McButterpants

My NUT freaked when I told her I hadn't had a bowel movement 4 days after surgery - she had me take some Metamucil and a high quality pro-biotic to get things moving. My suggestion would be to call your surgeon's office.

You're doing fine - your body is just trying to figure out what's going on. Let it. Keep working your plan and following doc's orders. When I was newly sleeved I weighed many times - daily, sometimes more than once per day. That's not good. My husband hid the scale from me and brought it out once per week. It saved my sanity. I took pictures of myself often and took my measurements - that really told the story about my journey. That helped me so much more than the scale. At 10 months out, the scale no longer has power over me. I won't let it.

According to my doctor, there isn't anything that's going to stop the hairloss. She told me it's OK to take Biotin and Folic Acid for the regrowth. Here's what she says: "According to your body, hair is optional. If it thinks that you need help in other ways, it won't take care of your hair." I lost a lot of hair - when I say a lot of hair, I mean it. It became thin and dry. I started losing at month 2, got really bad in months 3 and 4 and finally stopped at 6 months. Some days in the shower I would cry because I was holding a fistful of hair. I took my supplements religiously. I used Nioxin shampoo. I used Toppik to cover up the really thin spots. I am 10 months post-op now - I just got my haircut and my stylist said, "I don't know how it's possible, but it looks like it's growing back thicker!" I can feel it and I can see it - it's coming back.

Had that discussion with my doc...those that don't follow the plan (Protein first) and those that don't move their bodies are at risk to gain their weight back. I can eat lots of food - I can eat around my sleeve. I have to choose not to do that. I can eat copious amounts of tortilla chips - that's one of my slider foods. I don't feel particularly great afterwards, but if I don't identify it, I can graze on them all afternoon long. You've seen it before, the sleeve is just one tool in your toolbox. You still need to make good choices, you still need to move your body - that's what you control.

I'm cold all the time!!!!!!! LOL - I'll take it over the alternative, though!!!!!!

I had my surgery on an outpatient basis...in at 6:00 am out by noon. When I was at home, it was comforting to know that my husband was in the next room in case I needed something. I know if I would have stayed at the hospital, I would have wanted someone there with me the first night.

I'm interested in ready replies to this... Sometimes I don't recognize myself in the mirror now. Pre-surgery, I avoided the mirror and if I had to look at myself, I focused on parts of myself - my hair, my eye make-up, etc. It's like I didn't want to see the whole me before surgery. It's different now - I see me, but sometimes it doesn't feel like me. Hard to explain. Sometimes I will catch my reflection in a window or in a mirror and I don't recognize myself. I have a picture of myself that I refer back to all the time...it was the day I decided to have surgery. It was the day I stood on the scale at the doctor's office scale and cried when the nurse verbalized the number. It was a bad day, but life changing. I decided that day to change my life and I took a picture of myself when I got home. When I look at that picture I see a severely overweight person - one with a bloated face. But more than that, I see a sadness in my eyes. That person in that picture is lifeless and sad. I am so glad I took that picture - I will keep it forever. My son looked at it the other day and said, "I don't remember you looking like that!" It's funny, neither do I!

What you're feeling is totally normal. I would go thru periods of "I can't wait" to "Oh my god, what am I doing to myself." Just breath...look ahead. Think about post-op life - think about the amazing things you're going to be able to. I'll be honest, I almost backed out the night before surgery and the morning of, right in admitting. I was so scared. That morning in admitting I thought to myself, "I could walk out of here right now and only be out $500." But then something changed - I looked at my husband, he didn't say anything, he didn't even look at me. I decided right then this was the right thing for me to do. I was able to confidently walk down the hall and start the process. I will tell you, short of marrying my husband and having my son, this was the best decision I have ever made in my life. All of the insecurity, fear, anxiety - totally worth it because I'm here, 10 months later living the life I'm supposed to lead. I'm active, I'm happy, I have energy. My only regret is not doing this sooner when I first started to think about WLS years and years ago. Best of luck to you all! We'll see you very soon on the losers bench!

What a nice compliment!!!!! I took pictures of myself along the way...I often refer back to those pictures because sometimes I lose sight of how far I've come, I get hung up on the scale. I put my "before" picture next to a current one and am always surprised! I also took my measurements. Sometimes, when the scale isn't moving, you can see other indicators. Best of luck to you!

There are so many factors in the saggy skin area - your age, how many years you've been overweight, genetics, etc. Just because I have some saggy skin, doesn't mean you will. For me, the trade off was totally worth it.

I went to Dr. Umbach in November, 2013. I had an amazing experience - the staff is awesome and so is the doctor. I am very happy with my choice. You can PM me if you have any particular questions.

Dr. Thomas Umbach, Las Vegas, NV $11,500

Totally get it! I bought a cute Green Tea sweatshirt from Sam's Club the other day - Large. This summer I was in a "regular" size store and spotted a pair of shorts that looked cute. Size 14 - I took them to the fitting room and tried them on. I cried when I realized they fit. I haven't been a 14 in forever! I didn't bother looking at the price tag, I just bought them. I paid way too much for them, but who cares - that meant something to me! Here's to you buying "normal" clothes and many more purchases to come! (I can now wear my sons t-shirts and sweatshirts! LOL)

I had my surgery on Thursday - it was on an outpatient basis. The first couple of days, I really didn't want to do much other than "just be". I walked a lot, just paced around the condo and I rested. I was back at my telecommuting job 1/2 days the following Monday, working a full day on Tuesday. Riding in the car was uncomfortable when we hit bumps - I took a stuffed animal with me and held it against my tummy. I didn't drive for about a week after surgery. We flew home (a full day of flying) on Day 10 and had no issues. I got tired easily the first 10 days or so - I took naps as I needed and rested. Remember, you're going thru major surgery - allow your body to heal.

11/3 will be here before you know it. I'm 10 months post-op and often refer back to my "decision day" photo. I am so glad I took it - it was the day I decided to have surgery. The day I went to the surgeon's office and cried when I got on the scale. At that moment I thought "this is the worst day of my life", when it was actually the point I decided to change my life. I took lots of pictures of myself along the way - it's funny to go back and re-live the last 10 months thru pictures and see how many body changed, I developed a chin line, my collarbones started to appear, etc. I also took my measurements - that helped me during those stalls you keep hearing about. It helped out a lot when the scale wasn't moving, but inches were coming off my body. It saved my sanity on more than a few occasions. Best of luck to you!

I can't say if it helped with saggy skin, but I believe it helped with recovery. I started walking and going to the gym religiously about 6 weeks prior to surgery - after surgery, I was up and walking immediately. I really believe that not matter what surgery you are having if you are in good shape, you will recover faster. For sagging skin, I'm 10 months out and have batwings under my arms, my tummy has stretchmarks and sags, and I have some sagging in my inner thighs. That's what losing 73 pounds and being 45 years old looks like. It's my tax for letting my life get out of control for 25 years. I wear it as a badge of honor - I earned the sagging skin by walking hundreds of miles (about 800 since surgery), drinking hundreds of Protein shakes and enduring mental and physical pain during this process.

Are you truly sipping - I had to take really small sips. Think about the Nyquil measuring cup on top of the bottle - my sip was about 1/2 that right after surgery. Very small sips. I set my phone to chime every 5 minutes and that reminded me to take a sip.

Things will get better - they will. Gas pains - I had pain in my left shoulder for a week after surgery. For that pain, I agree, Gas-X isn't going to help. The only thing that helped with the pain in my shoulder was walking, just pacing thru the house. It took a week for it to go away but it got better each day. I couldn't get all the Protein and Water minimums in for about a week after surgery. Just do the best you can. I realized quickly that I could no longer tolerate plain water - I drank nothing but plain water prior to surgery, but post-op couldn't drink it. I got dehydrated and felt horrible. I switched to Vitamin Water Zero and Propel Zero (both zero calorie drinks) and was able to get more in. I set the timer on my phone to chime every 5 minutes and that was my reminder to sip. Each day will get easier. Everything is a chore now and it will feel like that for a while. Once you start introducing foods, you'll get frustrated with how long it takes to eat (I remember crying one day because it took me 20 minutes to eat 1/2 of a scrambled egg). I'm here to tell you that at 10 months post-op those things, those frustrations, pains, worries are a distant memory. I'm now living the life I'm supposed to live. I'm living a new normal now. You're going to do great - be kind to yourself and your new tummy. You will learn what you can and can't do!

I got dehydrated immediately after surgery because I couldn't stomach plain Water (pre-surgery, I drank only plain water). I switched to Propel Zero - they have lots of flavors. Even if you have to add a little bit of plain water, that may help. Crystal Light didn't set well with me immediately after surgery, but I can now. You can also try a product call True Lemon or True Orange - it's crystalized lemon and orange.

this is a crappy situation and I'm sorry you're put in this position - it sucks. I had weight loss surgery because I needed to get healthy and I didn't want to hate myself anymore. It really had nothing to do with anyone else or their opinion of me. I wish I could tell you what I would do in your situation, but I can't. I would be devastated, angry and sad. I wish you good things! Sending you hugs and encouragement.

My husband was with me - he was there if I needed him, but I didn't want him to wait on me. It was good for me to get up and get my own Water or whatever else I needed. It was comforting to know he was there. He walked with me when I was able. I probably could have coped by myself, but it was nice to have someone there...

I'm 10.5 months. I'm down about 73 pounds from my high weight. I lost 18 pounds my first month - slow compared to some. Even my 73 pounds is low compared to some. I, too, stressed about my slow losing and worried about not meeting my goals when I was early in the process. Here's what I know now...10 months later 1. The scale does not have the power over me it did when I was 1 month out. 2. My body is going to lose or not lose at it's own pace - the only things I can control are what I put in my body and how much I move my body. 3. This process/journey has become so much more than the scale. When I say it's more than the scale, I mean I am now an active participant in my life. I have a better relationship with my husband and son. I love to exercise. I don't have to nap every day. I am happy - truly happy. I am proud. I am more confident. I am more patient with people. And most of all, I am kinder to myself. I am learning to be content - content with my life, content with my body...I'm learning to like myself again. I do hot yoga and I just ran a 5K last weekend - who would have thought that a year ago? Not me! You're doing fine - embrace this process and all it has to offer. There are going to be bad days and there are going to be awesome days (I remember buying a pair of size 14 shorts...I cried in the dressing room because they fit - I immediately took them to the cash register and bought them without looking at the price tag!). Be good to yourselves!

Hey - relax. We all gained at different rates and for different reasons, we're all losing. Comparing yourself to others is a set up for disappointment - this is your journey and yours alone. Instead of watching the scale, take your measurements and lots of pictures - those will show you a different story than that stupid scale!

I was a plain Water drinker prior to surgery - loved it. Only recently, when I started to do hot yoga have I been able to drink plain water - a couple of sips at a time. So now I am drinking about 20 ounces of plain water per day - it's ice water. I usually drink Propel Zero, Vitamin Water Zero or Crystal Light.

HI there...I'm 10 months post-op... Vitamins and other supplements Bariatric Advantage chewables (don't give up after the first few tries - you get used to the taste), essential fatty acids, Vitamin D Protein shakes