AJW

Wow, you've lost 35 pounds in 13 days or was some of the loss pre-op? Whichever, keep it up!

Down another 2 pounds since June 7th; I'm getting there, slowly, but am almost at goal.:001_wub:

/ My BMI is 22 and so considered NORMAL weight. Whoo Hoo!

Yes, thank you. The stretches were the FIRST thing I tried, but the result was very temporary. Had I known what the pain was in the beginning, the stretches probably would have worked THEN. Now the muscle has gotten so shortened up and tight stretching is all but impossible (too painful.) So I got the Botox trigger point injections. Still waiting for the Botox to work - plus the doc told me it might take a couple of treatments. I'm going back on June 24th for round 2 if I don't see any significant improvement by then.

Good Grief, YOUKNOWIT, I'm very sorry for you. Obviously, there are a lot of unresolved issues in the relationship department. I was only trying to help. Keep in mind that REAL friends will NOT judge you or anything that you've done to help yourself (like WLS), they will only support you. And those whom you consider "friends" who do NOT support you, what the hell would you need them in your life for anyway?! I think it's time to calm down, relax and not stress over all of this so much. You were the one who came here asking for advice; many people tried to give you advice based on their personal experiences. Apparently this relationship did not work out for you - you did not say WHY it didn't, just that it didn't. That's fine and totally up to you what you do, how you express it and what fears you choose to hold onto. We just tried to help you. Best of luck in your next relationship. There is nothing ever wrong with telling the truth; if other people judge you for telling the truth, then shame on them.

/ Guess it's up to the OP to decide how to handle this. First she has to be OK with her decision. I think when we want to "hide" these details, it's mostly because we're afraid of being judged for being ........oh IDK......weak or something. OK, my response would be, yeah, I was "weak" if you want to put a label on it; I couldn't lose it on my own. I needed HELP, so I found a way to improve my HEALTH, improving my appearance was a side-effect. And HECK YEAH, you could look this way if you had this surgery, and that'll be up to you. The more honest and forthcoming you are with people, the less there is to judge about your decision. I see really obese people on the street and I'd love to be able to go up to them and say Hey, there is a way for you to lose that weight and improve your health, but know what? Some people like to eat way too much to go through what we did, so to each his/her own. But since the OP was asking for advice on how to handle this particular situation, I stated my opinion; others have theirs. It's totally up to her how to handle or not handle. The guy will get the truth out of her; best to be up front with people you really care about. You don't have to be married before getting to the truth; in fact, best NOT to wait on truth, it needs to come out IF it's going to wory the crap out of the involved partner, as it apparently is her boyfriend. Again, just my 2 cents. :biggrin0:

I like to wine and dine and whine; specially with girlfriends who put up with the whining!

He's intuitive obviously and he's sensing that you're keeping something from him. In his mind, and as we all "tend" to do, he'll start going to the dark side thinking you're ill and that's why you don't eat. I think when you tell him he'll be greatly relieved as he's again (obviously) very fond of you. I tell everybody who notices that I've lost weight. It's no big deal. If these so-called friends of yours have seen you shrink, they've probably suspected something along these lines anyway. You have to become confident enough in YOURSELF to not care what anybody thinks about your health decisions. When you're confident that you did the best thing for yourself, you won't care what reaction anyone has, know what I mean? I saw a guy the other day I haven't seen in awhile, and he was almost afraid to comment on my weight loss because he thought that possibly I had become ill and that's why the big drop. It didn't occur to me that people would automatically go "there," but they do and can. The next time it comes up - and if you think you're going to be with this guy - just say, Look, dude, I had weight loss surgery that's why I can't eat, OK? Well be a little more sensitive than that, but answer him and get it behind you finally (so to speak.) That's my 2 cents of advice.

/ That's a great story! Thanks for sharing it with all of us. You are indeed an inspiration.

Down another pound this AM, making my total loss 101 lbs. P.S. someone asked me on a picture comment how much I had lost at 4 mos. post-op, and the answer is from my surgery date, I had lost 40 lbs.; from my beginning point with Medifast foods at Memorial Day 2009, I had lost 66 pounds. So my total loss from the beginning of my WL journey has been 101 lbs. total, inc. the pre-op 26 lbs. loss. Hope that's clear. I was 220 on date of surgery; now I'm 145; 10 lbs. to my goal of 135.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions; much appreciated. I get regular chiro. adjustments. I only go maybe 1 mo. without one, so I totally know when I'm "out" in that regard. I do take excellent supplements and would recommend these to anyone: www.womentowomen.com, check out their basic essentials and Adatapsol (for adrenal support); I have tried doing special piriformis muscle stretches, designed just to stretch that muscle and the sciatic nerve. NOTHING has helped long-term. I'm praying that paralyzing the muscle with Botox (or if the doc thinks Cortisone is the answer, ok to that then) will allow the inflammation in there to calm down. My MT thinks the muscle has shorted up, which can happen, and is causing the cramping and clamping on the nerve which is causing the pain. Once things can get calmed down, then I'll be able to fully stretch and work that area; it's way too painful to get any relief from stretching now. I did find a youtube video of a guy doing specific piriformis stretching; it works, but only for about 10 min. Sooooo this is what I'm going to try next, the trigger pt. injections. I'll let you all know how it works. Love you all, thanks for trying to help.:001_tt2:

Yes, I have 2 chiropractors and the massage therapist I went to (the 2nd one) specializes in exactly what you describe. Unfortunately, it cannot be fixed with massage. Next week I'm going to an MD for a trigger point injection to Botox the muscle in question. I don't have a job, per se, but do spend a lot of time at the computer, but when I DID have a job as a legal assistant, I also spent a lot of time sitting - my butt muscles did not bother me ever before 8 weeks ago, so this is new, but not the sitting, that's been ongoing for YEARS. This definitely is weight loss related, unfortunately, all my "padding" is gone and the body is now feeling the effects of it. My MT told me that the body can be 60% out BEFORE it even feels any pain, so this means that it's way out. Hoping that the muscle doc's injection will get me out of pain; it's sooo very uncomfortable for the last 8 weeks. Started small and is now very painful to sit for anything longer than 10 min. That's bad.

I'm sure Gary would agree and I've seen this with other people having had WLS that the more you have to lose, the faster it comes off at the beginning, then it will slow down. So for people who have to lose between 80-100 pounds, it will not drop off in 4 months, I guarantee you of that. I started on Medifast as a pre-op weight loss tactic 1 year ago (Memorial Day weekend - well the day after the holiday.) I lost 26 pounds by Aug. 10th, the date of my sleeve surgery. The first day I lost 5 lbs. of water weight by just cutting carbs. So I weighed 220 on surgery day, and now weigh 146. It tooks 9.5 mos. to lose 74 lbs. post-op, altogether 100 pounds. I sent another patient to Dr. Aceves and he weighed approx. 400 pounds; IDK for sure cause he didn't want to say, but it was really close to that weight. He dropped 90 pounds in 3.5 months, but he's got a lot more weight to lose than most folks on here. That's how it works, the more you need to lose, the faster it comes off in the beginning, then it slows down. Ask Tiffy, she knows as she's been at this longer than a lot of people on this board. I keep my calories between 600-700 a day, and yes, I still use Medifast food for snacks, etc., and since I can't eat much at dinner, not much goes in. I do drink wine, but I track those calories, too. It's all good.

/ ITA! No, Tiffy, I've not had Botox in the face, but I would. My first go around with the plastic man will be TT, boob lift, and bat wings taken off. NEXT go around will be the neck and face work done.

No harshness taken, Dude. I don't have a job outside the home. I'm a realtor. I do sit a lot in my brand new cushy chair but that doesn't help. The Botox will do it. But then you have to go back every 4-6 mos. Basically you need to really stretch the muscle and nerve out, but it's too painful to do it without some help. It's a constant dull, throbbing ache. Chiropractors have their place; I do see them when I need adjustments; have since I was a child. I go to the big guns, though, when I need something more invasive. Love you guys, thanks for all the lovely comments.

I hear you and my tailbone will bother me occasionally from hard surfaces, too. But this muscle thing feels like you have a knot in your butt. I had a massage therapist really work on it, but that didn't work. The muscle cramps and clamps on the sciatic nerve and that's what causes the pain. The only fixes are injections OR surgery. That's why I'm doing the conservative options first; I have a June 2nd appt. for the Botox butt injection. Happy days, huh?! I have to get out of pain so I can party my new bod, kwim?:biggrin2:

I see the chiro. regularly so he's seen me shrink. Yes, my husband thinks it's all voodoo magic with a pyramid on your head sort of thing, and yes, I will see the real doctor with the real needles (gulp, scary) as it's highly doubtful the chiro. can effect a significant change with the magnetic pulse thingie and laser work he's attempting on me this week that insurance doesn't cover. Oh where is that pyramid for my head, and I need my big crystal, too. :biggrin2: Oh I posted some new photos in the album section. As you'll see it's time for the nip/tuck doctor - Manual Bello - in Mexicali coming up real soon. Got the quote and may be going down there in June sometime.

My chiropractor said it's because there's no fat in my butt. I guarantee you there is still some fat in there, I don't have a Bu-thigh, I have a Butt, thank you, but this muscle thing is kicking my ass, literally. After I see the MD with the Botox I'll know more and share with you all. Hugs!

You're just too cute, little Missy! You look AMAZING, what a great job you've done! My hat's off to you!!

Congratulations to you, Gary!! Me too, today is 100 pounds GONE forever. Aren't we fabulous?!!