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If you have a companion, they will help them get food, etc. They will also walk with you as you are pacing the halls getting your gas bubbles worked out. (They are there for safety and companionship). I know Dr. Illan is (or already has) moved locations, and so I was at the Oasis of Hope hospital. I don't know how the new one is set up.

Hi - I"m 53 days since surgery. My weight loss really slowed down after the first 3 weeks, and twice now I've had a three or four day stall. I' am losing about 1 to 2 lbs per week now, even though I eat about 800-1000 calories and excercise every day. When I've tried to lose weight before (which I've done several times) I had to excercise like crazy and go to bed every night hungry in order to lose at about the same rate. The difference this time is that I don't feel deprived or hungry and I've been working on changing my eating habits without feeling like I"m battling cravings. Imagine that you can still keep this rate of loss going for a whole year. Say you average only 5 lbs per month. That is still 60 lb loss, which puts you where you want to be! And a steady weight loss like that is better for your skin and kidneys. Stay positive!

YES!!! I have!! Like you I had tried many many different diets and would always gain back even more than I had lost. I had my RNY July 2, 2013. I had problems starting like right after my surgery but...I thought it was normal. I had 5 Endoscopes with 4 dilations. I lost 132#'s in 6 months. I had a small gain. And then I maintained my weight of 125-129 for 3 and 1/2 years. I was on insulin 2 times a day 100units and Metformin for my Diabetes. Also, I took 12 different medication. Now I am off all diabetic meds and I only take 4 meds now plus my vitamins. My health has improved so much it is almost like day and night. I can now exercise, I walk 3 to 4 miles 3 to 4 times a week. I no way had the problems you've had for sure. Thank Goodness it is in your past. May you get everything your heart desires. Hang tight!!

Well. I did not wait long. I resumed drinking about 6 months out I think. And that was a big mistake, at least for me. Alcohol effects me differently now. If I haven’t eaten enough I get DRUNK FAST and I’ll blackout. It’s bad. I had to learn that the hard way. It’s also takes the place of food calories because I struggle to drink and eat together so it becomes a choice between drinking or eating. And I need the food more. And you do too!! Especially early on. I do love wine but even three years out I try and limit my alcohol intake. I’m careful about it. I can see why you want to drink and I wouldn’t think in moderation it’s a problem. But it could possibly slow your weightloss. For me, it did not slow my weightloss but I oddly tend to lose weight when I drink. Most people gain from it. But if you are feeling healthy I don’t see a problem with having a little in moderation here and there, maybe a Glass now and then. I’d say in the first year you can just be very cautious. [emoji4] and don’t let people on here bully you. There is a nice way to give advice and trollish ways. Just remember the people on here, they are all hungry and sober AF.

I think you're going to be fine! I am 5'9" and currently sitting around 252. I have been to a couple of concerts with seats about the size of an airplane, and I fit fine! You might need an extender (depending on where you carry your weight), but I think one seat will definitely work for you. Congrats on your weight loss!!

I actually haven’t told anyone about my surgery. The only person who knows is my husband and doctors of course. I’m scared for the reactions you’re describing, I tend to internalize a lot and take a lot of comments personally and for that reason I decided for my own peace of mind to keep it to myself. I’m sorry you’re dealing with negative people, I have found that people like that are usually feeling bad about things in their own lives and feel the need to tear others down a bit.

My surgery is a week from today, and I am going to take your advice and write myself a note, too. Thanks for sharing this!

So approximately three weeks after my surgery I was feeling horrible with pain up my back and belly. The dr. Did a swallow test again showed no leaks however a cat scan showed a micro leak. I was in the hospital for 8 days. I am now approaching my 9 week post surgery and I’m feeling off again. No back pain but I have reflux in the middle of the night sometimes that makes me cough and gag. I’m on soft foods but not really hungry at this point. Don’t know if it’s stress or something else. Does anyone have pain sometimes when drinking fluids? Also I’ve been constipated for two days and. It sure if this has anything to do with how I feel now. I also have a little tenderness when I press on the area in the middle of my stomach under my breasts. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you.

I was actually almost hoping for the hair loss, as it would have given me an excuse to shave my head for a while. While my hair is now not quite as coarse as it used to be and much thinner (the hair itself, not the volume), I haven't experienced any hair loss at just over 6 months out. That said, I've been beyond religious when it comes to making sure I have my Protein and fluids each and every day. As for the dumping - as already mentioned, avoid the sugars and fats and chew your tiny bites as much as humanly possible. I have only dumped once and it was by eating regular ketchup (I now use reduced sugar). It was a bad day (~6 hours), but definitely not the end of the world. After that I learned to try all new foods while at home and to ensure anything I try is extremely low in sugar (I've avoided fatty foods at all costs, so no experience there). The sagging skin is now more of a badge of honor. While it looks terrible in the shower, I'll happily deal with it knowing that I can be active, healthy and truly get back to living life instead of just surviving. Unfortunately I don't know that there is anything you can do to combat any of these 3 issues pre-surgery, but in my opinion none are worth fretting about.

Thanks everybody for your replies. I'm right past week two and doing much better. I've been creative with my diet now, and have come up with a few new things to keep from getting really bored and hungry. I got so sick of broth, I had to stop it. I'm on full liquids now, so I can expand my diet a lot. Here are some of my new "recipes": Lowfat milk with vanilla Protein powder, but I add flavored extracts, such as banana or orange, toss in some ice and now I have a smoothie. Sometimes I add a half of a banana (shhhhh). A can of low-sodium V8, with a pinch of garlic, a teaspoon of hot sauce (shhhh) and a teaspoon of steak sauce (sounds gross, but it's not). Pour it over ice, and add a celery stick. You can't eat the celery, but it makes you think you're drinking a Bloody Mary I mix a can of Cream of Broccoli soup, and a can of Cheddar cheese soup, both made with milk, in the same pot. Add pepper, and pour into small storage containers. When you want one, just pop it into the microwave. This is the best one: I found Cheesecake flavored Sugar Free/Fat Free pudding at Target. I made a whole package with cold milk, and poured into small plastic storage containers, and let it set. Then I put an entire package of fresh strawberries into the blender with a shot of liquid Vitamins, a couple shots of diet-cranberry juice, a packet of Sweet & Low, and pureed it. Once the pudding was solid, I opened the containers, and poured the strawberry puree over it. Now you have Sugar/fat free cheesecake, with pure strawberry puree! DEE-LISH!!! I got some really high-volume protein and Vitamin supplements, too: http://www.amazon.com/WHEY-Liquid-Protein-Acai-Berry/dp/B002GU6W54/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1335563462&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Century-Systems-Miracle-Nutrition-liquid/dp/B00013Z1V4/ref=sr_1_1?s=hpc&ie=UTF8&qid=1335563706&sr=1-1