heidikat72

energy

I didn't lose anything the first two weeks, not even a tenth of a pound. Do NOT focus on the scale right now. You're body is desperately trying to heal, let it heal then the weightloss will come.

I use centrum adult chewable complete multivitamin - it has iron. It's in an orange flavor - doesn't taste bad.

Look at you! love the sassy attitude in the current pic!

It will completely depend on your specific policy with BCBS. Call them, provide your policy/group number and ask them to send you in writing the policy related to bariatric surgery.

You should absolutely do the "Pretty Woman" scene thing and go buy a huge bag of lingerie from another store, walk back in VS, hold up the bag, remind them they wouldn't wait on you and say BIG MISTAKE

At 316, I'm wearing the same clothes I was wearing at 442. They are only now just started to get loose enough that I might be able to squeeze into one size lower in some things and I can wear non-stretch fabric pants in my size now that I hadn't been able to wear in a few years. On the positive, I can hold out before spending money on clothes...but at the same time, I'm really looking forward to going down a few sizes!

Me! I opted out. When my surgeon recommended it because of my very high BMI, I did some research on them. I didn't like what I found - no real evidence that they work, some indication that they increase the likelihood of formation of a clot, plus they can migrate or puncture the vessel wall (although those complications typically happen with long term placement). So my surgeon had me meet with a vascular surgeon (had to meet with him anyway because of a false indication of an aortic aneurism on another test). The vascular doc allayed some of my fears about the risks but admitted that there wasn't conclusive clinical data to show the benefit outweighed the risk. Plus the real advantage of it for me was in not having to do the lovenox injections afterwards, but the vascular surgeon they had recently changed their protocol and I would still have to do the lovenox injections. And there is no guarantee that they will definitely be able to remove the IVC filter after surgery - depending how it attaches or if it migrates, it sometimes can't be safely removed. So then I met with a hematologist to go through what my real risk factors were for DVT and subsequent Pulmonary embolism. Based on no family history of blood clots and the rest of my health factors, my BMI really was the only risk factor so she agreed that an IVC filter wasn't warranted IN MY CASE. So my surgeon and I agreed not to do it and to do the lovenox injections twice a day for two weeks following surgery. Let me stress - that in my case, we determined it wasn't really necessary. For some people it may be warranted. See if you can consult with a hematologist to go over your risk factors. If you decide not to get one, it will be imperative to dose the lovenox as instructed and to get up and walk as much as possible immediately following surgery.

You've explained it perfectly and I am in 100% agreement!

I get it. At my two week post op appointment, I hadn't lost anything, not even a tenth of a pound! I was so frustrated - I was prepared for a stall but not prepared to not even START losing! But, then the next two weeks after that I lost 22lbs. I am definitely finding that I go a week or two without losing, then drop a chunk, then hold for another week or two, then drop a chunk. Our bodies need time to adjust after each drop. Don't get too frustrated just yet - you are in this for the long haul and as long as the overall trend ends up being down, that's what matters.

Yep - I had anxiety over all the same things! If they do find something during a test - be glad they find it and can figure out how to deal with it prior to surgery. For most of my clearances I was actually told after the test that it would have had to be something very severe to prevent me from having surgery. Most of the time it was just so the surgeon would know what he was working with or there might be a case where you might need some treatment prior to surgery. But yeah, I was an anxious mess until I had insurance approval - I think I called my surgeon's coordinator every other day from the time she submitted until she had approval! I know she must have hated me. And then I had a slight panicky moment when she did tell me I was approved because it suddenly became real! haha. but 3 months later and every thing is fine. Try to relax some about the testing - keep in mind it is all for your safety, you don't want the surgeon or anethesiologist encountering any "surprises" during surgery that could have been avoided.

I do use the bariatric advantage calcium chews though - found those to be a better texture (less gritty) than the celebrate vitamins ones. I also tried the Calcet creamy bites calcium chews - and while tasty and not gritty, they are very sweet and about 3x the calories of the bariatric advantage ones - and when you take multiples of them, that adds up. I just reordered calcium chews and bariatric advantage now has a coconut flavor that is yummy. I also like the strawberry. The chocolate is decent - tastes a little bit like a tootsie roll.

Protein powders tend to be a very personal taste. I tried the orange creme bariatric advantage and ended up throwing the bag away. I mixed it with fairlife skim milk and it coagulated within 5 minutes and was clumpy and gross - but it could have been due to mixing with milk instead of water. I've enjoyed the unjury powders and the syntrax nectars as far as flavor and texture.

Agreed - when you watch him present on air - you can easily tell he "gets it" with regard to all women from all backgrounds and isn't just about high fashion for models only but rather practical but stylish clothes for the typical woman. And I love that QVC shows the clothes on women of all sizes, ages, ethnicities...you get a true sense of how the clothes might look on you.

Don't worry @@Dub your man credentials have never been in question!

Thank you for sharing your info. We are roughly the same height and weight now and I've still been wearing my same size 3x (26/28) everything - tops and bottoms. Which i know are looser and baggy but I've just been telling myself that I was so used to them being stretched to the limits (because honestly I was probably really a size 30) that they just seem so baggy because they actually fit. Although last night when I went to the Y to work out, i noticed even my leggings are getting droopy. Looks like it might be time to buy a couple pieces of smaller size clothing. Believe it or not, I've had very good luck with the clothes on QVC. It's easy to order online and sizing is very consistent across designers on there - and if for some reason a garment or designer runs smaller than their usual sizing, they typically note that in the description. Susan Graver comes to mind as a particularly good source for work appropriate clothing on there - her pants can run a little snug for my giant calves but the wider leg pant options from her are great and are the staple of my work wardrobe. As are her longer skirts and tops. Isaac Mizrahi has a line on there that has a lot of really nice sweaters and Joan Rivers line has fabulous blazers - all of which work well for plus size women. It is also where I get my wide width clarks shoes from - much better selection than you find in the stores. Returns are easy too - just put it back in the same shipping bag and they include a preprinted return label.

I can't find the link to the studies right now, but there has been evidence of liver panel results (including ALT) initially increasing before then decreasing with rapid weight loss for women. Men don't typically see the increase and go straight to lowering of the liver panel results. If these are your first round of results, I wouldn't be too concerned just yet - your body is going through major changes so not surprising that some things may be a little out of whack, the important thing will be to continue to get blood work tested on time to see if it is a trend or not. Your doctor will be able to assess better, a slight elevation usually isn't cause for worry anyhow.

Definitely ask for more clarification on what he means by "too large" for the sleeve - he may have some valid reasons. At my first appointment I weighed 442lbs and was worried that because of my extremely high BMI the surgeon would say I had to have bypass and instead he was quite the opposite. Said I was the perfect candidate for sleeve. He did go into the history of the sleeve as being the first step in a 2-step process where the second step is to add in the maladsorption factor BUT he said that so far his high BMI patients had done so well with the sleeve that almost all of them didn't need the second step. So basically, be open to hearing your surgeon's explanation and give it some thought but at the end of the day, it is your body and your decision.

@@Dub Now I'm curious - have you spoken those words to any men?

Sounds perfectly normal but I understand that it can be concerning when you are actually experiencing it. As Babbs rightly said - you just had major surgery - major TRAUMA done to your body. You are going to feel "weird" for a while. For the first week post op, I struggled to get liquids in partly due to the sharp pain you describe. Just remember to take small sips and experiment with temperatures - slightly warm broth was easier for me than ice cold Water, for some people it is just the opposite. Even after that first week, I would still have some sharp pain or hiccuping if I took my sips too close together or took too big of a sip. So look at those signals as signs to slow down, but keep sipping. It is critical to get as many fluids into your body as possible during this stage. You will also have some rumblings and other feelings as the gas they pumped you with moves through your body - you'll feel much better when all that gas is gone, trust me! Hang in there, the first week or so can be rough but in the long run will be a distant memory. It's all worth it in the end!