AvaFern

Call your doctor. Swelling, pain, and heat are usually indicators of an infection. It can probably be cleared up with a dose of antibiotics and you'll be good to go. If you just had pain or just had swelling, I'd think maybe you had injured yourself, bumped a nerve, or twisted your arm the wrong way in your sleep. Throw in heat, and your body is trying to kill something. Give it a little help with some drugs and you should feel better quickly. Don't put ice on it like you would an injury even though that will make it feel better. The heat is good- let it work. Also, monitor it closely the next few hours...if it seems to be getting significantly worse, if it starts to swell, or if it starts to get red, hotter, squishier (like Fluid is trapped) or hard...go to the ER. If there is no major change, call your doctor in the morning. Hope you feel better soon!

Lol, I didn't ever subscribe to this particular "rule". I cannot eat with a dry mouth and I refused to spend my entire life doing so. The reason this rule exists is so that you don't wash down all the food in your stomach and then end up eating more. If you monitor your portions, then you're fine. There's no real medical reason to not drink while you eat, it just makes it easier to eat less food. I'm 28 months post-op, I've been at goal for 10 months, and there is literally not a single meal in the entire 28 months since surgery that I did not drink with it. Life is for living and dry mouthed meals are not living, haha.

Embrace the lack of appetite, it won't last long and you will miss it in a few months or a year down the road when you suddenly have a very normal appetite again. A few days of not eating much a month is something that won't hurt you and if anything will help you hit goal faster. I am 28 months post-op and while I'm on depo, so there's no TOM there are 1-2 days a week where I'm just not hungry, so I don't eat much those days. I generally don't have much of a desire for food in general, but on days where I'm extra turned-off on the idea of eating it's great because it gives me a day of lower calories and a few ounces less on the scale, that I end up making up and gaining back a few days later. I'm at maintenance right now, but when you're losing, a few days a month with no appetite is a blessing, lol. Enjoy it!

You are fine. There's no medical reason you can't have sugar after surgery, they just don't want you drinking all of your calories in junk, so "no sugar" is a good way to get you to pay attention to that. 1g is nothing to be worried about.

I couldn't sleep at all the night before surgery and I was super nervous. I had never had surgery at all and the idea that I was paying someone to cut out 80% of my stomach forever was terrifying. In the end it's a little like going off the high dive...you just have to keep walking and jump. I spent the first 1-2 weeks convinced I had ruined my life and feeling miserable. I spent the next 2 months reasonably sure it might be working. It took me 18 months to hit goal and I have been at goal now for 9 months. I love my 20% of a stomach and having the surgery was something that I am very glad I did. Good luck to you...just jump, it will be worth it in the end.

At two-months post op you are medically cleared to have sushi. Keep in mind though what the others have said that the rice makes you feel very full, very quickly. Just the fish portion is a great source of Protein and very low in calories. A lot of rolls they can make with cucumber as the outside instead of rice, or just the rice paper. I periodically have a sushi roll with the fake crab, cream cheese, and rice exterior, however I buy the whole roll and only eat three pieces at a time because otherwise I end up barfing because the rice just blows up my stomach. Prior to surgery I loved regular sushi, but my sleeve is not tolerant of fish anymore- not cooked, not raw, not inside of sushi rolls- nothing, so I stick to fake crab and call it a day.

Hiatal hernia repair is very common during this surgery. I had a hiatal hernia repair and I didn't even know about it until after surgery. If anything it should make recovery easier because you won't have as much of an issue with gastric reflux as you otherwise may have had. As far as I can tell having this extra area fixed in no way affected recovery. The only difference between a standard sleeve surgery and the added hiatal hernia repair is that you get an extra, very tiny little hole in your stomach below your sternum area. All the doctor does is put the very top part of your stomach back where it is supposed to be so that your diaphragm isn't strangling it anymore. It's really kind of awesome that they fix it all at once because in hindsight, while I didn't even know I had a hiatal hernia, I had started having horrible reflux right before surgery and I haven't experienced it once since.

Oh, I had fat thighs. By the time I was done they were saggy, loose, fat thighs. I had a groin incision thigh lift, so most of the bad part was cut off, however I still have fat thighs, lol. Also, I had that stupid roll at the top of my thighs which I specifically asked my doctor to target with liposuction while he did the lift- no more fat roll.

You look fantastic!

This is a really good habit, not a bad one. If you want to stay at your goal weight or where you are right now the best way to do that is a daily reminder. I am 28 months post-op, I have been at goal for 10 months and the only reason that is the case is because I weigh myself every, single day. It is a way to be accountable to yourself. If I know I don't have to weigh in the morning, I eat way worse than I do if I know that I am going to have to answer for it on the scale in the morning. I also know immediately if I start to gain and I can make the corrections required to drop back into my goal weight zone within a few days. In October I started eating more junk and I watched the scale hit 134, then 136, then finally the morning after Halloween, 137. My comfort zone is 128-132 and once I start seeing 133 I start paying attention to what I am eating again. It took me almost 2 months to lose those damn 6 pounds to get back to my mid-range weight of 131, so if I had waited and gained 10 or 15 pounds, it would have been massively demoralizing to have to lose it again. I write down my weight everyday in a little pocket calendar so I can see trends. For example, usually on a Monday morning I am at my heaviest because I work a 16 hour day on Sundays and snack the whole time, however by Wednesday if I am not back in the 131 range I know I better go for a run and eat less. If I wasn't weighing I would have no idea how much I weigh and I would not be able to make corrections immediately. This past Monday I woke up at 133.4...so I ate less Monday and Tuesday and by Wednesday I was 132.0 and today I am 131.8, which is fine with me. Weighing everyday is one of the few proven ways to ensure long term weight loss maintenance.

Nope, I would not reply to someone who indicated they had WLS no matter how well written their profile is. Like CowgirlJane said, way TMI way too soon. I also don't respond to people who complain about their exes, who label themselves as "nice guys" or worse something along the lines of "nice guys finish last" or any other sort of whiny bs. On a personal note the "nice guy" tag annoys the crap out of me...the fastest way to get a woman to run away from you is to tell her you are are a good guy. You let her know this through actions, consistent, good man actions, not labeling your profile with "good man" garbage, ugh that annoys me. Don't fill out your full profile- no one really cares to read that much unless they're a stalker, in which case you have bigger problems. In terms of best dating sites, hands-down I prefer Tinder. As a pre-qualification, this used to be known as a hook-up site, which I didn't actually know when I first started using it. I have met one person off of there and he ended up being first a really good friend and later my boyfriend and, lol, there was never any hook-up type of arrangement. He took me out for a nice dinner the first time we met, like is supposed to be the case for a date. Tinder is great because the only people who can message you are people you have an interest in, so for women you don't get every creep and their brother messaging you. Also, while there is the point that Tinder is shallow, so is life. Let's be honest, if you aren't attracted to someone, you aren't likely to end up dating them, so why not just get that part out of the way? On Tinder you only talk to women or men who you like and who also liked you. I haven't used the app in awhile, but for someone looking to meet someone without having to go through a lot of sending messages and being ignored, this is a decent start.

Dating sort of sucks no matter what you do, however if you go to the bars bring a wingman or two. As a woman, I find it creepy when guys who are there alone hit on me, however when you are with a group of friends and you come talk to me and my group of friends it is more comfortable for everyone and a lot less pressure on any one person. Also, your weight now says you are 200 so you are just a normal looking guy. Don't go in there with the mindset that you're a dude who just lost a lot of weight, because that will make you seem insecure and women can sense that. Go to the bar as a dude who is a totally normal size, looking to chat with a few nice women, and enjoy a drink or two with his buddies. If you meet someone, then hey, good job, but if you don't, you still get to spend the night having a nice time with friends.

I wore flowy, loose skirts to work the first week I was back with cotton, soft leggings underneath. I didn't like my stomach being totally free, and the soft leggings over my incisions made me feel better. The skirt made me look like a professional, lol, and no one could see the leggings underneath. I wore flowy, loose skirts to work the first week I was back with cotton, soft leggings underneath. I didn't like my stomach being totally free, and the soft leggings over my incisions made me feel better. The skirt made me look like a professional, lol, and no one could see the leggings underneath.

Cold sores are caused by HSV-1, which is yes, Herpes 1, but it's the kind you get on your face, not your other regions and it's super common. It is something that you could have picked up as a kid if you drank from a glass of someone with a cold sore and you may experience breakouts more frequently if you are stressed. It can remain latent for years and then pop up randomly. I had to sign a waiver the first time I had a certain kind of facial because apparently the treatment for a facial can spark an outbreak in someone who has the virus. I have a friend who has HSV-1 all over his forehead from being a wrestler. When he is most stressed or not eating enough or very well he tends to get a breakout. He will go for years with none and then bam, have 2-3 breakouts in a few months. The same tends to be true for cold sores on your lip. As soon as you feel it starting, they make a medication that greatly lowers the chance of it becoming a full breakout and they also make OTC drugs that you can use to shorten how long it lasts and lessen the severity. Like the other person said, it is highly contagious when it is at the first breakout stage, so don't make out with anyone or share your drinks, lol. Pop some OTC medication on there and it should dry up quickly.

Good for you! You worked very hard to get where you are and you should certainly get to enjoy it now! P.S. It is super cold in Florida right now (ok cold for us), lol, but wetsuits make you look super skinny and would make the Water a lot less frigid, haha.

Since you deleted your original post, I don't have a ton to go on, however a big part of life is learning how to take responsibility for your actions when they don't work out the way you want them to. You are 21 years old, you went to the hospital, you sat on that bed, you let them give you an IV, and you let them roll you into surgery, so while I can completely appreciate that your mother heavily pushed for the surgery, in the end you chose to have the surgery by not removing yourself from the situation. The sooner you accept your decision as your own, that maybe you aren't happy with it right now but that you are an empowered adult who will handle the consequences of your decisions like an adult, the better off you will be, not just in terms of the sleeve but in all of life. When I was 24 I was forced into something...or that was the word I used with myself for a long time. It was only when I accepted responsibility for my decisions, for putting myself into the position, for not saying no, for not walking away, for not doing what I knew would have been the better decision that entire night, the sooner I was able to move forward in life. Blaming others for your own failures in decision making allows you to be a victim, the martyred little girl who couldn't stand up to her mommy and walk away from surgery. You know who hates a victim more than everyone who has to hear them complain? The victim. She hates herself more than anything else and the sooner she accepts that she isn't a victim, that she is accountable for her actions, and that she is going to move on with the understanding that she made a choice that put her in a bad situation but she is going to live with it and learn from it, the sooner she develops the internal locus of control that is absolutely vital to success in life. So, I know this makes me sound like a jerk, which is why I included my personal story in there so hopefully you would understand that this is tough love and not cruelty. Learn to never be anyone's victim and it will be a lesson that benefits you the rest of your life.

If you read through the forums, most people are fairly miserable the first month after surgery. I was. I remember sobbing on the phone to my best friend, one of only 3 people who know I had the surgery that I had "ruined my life". Who in their right mind has their stomach cut out and what the f was I thinking? In terms of dehydration, use a straw. It was the only way I could get enough Fluid in and it doesn't hurt you despite the fact that they tell you not to drink with one. Once your dehydration is resolved, the nausea should also start to clear up. If you can't get enough calories in, drink pressed juice (the vegetable variety, not the kind laden with sugary fruit). Not only will you be increasing your fluid intake but you're getting a lot of immune boosting Vitamins and nutrition as well. You're going to feel crappy for a few weeks, so you have to figure out ways to work with it. I am now 2 weeks short of 2.5 years post-op and it was all worth it. I developed a minor stricture, so I am one of the very few people who not only has a sleeve that hates the "good stuff" (sugar, oils, fried foods, milk) but that also is really picky about how much and how thoroughly I chew things. From the 1-2 year mark I barfed almost everyday, however since that point I now know almost exactly what kind of food is going to make me sick, so I don't eat it. I still barf a few times a week because randomly my stomach will hate the granola bar it has never had a problem with or I'll eat a handful of crackers that never make me sick and 5 minutes later I'm heaving. Ultimately, while I had an easy recovery with no major complications, I get to spend probably the rest of my life avoiding food that tastes good, which is fine with me because I no longer have any cravings or any desire to eat unhealthy stuff, and randomly barfing if I eat when I am nervous, in a hurry, or some other random offense that my stomach deems worthy of barfing over. This is the absolute minority of people who have this issue. Despite this, I do not regret my sleeve for a second and once you get past the initial phase, I really doubt that you will either. I now wear a size 0 in designer labels and I can say that every time I barfed, all the tears after surgery, and the whole liquid diet misery was completely worth it. Fingers crossed you begin to feel better soon!

My two favorite (and ok probably the only swaps I've done consistently) are spaghetti squash instead of Pasta and blended cauliflower in place of potatoes. Since surgery almost 2.5 years ago I have had both pasta and potatoes maybe a combined total of 5 times, if that. I really don't even recognize a taste difference when I swap out these ingredients now, and while the texture difference is probably the biggest difference, this isn't really something I notice either. I think for the most part is memory in that when you don't have pasta or potatoes for years, you aren't really affected by the small taste changes of a swap in the same way as someone who routinely eats the carb-laden "good stuff".

I have been at goal for 10 months and the best advice I have is to get to goal before you worry about adding calories. Your weight loss will naturally slow down soon and then it's going to be a real pain in the butt to keep losing, so take advantage of that free falling weight while it is still going that way. I had an absolute B of a time losing the last 4 pounds to get to goal and it took me 8 months to lose the last 24 pounds. Once you are at goal, I didn't add calories in any planned way. I just kept track of what I eat and now I am anywhere from 1400-1800 calories a day and don't have a terribly hard time maintaining. I am also a woman and I think you're a guy, so our calories are likely different. I notice that if I eat 1800 calories in anything other than sweets, my weight stays the same, however I can literally look at a cupcake and gain 2-3 pounds the next day. It is basically a system of trial and error. I pretty much eat whatever I want to, whenever I feel like it, but I keep track of everything in MyFitnessPal. I briefly gained about 7 pounds and it took weeks to get back to normal again, so everyday I weigh myself. On the days where I might be up a pound or two, I knock down the calories by a few hundred that day and the next day I'm right back to normal. Basically what seems to work best is losing as much as possible as fast as possible before you hit a point where losing becomes very hard. When you finally get to maintenance, daily diligence and experimentation is the way to stay there.

Technically you're 90% healed within 6 weeks, so if you're six weeks out, then yes, you can run and play ball. I started running at 3-4 weeks and the first few times I felt a little pulling of my stitches so I slowed down. If nothing hurts, then you're fine, just take it slowly a bit at first so you don't overdo it. If you're 2-3 weeks out, probably chill on the basketball for a week or two more. You might feel fine, but your sutures are still healing and they could probably do without the jumping and twisting of the core that basketball causes.

You can have caffeine. The only time medically you should avoid it is the first 6 weeks of recovery. In theory, there is concern that it might contribute to poor healing of your stomach but in reality they want you to not drink soda and telling you no caffeine is a good way to accomplish that. After six weeks you can drink caffeine, you can have soda (the diet kind preferably) and you can have drinks with bubbles. Medically none of that will hurt you, although if you want to actually lose weight, avoiding beverages with high calories is a good idea. Also, some people say that they feel burpy with drinks that have bubbles, so that is also contributory. Your digestive system is not a closed system, so if your stomach has a little extra gas from soda, you burp, problem solved. That silly thing people say that your stomach will expand by drinking carbonated beverages is medically inaccurate. I am 29 months post-op and I drank caffeine from about 6 weeks out until now. I like caffeine and I wasn't giving up diet pepsi. I hit goal at 18 months and have maintained ever since.

I reached goal back in April and there are times I catch myself wondering if I look "thick". I don't feel fat anymore, but I don't see the girl I imagined I would see at 130 pounds, but rather a girl that looks pretty good most of the time but still has problem areas. I think for me the point where I stopped seeing myself as fat was when I had finally recovered from all of my plastics procedures. Having the extra skin gone and having very little evidence of being a former fatty did good things for my perception of myself.

I don't have a problem with continued weight loss- I hit goal, went down 3 more pounds, and then stopped, gained those 3 pounds back and have floated at the same weight 1-3 pounds either direction ever since. I notice though that if I run and eat less I start losing again. Since my clothing all fits me at this size, I'm fine being lazy, not running, and not losing. Lately I've been being more careful about logging calories and I am up to almost 1800 calories a day some days. Anymore than that and I start gaining, but if I was running 5 days a week and eating 1400 calories I'd probably keep losing too. You can add a Protein shake that easily adds an extra 400 calories, or another snack or two and you will likely stop losing. 117 is a healthy weight for someone your height, so now you can focus on figuring out the input/output levels that keep you there.

Congrats on your success so far! Generally when we see people giving away products and they have only a few posts (right now you are 5 with 2 on this board, so you were at 3 or less before) we figure you are a spammer and react accordingly. Troll is just another word for spammer and there are a lot of people who only create a page on here so that they can add links. The more backlinks your website has, the higher you are rated in Google searches, so people who want to increase their SEO rating make fake profiles on social media forums and post their links with the hope that they won't get deleted before the Google crawler picks them up. If you used the word "protein" at all by default it adds a link to the Protein in the bariatric store, which some people may have just assumed you added your own link which made you even more spammier looking. Once you've posted a few times you will be less likely to be seen as spam, and then when you try to do something nice for people no one will call you a troll.

A lot of people think that when you're losing weight you are "wasting away" and they overlook the whole BMI thing. I went home for Christmas and the first thing my mom says, "my gosh you are skinny, do you eat?", lol. I am 5'2 and between 129-132 most days, so I'm not fat but by no means "skinny"- I have way to much of a butt. I think our perceptions also change. I would have thought that at my current size I would see myself as being very thin and I even remember saying that I wouldn't look healthy under 140, however now I think I look just about right and I see little girls who are like 110 as "wasting away" when in reality most of them are also perfectly healthy, especially if they are short like me. Ultimately people will think you are too skinny a lot while you are losing weights- you know what you look like and what the scale says, so remember that your own perspective is what matters. P.S. Congrats on the loss so far!