*susan*

KWIM, I believe means "know what I mean".

Ha, ha, Bob, that cracked me up. I do think it is easier without our bigger bellies getting in the way of things.

For me, the first couple of months I was like Vegas, I had no energy and no interest. As soon as my head hit the pillows, I was out. But, lately, I am feeling better, my hubby is complimenting me a lot, as are other people, and I am feeling a bit more amourous than usual.

Mac, that is what I was always told as well.

Hubby and I went to Vegas for the first time last year. He won a trip out there through work. We spent three days and had an absolute ball. We walked up and down the entire strip, admittedly drinking our way along. Man, we would stop in someplace to use the restroom and they would be offering up free drinks, we didn't want to be rude and say no! We also did the Hoover Dam, which was amazing. Hubby did great with the gambling too, unfortunately, for every dollar he won, I think I lost two. Oh well, we still had a really great time and can't wait to go back.

Going into ketosis can cause the bad breath. I quoted the information below from another site: "When people eat less carbohydrate, their bodies turn to fat for energy, so it makes sense that more ketones are generated. Some of those ketones (acetoacetate and ?-hydroxybutyrate) are used for energy; the heart muscle and kidneys, for example, prefer ketones to glucose. Most cells, including the brain cells, are able to use ketones for at least part of their energy. But there is one type of ketone molecule, called acetone, that cannot be used and is excreted as waste, mostly in the urine and breath (sometimes causing a distinct breath odor)."

Hi Shannon, and welcome to the forums. Thanks for updating us on "N" and on yourself. We hope you stick around so we can all get to know one another better.

Honestly, I have always heard that there are a lot of factors that contribute to that. Such as your age, if you are younger, you tend to have less of a problem with that. How long you have been overweight and how many times you have gained and lost. And, of course, how much exercise you do. I believe strongly that without exercise, you will have excess, flabby skin.

Thanks for letting us know how you are doing! I found it was impossible to even come close to getting enough protein in until I went to mushies. I didn't care much for the protein drinks, so I only drank about half of one a day. Once I hit mushies though, I had no problems.

Bob, I found the first three days were the worst. Once I got past them, the headaches and hunger pangs subsided. The bad breath, well, that went on a little longer.

Hey Morris! Welcome to the forums, we are glad to have you here! Your PCP should be willing to see when you return. And, as Dana said, if you should have an emergency, head straight to the ER. But, I am sure everything will go just fine for you.

Penny, glad you found a way to work out the passport issues.

I think I need to move to another part of the country, lol. Chat always picks up after us East Coasters go to bed.

Judy, thank you so much for updating us. I am glad she is doing so well. I am sure that must be a big relief for you.

Pedro, welcome to our forums. It is great to have someone a year out join us and tell us how things are going. Congratulations on your surgiversary and on being down 102 pounds, that is absolutely amazing! We look forward to hearing more from you.

Those are great. I have the Magic Bullet and don't know if I could survive without it.

Wow, I am impressed. When I was on liquids only, I wouldn't even go near the kitchen. My sixteen year old daughter did all the cooking for my hubby and her, and even fixed my liquid meals for me.

She sounds like a pretty strong girl for being just eight years old. I probably would have told them to knock me out before doing anything to it!

That is wonderful news! See how it is changing your life already? And, you have only just started. I am so excited for you. I am sorry about your daughter's finger, though. That can be painful. How old is she?

I don't have any real answers and/or solutions to the hair loss problem. But, I wanted to pop in and welcome Christina and Angie to our forums. We are glad to have both of you join us.

Hi Paula, and welcome to our forums, we are glad you found us. I was banded in April of 2006. This April, I revised to the sleeve. I have to tell you it is a wonderful, wonderful improvement over the band. First off, not having to worry about fills and reaching the elusive "sweet spot" is so nice. Add to that no longer choking on my food, being embarrassed when eating out, etc., the sleeve is the most wonderful thing that I have ever had done. I am reading more and more about people who have success with the band for the first year or so, and then they start having all kinds of complications. I have not heard of any such problems with the sleeve.

It is not unusual to lose a lot of weight in the first month, but then it tends to slow down and level out a bit after you move to full solids. I lost 32 pounds the first month, but now average between 1-3 pounds per week.

I am so glad to hear she has been released and appears to be better. If you get any further news from her, please let us know.