Daydra

I'm prescribed 1500mg/day. I was advised to stop it a week before the surgery, but only for the surgery. I chose, without doc's recommendation not to restart it after surgery, simply because nausea is one of the side effects, and when I started a new antidepressant that also had nausea as a side effect, I would find myself going through some pretty serious gagging while I got used to the new med (this lasted weeks!). Either med alone, I have no problem with. I mentioned it to my surgeon when we were discussing the nausea I was experiencing post surgery, and she said that if I could manage it, she would prefer I continue to take the metformin, as it can help support consistent weight loss. I haven't restarted it yet. I want to talk to my pcp about it first, but I'm expecting to begin taking it again (along with keeping anti nausea meds on hand to keep that under control). She may decide not to advise me to start taking it again, i don't know. I am having a significant amount of menstrual cycle weirdness despite birth control pills, though, so who knows what she might suggest. Not being able to figure out when you might start, no matter where you are in your pack is just ridiculous! Altogether now... "Hormones Suck!"

Good luck! This is yet another example of a question where everyone and every doctor seems to have a different answer!

OMG! There are too many to read at once! I think I just broke a rib!

Definitely forwarding this the work... (Only the people that I want to warn off any mysteriously appearing bowl of community gummi bears, of course!)

Thanks for linking this!! I'm going to save it for later!

Great description! I will stay away from that stuff (unless they offer me a free sample, of course... I like free).

I've had to trade in my Pure Abundance shampoo/conditioner for Avon crap... (trying to support my mom and there are very few of their products that I actually like. I haven't tried any makeup product of theirs that I like other than lip gloss, which I rarely wear anyway. I don't use lotion. I don't need or want anti-aging crap. Perfume in my house goes bad before I even put a dent in the bottle. That pretty much leaves me with shampoo/conditioner and body wash... Last time I counted I had more than 20 bottles of body wash... I don't have kids and I can't talk my husband into using it... So I literally have 20something bottles of body wash just for me. I think I'm going to start donating them to the local YWCA. To be fair, the Shampoo and conditioner really isn't that bad, but I've always had really healthy hair, so I can get away with just about anything.)

Ahhh, I digress... I need to run by my local Aveda salon, though. I'm out of the Pure Abundance style prep. I've been using the mousse (can't remember what they named it), which is fine, but I like the style prep better. I was using the Smooth style prep, but now that my hair is getting longer, that just makes my fine hair super flat.

Good night!

Thanks all, for sharing in my (my mental thesaurus is failing me, the best I've got at the moment is...)chagrin...

Better (perhaps "more effective" would be more accurate than "better") than any laxative I've tried to date! Including the old standby Fleet enema!

Splenda is a component of the "sugar substitute mix" of these. If I had a package at hand (Oh yes of course I have more, I bought a case online... because pooping one's drawers should never be limited to "just once"!), I would list more info, but you can probably look it up online pretty quickly if you are interested. Okay, grabbed a package because it really wasn't that quick to find the info online... Maltitol (a sugar alcohol) and Maltitol Syrup are the first 2 ingredients on the ingredient list (ChihuahuaMom, stay far, far, away from these!!!), so that's where the beloved "laxative effect" comes from.

Most definitely, there is the carb issue. They're about 37g carbs/serving w/8g Fiber, so that's what, like 2 carb servings I think?

Pre-sleeve, I'd always bounced back and forth with my personal "sugar philosophy". Is it better to just have a little sugar or is it better to go with a substitute. Fortunately, I've never had an A1c or fasting glucose test that was high (though my docs kept poking me because my "fat" square peg didn't fit in their "must be diabetic" round hole...), so I've had the flexibility to have the choice.

MIJourney: I would guess one bad sugar free candy experience would make you suspicious of them all. To which I would say "Good call!"

Thanks all for having a laugh with me! What good is a "I Just Pooped Myself" story if you can't share it, right?!?! And it sounds like I'm in good company!!!

Alternate title: How I Shat Myself

Sooo, you know that little statement on sugar free candy that says something to the effect of "excessive consumption may have a laxative effect"? I implore you to take it seriously, people.

I never really ate much sugar free candy pre surgery, but I'm absolutely certain that I've had more than a single serving at any one time in the past, just by the nature of some of my historic eating habits. I've recently developed a penchant for the Jelly Belly Sours. They come in a little bag that is labeled as 2 servings (80 cal per). Yesterday, I was a bit low on my calorie count for the day and was just craving the dang things, so I didn't see any significant reason not to indulge. I ate both servings over the course of an hour or two. Big, big mistake.

After the undeniable realization that the rumbling in my tumbly was most definitely NOT just gas (no saving those underoos!), I spent the better part of 3 hours making panicked runs back and forth to the bathroom. Not even a little bit fun. However, it does appear that I've found a solution for the next time Constipation raises it's ugly head... I can't tell you how thankful I am that I was at home, close to bedtime, and didn't have anything (else) pressing that I had to attend to.

Good luck! And watch the sugar free candy! 2 servings was all it took!

Fellow aveda lover here, and I tried the invati line, I don't think it helped much. I was pretty non compliant with the twice daily scalp massage though, much as I love the trademark aveda scent, it was kind of overpowering in the massage product. Plus, I'm too lazy for all that effort!

I can totally see myself being the same way. And since the Invati line is supposed to help specifically with breakage, and that's not what vsg-ers are dealing with, I'm not at all surprised that it didn't seem to help much, if at all.

I am so glad that you continued to pursue an answer and finally got the treatment you needed. I hope that you quickly begin to feel better!

:wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub: :wub:

I'm feelin' the love!!!

Every thread I've seen on this seems to indicate that coloring doesn't have harmful effects so you should be okay.

Agreed. The reason that people start losing hair after surgery is it just shocks a lot of hair into the resting phase all at the same time. I don't believe it has any effect on the strength or resilience of your hair. I expect that you'll be fine, but your hairdresser will probably warn you if he/she senses anything amiss.

Good luck!

Thank you! I wish you the best dealing with all of your health challenges as well! We're up at Bangor, so fortunately, I've only been sent over to Madigan for just a couple things. It was really kind of funny... I got my own insurance to escape Navy Hospital and the Bangor branch clinic, but when I selected my own civilian doc, it turned out she was a former navy doc at Navy Hospital! She's good, though, as far as I can tell and I like her. She has not done or said anything that made me feel judged or marginalized. So much happier.

That kind of cracks me up that you're a psych major! My main circle of friends are all therapists and social workers. I'm the token science degree in the group! We are forever talking about how much overlap there is between their profession and mine. My friend that's one of the therapists says that I'm getting the precontemplative people that may someday find themselves in her office, at least she gets the people that are a little farther along... :-) (I'm a solid waste inspector. The largest portion of my work is responding to residential garbage complaints. I get to go out to the residences of people that for whatever reason (mental health, lack of funds, skewed priorities, substance abuse) are unable or unwilling to appropriately dispose of garbage and various types of solid waste. I get to walk up to their house, tell them they are failing to manage their affairs appropriately and that if they don't do what I tell them, I will be writing them a $500 ticket. I'm sure you can imagine how well that goes sometimes... I do my best to connect people with whatever help is available and seems appropriate, but I don't have any human services training and I'm pretty much winging it out there. Our agency is small enough that we only have a couple social workers, and they are both dedicated to the HIV program, so it's not really that easy to consult with them and nearly impossible to pull them out of their responsibilities to attend an inspection to provide guidance. It's good to have connection to my friends to run some of these situations by them. They always tell me that I could easily have gone into their field instead of mine. I tease them that there isn't any money in it. :-) I really wouldn't want to be a social worker or therapist, it would totally burn me, but I do feel like I make a good hybrid between enforcement and support. My fellow inspectors often consult with me or ask me to assist on delicate situations. That makes me feel good, like I've kind of carved out a niche for myself within the agency.

Anyway... way off topic (I suppose I can hijack my own thread if I want to )

I doubt that I'm really upset about the money, deep-down, otherwise I'd have spent a lot more time thinking about it. It just seems the whole situation is stooopid! :-)

Have a good night!

That's great news!!! I'm really happy for you! Give it a couple weeks and see what happens with chicken again, sometimes it takes a little while (That's what they tell me, anyway )

Oops! Hit post before one of my thoughts were completed! Saying I'd better go to bed was just because I tend to get more verbose when I get tired. Probably seemed totally random in that post!

Night!

Daydra you just might surprise yourself post op. I used to be the same way but I have so much more self confidence now so I look forward to spending those 5 extra minutes on myself. A little lipstick and mascara make a big difference!

I suppose that is possible, but I don't know that my personality would really fit that scenario. My aversion to doing my makeup, fixing my hair, and wearing fussy clothes seems to be driven by practicality. There have been several times over the years that I've decided I was going to start wearing makeup. New job, getting older, whatever the reason. I'll spend a bunch of money on new stuff (because the stuff I had on hand got old enough that it probably wasn't really safe to use), and then use it for a week, maybe two or three, and that was it. The makeup goes back in the drawer and I go back to staying in bed until the last possible minute! As I'm nearing my adult low weight again (It's only been since 2010), I am finding that I'm actually getting the urge to by women's clothes (not frilly, crap-ified (you'll see that word in Webster soon!) stuff, just items that aren't decidedly masculine or gender neutral). Men's clothes have typically fit me better, and I'm a total tomboy anyway so it works for me. Plus, since I have to dress to work outdoors everyday, being willing to wear men's clothes makes it a little easier to find good, outdoor wear. (Since everybody knows, fat women don't go outside! And if they do, they don't actually do anything, so outdoor wear for plus size women doesn't' actually need to be functional.) We'll see as my body changes, whether or not my body shape and frame will fit women's cuts or men's cuts better. I think I'll refrain from holding my breath, though.

Yikes! I think I'd better go to bed!

Have a good night!

Maybe not so much, you could have given yourself a better chance for health. Let me elaborate. I am also military Tricare/ united health care now. I started trying to get approved originally for a gastric bypass in 2010 when I noticed that no matter what I did my weight would drastically fluctuate from 135-200 within a month. At the time I did not have as many health issues as I do now. I started the processes with Tricare for them to deny me, appeal, deny again and then switch health coverage and start all over. Long story short at the beginning of this year I was diagnosed with end stage liver disease, non-alcoholic cirrhosis stage 4. After all of the treatments, biopsy’s , and other mid-evil torture processes my transplant doctor tells me that if I would have had the bypass 2 years ago I wouldn’t be in the boat I’m in now. The gastric sleeve is my only option now due to my condition and I am currently waiting on a surgery date. Long story short, I started the processes with only having high blood pressure and due to the fast-food treatment of military medicine passing me back and forth between different PCP’s I now have hypothyroidism, diabetic, liver patient. They are still pressing the issue that I do not weight enough even though I have officially been passed over to a specialty care at KU Medical. I personally think you did the right move at being proactive at seeing to your health. If I had the capability I would have done the same thing. Try not to kick yourself in the shins for making a move for better health and not taking a NO for an answer. Personally, I salute you.

Thank you!

My goodness, I am so sorry that your health deteriorated so much under military care. While I've so far been fortunate in that I haven't had the same severe issues, I feel completely traumatized by my experiences in MTFs, mostly at Navy facilities, but also at Madigan Army Hospital. I, unfortunately, can relate to being passed around and dismissed. I, too, started the process of getting approved for bypass, I think it was around 2005 or 2006. I met the surgeon that I would have been assigned to, and I basically got a "what are you doing here, you should be dieting" attitude from him, and I totally bailed. Didn't feel like I could trust that he would have my best interests at heart.

I have been so frustrated over the years. At first, I didn't have periods (PCOS). I hadn't been diagnosed and we were trying to get pregnant. Despite not having any menstruation, my PCP refused to refer me out and forced me to wait a year before she finally consented to put in a referral to ob/gyn, where I finally was diagnosed. Even this doc that diagnosed my PCOS, who I actually really liked (Dr. Muffley... I just can't make this crap up!), performed a hysterosalpingogram (totally unsure if I spelled that right, an HSG at any rate) to determine if I had occlusions in my fallopian tubes, argued with me after the procedure was completed. I told him he "left a tube or something in me". He said that no, it's common to just feel like that after this procedure. Well, when I stood up and a significant amount of blood ran down my leg, it was clearly apparent that he had left the guide tube in my cervix. I had to send my husband for a maxi pad and someone to clean up after me. Every problem I've ever had seems to be because of my weight. I have spoon fed a doctor symptoms of anemia, knowing that was exactly what I had. She gave me hydrocortisone cream to put on extremely delicate skin that absorbed it very quickly. The physical sensations that caused made me think that My brain was going to blow out the top of my skull, like a blender without a lid, combined with a racing heart. That could have killed me, and I stupidly did what I was told. I have been asked why I came to the ER in the middle of the night when I was in my early 20's (really just a kid) and had this growth thing on the inside of my lip that was growing by the hour, like being scared was somehow irresponsible. I asked to have my Mirena IUD removed so that I could seek treatment from a naturopath to attempt to address my hormone issues, and the male doctor started asking me about what birth control method I planned to use, like I was some 17 year old kid, despite the fact that, at the time, I was over 30, had been married over 10 years, my husband was well established within the military, and I had a college degree and a professional career. He ultimately told me I was welcome to waste my money. I once saw a female OB and asked to have a tubal ligation. She started with telling me in an indirect way, that I was not old enough (30) to make that decision since I had not yet had kids and I might change my mind. When I explained to her that we had already been through infertility treatments and had realized through that process that we were only pursuing it because that was what society expects from a young married couple and we never really had any desire to have children and that we were very certain of and comfortable with that decision, she switched tactics and told me that I weighed too much to do it safely and she wouldn't do it unless I lost 30 pounds. I immediately began to cry and told her that I had tried so many times and didn't think I could do it. She talked me into the Mirena IUD, and then wrote in her notes that I "was not interested in weight loss". When I would finally be assigned to someone that actually had a caring demeanor that I felt comfortable with, I was lucky to see them more than once. I got to the point where if I was scheduled to see a male in uniform at a military treatment facility, the moment he walked it the door, I would start to cry, even if it was a twisted ankle or just a med refill. I had finally had enough, and got my own insurance so I didn't have to go through that anymore. I'm actually pretty comfortable with spending the money to prevent me from having to experience the anguish that I know I would have had to endure at an MTF, regardless of the talent or bedside manner of the surgeon. At this point, I simply am no longer capable of giving them my trust.

I'm in Public Health now, and actually provide some general training to the Navy docs in our area as part of their residency training (all our EH inspectors take turns). I'll spend a day out in the field with one to expose them to what the Environmental Health division is all about. It's actually kind of fun showing them what we do, and they are frequently amazed at some of the things we encounter in the community. I've had a chance to talk to some of them about the frequent transfers and how terrible that is for consistency in patient care. I've started to rebuild respect for them, because the docs that I've discussed this with hate the situation as much as the patients do. They would much rather develop relationships with their patients, and they find it personally difficult to maintain a kind and empathetic demeanor when an endless stream of patients they have never met before are forced through in 15 minute appointment blocks. The way the system is structured almost forces them to shut down any part of them that might respond to their patients with any kind of human connection. That admission gives me a lot of perspective for the position they are in, and I can understand how it could be difficult to maintain true caring for each patient when the system forces you to deal with them like cattle. I truly don't (and never really did) harbor any hard feelings for military medical personnel as a whole, just those with which I have had painful experiences. I definitely want to make it clear that I separate the deficiencies in the system and some specific negative experiences from the vast majority of good people that are just doing their best to work within an imperfect system.

I'm more annoyed with the timing of my primary insurance company deciding to cover vsg. Oh well. You can't know what you don't know. I will probably feel a lot better about the money when United Healthcare finally returns their denial and I can submit my reimbursement from my HRA so I can pay off my loan and cut $400/mo back out of my monthly responsibilities...

You know, I know it was really, really long, but typing out that litany of grievances with my experience with treatment actually felt kind of calming. A little like a bit of weight has been lifted off my chest. I never really felt like I had the interest or time for journaling, but puzzle pieces seem like they move around and fit together in my head differently and much more constructively when I'm writing than when I'm talking... I'm thankful this kind of forum exists, and that the vast majority of participants are kind and supportive. Thanks all.

Your eyes might be bleeding, but I feel better! (just kidding!)

Thank you all for your responses (and being part of my therapy session! ) and I hope you all have a good night!

You would think, after a lifetime of experiences that incontrovertibly show that no good ever comes from me being impatient and ramming through whatever decision I make, I would learn to STOP! Nope. I'm just not that smart... So...

I paid about $20k out of pocket for my surgery, when I could have been covered by EITHER of my TWO insurance companies. Allow me to elaborate... Tricare (my secondary coverage) guidelines I was able to find showed that Tricare would cover either bypass or band, not VSG. My clinic confirmed this information. My primary coverage also only covers bypass or band. My primary also requires a 6 month medically supervised diet before they will even approve a consult with a surgeon. So, basically I said "Eff you guys, I've got a health reimbursement arrangement, I'll just pay for it myself instead of screwing around with all your rules just to have to choose a surgery I don't want, to get coverage." So, I had my surgery less than 60 days from my initial consult.

I subsequently found out that I could have gotten my surgery done at the Army hospital in my area (completely free to me, of course...). That's what I get for relying on what I had found in the coverage literature and not actually seeing an on-post doc for a referral to find out what the MTF could offer that Tricare claims not to cover. Fortunately, this wasn't all that upsetting to me because I've had some bad experiences within the military medical system, and I would have been a lot more anxious about my surgery. Sometimes, peace of mind is worth a lot of cash...

The second blow came today when we were presented with information on our 2014 benefits at work. The insurance plan I have has decided to begin covering vsg starting next year with a recommendation from the facility performing the procedure. Had I done the 6 month diet (perhaps with the thought that I might decide I was willing to go with one of the other procedures since they would be covered... but no, once presented with the information, I generally make a virtually immediate decision with little or no waffling. One of the few situations where being decisive is a hindrance instead of a help!), I would have been ready to schedule at the beginning of the year. My insurance coverage is very, very good. I would have had probably less than $2000 (likely way less, because my secondary picks up a lot of what would be my out of pocket costs) in out of pocket costs had I known and waited.

Grrr... That's really all I can say. Grrr!

Well, I suppose I just got a really expensive 6 month head start...

Thanks for providing a space for me to type out my annoyance.

But! But! It tells me so much information! It tells me weight, and body fat percentage, and my resting metabolic rate, and my percentage of lean body mass.... It's sooo much more than just a scale! I'm pretty sure it even makes me Breakfast in the morning!

On heck me neither! I didn't even bother to buy it. It was the most expensive piece of the treatment and I knew I'd never keep up with it. No I was referring to the Shampoo. Very runny, unlike their other creamy shampoos.

I've been taking evening primrose oil for years for hair loss due to thyroid. I'm hoping continuing that and eating Protein will help my hairloss. But I, like you, am waiting to see if/when I start to lose it. The hair anyway.

Huh... interesting texture for a shampoo...

Sometimes I wonder where the heck these women that go to great lengths in their beauty regimen find the time and energy! If my choice is 10 extra minutes in bed or putting on makeup? BED! Now if only Aveda made a combo shampoo/conditioner with a quick-dry element to speed blow drying and styling product all in one step? I'd spend... hmm, I don't even know, but I'm pretty sure it would be an obscene amount.

I am losing a handful of hair everyday and more than I can even think about when I wash it. I started with enough hair for two or three people and hope I wind up with at least enough for me. The thing that I haven't seen anyone else talk about on this thread is my scalp HURTS! If I put my hair up at all (pin bangs or pony tail) I have to put my hand to my scalp when I take it down because it hurts so bad. I looked it up and supposedly it is a side effect of excessive Hair loss.< /p>

That sounds miserable! I'm at a complete loss for advice. (If you knew me, you'd know how alien that is for me. I'm very, very good at telling people what they should do ) But seriously, what might you do to alleviate the discomfort? Does it still hurt if you don't put your hair up? Is it bad enough that you might take Tylenol or something for it occasionally?

Wish I had something more useful to you than empathy... (Where the heck is the "hug" emoticon???)

I Put my scale in the good will donation box a few months before surgery.... I was So OCD to the Scale..NO MORE, I am Free, I will NOT weigh more than a couple time a month, I am at goal NOW.. before I reached my goal It was ONCE MONTH....

I think I'm starting to hyperventilate...

I'm using both those. The invati may be effective, I don't know. It's very very liquid and one goes rough the rather expensive bottle rather quickly. But who knows, maybe it does what it says. I love the pure abundance too. Great stuff.

Do you mean the scalp treatment you're supposed to use morning and night? Yeah, I bet that would get expensive!!! I haven't tried any of it yet. I'm trying to wait to see if my hair actually starts to fall out before I actually do anything. I'm holding out hope! Prior to this surgery, I was the kind of patient that pretty much never experienced side effects, had an Iron stomach, didn't have negative reactions to pain meds... so I'm hoping that pattern returns to me now that I've had my little glitch. Either way, I doubt that I will have enough patience to do anything that requires 2 treatments a day. I'm lucky to spend the time to dry my hair in the morning and brush my teeth before I fall into bed at night. Doing some kind of evening hair treatment every night??? Never gonna happen...

Good luck! I'm a scale addict, too. I'm not quite as bad as I used to be, but I would weigh every morning and every night. If I didn't lose 2 pounds overnight I would know, because of the consistency with which the two situations happened together, that I didn't get enough sleep the night before. It's okay to be a scale addict if you are wired that way (Numbers! Charts! Data!!!), you just have to remember to only compare apples to apples, or when you do look at am and pm numbers, you are only looking at them to identify a pattern, not an absolute.

Best wishes from one geek to another!!!

only Weigh ONCE a MONTH.....

Oh, to not be so neurotic that I could actually follow that very good advice...

Why wait? He may be able to call in some meds that may give you near immediate relief. I agree with Daydra, it could be a quick fix but also, don't panic on the weight. Too early to worry about that first worry is enough Water, second is enough Protein, third worry is the 3 week stall

In my case, I tried to push Fluid at the expense of food/calories. Didn't end up working out for me real well. I didn't actually get dehydrated, but I'm still trying to come back from the weakness and fatigue from the extreme reduction in calories.

But yeah, there is no reason not to put a call in to the clinic and let them know how you are feeling. Your doc may want to get you some meds and see if you're doing better next week, or your doc may want to see you earlier. I have to say, whenever I called to say I was having problems with nausea and getting enough in, they wanted me in that clinic within 24 hours. The last time I had to call about it was the time I ended up going to the ER. They had an opening, but I have to figure out a ferry schedule and even if everything works out perfectly it takes me at least 90 minutes to get there. I couldn't get there in time, so option 2 was the ER. It's a serious enough side effect/condition/whatever you want to call it that it should be investigated as soon as possible, but that's not to say it's a terrible thing. It just needs to get figured out.

One last note... I'm usually inclined to wait and see if things get better, to see if I really need to call the doctor. Fortunately, I work in Public Health and have access to walk down the hall to the clinic area of our office and start picking the brains of the nurses down there. They pretty much walked me back to my desk and made me call my doc when I was experiencing what you describe. There's really nothing to be lost by making the call. You are not pestering your doc or the staff at your clinic. They would much rather have you call to ask the question than to have you either suffer or wonder.

Good luck and I hope you feel better!

Aveda is offering a free trio sample pack of Invati plus free shipping with a $50 purchase. They are also offering free shipping with any Invati purchase. I red a little about the Invati line. It's designed to increase length, strength, and volume by preventing breakage, so I'm not certain how effective it would be with loss due to a large amount of hair having entered the resting phase at the same time.

www.aveda.com

Aveda also has a line called Pure Abundance. I've used this line quite a bit because I have fine (though plentiful so far) hair. These products are basically just a volumizing line, so the hair you have, just looks like more. I actually like this line quite a lot, particularly the clay conditioner. Aveda products are ridiculously expensive, but I just really like them. I periodically go back to cheaper products because of the price, but I always find myself coming back to Aveda products.

Anyway, just an fyi on a couple options.