GreenEyes604

Are you all kidding me? I weigh myself everytime I go to the bathroom! My scale sits right next to my toilet, so everytime I go into the bathroom for ANYTHING, I step on the scale. I'm cool with whatever the scale says, its just become a habit for me. I've never gotten upset when I would go up a pound and then back down. It's just cool to me to see how much I weigh.

July 23, 2014 Orientation Informational Seminar December 12, 2014 Surgery Date

8 - 10 would be perfect for me. I doubt that I'll see that small though.

@@LipstickLady "J" you are a gift to the real world! Love you girl!

@@Flygirl123 There is a really good chance that it won't take your insurance company 2 weeks to respond. Once my paperwork was submitted, my insurance company (United Healthcare) responded in less than 36 hours. Take this time to learn as much as you can on what your post surgery life will be like. It will make the time go faster, and you'll really be glad you did. Best of luck on your journey!

@@Pac-woman Sounds good to me!

I had a few complications post op. I became extremely dehydrated and wound up back in the hospital about a week after my surgery. Around week two I became extremely dehydrated again and had to have in-home infusion for 7 days. Also do to my belly bulge which hung over my belly button, the incision right above my belly button would not heal. It took almost 3 weeks for it to finally heal correctly.

Sorry didn't mean to post.

@@sukik … You are not required to release any personal health information that you do not choose to. Just like insurance companies can no longer deny you coverage for pre-existing conditions, an employer can not refuse you a job based on your medical history. If it were a case where the condition precluded you from being able to handle your job duties effectively and safely, that is a different story, but because you had your tonsils taken out, your appendix removed, or part of your stomach taken out is none of their business whatsoever!

My surgeon told me that medical bracelets are not necessary for sleeved patients. The only people that need them are gastric by-pass patients. But if it makes you feel better, there is no reason in the world why you couldn't get one.

If you haven't seen your anesthesiologist yet, make sure you them him/her to make sure they take care of any nausea that you might encounter. My anesthesiologist put a patch behind my ear, gave me a little bit of nausea medicine before he put me under, and then seriously hooked me up during surgery. I didn't have any nausea post op at all…. NONE!

@@Stevehud … WOW, for once you and I actually agree on something. I too saw the article about Tess Holliday who is 5'5 and a size 22, and just received a huge modeling contract. Although I think this woman has a very attractive face, I find absolutely nothing attractive with her photos, and I also feel it is beyond wrong to promote such an unhealthy lifestyle. Her heart has got to be under so much pressure, and I know there are co-morbidities that have her name written all over them, she is perfectly fine with it. How do women become convinced of this false sense of security? Has the greed for money gotten people to the point that they will promote to so many unsuspecting women and young girls that being this big is ok? They even call this woman "Chubby Lumpkins" @_@ WHO DOES THAT??? It sickens me that magazines already promote the unhealthy lifestyle of these stick figure models as being the perfect image of the American woman, but now to take it to the other extremely is unbelievably disgusting. As for the overweight/obesity shows, I find some of them to be very good, and others to be complete sensationalism. My 600-lb life shows many positive examples of people who have had different types of surgeries, and the success they have had with them. This "My Big Fat Life", or whatever its called is simply and exploitation of this young girls misery, and I don't find it funny or entertaining. Like Stevehud, I truly wish they would put on a show that follows bariatric patients through each and every stage of their journey, pre and post op. Finally for once give the world a bird's eye view of what we deal with every damn day!

I used unjury my entire pre-op period. I didn't particularly care for the chocolate Slendor, it was just too chocolatey for me. I did however really like the Vanilla, Regular Chocolate, Unflavored, and the chicken Soup. The strawberry was just so-so to me. However, post-op I find it very difficult to stomach any of the Unjury products. Not sure why the big change, but I just don't care for them anymore.

@@gruiz27 Girl you need to quit lying because that is not the same person! LOL YOU LOOK AMAZING! You have got to be so proud of yourself!

I take 2 Flintstones Chewables Vitamins everyday, one in the morning and one at night. I also take 1200 mg Calcium with Vitamin D, and 5,000 mcg of Biotin once a day. I'm going to have to find a different vitamin as well. I really like the Flintstones Chewables, but I'm getting tired of them.

The first 3 months post-op I think are the absolute worst! I was sleeved on December 12th, and I am just getting to the point where I can tolerate more regular foods. I still haven't been brave enough yet to try salad with raw vegetables, even though I have been cleared to have it. I introduce new foods slowly and one at a time. It's almost like Christmas or your birthday each time you introduce a new food that your tiny tummy likes and tolerates. Hang in there! Just as everyone says, it really does get much, much better! It may seems hard to believe right now, but before you know it you'll be smiling pretty again. Best of luck to you!

Understanding hair Loss after Bariatric Surgery Hair loss after bariatric surgery is very common and very stressful. We all want to achieve great weight loss results and still have great hair. The hair loss associated with bariatric surgery is called telogen effluvium and has to do with the normal hair growth cycle. It usually starts abruptly and very seldom lasts longer than 6 months. Human hair has a two stage growth cycle. The growth phase is called anagen and 90% of our hair follicles are in this phase at any given time. The resting phase is called telogen, which lasts about 1 to 6 months, with an average of 3 months. About 5-15% of our hair is in the resting phase at any given time. It is also known that telogen effluvium has to do with stress to the body and hormonal changes that can occur. Due to the stress more hair follicles can enter into the resting phase. This is important because the hair in the resting phase at the time of surgery is most likely the hair you will shed. This is why your hair sheds between 1 to 6 months after surgery (usually about3 to 4 months). When the hair starts to grow again the old hair follicle is released and you lose hair. Sometimes the hair comes out before new hair grows, yikes! So in summary, this type of hair loss is a diffuse shedding of hair as it relates to the normal hair growth cycle. It is common in men and women and all races. It occurs a little more frequently in women typically after child birth and can also happen to infants after the first month or so of life. Why does this happen in people who have bariatric surgery? The most common reasons are: • Surgery, acute illness, trauma • Chronic disease such as liver disease or any chronic debilitating disease • Hormonal imbalance such as hypothyroidism • Crash dieting, low Protein intake, anorexia, chronic Iron deficiency • Heavy metal toxicity • Medications such as beta-blockers, excess Vitamin A and anticoagulants So, what we have here are a few things that may be affecting people with hair loss. It starts with surgery, a very low calorie intake and possibly low protein intake. Then you add any illness along the way, an underactive thyroid, iron deficiency, or genetics and you get hair loss of about 5-15% of your hair follicles. Other nutrients implicated in hair loss include zinc, Biotin, folate, vitamin B-6 and essential fatty acids. If no deficiency of these nutrients exists, then they will likely be of little use. The good news is that you can count on the hair returning unless you have a chronic illness or genetic reason for the hair thinning. The following suggestions are the best advice I can give anyone with telogen effluvium, now that we know what it is. • Relax and don’t worry. It is natural hair loss of 5-15% of your hair due to the stress of surgery and weight loss. It rarely lasts more than 6 months. It grows back. • Visit your primary care doctor to be evaluated for any illness or non-nutritional reason for hair loss such as thyroid disease or other chronic illnesses. • Follow our dietary prescription, which calls for limited calories and exceptional diverse protein intake on a daily basis. DO NOT add a lot of protein and increase your calories so much that you sabotage your weight loss. Obesity kills, not a little hair loss! • Take a bariatric specific multi-vitamin with adequate B Vitamins, folate, zinc and biotin. Don’t forget your B12 and Calcium citrate with Vitamin D supplements. • Avoid excessive Vitamin A and high dose zinc supplements they are both potentially harmful. • Add iron if you are iron deficient based on your lab findings in consultation with your healthcare provider. • Consider adding an additional B-complex. The B vitamins are not generally toxic and the extra B vitamins with biotin may help keep your metabolism running smoothly. • Eat fish rich in Omega three fatty acids several times a week or supplement with fish oil supplements in consultation with your healthcare provider. Consider discussing minoxidil drug therapy with your healthcare provider as a possible means to grow or thicken hair. This drug has not been shown to stop the process of telogen effluvium, but given that it stimulates hair growth it may have some benefit.

I bought a variety case of them which has 2 bottles of each of their flavors. I personally do not like any of them. There is just something about the taste that grosses me out. On the other hand, my daughter loves them and thinks they are amazing.

Try not to worry. I would guess to say that most people don't have a lot of pain post-op, and if you do, all you have to do is ask the nurses for something. Their job is to keep you as pain free as possible, and I'm sure they will give you whatever you need. Everything will work out fine!

I'm looking to buddy up with someone(s) who is in the pre-op process of VSG and looking for others to share in the support. We could start our own "Slim Possible" group! Anybody out there? I'm Michelle

I tried shrimp for the 1st time when I was 4 weeks post-op, and they went down fine.

Are you kidding me??? My scale sits right next to my toilet, and I weight myself everytime I go to the dang bathroom... LOL LOL

@@allyray I recently did a side-by-side picture because I couldn't really see any difference in myself when I looked in the mirror. After looking at the photo, not only could I see the difference, but I had people tell me that I look 10-20 years younger. I thought exactly the same things about myself that you are, but quickly learned I was wrong.

I started my journey in July of 2014, and within a week I had a tentative surgery date. My insurance company required my surgeon's office to give an estimated date when they planned to do the surgery. My actual surgery date wound up being 4 days before the original estimated date. I was under the impression that all insurance companies required a tentative date, but I guess I was wrong.

The nervousness and anxiety that you are experiencing is perfectly normal emotions. Most people go through a period of second guessing, or thinking about all the bad stuff that could happen. Just like Miss Mac said, complications are a reality, but the possibility is extremely minute. Try to focus on all the positive benefits that you're going to receive from the surgery. Remind yourself that your procedure is happening inside of a medical facility that is capable of handling any type of emergency. You will be fine, and it will be over before you realize it, and you'll be on your way to a sexier, healthier, thinner you!