*susan*

Well, like a previous poster already said, soda is not going to stretch your stomach. Is it the healthiest of choices, probably not. But, if I quit eating and drinking everything they say is unhealthy, will cause cancer, blah, blah, blah then I probably wouldn't have needed the sleeve because I would be dead from malnutrition. I mean, seriously, you can google just about any food nowadays and find some kind of study saying why you should avoid it. It could drive a person crazy, lol. I am an "everything in moderation" kind of girl. If I want something, I have it. Denying myself things are what lead me to eventually binge on them. So, instead, I have a normal serving size of what I am craving and then I am perfectly satisfied. But, because this works for me, doesn't mean it will work for you. Just like, just because some people are able to cut everything unhealthy out of their diets doesn't mean that will work for you. You have to figure out what you can and cannot do, you have to find your own personal balance in what you do, what makes you healthy and happy and what works for you. Everyone can offer their advice, insist their way is the only way, etc., but the bottom line is it is your body, your life and your road to map out and follow to get you to your destination. And for the record, I was a former diet coke addict. I didn't have one for well over a year out from my surgery, simply because I wasn't interested in having one. Now, I usually drink one every couple of days without any problem. Sent from my iPad using VST

You know, had the sleeve been around when I was your age, I absolutely would have done it. I would have loved to save myself years of heartache, feeling like the odd one out, always the biggest girl in the room, too out of shape to do much of anything. I was overweight from about ten years of age. No psychoanalysis needed, sometimes, believe it or not, there are those of us who just love food and don't have the willpower to quit when we should. I didn't eat because I was sad, depressed, happy, repressing feelings or anything else. I just plain loved food, end of story, and I still do. That is why I get so annoyed when so many people are quick to suggest counseling, and this is from someone who worked in the mental health field for 13 years. I guess the "in" thing is we all need to discover why we eat so much, what drives us to eat. Well, damn, pizza is amazing, and chocolate, and filet mignon. I didn't and still don't need to pay anyone a ridiculous amount of money to tell me that. I just needed something to help me control the amount of food I shovel in my mouth, and by gosh, the sleeve does that beautifully for me. Sent from my iPad using VST

We try to keep a fine line between moderating and over-moderating. I know I cannot be everywhere at once, on every thread at once, etc. We count on our members to keep us alerted to issues. Laura, you made me aware there was a problem in this thread, and I responded. That is what everyone needs to do, if you see a problem, report it or notify us, and we will respond. Not everything is dealt with publicly, some things are handled privately. There are reasons for that. Now please, let's return this back to the original topic.

Oh my goodness, people, this is beyond ridiculous. The level of name calling and judging in this thread is completely unacceptable. The OP did not ask for a discussion on whether or not disclosing that she had weight loss surgery is a lie, she asked for suggestions on what to tell people. If you want to have a debate on what constitutes truth and what constitutes a lie, then start it in the off topic forums, do not derail someone's post for your own personal agenda. Everyone has different beliefs and nobody should judge anyone else for those beliefs, but if you wish to discuss it, again, do so in your own thread. I am putting an end to this now. Return to responding to the OP's question, or refrain from responding at all. Take your debates elsewhere and show some respect to the OP. You want to debate religion, what constitutes a lie, parenting, moderating or anything else, do it elsewhere, not in this thread because it has nothing to do with the OP's original question. Thank you. Susan, VST Administrator

As per the sticky at the top of this forum, rants specifically created to rant about members of this forum are not permitted, therefore, I am closing this topic. If you feel a question has been asked a million times, or you are bothered by a question, simply scroll on by. You are not required to respond and there are plenty of others who understand and are willing to help. Thank you. Sent from my iPad using VST

I am so with you! My doctor said it is kind of like a yeast infection. It is a result of my excess skin, and it is basically collapsing around my belly button. It gets no air, or any way to breathe, so it gets infected. And, I know, TMI, but it stinks!!! She told me to document it though, as they may help towards eventually getting a tummy tuck under "medical necessity".

Thank you for sharing your experience with Dr. Illan, he is definitely a top notch doctor, and the one MSO has chosen to work with as well.

It is best to report pm's such as these. Member has been deleted and marked as spam.

"Dr. B", welcome to our forums. When did you have your sleeve done, who did it, and how are you progressing? Were you self pay? Actually, Mexico is a wonderful alternative for those who cannot afford to have their surgery in the U.S. Many of the surgeons there actually trained U.S. doctors. What is important is doing your research to make sure you make a good choice in surgeons. Like others, the care I received in Mexico far exceeded any care I have ever received here in the U.S. Additionally, while several years ago there was a problem with surgeons being willing to provide aftercare to Mexico surgery patients, that is not mainstream anymore, partly due to the popularity of people going to Mexico for their surgery. Most primary care physicians are willing to provide their patients any aftercare that is needed. And, many bariatric surgeons are now also willing to provide fills, follow-up care etc. Once again, it all boils down to doing your research and having all your ducks in a row prior to having your surgery.

Closing this thread per the OP's request.

Girl, you are not in trouble! And we love your profile picture and ticker, always nice to put a face with the member!

I was addressing both posters who were going back and forth with the arguing, bottom line, no one cares to see that. As per our rules, that needs to be taken to pm. As does any further discussion you would like to have with me regarding this issue.

It is definitely not our policy to remove posts. We encourage members to post their personal experiences, whether they be positive or negative. Our goal here is to make sure our members have as much information as possible available to them to make informed decisions. Cerenatee, that post you referred to was from 2010, and was regarding a very specific issue that occurred during a time period in which, as Alex stated in that thread, their were paid posters and coordinators coming to our site specifically to discredit other doctors. Alex did what he had to do to protect WLS Boards and it's members, which was to delete incorrect, inflammatory posts that were not from patient's personal experiences, but were instead from potentially paid posters.

The pre-op diet is tough, and your doctor put you on it for a reason. I'm not so worried about your being "doomed" pre-op wise, and most likely your surgery will go just fine. But, you really need to understand how vital it is you follow the post-op diet. You need to make sure you are in the frame of mind that this is only going to be a short period out of your life, and your health literally depends upon you following your doctors post-op diet. If you don't, you could end up with a leak which can lead to a world of other problems, I don't want that for you, and I'm sure you don't either. It sounds like you are doing better now, which is good. Once you have had your surgery, if you find yourself struggling with sticking to the diet, before you eat something that could result in a negative outcome, call and speak with your doctor or nutritionist. Very often, depending on which stage you are in and how well your recovery is going, they will recommend something to you that will satisfy your needs without jeopardizing your sleeve and your health. Sent from my iPad using VST

Good luck and I wish you a speedy recovery! Sent from my iPad using VST

Fabulous! Sent from my iPad using VST

There is actually already a Protein drink rating thread in the food and nutrition forum, have you checked it out? Sent from my iPad using VST

I love hearing wonderful success stories like this, congratulations! Sent from my iPad using VST

What Laura is suggesting is perhaps it is time you take your personal arguments to pm, stop with the sarcastic comebacks and return to the original topic. Sent from my iPad using VST

zsflower, thank you so much for clearing up any confusion around this issue. Sent from my iPad using VST

The Lucerna is beautiful, you will love it!

I would be fine so long as I stayed in bed, but the minute I would stand up, the nausea would hit. Glad you seem to have it under control now. Sent from my iPad using VST

That could be, I am not sure. Omar mentioned it to me, but he didn't give a specific name.

This is definitely a common problem for a lot of post-op sleevers. Like labellaskorpio said, you don't want to wait too long, otherwise it can really become a horrible, painful and even bloody experience. I learned that the hard way. Good ol' Milk of Magnesia is what finally did the trick for me.

Gibson_girl, I am glad to hear you are doing well. I also had a horrible time with nausea. I always do for three or four days after any type of surgery. But, I now heard there is some sort of patch you can have your doctor prescribe for you and you start wearing it a few days before your surgery. From what I understand, it does wonders for keeping the nausea under control. I know if I ever have any type of surgery again, I am definitely going to look into it.