GreenEyes604

Were you sleeved in December 2014? Come join us on our 1st year surgiversary cruise to the Bahamas! Our December 2014 Sleevers Facebook group is having a 1-year surgiversary get together! We are going to do a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. Below is the information: Departing: December 4, 2015 Returning: December 7, 2015 Departure location: Miami, FL The cost is based on double occupancy, however you may chose to have a room of your own, but you will still be charged the double occupancy rate. Itinerary: Miami --> Coco Keys (cruise line's private island) --> Nassau (8 hours) --> Miami Ship: Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas Cabin Costs: (total cost for cruise per person) Interior - $358/pp Porthole Ocean-view - $341/pp Portrait Window - $348.50/pp Jr. Suite - $641/pp Grand Suite - $941/pp Payments - A $50 deposit is due, per cabin, within 21 days. Another $150 is due within 120 days of cruise departure, and the final balance is due within 75 days of cruise departure. We have been assigned our own personal group agent that will send everyone a copy of the agreement with all payment due dates, etc. If you are not able to make the entire cruise payment at one time, you will have the options of making payments payments toward your final bill as you like as long as they are made by the appropriate dates. All payments are made to the travel agency organizing this cruise. No payments are made to me. Required Documents - For this particular cruise, the documents required are Passport OR Certified copy of your birth certificate and your state ID. We are also inviting a spouse or significant other should they have a desire to go, and it makes your participation easier. There are quite a few people in our lives that have been through quite a bit since we started our journey, and I feel strongly that their love and support should also be celebrated. If you want to join us on this cruise, please send me a message with your name, contact information, and how many people you are bringing so that I can confirm your participation and make sure you get all the necessary information from the travel agent. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

@@Elode Girl you know better than to stray too far away from me. People just love to jump on me because I speak the truth and they don't like it. Still have these flouncers running around trying to save the world...

I know one thing @yoyolifechange11 you are a lot better woman than me because I would have kicked his ass to the curb a long time ago. No one deserved to be emotionally abused, and you my dear are in a very toxic relationship. And one other thing that I know is that his ass better have six-pack abs and you can bounce a quarter off of, and not one ounce of body fat. He better be a damn ADONIS!!!

Congrats and welcome to the losers bench! Now the real work starts!

Why don't you find a local support group and take him with you to one of the meetings. His lack of support could be something as simple as he isn't totally and completely informed. I have heard of many spouses that went to a support group meeting, and came out with a completely different outlook. Just a suggestion...

@@gal friday You're funny... you make me laugh. Quoting myself to address your ad hominum tactic, it's clear you missed it above even though I basically laid it out in a bullet point. This isn't reddit. This isn't yahoo answers. This isn't 4chan. So I'm going to stick with compassion. You want snark, you want rudeness, you'll have to find that from me on a different corner of the internet. On support forums I provide support. The harshness I gave you after your OP was deliberate, and was as harsh as I'll get on here (except maybe when we are talking about Penny). You can provide whatever level of discourse you like, just don't fool yourself when you do it. Text or in person, mean is mean. If that's what you think people need, have at it. My posts will stand to let them know that support is out there. Feel free to reply, but I'm done, repeating myself isn't going to change your mind, and vice versa.

Were you sleeved in December 2014? Come join us on our 1st year surgiversary cruise to the Bahamas! Our December 2014 Sleevers Facebook group is having a 1-year surgiversary get together! We are going to do a 3-day cruise to the Bahamas. Below is the information: Departing: December 4, 2015 Returning: December 7, 2015 Departure location: Miami, FL The cost is based on double occupancy, however you may chose to have a room of your own, but you will still be charged the double occupancy rate. Itinerary: Miami --> Coco Keys (cruise line's private island) --> Nassau (8 hours) --> Miami Ship: Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas Cabin Costs: (total cost for cruise per person) Interior - $358/pp Porthole Ocean-view - $341/pp Portrait Window - $348.50/pp Jr. Suite - $641/pp Grand Suite - $941/pp Payments - A $50 deposit is due, per cabin, within 21 days. Another $150 is due within 120 days of cruise departure, and the final balance is due within 75 days of cruise departure. We have been assigned our own personal group agent that will send everyone a copy of the agreement with all payment due dates, etc. If you are not able to make the entire cruise payment at one time, you will have the options of making payments payments toward your final bill as you like as long as they are made by the appropriate dates. All payments are made to the travel agency organizing this cruise. No payments are made to me. Required Documents - For this particular cruise, the documents required are Passport OR Certified copy of your birth certificate and your state ID. We are also inviting a spouse or significant other should they have a desire to go, and it makes your participation easier. There are quite a few people in our lives that have been through quite a bit since we started our journey, and I feel strongly that their love and support should also be celebrated. If you want to join us on this cruise, please send me a message with your name, contact information, and how many people you are bringing so that I can confirm your participation and make sure you get all the necessary information from the travel agent. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask me.

I found this information which might be of some assistance. The reduced stomach size with all types of gastric surgery presents a major problem with the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Administration of NSAIDs carries an increased risk for serious damage to the stomach pouch, which may result in gastric ulcers. NSAIDs can cause this damage through direct irritation of the GI mucosa due to their acidic properties and through their systemic effects, which include the inhibition of cyclooxygenase (COX)-1 leading to reduced prostaglandin synthesis and a decrease in production of gastric mucous that protects the stomach epithelium from damage. Because of these effects, use of NSAIDs should be avoided if possible, and alternative oral pain medications, such as acetaminophen, should be substituted. These alternatives are safer for patients who have undergone bariatric surgery because they do not carry the risk of causing damage to the stomach mucosa; however, the absorption of different pain medications in the post-bariatric surgery population is largely unknown and likely highly variable depending on the specific drug and patient characteristics. When NSAIDs cannot be avoided, it may be beneficial to select an NSAID that is more selective for COX-2 (such as celecoxib [Celebrex] and meloxicam [Mobic, others]), because these will have fewer effects on the secretion of gastric mucous. Addition of a H2 receptor antagonist, proton pump inhibitor, or misoprostol also should be considered with prolonged use of any NSAIDS in this at risk population.

@@Donmecca357 I totally agree with you. Since having surgery I now eat to live, rather than live to eat. For me it's not really that I don't get excited about food, I'm really just not interested in it.

@@gal friday This is exactly the reason why I said what I said in my original post. I have no idea why you are no longer a practicing therapist, but maybe it has something to do with your inability to be totally and completely objective. You know absolutely nothing about me, you know nothing of my struggles with depression, yet you immediately assumed that I know nothing based on your comment, "Frankly, in this day and age, with the widespread knowledge of depression and its causes, I'm shocked that you don't know all of this." WOW, was that your professional diagnosis of me? For your information, I have struggled with chronic depression since I was a teenager, and I am 55 years young now, so contrary to your diagnosis, I know a hell of a lot more about depression that you might think. Now to your final comment, I totally disagree with you and I hope that my post does scare off anyone that is so weak that they can't handle comments posted on a public website because bariatric surgery of ANY TYPE is a monumental, life changing experience, and personally if your mental health is not up to par that you can't handle comments made by complete strangers, you have no business whatsoever considering bariatric surgery. Bariatric surgery is by far a much more mental process than a physical one. And finally, just to show you what I'm talking about, you directly insulted me, but because I'm not a weak minded individual, I can handle any and all comments made toward me simply because I realize that you don't know me or anything about me, and I'm not about to let something said in a public forum send me into a major depression.

Its not the uneducated that gets me either, its the downright stupid and ignorant comments that make me just shake my head and say, "To think you're the sperm that actually made it?"

LOOK AT YOU!!! Go 'head with your bad self! You must be so proud of yourself to have made such a dramatic change, and I bet your feel wonderful!

@@kndoster Hopefully this response will be "non-generic" enough... A weight loss stall is an extended stretch of time where your efforts are not resulting in weight loss. Some patients may experience a stall in their weight loss days after surgery, some weeks after surgery, and some may not get their first stall until months after surgery. Regardless of when it happens, you are not alone. But why do these even happen especially when you are eating so much less? Let’s talk about some related topics. When you lose weight rapidly chances are you are losing lean body mass (muscle) and fat. Your muscle plays a big part in the burning of calories by keeping your metabolic rate higher so you want to hold onto your muscle and even make more muscle. Eating 60 to 75 grams of Protein per day will help maintain lean body (muscle) mass. Metabolic rate is the amount of energy (calories) your body will burn at rest while just maintaining your bodily functions like breathing, circulating blood, repairing cells and changing hormone levels, for example. An increased metabolic rate is not the only reason for keeping muscle. You want to keep muscle so you can use them to exercise and burn even more calories. Weak muscles make exercise more difficult so build muscle with strengthtraining and aerobic work. We always hear that eating too much causes weight loss to stop. But how about not eating enough calories? If you are losing weight rapidly due to a drastic drop in food and/or calorie intake, your body will naturally slow down its metabolism in order to conserve energy. It goes into kind of a hibernation mode. Your body thinks you are “starving” and holds onto every last calorie. Make sure you are taking in the correct amount of food for the amount of time you are post operatively. Never skip meals. If you are exercising frequently, you may need to add an extra Protein shake to fuel your body. Of course, the opposite may be true. Are you eating more than you should which is causing calorie abundance and fat storage? Refer to your manual for meal measurements and calorie intake suggestions and make sure you are drinking plenty of Water throughout the day. Water aids in maintaining bodily functions. Another thing that can slow down weight loss through increased hunger is sleep deprivation. Those who do not get at least six to eight hours of sleep per night are at greater risk of increased ghrelin levels (hormone that makes you hungry) and decreased leptin (hormone that decreases hunger). If you do the same routine every single day your body may be accustomed to this. Make a change to get things moving again. Here are quick tips for getting through a stall: Exercise! And if you do the same exercise, change up your exercise routines. Use different muscle groups. Concentrate on protein to help keep muscle. Stay well hydrated Make sure you are getting enough protein/calories if you are exercising a lot or if it is time for a meal-volume change. If it is not time for a volume change or you are at maintenance, make sure you are not eating too much throughout the day. Get at least six to eight hours of sleep per night. Follow all the rules of the pouch/sleeve every single day and for life. If you fall off the wagon, just get back in and start over.

@@gabrielle2014 I was sleeved on December 12, 2014 and although I don't have any of the cardiac issues that you've had, or mono, I am so darn sleepy all the time and its really starting to both me. I go to bed at a decent hour every night, but there are some mornings that I just can't get out of bed because I'm so sleepy. I used to work from 7am - 3:30pm, but for the last couple of months I have had to change my hours to 11am - 7pm simply because I'm so sleepy in the mornings. There have been some days when I didn't even go to work because I was so sleepy in the morning. I would love to hear if anyone else has experienced this problem, and if so, what they did to rectify it.

Hello and welcome to the Loser's Bench! We all experience stalls from time to time, and you just have to be patient and realize that as long as you are following your plan, your stall will pass and you will start losing again. Again, welcome and I hope you find BP very helpful.

I did just like JerseyCityGal and bought 1 of every flavor that I thought I would like. I bought my pre-op and used them to flavor my Protein drinks... ABSOLUTELY LOVE THEM!! My NUT told me that I i could use 3-4 pumps at one time, which really worked for me. However, post-op I cannot stand the taste of any of them. My daughter still likes them, and fortunately for me she uses them in her smoothies, etc. so they aren't going to waste. It is so true that your tastes will change dramatically after surgery. I'm like a lot of people in that I really can't tolerate artificial sweeteners anymore.

just like you decided to read through this entire feed. . .same way I'm entitled to post whatever I like. . . .anything else you would like to know ******************************************************* Nope, but thanks for asking!

@@LipstickLady OK, I'll tell you how horrible you are.... You are so horrible that after you told me a few months back you were drinking through a straw, so I figured if you did it, so could I. Now because I started drinking through a straw, I've been able to get in almost twice as much liquid as I was before when I wasn't using a straw. YOU ARE SO HORRIBLE!!! Now you make me have to pee twice as much.... LMAO!!!

I'm curious about something.... If you have made the decision to not move forward with any type of bariatric surgery, and you plan on losing the weight and keeping it off in your own chosen method, why did you feel it was necessary to come here and let the world know of your decision? Although there are some people on this website that are still in the decision making phase of their journey, you've made your decision if I'm correct. Did you post hoping that someone was going to try and talk you out of the decision you've made? And if that wasn't your intention, what made you think that anyone here really cared that you decided not to have surgery, not to mention you've continued to defend and fight against other members comments. If you've decided you're not having surgery, then just leave the forum and go on with your life however you chose to live it. Why continue with any conversation at all?

@@Dee951 I wasn't a big fan of pictures of myself either. I hated when someone brought out a camera. The only reason I started taking them when I did was because my friend told me I would be angry at myself for not doing it when I had the chance. Not to mention I knew my body was going to change, and I wanted to be able to really see it. I didn't measure myself before surgery either, and I really wish I had. But at least I've got pictures now that I can look at and know that I will NEVER be that size again.

@@amponder Blue Cross/Blue Shield

I am so miserable I just want to SCREAM!!! I am 10 weeks post op and I have absolutely no idea what is going on with me right now. Absolutely everything I eat makes my stomach cramp. I take daily Prilosec as well as Hyoscyamine, and nothing seems to work. I have been eating some things that I know I shouldn't simply to get some nutrition. I know I'm not getting in anywhere near enough Protein and I'm definitely not getting in enough liquids. I don't know if anyone else has or is going through a "regretful" stage, but I'm there full force right now. I've been in a stall for a month now, and all of this together is making me want to jump off a bridge (not really, but you know what I mean). I need some help with a quickness!!! This is just becoming way too much to deal with.

Congratulations, and I hope you stay on the positive track! Seems like you're doing rather well.

I had GERD pre-op and I was sleeved on 12/12/14. Its not a determining factor as to whether or not you will be allowed to have VSG, the surgeon is concerned with how long you have had GERD, what you were taking for it, and the level of tissue damage (if any) that GERD has caused your digestive tract over the years. Scar tissue can be a major issue for the surgeon so thats one of the reasons why they do EDGs pre-op to make sure the have a clear roadway.

Some of what you are smelling is the Protein seeping out of your pores. The protein will also make your poop smell like someone crawled up inside of you and died! It's terrible. It will definitely subside as you start replacing your Protein shakes and powders with real food.