JamieLogical

High protein and more exercise. You know what to do. The fact you haven't regained much is very encouraging!

Oh, one thing I forgot to mention is that OCC gives you a happy pill prior to surgery to alleviate anxiety. I definitely wasn't caring about much by the time they took me into the OR.

Well, if it's any consolation at all, it will likely get easier as time passes. Your stomach is still healing and still being rather picky about things at this point. Once you are healed up, it will be less of an issue. And once you start getting some blood work done and get an idea of your levels, you might be able to cut your dosage or even change brands. I'm coming off of my extra calcium now. I had gone down to only once a day and now my doctor wants me to come off of it entirely.

Fitness goals are a great way to stay motivated throughout the weight loss phase and in maintenance. For me, it's hard to just work out every day without a sense of purpose. Having a training program that I can stick to and feel like I'm actually making "progress" keeps me from getting bored or lazy.

@@Valentina I have read dozens of posts from people who had surgery in the US and ended up in the ER with dehydration post-op. You aren't going to receive care from your bariatric surgeon for dehydration whether you have surgery in the US or Mexico or anywhere. You are going to receive treatment from the ER or Urgent Care staff in that case. I am sure it would be similar (though I haven't read personal accounts) if you ended up in the ER for DVT. Those are the kinds of things you would need to go to the ER for immediate attention, not wait until the next time you can get an appointment with your surgeon. The only cases I can really foresee where your bariatric surgeon would need to physically be in contact with you is for a leak or stricture. Leaks more than a day or two post-op are EXTREMELY rare. So if you were to have one, you would still be in Mexico. My surgeon performed two leak tests... one during surgery and a barium swallow test two days post-op. Stricture, on the other hand, there is a valid case to be made that wouldn't be detected until after you were home and you would likely have to find a doctor/surgeon locally who could help treat it. Are there risks associated with surgery in Mexico? Of course. There are risks associated with ALL surgeries. Are those risks significantly higher than having surgery in the US, I don't think they are. It's up to each individual to assess those risks and figure out what their risk tolerance is. I don't think the decision to have surgery in Mexico is a reflection on ones value for oneself. Trust and believe that I value myself VERY highly. Self esteem and self love have never been among my issues. Well, if anything, maybe in the opposite direction where I maybe put TOO MUCH value on myself and not enough on others. I am a very logical, rational, and analytical person. I do my due diligence and am confident in every decision I make. I did not take the decision to have surgery lightly. I did not take the decision to have surgery in Mexico lightly. I did probably hundreds of hours of total research ahead of time.

I haven't looked into prices yet. I'm about to start. I know my insurance company doesn't cover plastic surgery, so I've been taking my time since I'll be paying out of pocket. Prices do range very widely. I encourage you not to make a decision entirely just on price, because plastics is really NOT an area where you want to skimp. I don't know how you feel about traveling for plastics, but there are EXCELLENT options in Mexico for very reasonable prices with incredibly skilled surgeons. There are also specific areas of the US where some surgeons offer very competitive pricing, but still have excellent results. I went to Mexico for my plastics (tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation) and will be going back for a thigh lift in September. Originally I started looking into Mexico purely for the cost savings (it's about 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of the US), but I actually realized that going to Mexico gave me much more control over my decision. Where I live in the US, there are only about three practicing plastic surgeons who could/would do the kind of work I needed. That's not a whole lot to choose from. By being open to the idea of traveling, I really had my pick of surgeons. I also learned about the much better aftercare provided with Medical Tourism. If you have plastics in the US, you are discharged back to your house to fend for yourself the day after surgery or, in some cases, even the day OF surgery. Most surgeons abroad are affiliated with recovery houses or aftercare facilities where you can receive 24/7 support and assistance for days and even weeks post-op. So ultimately, even if surgery in Mexico cost exactly the same as it does in my home town, I would choose to travel for my plastics. My experience with my first round of plastics was so great. I can't imagine what it would have been like if I had been here in the US and I had to fend for myself or my husband had to take off of work to try to care for me. I was helpless as a newborn those first couple of days after my tummy tuck. Literally couldn't even use the bathroom myself!

What was your highest weight? I just can't imagine going through major surgery if my highest weight was 167lbs. But - I guess if I did I wouldn't have gotten to 289lbs. My highest weight was 270. I'd been as low as the 170's on my own once and below 200 several times. When I decided to get sleeved, I was 260. I knew I could lose the weight again on my own, but I also knew that I'd regained it 100% of the time in the past so something needed to be different this time. And since they don't typically perform WLS on skinny people, I decided I should have it while I was still fat.

Definitely get up and walk at every opportunity. Don't hesitate to ask flight attendants or other passengers for help with your luggage. Other passengers were happy to help put my bag in the overhead for me and to life my bag off the belt at luggage claim for me. People are really very friendly if you give them a chance. Ask for Apple juice AND water to drink. Straight apple juice may be a little too much to handle, so water it down.

For me, the sleeve was about weight *maintenance*, not weight loss. I had managed to lose significant amounts of weight on my own many times, but could never maintain that loss. So it doesn't matter whether someone has 50 pounds or 150 pounds to lose. If they can't maintain a healthy weight on their own once the get there, WLS can be a great tool for them.

The gas lasted a good 4 days or so for me. Definitely not fun. Try marching in place. That helped me some.

I never had any need for bariatric-specific treatment post-op. I had lots of questions, but those were all easily handled via phone, email, or Skype with my surgical team. The only physical follow-up I've needed is blood work and monitoring of my vitals, which my PCP has had no trouble handling. I had visits and blood work with my PCP at 2 months, 4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, and now just as part of my annual physical.

Congratulations. Plastics are an important step for a lot of us and a reward for all of our hard work.

Mexico is a fantastic option for self-pay. It's so much cheaper and you get your pick of world class surgeons. In the US, you are limited to whatever surgeons happen to serve your local area, unless you are considering traveling within the US for surgery. Depending on which surgeon you choose in Mexico, you can also receive fantastic follow-up care. I'm almost 20 months post-op, but I know that if I called or emailed OCC today with a question, I'd receive an answer within the hour. I have my PCP do my blood work to make sure I'm good with all my Vitamins and such. I have never once thought to myself "I wish I'd had my surgery here in the US".

It's normal to be anxious at this point. Try focusing on what you need to be doing day to day instead of thinking too far down the road. That helped me. There was a lot I needed to do to prepare, plus my pre-op diet. So I just tried to focus on those things and not think too much about the future.

You should be done losing weight, so pretty much at your goal. And ideally you want to have maintained that weight for close to 12 months, though some people only wait 6-8 months. DO NOT rely on skin removal to result in any significant weight loss in and of itself. Yes, the skin that is removed will have some weight to it, but between months of swelling and at least several weeks of limited activity, you will likely see a weight gain post-op. By the time everything is healed up, the swelling has gone down, and you are able to exercise regularly again, at best you can hope for things to even out weight-wise.

I've definitely seen no evidence that biotin does anything to prevent hair loss. But there is some support for the idea that it helps with regrowth. So it might be worth taking for hair strength and thickness when it does eventually regrow.

As @@AvaFern predicted. I'm going to disagree with her. At least partially. It really depends on what you are eating post-op. I personally make sure to take my bariatric Vitamins every single day because I definitely DO NOT get a lot of key nutrients from real food. I don't eat fruits or vegetables basically AT ALL. I put Protein first and my restriction is still so tight that it doesn't leave room for more than a bite or two of vegetables, so I usually just don't even bother. I rely on my vitamins to give me the nutrients I know I am missing from real foods. That being said, I really think you need to discuss your concerns about vitamins with your surgeon and come up with the best plan for YOU. This is YOUR journey and ultimately, everyone needs to figure out what will work for them long term. All of our experiences are unique to our own lives and bodies.

Not great I can only drink half a glass really and makes me feel sick.. that's with milk but I don't know if to just try Water with the powder :/ Sent from my SM-A500FU using the BariatricPal App I don't mean just Protein shakes. I mean overall protein intake from real food as well. How many grams of protein are you getting a day?

You should definitely work to get all of your protein in. It should be your second highest priority after getting all your water in. It is absolutely crucial to long-term health and success. Depending on WHY you aren't getting all your protein in, it could definitely be a contributing factor to your current stall. But understand that stalls will happen along the way, even if you are absolutely perfect with your water, protein, vitamins, and exercise. Weight loss is very rarely in a nice steady line, like we want it to be.

Welcome to BariatricPal! This site is full of great info, advice, and support. Some people might show a little "tough love", but please know that the VAST majority of us only have the best of intentions. So don't hesitate to post with your questions, concerns, accomplishments, etc.

Have you had blood work done to see if you have any deficiencies? How much protein are you getting daily? How much weight have you lost and are you still losing rapidly?

How are you doing on getting your protein in? At 5 months your restriction should still be tight enough that by putting protein first and getting in 100 grams a day, you just don't have the room for carbs.

It is incredibly common for people to experience "buyer's remorse" in the early days and weeks post-op. You are uncomfortable, you are tired all the time, you have hormones raging through your bloodstream, you are struggling with water and protein like it's a full time job, you are wondering if you will ever feel "normal" again. I promise you that it gets SO MUCH better. You WILL feel normal again. You will get things figured out. It will get easier to get your water and protein in. You will have more energy and be able to do more things. You just need to have a little patients to get through these rough days.

Without knowing more about the dynamics of your relationship, it's hard to say what the best course of action is. My husband did not agree with my decision to have surgery, but at least respected the fact that it was MY decision and he supported me afterward, because at that point there was no going back. Would I have liked him to understand? Of course. But I was grateful that he at least didn't fight me on it.

As long as you get up and start moving as soon as possible post-op, you have nothing to fear. WLS has a lower mortality rate than knee replacement, which is really saying something when you think about the fact that most WLS patients would be considered "higher risk" for surgery in the first place!