MissKay

Well that's good to know! Thanks for sharing that

Does your surgeon not have you on omeprazole to help with reflux/reduce it for a bit? If not, ask them about it. I highly recommend the vitamin patches. You can get them from the BariatricPal store, or you can get them from PatchMD.com. Either way both stores have them and they're great. I've been using them for about 6 months.

I've been through the process already! I was sleeved in June, and I'm 26 years old. I wish I had known about the sleeve sooner. I had written of bypass or lap-band because of the horror stories I had heard. When I learned about the sleeve in October 2015, I did so much research and then took it to my doctor in December 2015, and June I had it done. You will definitely be nervous and even second-guess yourself. I did even as I laid in the hospital bed waiting to be rolled into surgery. They had to give me a light sedative to calm me down because I was on the edge of a panic/anxiety attack. I even felt a bit of remorse off and on for the first 4 weeks post-op cause I felt like poop from low energy. Now I'm almost 9 months post-op, and nearly 100lbs down from the day of surgery, and I only regret not doing it sooner.

If you haven't tried them yet, Gas-X strips or chewable tablets worked wonders for me.

Yeah my spice toleration depends on what it is and how spicy it is. I made breading-free jalapeno poppers about a month ago and regretted that after eating 2-3 of them (they were halved). I can have other things, other peppers, tons of pepper itself and other spicy spices. It seems to be jalapenos specifically for me. Which is tragic because I use to eat jalapenos by themselves and out of the jar growing up.

It all depends on the person and how active they are. If you aren't very active, 800-900 will be just fine. But if you bump up the calories, you're going to more 'maintain' the current weight than you will lose it. It is different for everyone. Part of this journey is testing many different things and finding what's right for you and your body.

You may have to get use to the burps LOL. I burp way more now than I ever did before. Thankfully it's tapered off. I actually have more of a hiccup issue after eating now than before. It can be normal, I had some muscle pain post-op since they do cut through your stomach, nerves are weird and can cause pain even in areas that were undisturbed. Just keep and eye on it and communicate with your surgeon to make sure they are aware.

Really??!!?! Most people I've read that tried laser removal said they saw it lessen but it still was there. I'd given up hope on it.

I would love to do that too, but I burned myself out on Premier protein drinks, and I have such a low tolerance for the taste of protein powders or any of the pre-made protein drinks that I tend to gag and almost vomit with 99% of them.

As long as you're not living in a sealed house with second hand smoke for the next week, you should be perfectly fine. It's mostly the actual smoking that will give you issues. Second hand, while impacting, is slower to harm than directly smoking the cigarette.

Yeah some surgeons will wait until after your first round of blood work to see your levels. I, however, take a mutli-vitamin, B12, D3/Calcium, and my 'side' vitamins (meaning they're not required) is Biotin and Omega-3. I use the PatchMD vitamin patches. If you stick with oral vitamins, I started mine a week after surgery. If you do the patches or liquid, you should be able to do them right away.

You best bet is to mix protein powders in with broth, strained soups (if allowed), etc. Genepro is unflavored and mixes in pretty well.

You can see more info on them at the BariatricPal store or PatchMD.com They're basically a 1-inch square patch that you wear for 8 hours a day, and it's absorbed directly into your bloodstream instead of going through your digestive track. You absorb more of the vitamins as well. I've had 2 rounds of blood work done since wearing them (getting another done tomorrow, actually) and have had no issues.

The clothes are a big NSV. But also, no need for seat belt extenders, I have to actually tighten them now. Fitting into rides at the amusement park back in October with my niece!

I haven't tried them as the ones I've talked to have spoken about how gross they are. I opted for the patches and haven't had any issues/wouldn't go back.

Okay I have to take both sides of this, and please don't take it as me being rude. I truly feel for you, because that is extremely unpleasant, scary, and just the worst nightmare that any of us could imagine. I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that and they haven't reached out. On the flip side, there is always that risk. We all go into it knowing there could be that risk, or even of other complications. It does make me question the validity of the doctor. I do fully agree and am disgusted that they haven't even shown any concern or followed up. Granted there's not a whole lot they can do now, but it's worrisome that they haven't done that to at least show good faith. Hopefully the doctors you're working with back home are taking good care of you and have a plan to get you back up on your feet and going. I highly recommend writing a review about the doctor and clinic here and other places. One thing's for sure, it'll help others at least be more aware of the doctor and his practices.

I wasn't being rude, in fact, I agreed with you. I directed the 'scare tactic' at the person I quoted before you, so please chill. I was reiterating and providing the info to the OP that prevented me from having any issue with exactly what you were expressing concern over. Now this is rude and unnecessary. It's not a band wagon. Not everyone is lucky enough to have insurance or access to insurance that will cover the surgery. If the research and steps to ensure post-operative check ups are done, there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting this done in Mexico. There are many of us on here that are living, breathing proof of that.

I have it set for blood draw in the morning. So we'll see if it's the iron or not. Either way, I'll make an appointment after I get that done. I don't want to take any iron supplements until then just so there's no chance of an inaccurate reading when I do take the test.

Oh god, I'm so sorry. That's horrible. Yeah, I haven't had babies yet as this surgery was a key to me being able to restore my period and hopefully regain ovulation. So yes, I will be going in soon!

Congrats! It's all 'down' from here!

Sugar-free jello, chugging lots of water throughout the days, and adding protein powder to my soups.

8 days is nothing, don't hate me! I say that because stalls are usually longer, and are normal. If you're only 3 weeks out, your body is also still healing. My advice is weigh once a week, and take measurements. Even if the scale doesn't move, chances are you're losing inches still. It will move again (I've stalled for 2 months before, so I feel ya). Just keep eating the right things, get in your fluids, and keep moving. Adding more/longer exercise will help, especially if you're not super active/mobile for the rest of the day. But usually weightloss is 80% what you put in your mouth and 20% exercise and moving. The stalls will break!

I've stuck to home brewed coffee for the most part, or Starbucks Double Shot espresso drinks in a can (the small like 5oz ones). They're lower-carb and lower-sugar. I've been tempted to try the sugar-free Redbull as I know I'm find with the carbonation (I've had a couple beers and did fine), but I know energy drinks can be harsher on the stomach, so I've been timid.

I think sleepovers was suppose to be sleevers? I'm not in OR, but I am VERY close. It's only 4 hours to Portland where I'm at, and I'm 30 minutes from the OR border. So, hi sorta-neighbor!

If it was removed due to complications like that, and you check off all the qualifications for this one, I don't see why not. However, it's something to discuss with your PCP and maybe even call your insurance provider directly and have a discussion with them. It's not like you had it and just removed it because you 'felt like it'. It was making you sick, and that's not a way of life that anyone wants to live. One would hope that wouldn't be held against you.