no onions

Hi all, I have a Dr. appt on Friday, but in advance, I'd like your (personal post-op or professional) opinion(s) on whether my incisions look ok - they are not pretty. I am 5 weeks out and the dermabond glue is just now starting to fall off. The glue fell off of the upper incision this morning (photo img_0354) in the shower and that particular incision looks very red to me. It is possible that it became irritated by my undershirt moving against it. Overall, I feel pretty good, my incisions do not hurt, they are slightly warm (if at all), but they do itch a bit. In any event, your thoughts? Thanks in advance.

This is almost exactly what my Dr said. Not infected, use Benedryl to stop the itching. Should improve over time. The glue is almost completely gone as of today. Thanks again everyone for your comments.

Thanks everyone! I will update this thread on Friday with the results (Dr review).

@Shustar LOL - nope. And let me tell you - I think it itches more where the hair is growing back.

Cw for this week is 278. Thanks!

@@FocusOnMeNow My employer excluded it (bariatric surgery) from our regular PPO policy, but had the second High deductible policy available. Maybe there is an alternate plan? Just a thought. I also used my HSA to pay for everything to date. I maxed out my contribution to cover my max. out of pocket and a little extra.

I don't think so, but if it comes from my back, that would be just fine. No more waxing! Or if I had to shave my face less frequently that would be great too.

@@SMOKEY2112 The Dr. and I sat in his office and I made my best guess for each year. The form was provided by my surgeon, so I'm not sure if it was an insurance requirement or not. There were a few other questions on the form and the Dr. signed it and faxed it to the surgeon's office.

I like the one below. I recently read it in an essay concerning loss (Sheryl Sandberg's): "Option A is not available. So let's just kick the shit out of option B."

I'm still waiting and I will be 5 weeks this Wednesday. My glue hasn't fallen off yet, but it's about ready (and boy do the incisions itch). I haven't been able to be in our pool the entire summer so far (we opened late - I hate green pools).

I take a nasal b12 once a week. I think it's called nascom.

I haven't felt any guilt. I have had fleeting (seconds) moments of "what have I done" and then I remind myself that 20 years of dieting failed and this is my solution. I probably feel some guilt about all the time I wasted before, events that I skipped with family and friends, etc.

Hi, I experienced something similar with pulling but not stabbing pain to the left of my belly button area. It was not at my incision site. This also happened in my second week. It did get better for me after a couple of weeks, but I did go to the surgeon and made them check me out, just in case. My anxiety got the better of me. Are you taking pain medication? I did and it was very helpful. I found sleeping in an elevated position (head at an angle) helped too. Good luck to you and I hope you get some answers soon and feel better! By the way, can they not expedite blood work? A week seems like a long time to me.

So I started this at my highest weight ever of 337lbs. My ultimate goal is to be in the healthy BMI range and no longer need cpap (if I'm lucky). I think I need to set mini-goals on the way there. What kinds of things have you all done? My current weight is 289 lbs and I'm thinking the following -- 1. First consecutive 4 weeks of going to the gym: live theater tickets. I love to go but the seats had become uncomfortable. 2. Hitting 237 lbs - I'm a gadget person and I really want an Apple Watch. Maybe tennis lessons? 3. Below 200 lbs - I'm thinking some kind of vacation. Maybe tropical and beachy? In the past I might have used food as a motivator. That obviously doesn't work for me!

@@KDM74 Who told you it wasn't covered? That would be like your employer not covering you for WLS surgery if you were self-pay. I don't think they need to know what specifically you're having done - if a Dr. indicates that you need to be out for recovery then I do not understand why you couldn't take advantage of FMLA. I think there are exceptions for really small companies/businesses. Let us know what you find out.

I'm not sure how I managed to find the topic, but someone was recently lamenting (the loss of) and questioning his/her ability to drink at college parties (at the ripe ol' age of 20 something). The question was posed in possibly the most immature way. Ever just want to shake people and/or give them a virtual kick in the ass? My initial thought was, really? Grow the F up and get your priorities straight. The OP sort-of (iffy) redeemed the question later in the thread, but still. Anyway, I'm not linking to the thread and/or mentioning names, but for the love of whatever, think before you post something. The OP is lucky people didn't go off on her - I know some of you rant & ravers were in the thread and showed major restraint.

@@VSGAnn2014 Not funny, not funny! :-) That's what I kept telling myself as I laughed and couldn't stop. Now I have a sore abdomen! In all fairness, sneezed really big last night, so it was already sore.

More of a vent and share here. So, I took a new prescription last night (Prilosec) which will eventually replace Pepcid. I ate late, but an appropriate amount. Went to bed, had some twinges and took a Percocet. No big deal, right? Woke up this morning feeling nauseous, headache, very dry mouth and overall exhausted. Thinking I could be slightly dehydrated, I mixed about 8oz of Water with 4oz of apple juice and drank it over about 30 minutes. Well about 20 minutes later gas and cramping. Impossible (!) as I'm constipated slightly (or maybe more), or so I thought. Long story (I know), but who knew you could be constipated and have diarrhea at the same time! For the love of whatever... that doesn't need to ever happen again! I've felt craptastic all day long and have just tried to stay hydrated - food -- out of the question for most of the day, going to try some broth tonight though. Side note: prior to surgery I took Rx to keep me from dumping (gallbladder side effect) and haven't taken it since as I've been slightly constipated, going every 2-3 days.

I hadn't heard of this before. We call it a hog/pig roast here. Not that food was the main subject of your story. I'm feeling food focused tonight! I'm glad you found someone so close that you can talk to. Side note: my grandma used to make something called "Pig Pickin' Cake" -- it was really good (if I'm remembering correctly).

I am 4 weeks out today. Tonight I'm eating approx. 2oz of deli chicken wrapped around approx. 1oz sliced Babybel cheese. I use approximately above because both are slightly fewer in ounces. I've been working on dinner for a couple of hours and I'm at the point where I'm going to wrap it up and put it away. I have to go to bed sometime! I ate almost 1/4 cup of Cream of Wheat this morning - that's the most I've been able to do in one sitting.

Lots of advice and good discussion on this thread. The health aspect certainly matters to me and is number one, but I would be lying to say my self-esteem wouldn't play a huge part in any decision related to further surgeries. Better believe if I have rashes or skin infections or something of the like, I will do something. Most of the surgeries are pretty involved (from what I've read), so I would recommend doing your research (if you're interested) and also consulting with a reputable surgeon.

I'm about to go into the insurance and finance section to post the costs associated with my WLS surgery, plus the insurance costs (once I'm sure all of the bills have come in) -- so I think it's completely fine to ask questions about any costs (for any surgery). I know where you are coming from though - I remember asking someone how much their house cost as a little kid and receiving a pretty quick correction from my mom. :-) I wouldn't do anything like that now (house/car). Ok - back to my Babybel cheese and deli chicken. I've been at it for 2 hours!

@@lisemaria I'm having similar issues with not being hungry and I will be 4 weeks out Wednesday (this week). My main concern is not getting the proper nutrition to heal properly and/or causing long term problems. I've made it a point to try and get more Protein (close to 60 a day, but not always) and take my Vitamins. I'm doing better on Water. I just started soft foods this weekend and have managed to have one meal each day that qualifies. Regardless, I'm consuming less than 500 calories a day and I'm not sure how that is sustainable. I have an appointment this Friday with the nutritionist that I saw before my surgery -- I'm hoping for some effective strategies to improve my nutrition or for her to confirm that my current path is ok. What a problem we have, huh? :-)

It was a fear for me since vomiting occurred with a previous surgery. This time they placed an anti-nausea patch behind my ear and also gave me some anti-nausea meds in the IV (the one time I asked). I was able to control my own pain medication with a little handheld push button controller. I could press every 10 minutes if necessary. Good luck to you.

@@jengilligan Welcome! Out of curiosity what insurance do you have? Thanks!