Chicadee

Not much news to report. They are happy with my progress. Even though it seems like I haven't lost anything in the last week or so I did lose 8lbs since the last time I was weighed at the doctors office. They reinforced eating protein first and not to bother counting calories just making sure I get my protein and liquids in. Also, that I am getting some exercise every day.

Wow you look great. Congrats on your success!!

Wising you the best. Congrats on your new date!

Hi Kerry, Today is my 1 month surgiversary and I haven't lost anything notable in the last two weeks. It is very frustrating. I am going today for my 1 month follow up visit so I will see what they say but I am trying to remain positive that this is just the "3 week stall" situation and I will start losing again soon. Hang in there.

Good Morning, I woke up this morning and found I am 50 lbs down from my highest weight ever (23lbs since surgery) and I am at my 4th of July goal already, guess I should have been more ambitious with it. 50 lbs never to be seen again, I lost the equivalent of one of my dogs basically. I still have a long way to go. This small amount from the total I need to lose has made such a big difference in my life already. My feet don't hurt as much, my clothes are fitting better(can't quite go down in sizes yet) just an overall better feeling. And, my treadmill should arrive in 2 weeks. Despite some frustrations with the pace and portions I am now eating, it's a big adjustment, I am so glad I finally had this done.

Thanks everyone. Now to look forward to my next goal, getting out of the 300s forever!!

I am taking the Bariatric advantage crystals. You mix it with 8oz of water and it has a berry flavor. It's a little gritty but I have been able to tolerate them just fine. I know others who take Adult gummy vitamins but I am not sure of the brands.

My doctor didn't really specify how long. I took 2 weeks off from work and I am glad I did. Even though I was feeling pretty good during the second week, I couldn't sit for long periods, I needed to get up and move around plus I felt weak and would get tired extremely easy. I do have a desk job but being in meetings and on conference calls all day can be exhausting and the third week where I was back at work I had to take the Wednesday off cause I was just not feeling great. Everything has been good for me since then. It is definitely worth it to take as much time as you can and go back when you feel comfortable.

I had to sign a paper that the hospital was not responsible for any valuables I brought in. There was no way for me to secure anything I had. I had my blackberry and a kindle and when my husband came to visit he brought the laptop. I am sure it would have been fine to leave it with me but I didn't want to take the chance. Doesn't hurt to ask, perhaps there is something they can do for you in that situation.

The fact that you are losing is all that is important. It isn't a race and congrats on what you have done so far. It will come in time.

Ok so I hit my goal today already. Had no clue it would happen this quickly SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Chicadee..........370..................340............340............0 So since there is a whole month or so left, I will try for another 20 lbs. SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Chicadee..........340..................340............320............20

When i told my PCP that I was going to have surgery she automatically lowered my dose. I had my number done just before surgery and they were borderline but she felt that with losing weight I shouldn't take as high a dose so she brought it down. I am currently in my week 3 stall I am guessing cause my weight hasn't changed at all this week. Will see how it goes, hoping my thyroid doesn't slow things down too much.

I get the depo shot and would be interested to hear about why not to get it. Just like kspaho2011 when I first started depo years ago I gained 80 pounds in 2 years ( i also had an undiagnosed thyroid issue at the time). I love not getting a period ever.

1. Fit comfortably in any car and to drive my husbands mini cooper 2. go on a plane again and fit 3. fit in movie seats 3. roller coasters!!!! 4. dancing 5. horseback riding 6. cartwheel and a backbend 7. ride a bicycle 8 wear something other then sneakers every day 9 have clothes that I actually like rather than things I hate but wear cause they fit 10 being with my husband again 11 cross my legs 12 paint my toes without having to be a contortionist (includes tying shoes and putting on socks) 13 CPAP gone forever 14 for my kids to know the thin me, they have never seen me thin

EDIT: meant to say May 3rd not the 2nd lol I arrived at the hospital at 7:30 am and was promptly dressed in a gown. I was placed in a holding area where I was weighed (lost 5 more lbs) and received two shots of heparin in my belly. My surgery was scheduled for 9:45. A nurse came in to start my IV and since I haven't had any liquids to drink my normally absent veins were even more so. It took a local anesthetic, 2 nurses and 2 anesthesiologists to stick me 7 times to get a vein. by the time that was finished it was 9:30. My husband kissed me and went to the waiting room and an OR nurse came in. I actually went to high school with her so she offered to take herself off the team if I was uncomfortable, but I said it was fine, I didn't mind. Was nice of her to ask i'm sure she probably has to when she runs into someone she knows. I walked to the operating room and climbed up on the table and don't remember a whole after that. I woke up in the PACU very groggy and surprisingly enough I didn't shout at people, when I was a kid and had my tonsils out, i started yelling at the nurses when I woke up. They kept telling me to take deep breaths. I already had the compression boots on. I think it was like 11:30. I was told everything went well. I kept dozing in and out for awhile and my husband was allowed in to see me, He made some phone calls while I was half awake to let some family know how I was doing. I didn't feel too much of anything all. When i finally got to my room, I was feeling a bit of discomfort probably a 6 on the scale of 1 to 10. I was sipping in between dozing off. I was given liquid percocet and i wretched really hard twice after drinking it but kept it down. I tried some orange Jello and almost lost that but kept it down. Getting in and out of bed was horrible, lots of pressure on my belly. I am really large to begin with so that probably made it more difficult. I walked laps a couple times before I settled in for the night. People kept coming in throughout the night for a variety of reasons. Vitals, a pill to take, IV swap, etc. I did get some sleep and woke up at 5:30. I had my leak test at 8am, I was able to watch it on the monitor. There were no leaks but the contrast stayed in my esophagus for awhile it was 30cc and I felt a lump in my chest and I could see and feel when it moved, they made sure it eventually passed to my intestines and let me go back upstairs. The liquid isn't flowing well from my esophagus to my stomach but they think it will get better when the swelling goes down. They also said I could request a copy of the pictures, they could save them on a DVD for me. Got back to my room by 10am this morning, the catheter was removed and my second IV site was removed. Doing a couple laps every hour or so. I gave myself my first Lovenox shot, which I will continue for the next week I believe at home, you don't even feel it. I did not have a drain, I have 6 incisions and I have no gas pain whatsoever. I know everyone says they feel it most in their shoulders but I haven't felt anything yet. Hopefully I avoided that issue. I am still quite sore but feeling better than yesterday for sure, trying to sip this isopuke mixed with Water and logging my intake. Every sip feels like a know in my chest at the moment for some reason. I will probably be discharged tomorrow. I can't wait for this swelling to go down and the liquids go down a bit more easily. Will post more from home, let me know if you have any questions. I am Sleeved!! Heather

Just wanted to update that I felt better yesterday afternoon and feel great once again today. The issue I was having finally passed. It felt so good today to be able to eat without any pressure. On a side note, I eat lunch with 3 other women at work. 1 I told about the surgery and the other 2 I did not. I went to lunch with a cream chicken soup at hand today and this is the first time I have seen one of them since my 2 week "vacation". She said welcome back was happy to see me and said I looked good, didn't think anything of it....so as lunch is progressing she asked me if there was anything I couldn't eat.......and I was like . I then figured out she knew as well as the other lady at the table and of course the one who told them was sitting right across from me. I carried on and then basically told them everything about it as if it was no big deal but I am really disappointed, not mad, at the person for telling them.....She is the first person I shared that information with and thought I could trust. I don't think I am even going to say anything to her about it, she knew the second I looked at her. The two ladies were genuinely happy for me and said they could see it in my face and were really interested to hear about it since they had never heard of the sleeve. Just feeling a little slighted by the one who told.

My surgeon was Dr Timothy Ehrlich from Ehrlich Bariatrics in Trumbull, CT. Surgery was performed at Griffin Hospital in Derby, CT. His staff have been great, the hospital was great and I feel really good being 16 days out. I would definitely recommend him to anyone here in the CT area.

I can say that I just called my doctors office about this today. I am 2 weeks out today and I feel a constant pressure, full feeling (bloated) and while I am still eating and drinking I occasionally have some pain with it going down. Deep breaths hurt today almost like I pulled a muscle. My doctors office told me that as long as I am not vomiting and do not have black stool to hang in there and she will contact me on Thursday to see how I am doing. I would suggest giving the doctors office a call just to let them know and see what they tell you.

The shots are a blood thinner, have 2 more days of them. I don't believe the issue that I am currently having is lactose related. I have been drinking milk and eating cream Soups for a week now, this is the first time I have felt like this. I am still feeling pressure this morning and deep breaths still don't feel great. Gonna see how the day goes.

So today was not a great day. I went back to work, but felt pressure in my stomach all day like I was full constantly. I don't want to get into too much TMI but I did go to the bathroom, not much, twice today but I feel like I am backed up. I took gasx and a dose of miralax with little result. Feeling a bit shaky, not like a low blood sugar shaky just not well. Deep breaths feel sore today. I have no fever, no nausea, vomiting anything of the sort. If I am still feeling like this tomorrow I am going to call the doctors office. Any ideas? Today I had a 8oz Protein shake before work, then a 6oz stonyfield yogurt at like 9am. Water and my Multivitamin until lunch, at 12:30 had 2oz of puree chicken salad. water until I got home and about 7:30 had a small bit of cream of mushroom Soup. then more water. I have been feeling this pressure all day.

Congrats on the smaller size!! I hope I lose some up top otherwise I am going to look funny, I am wearing a 54I...i can't wait to get smaller bras.

My husband always makes jokes about whenever we go anywhere because he would have his wedding ring on and I never wore mine. He would say we weren't really married laughing. For about the last year it has been too tight. Even though I was just sleeved last week I am guessing the weight I have lost so far did enough because I can put my wedding band back on. YAY!!

I am contemplating purchasing a treadmill now as well. The Bowflex catalog store has one I can currently use rated for 350 lbs it is the Nautilus T514, and that one is 1199. There is one that is rated for 300lbs and I believe it is currently 999, it is the Schwinn 840 model. it is definitely a challenge to find these things at a decent price. Trying to convince my husband to let me finance it with Boxflex. Right now they have free shipping with a promo code and I believe there is no interest for 18 months or something to that effect.

I have bruising all across my belly but they are pale in color not as dense as the ones seen in the pictures here. I have been giving myself the lovenox shots since I left the hospital, only 4 more to go. I still have all the bruises, although somewhat faded, from being their pin cushion when they couldn't get an IV line into me up and down my arms.

I haven't had any problems with being pale, i have actually had a lot of color. I would think that TOM could contribute to it though. I am not doctor however. My biggest and most painful incision is also on the right. I had 6 incisions 4 that were like half inch each and another about an inch then the bigger one which was 1.5 inches at most. Last night was the first night I have been able to comfortably roll over in bed, there was a lot of pulling at that location internally. I still can't lay on my stomach. Sounds normal to me but I might just check in with the doctor's office about how you have been feeling just in case.