deedee

My headaches stemmed from not getting enough water that early out (I also wasn't getting in all of my protein, but when I upped my water, the headaches eased). You may want to check in with your surgeon and/or other doctor due to your diabetes and high bp. Keep us posted.

I agree with Tiff. I also used canned tuna and chicken mixed with mayo. I shredded my own chicken in the food processor with a little sugar free teriyaki sauce and shredded cheese.

I'll be sending positive vibes your way on Wednesday.

I was given a lifting restriction of 15 lbs. for the first 4 weeks. As for the weight loss, I've seen (read) that people with more to lose tend to lose faster than "lightweights." My weight loss speed far exceeded anything I ever expected/hoped, but although I was compliant with MY surgeon's post op diet, I did begin adding more carbs back in a lot sooner than others, which probably kept me from losing as fast as I might have.

I too have the skin discoloration in my thighs and always assumed it was from my legs rubbing together like Cajun said. I've been thinking about exfoliating like Tiffykins mentioned, but so far the skin there is still discolored. On a side note, welcome to VST! Everyone here is very nice and supportive so don't worry so much about posting in the right forum, etc. This is the first message board I've ever participated on and I've always felt very welcomed.

I did okay through Christmas, but then came down to North Carolina to visit family and have done horrible ever since. There have been so many temptations that I have not passed by...cake and chips mostly, that I normally do not have at home. I also have not been able to exercise, but plan to walk tomorrow. There is no scale here so not sure of the weight at this point. I figure it is a vacation/holiday and I'll get back to normal soon (which for me always includes some treats/snacks, just not the grazing I've been doing the last couple of days).

That is great news Chandra, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Shontel, I'm so sorry you are going through this. You are in my prayers, I hope you feel better soon. Vent away and keep us posted.

Excellent job!!!

Today I posted a thread about New Year's resolutions and responded to one of Chancie's posts regarding something that has changed for both of us: being cold a lot of the time now, instead of always hot and sweating. Both these things got me thinking about how much has changed in my life so far and the changes that are still yet to come. My husband loves baseball (still relives his high school glory days:blush:). We had season tickets for the first few years that the Washington National's first came to town. They are currently a horrible team and we did not renew our tickets for last year, but it had more to do with my health than their record. During the hot months, I could barely make it from the parking lot to the stadium and after the game had trouble making it back...we started taking golf cart rides because of my knees. I had so much trouble not passing out from the heat during the spring/summer games. There were more games than I can recall where my husband insisted we leave early because he was so concerned about my health. I felt horrible for him, I felt like a lousy wife. Last year we resorted to buying club seats when we went so that I could sit in the air conditioned club level in the back, where I'd stay for the majority of the game leaving him in the seats by himself. I'm so looking forward to this new season. This year we purchased a partial season package (1/2 of the games, I mean they really are a crappy team, it wasn't completely my health that made us stop getting full season tickets) and I am so happy that I can do this with him! Another big change that hit me today happened when I went into this little boutique in my town. They opened last April and I've always admired their window displays, but had never gone in. Today after going down to the post office I walked over to the bakery and passed the boutique. On my way back to the car I decided to pop in and they had some super cute stuff, although a lot of it more trendy than I typically wear. The owner came over and asked to start a fitting room for me and went and exchanged the medium dress I had for a small. She explained that the dress ran large and the small fit more like a medium. When I went to try it on she was right. I spent about an hour looking through the different racks, it's pretty small. For the first time in my life I realized what it must be like to be a normal sized person shopping for clothing. I've never had a problem shopping (actually have had problems in the past with shopping too much) and have shopped department stores and boutique stores, I just never had been in one where every style in the store actually had my size. I didn't have to dig to the bottom of the pile to look for the largest size. Also, the only boutiques I'd shop in were ones I'd been to with my skinnier friends and saw that they had clothes that fit me. This was a wonderful experience. I can't wait to see what other changes are in store. I LOVE BEING (sort of) NORMAL. I never realized how much my weight (and health) impacted my daily life and the kind of concessions and adjustments it forced me (and my husband) to make on a daily basis. Sure I was pretty happy before, but it's like the old saying "You can't miss what you've never had." I've never had a normal weight (okay I still don't yet), so I didn't realize all of the things I was missing out on.

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas too!!!

I used her protein ice cream recipes this summer. The ice cream was okay, but I still like it better without protein powder:-) There were many others I wanted to try, I just never got around to it. Let use know if you try any and what you think.

I'm so proud of you and your attitude throughout this entire process and I can't wait to celebrate you making goal...you have totally rocked this sleeve and been such a great support for many of us. GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Marci! First off I want to say congratulations for your desire to become healthy for you and your family. Secondly, I'd like to say I very much disagree with your primary doctor. Sorry that the following is sort of long winded. There were many things that began my journey of researching WLS, but the biggest was my desire to start a family. My husband and I tried for a year with no luck. I then went to a fertility specialist and one of my husband's first questions was, "could it be due to her weight?" The RE, poo pooed my husband and it turned out I was riddled with fibroids that had to be removed. After my open myomectomy where they barely managed to save my uterus (I actually have a mesh screen attached) last January, we were scheduled to go back to the RE and proceed in May. In March my husband sat me down and talked to me about how concerned he was about my weight and getting pregnant at that weight. Of course I didn't want to hear it, but unbeknownst to me he had been researching the issue and when presenting me with studies and facts of obesity it was hard to ignore. Although many obese women give birth to healthy babies and remain healthy themselves, like I'm assuming you've done yourself, there are just a lot of risk factors involved. I was quite upset because it seemed like something I wanted for so long was once again out of my reach. But I eventually did have to agree with my husband. This summer sometime I came across a study (trying to find it and link to it, but will edit later), that showed how much better mother and baby did after wls, compared to the pregnancies they had before (it only looked at woman who had babies both pre-op and then again post-op). In the article, or maybe another one, it also concluded that the children born after wls were less likely to be obese unlike their siblings born before mother had the surgery due to womb environment being healthier (it was a pretty significant percentage in my mind). I will try to find these links and add them in later. As for the sleeve surgery working after pregnancy, I don't know why it wouldn't. Part of our stomach is permanently removed and although it will stretch some, if treated properly shouldn't stretch that much. I just believe it will take a lot more willpower than in the early post-op months, but the tool should still be there. Good luck with your decision! If you google, "pregnancy after wls" there is a lot of info (here's one): OAC * Obesity Action Coalition - Pregnancy after Weight-Loss Surgery http://www.weightlosstriumph.com/weight-loss-surgery-reduces-pregnancy-complications-for-mother-and-child.html new link I'm having difficulty finding that study; I believe I originally read about it in a summer edition reader's digest article and then looked it up from there, sorry.

Tracy, that is a good resolution. One of the things that ranks higher on my best decision list than getting the sleeve, is getting my degrees. Stoongal, I'm pretty sure my resolutions will relate to de cluttering/repairing/organizing parts of my home as well. It's sort of sad that we've now been here for 3 years and I still have paper shade blinds up and my great room is only halfway painted while the blinds and paint both sit in closets.

Wow, that's all I can think to say right now. You seem to have one of the most positive attitudes of anyone I have met in real life or online. I'm glad you found us and hope that your doctor is able to get you scheduled when safe...I think if your insurance covers wls, you shouldn't have a problem getting VSG due to your scarring making bypass impossible, and your diabetes comorbidity. Please keep us posted and ask any questions that come to mind.

Great attitude and I like the new name as well!

That's excellent news! But I totally understand, it's hard not to get discouraged throughout this journey (due to the scale and other reasons), glad you're feeling so much better.

Laura, Three pounds since Saturday is excellent! I wouldn't worry much unless you have a stall and then look at switching some things up.

Nikki, I'm sorry you are going through this right now. I think you are doing FABULOUS! Right now you have an average weight loss of 19 lbs. per month. But if you really think the DS might fit your maintenance lifestyle/weight better, then maybe you want to give a surgeon a call because in another few months you'll probably be too small (you really are working your sleeve well) for them to do another surgery. Good luck and try to not let what others think (even on here) sway your decisions. Did I say that your doing a wonderful job;-)

That's good news, I never really cared for the protein drinks either.

You too will be one of the great success stories! I understand how hard it is not to compare. I see a lot of people that get to goal in 5 to 6 months, which is my hope, but their goals are so much lower than mine (I set mine on the high side of normal).

Mini-Me, I used my surgeon's nutritionist throughout the process and she was okay. I saw her three times as a pre-op and for a 3 hour nutrition class and 3 times post-op. She was knowledgeable about my surgery and nutritional needs, but I wish she was a little more with it as a facilitator. I'm the type of person that if I'm going to spend time attending an appointment then I want to get something out of it, not just check it off that I was there. Before surgery there were definitely things I learned especially about a high protein/low carb diet since that was the one type of diet I had never tried and Vitamins. After surgery she just seemed pleased with how well I was doing with the weight loss and incorporating exercise. My opinion: even if the results are phenomenal (which they weren't that great), there is always room for improvement and that was her job to push/challenge me to the next level, which she really didn't do. I feel she is there to help teach me and help me grow in the area of nutrition...I don't know it all or I wouldn't have been in this situation. As a teacher myself, my gifted students get as much feedback on how to improve their work as my struggling students...that's my job. Two years ago I managed to lose 40 pounds by going to a bootcamp program 3 days per week, Jazzercise 3 days per week, eating Jenny Craig food, and seeing a nutritionist every other week. I really clicked with her because she provided the appropriate amount of support and push. She really wasn't too keen of the Jenny Craig program when I first began because it was a "pre-packaged program that couldn't be sustained for life." Over my time with her (and some professional development she did on her own) she began to understand that some people might always use some form of packaged food in their diets whether it was from a structured program like Jenny Craig or Healthy Choice (etc.) meals from the super market. We had a great relationship because it was a learning experience for both of us and she really knew her stuff. I stopped going to her when my schedule changed for the summer and just never returned. I guess it just depends on what you are looking for. I'd say you'd have to try until you find one that really fits your needs, you can only learn so much about someone's philosophy/style on the phone. Good luck to you on your search!