JamieLogical

@@Sweet Pee Do you run? If so, how long did you wait post-op before you started running again. Dra. Cardenas said I could start out slowly and for short distances at 6 weeks and work my way up from there. But I don't want to risk my healing in any way.

The positive stories VASTLY outnumber the negative ones. Most of the horror stories you hear are urban legends or can be attributed to singular surgeons. Don't let a few bad apples spoil the bunch. There are MANY excellent surgeons in Mexico, just like in any other country. I've heard plenty of "horror stories" about botched surgeries in the US too. Should I hold those against ALL of the surgeons here? Of course not. If you do your research, examine credentials, ask lots of questions, and talk to past patients, there is no reason you can't find a safe and reputable surgeon. My bariatric surgeon was named one of the top 15 in the world. My plastic surgeon is one of the top rated on RealSelf which is the go to site for researching and sharing plastic surgery outcomes.

Oh my goodness! How unusual to see two severe cases of complications so close together. I don't blame you for feeling a little scared after that. Do you know what caused the death of the woman who passed away? I would usually give you my spiel about how the risks from WLS are lower than the risks from knee replacement. But since you've seen severe complications first-hand so recently, I'm not sure that would do much to ease your mind.

The release of hormones into your blood stream after WLS can cause all sorts of issues. It's the reason you should also be using backup birth control for the first month or more.

If you are using the desktop client through a browser, and not the app, follow these steps: click on your username in the upper right corner select "My Settings" click on "Notification Options" on the left-hand side of the screen Under "Topics & Posts" uncheck the Email checkbox for "Notification method to use for replies to followed topics" Not sure how to do it through the app. Someone else will have to help you there.

Glad everything seems to be going so well! I loved getting to watch my barium swallow test too. I wish more people got to watch that. I see a lot of posts from people who are concerned that they are going to stretch their sleeve from drinking too much or too fast or are worried that they don't feel restriction with liquids. I think if everyone saw their swallow test and how quickly liquid passes through the sleeve, it would alleviate a lot of their fears.

Glad you are doing so well. Sip, sip, sip and walk, walk, walk!

For the stall, there's not a lot you can do other than wait it out. For the fatigue, I found mine got much better once I was onto more solid foods and could get more calories in. What food stage are you in now?

@@jamieq I really do love that dress! And you look beautiful!

where did you get yours done? I'm scheduled with dr garcia with Tijuana bariatrics... Sent from my SM-G900T using the BariatricPal App My plastics were with Dra. Carmina Cardenas at Beauty Enhance and my VSG was with Dr. Ariel Ortiz at Obesity Control Center. Had great experiences with both!

I like how you can set your workout shortcuts to the types of exercises you actually do. I have mine set for treadmill, spinning, weights, and running. The difference between treadmill and running, btw is that the running mode incorporates your GPS in your phone for distance. Same as the difference between spinning and biking.

@@Sweet Pee Thanks for the advice. I will be staying in the clinic for one night Recovery House for 10 nights post-op and they have motorized hospital beds, so you can bet I'll be keeping that thing in the exact position they tell me to! I'll have to invest in a new wedge pillow for when I get home. I threw out the one from my tummy tuck when I moved last fall....

I think you friend's cousin can come back and talk to us once she has her MD and has been performing bariatric surgeries for over a decade like all of our board certified surgeons have.....

I actually just posted a list of my recent lunches and dinners in another thread. Obviously at 19 months out, I have less restriction than someone earlier out. I'm allowed to eat all foods now. And my "cheese & peanuts" lunch that I often have is pretty high calorie, so I wouldn't recommend that until you are in maintenance: http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/363135-if-you-are-a-year-or-more-out-how-is-your-restriction/

I have the same issue as you with Water post-op. It has to be ICE COLD... like with literal ice floating in it. I bought this water bottle off of amazon and it changed my life! I fill it with ice and water first thing in the morning and I refill it with water at work throughout the day and the ice from the morning lasts all day in it: http://smile.amazon.com/dp/B00KOI1W14 I swear it's like a miracle. As for your other issues. It definitely sounds like depression to me if you can't even muster the will to take your meds when your timers/alarms go off. And if some of those meds you are missing are your meds for depression, then that sounds like a pretty vicious cycle. I would advise talking to your therapist about that.

I don't have as many hang-ups about processed foods. But I would definitely prefer the 20+ grams of protein for the same amount of calories from a Protein Bar when I'm on the run.

Just be sure you don't freak out if you stall in the next week or two. Almost everyone goes through the dreaded "Week 3 Stall" around this time. It doesn't mean you are doing anything wrong. Your body just needs a second to sort itself out again.

My surgery was Sept. 1, 2014, so we are pretty close there! You know what you need to do. Cut out the carbs and go back to protein. If you cut out the carbs 100% for this next little bit, you should be able to kick the cravings, just like early pre and post-op when you were doing shakes and not eating carbs. It also might help you to start tracking your food.

Yeah, you wouldn't be able to have lettuce and such that early out. You can have chicken and tuna salad, which are shredded chicken or tuna mixed with mayo, though.

I am going on 19 months post-op. I still have a lot of restriction. Especially with dense Protein. I can eat about 3-4 ounces of poultry with nothing else. Could probably eat more if I ate slowly, but one of my strategies for not over-eating is to actually eat quickly so all the food is still in my stomach at the same time instead of having some of it pass through, making room for more. I always pre-portion my food so as not to accidentally overeat also. If I am eating something in sauce or something more runny, like chili, I can do more like 6-8 ounces. I don't waste room on bread, rice, Pasta, or even veggies. If I ever do eat slider foods like chips or ice cream, I can definitely fit a LOT in. Which is why I either avoid them completely or pre-measure them. If I were to just eat any of those things until I was "full" I could do some serious damage! I've been tracking my food for the past 19 days since I got my FitBit, which means I've been weighing everything. Here's a little snap shot of the kinds of things I will have for lunch and dinner (I have Protein Bars for Breakfast and snacks): 1 oz. pepper jack cheese, 1 oz. colby jack cheese, and 1 oz. peanuts 3 oz. pesto with spinach & feta chicken sausage 3 oz, turkey kielbasa w/ mustard 4 oz. of meatloaf w/ ketchup 5 oz. of chili with 1/2 oz. shredded cheddar cheese 1 egg scrambled, 1/2 oz. feta cheese, 1 breakfast sausage link 3 oz. shrimp w/ cocktail sauce 4 oz. pulled pork in BBQ sauce

I would be able to eat salad? Like chicken salad? An I'm suppose to stay away from nuts A month out I was allowed chicken salad and tuna salad. I was not allowed to eat salad like a garden salad. No raw veggies that early.

I never had a FitBit before. I had a Bodybugg years ago and a Body Media Core more recently. Neither of those tracked heart rate. The were straps that you wore on your upper arm and they tracked skin temperature, movement, and skin conductivity. I've also worn a chest strap heart rate monitor for most of my cardio through the years.

Good point. At a month out I was on soft foods. So the hard boiled egg or yogurt would work, but not the pepperoni & cheese cup I mentioned. Another thing to check might be if they have Soups or chili. Our food court always has two soups of the day available.

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about surgery and the post-sleeve life. I'm going on 19 months post-op, so not a true "veteran" yet, but I have experienced all of the adjustments that living with the sleeve requires and I consider myself to be very successful so far!

Awesome!