JamieLogical

Hang in there! It can be rough.

That seems to be fairly common and, from what I've read, is usually temporary. I didn't experience it at all, but I have read posts from many others on these forums who did.

Yeah, I'm not sure what's causing it. I'm a web developer, so it seems like a pretty easy fix to just not accept duplicate posts in the first place or put a time restriction on how quickly a user an post again after posting.

550 calories seems very low, especially if you are expected to get any exercise in. I was aiming for 800+ a couple of weeks out of the gate and now aim for 1000+ (6 months post-op this Sunday). As for your "slow" loss... I lost under 15 pounds my first month and then I've "only" been around 6 pounds per month since then. Some people just lose more slowly than others. This isn't a race. Why would it matter if it took you 6 months or 16 months to lose your excess weight, so long as you eventually lost it? This isn't a diet. You will never be "done" with it, so what's the urgency to drop weight quickly? There are a lot of advantages to losing slowly. You don't have to replace your clothes as often. Your body and skin have more time to adapt. You don't get as many prying questions about your rapid weight loss. A 19 day stall isn't super uncommon by the way. I assume you lost some weight pre-op and then you dropped 13 pounds in 10 days. That's gonna take a toll on your body and it might need a little time to figure out what's going on. I imagine the low calorie intake isn't helping with that either. Did your nutritionist actually tell you to keep your calories at 550? My nutritionist refused to even set a calorie goal for me. She just wanted me to get in my Protein. My calorie goals I set for myself were just based on how much I thought I realistically needed in order to function.

Forgot to mention that you can look at my gallery for some recent pics (after the weight regain and then after I started losing again). The most recent progress pics are getting a little outdated now. I have been doing strength training and I am getting more definition in my abs now. Probably should take some updated pics soon....

Hi and welcome! It's neat that you are all going through this together. It will be nice to have such a close and sympathetic support system! Regain is a fear for us all. I lost 90+ pounds on my own in 2010/2011 and regained 80 of it before deciding to have my sleeve. I am optimistic that if I do regain at all, it won't be nearly as much. I am just not physically capable of bingeing the way I did before. Sure there are ways to eat around your sleeve and regain, but it would require some conscious effort to do so. As long as I stick to the rules of protein first and only eating on a schedule, I am hopeful I won't run into that problem.

I used it a lot after my plastics a few years ago, but don't really see it being applicable for sleeve. Maybe I'm wrong? I didn't have any issues with pain (aside from gas pain) after my sleeve.

I just posted in another thread on my plastics experience in Mexico, so you can switch over there to read my whole reply: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/333467-was-sleeved-913-looking-into-plastics-help/ As for costs, I had my plastics in August 2011, so pricing has probably gone up a little since then, but my total cost was about $10500. That included an extended tummy tuck with muscle repair (my surgeon did three lines of stitches in the muscle like the boning of a corset, not just one down the middle), breast lift with augmentation, all over lipo/body sculpting, and two weeks in the recovery house where I had 24/7 nursing care and all my meals provided. In addition to that, I paid about $250 for compression garments and prescription meds. Plus I paid for some lymphatic massages (masseuse came to the recovery house several days and I went to her office once). I want to say that was about $50 per massage, but I'm not 100% on that. And, of course, I had to pay for my airfare for a flight into San Diego, but the recovery house provided transport to and from the airport that was included in the cost.

I had plastics over three years ago with Dra. Laura Carmina Cardenas. My experience with her and the Beauty Care Recovery house was incredibly positive, but I also know things can change. For instance, I know the house and clinic have both moved locations, so I haven't experienced her newer facilities. I would try to find reviews from people who maybe had their surgery a little more recently. I had extended tummy tuck with muscle repair, breast lift with implants, and all over lipo. I stayed at the Recovery House for 2 full weeks before returning home. I'd had the surgery after losing 90 pounds "on my own" in 2010/2011, and then, of course, I managed to ultimately regain 80 of that. Thus my recent sleeve surgery. But, through all of that weight regain, my tummy tuck held up incredibly well and it looks amazing now that I am almost back down to the weight I was at when I had my plastics. I wish you the best of luck and definitely encourage you to do your research! In terms of pain and recover, plastics were a MUCH bigger deal than my gastric sleeve surgery, so you definitely want to make sure you have a good surgeon and a good plan. You'll likely need at least 4 weeks off of work, so keep that in mind as well.

Everyone is different when it comes to loose skin. There are so many factors that go into it: genetics, age, total weight loss.... There are things you can do to try to minimize it as you go, but even if people are diligent about those things, there are no guarantees. Sounds like you're one of the lucky ones! Keep up with your hydration, supplements, strength training, and moisturizing and hopefully you won't have any issues!

@@nicolesix I don't think it's normal to be in THAT much pain. I am what doctors might refer to as a "big baby" and I wasn't in anything near that amount of pain. Gas pain was an issue in the first day or two, but it was pretty tolerable. Certainly not excruciating and it didn't prevent me from being able to at least walk around a little or march in place. Have you talked to your surgeon about the extent of the pain you are in?

I've been to Mexico twice for surgery. Once for plastics and once form y gastric sleeve. Both experiences were incredibly positive. I received top-notch care. Just like in the US, some surgeons are better than others. Some are more reputable. Some offer more services. Some have more accreditation and affiliations. Some offer more pre and post-op support. You have to do your research to decide which is best for you. But to across the board dismiss all Mexican surgeons or surgical practices in Mexico is just ignorant. The surgeon I chose was in Newsweek as one of the top 15 Bariatric Surgeons in the world. There are truly world class surgeons in Mexico. Both times I traveled to Mexico, I felt 100% safe. I had no qualms about walking down the street alone or any of that nonsense. Tijuana is almost indistinguishable from the US. There's a Burger King or Office Max or Walmart on every corner. If you can get your husband to listen to you, I would have him read through some of the longer posts on these forums. The Obesity Control Center thread has several long, personal, step-by-step accounts of people's trips to Tijuana. Maybe that would help him see that there is nothing to fear. And definitely assure him that you will do your research and make sure you choose a high quality surgical team!

I was restricted to "brisk walking" until 2 months post op, but you should ask your surgeon for specific instructions.

Dra. Laura Carmina Cardenas in Tijuana.

I had Fluid build-up in my lower back that caused me a lot of issues post-op. My incision for my TT was almost all the way around my body, with only about a 3 inch space above my butt crack between the two ends. All of the fluid that needed to move between the upper and lower parts of my body would bottle-neck there and cause swelling of the soft tissue in my lower back. It was painful to sit or stand for a very long time. I had to work half-days at work for quite a while, because I couldn't sit in my office chair for 8 hours at a time. Once my lymphatic channels were reestablished and fluid could move freely through my body again, I was fine. Unfortunately that takes quite a long time! I am very happy with my ultimate results though. My stomach stayed tight and flat all through my weight regain of the past few years and now that I am losing again post-sleeve, it looks amazing. You can see pics in my gallery, but it looks even better than those most recent progress pics because now that I'm doing core strength training, I'm even starting to see some ab definition. As for my breast lift/augmentation.... BEST THING EVER!!!!! Just ask my husband! ;P

I have done TONS of research and been on these forums for months and I have't heard anything at all about VSG causing a build-up of scar tissue. I've heard a LOT of lap-band patients having trouble with scar tissue from their bands when revising to VSG. I don't think you'll have to be a "gym rat" to maintain your weight loss, but regular exercise is a requirement for maintained weight loss no matter how you lose the weight. I lost 90 pounds "on my own" a few years ago and stopping regular exercise contributed greatly to my regain. As for stretching the sleeve, it will relax and expand some by about a year out, but it can never be back to anything remotely resembling your old, full-sized stomach.

My insurance won't cover plastic surgery after weight loss at all. I looked into it years ago when I lost over 90 pounds "on my own" and then again when I was researching whether they would cover my WLS. I had plastics after my initial weight loss back in 2011 and paid for it out of pocket in Mexico. Luckily everything has held up well through my weight regain and re-loss, so I don't think I will need any revisions, but if I do, I'm prepared to go back to Mexico again. No way I could afford US prices out of pocket!

I was gonna post that exact same link for the pureed stage. As for full liquids, once I was allowed strained cram Soups, I bought pretty much every single creamy Soup my grocery store stocked! My favorites where Campbell's Cream of Shrimp (it's condensed so you need to add milk or water) and Progresso chicken Cheese Enchilada.

Good luck! It's a lot to go through. I'm a little concerned about the "no drain" thing, but I defer to the expert. When I had my extended tummy tuck with muscle repair in 2011, I had two drains for two full weeks and they produced a LOT of Fluid and I had addition issues with fluid build-up once the drains were removed. Of course, now that I'm 3.5 years out from my plastics, that's all a distant memory now and I am thrilled with my results. Hopefully you will be too!

I was SOOOOOO gurgly in the early days. It does go away for the most part, but I still get some bouts of it when I eat/drink certain things. My vitamins make me gurgly if I don't eat at the same time I take them. And room temperature water makes me gurgly still. No problem with ice water or hot beverages now though.

Diaper cream worked pretty well for me before I had my tummy tuck.

Congratz! I assume this means you are starting your pre-op diet like RIGHT NOW?

I discovered pretty recently that I handle really ice cold Water way better than room temp water. I had been drinking my water out of a Rubbermaid plastic bottle that did nothing to keep my water cold and struggled to get in more than 24 ounces ALL DAY while I was at work. I switched to a thermos-style double-walled stainless steel bottle. I fill it with ice and water in the morning before I leave for work, then refill it at the drinking fountain at work at least twice during the day and there's still ice in it by the time I get home. I'm now easily drinking about 48 ounces JUST at work. I've read that some people have trouble with cold water and warm water is easier for them, though. So you just have to experiment and figure out what works best for you.

They are chewy... not really soft. I tried starting them as soon as I was allowed SOLID foods (I was SO done with shakes at that point!) and they were still too much for me. I think the first one took me an hour and 10 minutes to eat. Now I can eat one in like 10 minutes. Definitely take it slow!

That would be a decent solution as well.