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Okay so awesome that you’ve identified the culprit, but I’m sad to know that’s why. I also have these syrups (I got the peppermint to add to my bariatric hot chocolate and the English toffee to add to coffee). I’ll have to start using these really sparingly, but it’s good info to have. I am pleased with myself, but I’m also aware that I don’t want to start patting myself too hard on the back cause then I might start to take it all for granted and that’s the top of a slippery slope. Still trying to keep on top of all the head stuff. I started a wonderful soup in the quick pot. Defrosted some frozen turkey, then added in carrots,celery,onion,garlic, collard greens and okra. The smell of this stuff cooking is driving me half crazy so it’s time to have some meat and cheese ASAP. I’m usually fine until I smell food. Then it doesn’t matter how full/hungry I am. Wish my brain wasn’t so reactive to the smell.

The "Hair loss" is called Telogen Effluvium https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/hair-loss/effluviums#1 It's not really "Hair loss" it's just a larger % of your hair follicles going into rest at once, so when they reactivate they shed the hair they were holding and that gives the appearance of "hair loss". Fear is normal, NSAIDs are not the only pain relief out there, there are options. Pretty much everything you've listed is normal fears, and pretty much, all of those fears, you'll laugh at down the road. I was 370 at my largest. I'm 210 now, I have some extra saggy skin, but it's really not THAT bad and it's totally hidden under even decently tight clothing. Just remember, staying overweight *WILL* kill you. If something was to happen during your surgery, the best place for that to happen, is in a hospital. No one but you can tell you if what you are going to do is right for you. You have to make that call. Weigh out all the pros and cons, and make your decision based on that, no one is going to look down on you for making the best decision for your life that you can.

Thanks for the NSV shares folks - I love stopping in on this thread for a little inspiration. below are some more recent NSV I've had: yesterday I was on my feet in the kitchen for 3 hours cleaning and doing food prep. I still had enough energy to go for a walk afterward. Previously, I would have been exhausted and in too much pain after that much time on my feet to even contemplate more activity. I've seen some of you mention this...revved up libido and increased "romantic joy". It's really really really REALLY true. Everything about sex is just way more fun. DH and I celebrated our 25th anniversary this week like it was our honeymoon! 😂 I reactivated an old back injury recently and was able to do the rehab exercises much easier than when I was 60 pounds heavier and I started feeling better in less than half the time than I would have prior to WLS. I'm fitting in size 16 bottoms and large tops and was able to buy clothing for myself at Costco for the first time ever. I got a couple of cute shirts for 6 bucks, an unheard of price for the plus-size clothes that Costco doesn't even carry. My husband can pick me up and has decided that his new workout is called "wife lifting". I'm perfectly fine with this, you know...gotta support his fitness goals! 😂😂😂

Terri that necklace is gorgeous! I know Pam will likely murder me if I say something (hah hah), but are they hypo-allergenic? I'm allergic to fake metals, so anytime I've ever bought those things, I break out in a rash within an hour. Are those like that? And Tracy WOW! That swimsuit is HOT... look how perfect your boobs look in that, I'm sure DH is appreciative Jennifer- Everyone is having sales right now, so I've bought some shirts & pants I can't wear right now (or can barely wear, but would do better to wear later) and hanging them in my closet. I'll get there eventually!! I also raided my mom's attic, she has tons of size 12 & 13 bell bottoms she can't wear anymore. Just for fun I tried to pull on some 13's last night.. Barely got them up my legs, and when I tried to fasten them- NO WAY! Hah hah.. they had no stretch.. woosh. One day. I am debating takin pics of me wearin those jeans once a month till I can close them. Then I'd finally be able to wear those clothes I envied my mom for!

Hi everyone---once again, thank you more than I know how to say for the continued prayers for my family and my little Kinsey in particular. It seems that is was just an everyday gastro intestinal virus that was especially vicious, and contagious, as it has now taken 4 generations of us (my Mom is now sick) down in less than a week. No one else who was at the anniversary has been ill, so thankfully I did not poison everyone. Most of us have been hit hard, and recovered about as quickly, not so with Kinsey. Her case has left her with issues in the colon. Her colon is inflamed, and non reactive. It is not allowing food to enter, so there is no absorption taking place. She is failing, bit by bit, and they have continued to tell us to wait it out. Today, they finally decided maybe that isn't working---and we had a surgical consult. He sent off yet more specimans for culture....and if it warrants it, we will be flying her to either Albuquerque to the University Hospital, or to Denver to the Children's hospital, depending on what type of issue they think we are dealing with. They have downgraded her condition to critical. She bounces from sleeping, which we found out was caused by her blood sugar being below 40! To being so irritable as to not be recognizable--a screaming raging child....to one sobbing for food. It absolutely has broken my heart into a million, million pieces. She tells us point blank she is hungry, and asks for any and all kind of food she can think of...with giant tears in her big blue eyes....then she just goes limp, with the look of total dejection. She is 2, she does not understand why we keep letting them poke her, why we will not feed her....why we don't help her when she tells us her tummy hurts. She begs, Please Granny. And repeats "no pokes, no needles, please" everytime someone new enters the room. Add to this heartache (and it is TRUE heart ACHE), my DD's ex, Kinsey's father, is there trying as usual to be the funny man---and his mother an OR nurse at the hospital we are in, going behind everyones backs and putting down Dr.s and nurses, and questioning them and ultimately pissing them off--- and causing problems....I do not know which way to turn. The ex, and his Mom were arguing with my DD about whether the Dr. might want to run a blood test that might tell them about a disease that my DD's grandma on her Dads side had called Celiac Disease. The nurse dislikes the former MIL anyway, so ordered everyone except the 2 who have been staying the night with Kinsey out of the ward. Now this being said....the arguement was not loud, it was out of the room, and Kinsey is the ONLY patient in Peds. She saw it as a chance to get rid of Renee (former MIL) and did it. So we all were banished. My DD was there with her bf/fiance....they had not had a chance to eat...well we are fighting to get DD to eat, she refuses until her baby can eat....it is more than I know how to handle. Rick waited until shift change, and took some dinner to the hospital, and they were going to take turns going to the waiting room---I just don't think my DD is eating at all either---I keep telling her Kinsey needs her strong. It is very hard to put anything in your mouth knowing she is begging for the same. There were 3 nurses on the floor today, with Kinsey the only patient. At one point, she had a blow out---we had her in a diaper, due to this happening...but she went through the diaper, all over the bed, all over her Mama, her gown, the whole 9 yards. I sent my DD to change, and I proceeded to clean Kinsey up after telling the nurse. They were each on a computer comparing prices of the new Harry Potter book. I got Kinsey cleaned up, walked her out to the hall, found her a new gown in the shelf, took her in and dressed her. By then her Mama was back, and she sat down and held her, while I stripped the bed. I went walking out into the hall with this wad of smelly sheets and ask what they wanted me to do with them, she POINTED to a soiled linens hamper thing. Then she got up, walked to a closet, and handed me linens for the bed! They did not come in and disinfect the mattress----nor did she make the bed! I did. Our baby needed to lay down. They come in 2 times today and did vitals----nothing else. She is still casted, it was due to come off today, the nurse never mentioned to the Dr, we needed a ortho consult until after office hours---now she is stuck until Monday. They did not offer to help bathe her----NOTHING!!! Changed one bag of IV fluids....took 2 sets of vitals.....and surfed the net all day. Now this is the first day for this set of nurses....all of the other shifts, and sets of nurses we have had, have went out of their way to make us comfy, and help our little one in any way---today they were absolutely worthless. Tomorrow I intend on finding out who the nursing supervisor is, and filing a complaint. I have no way to make our baby better.....and I have emotions pent up that those worthless women know nothing about----but are fixing to find out about! While I am there seeing the supervisor or charge nurse or whoever....I will also mention, that we had Kinsey in a wagon pulling her around and around and around the 3rd floor......anythnig but her room, she was so tired of her room....and on one of our turns we passed the ICU entrance. There was a male nurse there Julian, who teased her every time she passed, he would hand her a new crayon.....then a piece of paper....and finally a stuffed doll (out of one of the claw grabber kind of machines it seems). She was so listless, but she would spark a little knowing we were coming up to where he was....he helped our day immensley....I will commend him, as I do my best to take the others down. Amanda said he even come by to tell her to get well, he was going on his 4 days off, and he hoped she was home and well before he come back to work. Her nurse.....never even walked into the room before she left. Thank you all for listening once again---all these things are boiling inside me. I am scared to death for Kinsey. Latching onto the anger I can control. The plan as it stands now is to begin introducing good bacteria into the system tomorrow...similar to what is found in yogurt. IF the tests do not show a total shut down. If they show a total failure, we are off to a bigger hospital for surgery. She has lost weight, she is under 17 pounds now. She doesn't show it much because she is really swollen from all of the IV fluids. They are also watching her blood sugars every 3 hours (which is just another poke----and was NOT done on schedule today), and adjusting the glucose in her IV. They finally gave her some Pepcid type of stuff in her IV for the acid in her stomach, since nothing is passing normally. She has complained less of her tummy hurting with that. And that is all----we wait now....and wait....and wait....and wait. I have my lap top, and I have connection. I just cannot sit in her room with these tears streaming down my face. You guys are my release in so many ways....thank you so much. I will let you know something as soon as I can. Please continue the prayers. Rick has avoided the vomiting....we got him some Kaitrel or something like that....so he is hanging tough. Being right there holding her like her Papa always does. Hugs to you all! Sounds like the food issues continue---I promise you girls---it gets easier, it becomes normal dare I say? Kat

Kat - thanks for the info. I think I will try and switch the training session to either the morning or to Friday. I am not concerned with on the tummy exercises, don't do those, I am concerned with being able to hydrate enough to workout hard. After this first fill then I will see how I react. You sound like it is great fun. I like the whole diversion thing you do. Good luck with your hubby. Tekymom - sorry about the port incision. That ususally happens to me, but I was fortunate that I wasn't allergic or reactive to the glue the doc used. In fact many other surgeries I have had to have wound care nursing. Good luck with the healing. Have a great night all you beautiful violets! Michelle

Hi everyone! Welcome Nicole, glad to have you here. Ready4, welcome! Keep up the good work! One word of caution I give about setting a number goal by a certain date. If it doesn't happen, don't beat yourself up. Sometimes you can do EVERYTHING right and still not lose an ounce. It can be very frustrating, and annoying. Just ask ElfiePoo, right, Elfie? I've seen people set a goal of say 6 pounds lost in a month. It is reasonable, yes, but when they 'only' lose 5, they say they are a failure. NO, they are NOT. They lost 5 pounds!!! Rosey, welcome to you, too. All you can do is what you can do. I understand fibro makes exercise hard...but just a short walk is a good start, when you are feeling well enough to do it. Your losses may be slower, but do your best. Is your thyroid being treated? If you are on replacment hormones and your levels are normal then you should not be hypo. (Your diagnosis is Hypothyroidism, but if treated properly then your thyroid is operating normally and should not be much of a factor in weight loss). If you are indeed still hypo, go see your doctor and get the dose adjusted. I have a very long history of thyroid problems. Elcee, you've been on my mind a lot this week. Hope your son's surgery comes out well. Shammah, does being unfilled make you appreciate your band? This is a serious question. Next Tuesday is my 3 year Bandiversary. I KNOW my band works and it works wonders. But things are just "normal" for me now. I often try to think back to my appetite pre-banding and I honestly cannot remember. It is as though I have always been like this. Leigha, nice to have you back after your taxes...was afraid you might have gone to jail when you were done cheating on them! Sorry I've been MIA lately. MIL is slowly deteriorating. DH and I have been doing a lot of talking in the evenings, and I don't want to be rude by being on the computer. He needs me right now. He has 3 siblings. His brother who supports his arguments for her care lives in Las Vegas. They believe she should be moved to hospice care and accept the inevitable in as much comfort as medical science can provide. Her PCP is in agreement and spoke at length about it at her appointment yesterday. His two sisters who are local feel that the doctors should be able to cure her and don't accept that she is in her final days. Mom is in agreement with the sisters. So unless something the doctor said sinks in, she'll keep getting rushed to the hospital to fix things that cannot be truly fixed. One of his sisters normally comes to appointments with him, but yesterday she could not. The other will not go, why I do not know she doesn't work, but demands that we tell the doctor that he, "needs to address this issue and that issue." Uh, no...he needs to address what he considers the priority. She has a vested interest in Mom staying alive as she lives in the second house on the lot for $250.00 a month. The other sister is about to lose her house and is considering moving in with Mom. DH said she might reconsider that as she will most likely have to move right back out if Mom passes. She says why? With my share I can stay...... Huh? What? yes, you have a quarter interest in the property, so what. You've bailed on 2 (yes TWO) mortgages in the last year, DO YOU THINK YOU WILL GET A LOAN to buy the other three out???? The sister in the back was pissed about 6 months ago when BIL told her she'd not be able to stay in the back house when Mom passes. So was Mom, she cannot fathom that the boys will not take care of the girls. Different generation, I guess. Mom's own instructions are for the property to be divided 4 ways. Unless she changed something, and we don't know. But she generally asks DH about stuff like that. The good news? I am not overeating! Woot woot!!!

I wonder if I'm having a form of reactive hypoglycemia. From what I read, it's all lumped together but reactive hypoglycemia has a drop in blood sugar too. I'm still in the pre-diabetic range but my Dr isn't concerned nor has advised me to test sugar. Just one of those things I wonder about. But the bottom line is always 'don't eat that'. I wish it was that easy! Sent from my XT1254 using BariatricPal mobile app

Thanks for the congrats guys. I'll probably be going up and down for the next week before the new weight settles in. Thats what usually happens. Jessica, as a Christian who went to Christian schools and sent my kids there and as one who teaches in a Christian school, I gotta say your SIL is nuts. She'd rather do the most unChristian thing I've heard of than get the child the help he needs from a public school? He's probably ADHD with a learning disability and now the hormones are kicking in. And she's too busy and tired trying to raise and homeschool the rest of them to give him the extra help and attention he needs. So she'd rather get rid of him than send him where he can get the help he needs and admit that she's failing him. What misplaced pride. The most generous interpretation I have is that she's having pregnancy psychosis. What a message she's sending to the other children. Screw up, don't measure up to our "Christian" standards and we will get rid of you. Where is her DH in all this? Why isn't he getting her the help she needs? Including psychiatric. I would have the boy thoroughly evaluated before fostering or adopting him. He may be very damaged already from his first home life as well as the second. He may need special placement in a therapeutic setting, particularly if he has bonding issues and PTSD as well as academic and behavioral issues. Reactive Attachment Disorder can make adopting an absolute nightmare. Some of these children are too damaged to be placed in a regular family. If that is the case with your nephew, then we may be judging your sister too harshly. Sometimes these children are actually a danger to their parents and siblings. But like most sociopaths they can present really well to outsiders who don't see them on a daily basis. They can be very charming but never actually bond and feel no remorse over doing wrong or hurting others, only over getting caught. They can be highly manipulative and you end up feeling crazy and not knowing why. I think what you are offering is tremendous and I truly hope it works out. Make sure you have state funding and medical care for this child and payment for any therapy and extra tutoring he might need. I would initially go foster care with him because once adopted you might not have access to funding to provide for his needs. My brother and his wife had to give a young child back to the province because the local social services refused to diagnose the child as having rad and provide them with the support services they needed. They had the child privately evaluated and found out she not only had RAD and PTSD, she was ADHD and had Fetal Alcohol Sysndrome. It killed them to do it but they did not have the training or the access to funds to provide the child with the care she needed and this was the only way they could force the province and social services to provide for her. The two or three years they went through all that were some of the worst times of their life and they felt like total failures. Cheri

I have a dilemma, help! I have Tufts insurance and am 2 months into the required 6 month I Can Change program. My BMI is 40.3- just over the requirement for surgery approval. In getting myself ready to go I've now discovered that my cholesterol and c-reactive proteins are high. I also have acid reflux/heartburn. While my doctor still feels that lap band surgery is the way to go, she also doesn't want me to wait 4 months to start working out and losing weight. Unfortunately, my co-morbidities are not the ones that count for Tufts in order to go down in BMI. What do I do? Has anyone else had this dilemma and if so, have you found ways to convince Tufts to approve you if you have chosen to go ahead and start dropping the weight? It's so frustrating. Heck, I know I can drop 20 pounds but that's where it all falls apart for me and I need to lose a lot more than that long term. :smile2:

Also anyone else have hypo or is anemic ? Does it affect anything ?

I have hypo thyroidism and I hope this surgery helps my condition. I had surgery on 12/15/10 and I am still on 200mcg or levothyroxine. I will be having some blood tests soon and I hope The weight loss has helped

I get a variation of dumping with my sleeve where I get reactive hypoglycemia if I eat too much sugar (for example, I ate a pack of Skittles earlier this week, and within an hour or 2 my blood sugar was crashing and I was shaky and sweaty). It feels awful. It's a result of the massive changes to my metabolism causing hypersensitivity to insulin, and my body being used to dumping insulin into my system whenever I eat sugar. Hopefully it will balance out. If not, I'll just have to cut out all refined sugars (which I know I should do anyway!)

Someone posted something similar happening to him earlier this week. Search reactive hypoglycemia and you will find it. He ended up fainting twice and was in the ER. Here it is. http://BariatricPal.com/index.php?/topic/366629-Reactive-Hypoglycemia?

What kind of problems? People generally don't get long-term complications from sleeves. It's not like RnY where people get reactive hypoglycemia and have to have part of their pancreas removed to fix it or get ulcers from the surgery that have to be treated. It's even very unlikely that the sleeve would stretch enough to require a fix. If you mean, what if I don't lose all the weight, it would depend on how little I had lost. If I was 10-20 lb more than I wanted to be, I'd lump it. If it was a significant amount, I would get some kind of intestinal bypass, either RnY or DS. I don't know which one because I haven't looked into the nitty gritty details of either. I'd probably go for a DS but I'm not sure I could eat enough fat to make it work. (I don't like greasy food.) I doubt I would put a band over it because the odds are just too high that I'd have to have yet another surgery to remove it some day and be right back where I started. Plus, the only thing a band would fix is if the sleeve had somehow stretched and was too big and you can fix that by having it tightened instead. Not to mention it rarely happens -- you really have to abuse the thing to get it to stretch. I don't know where you heard that people are putting bands over VSG. I don't know anyone who has done that -- it really hasn't been around long enough to know a lot of people who had revisions. Most VSGers will get a DS if they have inadequate weight loss because they figure they need the malabsorption after all.

sounds like a blood pressure issue. This dizzyness occurs with me after sitting from a hard workout in the gym. I read online its called posterity hypo tension...meaning blood pressure gets low after exercise. The cures I found online was to simply just get up slower till your body is fully adjusted to weightloss.

Hello! Any gardeners out there? Trying to reactivate this thread.

Hi, I am new here too. I have been banded for 2 weeks and have so far lost 12 pounds. I too have Hypothyroidism which has always made weightloss difficult, even when I do what I am suppose to do. I know several years ago people with Hypothyroidism were not approved for the band surgery. (Wonder if it is becasue we dropped the success stats???) Still I am glad that Hypo is on the approval list now as this is really my last hope of a tool that may help. I just can't do it myself. So I am hopeful for success with the band, even if little by little. I hope you get approval soon!

I didn't get surgery July 7th because my insurance was terminated days before my surgery.. Soooooo sad. But all I have to do is reactivate it and call my surgeon back with an effective date of my insurance and get a new date.. Anyone familiar with this happening

I didn't get surgery July 7th because my insurance was terminated days before my surgery.. Soooooo sad. But all I have to do is reactivate it and call my surgeon back with an effective date of my insurance and get a new date.. Anyone familiar with this happening

I have hypo-thyroidism, too, and have lost about 26 lbs since surgery 8 weeks go. I can't complain a bit. I haven't started truly working out yet either, so I don't even think about my thyroid slowing things down at all. My surgery group explained that this surgery would help rev everything up!

following this as I'm hypo too. I unfortunately still am in the "normal" range for TSH but luckily have found a dr willing to test levels regularly and treat my symptoms (total lack of energy). I've gained the 80lbs I need to lose all in the last 5-7 years and havent even had kids yet so I'm desperate to lose weight (thus why looking into WLS) I understand the frustration b/c I do eat healthy (just finished yeast-free (gluten/sugar/dairy) diet of 2 months with ZERO weight loss) and work out. SO hopeful WLS will be able to help me too!

I have it too. I was told that it is reactive hypoglycemia. When I eat, my body responds with too much insulin and then I crash. There's really nothing I can do about it. Carbs and sugars make it MUCH worse. Irarely have this on pure protein. The hope right now is that it will normalize as I lose weight, as it is a pre-diabetes symptom.

Hey guys! I've been on both sides of the thyroid- hyper with graves disease to complete hypo after RAI. My body has been through a lot in a few short years. I often wonder what it's role is in this weight loss mission i'm on. I definitely kept gaining weight as soon as I was hypothyroid and I'm on sinthrod forever now. I think my WL is mostly due to the quantity of exercise and effort I put into this. I barely scrape a pound off a week- barely. I Zumba 8x week, Bootcamp 2x week. Even if I have to work super hard at the loss part, in the back of my mind I tell myself- it won't come back on. Just keep moving forward. i think it complicates things, but I've got my eye on the prize. I've lost 50lbs and have about 40 to go. My surgery was in March 10, and post op I've lost over 30. Slow going. I also have 7ccs now.

Now I know it's true!! :faint: I have a friend that told me a similar thing and I didn't want to believe, but when I would have to resubmit or call several times b/c the insurance company said they didn't have the info, it did raise my curiosity. Like I said in an earlier post, I feel like I have to fight to get my honest claims paid and paid in a timely manner in which does not affect my credit rating. This attitude that so many of us have experienced, shows that consumers are forced into a reactive mode instead of being proactive in most cases. It's no wonder some people feel it necessary to put quarters or sand in their pockets. They are just playing the game that insurance companies create. I'm not condoning these actions and hope that I'm never in a position to choose. What if one of my children needed a life-saving procedure? You can bet the house, barn, AND the land that insurance would have everything they needed to approve any such issue regarding my family. I would walk on Water with the help of the Lord if I had to. Bottom line.....insurance companies hold too much power to determine our health care. The sad truth is that some of these people that make final decisions are not properly trained in EVERY field that they are covering. This is wrong and should be fixed. Anyone have any ideas?