thinathart

I don't have any memory of a garden hose? All I know is 9 months post-op, I look and feel 100 times better than I did before surgery (with or without the garden hose).

I agree, you deserve a simple "wow, you look great". I always get bummed after the "los a ton of weight" follow up too. Congrats on your success!

Holy cr*p! Nice job!

Welcome to the group! I hope you find this site as informative as I did, both pre-op and post-op. Best wishes for you!

My skin has rebounded pretty well, except my arms. I've got an appt with the PS in November to get that excess skin removed. She said that the arm skin is the hardest to bounce back, because it's so thin? Guess it makes sense. I'm 41, so it might not have been an issue had I done this 15 years ago.

You are safe from being judged here. Lots of us have done this surgery for a variety of reasons, but it mainly comes down to living a longer, healthier life. I was nervous before my surgery, but it is truly the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. Best wishes for a speedy recovery!

Have you tried protein powders in unsweetened almond or coconut milk? I'm a big fan of the chike protein iced coffee in the unsweetened almond milk.

I use level 3 (as my hair is color treated). I started using it after my surgery. I wash my hair with the shampoo every 3 days and condition it everyday. I love the way it smells and makes my hair feel. My hair stylist asked me last time if I wanted my hair thinned (so I took that as a good sign!). Don't know if it truly helped, but mentally it did.

I use it. I'm a little over 9 months out. Have I lost hair? YES. Could it have been worse? Yes, way worse. It seems that I'm the only one that notices. I can't tell you if the product helped lessen it or not. I can tell you it makes my hair smell and feel really nice.

Congrats! You should feel very proud of yourself.

Possible plastic surgery to remove excess skin. For me, the confidence I've gained since I lost weight has been so worth it. I'd take the risk all over again to be where I am at today.

Take this time to really tackle the internal issues with food. The surgery fixes your stomach, but the head issues remain the same. Therapy is a great tool to get to the bottom of food issues and help prepare you to be successful after surgery. Use this time to your advantage. January will be here before you know it.

I wish i had a week where I lost 10 lbs. I'm excited for the weeks I lose a pound now that I am 9 months out. Just stick to the plan and you'll continue to lose. Hang in there and try not to get discouraged.

Actually the drain wasn't too bad. I was dreading it too. I had it in for 48 hrs, they took it out right before I was released from the hospital. I was so doped up, it didn't bother me a bit. I had my surgery in the states.

I didn't tell any family members or co-workers. My husband and 2 close friends know...that's it. Weight is a private issue for me and I'm glad I didn't share my surgery with everyone.

Two words...holy cr*p! You look awesome! Congrats

I'm 9 months post op and if I eat too fast or eat one bite too many, I still get the foamies.

I'm not judging, but I think you will end up losing more than 30 lbs with the sleeve.

So you are going to be sleeved to lose 30 lbs? Or is this strictly a preventative step?

What was their reason for the denial?

That is really sad they would say that...they of all people, should be encouraging it staying off. It looks like us sleevers need to work extra hard to change those statistics and prove them all wrong!

They counted my disc degeneration disease is a co-morbid. Do you have any back issues? If so, BCBSIL (under my policy) puts that into the osteoarthritis category. Good luck!

My NUT approved all lipton and snapple diet teas. I love them! I was a diet coke addict. 8+ months without a sip.

My NUT said it was ok for me to have one Chike iced protein coffee each morning and diet snapple tea or diet lipton tea throughout the day. I think all of those have caffeine in them. She still said no to anything carbonated. I'm over 8 mo PO though.

I'm sorry to hear what you went through. Unfortunately, I don't get dumping syndrome. I often wish I would as it would be a not so friendly reminder to stay away from those things. Best of luck to you in your recovery.