Hopscotch

I had GERD before and took Prilosec OTC every day to help. I now am prescribed Pepcid twice a day and it has been a little over 4 months since my surgery. If I forget to take it, I have acid issues but not nearly as bad.

I'm about a week over 4 months post up. My hair started falling out at 3 months and it has been A LOT. I've got fine hair, but a ton of it, very dense. My loss hasn't been noticeable thus far, but I'm starting to get bummed out because it hasn't stopped yet. I've been taking Hair, Skin, and Nails from Target since a few days after my surgery. It did nothing to prevent this lol

No idea, but mine has since gone away. I'm just over 4 months out.

I just had my Nexplanon removed after a little over a year. I had had it already months before my surgery. I noticed no issues with weight, but with bleeding for months straight and horrible cramping. I've noticed now that I got it removed, my weight loss has picked back up from the 1-2 pound a week. Also have my libido back LOL

Don't do that, you'll drive yourself crazy! I weigh every Monday.

I am not sure why your general surgeon is saying that to you; my surgeon's office gets many travel patients and even has special pay plans for them. And insurance companies only provide you with a list of places they cover - it's all up to you to choose. Ethics don't play a role in this. I'm kind of mad at that surgeon for saying something like that to you. This journey is difficult enough as it is. You go with your own decision. As long as you have lodgings planned and someone there with you, you're covered.

Goodness I'm sorry you're experiencing that. I haven't experienced that but I had flash abdominal pain into my back when I got full. I hope you get some answers. Did you ask your surgeon?

This is awesome to hear, gives me a good idea where I'll be when I hit goal. Somewhere in that area. Very cool, I appreciate you posting

@LadyRouge What kind of salmon for 40g of protein.... I will have that! Most types, it will vary protein-wise but never less than 35grams. Sockeye I believe it is, is the really protein-laden one.

I went to a Mexican food restaurant and at "The Whole Enchilada"What do you eat at the Mexican restaurant? I love Mexican, but I have been avoiding it because I don't really know what I can eat there anymore.Fajitas are good too, just without the tortillas. They're just Protein and peppers for the most part.

OH that's right! I can't believe I forgot about her. We spent a majority of my appointment talking about her experience haha. She's great. I wish you the best of luck! I'm so excited for you

I also did not have an incision above my belly button.

60? Hmm.... there must be a reason, maybe about where you are in your journey? My NUT and surgeon have me on no more than 50g a day with 100g of protein. I would probably get another opinion from your surgeon and your regular nutritionist, see what your entire medical team thinks. It's also up to you, if what you are doing is working for you and you feel healthy and well, it's your prerogative.

Of course! Happy to help. And thank you, I appreciate that. Who is Dr. Hall? For me, I have absolutely never regretted the decision to have this surgery. No matter how horrible my recovery was, I only hated the experience, not regretted it. I feel fantastic. I have crooked hips and a "military neck" with straight vertebrae, and with the increased weight on my frame it was incredibly painful for me to even stand for 5 minutes. Now that I am down about 50 pounds, I don't notice back ache until hours on my feet. I feel so fantastic. I was able to go to Disneyland last week and I didn't have to worry about fitting in the narrow lines, seats, and I walked for hours. Now I can finally go parasailing next time I cruise with my boyfriend without my weight making us too heavy for the excursion. I'm so happy for you! The excitement is great leading up, and once the weight starts pouring off, it's enough to make you SO happy with the changes. Mentally, I was ready for this; so I haven't struggled that way like some do with the way they look versus how they see themselves. Definitely be ready for that.

Weight - 212 Jeans - 16 Height - 5'4" I was my highest at 263 pounds, just managing to be comfortable in an 18, would have soon had to buy a 20 and I absolutely REFUSED. I only just bought new pants (I avoided it forever because I don't want to waste money on clothes that won't fit soon lol) and the 16 is kind of loose.

The only single incision places I have seen are Mexico surgical offices. I really don't know, I'm sorry.

I was naked as the day I was born under my gown for my surgery. My surgeon doesn't use drains or catheters, it's a concern that your underwear will get stained from the surgical wash, and also possibly contaminate a clean operating surface since they have no way of knowing what your underwear could have on them. I know of people who wore bras a week after surgery. My top-most incision is right between my boobs, where the underwire rests. I couldn't wear a bra for a month. When I had to put one on for my post-op appointments before then, it was painful and I hated it.

That's great! And wow, 12 months?! What insurance do you have? I had to do the 6 months of nutritional training. I like that Dr. Clark doesn't put us on a pre-op liquid diet for weeks. Just the day before. The procedure for me was quick and easy. It took him 45 minutes and that included taking a piece of fat off my liver to have tested (he does this for everyone to see if fatty liver has created issues) and my recovery was 2 hours and I got to go home after the leak test and I walked and peed. My surgery was at around 0930 and I was home by 6pm. The only post-op med I was put on was pepcid twice a day, I stopped taking my heavy painkillers 3 days post-op. He later strongly suggested Vitamin ADK for me from the store. I take a Multivitamin and hair, Skin, and Nails Vitamins from Target everyday. I'm sorry to say my recovery was actually abysmal. I was incredibly weak until about a month post-op when I could start eating. The carb withdraw gave me a terrible, constant headache and forgetfulness. It resolved when I could eat. I was ridiculously nauseous leaving the hospital through the next day when the gas dissolving caused bad pain. I spent the entire first night home throwing up blood, hating life, and making my boyfriend think I was dying lol. I got a horrid rash on my torso around 3 weeks post-op that spread up the sides of my breasts, love handles, and interior of my flabby arms that both Dr. Clark and Dani, as well as my GP could not guess. I still have leftover scarring from it that is gradually fading. Dr. Clark only used 4 holes and 2 incisions and they're healing nice. The product from the store was a god send during the liquid phase. Definitely helped with Protein intake. Really when I say my experience was on the bad end of the spectrum, I'm not exaggerating. I'm not the usual example though - most people ease through recovery. Since then, Dr. Clark and all have been incredible at my post-op appointments. He answers any question for you, no matter how absurd you think it may be. He really wants us to succeed. WMU is helpful too, you get a binder to hold all your modules in at your initial WMU appointment after you're 1 month post-op. My tips would be have a comfy pillow at home ready for you, and someone home to help the first night because going to the bathroom is like I imagine playing hopscotch while drunk, very hard to maneuver if you're on the pain meds and nauseous; bonus though, there was really not much tummy tenderness. Last tip, it's hard to resist sometimes in the liquid stage and pureed from eating real food. Don't do it. I have an acquaintance that had the surgery a week before me and she started eating and drinking alcohol VERY soon after. She has lost maybe 20 pounds at the most, since and she is heavier than me starting weight. I got my surgery April 27. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I'll answer anything you want to know.

I am going to be sleeved in October by Dr. Clark. So glad to find someone in here who used him. ???? Hi! Likewise. I haven't found anyone on this site even in this area haha. You're in great hands with Dr. Clark

What Surfer Girl said, I had to stop stepping on the scale everyday. I was making myself depressed, it was terrible. Just tell yourself the stall WILL end, keep doing what you're doing and realize it's a marathon, not a Sprint

I do what Babbs does: nuts and cheese sticks for snackage. Sometimes I will have a hard-boiled egg or a slice of avocado. It's all about listening to my body. Sometimes I feel like I could eat the house down and other days I forget to eat until my stomach feels so hollow I can feel it hating me and it reminds me to eat something. I start everyday with Premier Protein drinks for breakfast though. My surgeon suggested 3 meals and snackage to get my protein in. As long as I stay below 50g of carbs, and get as close to I can to 100g of protein a day, it doesn't matter how much I eat. I was actually having trouble getting my protein in and my surgeon and nutritionist told me to snack. It really depends on your medical team and what they find to be best for you.

Unfortunately for me, I didn't see any changes until I had lost more than 30 pounds. I noticed loose fitting clothes first, even now at 48 pounds down I barely see a difference. I was pretty disappointed in the beginning, that it took losing 35 pounds to go down a pant size, but then I decided that was fine, because I am in a better position than I was before and it will only get better. I stopped comparing myself to others' journeys.

Hello everyone, I was just wondering if anyone has experienced what I have. My recovery from this surgery has been altogether abysmal and disappointing. One of the worst things has been this rash I have had to tolerate. This rash manifested about 7 days post-op, I got my surgery April 27th. My surgeon didn't know, he suspected from the betadine used to wash me when I was asleep (I have never had surgery), I went to my GP after a couple more days passed and it spread more, he suspected allergic reaction as well, and prescribed me a 6 day steroid pack that started with 6 pills a day and went down from there, it worked! I was so relieved, however, it would be short-lived.... on day 4 when I only had 3 pills to take, the rash changed in texture, appearance, and got worse, spreading more and actually becoming more than just ugly, but painful and increasingly itchier. My GP phoned in another 6 day steroid pack and it was a horrible failure this time. Over memorial day weekend I went to Patient First (an open, revolving-door doctor's place) because my GP was closed, and received a steroid cream, I used all of the tube in days because of the sheer amount of space the rash now covers. I've been popping Benadryl like it is going out of style, and nothing is working. The rash began just on my abdomen, small red dots, now it's welted red dots and splotches, extending to my back between my love handles (lol), lower back, and up my sides to the sides of my breasts, and on the outside of my armpits, up my triceps. It's horrible. Have anyone, anyone AT ALL experienced this, ever? From any surgery? My surgeon seems nonchalant and not worried, I'm not worried either aside from being pestered by the pain and itchiness. I've searched all over the internet for any advice or other experiences regarding this, and come up with nothing. EDIT: I forgot to mention that the rash was never around my incisions, until a few days ago. My doctor didn't use staples, but steritape and glue. Any input from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

No, they did not communicate but they already had an established work relationship with referrals and surgery recipients. I had a post-op appointment with my surgeon when I started taking the steroids and he was not concerned. This was a while ago now and I never leaked Omigosh I'm so sorry that happened to you! That looks so miserable. I'm so glad it ended up going away. It looks similar - who knows with this surgery what it was lol nobody seemed to be sure for me either. It wasn't a yeast infection, they ruled that out... they never found out what it was specifically. My surgeon and GP presumed an allergic reaction from the betadine and that was all. Their resolutions didn't work effectively 100%, but they never found out what it truly was. I'll never know but the steroid pills and creams helped a ton toward relief.

I recommend it! The redness has paled some since I started using it. And it smells good I got the big bottle on Amazon. I hope your rash doesn't blow up like mine did; I wouldn't wish that misery on anyone.