catwoman7

yes - some people do experience things shifting around a bit after being at a stable weight for awhile. I looked better a few months after hitting my lowest weight (before my rebound) because of shifting - I didn't look quite so gaunt. My face filled out a bit, for one thing...

if you're like most of us, that 10-20 lb rebound is going to happen, whether you do it on purpose or not. I personally would not try to do it as it's very likely to happen on its own. I was totally convinced I was never going to have the rebound weight that most of WLS'ers have because I was so good at monitoring my weight and my food intake, but....ta da....at about three years out, I started slowly gaining. Put on about 15 lbs. I'm not complaining because I was a little too thin before and I look good at my current weight, but I just wanted you to know that rebound does happen to many of us without our even trying. re: plastic surgery - a lot of plastic surgeons advise people not to gain or lose more than 10 lbs after surgery because you're at risk of it affecting the work if you gain/lose much more than that. That's one of the reasons I wanted it (not the main reason - but one of them). I was hoping it would force me not to gain more than 10 lbs (and I did have plastic surgery after my 15 lb rebound, so I should be OK...)

at 60 years old, nope. As someone else said, that ship sailed awhile ago. But I was tired of people looking at me like I was a freak, so I guess in that respect it's true. But I mostly did it for health reasons.

I kept losing weight during year 2, but it was pretty slow. But I just stuck to my plan and kept plugging away... My weight loss finally stopped around month 20.

looks like he/she joined, posted the above right after joining, and then has never been back. Might be a troll.

my dentist said he personally hasn't seen any with his WLS patients, but he's read about it. He said it's usually due to untreated acid reflux (or acid from vomiting). I also use the prescription flouride toothpaste and get a fluoride varnish brushed on my teeth every six months. He said that should go a long way in preventing issues. So far so good with me...no problems yet.

your stomach is pretty swollen the first few weeks from the surgery so it doesn't have much capacity. So yes - as time goes on and the swelling goes away you can eat more. You probably haven't stretched it. Just make sure you're following your plan - just because you *can* eat something doesn't mean you should. I still watch my volume at over 4 years out.. and yes - weight loss slows down quite a bit after the first few months.

check the blog "the world according to eggface". She has recipes for every stage.

I was told to just let them fall off on their own. It took 3-4 weeks before all the patches and glue was off.

I know you didn't direct this at me, but I've heard these stories. But then, I've been hanging out on these boards for a few years. It happens...

check to see if you can take regular (non-chewable) ones at this point. A lot of surgeons don't require chewable versions for all that long. The only chewable I took was my multi. I actually stayed on it much longer than I was required to.

yes - it does. Being in the water is one of the only things that's actually easier when you're overweight. I sink like a rock now!

I was a slow loser and lost all of my excess weight... over 200 lbs. I just stuck to my program and rarely went off until i hit my goal

This is not from my personal experience (I've never had a revision), but I've read the weight loss is a lot slower the second time around.

I slept A LOT so really didn't need much. My husband brought my laptop over, but I'm pretty sure I never used it. I just wanted to sleep....

it's temporary for sure. Lots of us at 3+ years out really struggle not to regain. If I don't constantly watch what I eat, my weight starts to head north...

when I started looking into this 2-3 years ago, I was told to expect about $8000-10,000 per procedure, with the lower body lift (LBL) counting as two procedures (because they do so much with the LBL - front, back, mons lift, etc). I had three consults and did find that guesstimate to ring true. It may be a little higher now since it's been a couple of years, but that should at least give you a ballpark idea. It'll vary a little depending on the surgeon (if he/she is nationally known and/or has 30 years of experience, except to pay on the higher end) and location (it'll cost you more in New York and LA than it will in Helena, Montana), but again, that should at least give you a ballpark idea...

they seem to work for some people, but not for others. Not sure I'd want to take the risk.

I never had a problem drinking water. In fact, I was worried about it at first - but then, fluids go right through your pouch, so...

my surgeon had everyone on omeprazole for a year. I think he's reduced it to six months now, though, with all the negative press PPI's have gotten lately. Most surgeons have always done it for the first 3-6 months (I think mine was an outlier)

I was - I quit in 1994.

my husband took a week off of work but ended up going back after about two days. I was fine on my own - and probably would have been even right after coming home from the hospital.

that's really common. I eventually got to the point where I was no longer cold all the time, but some people remain cold YEARS after surgery.

I agree that it depends on how much weight you have to lose, your age, etc. Everything does shift around a bit within a year or so after you hit your lowest weight, making you look better, but still, many of us still deal with excess skin even after that. If that's the case with you, the only way to get rid of it is plastic surgery.

your nerves were cut during surgery and will take a few weeks to heal. You WILL feel restriction as soon as you start healing up and move on to solid foods. You are literally risking your life by doing things like eating breadsticks only one week after surgery. PLEASE follow your surgeon's plan.