Rootman

It's all just a matter of individual taste, what's good to one person tastes like barf to another. I really hated about 6 different brands I tried and settles on the Boost! shakes (available nearly everywhere in the USA). Their not the best as far as Protein content but SOME protein that I could get down without a struggle is netter than none. Just keep trying different brands till you find one you like.

I second riding the bike - I would imagine that most toddlers would enjoy the back seats that can be mounted on bikes, maybe even the little trailers they have now. Also some free weights placed on the counter and used after every meal help. I have a 20# dumbbell right next to my chair (probably a bit big for you) and use it after each meal. 30 reps each arm. Maybe some arm / leg weight would enhance your regular daily routine.

Yes I did. It is pretty slim and pretty basic. I think it's best for something like besquared above mentions - giving to a spouse so they can understand what you are seeking or going through. To be honest I was a little disappointed, it was a bit repetitious and not really written very well. It was worth the $14 or so I spent on it (If I remember the cost right). I perused thorough it in one evening ad then gave it to my wife to read.

Congrats on the remarkable success! I too have had my share of comments. Some odd, some funny and some just rude and nosy. It's funny to watch old TV shows - and some not THAT old - and see "comically fat" people who by todays standards are not really fat at all. We're so accustomed to seeing people of size it is the new "norm". For me personally, there are a few guys I used to admire for their "thin" size who are now fatter than I am. It's all a matter of perspective. Just don't lose yours!

I agree with CLK above, it seldom matters. The bougie is just there to ensure that the Dr. does not accidentily close off the stomach or make it too tight by running THROUGH the stomach and THROUGH the pyloric valve to hold it open, the staple line does not snug up against the form, it's just there to provide some clearance.

I drink diet Doctor Pepper, maybe 2 or 3 cans a week and also a diet Ginger Ail and feel no eeffects at all that it hurts my diet. I've lost 170 pounds and have kept it off.

Boy did I - and still do. HULK SMASH! I had a problem with testosterone that was diagnosed years ago and had to start shots. Well as I got thinner the amount I was taking was too much (less body for the same amount of hormone) and the level shot up way too high and man was I pissed! So get your testosterone level checked. I still find myself more aggressive and vocal then I did before. My T level is back to normal, and just a little lower than what the doc wants but I'm leaving it at that. I am not sure what the root cause is. I certainly don't feel deprived any more as I am about 16+ months out and can eat pretty much anything I want, I don't crave anything and don't really miss it.

Mine went down OK, at least as fast as I could gag that crap down That was probably the MOST unpleasant thing about the whole sleeve process.

I thought mine was up to date but found that it had expired just months before I was to leave - of course I didn't bother to pull it out and check it till then I paid an expediting company, it was highway robbery at something like $400, the companies expediting fee and the governments expediting fee. Sucks, but I had to pay it to ensure prompt delivery. I got BOTH the passport AND the card in like 1 week.

I'd vote for the dehydration idea too, or the reaction to the pain meds. If that doesn't pan out then try some tea tree oil soap it works wonders.

I second what EMily said above, the apptitite is reduced but eventually you DO get hungry, but I don't nearly get as completely starved like I used to. What many of us fight is head hunger, we are so used to eating and have such poor eating habits it's hard to break them.

I know that WLS can cause a lot of emotional upheaval so it may not be the CAUSE of your troubles it certainly plays a part in your emotional health. You are wise to seek professional help. We all wish the best for you and sincerely hope for a resolution that is best for you and your family.

Yes, if you are having the typpical endoscpoic surgery. There is one larger incision maybe 2" long and several - 3 or 4 smaller incisions. Depending on your skin type they may fade to be barely noticible. There is a "spider" surgery that some offer, it has one incision by the belly button and hides the scar. Not every surgeon offers it though.

Same experience ad NoExcuses above, weird aftertaste and I actually prefer the bitter sweet taste of saccharin. Jury's still out if it's actually "better" for you or not.

I have it too. Started out years ago and now with 170 pounds off I am currently taking 1/8 the amount I started out with. Same hormones and less body mass equals more hormones per pound. My low was 124, which is less than a lot of WOMEN have - yes ladies you have some of the big T too, just as men have some of the big E in them. I agree with the SweetP's brother, while the injections are a pain (literally) they are not THAT bad and the are less risky to those around you as the cream would be. One side effect I HATE is the hair, I had little chest hair now I have loads, and hair all over the place as well, ears, nose you name it, it sprouts hair now

Yep, I had it too, had to spit a lot and kept getting a frothy spittle in my mouth. My guess is that it's a side result of ketosis, when the body is actively burning it's fat stores. I also get it now - though not as bad - the few times I've eaten too much, I get the overly stuffed feeling, the frothy rolling spit and if it's too much for me I vomit. Once I do it's over and the spit stops too. In this case I wonder if it's not the body interpreting the too full stomach as something being caught in the digestive tract and it produces so much spit to try and wash it though. ust my guess.

I eat a pretty good diet so I only take only a few Vitamin supplements. We in the first world countries have th e,most expensive urine in the world - because that's were MOST of the vitamins / supplements we take end up going. Tu-Th-Fr-Sa_Su I take a 1 a day Multivitamin, generic Mo-We-Fr I drink an EmergenC drink, partly to acidify my urine to help prevent kidney stones - which I am prone to get, it's also chocked full of vitamins too so that's why I skip the multi on these days. Every other day I take 2 Calcium citrate tablets Alternate days from the calcium citrate I take 1 Iron tablet. Calcium and iron should NOT be taken together, iron prevents the update of calcium. Nightly I take melatonin and 5-HTP (also one 5-HTP at lunch) to help with sleep, I've had insomnia for ALL my adult life. Supposedly to help cholesterol: I take 3 oz of red wine at bedtime. I eat 1 square of Gardellis 70% chocolate a day

Same as PreciousCargo - HellYah! Simple math, same amount of hormones - less body mass = effectively raised hormone level. I have low testosterone and probably have all my life, age and obesity made it worse so I started injections. I am now on 1/8th th dosage I started out at since losing 170 pounds, just because of weight loss and exercising.

Ouch! Sounds painful <pucker>!!

Yes, the trouble is that they are all only 1 gram per pill, so if you want 20 grams you need to scarf down 20 pills - very expensive. The protein shots are cheaper although some maintain that they are the wrong types of protein and are not readily adsorbed. They are better than nothing and until you can get enough protein in through your diet they are better than nothing..

Yep, count me as a gonner to I'd be 100 years anyway.

YES it goes away. However even at 1 year 4+ months out if I eat too much I will get minor bouts of it, nothing like at first but still enough to gross you out. It teaches you to be very careful with the amount you eat and to STOP when you're full. Unfortunately some of us are stubborn and have to go through episodes of this to learn again to STOP.

Yep, you can do it yourself. All it takes is constant diligence, self control and will power. Oh, wait, it's the LACK of just those things that got us in this mess in the first place. I found that not only did I lack the self control but that things conspired against me. The are THOUSANDS of restaurants out there all serving larger and larger portions seemingly getting larger every year. food is cheap and abundant and high calorie, high carbs is the main ticket. Maybe you CAN do it yourself, ME, I couldn't. I needed HELP, and that came in the form of a weight loss surgery called a VSG. It's just a tool, not a cure all. After the forced restriction due to swelling of the remaining stomach wore off I STILL have to watch what I eat and make smart decisions. Luckily the FULL restriction lasted only 6 moths or so. By then I learned to eat right and lost a LOT of weight. I no longer face that grueling hunger I used to have, no longer crave everything under the sun and get full really fast - something I just NEVER used to get - FULL. So yes it is possible but hard. WLS is NOT the easy way out but it IS a viable way out. One that worked for me and thousands of others.

I need some advice. I don't know if I'm imagining things or not. Sorry this is so long. I've been having a weird problem leading back some time. I just went to the doctor (my PCP) and had stellar reports. Part of the follow up was to schedule a colonoscopy. The doctors office did the referral call and within a few days I got a call telling me to expect a packet in the mail with the schedule and other information in it I would need. Well I got it yesterday and my colonoscopy is scheduled for 1/4/2013 - 8 FREAKIN' MONTHS OUT! I could see a month or two, maybe even 3 - but 8 MONTHS OUT? When I called THE gastroenterologist's office asking about it the woman in charge of scheduling hemmed and hawed and never gave me an answer as to why so long a wait. I directly asked her if ALL patients are asked to wait 8 months and she would NOT answer me. This is not the first referral I have had to wait and wait for either. I had kidney stones a few months back and my PCP recommend I go to a urologist to get to the bottom of this third stone attack. I waited and waited and a MONTH later the urologists office called and asked if I still wanted to see the doctor. I was told it would be a 1 to 2 month wait to get in. This seems a little absurd to me. Since the symptoms went away I just skipped it. A while back I had a bit of cancer removed from my chest skin, it was squamous cell carcinoma. I asked to see an oncologist as this is the cancer that killed my Dad (albeit lung cancer). The referred doctor NEVER called back. Is this just dumb luck? We are in NW Arkansas, believe it or not an area of the country that is prosperous and has remained pretty well off in the recent economic downturn and is literally PACKED full of medical professionals. Two fairly large hospitals are within 10 miles of my house and others just 20 or so miles. I mean, really, 8 months for a colonoscopy? Am I being "targeted"? I can't imagine why. I have great insurance and have always paid all my bills. It makes the 6 month wait some have had for the VSG like a walk in the park. This year I switched to a high deductible insurance with a medical savings plan. is that an issue? I DO have the money for the entire deductible all ready and we are already almost half way through our $4500 deductible.. My PCP DID have some legal problems with the largest medical group in the area, he ended up being sued and counter suing them and WON. Would they be low enough to put his patients at the BOTTOM of a "list" - or is it the TOP of a sh*t list? Who can help me figure this out? The PCP's office just sort of brushed me off. I wonder if the doctor actually knows this is going on. Short of setting up another appointment to speak to him what else can I do? Am I just impatient or do you all think something else is going on?

Lets be honest here, complications CAN and DO occur for SOME, that is a very MINOR few people who have the VSG. EVERY surgical procedure carries SOME risk. Nearly everyone on the planet "knows someone" who "knows someone" that went in for like, say, something simple like a tooth extraction and ended up dead. My own brother nearly died because of complications due to his bunion surgery - the SAME surgery both me and my wife had with ZERO complications and wonderful results. My sister had BAD complications after her gastric bypass surgery, yet me and my brother had none. Life itself is a risk, especially life as a morbidly obese person. Let's face it, fat or thin, old or young, in or out of shape - we ALL can drop dead tomorrow. Life is a journey and we all end up at the same place - death. Sorry for being morbid but I just want everyone to know THERE IS RISK. There is a risk of staying obese too, with he heart problems, sugar problems, cholesterol problems and myriad other issues. it is however one thing we CAN control. But that control comes at a hard, hard cost, as anyone who has tried dieting alone to lose weight can attest - VERY HARD. So why not stack the deck so to speak? Why not take advantage of the odds and use a tool like the VSG to CHANGE the outcome of the life of obesity? It carries a risk, but so does staying fat. No kidding around here, YOU and YOU ALONE should make the informed, educated decision if WLS is for you. Search, investigate and talk to people about it then make your own decision. I did and it has transformed my life. I am thinner, more fit and FAR FAR healthier than I have EVER been my entire life. I'd do it again in a heartbeat - but am thankful I won't have to