Djmohr

I am RNY and have severe arthritis of the spine, shoulders and knees. NSAIDs of any kind are off limits to me due to the concern of a serious ulcer.

Currently I use Tylenol for mild pain, for more severe pain I have to use a narcotic but I really hate them.

I am learning to use heat, ice, warm Water therapy and meditation to help control chronic pain.

I do sometimes miss alieve but you have to learn to use alternatives.

I just had an arm lift yesterday and I can vouch for the fact that the pain level of plastics is definately greater than RNY but so darn worth it.

My arms were the worst and in 3 months I will have a Abdominalplasty and breast lift with augmentation. Following that I am considering a lower body lift with a thigh lift.

For me, insurance does not cover a dime of the surgery. It is all out of pocket and must be paid in advance. They were willing to help with interest free financing but I have been saving money for this for a long time knowing I would want to have my arms done.

My arm lift cost - 5950.00

My Tummy Tuck and breast lift with augmentation cost - 16,700.00 that includes one night in the hospital.

I can honestly say already that the pain and scars are well worth the trade off for me. I have been at goal since March of this year and simply could not lose my big arms. My surgeon used a technique where she does Lipo to remove the fat first and then removes the skin which means she can get them pretty darn small.

The next 3 month wait is going to take forever to get here. In terms of the pain from Abdominalplasty, my surgeon will be adding a pain pump right into the site which should help with pain for the first few days.

This is very common for many of us. The only time I actually see the difference is in pictures.

I look in the mirror and still see the fat me and I am far from fat these days.

What is weird is, when I was fat I used to look in the mirror and thought I was actually not that fat. Now I see those pictures and holy crap was I heavy.

It just takes time for your brain and body to catch up. Take lots of pictures along the way!

Mine were pulled prior to surgery to get a baseline and then 6, 12, 18 months post op.

Obviously you already know this was not the right thing to do an I am glad you recognize it.

My advice to you is to speak with a therapist just to better understand why you are self sabatoging so early on. If you were 6 or 8 months out it is one thing but you are so soon out of surgery that this could be a problem if you don't understand why.

Everyone cheats once in a while, but not everyone attempts it so early on. It is quite dangerous and can set you up for failure down the road if you don't deal with the whys behind it.

Just being honest here......you can do this! I am glad you recognize that it was the wrong thing to do. You just need to know why and address it.

I found a good option for calcium citrate because I too can not swallow pills that are too wide. Crushing the calcium citrate was the worst.

So I went on to Amazon.com and found Bariatric Advantage chews. They are much like a starburst candy an comes in many flavors. They are not inexpensive but at least I know I will take them.

All my other Vitamins are generic from Walgreens and my surgical team recommended them. I have had my blood work checked now 4 times and all my nutrients are perfect.

My generic everyday Vitamin with added D is a small tablet that I bought from Walgreens on a buy one get one free and of course there is a whole years worth in one bottle.

Same thing with my Vitamin D3. Generic, buy one get one.

I pay the most money for my Calcium citrate and it is the most important thing I take daily.

I also take the liquid B12 once per week and bought them on a buy one get one deal.

Lastly I take B1 because initially I was low on that nutrient. Also bought as a buy one get one.

All of those are small and can be swallowed after 4 weeks post op when the swelling goes down.

You just have to try what works for you but I too hate chewables. They are discussing.

It is the same as the first several weeks on the Atkins diet where you literally wipe out all carbs. Good and bad and yes your breath is horrible but your body begins to lose fat rapidly.

I lost 80lbs on that diet in 1997. I even used the pee sticks to make sure I was in Ketosis. That is where you wanted to be.

The problem I experienced as well as many of my coworkers that went on that diet at the same time is, as soon as you go off and begin eating carbs at all your body almost craves straight carbs all the time. I put on the 80 I lost and then an additional 30 on top of it.

That was when I decided I was done dieting because everytime I did, I would gain it all back and more. From that day forward I simply ate what I wanted, continued to gain weight until I ended up at my heaviest at 315lbs.

Then my mom became terminally ill and I lost weight simply from all the stress with trying to take care of her, my stepdad and work 60 hours a week. I dropped 50 and after she passed away gained that back and stayed there until I had surgery.

This is simply my opinion. The best thing to do for our bodies and the health of our metabolism is to eat a well balanced diet. Quality Protein, good carbs via vegetables and fruits and whole grains.

I try to follow that plan 98% of the time and so far it is working. I have almost 2 1/2 years on that program and I am hoping it sticks with me the rest of my life because I never want to go back there.

@@Sophie74656

Can you possibly walk a different way to avoid even knowing it is there?

What seems to work for me is I convince myself that certain foods taste horrible and feel worse in my tiny tummy.

Trust me, I swear my husband goes to McDonald's every single day. I use to love McDonald's and now just the smell of it turns my stomach and makes it very easy to say no dear, I don't want anything.

I play tricks with my brain every single day.

By the way, nothing will stop you from losing it but Biotin and good Protein will ensure it comes back when the weight loss slows down. I remember hoping my weight loss wouldn't stop because I wasn't at goal and when it did at 13 months I was afraid I would not make it to goal.

Wrong again, just because it slows way down doesn't mean you are done, it just means you have to work harder at it.

Best of luck to you!

Ugh....the hair loss thing is a real pain. I lost at least 2/3 of my volume. It started in the first couple of month and did not stop until I was 13 months post off.

I have very thick hair thank goodness.

Now, it came back and I have very very very curly hair now. Apparently as a young child I had very curly hair and so does my granddaughter. It is nearly impossible to straighten with a straight Iron. I asked both my surgical team about it as well as my dermatologist and they both said that can happen. It happens to cancer patients all the time.

My hair is so curly that it is 3 times as thick as it once was and I have had to learn from my 12 year old granddaughter how to take care of it. Thank goodness she is a girly girl and all about the hair and makeup.

The first time she saw all my curly hair left Curley, she said "MOMO, your hair is just like mine! " I just smiled nicely because all these years I was telling her how lucky she is to have Curley hair.

Guess what? I friggin hate it. It's too much work if you want to wear it straight.

I am attempting to share my before pics:

Gosh, I swear they look even bigger on a picture. Looking forward to sharing the smaller arms when I am up to it.

Hooray! And I do remember you. You dropped off for a while, welcome back!

Bahahahahahahahaha!

At first I thought "Oh no, not another negative post", then as I read through I believe Water squirted out of my nose and I almost choked to death.

Too funny! Thanks for making this one fun!

Ok......this is a question for all your swimmers that have gotten to goal.

Do we ever really get less buoyant?

Geez, I went to the pool today for the first time since losing all of my weight. I have a disability and really am trying to use exercise in the Water to help strengthen and stretch.

Anyway, I bought a new swimsuit and everything.

Little did I know that all of my loose skin and even the girls kept rising in the Water. The girls kept trying to give everyone a peep show. What the heck!

I knew when I was fat this was the case so I stayed out, now all of my lose hanging skin decides it wants to float and because I am a lot lighter, it tries to carry the rest of me with it. LOL....

How bizarre is this or is it just me.

I am so happy for you! I remember when you first started posting on here and to think how rapidly you are down 100!

Congratulations!

I have found that the chocolate is the only one I actually like. I can tolerate the strawberry but I don't look forward to it.

I am wondering if the banana will be any good but guessing it will be like the vanilla and strawberry. Too sweet for me.....

I cannot contain my smile. I had a consultation yesterday with my 1st choice plastic surgeon here in Delafield Wi.

She had great reviews, is board certified, has a great team including her assistant and most of all she is also a woman and totally gets it. Even my husband who is very over protective, loves her.

Every plastic surgeon I called would set up 1 appointment for each possible surgery charging a fee each time. I thought that was crazy given I wanted larger game plan for myself but I set up appointments anyway. I found her last and called her assistant who promptly told me that when they are speaking with someone who has multiple concerns they will book more time and provide all the time we needed. If you mentioned real self where I found her, they would do the consultation for free. She just transferred from another clinic so she has some open time much sooner.

Anyway, she was awesome and I loved the way she was thinking about the work I need done. I never felt uncomfortable with her for even a second and let me tell you when you are standing there in their tiny little panties in all your loose skin is hanging everywhere for everyone to see......making one feel comfortable is important.

My number 1 priority is having a brachioplasty because I have huge arms (yes, I will post some pictures soon). Then I wanted to discuss an Abdominalplasty and a breast lift with augmentation. She suggested that she would split them up exactly that way given my priorities and my current health issues (my bad back). She also wants my orthopedic surgeon to approve a small implant which we both agreed was reasonable but I do not want more back pain. Today, the girls are hanging low and pulling on my neck and back so even just putting them back where they belong would help but I really want some of my volume back, I chose a 300 gel implant.

My appointment started at 9:30am and we left there at 1:00pm. Both my hubby and I had a million questions, then they did a photo shoot (my least favorite part), then her assistant went through the option and pricing. My brachioplasty will cost 5950.00.

Then we went to scheduling and I knew I would get in quickly because most people have this type of work done in the fall and winter. So we asked for the soonest available appointment and they set me up for July 28th. On the way home her assistant called me back, they had a cancellation for this coming Thursday morning!!!! So this Thursday morning I will have what we have lovingly called my Grandma arms removed. My granddaughter will be destroyed, she always loved playing with my squishies as she called them.

I will be thrilled!!!!

Down the road, about 3 or 4 month from now, I will have the other portion done.

I know several of you have asked about whether or not I would need to wait until I was a year at a stable weight which was one of my questions to her. She typically would like to see 6 months at a stable weight so we pulled up my tracker and I am nearly 5 months within the same 3 lbs, she was comfortable given I am just having the brachioplasty now. We will then wait for the next surgery at least 3 months.

They would like you to not gain or lose anymore than 10lbs. If you have surgery too soon or lose too much, you could be looking at revisions. I am not planning on revising anything. One and done so I need to work hard to maintain.

This gives me another reason to keep driving forward.

That's my update...... Am I nuts or what?

I am excited mostly, the only nerves that I have currently is because I have such terrible back pain but that is not going away any time soon. We both thought maybe getting some of this weight off my shoulders would help too.

Hopefully Alex can answer this one because your post was the farthest thing from offensive!

I am guessing it was in error, please don't leave. I loved how you are approaching your future. Such positivity is so hard to come by.

Please stay?!!

@@Daisee68 and @@James Marusek got you covered. As they said take it very slow and try one food at a time. That way you will know what bothered you if you happen to get sick. It's also easier on your tummy.

Those first 6 weeks I lived on Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, over cooked soft carrots, ricotta bake, (9tried soft eggs but still can't eat them),

Cream of wheat with Protein powder, applesauce unsweetened, and of course Soups without Pasta (mostly creamed soups)

I had a minimum of 1 30 gram Protein shake but early on I usually had two so I got my Protein and liquids in.

Best of luck to you and congratulations!

YAY! Keep up the great work. You can get there, look how far you have come.

Not specifically leftovers but what I will say is that there are days when something works and then the next day my tummy doesn't like it.

As time goes by, this does improve.

You look fantastic now both on the inside and the outside! And you will have great before and after pictures!

Congrats!

@

I had the same thing....for years. Fibroids causing big problems. Finally I went to a new ob/gyn who said, you are not having any more children as you had your tubes tied 20+ years ago. Why don't you consider a hysterectomy?

I said, sign me up now please!!!! That was another surgery that felt like Christmas morning! Ha. Although they left my ovaries and now I am 53 and in the worst phase of menopause. Hot flashes about 50 times a day.

I am either bundled in blankets because I am thin and cold or I have a fan blasting me in the face to control the spontaneous combustion going on in my body.

If only they could figure out a way to allow you to skip menopause!

@@bluedragon0110

What does your doctor say? That is where I would start.

My doctor did not start me on Vitamins of any kind until I was a month post op. That is because your body has a built up supply in the beginning.

It is called reactive hypoglycemia and I have had several episodes over the last 22 months. It usually happens if you eat too much sugar in a day and can be difficult to stop the vicious cycle.

Your body starts to get used to that higher sugar level and when you don't get it, reactive hypoglycemia kicks in.

I have gotten it when I start my day with cream of wheat and don't follow it with a high Protein snack. I eat a lot of fruit so that is where my usual sugar comes from and that will cause it.

You have to find your happy spot where you can have some sugar in your life but not enough that your body wants more. I have talked with my Bariatric doctor about it and he suggested if I am going to have something sweet or carby like Cereal, I need to follow it with high Protein snack within an hour or so.

That has worked for me as I am not willing to give up the fruit I eat. I have since refrained from eating cream of wheat on a regular basis. I do have it once in a while though