LindafromFlorida

No need to crush. Some pills the doctor said do not crush. Some you can crush. We swallow many pills a day. No problem. The only thing I did right after surgery was find a great liquid multivitamin because of the size of the pill vitamin.

A little thing.....My husband has clothes from XL to 4X. Boxed and labled for 40 years as he went up and down in weight, starvation and feasting. He gave me 3 boxes of 3X to donate. That is a milestone in my house. He is a serious hoarder. He has lost 90 lbs and he knows it is permanent. I could dance and sing with joy!

Seriously the scale did not move and my clothes got loose. Befuddled me lol but I loved it!

Hide the scale, follow your plan and you will get over the stall. It is that simple. Biotin has done nothing for my hair loss, but I read here it helps hair regrowth. From 5-7 months I am losing much hair. I am hoping it stops soon. I stopped using the blow dryer and brush, and I leave it alone as much as possible. This is something we all face so you are not alone. I know it took a good 15 years to go from my present weight to my top weight, so I knew it would not fall off quickly. Keep up the good work!

Reading your post RJ made me really hurt for you. This is awful to read, and honestly you must be terrified at times. You are always so upbeat, it is hard to imagine..... I am praying for you to heal. We can be a group of prayer warriors as well as we can be a support team for weight loss. God Bless and heal you. Linda

There are way too many things to name for all of us here, but very happy for you. I think the best thing for me is I am no longer gasping for breath when I come home from grocery shopping, and I do not have horrible folds in my ankles anymore from the diabetes/HBP/swelling/fat.

I don't have arthritis but developed terrible gout in the joints of my big toes after surgery, and after horrible (since 12/30/13) trial and tribulation thought I would share what is helping me.Gout meds have nearly killed me, and put me in the hospital. A compound pharmacist has saved my life and sanity. I take 6 Omega 3 1000 mgs 3 times a day (inflammation fighter), Curamin (morn and night) for pain, Celery seed 4 capsules a day, sprinkle Tumeric on my food, and take Tart Cherry capsules 2 with breakfast and 2 with dinner. My reason for sharing is this stopped my horrible pain in 2 days in the joint of both big toes, how can it not help other joints. After 6 months I am finally pain free for the first time. Also, I had neuropathy in my feet prior to the sleeve, which disappeared one month after surgery. Look into some natural remedies for the arthritis. Best of luck!

When I get dolled up and put on my new tight fitting clothes, my new shoes, and feel like a million dollars, I promise you I don't miss a thing from my old life. I feel 20 years younger. I am laughing and meeting friends and the weight of the world is lifted off my shoulders. My husband was sleeved, and 90 lbs down he is a bronze God (he loves the sun and the pool 1 hour a day, who eats less than me and he is the happiest and healthiest I have ever seen him. I can only imagine how I would feel if I were 40 and had this sleeve!

No no no lol, I means take snacks to St. Vincent's. Sorry about the misunderstanding. I know the Brick in Avondale has a cheese and fruit plate you can order. But you decide this after our first meeting at St. Vincent's. Another idea if we have a small group is to meet at our homes, rotate a bit after we get to know each other?

Doctors do not like being questioned. They won't like you giving records to another doctor. They will probably drop you as a patient. New doctor won't like you pointing finger at another doctor. Bottom line is do your research and act as dumb as you possibly can because they are all worried about being sued more than they will worry about you. I am simply saying this is your life and your health so make sure you know what is going on with your body as this sounds serious. You need excellent care to find out the problem. I got antibiotics from the last time I was in hospital doc doesn't think it's an infection. I'm getting my records and getting a 2 nd opinion bc my mum wants one in Tennessee at Erlanger but have to get the docs office to fax them to erlanger. That's going to be stressful.

I was shopping several hours within 5 days after surgery. I felt great. I walked slow, but had amazing energy. If you have a comfortable chair, an umbrella to keep from getting so overheated, and cold water in your hand you should have a blast. You won't be so hungry, but make sure you have approved foods with you. I would not recommend snacking on foods just because it is there, so in other words, watch out for the party foods and drinks. If you start a vomiting episode you will not be having fun! Have a great time!

I bought Bariatric Advantage at the surgeon's office (chocolate and vanilla) but tasted too milky and I HATE milk. My husband loved it. I found EAS protein powder at Walmart and that was the one I liked best. You can flavor the vanilla with SF Torani syrups, fruit, and Crystal Light powder. Now that we are out 6 months, we have the Premier Protein Shakes in the carton from Sam's Club, but my NUT told me at 3 months to stop drinking shakes. Everything seems to change quickly so don't buy a case of anything LOL!

Maybe down the road. Meeting someplace quiet and private I guess would be best until we get to know each other. We could also make it a lunch bunch and bring our healthy snacks and drinks if allowed. Just an idea.

We can definitely eat more of certain foods, but we cannot eat a big salad like we used to. My husband and I share salads at restaurants and cannot finish them. I buy small containers of chicken salad at the store because I only eat small amounts, maybe 1/4 cup. I am almost 7 months postop. Sauteed saltwater fish I love, and I could not eat one cup of fish. We eat in small amounts at our house, when hungry, and I never worry about the amount. I just eat a little, get satisfied, and move on. Best wishes!

You probably got the infection in the hospital. This sounds awful and it sounds like you have a good doctor. If in doubt get a second opinion. This is terrible what you are going through and is not the norm. This is your life so be proactive in asking questions, keeping a journal of the tests and the results. Ask for copies of reports. I hope they fix the problem soon. Wigs can cover the hair, mine comes out by the handfull. Please keep us posted. Research everything on the Internet that they tell you and you will find what questions to ask. As you go through it I hope you have a computer to do your research on. God bless!

Southerners call everything coke. I am so thankful to have weaned me and my husband off the diet coke for almost a year, after reading the harmful effects for many years. My sister once said "Only fat people like us drink diet coke". LOL. I don't want to stretch my sleeve with carbonation, plus I am now loving Crystal Light Peach Tea (which I hated before).

Meat works better with a little sauce. For chicken you can crockpot it with FF soups, for beef there are FF gravies and barbecue sauces. Make some Au Jus for your deli meat with a packet in the McCormick section. Fish is soft and should not be a problem, along with shrimp. I had 2 pieces of sushi last night, with soy sauce.

I asked about antibiotics because after I had a knee replacement I was told I needed antibiotics for any surgery. The bariatric surgeon said there are antibiotics in the IV so unnecessary. You need to ask your doctor or his nurse about this to know that is going on medically. Best of luck!

You are on track. Hide the scale and keep reading the many posts here about the same thing. We all go through this. You will not lose weight every single day. I was prepared for it when the scale did not move. When the scale did not move I felt my clothes fitting better so changes were happening.

Love North Florida. In the summer heat I have a pool and air conditioning. In the winter, I have fireplaces. I just drove to Kansas and was thrilled to get back South to the Gulf and the Atlantic Ocean. Blessed to live here all my life.

Have you had surgery? Can't tell from your profile. Maybe you lean more on one side? My husband does and he is not aware of it, but I am sure it is a back/leg problem so he looks different on one side.

Well, we might meet at St. Vincents and see how many we have, and go from there. We might want to branch out and meet other places after the first few meetings. Please let me know what I can do to help you! (Kickbacks is too noisy LOL, but I do know other places, like the Brick, and Bluefish in Avondale).

No wonder your doctors want you to inspire others. Please keep sharing and motivating others here. Keep up the good work. I am glad I saw your post.

Follmerpa, my husband is 67, walks with a cane sometimes, and has back, hip, leg problems. His diabetes is under control for the first time in many years. He is off Metformin and a HBP pill, still on a low dose of insulin at night, none in the morning now. Just want you to know he has gone from 320 to 240 (90 lbs) without exercising. It can be done. Good luck!

Firefly, being in Australia you probably do not have the options of products that we have, but you will manage. I am happy to hear that you do not have significant health problems yet and I hope this surgery keeps you from getting any. Wish the sleeve had been around 20 years ago! As Kathy said, we are all different, and we have to find what works for us. You will find many people are on different plans, lose differently, but this forum is a Godsend and will give you help, guidance and support as you go through this! Best of luck!