tinfoil_heroine

Hey all! I'm a year out, and almost at goal. I've got about that much skin left, and its a mess/preventing me from working out & really hurting my back & hips to carry it around so I'm in for a consult with the bariatric plastic guy in a few weeks. Truth is, I'm scared to death that it will be so painful and I'll be laid up forever. I'm usually not a huge baby, but for some reason...can anyone tell me I'm crazy or correct?

Oh yeah...I haven't left the house without Spanx on since right after surgery. I'm sure that it's helped a LOT in terms of the overall loose skin problem. I have a friend who had an RNY and refused to wear any sort of compression and she has MUCH worse of a problem than I do, and we had about the same to lose, I think. I'm near goal at the moment and my doctor said to go ahead ,so I'm going to see what the surgeon says...but I'm just being a pain baby at the moment...

Hi, all...this question is actually for a friend of mine. She's just had her gallbladder removed, and is having a lot of the same issues I had when I was first sleeved (I'm over a year out, and pretty much back to 'normal', and know my own limits as to what makes me uncomfy, etc. I know sometimes sleevers have their GB out at the same time...do any of you all have issues like this, and any advice for her, such as which foods are really super to be avoided after GB removal??

She says that anything with any grease is causing stomach upset, dairy products, especially cheese. Her best bet is apparently Asian cuisine (which is weird for me cause that's my worst). She said that she was throwing up a lot after eating something overly greasy last night...

Hi, all! It's been a while since I've been on here (crazy holiday season!), but now that I am settling back into things, I was wondering about support groups. I was sleeved at Howard, and they have a support group, but I always feel like I'm missing something. I'm 36 and single, and I think I've got some different issues than most of the other ladies in the group. Mostly they have issues with husbands and children, different menus, etc. Meanwhile, I'm trying to balance happy hours, late work schedules, the temptation of midnight halfsmokes after dancing, etc. It's hard to be a single sleever! Anyways, are there any other people out there who are having similar problems and know of a more single/young(er) person friendly support group? Or alternately, do you want to start one with me? -Beth

PS: does anyone in this group want to hang out at some point? I mean, I love going to dinner, happy hour and stuff with my friends, but then I order too much food, eat too fast, and look like a freakshow when I feel sick. Although, I can still enjoy my cocktails. So there.

Hiya! Sorry I'm so late, but yes, I love Dr. Tran, and I've been to two support groups at HUH. If you haven't, definitely come to the one in October. Dr. Tapscott and Alfreda are having a behavioral psychologist come and talk to us about dealing with the holidays, and since this is my first set after being sleeved, I REALLY am kind of freaking out, because my fam is still freaked out about my sleeve.

where ARE you, iggychic?!

Oh I do. And then I use the 'Oops, bariatric patient, scuse me!' excuse. Whatever, man. It's coming out one way or the other, and the alternative is a gambler when you're unsure of your next poop date.

Thanks!! I checked it out, and I think I'm gonna invest in some Under Armor compression goodies...

Hiya! I was afflicted with front-fat before sleeving, and let's just say I am going to be a great candidate for reconstruction when the time comes. I live for the Spanx high waisted panty for everyday life to hold me all together, but I play rugby and am a weight lifter. I've got a few 5ks coming up, and my trainer sessions have gotten uncomfortable with all that in the way. Does anyone know of a similar product, like a girdle, band, etc for exercise?

I'm almost 3 months out...I can eat everything (well, bread and raw veggies and a few other things give me massive gas, so I don't eat them). I feel okay. I just really miss my alone time, evidently. Hee!

Hi all! I find myself snacking a lot, so I'm sure that I am not getting enough Protein. That, and myfitnesspal tells me I'm not. I'm trying so hard, but I cannot stand the taste/smell of the whey anymore. I've tried the GNC soy powder and it's really gritty. Has anyone tried egg white powder, or know of anything that doesn't have a taste/grit? I'm using liquid egg whites now (the pasteurized ones), but there isn't enough protein in them, really. Help!

Not. Pooping. They never told me I would poop like once every two weeks. This is a real bummer. I make some good decisions in there.

I'm having an issue...it seems I am never full. I snack all day on stuff. cheese, trail mix, dill pickles, even bad things like crackers and the odd cookie. I have a shake in the morning (had to switch to soy Protein because the whey was nauseating me), and i eat mostly tuna and chicken salads, baked fish, eggs, and other Proteins, almost no bread for meals, very few sweets other than something like fruit or maybe an ice cream. except. unless it's too late, or when i'm in a restaurant with friends. then i get the fear, and start sneezing, stuffy nose, the whole nine. i know i'm going to be sick, and i am. i'm a little over 2 months out (i know it's not long), but i am so afraid of a) busting staples because i've gotten sick, or stretching my pouch! what am i doing wrong? i'm trying to be slow?

CAsleeve, thanks...I will try that starting tomorrow, and see how that works for me!

mrscastillo, when I'm at home, I only eat 3 oz. of things like fish, and it takes me about an hour to do it. It's when I leave the house that I have issues, it seems. Those were my instructions from my surgeon. I've lost 53 lbs so far...

Does anyone find dating weird? One, dates ALWAYS involve food. Two, men always want women to eat their weight on dates or else they have an eating disorder or something. Three, I don't really want to tell people I just met that I had surgery because it's really none of their business, and frankly, people ALWAYS seem to think it's something I want their opinion on. Which it isn't. What I really need is a sleeved guy, and then we can share food. And war stories. HEY SLEEVED GUYS! SINGLE GIRL HERE. No, seriously. Does anyone feel weird, or is it just me?

O.T.R. are you saying that I shouldn't wear it on dates? There goes my icebreaker. I just really wanted to highlight my eyes. Kidding. I got it at work. Anyways, iegal, you're right. I know there are other things to do (I think) besides eat and consume booze. I'm just new to this. What is this 'sober dating' that you speak of?

Sorry, but I just had to vent tonight. I'm sick of feeling like a patient still. I am a month out, as of yesterday. (I know that's technically still early, but it seems like forever). I have a persistent sharp pain in my lower belly, starting from my bellybutton stitch and going upward and right to about midbelly. When I asked my surgeon about it, he said it just had to heal, and that the cuts in the abdominal area are deep, and since that's the muscle I use to stand, move, etc...it will take a long time, and a scan really won't reveal much. I just have to wait it out. It sucks. I'm tired of eating pureed food. I'm supposed to be eating it for another week. I don't want to eat soft food either. I want to eat some actual food. I got stuck at a restaurant with a friend tonight where there was NOTHING on the menu I could eat, so I ordered a cheese quesadilla and scraped out the middle. I still can't grasp 'eating in public', because normal people shove food in their face at an alarming rate, and I need to take my time. So I ate it too fast and felt ill. So I felt bad and went to Target and bought a bunch of soft stuff to eat. RAAAAAARGH. Frustrated.

Yeah, I try not to eat out at all, but we were on a long drive and people wanted to stop. I didn't bring anything with me cause I didn't think I'd be out that late. You're right, it won't seem like that long, and my insurance approval period was 3 months, but it's just...ugh.

Whenever my dog sits on me and it happens, his ears prick up. It's hilarious.

MinaT, I am pretty proud of myself, but I know I couldn't do it without my sleeve. I'm still naming it.

I had that moment when I had to go poop in a furniture store the other day. But then today I was late to work because I couldn't find any pants that were small enough. And I am so happy. You will love your sleeve. I want to name mine and hug it.

Thanks, Cheri! Could you give me a recommendation of a protein shake mix that's not whey-based, and not gross? I'm not making my protein mark, and need to find a good shake. I'm testing the waters with dairy to see if it was the fat content of my dairy (I had 2% milk and whole cottage cheese), to see if that helps, but I don't really want to use Imodium...I always had bad gas pains with that. Lactaid I may try...I really hope I'm not lactose intolerant though. This is definitely a lot of change...