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I have minimal dog ears from my breast reduction surgery done back in 2000. I never bothered having them removed because they were so small. I have numbness over much of my scarring all of these years later.

Every single time. I guess that could be a good thing, because they really aren't good for you. I ordered some wings today thinking they would be dry rubbed and not fried but I was wrong. Just a couple bites and I was sick. I still am. Blah. Anyone else with problems with greasy foods? I don't know if this is going to be a forever thing or what.

I am losing a lot of hair right now. My hair used to be very very thick and I had to start taking a chemo drug for my RA so to me, it is pretty thin. Now with the trauma of surgery, I feel like handfuls are coming out in the shower at night. Of course all during the day as well. I wonder if one day I am going to wake up to nothing!

I have had a few stalls and it is a little frustrating, but I know it will come. I have been having to heal myself and at most times have been unable to eat and sometimes drink. My body has gone into starvation, I am sure. I just wish it would go out! When I lose, I lose basically a pound a day. Seeing those same numbers every time I get on the scale is discouraging at times.

I have an allergy to the adhesive used in the bandages. They used some type of glue to close my incisions, and I did just fine with that. My problem was with the IV, all of the blood draws, etc. Sometimes they did them in the middle of the night and did not pay attention to my chart and put things on me they should not have. Both of my forearms are discolored and took forever for the rash and raised skin to go away.

While I know that isn't huge, it felt soooo good. I am not getting as winded uphill and I have not had to stop. I have been picking up my pace and it actually feels really good!! I am getting excited because I feel like pretty soon I may be able to start with riding my bike again. There used to be a time where I either walked or rode my bike everyday and it really felt good. Then my Rheumatoid Arthritis got really bad and I was not able to exercise and I ended up putting on the weight that I had lost with diet and exercise. I guess I lost about 125 lbs back then. I will say I did not put it all back on, but as much as I lost and gained, lost and gained, I probably put it all and then some back on. At any rate, I never thought a walk could feel so good! Woot woot!

Not far from.... NoVa

I know I have hardly eaten today because I have had quite a bit of nausea. I half way feel full and hungry all at the same time! Makes no sense! Does anyone else have that issue?

I have a lot of other health issues and I think the first dr was going for the band because it is something that could be reversed if need be. He does all of the surgeries. I somehow seemed to get him on call when I ended up back in the hospital a couple of times. He did a friend of mines sleeve and her husbands bypass and they have done fine. My dr just kept telling me to have patience because he felt like my hernia repair was a little tight and needed time to loosen but I felt like it must be a stricture. I even told him a couple of weeks ago things were tightening up again and he kind of acted like that couldn't be the case. I am so thankful for the first dr. He is the only one that is listening to me these days! He is being pro-active at this point and even admitting that none of them appreciated the fact that it could have been a stricture so early in the game. You know I lost some weight prior to the surgery and the rest after. I also had a 3 week stall.

It was 5 mm. He did 5 mm again this time. The last time he went from 14 to 19 and this time he went from 15 to 20. So it all came back, for the most part. I took a two hour nap with one of my kitties and now I am just chilling. I am going back in 2 weeks to have another. When I talked to him yesterday he told me he had talked with my surgeon who had told him I was doing fine. I bluntly let him know that my surgeons idea of doing fine and my idea of doing fine were two different things. The dr who has done both of these endoscopies was not my surgeon. I actually did see him in the beginning and he recommended I have the lapband, and when I got a 2nd opinion, the second one recommended I have bypass. They are both from the same group and both hardcore wanting to do different surgeries on me. The lapband would be bad for me because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis. My cells would just attack it all the time which would leave me in horrible pain, so I knew I couldn't do that. The funny thing is that ever since my surgery, whenever I have been back inpatient or in need of these endoscopies, it was the initial surgeon who has taken care of me other than routine follow ups. I am not certain exactly what the opening should be, but in the pictures, mine is obviously closed both times.

Is there anyone in the Woodbridge area? I would love to find a walking buddy!

Dr. Halmi is with BP. He did my surgery.

I went up to the surgeons office yesterday because in my opinion, they were taking too long to get me in, and I was pretty upset. For a week they had been telling me they were doing it, they were doing it. The dr came out and talked to me and he got me in this morning. My stricture was back down to just one millimeter above what it was when they did it last time. He dilated it 5 mm just like he did last time and I am set to go back in 2 weeks to have it done again. Right now I am just very sleepy feeling and I will probably conk out here in a few minutes.

I went into the surgeons office today and demanded they get me in for the endoscopy. They have been a week telling me they are trying to schedule me. The dr came out and sat down and talked to me and got me in tomorrow morning. So I am scheduled to be under at 730 am tomorrow.

I am having issues with strictures and being able to eat and drink right now. It takes me all day to sit here and take my medicine. I do take Vit D already as prescribed by my Rheumatologist. I take 50,000 IU two times a week. I may see abut this Biotin shampoo. Thanks everyone!!!

It already falls out because of the chemotherapy I take, but I have been off of that since the end of June. I can only guess it is due to the surgery. I am just hoping it stops falling out at some point. With the small dose of chemo I take every week, I do have regrowth. With this, it just seems like it is falling out with now recovery! Is this going on with anyone else, or has it happened to you? Does it come back in at some point?

Wearing clothes that you haven't worn in years!

I'm doing ok. I have been able to eat and drink, but I still need the endoscopy. I will have that this week. I can't wait to get to a place where I won't be going through all of this and life will be normal...as it can be after this surgery.

I was just looking at my scars before I got in the shower and noticed that the belly button scar has absolutely no color to it and if you didn't know it was there, you wouldn't even see it. My other 5 scars are red and so much more obvious. Is this the case with anyone else?

I would get that test sooner rather than later for sure. I had it also and started using the CPAP machine. Not long after my surgery I was cured. Such a good thing. I probably should have had the sleep study long before I did. OSA is a dangerous thing.

I am thinking of going. I was never a binge eater and I have not been an emotional eater in years. The reason I would go would be the support of people who are going through the same thing as me.

On the days you don't go walking, you wish you had because it just feels good!

I think you are doing great! I had a pretty rough start and have only been able to start walking within the last few weeks. It actually feels really good to walk and on the days I am not doing it, I want to be doing it! What would be better is having a walking buddy who is in the same stages as I am. Keep up the good work! I think they gave me some info on what to be doing as far as exercise after surgery, but I am not sure. I think your body will tell you if you are overdoing it.

That just made me think of trying to have a smoothie and using frozen bananas.

Aww. Thank you so much for that. I am hanging in there for right now!