*susan*

Awww, you are so sweet, hold onto him Vegas Angel, he is a keeper! I won't have the money for a face lift. I am having a lot of problems with rashes now from sweating and what not under my panus. Every time I get a bad rash, I go to the doctor and have it documented. Hopefully, based upon that once I finish losing weight I might at least get my insurance to cover surgery for that.

I had a lot of problems the first month I was sleeved. Like some of you have mentioned, it was a real struggle for me to get anything down, liquids, mushies, anything. And whatever I took in made me very nauseous. I was severely dehydrated and ended up in the hospital several times on IV liquids. However, once I got past the first month, things improved drastically. I am now able to eat without feeling ill. While I cannot guzzle drinks, I can take fairly large drinks now without a problem. I am one of the ones that now says other than only being able to take in small amounts of food, I can't tell I have had the surgery, which is wonderful. Give it time, like WASa said, you are probably experiencing a bit more swelling that hasn't gone down yet. Once it does and you get past the first month or so, you should feel much better.

Susie, a lot of us experience plateaus at some point. I was sleeved April 2, lost a ton of weight right off the bat and then was on a plateau for several weeks. I just started losing again about three weeks ago, thank goodness. I keep track of everything I eat, my daily activity/exercise level, etc. on fitday. I still struggle to make 800 calories a day, so it wasn't that I was taking in too many calories. I think my body just decided it needed some time to adjust to the rapid weight loss I was having and all the changes it was going through. I am okay with that, so long as there was no gain and I started losing again.

Ruthi, I am so sorry, I would hate that. Having my band removed has been so liberating. NewSexyMe, you have made the right choice.

Hotchocolate, congratulations on getting your date. Just think, less than a month away! You are going to love being sleeved!

My breasts really haven't gone down in size, I am still wearing the same cup size. But then again, even when I was 125 I was a DD, so I expect I will always have large breasts. As for my feet, I have gone from a 9W to a 8 1/2 normal width.

Hello and welcome to LBT! Congratulations on getting approved, that is wonderful news. We look forward to getting to know you as you take your lapband journey.

Twins!! At 51?!! Oh my, I can't imagine having one baby at that age, let alone two. She must be a special lady.

I am very worried about that happening. Right now, most people say I look really young for 42. I am worried once I lose the puffy cheeks, I will start looking my age.

Daisy, I am like you, I don't expect to truly ever be skinny. I have actually set my goal for 140, anything lower than that I will consider to be a bonus. Surprisingly, I have not lost anything in the boobs. Of course, even when I weighed 120 I was a DD, so I don't really expect to be any less than that. I have lost a lot in my behind, I no longer have that extra shelf to set things on! Mac, I hope that by the end of this year, I am faced with the same challenges as you. Then, I can come back to this thread and learn from you.

Gloucester, I hate people like that! Karma is a good thing though. Plain, welcome back. Beth, keeping my fingers crossed for you for good news on the interview. Fanny, the bird photos were absolutely beautiful. You are amazing with the camera and I always enjoy seeing the pictures you post. But, I do have a question about your avatar. What exactly are you doing in that picture? You look great, and like you are in the throws of passion, lol.

Hello and welcome to LBT! It is wonderful to have you join us, and with such a positive attitude. I think you are going to do wonderfully and look forward to following your progress.

It is pretty cool that social events have now actually become about the socializing, and not the food.

I wish I wouldn't have seen the ending! :001_tt2:

That is great!!

I just wanted to pop in and welcome you as well. And, I am another who agrees about OH.

Actually, the way all of you have been treating one another is uncalled for. I asked all of you earlier to tone it down, as has MacMadame. So, please just do so!

Hi there, and welcome to LBT. I have heard quite a few good things about Dr. Webb. I used Dr. Herrera at St. Vincents and thought he was wonderful as well.

Ha, are you in for a surprise. I had trouble with the passing gas part. My husband still jokes about it because every time someone on staff would come to the room, the first question they would ask was if I had started passing gas yet. First time in my life anyone has ever been concerned with whether or not I was poofing. I liked having the heating pad on my tummy, it just felt very comforting.

Ladies, good luck to both of you! Let us know how you are doing as soon as you feel up to it.

I didn't care for the Unjury products at all. Even the unflavored left a bad taste in my mouth. Actually, I really didn't find any protein drinks I could tolerate. The only one for me that was bearable and helped me survive the liquid stage was Whey Gourmet Peanut butter and chocolate.

VA, I never did find one I could really tolerate. As soon as I was back on full solids, all the protein drinks were tossed. I just make sure I get all my protein in with my meals.

Judy, I think you hit what so many of us feel right on the nail. It is like there is a whole different person in us just waiting to emerge. But, we are afraid to let that person show because we are afraid that all the rest of the world sees is our weight, and not the true person we are. Add to that, the fact that physically, our weight hinders us from doing so many things that other people take for granted, it can really lead to serious depression. And to them, they don't understand why we don't just diet and lose the weight, how hard can it be, right? They just don't have a clue. I truly believe that WLS is such a life saver and a blessing in so many of our lives.

For me, when I woke up all I wanted to do was go back to sleep. Anesthesia does that to me. I just want to sleep for days. I remember being really annoyed because my husband and that staff kept waking me up and telling me to walk. I didn't want to walk because I also suffer severe nausea as an effect from the anesthesia. So, every time I got up to walk, I ended up vomiting. As for pain, I have to say I did not experience any. It was easy in that sense. Like Daisy said, a heating pad is a good idea. I also brought my own pillow, but that was more for the plane ride than anything else. They do not have Gas-X in Mexico, so you may want to bring some with you to help with the gas pain. Definitely remember to bring your robe and slippers for taking walks around the hospital. And, I would bring something like sweat pants or other loose clothing for the trip back home. You want to be comfortable and not have anything tight on your incisions.

You will definitely not regret getting the sleeve. All of us know how to diet, exercise and lose weight. We have all probably done it numerous times. Unfortunately, to us food is like an addiction and we fall off the wagon. In the past when that happened, we binged and gained the weight back. Now, if we fall off the wagon, our tiny tummy's won't let us completely sabotage ourselves because we just can't eat very much. That will be a wonderful help in losing and maintaining weight loss.