Jason In Houston

Brian, I'm in the same boat... At my 3 year checkup, my tests showed pretty severe anemia. My nut said taking enough iron supplements to correct it would make me very constipated, and my surgeon referred me to a hematologist. My hematologist looked at my labs and told me point blank he's never seen a more textbook case of anemia. Then he started grilling the 3 med school students about what each number on my labs meant. Essentially, my bone marrow can't get the iron it needs to make normal, full-sized red blood cells, so it's frantically pumping out a bunch of tiny ones that don't do much good. He thinks the root cause is my weight loss surgery. My stomach no longer has the surface area to produce the necessary stuff (forgot) to help absorb the iron from my food later on in the digestive system. I've had two iron infusions in the past week, and I go back for labs in a month to see what effect it had. Then we keep checking it & refill as necessary. P.S. Iron infusions are hella expensive - about $1k each, so consider that when choosing an insurance plan.

My surgeon grew up in Mexico and joked that he'd also implant a chip to teach me Spanish. At my 6 month checkup, he walks in and asks me how I'm doing in Spanish. I replied in English, "The chip is broken. I think the wild animal you left in there ate it." It was a little embarrassing for me as well, but after a year or so, I didn't notice it anymore.

I don't know how they managed it, but the amazing insurance negotiator at my bariatric surgeon's office submitted my case for bat wings, man boobs, thigh lift, and pannulectomy (tummy flap). It was all approved on the first attempt, even though my insurance plan specifically excludes skin removal surgery resulting from massive weight loss. So, for those of you who want things cleaned up and can't afford it, get a pro to submit your case and see where it goes. You might get lucky! If you're curious: For surgery #1, I paid out of pocket for a part of my tummy tuck instead of the approved pannulectomy, along with my arms & chest which were covered. I had incisions from each elbow down my armpit and across my chest, and 180 degrees around my waist. For surgery #2, I paid out of pocket for some lipo on my chest and scar revision on my waist to make things more symmetrical while I was under for my thigh lift. I had incisions from each ankle up the inside of my thigh then curving out to meet my waist line.

Here's the details: With the help of a gastric sleeve, over 2 1/2 years, I've lost 369 pounds (high weight of 615 to 246 currently) I've been within 10 pounds of this weight for 6 months I have a minor but persistent rash under the skin folds of my stomach, along with severe pain when the loose skin gets flapping around during exercise. With the help of my bariatric surgeon's office, I've been approved by insurance for: Stomach folds (Pannilectomy) - I will be doing a full tummy tuck (abominoplasty) Bat wings (Brachioplasty) Man boob removal Thigh lift I found a plastic surgeon I like, has good results, and is comfortable with the large amount of work I need done. Here's my concern: He wants to do the bat wings, man boobs, and tummy tuck in a single surgery. I'm sure he can pull it off, but I'm not sure how well I'll be able to function during recovery. For those who've had a lot of work done, how much of it was combined? What did recovery look like for you?

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I had my bat wings, moobs, and tummy tuck all in one go. I'm now 19 days post-op. I had 6 JP drains. The 2 in my arms and the 2 in my chest came out after a week. The 5th one in my groin got clogged somewhere around 2 weeks, so it was removed. The last one is still draining about 85cc / day of a slightly yellow, mostly clear liquid, so I really doubt it'll come out at today's visit. The day after surgery, they tried to stand me up. I passed out, probably because of low blood volume. Because of that, I spent a total of 3 days in the hospital, but by the end I was doing laps around the nurses' station. I had a button for pain meds & an IV antibiotic while I was in the hospital, plus Norco (hydrocodone + tylenol 5-325). A Norco every 4 hours actually worked better for me than the button, and that's exactly what my doctor prescribed for me to use at home. I also tried 500mg tylenol to see if I could get off the harder stuff sooner, but nope. I went from Norco every 4-6 hours down to just a Norco at night, down to nothing. I've been off all pain meds since day 15. The scale numbers are just plain depressing with all the fluids (and probably weight gain from being out of the gym),. My shirt size is now a men's medium! I was somewhere between a large / XL. I started working from home at day 14. I'll start going back in to the office on a regular basis once this last drain is out. Here's some tips I learned: You need lanyards for the JP drains. The nurses will pin them to your hospital gown, but once you start showering, that does you no good. Amazon sells a box of 25 for under $10. Use Glad Cling-wrap once you've only have a drain or two to keep dry but have otherwise healed up enough to shower. Don't be afraid to cut a hole in the butt of your compression garment for #2. My particular compression garment looks like a men's one-piece swimsuit from the 1920s. It has clasps and a zipper down the front. It also has a hole in the front for #1, but no flap in the back for #2. Especially with drains in your arms, it'll be hard to get in and out of the garment to use the toilet. The compression garment I got tended to roll up my thigh and cut off the flow, so my thighs collected a lot of fluid. A bed wedge or pillow + workout tights under the garment worked wonders for this. I wish I had a tip for getting rid of the glue from all the bandages. Nothing worked. I tried water, soap, ice, oil, and rubbing alcohol. I had to scrape it off with my fingernail.

I've been trying to contact a specific nurse at my plastic surgeon's office for about a week now because she's the only one who can handle scheduling his surgeries. I've left 12 messages requesting a call back, and numerous times, the receptionist has promised me I'll receive a call back the same day. Sadly, this has been my experience with all the doctors in Houston, except my current GP. Why?

I wasn't able to get a lower body lift approved. However, my bariatric surgeon was able to get approval for arms, chest, panni, and thigh lift on the first submission. Neither my surgeon or I expected it would be approved. I'm having a full tummy tuck in addition to the panni, chest and arms next month, and then legs later this year. The back half of the lower body lift will be next year, most likely.

2 years of hard work, 370 pounds gone.

If the pudding itself and other dairy is allowed, I'm sure this is okay as an ingredient. Portion control though... The nutritionist probably had the snack-pack size in mind. I honestly can't taste a difference between regular, sugar free, and fat free. When I mix it myself, I always use skim milk.

Anecdotal, of course, but I've read a few posts on here from women who thought or were told by medical professionals they were basically infertile due to various conditions, and then they got pregnant soon after (and a few even during) their first year post-op, sometimes unexpectedly.

I don't shop at Wal-Mart. They never have more than two registers open. I've found them at a very large HEB grocery store as refrigerated singles, which are great for taste-testing. Both HEB and occasionally CVS have them in 4 packs as well as large tubs of powder. They're also available online from Amazon in a box of 12, but at $42 / 12-pack, I couldn't afford that subscription.

I was doing fine without a lot of formal exercise for the first couple of months, but I didn't realize how weak I was becoming. After a stall and a little encouragement from a work friend, I joined a gym just to do their Water aerobics class 3 times a week. In the class, we also use water "weights" which look like normal hand weights, except with plastic fins, not a hunk of metal. The the water causes the resistance, so the harder you push, the more it pushes back. You literally get out of it what you put in to it. I'm stronger and losing more consistently. The instructor is a little goofy and brings great music. I actually enjoy going, which is not something I thought was possible.

I weigh daily and track it in MyFitnessPal. After using the restroom, sometimes I'll hop on the scale again to get a more accurate number. I haven't stressed over the number much, but I want all the datapoints I can get.

I'm also in that club. Take chapstick, a pillow, & cell phone charger. The hospital will provide the rest. If you can, fill your post-op prescriptions before surgery. Find out what your surgeon wants you to have post-op, and pick up some of that as well, but not a lot. You won't be on that diet long. I purchased regular Vitamins that met my NUT's specs, but had to order soft-chews on Amazon because pills didn't work for me, even with a pill crusher. Get your home ready for post-op. When they release you, you'll just want to go home and rest, not run errands or do housework.

I've never had the band, so I don't know what you're dealing with. A distant relative had a band-to-sleeve revision last year and she's happy. Having heard her story, and on the advice of my surgeon, I went straight for the sleeve. My other option was standard bypass, but that seemed like more life-long maintenance and potential issues to worry about. At first, it's just surgery recovery. A coworker described my post-op diet as "newborn on fast-forward." I think that's pretty accurate. I was on solid foods after 6 weeks, and almost entirely unrestricted by 3 months. At around 5 months out, I started getting hungry again. Not family-bucket-of-KFC hungry, but I-forgot-to-eat-Breakfast hungry. Today, I can eat about two chicken legs and feel very full, and a few cubes of cheese or a dozen almonds is enough to satisfy me for several hours. If I eat too much - even one extra bite - I puke. I can drink as much as I want before a meal. Gulping traps air in my stomach and causes a burp, so I sip or use a straw. More than a sip during or right after a meal makes me feel overfull and causes me to puke. Every food I've tried so far works, but some didn't at first. I don't have trouble with straws. Some do. I haven't tried bubble gum or alcohol.

Your NUT can give you the specific nutritional criteria to follow, but my favorite ready-to-drink is EAS Myoplex Original (300 calories for 42g of protein). It is one of the more protein-dense meal substitute drinks I've found. strawberry is my favorite flavor, but chocolate fudge is cheaper and almost as good. Rich dark chocolate is hard to find and not as good as chocolate fudge, IMO. I don't care for their Cookies & cream. It has a slightly bitter coffee-like flavor that I don't like, but I also don't like coffee for that reason. I also like EAS Protein powder, but post-op, I don't need to go grocery shopping very often, and I got tired of fighting the grocery store crowds for just milk. It's amazing with a 1/2 scoop of PB2, but the PB2 does add some grit that'll settle to the bottom.

Over the last 9 months, I've lost 14 inches off my waist and 3 T-Shirt sizes (and I don't need tall shirts just to cover my belly anymore either).

I've read a few dozen of these posts on here already, and I thought either the poster was cheating or they were just impatient with some Water weight issues. Now it's happened to me, and I'm losing my drive. I've logged every single bite. I've averaged 816 calories per day throughout this stall, without a single day over 1000. I'm getting 80+g of Protein and all my water. My NUT says at my current weight, I'd need 2300+ calories a day just to break even. Over the last two weeks, I've gained two pounds. WTF! How is that even physically possible? I don't understand.

Apparently, I just needed to log in and whine to a bunch of strangers. The scale started moving the next morning, and I'm back on track again!

I'm down 94lbs since surgery on 1/19/15 (3.5mo ago), and 152 since starting pre-op on 9/5/15 (9mo ago). I'm consistently eating between 800 and 1000 calories per day, with about 70-90g of Protein. My nut wants me to get up to 100g of protein per day. That's a struggle, just since I spend so much time eating now. I was VERY strict with myself on the pre-op diet, and I still freak out a little when I go over 1000 calories, but my nut says I'd have to eat 2300 to maintain, so stop stressing. My nut allows some carbs like brown rice, wheat bread, and potatoes in limited quantities. I feel MUCH better and I'm more productive at work when I include some of these in my diet once or twice a week. Alcohol is off the menu until next year, at least. I really really miss chewing gum and pineapple. Raw leafy greens are permitted but don't work for me at all. Everything else I've tried has been fine. I still puke from time to time from eating too fast or swallowing that last bite I was chewing when I feel the full feeling.