NewKristen

Most dr.'s will advise you to wait till you are 6 weeks out. That doesn't mean you can't do anything though. I am 4+ weeks out and just started back to the gym. I am using the elliptical for a 30 min workout, and the Lifecycle for another 10-15. I am doing this 4 times a week. Before I started back to the gym, I used my Wii. I liked that I could do it in the privacy of my home and I used everything from The Just Dance's to Wii Fit! Anything to keep moving.

I had BC/BS of Mass. They were on top of it! I had an esophageal stricture that I had to get dilated before surgery, and that added a month to my process. I started in late October by going to a WLS seminar. Then I had my consult in early November. My upper GI and dilation was in early Dec. My surgeon reviewed the results and submitted to my carrier in mid Dec. My approval came through within a week. Because of my dr.'s heavy schedule, I didn't have surgery till 1/28.

I agree with Amy! The only regret I have, is that I didn't do it sooner! Best of luck to you!

Me too!!!

The places under your arms can also be Mersa. My daughter played softball on a college scholarship and she had these bumps regularly. They seemed to be brought on by her arm running her uniform when she pitched. So we treated them as such and later found that thy were Mersa.

I got the Ninja Pulse. It whips up shakes and frozen drinks, and it also food processes. It comes with 3 tumblers, sip lids, the blade for the tumblers, a bigger mixer pitcher, and a lot of other junk. I have had a Magic Bullet for a couple years and it recently broke. I decided to go ahead go with the Ninja. Both work well. The Ninja just has some featured the MB didn't.

I did 1 week out, too. I just avoided anything that would put a lot of pressure on my stomach. So we did some side to side stuff.

If you get sick of the chalkiness of the powders, or just want an affordable grab-n-go protein shake, Slim Fast just started making high protein/low carb shakes. They are the same size as the regular SF shakes, but they have 20g of protein and 2 net carbs. I have found a chocolate kind and a vanilla at Walmart. It is $5 and some change for 4. They taste really good.

I was sleeved 1/28/13. I have incisions. 4 of them are really small and are a mere line on my stomachs now. One is a couple inches and is the incision that they put the stapler through. That incision feels hard underneath the skin. The other incisions are soft. Anyone else have this? This same incision gave me a lot of issues 7-10 out. It felt like it was on fire and burning really bad. My dr. was concerned I had a hernia and did a ct scan. The results were that I had a small tear where my incision was inside. I believe it has since healed because it doesn't hurt at all now. Could that tear have caused it to be harder under the incision site?

Thanks for the reassurance guys! I forgot about hematomas! It also could just be because the incision was bigger and more "traumatized". Can't imagine the stapler was easy to get into that hole!

I was sleeved on 1/28/13 in Topeka. I went through the Turning Point with Dr. Sydney Hu! Great experience!

You got this! You are about to change your life and take control of it! This is going to be an amazing journey for you. See you on the other side and I will be praying for you!!!

I am now almost 3 weeks out, and I can say one thing for certain. This surgery is not for the weak at heart. It requires courage. Courage to face your demons. Courage to decide to make a lifetime decision, with no turning back. Courage to not let other's judgements define who I am! The surgery itself...not very scary. The lifetime commitment is what you have to really think through. It is the most radical thing I have ever done. It is the most selfish thing I have done for myself, yet the most unselfish thing I have done for my family. It has been worth every ounce of fear, restlessness, judgement, anxiety...because I took control back of my life! So my advice is...you have to make a decision that you and you alone will be happy with. Then be confidant in that decision. Don't give anyone the option to talk you out of it.

My throat didn't hurt at all, but they warned it would, because of the breathing tube. From what I understand the pain is related to how sensitive you are and how easy/hard the tube went in.

You guys are so inspiring. Mind is: 1. Get out of plus sizes. 2. Shop at Victoria's Secret. 3. Run a 5k. 4. Go to a concert at our local expo center and not feel the chair arms digging into my sides. 5. Inspire someone else with my WLS story.

This is a great place for support, so I am glad you found it! Best of luck in your journey! Although with your family so strongly behind you, you have already won half the battle! Not sure how I would have fared without mine!

I see a lot of threads where people talk about a drain as part of their surgery. I didn't have a drain. Can someone explain what the drain does? And why some bariatric surgeons don't think it is needed?

I was very shocked that this is as good as it is for the price. I got the chocolate Peanut Butter and it is decent!

I went back to work in 2 weeks. I could have retuned at 1 week, because I work from home. But I felt good and strong going back after 2!