TheSkinnyCow73

Yep! I am going through the hair loss phase too! (I dont remember losing hair with my band 17 years ago) It started at around 3 months post op and I am at almost 4.5 months now. I too have thick hair and it is a good thing cuz at the rate I am going I would be bald if I didnt! I am currently taking extra strength Biotin along with my multi-vitamin. I am going to look into the zink sulfate. I havent gotten any lab work done since I had the surgery so I am thinking that might be needed too. I will say that hair loss or no hair loss, this surgery has been worth every strand that has fallen out!!! I <3 my sleeve!!!

Pammie, I am right there with you on the slow losing! Just remember that working out with weights kinda changes the way the scale works for you... you may be building muscle while losing inches/fat and that makes the scale do silly things! I am doing the weight workout/exercise routine too so I dont rely on the scale as much as I do my clothes and how they fit and also how my body is shaping. I would still rather see that darn scale move though! At any rate, a loss is a loss and you are doing great! Keep on Rockin' that Sleeve!

I am the same way..... only my waiting periods in between weight loss is about 3-4 weeks. I am losing in stalls.... but still losing! Doesnt help that I weigh first thing EVERY morning... This last 50 that I need to lose are going to be a b***h!

That is awesome to hear Lissa! Congrats!

You look AMAZING!!! YOU ARE MY INSPIRATION IRENE!!!!

I was able to get 6 weeks STD (paid at 60%), with my Docs approval. Didnt matter at all that it was in Mexico and they never questioned me about it either. I was able to use my PTO hours to pay for my insurance benefits so nothing was pulled from our pockets to pay for anything. I would also like to add that my Flexible Spending Account (FSA) credit card worked in Mexico and I didnt have any problems at all getting reimbursed. You should be good to go as long as the doc signs off on all the paperwork!! Congrats and Good Luck!!

I guess I just feel like I am failing my sleeve and it is hitting home after having that stupid band on for so long and gaining weight with it. Sorry if I am on a pity potty right now... I will snap out of it eventually. It just feels like i have been in a constant stall since having the surgery and it scares me. I can eat about 6-8 ounces of Protein in a sitting and that seems like alot. Thank you all for your responses.. I know I will get there, I just didnt want to be one of those that got there slooooowly. And as far as skin bouncing back, my skin stopped bouncing back years ago. Cosmetic surgery is definitely in my future....

Yeah, so I am really, really down and depressed about my slow weight loss (3 months out and bouncing between 18 - 20 lbs lost even though I have lost inches). Soooo, I am calling out to those of you that were slow losers and DID meet your goal weight. How long did it take? Any suggestions? I am a revision patient and I have heard that this can play into the slow weight loss? Any thoughts on this? I just joined 24hr Fitness and will start with a trainer next week... I am hoping this will help too! Thanks...

teambrown4, I am right there with you! I am -20 at about the same time frame and soooo disappointed in my weightloss. I hate the fact that I am a slow loser and being a band revision patient it is really scaring me that I am going to fail at this too!

Mexico! They have awesome docs and financing available too with some money down. www.alighterme.com www.beliteweight.com Good Luck!

Yes, from the original post I found on this board from Tiffykins, it does work and she also used yogurt.... which might be better for those with cottage cheese issues! LOL http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/20941-cottage-cheese-pouch-test/page__hl__%2Bcottage+%2Bcheese+%2Btest__fromsearch__1

You are definitely NOT a slow loser! I am 2.5 months out and have only lost 20 pounds! Keep up the great work!!!

that is exactly what I am going to use when I test my sleevie in the morning. I bought some the other day at Kroger and have yet to try them. I am partial to Kroger's cottage cheese so eating a new kind might be interesting for a morning breakfast!

I changed to Dr. Rodriguez about a month before surgery... only due to Dr. Kelly not having the ability to take my FSA credit card but I am super happy with my choice!

You will LOVE him and the staff! Are you going to TJ or Juarez? My experience is from Star Medica in Juarez and it was amazing! Good Luck!!!

That is very true!!! LOL

LMAO!!!!!!!!!!!! I have never really noticed a smell to tell you the truth! For me it is the consistency that is messed up but I still love it! It makes my husband gag when he watches me eat it so that is a little fun for me too! ha!ha! Add some sugar, or blueberries, or blackberries or just salt and peper and it is tolerable.... LOL

I found this very interesting and even though I am less than 3 months out with my sleeve, I am going to try this when I get home! I have always felt like I have a bigger sleeve than most since I have no real issues eating anything and havent from the moment I could eat ice chips in the hospital. A4 The Cottage cheese Test So, how do you measure up? Are you accomplishing the feeling of satiety at each meal? Do you know how big your stomach pouch is? Would you like to? Nearly every patient is curious to know just exactly how big their stomach pouch is. The following technique is used by bariatric surgeons and patients to determine the functional size of a patient's stomach pouch. The idea for this technique began with Dr. E. E. Mason, at one of the Iowa Bariatric Symposia in the early 1980's, who suggested that it might be useful to ask patients to eat cottage cheese, in a structured manner, to attempt to determine their functional meal volume at different times postoperatively. Dr. Laytham Flanangan (website: Breakfast on that day. Eat fairly quickly until you feel full (less than five minutes). Note that the small soft curds do not require much chewing. You are eating rapidly so you will fill the pouch before there is time for any food to flow out of it. After eating your "fill" of cottage cheese, you will be left with a partially eaten container that has an empty space where cottage cheese used to be. Measure the volume of cottage cheese you have eaten by filling a two cup (16 fl.oz.) measuring cup with Water. Pour water into the container of cottage cheese until the water level rises to the original top level of the cottage cheese. The amount of water poured into the container is the functional size of your pouch. Dr. Flanagan's research indicates that the average volume of the mature stomach pouch, measured by this method, is 5.5 ounces (163 ml). Additionally, he reached the conclusion that, "sizes ranging up to 9 ounces have NO IMPACT on the person's success in weight loss". This means that unless your pouch holds a greater volume than 9 ounces (267 ml), the exact size of your pouch is not a critical factor in whether or not you can lose excess weight and then manage your weight as time progresses.

Here is a great link that explains the bougie......... http://www.obesityhelp.com/member/carmelita/blog/2011/03/31/-2/

You are doing great! Wow! We are about the same weight at surgery but I have only lost about 20. You are still on pureed foods this far out? I can eat anything I want only in smaller portions with no problem and am getting in about 700 calories a day. Maybe I need to rethink my diet and go back to pureed foods? Are you exercising? That is something that I am in the process of working into my daily routine now. Keep Rockin' that Sleeve!!!!

I am about 10 weeks out now and can eat just about anything I want in the 5-8oz range. I have never really had problems eating anything from the very first day either. I can eat 2 hard boiled eggs (chewed very good) in about 30 minutes. I made some chicken (fully cooked, frozen in a bag) with some cheese the other night and was able to eat about a cup of it and had about a half cup left over for lunch. I agree, the more you chew, the more you can eat on some things. I am a fast eater and have to watch myself alot. I cannot tolerate sweets with my sleeve and I absolutely have to wait 30 minutes before drinking after eating with my sleeve or I find that it comes right back up. This could be due to me having a pouch from the 17yr old band that was there. I love my little sleeve. It might seem like you are eating too much but really, if you track your intake/calories in MyFitnessPal, you will see how little you are still eating. I have also found that I am a sloooooow loser on the scale but I am dropping inches like crazy. If you think you are eating too much, get you a little bowl that is 4-6 oz and measure your food that way. That will really help you put into perspective how much you arent really eating! (Considering I used to eat a 10pc chicken mcnugget, large fries and large coke from McDonalds like my husband does!) Just remember to Keep Rockin' Your Sleeve!!!!

Congrats! Congrats! Congrats!!! Keep Rockin' that Sleeve!!!!

this is great to hear! I am now 4 days late and am usually right on time each month! Whew! Not going to waste any money on a pregnancy test just yet! Thanks for posting this too!

The sleeve IS everything the band was supposed to be and then some! The only time I have puked (and it has gotten better as I have gotten further along with my sleeve) is when I MAKE THE CONSCIOUS CHOICE TO TAKE THAT ONE LAST BITE THAT I KNOW DAMN GOOD AND WELL THAT I SHOULDNT! My husband can even tell when i am full now! LOL We dont have to sit next to bathrooms anymore when we go out to eat either! I love my sleevie! The band should be banned from being a WLS if you ask me! Keep Rockin' that sleeve!!!

I can promise you, along with others on the boards, that you wont be disappointed with Dr. Rodriguez or the Star Medica Hospital! Good luck with your journey!!! It is sooo worth every penny no matter who you go with!!!!