BitterSweet*

@@tfarr, no judgement at all. I apologize if it came across that way. Just sharing my own experience and commenting based on your words that you feel you're done having children. Best wishes to you.

Ask yourself how much loose skin you are willing to deal / live with and how much money you have to pay for plastics. If you're like most of us, you have a good bit of weight to lose. If you lose that weight through meals alone, your body will show it in the end with significant, saggy skin. Any exercise would be better than nothing; you don't have to be in the gym like a pro athelete. Let go of all those excuses and ask yourself why you're making them in the first place. Catch yourself now. Regroup and start over.

@@tfarr, I respect your personal choices. I guess my only piece of advice is to not throw away any of your baby items. Box and store them just in case you may need them later; if not, pass them down to someone else or donate them to Goodwill. This is definitely a difficult situation that you're in. Best wishes to you! I had my second child at 35 and thought I was too old then, to be honest. Females are born with every single egg that we'll ever have in our bodies - which is why the risks of birth defects and other issues multiplies the older we get. I was no exception. Went into full labor at the end of my 5th month and gave birth to a 24 week micro-preemie.

Elevation, rest and the arnica yes. Ice no. Warm compresses are needed for phlebitis.

Thank you. I am so glad to hear that, I really am. I too am surprised by the lack of a liquid diet, but as this surgery becomes even more popular, that may become the norm. Who knows. You could always do the liquid fast for a few days even if it's not required. It does shrink the liver (as I'm sure you know!) and I'd feel better knowing my liver wouldn't be in the way as much once the sharp instruments were inside my body. I'll be looking for updates for you HalloweenBaby24 and I wish you the fastest and easiest recovery ever!

New red stretch marks are concerning because that means your skin is stretching when it should be receding from weight loss on your pre-op diet. Get some exercise like a long walk, then take a really good, strong laxative and drink lots of Water. Miralax is good for day to day use, but you made need something that'll work faster.

Really warm compresses will fix the problem.

@@HalloweenBaby24, real talk.........your surgeon scares me. @@tfarr, if you feel as though you are done having children and don't believe in birth control (I'm taking that to mean any and all forms - including getting a tubal ligation), how do you intend to manage not getting pregnant for the next 10 years?

They can not force you to take anything you do not want to take after surgery. They can't even force you to take the things you ARE supposed to take for that matter, like Vitamins. Your religious beliefs are your own. The protocols in place to qualify for surgery and those set forth for after surgery are generalized and intended to be the best practices for optimal outcomes. If you've done all this work already, simply agree to take them and then simply don't take them. They won't be checking your estrogen and progesterone levels to see if you are or not. You'll have to figure out something though. Surgery by itself messes up your hormones; but weight loss surgery in particular will cause significant fluctuations because those hormones are stored in fat and get released as you lose weight. Your cycles and ovulation will be thrown off and the Rythmn Method won't be a reliable alternative.

2 1/2 months is close enough to that 3 month mark for hair loss. The damage already occurred in your early days / weeks recovering from surgery. It will stop. It will grow back. Make sure you are meeting your daily Protein and Water intake, and taking Vitamins. If you choose to take Biotin or buy expensive shampoos that are supposed to stop the shedding, just know that those products will help your hair rebound once it starts to grow, but they do not and will not force your hair out of a loss cycle - only Rogaine can do that. Rogaine works but you'd have to use it the rest of your life or your hair falls back out.

This question is not meant to offend you or anyone else at all; I am truly just interested in your reasoning. Am I understanding correctly that you had a VSG in order to lose 40 lbs?

Hilarious story!! Gosh, that was funny but I agree with others - get your gallbladder checked. When that tiny little organ has an attack, it will make you feel like you are dying. The pain radiating to your back and the timing of it (30-45 min) after eating are typical. Hopefully we're wrong and that "cat" begins to behave herself. I'm just glad you made it out of that store and home safely! Best wishes!

Yes, I can definitely understand your angst. Even with the reason he stated, if that were to happen during removal of your gall bladder, that area could be irrigated and suctioned - sort of like rinsing the bile spillage off.

If you have gall stones, you have a diseased gall bladder that needs to be removed. Stones like to travel and can become trapped in the common bile duct, causing a serious medical emergency. It's too bad you're surgeon won't remove it while the sleeve is done; it's a very common practice to remove it during surgery and repair any hernias. Kind of perplexed why he or she won't do it. You're most likely looking at a second operation after the sleeve to get it removed - and that sucks. =(

Yay!! Huge accomplishment, congratulations!!

Also, protein deficits now, usually equates to hair loss 3-4 months down the road. Clarify with your doctor or nutritionist how much your daily protein intake should be. Best wishes to you! And one "cheat" doesn't define you. Get back on track, you can do this!

I've read a lot of posts where people feel like they have hunger pains and ended up just needing a PPI like Prilosec, to decrease the amount of acid in their new tummy.

Wow. Are you that much at risk for blood clots? I'm sure you'll call your doctor for a definitive answer but in the meantime, at hospitals we use the SCDs on patients anytime they are lying in bed after surgery and always while they're sleeping at night. If you're up and about, walking around etc, there's really no need for them during the day, since the walking does the same job as the compression device - increases venous return of blood to your heart. If you are sitting a lot, get up and walk around every 2 hours. Do NOT cross your ankles, do NOT cross your legs and drink as much Water as you can. Good luck!

Absolutely! If the skin is not broken, anti-fungal powder works great. If you've scratched to oblivion and beyond, shower, use gentle soap, dry area very well (even use a blow dryer on a cool setting if you have to) and apply the anti-fungal cream / ointment at least three times per day. Yeast and fungus is very hard to kill, especially in warm, moist, dark areas like the private parts. Head to the doctor if it doesn't get better soon.

@@Texasmeg, yes powders are great on unbroken skin. Yeast causes a lot of itching that people tend to scratch - thereby causing small tears or breaks in the skin. Anti-fungal powders would be a bad idea on broken skin, but they do work really well (especially under the breasts) to keep the area more dry.

No, I'm the same person that responded on your Military Veterans thread. @@moonlitestarbrite, thank you for your response; that makes perfect sense and I don't think I've heard anyone quite explain it that way (not being able to gain insight until you stopped eating). Poignant.

That's just the thing @@elpasovet, one way or another our behavior has to change. You don't have a choice after surgery and as you read through the threads, people describe the consequences of eating too much, eating too fast, eating and drinking together (vomiting, nausea, pain, heartburn); as well as what happens when you don't drink enough (dehydration), not enough Protein (muscle wasting, saggy skin, hair loss). Some people are extremely lucky it seems and have no difficulties at all after surgery, while others struggle more like the two commentors on this thread; there's really no telling. One thing for sure is that it is life altering and people decide to do this when all other options have been exhausted - and there are way more success stories than difficult stories. For me, like others I'm sure, know that I need the help. I know that I could be successful with this surgery because I have done it without it. Losing weight isn't my problem; maintaining is, which is why this would really benefit me. With that being said, without addressing the emotional turmoil that has driven me to this point of obesity, I can't reconcile with myself the logic of having the majority of my stomach removed. I may get there, but not just yet.

@@moonlitestarbrite, I agree. Did you seek counseling, and if so, why did you feel it wasn't enough to get you to change your behavior instead of proceeding with surgery (assuming you've been sleeved)? I guess that's really what I'm wondering.....

@blondbomb, thank you for your post. Your honesty is equally appreciated. For me, I really don't know what the turning point will be. I am going through all of the program requirements in case I do decide to have surgery, but at this point I am still very unsure. I know I must sound like a million other obese people thinking they can try one last time to lose weight on their own. The only difference for me is I have always focused on my body and NEVER my mind in my weight loss efforts. Sorta feels like I did things backwards and I know that sleeve surgery is not going to fix my mind, which is the biggest hurdle to overcome.

@@SusinMichigan, thank you so much for your reply. Your candidness is refreshing. I have not had surgery and although I am approved for the VSG, something in my mind keeps bugging me and it's exactly what you pointed out. The sleeve forces you to do what you could not do, maintain, or accomplish on your own. The question I keep asking myself is why...... I have been successful at losing 75 lbs and keeping it off for years. I wonder, had I paused and appreciated what I accomplished and sought therapy for my food addiction at that time, where would I be today? I really feel in my heart that I could have maintained my weight. I looked awesome and I felt awesome. It felt amazing knowing I had accomplished this from eating 6 healthy meals and working out hard and consistently; but I didn't appreciate it and didn't feel like I deserved it, as odd as that sounds. I never addressed the mental aspects of this roller coaster ride of obesity and slowly but surely I began sabotaging myself and slipping back into old habits - and of course the weight came back with a vengeance. I have been reading these threads for a couple of months and one minute I'm all for the surgery and then I read a story like yours and remember why I'm reluctant in the first place. Again, thank you for your honesty.