powder, and cheese and bagel crips. If I'm feeling like a snack but I know I'm not really hungry, I make myself drink at least 16oz of Water first. By then I'm usually over the snack cravings.

Odds are you will stall at some point. But it sounds like you are mentally prepared to roll with it. I skipped the 3 week stall (at least I think I did, I never weighed very often early on). But I hit a month long stall at 6 weeks out. In fact, I gained 3 pounds, but dropped a whole pant size in that month. Just goes to show the numbers are irrelevent. Good for you on your company WLS policy! I am self employed and there are no individual plans available in my state that cover WLS so I went self pay to Mexico. At least I had a big medical deduction on my Schedule A last year!

Good for you! That's what I did, too. I don't even have a scale at home. The only stall I knew about was one that last a month between weeks 6 and 10. I was sick with a clostridium infection and was a the doctor 4 times that month. If it werent for that I never would have known about the stall because I dropped a whole pant size in that month. The only thing you should be concerned with at this point is staying hydrated, get in you Protein and learnings how to make healthy choices. You don't need a scale to judge your success.

It's called the 3 week stall and everyone has them. Its famous. Do a search for stalls on here or better yet, check out the sub forum "don't sweat the stall stuff". There are so many posts from newbies about the same old stalls thatAlex created a forum just for you. But my best advice is just stick with the plan, enjoy the journey and STAY OFF THE SCALE!

My insurance doesn't cover WLS at all. In fact, there are absolutely no individual plans available in my state that include WLS. I found an incredible qualified and experienced surgeon at an International Center of Excellence and had my VSG in Mexico. A fraction of US cost, excellent care, painless, complication free recovery, and currently maintaining below goal 10 months later.

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It's called the 3 week stall. It's famous. Do a search for stalls or better yet visit the sub forum "Don't sweat the Stall Stuff". There are so many posts about them from newbies that Alex created a whole forum just for you.

Thanks @@BitterSweet and @@Tanya Gif. My opinion isn't always popular on here, so I'm glad I have helped at least a little. Bittersweet, I'm so excited for you and know everything will go fantastic. Tanya gif, Unfortunately gallstones don't just go away on their own. I actually didn't have my attacks until I already lost 90% of my weight. Looking back now I wish I'd had my gallbladder removed at the time of VSG. I did consider it and Dr. Ortiz would have done it for just $500. At the very least, I guess I should have had my PCP Rx ursodial to try and help prevent the sludge/stones from forming. Once formed, the ursodial takes years, if ever, to dissolve them. And even more unfortunately, the price of ursodial has recently skyrocketed. Looks like I'm just a ticking time bomb for now. Keep us posted on how things progress with you.

I finally felt normal about 3-4 months out. But I would not trade any minute of the whole thing because the results are more than worth it! Just be patient and know a few weeks or even months of unpleasantness is nothing compared to the wonderfullness of the rest of your life.

I really didn't think I'd do it. My goal was -88. I've been hovering right around -98-99 for awhile but wasn't trying to lose anymore. Then I went on a carb binge (ice cream, bread, muffins, chips, chocolate, Cookies, potatoes and LOTS of alcohol) while traveling to visit family and attend a conference and gained 4 pounds. I was totally OK with it, since I was still below goal. But after just 10 days back to my normal eating routine, I lost that 4 pounds plus 1 extra to hit the magic number 100. I'm not real big on the scale numbers, but this one does feel kinda cool

Definitely have it out at the time of VSG if there are any issues found. The part about having it out if there are no préexisting problems has met with debate. You have a 30% chance of developing gallstones from drastic weight loss postop. You and your surgeon should talk about it. Even with my current gallbladder issues and the indescribable pain of the attacks, I am delaying getting mine out because I have two family members that developed long term GI problems after they had there's removed. But it's really just a matter of time for me....

I ate spam in soft food stage. Basically ate any soft, high protein food. And yes it's high in sodium, but actually has less than the Campbell's bean and ham soup I ate.