CCWriter

Pork rinds. Salty, fried goodness, but too rich for me. Sleeve definitely didn't like them. What I've been doing for a crunchy, savory snack is making kale chips myself. You can find lots of recipes online and control the sodium yourself. It's a great fall vegetable, just fyi, packed with Vitamin C and other goodness. Hope that helps ... Carol

Congratulations Squisha (I love that name btw) ... You're doing great and I bet you feel a whole lot better already. Good luck on your goals! Best, Carol

I appreciate the thoughtful input and maybe I should relent and see a derm myself. I guess I'm just afraid of being given the same bunch of antibiotics that gave me a raging yeast infection last time I tried that for rosacea. I know we'll work all this stuff through and come out on the other side!! Carol

Sorry I missed your thread. I think I was out of town and not seeing the Internet that much. I'm hoping I can clear this up topically, because I've been to a dermatologist before for skin issues (not this bad,) and that's a last-ditch effort -- like declaring war on your skin. And I agree on the antibiotics being tough on the tummy. I've been trying to take LESS drugs, not MORE. So hope I can solve this topically or maybe I'll just grow up -- ha -- and the hormones will lighten up a bit. I was thinking of going and getting my hormones retested ... a few years ago, my sleep apnea was discovered because they found my cortisol (a stress hormone) was through the roof in the morning. I'll let you know how that goes. Carol

I've been having some issues with my sleeve playing bad head games on me. The psychologist at my surgeon's office suggested that I don't go off my daily 30 mg dose of Cymbalta and I'm glad I didn't. I've been stalled for about six weeks now, going back and forth from 207 to 210. The stall is getting SO DISCOURAGING. My highest weight was 273 and I'm feeling a lot better, but I'm still so far away from my goal of 135-140 pounds. I'm about five-and-a-half months out. The NSVs are definitely a tradeoff with the negatives. NSVs (Non-Sleeve Victories) include going off one of two blood pressure meds, going off an anti-inflammatory med, knees and feet feel a lot better. I'm about out of another pair of too-big jeans. My stress incontinence is about over, and my cheekbones are starting to emerge. My husband says my sleep apnea is waning and I'm not snoring nearly so much if I nap or fall asleep without my CPAP. On the negative side, I am definitely grieving food, although I believe you can still eat beautiful, fabulous food prepared well -- just not as much of it and definitely not some things. My face looks like a red-dotted road map with zits and I've been having hair loss, although I think I may be turning the corner on that. The nausea that hits if I eat too quickly is a little disconcerting, but I'm dealing with it. But all in all, I'm glad I did it. I feel much better and have lots more energy. Onward, Carol

I was wondering about that -- surely it's something to do with hormones. I'm using some new products that are made by the same people who make Proactiv and I'm hoping they'll help.

Worst thing is that I have a huge zit on the end of my nose. Now -- this has NEVER happened in my whole life. ON THE END OF MY NOSE!!!!! Heck, I look like Rudolph the Red-Zit Reindeer. Stop laughing!! This is NOT FUNNY!! Carol

Since surgery Dec. 27, it seems like my face has been broken out and no matter what I do, it just keeps getting worse. I turn 59 in a couple of weeks and it's worse than it was when I was 16 -- mostly in my chin and lower cheek area, even on my nose. About a dozen zits at a time. I'm been washing my face more, trying different products but don't want to use anything that will dry my already mostly dry complexion out. I'm figuring that either my hormones have changed since surgery or I'm allergic to something or my body is reacting differently to something. I've also been in a terrible stall for about a month and a half -- going back and forth with about two or three pounds -- but I figure that will get better soon. My hair loss that started at about four months out is finally getting better at five-and-a-half months or so and I'm hoping that my body has adjusted to its weight loss and it will start back up again. Anybody else having this problem with breakouts and how have you dealt with it? Does this get better? All suggestions welcome!! Thanks, Carol

Ummmmm ... I meant daughter, not dinner.

Had my first taste of sweets last night at a congratulatory engagement dinner for my beautiful 25YO dinner. It was only one spoonful of chocolate pot d' creme at Benvenuti's Ristorante in Norman, Okla., a wonderful locally owned Italian restaurant. It was good, but I didn't want another bite -- strange for a person who used to be a chocoholic. I'm four-and-a-half months out and in a stall for several weeks. It's gotten so bad that I'm wondering if I'm just plain old stuck here. Please no. At least the hair loss has slowed in the past week. Sigh. Carol

I'm at the same place. Almost five months out and my weight loss has slowed to a sluggish crawl. It swings back and forth two or three pounds and finally nudged down a pound this morning. But it's crazy slow for how much food I'm NOT eating. I also hit the temporary hair loss thing at four months, and from what I've been reading, your body just kind of shuts down a bit at this time. Patience isn't my best virtue, but I'm working on it. I know by exercising and only eating healthy things, I'll get there eventually. But it always seems to help if I can commiserate with other folks, so thanks for the shoulder. Carol

It was tough the first two or three weeks sleeping on my left side. But my right side was fine just a few days out. Even almost five months out, my left side doesn't hurt, but I now favor my right side. I finally decided I was taking some of my Vitamins (as directed) too late in the day. I moved those up and that's helped. I also take 3 mg of melantonin (sp?) some nights if I'm too worked up to go to sleep and that seems to help. Carol

Peace ... that sounds about what I'm doing, although I'm going to add the Biotin. We were sleeved the same day btw. Seems like my hair loss arrived almost the same time I hit my four-month mark. Still losing it at almost five months, but it seems to be slowing down a bit. And at the same time I hit a slow, slow, slow patch on losing weight, going up and down two or three pounds for several weeks now. It finally seems to be nudging on down there. It also seemed to get more dry and brittle and I've been using Kiehl's on it. Because I'm prematurely silver, I have to be careful about what products I use. So many of them turn it yellowish, but Kiehl's seems to be pretty good. I usually put it up when I'm gardening for a few hours a week -- I just have to when it's in the 90s. I've started doing it a lot looser ponytail though. It helps so much to read everyone else's take on it and what's working for them!! Thanks, Carol

I'm so glad you guys started a new thread on this, because it's SO TIMELY for me. I'm getting close to five months out and if I even touch my hair, many strands fall out and it's constant. When I blow it dry, these humongous amounts of hair come out. The good news is that I had a lot of hair to start with, but I'm figuring that won't help long if this doesn't slow down. I'm losing it like crazy. I'm taking a couple of salmon oil tablets daily and only putting my hair in a ponytail when I work out, which I understand is tough on it. I always make sure I have my oil in every day, which I figure could be important. All suggestions welcome!!! Onward, Carol

Like Lissa, I'm further out on my Dec. 27 sleeve. But I've lost weight in fits and starts. I'll stall for two or three weeks, then bang I'm down two or three or five pounds. But it's been slow ever since about the four week mark. I'll confess I'm in another big time stall and I'm guessing that's just the way it goes. You can't keep eating these few calories and not lose weight. That said, your body couldn't keep up the pace of weight loss it had in the first month. And who would want to? Hope that helps ... Onward, Carol