Izuri

You're an inspiration to all of us. Thanks for your post...

I wish so bad that you had an "easy" gastric sleeve too. It is crazy the number of issues that you have had since you had the surgery and through them all you have always maintained your calm and composure. It is okay to be mad - what is happening, it's not right, you have been dealt a number of unlucky cards. But what I see time and again is that you are strong. After that time that you need to mourn your previous life and all of the awful experiences, you will be able to get back up and move forward. And if you need help, or just someone to vent to, I'm here for you. If you wanna just yell and scream, you are welcome to send me the angriest message about it all - just get it out and get it off your chest.
And I'm so sorry about your husband's job. I'm glad to hear though that you at least have a little bit of time to get things situated with the severance pay.
((((((HUG))))) You are in my thoughts and prayers and I cannot wait until things turn around for you.

Hey hang in there, this is a journey. I've been stuck in the 220's forever. This week I finally got tight with my eating and workouts and the weight is coming off again. We will have our good days and bad days. So are you crafty or a baker? You could always bake some nice cookies or muffins and give those as gifts. Party City has some nice festive bags and those little Chinese take out boxes decorated. I'm thinking about doing that for my friends at work. It's the thought that counts. Anyway, if you want to DM me, I can email you this excel spreadsheet I made. I originally kept up with it weekly, but just ended up doing ti the old school way and writing/coloring on a desk calender I have hung by my bed. The spreadsheet has two sheets and two graphs. One is a x/y plot of weight vs. date and the other is a column plot that shows the weight lost for each week.
Happy Holidays

I wish so bad that you had an "easy" gastric sleeve too. It is crazy the number of issues that you have had since you had the surgery and through them all you have always maintained your calm and composure. It is okay to be mad - what is happening, it's not right, you have been dealt a number of unlucky cards. But what I see time and again is that you are strong. After that time that you need to mourn your previous life and all of the awful experiences, you will be able to get back up and move forward. And if you need help, or just someone to vent to, I'm here for you. If you wanna just yell and scream, you are welcome to send me the angriest message about it all - just get it out and get it off your chest.
And I'm so sorry about your husband's job. I'm glad to hear though that you at least have a little bit of time to get things situated with the severance pay.
((((((HUG))))) You are in my thoughts and prayers and I cannot wait until things turn around for you.

I'm sorry this is happening =( It sounds super frustrating.
I can kind of sympathize with your family doctor. While they are your physician, they are not as specialized as your bariatric doctor is with the lapband. Since it's kind of a specialized thing, if I was a provider I would be hesitant to try and diagnose anything related to it. While it's frustrating, if it's lapband related, it's in the realm of a bariatric surgeon, not as much as a primary care physician. Even if they did decide to order tests from your PCP, if they thought it was any lapband related they would end up referring you back to your bariatric doctor.
If you are having nausea 24/7 and it's not getting better, call the bariatric clinic and tell them that you feel like you need to come in for a visit. Let them know you've been nauseous for weeks and it's getting worse. I'm not sure what the conversation went like the first time you called, but stress that you want to come in and see someone. The nurses are trained to do over the phone assessments, so she's not trying to block you, but she is try to make the most out of both your time and her time by saving you an office visit she doesn't seem to think you need. If you think you need tests done - insist on an office visit at your bariatric doctor. At the very least if the zofran isn't working ask them to prescribe you another medication for nausea - there are more than just one of them.
I hope you feel better. It sounds like it's been a crummy two weeks. It's gotta look up soon!

Congratulations on your date, I'm so excited for you. Did you meet him online? I hope to have the self-confidence for a date one day.

You have come a long way baby. Look back at how far you have come. And stepping out of your comfort zone to even go on a date it quite an accomplishment. Keep up the good work and pretty soon your will be wearing single digits.

So I was looking through your posts and you have this great topic posted on the 30th of July that says 4.5 months out - 80 pounds down. That means that you lost over an average of 4 pounds a week! That's incredible. Can you blame your body for needing some time to adjust? =) Stalls are crazy difficult things. I had a 3 week one when I was only 3 weeks out and I thought I was failing at another weight loss journey. Then one day it started moving again, simple as that. I think yours will be the same.
Look through your nutrition records - are you getting in all your protein still? All your water? Are you creeping up on calories?
I think the gastric sleeve is definitely for you. You didn't gain the weight over a six month period - to expect to lose it all that quick is not only not as healthy as losing slower, but you would have tons of loose skin! Do you measure? Are you losing inches in these three weeks? Maybe your skin is tighter than you'd be with RNY. Maybe you're healthier, have less vitamin deficiencies. Three weeks feels like forever, but in the scheme of things, it's really not. You are doing amazing. Don't give up.

I am so sorry for what you're going through, it sounds awful. =( (((((HUGS))))
I'm glad that you have sought medical attention - what your going through really makes it sound like something is very wrong. Did they do a leak test?
If you're still having problems is it possible for them to switch your antibiotic to liquid form? Many antibiotics are available in liquids It's not going to help if you can't even take the medicine, and I know some antibiotics can be like horse pills, very difficult to take. If you still cannot get them down, you should definitely let the doctors know that you are not getting them down, you may have to be readmitted to be given the medications IV. I know that sounds awful, but it will be worth it when your symptoms can finally clear up.
I wish I could help with the depression. I know right now is a very stressful time, and I can't even imagine how hard it is, but you are strong and worth getting through this.
Have you ever considered seeing a therapist? Do you have any family living with you or that are close by that might be able to spend a few days with you right now? You need some support right now to help get through this tough time. There is nothing wrong with needing someone to talk to.
Are you able to sip on meal replacement shakes? I know that boost has quite a bit of sugar, but you might want to ask your NUT if it would be okay to drink for a few days while you recuperate. It's thin and maybe will be easier to get down than protein shakes.
I'm really sorry that you're going through this, and if you need to vent or need a shoulder to lean on, we're here for you.

I think you should start lifting weights. Just get some 5 or 10 pounds dumbells and check out youtube for some ideas on exercises. There are tons of things you can do easily at this point. I lift weights 3 times a week and not only has it helped my weight loss but it's also helped tone up my body better than I expected.
Actually, on second thought, I have a set of dumbells where you can adjust the weight from 5 to 25 pounds. I do shoulder on 5 but can do biceps on 10. So having something adjustable is better than buying a bunch of different weights.

Hang in there! {{hugs}}

Hang in there. I feel your pain. I am almost 2 months out and have had 2 stalls so far this one is by far the longest. I eat like I am supposed to and I walk everyday not just for a stroll I walk 3 miles per day and love it but I never stopped to think that I am gaining muscle which may be keeping the scale where it is. It is hard the first time it happened to me I was heartbroken and seemed like it went on forever but when the scale finally moved it dropped 5 pounds. It has been harder than I thought it was going to be emotionally but I can tell you every day is getting better/easier its becoming my life. It is hard to get on here and read other blogs of people that have amazing stories that are going so well that’s why I think it is important that we all share the good the bad and the ugly. So Thank you for posting this you helped me today! I have stopped getting on the scale every day and every other day and just do it once a week and just focus on giving my body the fuel it needs and that has helped a lot! Keep your head up. J

Totally understand how you feel and I am just past my 2 month post-op and I had a stall the other day but also added weight so depressed; however, I then realized I hadn't gone #2 in eight days! Yikes! So could that be part of your stall regularity?
Also, I have decided to only look at the scale on weekly basics because a lot can change in a few days and it's not so stressful for me.
Best of luck on your walk to healthy life!

You are in the most common stall that there is... the "three week stall" that happens to almost all of us. Go up to the top of the vst page, in the search bar and look up three week stall.
Also, you will go through a "surge" of hormones. I don't remember when nor how long it lasts, just that omg I am so f'n hormonal, I felt like I was crazy. Just know this - it too shall pass.
Change your perspective. Concentrate on your "levels" .. by that I mean protein, how many oz of water you get in, etc. You will have many ups and downs in this journey and through out each trial, you will learn how to best equip yourself for the next hurdle.
You CAN do it! And the weight's going to start zooming off... watch. If I could, I'd bet money on that. And I'm not a betting woman... Hang in there sweetie!
OH and I (for a while) only allowed myself to weigh every Monday morning. Otherwise, it drove me nuts. Now, I don't care what the scale says as much. It varies (for me) up to 5 lbs a day depending on the time of the day. Limit scale time to once a week if you can!

I am looking forward to people treating me better. I am tired of having my weight be the first thing people notice about me. It is sad though that people are affected so much by it, and I will try and remember this when I'm thinner. I don't wanna turn into the same person that has been ignoring me for years because of my weight =p

I thought it was kinda interesting, kinda gross. I couldn't watch the whole thing though because my attention span sucks. It still hasn't registered really that they actually did that to me. It kinda felt like I woke up with a few cuts and a new stomach and had no surgery =p (Even though I know that's not the truth at all! )
All I remember is getting on the surgical table and then waking up in the recovery room - it's rather nice!

Congratulations on your surgery date ! September is just around the corner.
Maybe your guilt is in part that you don't feel like you deserve this? You do though! If you're like me, you've tried the diets, the medical stuff, the shakes and the meals and the so on. And it hasn't worked. If we want to be healthy people, we need to make a change, and being fat is much more risky than having one surgery. Think of the % chance that you'd get diabetes being 100lbs overweight for 20 years. It's probably worlds higher than the 1% risk of leak, etc.
Good luck on the pre-op diet!

I am looking forward to people treating me better. I am tired of having my weight be the first thing people notice about me. It is sad though that people are affected so much by it, and I will try and remember this when I'm thinner. I don't wanna turn into the same person that has been ignoring me for years because of my weight =p

Having time off for two weeks really does give time to think =) It is very insightful about the giving yourself a chance to learn and conquer food addition, I definitely agree that intended or not, that is a great thing for us sleevers to be forced to take a break from the options of food choices. I'm excited for you and it sounds like you're doing awesome =D I hope that things continue to go as well, keep us updated!

I gotta agree with Lissa, you are a great writer =) I definitely enjoyed reading this entry.

I am 11 days preop. thinking about hitting stores tonight. can't seem to get my "list" off my mind. Good luck.

I have found that ya cant count on any one in ya life....even family....just got to take care of business yaself...lol...I have one of my kids coming to sign me out of the hospital as they wont let ya leave by ya self......then I am getting in the car and driving home....I rely on NO ONE EVER.......ya cant really blame them all...they just dont want to help you or anyone...I dont either....cheers...Nanci

Actually, it seems that congratulations are in order. You asked a friend to help, he said 'Yes,' but his behaviour raised red flags so you asked someone else for what you needed. Great self-advocacy, actually. And putting it down to cynicism or pessimism actually dismisses the people skills you have developed. You rock.
It's not about only relying on yourself... that's not always healthy either. It's about recognizing the discrepancy between what someone says and their actions... you always go with the actions. Instead of guilting your (former?) friend into keeping his word (what fun that would have been!) or having a pity party and deciding you're going to "do it myself!" you reached out to someone else. I'm sorry your friend wasn't as reliable as you wish, but you solved the problem in advance. Ta da!
For the nerves, do a little strategic catastrophizing, and then contingency planning. Think about the absolute worst case outcome for the PAT, and then decide what you'll do about it if that outcome happens. Make real plans. "If the PAT finds that I'm not in my right mind and can't competently make this decision, what will I do?" Make a list. Then go on to the next worst case scenario. Do that until you've covered all the possibilities. Then put the list in a safe place and willfully, mindfully, refuse to think about outcomes. You've got it covered. And keep yourself busy. These will be the longest three days of your entire life if you're doing nothing.
Hang in there! You're almost there.
CE

One word, MEN! They were not wired to nurturers! Call on your Aunt since she volunteered. Will be a great opportunity to deepen your relationship!