Rootman

AFAIK, most counties and states g USA terms) have a Health Inspection office that can fine a food service place for keeeping foodstuffs beyond the expiry date. I am not saying you should call and report them but perhaps a subtle hint is in order?

You are not alone. When I hit puberty all those years ago, constipation and insomnia have been my constant companions. And YES it sucks. People don't know how good it is to take a simple dump at regular intervals without working at it. I've also found that I need to drink a rediculous amount of Water, like 1 to 1-1/2 GALLONS a day, which keeps me from getting kindey stones AND keeps my bowells gowing. I seem to be cursed with an incredibly efficient large bowell - which normall has the job of readsorbing excess water form the stool to make a semi-solid. It wants to suck ALL the moisture out and leve me high and dry (pun intended).

Gah! I wish the goof that started this thread woudn't of! We ought to kick him off the board!

Most all the creams / solutions are just snake oil. Scarring is casued by the severity of the incision and the way it healed. If it was cut well and sealed well there will be very little scarring - that is if you are genetically predisposed to NOT scar. I tend to scar like crazy and have scars all over from simple littl ecuts I've gotten but my large incision for the HSG closed very nicely and at 13 months out is hard to see. The silicone scar sheets tend to work as they physically flatten the scar and push it in. Some work well if you react to the process well, some may not stick at all which make them useless. All you can do it try.

Remember with virtuall no solids being taken in there aren't much coming out. Monitor the situation and if worst comes to worst an enema may be in order. If there is no pain or bloating then simply live with it till you're back on solids. I personally have to take 1/2 cap of Miralax daily, although I've been battling constipation all my adult life so the situation predates my surgery.

Impressive! I especially like the old belt around 3 of you!

This is a much debated topic and to tell you the truth there is little to nothing you can do if you are destined to have it you will. It mainly depends on your genetics, skin health, age and just plain dumb luck. Bad genes with a tendancy for this will seal your doom as far as loose skin is concerned. So look at mom and grandma for a possible future. If you have "bad", dry skin that you sun burned the hell out of as a kid all the time then that too will make it more difficult to lose and not sag. Age is also a factor, the older you are the more prone you are to it. I lucked out pretty well, I went from 375# down to ~205 and have very little. My doctor was even surprised as he initially said I would more than likely need a tummy tuck afterwards. He said he's seen other men of my age sag more when they have kept their weight right to begin with. I wish you well! Creams, potions and processes help very little. A good moisturizer halps but not a lot.

Yes, this is good advice, you don't want to tear anything loose before it's healed up properly. AGive yourself a few months off and work on walking or swimming.or some other low impact excercise.

told NO ONE besides my wife BEFORE surgery - mainly becasue I was going to Mx and self pay. I did not want to listen to the moaning and "warnings" I would hget from them - and got AFTER I had my surgery and told everyone. Post surgery I tell EVERYONE. If someone asks how I did it or the subject of weight loss comes up. People need to know it works.

Congrats! I know it meant a lot to me when I actually started to HAVE a neck

As others have said, check with your insurance programs requirements, the BMI and co-morbidities are usually required. BUT, if you are successfully losing weight WITHOUT the sleeve why don't you continue to try it instead? YES, the sleeve is da' bomb but it is mainly for those who CNNOT lose weight any other way/ I see sawed my way up to 375 pounds and caold not lose any more than 20 pounds, and then pack 30 more on afterwards. Just an idea.

Saltines are fine and they are relativly low in calories and carbs being that you don't eat man of them. I've been eating them for months now as quick snacks. 4 crackers and some water provide a quick lift especially in the afternoon when I get sleepy.

Had the thyroid levels checked twice as part of my periodic checks and it's still OK. Something else is obviously going on here.

Aww, shucks, we wuv u 2 !

I echo what the others have said - I simply didn't want something as drastic as a bypass and have my guts totally rearranged. The sleeve is simpler and in most cases just as effective. Oh, and not everyone wants to drive a Cadillac, I'd just as soon "drive" something just as nice and costs a lot less.

Not QUITE. What you are allowed to do is to take the amount OVER 7.5% in OUT OF POCKET expenses off your GROSS INCOME - it is NOT a direct tax rebate. That means if 7.5% of your gross income is $10,000 and you spent $15,000 out of pocket you are allowed to take the $5000 off your GROSS income, that is you will not have to pay taxes on the $5000, which typically is at a actualized rate between 10-20%. So you have a tax benefit of $500-1000, not the full $5000.

We all wish you the best and hope for a speedy and full recovery! Take care and keep in touch.

This is just plain NUTS, IMHO there is NOTHING the psych eval does to warrent $350 or more. This is just greed pure and simple. I feel for you and hope you are able to get past this issue and make a positive change in your life. I wish you the best!

Well I can assure you that there ARE real people who have had surgery in MX on this board. I was sleeved 12/6/2010 in MX and am now over a year out, almost 13 months. It's changed my life. I was NOT impressed by the facilities I went to, but not shocked either. The "standards" ARE lower in MX but I will have to say they get away with plenty of stupid BS here in the USA too - I have horror stories about my wifes surgeries that were done in the US. Many people have gone through the facility and had NO major issues, me included, however it's NOT for everyone. I will no longer recommend the site I went to becasue of issues it had while I was NOT there, treatment of patients and an armed robbery at the recovery house. It's not for everyone but can provide a much needed service to those who otherwise cannot afford it. Do your homework, get PERSONAL advice from those who have gone and study it out thouroughly. Please also conside the fact that if you DO have complications you have little to NO legal recourse against the Dr. or facility in MX, their liabilty laws are far different than the US's. I wish you the best my friend!

I'll be blunt, it's probably cheaper than a funeral - which is where you are generally heading when morbidly obese. I was and it's the best thing I've ever donw for myself. I have insurance and paid myself to get it sooner without waiting for the insurance companies games.

Well personally I CANNOT NOT drink in a meal, while I drink a lot LESS fluid than pre-op I still must drink in order to wash my food down. This may be in part due to the fact that I have a Schatzki ring ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schatzki_ring ) that predates my surgery, I have always HAD to drink with a meal. I find that if I control my portions properly I don't need to worry about it and go ahead and drink with my meals. A secondary reason is that I get kidney stones at the drop of a hat and the only way I can keep them at bay is by drinking a LOT of water, one of the times I can sit and consume it at meals so I drink with meals.

AHEM! The name is RootMAN, thank you very much - it's not all chicks in this forum!

YES! This has been a major issue for me too. Even on CUSHIONED seats I find myself shifting back and forth. Went to the theater a few days ago and saw a 2.5 hour movie, I thought I would die!

Restaurant booths are now too BIG and you have to scoot forward to reach the table! Blood pressure cuffs are hard to adjust SMALL enough when the used to barely fit at all. You feel like you are gyping the server at a restaurant when you tip the regular 15%, only now it's on less than HALF the regular bill becasue you are splitting Entrees and skipping deserts.

Well I'll go out on a limb here and say YES, you are over reacting. Some people are just insensitive jerks and usually end up in lower paying service jobs like the restaurant industry. Just brush them off and YOU take control of the situation. You have every right to vent but just let it go after that. Little things like this can eat you alive if you dwell on them and you now have a big challenge ahead of you post op. Concentrate on that. Good luck friend!