catwoman7

I think the only things we're NOT supposed to take are NSAIDs and extended-release things....

no. I did do an email consult with Dr. Sauceda in Monterey, Mexico, but I decided to stay close to home.

people who start out with higher-than-normal (normal for WLS patients, that is) BMI's usually lose at a faster rate - at least for the first few months - so I'm not too surprised you've lost that much already. congrats on your loss!! I don't remember having weird sensations, but then, it's been awhile for me...

no way that would have worked for me since I lost over 200 lbs, but you started out at a pretty low BMI for a WLS patient, so it might work for you...

not me. I'm really glad i had it!

Chronic constipation is pretty common with WLS patients. A lot of us take a capful of Miralax every morning to keep on top of it. Others use things like stool softeners, smooth move tea, etc. Just experiment and see what works for you.

it's probably just due to stress or anxiety because of your upcoming surgery. Most people do get nervous..

Did you have a drainage tube or catheter in the hospital? No Did you have to go home with a drainage tube? No Were you able to sleep on your stomach when you came home? If no, how long was it until you could? No. Can't remember - maybe three weeks or so? (I rarely sleep on my stomach, though. I'm a side sleeper - although I had to sleep on my back the first couple of weeks) I’ve heard people recommend having a pillow for your stomach? Does that help if your surgery was laparoscopic? A lot of us use it on the ride home in case the car goes over bumps. And last but not least...is there anything you wish you would have known about what you would experience after surgery. Not really, I hung out on internet forums like this one starting several months before surgery, so I felt pretty prepared. Plus my clinic did a good job of preparing us, too.

do a search on the "three week stall". You'll find hundreds of posts on this. Happens to almost everyone. Just stick to your plan and stay off the scale if you have to. The stall should break in a week or two. I had mine during weeks 2 & 3. Once my weight loss started up again during week 4, I dropped like 6-8 lbs within a couple of days.

Two weeks. All the no calorie and super low calorie (like Crystal Light) beverages that I wanted. Four to five protein shakes a day. All the sugar free Jello and sugar free popsicles I wanted. I could also have tomato juice/V8 and chicken broth, but there was a limit on that - I can't remember what the limit was. Maybe a cup or two a day?

I'm much further out than a year (4.5, to be exact), but I thought I'd answer this as well. Could you eat a taco bell burrito Supreme? NO. AT LEAST NOT A WHOLE ONE. Could you eat a hamburger with the bun? with one bun? with no bun? HAMBURGER BY ITSELF, YES - WITH BUN, NO Could you eat 1 or 2 pieces of buttered toast? I'M SURE I COULD EAT TWO could you eat an egg McMuffin? YES

sounds logical. I don't think I had any numbness on most/all of my upper body procedures. My LBL was a different story though - completely dead for the first year. Now, some limited sensation....

I had some of those issues when I had plastic surgery. It was all pre-pay, unless there were unexpected things that had to be done (like some tissue that had to be sent to pathology, which I paid for right away). But I kept getting all these bills for things that were supposed to be included in the package. The hospital used some third-party billing agency, so it was kind of a nightmare to get down to the bottom of it. Took several months to resolve. I'm glad I don't have to deal with this with my regular health insurance (an ***). I can understand now why people get so frustrated!!!

do a search on the "three week stall". Happens to almost everyone. Stick to your plan and the stall will eventually break. I promise.

losing hunger is VERY common. It comes back for most of us sometime during the first year. I was actually very happy to lose it and wished I was one of those lucky few for whom it never returned - but alas, mine came roaring back after about the fifth month... the nausea thing isn't normal, though. Is it mostly after you're eating? If so, you're in that window when strictures develop, so it could be something like that, too. I'd call my clinic and just let them know what's going on. It could be as simple as taking smaller bites and chewing things more, as other posters mentioned. But if it turns out it's a stricture, then you'll need to get that "fixed" (and it's an easy fix - I had two of them)

I can't speak for people in weight loss mode, but I know a ton of people in maintenance who eat protein pancakes. They use protein powder instead of flour, artificial sweetener (if any sweetener at all, that is), eggs, baking powder, unsweetened almond milk - sometimes cottage cheese or yogurt - and put sugar free syrup on them. I make them sometimes and top them with Greek yogurt, too, for extra protein. Nothing in those that is particularly bad. I suppose if they make you crave the real thing, then yea, but.... (of course the calories might be too high for those in weight loss mode, but not if you're in maintenance, unless you're making gigantic ones or eating a ton of them or something..

you don't look too thin to me - you look fine. Even when you get to the point where you're looking really gaunt, things sort of move around that first year of maintenance and you won't look as gaunt even if your weight is stable. AND....don't forget....most of us experience a 10-20 lb "bounceback" (and sometimes more, unfortunately) during year three-ish. So keep that in mind as well...

the medical ones don't measure the percentages of fat/bone/muscle - just bone density. If you want to know the percentages, you have to get one of the sports or commercial ones. The commercial ones (at places like "DexaFit") run about $150. You can sometimes get a sports one for quite a bit cheaper at a university sports lab (they use them on athletes)

you're pretty limited in your food choices the first few months, but now that I"m in maintenance, I can eat (& tolerate) pretty much anything except for really fatty meals. However, I should add that just because I CAN eat it, doesn't mean that I do. Yes I have an occasional "treat", like a piece of cake, but I emphasize occasional. If I started eating like I did pre-surgery, I'd be up to 373 lbs again. It's a choice -- either monitor my eating, or deal with being super morbidly obese again. It's tough sometimes, but it's a no-brainer for me - I NEVER want to be morbidly obese again.

there's no way I would ignore that. Go see a doctor. It doesn't matter that your original surgeon is retired - someone else should be able to deal with that.

you can get it at drug stores, too - but I found it cheaper at Walmart (in the pharmacy section)

it's an antacid

I'd have my PCP contact the surgeon to see what he/she recommends. There are likely several tests that need to be run. I know I have several that have to do with iron, plus vitamins B1, B12, D, calcium, I think magnesium - a few others, too

I think it's probably true that 100 calories is 100 calories wherever it comes from, but 100 calories of sugar spikes - and then drops - most people's blood sugar, making you crave food a lot faster afterward. 100 calories of fat keeps you satisfied for a long time, so you're less likely to be eating again an hour or two afterward. So...you'll probably end up taking in fewer calories by the end of the day. At least that makes sense to ME, anyway... edited to add that in other words, I agree with the above poster that 100 kcal of sugar will elicit a very different response from your body than 100 kcal of fat. But if you're ONLY looking at calorie vs calorie, then yes - they're probably the same.

they had me take it for a year, but that was before all the bad press came out about it. I don't think my clinic has their patients on it for that long anymore. It seems like most people here on BP are on it for 3-6 months after surgery.