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I had a similar recovery as Cody's mom. Traveling, shopping, laundry, Plowing my driveway, taking care of dogs and horses, etc within 5 days. Back to work at a very active job standing, squatting, bending, lifting, driving, etc at 7 days postop. I had to restrict myself to not lift more than 20 pounds for 3 weeks, but had no problems dealing with work. Just made sure I had plenty of water and protein shakes since I was on full liquids for 18 days.

Yes. The instrument used clamps, cuts and staples in one action. Some surgeons will also oversew with absorbable or nonabsorbable suture, and some will use a tissue glue over the staple line, but the staples are always used.

I have SO MANY favorites... Premier chocolate with 10oz milk and 1/2 banana 1/2 Premier strawberry and 1/2 Muscle Milk banana Syntrax Matrix vanilla with PB2 Muscle Milk Cake Batter with Torani pumpkin Pie syrup 1/2 Syntrax nectar cherry and 1/2 Syntrax Nectar Lemonade Muscle Milk Red Velvet Cake with Torani caramel syrup Syntrax Matrix vanilla with Mio tangerine flavor drops Syntrax Matrix vanilla with pureed peaches Syntrax Nectar peach with OJ Premier chocolate with Torani hazelnut syrup I could fill the page..... No end to the yummy flavors you can create.

Call your doctor. I got watery green diarrhea at 6 weeks post and it turned out to be a C. Diff infection. Took 6 weeks of antibiotics and finally a fecal transplant to get rid of. And if it's not an infection, your doctor can Rx a treatment plan. Long term diarrhea is never good and you can get dehydrated easily (I needed IV fluids 3 times when I had it)

Congrats! I finished all of the Meds except the pain pills because I didn't really need those. I kept the extras to have on hand and in fact, took them for a back ache a couple months postop. I was never nauseous, but took the anti nausea pills anyways because the way they work is to increase GI contractions and decrease transit time. Makes eating/drinking easier because things aren't just sitting there. And definitely take the antacids for the full two months. I actually finished them, then weaned down to the 20mg OTC a strength for a couple weeks before stopping altogether. (As per Dr. So's advice). Only time will tell if you have any long term GERD issues. I still take Rolaids occasionally when I get a sour tummy or eat something a little irritating or drink too much coffee. As for drinking, it's really hard to meet goals in the beginning. I was getting in about 30-40 oz that first week. It was the general consensus on the van ride back to San Diego that we would NEVER be able to drink 64oz in a day! But eventually you can. Just keep a water bottle with you at all times and sip as much as you can tolerate.

I have fine, thin, very slow growing hair. At 10 months out I have had no hair loss. My "secrets"?....I've always gotten in all my Protein and I take a whole food based Multivitamin. I was mentally and emotionally in a great place throughout this process. I never stressed over the preop diet, the postop diet, the surgery itself, or any of the stalls or BM issues I experienced. Never took Biotin or used other hair products. But really I have no idea if anything makes a difference. After reading dozens of posts on this subject I really think it's just how your body deals with the stress of surgery and weight loss. Pretty much just a crap shoot.

I included everything related to surgery on my schedule A last year...including travel expenses. But like jersrose said, I could only deduct the part that was over 10% of my adjusted gross income.

The staples in your sleeve stay forever. Healing is going to vary, but I've heard everything from 2 to 6 months. It was about 4 months before I felt "normal" as far as sleeve sensitivity and tolerance goes.

Just stick with the program. It does and will work. I was only down 17 pounds at 7 weeks postop. Look at me now...11 pounds under goal. I never once whined or complained about my slow loss. I was just happy to be losing. If you can't stop comparing yourself to others or giving yourself unrealistic expectations, then stay off the scale. You didn't gain all your weight in a couple months and you sure aren't going to lose it all in a couple months. Seriously, just eat smart, concentrate on protein and water, relax and enjoy the journey.

I have loose saggy skin on my thighs and butt more than anywhere else. It hasn't migrated to my calves and ankles, though. The sagginess in my face, neck, arms and tummy firmed up pretty well, but not from the waist down. Of course that's where I carried most of my weight the longest, so I'm not surprised. I will never look good in shorts or a skirt, no matter how much I lose. Good thing I live in the mountains where it's only above 80 maybe 2-3 weeks out of the year.

No gas pain or surgical pain or incision pain. A little cramping from the drain and some uncomfortable bloatiness for a couple weeks. Took GasX but never any pain Meds. Out walking and shopping from the day after surgery. Traveling, more shopping, plowing snow and back to work all within first week.

Geez, 200 days sick time? I am partners in a small business so no such thing as paid time off for ANYTHING. No work=no income. I scheduled my surgery to take advantage of weekends and Christmas so I only had to miss 4 days. You guys are very lucky to have so many benefit options.

Jamie, don't get discouraged. At 7 weeks out I was only down 17 pounds. And then I actually gained 3 pounds and stalled for a month. I was nauseous from a medication I was taking so I know my calorie and Water intake was pretty low. I've never counted calories or measured or tracked, so I can't give you numbers. But as soon as I stopped the med I probably doubled my food and water intake and started losing again. As for exercise, I haven't done any formal program or ever gone to the gym. Just stick with the plan, relax, and don't worry about your rate of loss. You will lose at your own pace and actually slower is healthier. My slow start certainly isn't a reflection of my overall success.

I gained 3 pounds at 6 weeks out for no particular reason. And then stayed there for a month. It was my first (but not last) stall. I was actually very nauseous from an antibiotic I was taking most of that time and was not eating and drinking as much as I should have. At around 10 weeks I started feeling better, pretty much doubled my calorie and Water intake and lost 8 pounds in 1 week! And yes, excersise can cause you to retain Fluid which will definitely affect your daily weight. I had to get IV fluids for dehydration 3 times during that month I was stalled because of serious diarrhea. During the worst episode I gained 11 pounds in 24 hours from replenishing fluids. Best 11 pounds I ever gained....being dehydrated sucks.

WLS is excluded in a lot of policies. Employers can opt out of including it. States can also opt to exclude WLS in the individual policies offered through the affordable health care act. (Mine does). No

At almost 10 months, I still have a Protein smoothie almost everyday. My reasoning is as follows.... 1) since I don't measure or track anything, I seriously don't know how much protein I'm getting. One of my smoothies is 30-40g protein so I don't worry that I am getting at least another 20-30g from regular food to meet goals. 2) by assuring the protein intake from the smoothies, I am free to eat a more balanced diet which includes fruits, veggies and whole grains. I still include protein in my meals, but I always leave room for the other stuff. 3) I drink them over 1-2 hours in between appointments at work which satisfies my urges to snack through the day. 4) besides the protein, I am getting 24-32oz of my daily Fluid requirement 5) I mix my insoluble Fiber supplement in my protein smoothie, and believe me, this is a necessity for business on the "other end" And as for protein bars, I always have one handy because I rarely have time for Breakfast and I don't get a lunch break, so they are easy Meal Replacements. I also include whole grain and fiber bars in my list of acceptable Snacks or meal replacements.

I pay $3600/year for my health insurance. Thanks to Obamacare that is a lot more than I used to pay, much less coverage and a higher deductible than before insurance became so "affordable". And unfortunately the state I live in opted out of WLS under the ACA, so despite my insane premium, I was on my own for this surgery. I took all the money I had been saving for two years for a down payment on a new truck, put about $1000 on a credit card, and headed to Mexico. 10 months later I happily drive my 15 year old truck to work everyday. Money WELL spent!

I have a pretty physical job...bending, standing, squatting, lifting, holding, and driving all day. I went back after 7 days. That first week was a short week because of New Years, so that helped. Back to 40-50hour work weeks at 14 days out. I was a little fatigued but really had no problems....just made sure I brought plenty to drink since I was still on full liquids. I had a 20 pound lifting restriction for 3 weeks, but cheated a little by lifting a 60 pound dog after 18 days. No issues at all after the weight restrictions were lifted. In fact, had to pull double duty at 4 weeks because my partner had a hysterectomy with an 8 pound lifting restriction for 6 weeks! 2 weeks should be fine, especially if you have a desk job.

I had surgery at OCC in TJ. I was the last surgery of the day, around 2pm and my sister hung out before and during surgery, but didn't stay overnight. I was pretty out of it and barely remember her being there as I was waking up. I Facetimed with her around 9pm once I was a little more coherent. She came back around 8am the next day to go back to the hotel with me. I had no problems being alone. Got up and walked and peed fine by myself. The nurse was attentive to anything I needed. Basically just dozed and watched TV all night. My sister was much better off getting a good night's sleep at the hotel.

Actually, as per my OR report I got from OCC, they close the skin with 5-0 monocryl sub dermal sutures and then dermabond. So there's no stitches to take out...they just dissolve on their own. And likejamie said, steri strip on the drain hole once pull its. I showered like normal (just tried to keep the drain bandage dry) the day after surgery.

Just went out of town and I forgot to weighin before I left yesterday. So no stats this week or next. Planning on pigging out on good old family favorites all week!

Went to Obesity Control Center in TJ. Paid about $7200 for surgery, airfare, preop bloodwork, cardiac and nutritional consult, 2 months meds, 1 night in hospital and 4 nights at Marriott for me and my sister.

Hey, soapbox away! But since i've had almost 20 abnormal PAPS with dysplastic tissue confirmed with biopsies, I don't think mine are false positives. Also, I've tested positive for HPV so we know that's the cause of the dysplasia . That's why I think my VSG surgery helped with this.....good nutrition=strong immune system=Ability to clear HPV=normal cervical cells. And you are right about the timing. After the first 1-2 abnormals we were always very careful about WHEN we did the PAPs. However, I did have an endometrial ablation at the same time as my conization, so I haven't had a period in years. Now it's impossible to time my PAPS because I have no idea when I'm mensturating. By far, the second best surgical procedure I've ever had (next to VSG). But a very close second!

Ditto the blender bottles. I have 3 and I use it to mix everything. No problems with clumping. Then I just take it with me and drink out of the bottle. Virtually no cleanup. And the fiber supplements I use are insoluable fiber so they settle out and it's nice to be able to shake it up in the bottle as I drink it.

Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Dr. Martinez performed my surgery at Obesity Control Center in TJ in December 2013. I had an easy recovery and am doing great almost 10 months postop. I can't say enough good things about my experience with them and the outstanding followup I've had even being hundreds of miles away. You can PM me if you'd like details about how and why I chose them. And you can check out hundreds of posts from a bunch of other OCC patients on the "Dr. Ariel Ortiz and Obesity Control Center" thread in the Self Pay and Mexico subforum. .