Miss Mac

I am nine months out and have been taking 20,000 mg Biotin since monthe two. I am one of the fortunate few who did not suffer from noticeable hair loss, but I did have horrible issues with my nails immediately after surgery and up until I started the biotin. It took my nails a couple of months to repair, but I also have been on 80 grams of Protein since the second month. No skin problems, but every other time I shower, I exfoliate and rub my skin with either a moisturizing lotion or come sweet almond oil that I have. That's just to keep skin cells regenerating in hopes of minimizing lose belly flop skin. Don't know if that will work, but I have to keep hope alive!I also use both bone for Soups, and eat sugar free Jello every day for the Gelatin content.

Pre-sleeve, my body was an inflammation factory and orthopedic nightmare. By the time I lost the first thirty pounds, My joints and internal systems were starting to feel better. As far as the elimination aspect, I believe that eliminating wheat and starches, and sodas have been the biggest difference for me. Since my tummy "real estate" is so much smaller now, I really don't even have room to add crackers to chili or noodles to soup. Concentrating on Proteins, low-carb veggies,Water (and tea) has really helped. I don't normally eat soy, and I have not eaten anything made in a factory since I started my three month pre-op diet. Everything here is made from scratch with fresh meat and produce. I don't see that all of this has helped my sciatica any, but my spine surgeon thinks that losing weight in general will give my skelton a break from hauling 100 exta pounds around and take the pressure off of my vertibrae.

Don't worry so much. I am a slow loser, too, but the scale is going down, and I will take that. Follow your program and start exercising in some way as soon as your doctor permits. Losing slowly gives you skin time to get some of its elasticity back. Remember.......sweat is fat crying!

Congratulations, and welcome to Chicago. Wave as you go by!

I thought I would be getting a lap band and did not even know that the sleeve existed. When I found out about it and learned that there was not port and no fills and no re=routing of the plumbing, that is the one I requested. The surgeon agreed that it would be suitable for me. Keep a notebook by your bed and in your purse, because you will think of questions at the oddest of times, like when you are thinking when you ought to be sleeping. By the time I had my surgeon's appointment, I had 17 questions. Thanks to this forum, I heard ahead of time that there was shoulder pain post-op due to CO2 being used to expand the abdominal cavity, and the most common relief was frequent walking. So, my most important question was this: Do you use CO2, and how do you manage pain relief from post-op lingering gas? He said that he extracts as much of the gas as possible before he closes up. As a result, I did not have even one minute of shoulder gas pain.

My knees were destroyed by weight and arthritis (and one incident of domestic violence that healed poorly without proper medical attention). They have both been replaced, but thankfully not at the same. I cannot imagine how much inner strength one would need to endure double surgery. But both times after weeks of therapy, I felt much better. Being 9 months post op from my sleeve, I have experienced even further improvement in range of motion and reduction of pain. When I had my right knee done in 2007, the meniscus had to be repaired. I feel you pain. Wraps , herapy and Ibuprophen (which destroyed my old stomach) will only get you so far. So for me, the imrovements became noticeable after about the first thirty pounds down. The only new joint pain I have is because I can feel bones and ribs that were cushioned before by layers of fat.

Bone broth makes the best Soups, and I like to drink the stock, too. Even though I take mega doses of Biotin, I had a big problem with my fingernails shredding from months two through four. That is when I found out about the nutritional benefits of bone broth and Gelatin. For a while I was taking my stinky horse pill Bariatric Advantage AE bariatric vitims with sugar free cider mix, but now I take them with warm sugar free Jello Water to get the extra gelatin in my system. Right or wrong, I believe that the bone broth and gelatin water helped me to not lose my hair. It thinned out a bit (just a stray here and there) but not the traumatic loss that I was expecting. yep...I am a bone broth fan here.

Me too. Just started the 5:2 plan yesterday, so today is my fast day with 500 calories. I watched the one hour video yesterday. And I thought 800-1200 calories was hard enough. Oh well.

Although I like some of the unjury flavors better, the Isopure powders definitely mix better. I overbought too, and even though I am at nine months out, I still have enough for another six months at least.

Welcome. You will find quite a variety of friends and opinions in the forum. Please don't ever take anything personally. Bariatric surgery can be a big bag of emotions. Take each comment for what you need, and lay the rest aside. During the third week after your surgery, go to the Search box at the top of this page. Make sure you click on the drop down menu and click Forums (to specify your search) and type in STALLS in the Search box. You will get a list of threads addressing "The Dreaded Third Week Stall" You will find a wealth of information on that topic. I wish you good luck and good health.

Wherever there are haters, I feel a special responsibilty to prove them wrong!

Start practicing now with not drinking 30 minutes before or after a meal, take smaller bites, chew your food rediculously well, in between meals you should drink Water until your eyeballs float. Also, start weaning yourself off of carbonated beverages and beverages with caffein or calories. Switch out to more green veggies than starchy and cut back on fruit. That will give you a head start.

Me too.......took about a month.

This thread will help. As for myself, I take stool softeners every day, even at nine months out. I will also use Miralax or Smooth Move Tea that I bought online. I get the chocolate tea bags and brew them in sugar free hot chocolate and add a dab of sugar-free whip cream. here is the thread: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/317543-constipation-issues/?hl=+constipation

My BCBS (Federal Employee) approved my surgery in two days, but I had to call them to find out. My surgeon's office had a slow process for moving forward, plus their insurance coordinator was on vacation. I am glad I called. The peace of mind was reassuring. Stay pro-active.

"Whatever you can do, or dream you can..........begin it, for boldness has genius, power, and magic in it!" Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Thomas Edison said "I have not failed. I have found 10,000 ways that don't work. I like this quote, too. It reminds me not to compare myself to others: “Never ever compare yourself with other people. They may have what you don’t have; you also have what they may not have. Over-watching what they have is over-looking what you have. Use what you have.” ― Israelmore Ayivor, Shaping the dream And this one has gotten me over many a stumbling block, including gathering up the strength to leave an ex who was mistaking me for a punching bag, and going back to college at the age of 54. Maybe it will help you muster up the courage to get your weight loss mojo back. "Whatever you can do, or dream you can.......begin it, for boldness has genius, power, and magic in it." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Treatments and drugs By Mayo Clinic Staff FRom the Mayo Clinic Website: The goal of pseudotumor cerebri treatment is to improve your symptoms and keep your eyesight from worsening. Your doctor may prescribe medications to control your symptoms. If you're obese, your doctor will recommend weight loss. You may work with a dietitian to help with your weight-loss goals. Losing weight may improve your symptoms. Some people who are morbidly obese may benefit from weight-loss programs or gastric surgery to lose weight.

My boyfriend (who is the chef around here), took regular meats and veggies and zazzed them in the blender to whatever consistency I needed for softs and purees. The baby food got old after two days, and I was preferring the fruit over the more necessary meat and veggies. The first thing I ate when released to regular foods was Wendy's chili, two doors down from the surgeon's office!

Married or not, he is responsible for everything your baby needs until the age of 18. You could also look into what the pro se divorce laws are in your state. He may be able to file without a lawyer, although kids and property are complications if both parties are not in agreement. Before we met, my second ex-husband (not that I am that hard on men) was separated from his wife for nine years because neither one wanted to fund a lawyer.............just sayin' because you may have a long wait on your hands, and it will show you where you really stand. I do wish good things for you. Keep your chin up, and started checking resources suggested for you. Something's got to give. And as for the lecture, if your feet still work, leave. I think that since you are having your first child, someone in the family will be happy for you.

To Kimberly1184: A NUT that strict may be trying to keep you from indulging in mashed potatoes or oatmeal or other starchy stuff. Hang in there. You will be on regular foods in no time. To Jlnrgn: Shame on folks who can't have you over just to enjoy your company. They are small-minded to not accomodate you. While everone else is eating roast beef, you could be sipping on broth. They haven't heard of steamed veggies? When they are eating strawberry shortcake, you could nibble a couple of berries in Greek yogurt. Well, instead of waiting for an invitation, throw a festive soire yourself where you can control what you eat. Oh, by the way, don't invite them. After all, if they can't eat steamed veggies, softly roasted meat (or its broth) or fresh berries, they shouldn't come anyway.

If I remember correctly (dang, I should've kept a journal) I was starting soft foods at three weeks on an accellerated schedule. I was told to start weening off of the Protein shakes and switch out to regular foods mushed in the blender a bit. One thing I had to be careful of was to not try to subsist on mashed potatoes and oatmeal. I was eating eggs well at that point, and cheese, and put meats in the blender with some broth to break it up and keep it moist. I love tuna, but could not eat it dry - had to put a little plain yogurt with it. Watch out for salt, and don't become part of the couch. The three week stall doesn't last forever. Trust in the plan that your bariatric team gave you, and drink Water until your eyeballs float.

Congratulations! What I read from your letter is that this baby will be loved, loved, loved and received with joy no matter how challenging your circumstance are. What has Daddy offered to do? How are your people responding to the news? Have you told your doctor yet? He may be able to offer you some hope or help. Please do not go the distance without prenatal care. I do not know the answer to your insurance and financial questions, but hopefully some post-op new mommies can offer advice. Would you be a good candidate for some Obamacare?

Lyrica causes problems for me, because it tames nerve endings, but isn't specific. It tames ALL nerve endings, including the pleasure ones. However, I also take Wellbutrin and it helps balance things out.

i do not wear dentures, but when I hit the 50 pound mark, I had to get my glasses adjusted because they kept falling off of my face. Also, none of my shoes fit now. They are all way too wide, but I hesitate getting new ones until I get closer to goal. My rings are loose, too.