Orchids&Dragons

Yes, my incisions were closed with staples. It doesn't hurt to have them removed unless they're kept in too long. Maybe a little tweak, but nothing major. If you tend to be more sensitive than average, take a couple Tylenol before you go to the doc.

Lobotomy?

Some people luck out! Congrats, you appear to be one of them! Hoping all continues to go well!

Thank you! Don't you wish you could print these out to shove in the face of all the people who've said, "If you'd just watch what you eat and exercise"!

Yessss to those zippers! Zippee!

Unjury also makes ready to drink. You might check online.

I really was so happy to feel normal when we went out. And no repercussions despite the carbs or the fat level. Also, if we're showing a full-size plate of food (like at a restaurant), the differences look much smaller than if you're showing a bariatric-size portion to begin with

From my son's graduation dinner last night! We had barbecue! It was amazing to actually participate and eat some of the food! And no, my choices were not the best 😯

That is awesome! I'm so happy for you, congrats!!!

Congratulations! Well done! Thanks for sharing your inspirational story as well as tips on how to transition to maintenance!

BEST FEELING EVER!!! CONGRATS!!!

That's awful. Thank you for sharing your story and I hope you get well soon!

Best wishes for a smooth surgery and a speedy recovery!

I was able to take pills right after I left the hospital. I never crushed them, but what were your discharge instructions?

Checking in: Challenge Starting weight: 168.8, now 157.0 Current weight lost: 115.0 Losing or maintaining weight: losing Fitness/exercise goal: To get back to walking 7 days/week Total weight loss at the end of challenge: (Post January 1st 2019): ??? Check in: Tell us how you are doing - (How is your diet and exercise plan going? Any struggles? Stress level? What have you overcome? Any strategies that have helped) So far Mother-in-Law visit has gone well. She was even complimentary of my weight loss. Youngest son graduated college today. Off to a barbecue place to celebrate. I'm so excited that I can probably eat some smoked chicken. The last two times we went there I ate about 1/3 cup of a baked potato while jealously watching my family eat all the good stuff.

Wow! I think you win!

Honestly, I don't think this stuff is so scary. It was for my brother, but probably not for me since I've been donating blood for years. I think I'm over 7 gallons now. The kidney doc has been waiting it out. Wants to see if having me stop supplements will lower the calcium blood level. Once he started questioning it, though, I started tracking my intake. Other than a couple of yogurts a day, and some in protein shakes, I don't ingest much calcium besides when I was taking the supplements. I don't think I was anywhere near the levels where my kidneys shouldn't have been able to remove it. If it hasn't gone down this time I think he'll do more testing. @GreenTealael Believe it or not, my brother now has to get iron infusions. They can't get his levels balanced UGH! Sorry you're going through this.

That would be nice, wouldn't it? Yes, we're of 100% Irish descent, grandparents from the "old country." Hereditary hemochromatosis is primarily those of Celtic descent, but there is another form that is not hereditary that is mixed in the general population. Fortunately, my hubby is a "mutt", so it's unlikely that my children will inherit the genes. This does explain why leeching was an effective treatment for some disorders, though.

By popular demand, re-posting this here: I am under orders to NOT take: iron, Vitamin D, or Calcium. I see the kidney doc again after Christmas. All my orders will probably change. Details: Iron - probably have hereditary hemochromatosis, which means that your body doesn't release extra iron through urine, it stores it in your organs (kidneys, liver, etc.). By the time they diagnosed my brother, he was already in kidney failure and had advanced cirrhosis of the liver. His iron levels were something like 400x normal. Only treatment is bleeding out the over-iron enriched blood. They took a pint/week for months to get him down to normal levels. His kidneys improved, but his liver is very damaged. After he was diagnosed, we realized that this is probably what my dad died from. It can cause all the issues that they diagnosed, but they didn't recognize the cause. He had an enlarged heart and cirrhosis. Doctor would not believe that he was not an alcoholic. We're not positive that I have it and I don't want to do the genetic testing because I am a regular blood donor. (It's really good blood, lots of iron and doesn't hurt the recipient). But if you've been diagnosed with a blood disorder, they have to throw it out. My doctor says that since bleeding is the only treatment, I'm basically self-treating and don't need to be tested so long as I donate blood. My iron levels always test at the high end of the men's range even though I eat almost no red meat and don't take iron supplements. I used to donate double-reds all the time (unusual for a woman to be able to) but now I have to do whole blood because recipients had bad reactions to double-reds from type A donors who'd had many children. Apparently, with each pregnancy, your body builds antibodies and these can affect blood recipients. Vitamin D & Calcium: My blood calcium levels are elevated and they don't know why. Usually, it's caused by a tumor on your parathyroid gland, but I've been checked and that's not it. Again, this is another mineral that should be passed out through urine, but for some reason, I appear to be hoarding. Sorry for the novel (but you asked for it!)

And here I am under orders to NOT take: iron, Vitamin D, or Calcium. I see the kidney doc again after Christmas. All my orders will probably change.

I would think so.

I've been using Toppix hair fibers in the part area so that the thinning is less obvious.

The texture you achieved looks perfect. Were they at all gummy?

I also like hot teas. Right now for the holidays, you can get these flavors from Bigelow: Peppermint Bark, Egg Noggin', Salted Caramel, etc plus there are several makers of Chai teas. After the tea steeps, I add a little milk and stevia and they are delish, very "desertish"!

You're only 2 months out. Plenty of time! You'll get there eventually. I still need supplements sometimes.