Goonie

Last night I watched the show Extreme Weight Loss, and was happy to see that they again included the removal of excess skin as part of the process of this mans journey to the new him. I mentioned it on a WLS site, which started a vocal dialog of people wanting to complete their journey but feeling they couldn't due to restrictions placed on them because of the government or their insurance company. I was surprised, how many people feel stuck in their old skin due to not having insurance. Maybe I didn't feel stuck due to insurance woes since I haven't had any support from insurance along the way, as I was a self pay for my RNY years ago... This got me thinking how much are we worth? I ask this because it took me several years to feel worth spending the money. If insurance would have covered it, I am sure I would have done it sooner, but since I had to pay (my family) it was a whole different story. We don't have extra cash sitting around the house so this was money that could have gone to fixing up the house or buying a new car...All sorts of important uses, then it hit me, if I were to buy a car, it would most likely last 7 years and then we would be in need of replacing it, well if that money went towards me I am planning on lasting more than 7 years! Do I value a car more than myself? No... There are ways to have the surgery without breaking the bank. I know one lady that had all of her surgeries at a Teaching Hospital in NYC for a fraction of the normal cost. I went to Mexico, just 5 miles south of the border in San Diego, which was so simple, I felt safe and close to home and paid about 1/3 of the costs back home. Also there is a company called Credit Care, which finances plastic surgery.... So I urge you, if you want and need plastic surgery to complete your journey please don't give up but do some investigating I am sure you will find a way...You are worth it, you have come so far.....

Awesome!
Good luck all!!!

Is it too late to join in? If not, I'd love to participate as I could use the motivation....
SW-214
GW/DW/NIJMU-190
(Goal Weight/Dream Weight/Number I'm Just Making Up )
Thank you!
Tonya

I was sleeved July 1, 2013 by Doctor Rayford Kruger at Tobey Hospital in Massachusetts. Here's my official before/after pic, with my stats for both the day of my surgery, and my one year surgiversary. It's mindblowing to me that not only am I NEVER again going to shop in the Plus Size section of any store, but I will willingly step in front of a camera, while wearing a bathing suit. Who is this person?!
I have absolutely NO regrets and consider this surgery to have been a total success. For the first time in decades, I'm proud of the way I look and how hard I fought to achieve it, with my sleeve's help. Happy Independence Day, indeed!!

Hello Darlinks.
I've been away for a bit. Did you miss me?! (That's a rhetorical joke, btw!)
Went on holiday. My first proper holiday in the sun since being sliced and diced.
So, what did I learn on my travels to foreign climes?
Water consumption. It is kinda important. Stops one from passing out and prevents your skin looking akin to that of a sun-dried prune. Beer and vodka-sprite. It is not a good substitute for Water. Despite it being entertaining, it gives you a headache and forces you to have to drink far more water to replenish and sustain hydration levels which then compromises food intake. It is also not as nice as Guinness. But then you all knew that. Protein. I was at an 'all inclusive' affair. I realised pesky chef's don't particularly like dolling out the Protein en-masse as it is expensive and they're trying to minimise costs. Consequently, I became that person who swiped 'the best bits', muscled people out of the way to get the extra piece of steak or last omelet being served in the mornings. Without sufficient protein I felt weak. It also compromised my ability to drink beer and vodka-sprite - and who needs that?! Puddings/Deserts. Are absolutely pointless and made me feel sick. The tube that is now my stomach has very much done its job, in that I do not tolerate sugary things well. I also found it dehydrated me, which then compounded the feeling of 'urgh'. Subsequently, if I wanted something sweet, I opted for water melon. Sweet enough, tasty and well, is largely made up of water! Huzzah! Sun tan cream. Before buying this, please have a little think about how much you will actually need. I, with my head up my bottom, bought enough lotion to slather up an entire herd of elephants. Clearly, as with most body-dysmorphics, I had bought what I would have previously consumed pre-sleeve. When my skin was three times the square footage. Consequently, I came home with three untouched bottles.< /li> hair Loss. Yes, weird, but a point I hadn't considered. If, like me, you lost a fair amount of hair; be forewarned. When you go out into the sun where your hair has thinned, you can easily get a burnt scalp- unless you protect it with cream or a hat or something. I got a burnt head and then a few days later had to deal with all the serious flaking going on. Not an attractive look; your partner picking out massive lumps of skin out of your hair like some chimpanzee grooming its partner when you're out for dinner in the local town or in pleasant company. Jewellery. Yes, I have lost weight. Yes, I wore jewellery. Yes, I drank vodka-sprite, went dancing and didn't realise till the next day that my watch, the one I'd been promising to get some links taken out of, had flung off my wrist at some point during the evening and was now lost. A diamond ring also flung off on a separate occasion, but thankfully, I spotted it happening and quickly reclaimed it. Don't put off getting your jewellery re-sized. Or, alternatively, and if you're going dancing - don't wear it. I was very sad I'd lost my watch. Still, gives me an excuse to buy a nice shiny new one.... Razors and shaving. Bit personal but hey, we're all sharers here. What a difference losing 60 odd pounds makes?! I could reach the places other razors couldn't previously reach and in record time, too! No awkward breath-sapping contortions, fuzz or badly-packed packets of rolling tobacco for me, thank you very much! Sweating and heat rash. Practically non-existent in comparison. What a difference. Amazing. Made my holiday. Prepare to be amazed. I was. Feeling attractive. Finally it happened. I realised I was thinner, healthier, happier and that even my hair is getting thicker, my skin is beginning to snap back into shape again - along with my boobs! I was humbled and left with a warm, smiley, fuzzy feeling. My bottom got pinched a lot, too. So I assume that my inner happy was matching my outer happy and that made 'him' want to grope me more If you hadn't already worked it out... I had a lovely time.
Here's hoping you, too, have a very happy, warm, fun-filled summer. Everything we've gone through? It's so worth it.
Revs x

I am in my last month of insurance required diet. My final appointment is on July 28th, and it can't get here soon enough. This has been a long hard journey to get insurance approval (been denied twice). I've switched hospitals, and feel a lot more confident with my current surgery coordinator. I'm in Birmingham, AL. Dr. Stahl is my surgeon @ UAB. My surgery will most likely be in September. I have PCOS and insulin resistance resistance, and finally getting the weight off will hopefully increase my chances of conceiving. I would love to hear from other sleevers.

Pre surgery I'd look at these lovely berries & think of all the delicious items I could bake...post surgery, I look at all these berries & think "woo hoo, natures laxatives"

Berries I was referring to are now my profile pic as I couldn't figure out how to load without flash

Lovely! Congrats on reaching your goal!

what brand? a lot of people have problems with premier.
you may be drinking or eating too fast. when your stomach gets too full or takes too long to empty, you can feel queasy.

Most people begin to lose hair at, or around, 3 months post op....I'm a few days shy of 2 months & am a hair shedding machine....seriously, if I were to shake my head near my 3 year old I'm afraid I'd bury her in a sea of (my former) golden locks....of all the things to be "advanced" in...

On April 17th of this year I had my VSG.
Two weeks prior to surgery I was on 100% liquids with the last week all Clear Liquids. Surgery happens. 2.5 weeks later I was still HATING this decision. food and liquids hurt when you swallowed more than a thimble full. It was a constant fight against 38 years of practice. I lost many battles. Then something happened. I swallowed instinctively and NOTHING BAD HAPPENED. I remember thinking, "Oh shit! I'm about to pop staples and die from some septic gunk coursing through my veins."
Staples held, nothing bad happened, I lived - and still am.
In fact I'm much better. See below:
April 17, 2014 - Weight 298 lbs. (45.6 BMI)
June 23, 2014- Weight 224 lbs (34.1 BMI)
TOTAL WEIGHT LOSS- 74 lbs.
A1C on Surgery Date- 6.7 (6.5 + is Diabetic)
A1C on June 16, 2014- 4.6 (5.7 and below is normal)
Post Meal Glucose Level on Surgery Date- 210 mg/dl (DIABETIC is 200 mg/dl or greater)
Post Meal Glucose Level on June 22, 2014- 99 mg/dl (NORMAL is <140 mg/dl)
Waist Size Pre-Surgery- 46 in.
Waist Size June 6, 2014- 36 in
Shirt Size Pre-Surgery- XXL
Shirt Size June 6, 2014- L
Shoe Size Pre-Surgery- 10 wide
Shoe Size June 6, 2014- 9 med
Addendum: Additional non-quantifiable changes post surgery:
chicken Nuggets were amazing before. They now smell like Satan's dirty underwear. Salmon - Pre-Surgery- yucktastic Now- an amazing fish Ice Cream is impossible to eat now. (kinda bummed about that one...not really) Knee/foot pain from tennis - largely gone Existing on less than 1000 calories a day is not as bad as you may think Gatorade is physically easier to drink than Water (I know, that is hard for me to believe too) My libido is more...noticeable. Any one out there have any comments, recommendations, or accolades to throw my way...Lets read em. Post in comments.

Thank you for the msm & revita suggestions...at the rate I'm going I can envision myself as a Sasquatch with a bald head...hopefully I'll at least be a slender Sasquatch
And yes, I'm totally counting Hair loss as weight loss
Thanks to you all!

Thank you for the msm & revita suggestions...at the rate I'm going I can envision myself as a Sasquatch with a bald head...hopefully I'll at least be a slender Sasquatch
And yes, I'm totally counting Hair loss as weight loss
Thanks to you all!

I'm 4 months, and just this morning was shedding my hair after I washed it. Does anyone know how long losing hair last?

I am 9 weeks post op. I do not take Biotin because there is always a chance of growing hair where u dont want it. But b4 surgery I used to get out of the shower with a large clump of hair to throw in the trash. After surgery the shedding minimized a lot. Just recently the shedding has started to increase again. But I figure if I didn't go bald b4, I will b fine during these next few months. Not to mention that I have so much hair I only wash every 3rd day to save on Shampoo and conditioner.

I was banded in 2005 and had no Hair loss or thinning.....im praying and so far so good no hair loss or hair thinning since being sleeved....i know for some of us our hair is our glory

You "A" type personalities are so competitive at everything! You just have to ruin the curve for the rest of us.
P.S. As a penalty, you don't get to count the weight of that lost hair as part of your official weight loss!

I'm advanced too. Started noticing Hair loss at 6 weeks. I have consistently consumed between 60-90 grams of Protein every day since the day after surgery and take all of my Vitamins. It has more to do with restricting calories. Your body thinks its starving and stops all activity it deems not necessary for survival. Biotin doesn't stop the hair loss, but it does help with regrowth. My nails are growing longer/thicker than ever and I have a bunch of new Hair growth in my head popping out.

Make sure you are getting all of your Protein in that is the major key to the hair loss. I also started using Revita about 3 months post op. It doesn't stop Hair loss but it causes your hair follicles to grow hair quicker and begin growth in places that no longer would grow back. I figured if I was going to lose hair I might as well get it started growing back quicker. It worked great for me! You can order it on Amazon with the conditioner for about 35.00. Best of luck to you!

Sorry about that and soon I will be shedding along with everyone else

Try a high dosage of Biotin and take a msm pill which is also used for hair thinning, msm pills can be purchased online, cvs and walgreen...you can google all the good things msm pills are good for

Most people begin to lose hair at, or around, 3 months post op....I'm a few days shy of 2 months & am a hair shedding machine....seriously, if I were to shake my head near my 3 year old I'm afraid I'd bury her in a sea of (my former) golden locks....of all the things to be "advanced" in...

Most people begin to lose hair at, or around, 3 months post op....I'm a few days shy of 2 months & am a hair shedding machine....seriously, if I were to shake my head near my 3 year old I'm afraid I'd bury her in a sea of (my former) golden locks....of all the things to be "advanced" in...

I've mentioned on another forum Biotin, you can buy at Walmart. Suppose to be good for hair, nails and skin. I get sleeved in Sept so started it now to see if it will help.