Foxbins

It's bigger than a golf ball--I can't remember if it was here or on OH someone posted a picture of their removed stomach. It looked to me to be about the size of your two fists held side-by side...maybe a little longer.

I told no one. I went to Mexico alone and left a letter in my house for the authorities to find if I died there and threw it away when I got home. It has been seven months since surgery and I doubt that I will ever tell. It's no one's business but mine.

My surgery was January 13, 2011. No relapse so far! I feel great!

Yup. Diagnosed at 28, I'm 56 now. I have relapsing-remitting type. Surgery and weight loss didn't seem to affect any symptoms.

Full liquids are also cream-based soups, yogurt, and sugar-free pudding. Try adding some Greek yogurt to cream of tomato or potato for some extra protein, or order some unflavored Unjury to add to mushies when you get to that stage. Just do the best you can, it took me a couple of weeks to meet my surgeon's protein and water goals.

You are still swollen and healing. Give it time. I could not get in all the fluid and protein I was supposed to for a couple of weeks, but I got in enough that I didn't have to go to the ER with dehydration. Sip, burp, sip, burp. Keep walking. Try Gas-X strips. It will get better each day.

We both have 17 lbs to go and you started after I did! Let's get to goal together--if you are having a bad day, let me know and vice versa. For now, get rid of the sweets in the house (you know they are a temptation) and dig out the protein shake and the deli meat. We are so close!

Six months ago, I started a topic called "Sip, burp, sip, burp" with exactly this problem. My burping went away after about 4 weeks.

Yes. "Clear" means you can see through it, like tea, not opaque, like milk.

Clear Isopure is, not the shake type.

I'd get a sleeve if I were you. I have read about stomach necrosis, herniated stomachs, and not enough restriction with the plication. At the present time, plication surgery is where the sleeve was six or seven years ago--experimental.

Miralax helped me. Worked the morning after. No fissures, thankfully. And drinking lots of water, at least 64 oz, more if you can.

There are timing rules about eating and drinking. What works for me is to stop drinking about 5 minutes before a meal, eat, and wait 30-45 minutes after to start drinking again. It's true that liquids go right through your stomach (we don't have a pouch) but you want the food to fill you up and not get washed down by liquids; plus, if you have eaten something like bread and drink on top of it, it feels like it swells up in your stomach and hurts. I asked my NUT about the drinking rules and she said because we no longer have a quart-sized "reservoir" to hold liquids, and because food intake is lower (and there's a fair amount of Water in most food) we need to be especially careful about dehydration. I can take normal-sized swallows now, but I can't chug quickly the way I used to. If I just start drinking water after Breakfast and keep a bottle with me if I leave the house, I will have gotten in about 64 oz. by the end of the day.

January--17 lbs February--8 lbs March--9 lbs April--8.5 lbs May--4 lbs June--9 lbs July--6 lbs August--1.5 lbs so far

Go to the doctor--they will paint on podophyllin, you leave it on a few hours, rinse it off, and the warts will be gone in a few weeks. Sometimes it takes more than one application. I wouldn't trust anything over the counter to treat them--that's delicate mucosa and you don't want to do anything to hurt it. Also, if you got them from a steady partner, they need to be treated as well.

I counted from my weight the day before surgery. I went to Mexico and was there five days so I didn't weigh myself until day five post-op. By then, I think most of the IV liquids had gone, I was down 6.5 lbs. Water fluctuations are always going to occur and don't count in my mind as "weight" when I can pee them off.

I have always been buoyant, even when I was thinner. When I took scuba classes, they put on all the gear and then you are supposed to sit on the bottom of the pool and breathe through your regulator. I had to have someone press down on my head or I would float up....So today I was in the pool treading Water in the deep end and I decided since I am thinner to see if I would sink. Nope. With my lungs full I come up out of the water to my collarbones--empty I sink to my nose. This is good, I suppose, if ever I am in danger of drowning since all I have to do is just keep breathing and float, but I would rather have more muscle on me and less fat. My Bodpod measurement had me at 42% fat (!) and I want to get to about 25%. I am in good cardio shape but the weight room needs to see me more frequently!

I have seen several reports of complications with the plication. This troubles me because it is a new procedure and not many people are having it done, so reading about herniated stomachs and other problems in a small set of patients leads me to think that it's not the safest procedure yet. Also, several patients have reported little to no restriction with the plication and are researching revision surgery. I am so glad I had a sleeve--I did not need that huge stomach and I'm glad it's gone.

I felt fine but tired. I could do all of my normal activities but by the end of the day I was ready for bed. Fell asleep instantly each night and woke up feeling better each day. Back to "normal" by about week 5 when I started eating real food.

63 lbs and still going strong at 6 months out--75% of my excess weight. Don't go by pounds, heavier people will lose more than lighter people, but the percentage of weight lost will be equivalent between light and heavy. For example, if someone has 100 pounds to lose and loses 25, they have lost 25% of their excess weight, but if someone has 200 pounds to lose, 25% of their excess weight would be 50 lbs.

A ten-pound gain in a week? What are you eating? Are you pre-menstrual? Taking some kind of new medication? It sounds like your body is holding onto water if you have gained 10 lbs in a week.

I take 2 tbsp. Reviva liquid calcium citrate that I bought at costco (35 calories, 10 gms carb total) or 7 Citracal Petites, which have no carbs and no calories. It depends on how my sleeve feels about swallowing pills that day--sometimes no problem, sometimes no way. My multi-Vitamin has 5 calories and no carbs and neither do my other supplements. I try to stay under 30 carbs a day and I just couldn't with the Calcet bites. All the fiber supplements I looked at had carbs so I use Miralax if I need a little help.

I figure if I'm eating them, my body's going to use them so I count them. That's why I gave up the Calcet chewy bites and use Reviva liquid--I'm saving 20 gms of carbs a day.

$8750 for me as well in Jan 2011; plus about $150 for my RT flight (I am in California) and $15 for last meal and margarita. I tipped Ernesto $20. The restaurant meal can be put on a credit card and the pharmacies take credit cards as well if you want to buy your Nexxium there. I didn't, I have a good drug benefit with my insurance. I already had a passport.

I do a lot of hiking and I have a Camelbak. It holds 72 oz. and aside from the weight of the water is very light. I have worn it to amusement parks, national parks, and long walks around my house, and at the gym. It really works. Hope you are feeling better today.