Rootman

I am not sure but it was at least 2 or 3 months out. I used to slug a can of soda in 5 minutes, the first couple post-op took me an hour to down, now it takes me 20 -30 minutes and I actually ENJOY it more because I stop and actually taste it rather then let it slide down the hatch.

Been drinking 2 or 3 cans a week for months and have still managed to lose 160 pounds. IMHO, they cause no issues at all, all the talk about bubbles stretching the sleeve are just nonsense. Now, the other excuse of triggering sweet cravings MIGHT be valid. If you can handle it and don't suddenly want to pig out on sweets than go for it - IN MODERATION. Most colas / sodas are pretty acidic and may cause some tummy upset although I drink a bit of diet Canada Dry Ginger Ale and it settles my stomach pretty well, MOM used to give it to us when we had upset tummies as kids. And again IANAD.

Your old belt now goes 1 1/2 times around your waist.

Mine started to come off in 10 days or so. It largly depends on how much you perspire and how oily your skin is.

Right now you should be fine without ANY Vitamins, especially if you started taking them pre-op, you've got enough stored away or can do without for a month or better. I'd stay off them till tummy feels more co-operative, you just had him sliced and diced up pretty good and he's feeling kinda blue right now, he'll settle down and co-operate pretty soon.

As the previous posters stated YES it's pretty normal. After about 3 months you'll be able to eat more, six and you'll be able to eat a fair amount. You pretty much traumatized you poor little stomach and they cut off more than they left behind, he's feeling kinda blue and your entire metabolism is going haywire trying to cope with the lack of calories. It will heal and you will be able to eat. Again as previously stated, just stay hydrated and good old H2O is the best way to get it. Take the drinks if you want but wa-wa is best.

As of today I'm down to 215 pounds from 375 - 160 pounds lost. When I started out I was asked to select a goal weight and chose 180 pounds, according to the BMI charts right in the middle for a 6' male, the range was between 160 and 190. I am starting to look gaunt, size LARGE shirts are fitting loosely and my size 36 pants are baggy. I can't picture losing another 35 pounds. I have been VERY fortunate up till now and my skin has pretty much snapped back, although I've noticed in the last few weeks I am really starting to sag and pucker all over the place. I just got a new security badge for work and was actually startled by the picture on it, I look thin and frail, my cheek bones are very visible and my eyes seem sunken. I don't look healthy in the pic. So should I stop now or go for goal regardless? Have any of you actually chosen to NOT make goal for the same reason? I know the BMI charts are not always accurate.

The staples are titanium which is an inert metal that is pretty rare to be allergic to, then again so is gold. You may HAVE TO determine if you are allergic to it before proceeding, the staples are permanent and never removed. Perhaps they can do sutures only? You will have to ask. http://www.melisa.org/titanium-allergy.php

Hurray! We are all proud and stand in admiration of you - with just a bit of jealousy and envy!

Honda GL1800 here! Not much riding lately with the gawd awful heat we've had all summer! Looking forward to cooler fall rides. My riding jacket is 3X and I swim in it despite having all the straps pulled as tight as possible. Once I actually grabbed my wifes coat and had BOTH sleeves on before I realized it was her MEDIUM jacket! That was a few months and a few pounds ago too.

Getting "certified" material from your doctor to your insurance company is going to be your only avenue - unless you elect to go the self pay route. Do you have any co-morbidities? High blood pressure? Diabetes or pre-diabetes? I would NOT keep gaining weight just to qualify. And I suggest the following reluctantly - think about self pay. I was lucky in that I have insurance but did not want to go through all the crap they make you go through and wait-wait-wait. A woman where I work inspired by my rapid weigh loss started down the insurance path over 6 months ago, she is STILL getting the run around despite the fact she has JUMPED on everything they have asked her, doctors visits, psych eval, you name it - she did it immediately. Then they "lost" her information and she had to resubmit and get the doctors to resubmit it all over again. It is really a racket. I had the cash, made the contacts and was sleeved in about a month - it would of been sooner but I had to get a renewed passport first. Medical Tourism is not for everyone but it worked for me.

Welcome to the wonderful world of advice! There is a LOT of MIS / DIS and just plain WRONG information being pushed out there - including by doctors. And a LOT simply forget to give out information, and a LOT of patients simply don't read all the advice materials supplied to them either. That's what's great about forums like this, you can typically get the RIGHT info by asking questions. A comment on a remark a few posts up: YES, it can take a few DAYS to build up the effect that PPI's have but not a few weeks. My guess is the occasional poppers who "Take as needed" simply get over their acid condition naturally by the time the pop a pill and they attribute the effects to the capsule. ALSO: a great tip my doc gave me, rely on the old fashioned remedy for upset / acidic stomach that pregnant women have used for hundreds of years - CRACKERS. Yes, the good old saltines, just a few will adsorb the excess acid and get you over an "acid trip" till your next meal. A few a day won't kill your diet and the carbs and calorie are minimal.

No but my resting heart rate has dropped significantly, was typically in the 90's, now it's in the 60's. Are you hydrating enough? Exercising? Perhaps you are just getting better fit cardio wise? What does the doc say?

Yeah, it royally sucks! I'm glad I'll never have to do THAT again! The LAST day was the worst, I was sleeved last December and I didn't want to chance flying in e day of surgery and be late because of weather so I flew in a day early. I sat in a hotel room, stomach churning and rumbling screaming FEED ME - FEED ME! A local pizza chain was bombarding the local stations with commercials, seems like 3 or 4 times an hour the same 5 cheese and 2 bacon pizza ad came on - damn it looked good! I nearly caved and ordered one, but I stuck it out. I wouldn't want my colon to be packed with pizza post-op, had a "hard" enough time as it was.

Yep, same for dogs too! Especially when they insist on sniffing your incision - ouch!

You're still here and posting so I would say no harm no foul. Just give the tummy plenty of time to heal and don't stark eating too much too soon - or you'll regret it - don't ask me how I know.

WooHoo! Good for you girl! I too like the expression. I think I sat it in the dictionary under the definition of "OMG!"

What you didn't throw them out the window or stuff them to the bottom of the hamper? You ain't no kinda' man !

Despite what I've been told one member of the group coming back did NOT have a passport and merely had a copy of their certified state stamped birth certificate, their drivers license and a winning smile. It took maybe 5 minutes extra to pass him but we made it through. Better safe than sorry though.

Great! Reminds me what I used to tell people, "There is at least 2 if not 3 skinny people trapped inside me screaming to get out!".

Woot! What a fox!

WooHoo! Way to go girl! We're all proud of you.

It worked for me, YES it IS a culture shock and they don't have the same "standards" as they have in the USA. I was so sick and tired and going down hill I didn't think that I would survive the winter if I didn't do something right away. Typical approval process is 6 to 9 months for my insurance. I had the money, the vacation and the "want to" to do it so I did. I've lost almost 160 lbs since then. If you are at all worried and fretting over it then by all means DON'T DO IT. Your peace of mind is worth a lot.

This is true for calcium CARBONATE, not necessarily true for calcium citrate. OTC stomach acid relievers like TUMS are calcium carbonate and I can tell you for a fact that they can cause kidney stones and that they are VERY, VERY painful. OP: I think your doc was also not wanting to irritate your tummy with a lot of Vitamin pills during the first few weeks. What he says is true, the vitamin craze is largely fueled by profits and not medical necessity or even common sense. As Tiffy points out a good multi vitamin, some Iron and possibly calcium citrate just make good sense and are CHEAP and good insurance against health issues caused by vitamin deficiency. Once you have symptoms of a disease or problem caused by vitamin deficiency it is usually too late to fix the issue just by resuming vitamin uptake, these issues need to be resolved by invasive, expensive and sometimes painful methods whereas popping a multi vitamin is cheap, easy and PAINLESS. So follow the docs orders for a few weeks or months, at some point a multi, iron and calcium are probably in order given the small amount of natural Vitamins we gain with the small portions we sleevers eat..

Same thing happens when she ages and things start drooping, she gets self conscience. I do my best to ravish her and make sure I love her body no matter what she weighs and no matter how it "hangs". I tell he often how lovely she looks and follow it up with plenty of physical attention. She's just a little dinky thing at 4' 11" so there is no way I'll EVER get close to her 119 lbs. It works for us.