new_beginnings_

Way to go Raine! You're doing great! :cheer2:

Thanks for responding Tiffykins! We have not used condoms for probably about 8 years so I don't think we could go back to using them. We have never tried spermicide so that might be an option. I am definately going to check into it. Me and my husband want kids soon but like I have been telling him, my parents, and his parents I want to be healthy before I try to bring a child in this world. But I can feel the clock ticking...

Valentina, I agree that sleep apnea is not light matter but this particular doctors office that we are talking about sends ALL the patients to one of two sleep disorder doctors. One of the doctors is his sister and this is the one that they recommend the most. I spent a conserable amount of time and money going through the sleep study and I had NO change in my quality of sleep afterwards. And yes I did follow the doctors orders. I think this is another way for this doctors office to make money on it's patients. I have family members that have very severe sleep apnea so I know how important it is to be treated, IF you need it. I did NOT need it so I was very resentful that I spent probably a total of $500 for something that I used for less than a month. I am in complete agreement with you. Like I said in my previous post, I have never met anyone that had not been diagnosed with sleep apnea after a sleep study. Not that it's never happened, but I think it is pretty rare. I had NO symptoms and they told me that mine was pretty severe. My grandmother and my brother have it and I know what they sound like when they are asleep and I have never sounded anything like that. And the bad part about it was that I had to wait forever to get an appointment and then it took a couple weeks to get back in the office just for them to tell me I had it. Yeah I had to make an appointment and pay a co pay for me to be in the office for 10 mins so they could tell me I had sleep apnea, after they already told me during my study. I think they are exploiting people that are having weight loss surgery because they know they can.

Ashley, I know what you are going through because I went through it with Dr. Miles when I had my band surgery. Their office is pretty strict when it comes to sleep apnea and if you go in for a sleep study, more than likely, you will have sleep apnea. I have not known one person that did not have it. It took me alomost 3 months just to get my sleep study done and get my results back. It cost me a small fortune to rent a CPAP machine just so I could have my first surgery. I'm not saying that sleep apnea is not serious but I know if I had it, I did not really suffer with it like some of my other family members. As soon as I had my surgery, I sent the machine back and have not worried about it ever since. My husband says I don't even snore and he has never heard me stop breathing while asleep. I'm not sure how your insurance works but Dr. Touliatos' office at Trinity did not require a sleep study for my sleeve surgery. I have United Health Care and had NO problems. I had my band removed and sleeve done within a month of my initial consult. You are required to meet with a nutritionist, physical fitness, and psycologist but they are in the same office which makes it so easy. You also have to attend a class before your surgery. There is a program fee of $300 which covers your follow up appts for 6 months. Honestly, I have had such a great experience with their office, compared to Dr. Miles and Schmitt, I would recommend them to anybody. I hope this helps and if you have any more questions, don't hesitate to ask!

Bama sleever here! I live in the Birmingham-Clay area. Dr. Touliatos at Trinity was great, if anyone is still on the fence about doctors I would definately check him out.

Any advice would help!

Hi all, So to make a long story short, I had the implant, Implanon, placed about three years ago, which is the life span for it. I was really happy with it for a while and then last year, I started noticing more and more side affects. And now since my surgery, which has been about 2 months ago, I have been on and off my period every other week. No seriously, on a week then off a week for two months. I'm not sure if it's from the surgery or if it's because my implant is due to be taken out. Anyway, i'm going to make an appointment with my GYN and I was wondering what kind of birth control I should be looking into. I was on the Depo for a long time, about 4 years, but that was the time when I was gaining weight also so I don't know if there is a correlation. Also my doc said that the depo causes bone loss over time so that was the reason I switched to something else. I have heard some people on here say different things about the hormones in birth control and how that affects weight loss so I definately don't want anything that is going to slow my progress. I would love something that I don't have to take everyday but I'm kinda lost when it comes to this stuff. And I want to start trying for a baby within a couple years. With all that being said, does anyone have suggestions for a good birth control that might check some of these boxes for me? I would appreciate any advice given! Thanks in advance!

Thanks Heatherr, I think it really hurt my feelings that he was being so inconsiderate because usually he is a very good husband. He has supported me 110% the whole way so I guess I just expected a little more cooperation from him considering we had already had the talk about him bringing junk food in the house. It's definately easier now that I am back on a regular diet because when I posted this, I was still a restricted diet. Now, if I want to eat a little bit of sweets, I do and I don't feel terrible about it because I know that I am working really hard and I deserve a treat every now and then. I think the biggest thing is that I am learing how to put myself first, which I haven't done in a long time.

<FONT color=#9932cc face="Lucida Sans Unicode">Thanks for the reply Suzanne! Fortunately for him, my husband doesn't have a weight problem. He can eat whatever he wants and not gain a pound.

Yeah things are better now, i've come to the reality that I control my own destiny and it is always my decision to put food in my mouth. Of course my sleeve makes that decision so much easier for me. My husband was just saying last night that he was so happy that the sleeve is working so well for me. He has been the only one to really know what I went through with my band so he can see how much better I feel. I love my sleeve!

I would love to hear updates from everybody... I know I still have alot to loose and I'm so scared about the loose skin. I am already doing weight training along with my cardio but from my understanding, it will only do so much. I will keep you guys updated on my progress as well... fingers crossed for all of us...

Welcome to the losers bench! Hope your recovery continues to go well! :bananapowerslide:

Hi Patti! Welcome! You are definately not alone. There are alot of us former bandsters on this site and most will say the sleeve has been the best thing we have ever done. I know I feel that way everyday. I am only about 7 weeks out of surgery and can tell you that I feel so much better then I ever did with my band. I still experience some discomfort when eating certain things but from my understanding, that will go away for the most part. I love the consistency with the sleeve compared to the inconsistency with the band. There is no wondering what I will be able to eat or not eat from day to day. No more getting stuck and throwing up all the time. I'm SO loving my sleeve! Good luck with your decision and if you have any questions, I will try my best to help.

Honestly the New Direction stuff is not that great. My doctor required it for the pre op diet so I HAD to buy seven boxes of it to last me two weeks. After the first couple days, I could not drink anything but the chocolate shake and they would not let me return any of it. I would not get this stuff unless you have to, like I did. I didn't really care for the unjury Protein powder but I know alot of people that really like it. I had bought the sample pack off their website and only tried two of the flavors and I just did not like it. I'm back on a regular diet now so I really don't have to rely on Protein Powder any more, thank God.

Hi, I was wanting to see if anybody out there might want or need some nutritional supplements that my doctor required me to use on my pre op diet. They are made by New Direction Weight Control System. I have shakes, Soups, and bars. I spent about $130 on this stuff and I don't want to just throw it away, so if there is anyone that is interested, let me know and we can work something out. I have: Shakes- strawberry and chocolate with Fiber Soups- Creamy Tomato and Cream of chicken Bars- Crisp 'n Crunch Bars; Fudge Graham and Peanut Also, if anyone is interested, I have a few powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury sample packets. Thanks!

My aftercare instructions said I could have milk the day I came home from surgery. I drink skim milk and absolutely love it (always have, ever since I was a kid). Let me just tell you how relieved I was to see that I had not developed the dreaded lactose intolerance that I see some people talking about on here...

Congradulations on your new sleeved stomach! The sleeve has, so far, been so much better than the band ever was for me! Sorry for your initial complications but I'm glad to hear that you are doing better now... Hope you have an easy and speedy recovery!

There was no way that I was taking mine out (if I could help it), I just had them done back in December so I knew that if I took them out, they would prolly grow up. It was ok though, I put acrylic jewelry in and told all the nurses that I had them so there wouldn't be any problems. Most of them told me that they see them all the time, so it was nothing new to them. I was told to put bandaids over them so if they pulled anything over my chest during surgery, they wouldnt get caught. So it all worked out, but let me just say, those bandaids hurt like hell coming off.

First and foremost, Congradulations on the 100 pounds lost! You are such an inspiration to me! You have gotten alot of good advice in this post but let me just say, don't let anyone steal your joy! You have worked damn hard to get where you're at and I think that meal looked great personally. Just keep doing what you're doing and don't pay attention to the 'haters' because they are everywhere, big or small... Keep up the good work! :grouphug:

And there lies the paradox, If you don't get strict, you won't lose the weight; but if you don't lose any weight, you aren't motivated to make the right choices. Kinda like the chicken and the egg. Which came first? Believe me, I know what you are going through... you have to make a commitment to yourself to make good choices and exercise even if you don't see the scale move right away. Maybe put the scale away for a bit so that you aren't so focused on the numbers... If you keep doing the right things, the scale WILL move...

First off, let me just say CONGRADULATIONS! My revision has been the best thing I have ever done for myself and you will feel the same way after you get through the first couple days. As for your questions: 1) Did anyone come home with a drain? I had one on my stomach side that was removed this morning. Had a fatty tumor (lypoma) removed Tuesday, too. It ended up being quite an ordeal and I still have a tube in it. I knew it was big, but it ended up the size of a small loaf of bread and was sending fingers down to the major muscles! Wow! Wow! Sorry, I can't help you with this cause I did not have a drain... 2) When did you guys start drinking shakes? It was several days before I could stomach a Protein shake, for some reason, they all tasted and smelled disgusting to me, just focus on staying hydrated and you will know when you are ready for protein. 3) On returning home did you go straight to 60 grams of protein per day? No, it was several days before I could really get any protein in and I don't think it was any where near 60 grams, don't stress about the protein your first week. After that, you will probably feel good enough to start incorporating it into your diet. 4) All suggestions are welcome! Just try and stay positive through this first week... I know I had the 'WTF did I do to myself?' moment several times, but everyday will get easier and you will be able to eat a little more. You can do this! Good luck and best wishes! :hug:

Hi, I have seen some of your other posts so I know that you have been struggling... I know you don't want to diet, but for me, I have to, in order to be successful... If I don't know the fat and calorie content, I look it up so I know whether it's worth it to eat it, basically I just try to watch what I'm eating because I know if I graze or snack alot, it all adds up... I'm probably eating between 600- 800 calories a day but maybe a little more some days. I don't go crazy trying to count carbs or calories but I do try and keep up with my protein so that I make sure I'm getting enough. I have been working out fairly hard (at least 45 mins of cardio and some weight traning) so I know that really helps my weight loss. I'm sorry that you are not getting the results you wanted and I know how frustrating it is, I was a bander also and I went through it with my band. Don't get discouraged, I know you can do this! Try to get back to basics and you will see the weight come off... best wishes!

Wow... I'm sorry you had such a horrible surgery experience but it's all downhill from here... I'm glad you are feeling much better and hopefully you will continue to heal without any more problems.... Welcome to the losers bench! :cheer2:

Yeah I really needed to vent the other day and thanks to all the responses, I know i'm not alone in this. I hear that all this weight loss can make you extra emotional so I've been struggling with my mood lately. You know how it is sometimes, you can fly off the handle over something stupid. I just keep thinking how great i'm gonna look so i'm trying not to let the junk get to me. It's what got me here in the first place...

You look great! Keep it up! Before you know it that next 100 will be gone!