Daisee68

Yes you need to lose more - or at least to most doctors - you need to be at or VERY close to goal weight. If you had surgeries sooner than that, you are at risk of having more loose skin and having to redo the procedures. I saw my plastic surgeon right at 1 year post-op and wanted to know if he thought I should lose more. (I am 5'10" and was at 180 at that visit.) He said he thought I looked fine but if I wanted to lose more, that I must do it before surgery (and even then he felt like 5 or 10 pounds more ONLY).

@@Heather I - I did buy some Julie fit pants from Loft today. They are "skinny" which are ankle pants and when I came out of the dressing room, the lady laughed. I said "what?!" She said "those are supposed to be ankle pants! They are capri length on you!" LOL! I actually liked the length of them. I am still a little self-conscious as they seem a bit tight but she assured me it wasn't, so hoping they will be ok. I tried on the Julie trousers though and it just didn't seem quite right. I am considering ordering them in Tall online and then I can return them if I don't like them.... Thanks again to all for all the great advice! I have always wanted to use a personal shopper but was intimidated. I may just try that - after plastics. For now, I have enough dresses and skirts to get me through until the winter. (Luckily "winter" is quite later here in Texas than for many of you.) Oh and I think I saw that The Limited actually does free personal shopping too. Of course their "Tall" pants are online only like most. I know once I find the style and cut I like, all will be good. Meanwhile, I will remain anxious about this job coming up. My life of leisure is ending too soon! AHHHHHH!!!!!

@@RedE2Go - One other thought. I am having plastics soon out of town and I won't be able to have someone with me the entire 2 1/2 weeks I will be there. I will be staying in a hotel and I will have people there some, BUT even with that, my dr recommended a home health care company that specializes in surgery rehab that I can hire to come by to check on me and take care of some tasks - drains, wound care, etc - even driving to dr appts and errands. I haven't checked in to the cost yet, but I wonder if you might be able to find a local company that could do similar for you? I don't know if that is something covered by insurance or not, but if you are under medicare and alone, it would be worth asking. Just a thought...

Thanks for all the kind words and encouragement!! @@AvaFern - Thanks for the tips on NY&Co. I did try their pants a few months back (Easter actually) and even the signature fit horribly. They came WAY down on my backside (like thank goodness I still wear granny panties! ) I am having my first plastics in October which is LBL including outer thigh lift and butt lift, so I know that some of my pant "problems" should improve afterwards. Meanwhile, I have a ton of cute fit-and-flare dresses which accentuate my waist and hide my droopy thighs and butt, so they will likely be my go to. And luckily I am in TX where it will be hot enough to wear dresses and sandals for quite some time. Best of luck with law school!! What an exciting adventure! @@gowalking - You are right that somedays it all looks good and somedays not so much!! @@marlynn8502 - Girl you will get there! Just wait and see. It is an EXCITING ride! @@desdeemona52 - You know I have never considered thrift really because they have never had anything that fit. Might be worth a shot now. @@KristenLe - Thanks. I have a TON of cute tops from TJMaxx. LOVE that I can shop there now. Tall pants to go with the tops - not so much. I love The Limited but I cannot quite figure out the cuts of pants. I know I just have to be less intimidated and go in there and ask for help. Maybe today.... PS - To you all - I am so grateful for this site! Seriously who else would understand this being an emotional issue for me except you guys!! Much LOVE!

Oh man! I have been working from home for 7 months (since 7 months post-op) and starting back in an office next week. I hadn't even considered the random food lying around challenge! Give me strength!!

Beans do have Fiber and Protein (and carbs but a good source of carbs). But as @@eclecticwingtips, if it has been a while, you are likely going to need a med to get things moving. Outside of that, I have tried dried apricots and prunes. (They are very high sugar so be careful and don't eat too much.) I find that apples (with the skin) really help too. I am almost 14 months post-op and still have this issue. As you said, it is the high protein diet.

As @VSGAnn14 said, most insurance will not pay for it now (mine very specifically excluded it unless there were issues prior) so drs do not remove them at the same time as WLS as they used to. I have been having some pain off and on in the gallbladder area since about 3 months post-op but they have done several tests and say it is fine. My Dr said it is probably a "sphincter of oddi" issue and have given me Bentyl to take as needed. It is a "smooth muscle" relaxer which is also prescribed for IBS and it does the trick. I would prefer not to be on a med like this but Dr (both bariatric surgeon and a GI specialist I saw) assure me it is a very safe med. So until the pain (really not pain but more of a small ache) disrupts my life, I will let it be I suppose. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

You definitely shouldn't drive 3 hours home on your own (and as others said it is unlikely they will let you leave the hospital without someone driving). Having said that, I was in the hospital 1 night and then my mom stayed with me 1 night at home and then I was fine on my own. I did have people close by if I needed them and had to promise not to drive anywhere for a week but I drove myself to my post-op appt 10 days post op with no issues. Hopefully one of your children could come for just a couple of days. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

You will get there. That is actually pretty good for so soon out. It should get a lot easier in the next few days when the swelling has gone down. I remember day 8 suddenly being able to drink more water!

@@taracutch - Glad you are feeling better. Sometimes something will work one day but not the next (and vice versa). So if it doesn't work now (even thinned down), just put it away for now and try again in a few weeks.

Yes you likely ate too much. Or maybe it was a bit too dense. If you eat it again, try to thin it a little more and eat slower. In the beginning I Had to set a timer for 2 minutes and only take a bite when the timer went off. Also helps to use a small soon. In the meantime, I don't have a great answer for you. Sometimes walking helps and it will eventually go down. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

FYI, not that I am condoning this but hand weights in your various pockets strategically placed for a weigh-in can help make sure you are at a weight above 35 BMI. I don't have to do that as my BMI was 46 but I read that someone here as. Just sayin'. And you are right, this is a CRAZY system! Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Most awkward for me is the folks who honest to goodness do not recognize. Like really takes them a while or I have to speak before they figure it out. And then they go on and on about how they don't recognize me. Sometimes it is funny but mostly it is uncomfortable.

That doesn't sound normal. Are you lactose intolerant? Maybe try a lactaid pill (or whatever they are called) before you drink it? If not, it could be something in them so you might try a different brand. Premier Protein ready to drink is very good and I use Precision Engineered whey Protein Isolate powder which I love. Good luck! There are a ton out there so no need to suffer!

Anyone need some Calcium supplements? (This is not spam. I am not able to take Calcium due to the way my body processes calcium and forms kidney stones.) I had auto-ship on BariActiv Calcium + D3 & Magnesium chewable supplements with my Nascobal (B12 nasal spray) and despite my asking them to stop shipping them, they could not. Happy to ship them to you for free. Just send me a PM with your mailing address. They are still sealed....

Sorry. Just realized this is an old post. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@Annie_Smith - I did have those issues and it turned out to be a stricture (narrowing of stomach exit due to scar tissue overgrowth). It is easily diagnosed and corrected with an EGD and balloon dilation. If you continue to vomit, you should press your surgeon into doing an EGD. If he won't, you should be able to find a GI Dr who will. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

@@Jesm1029 - Supposedly rule of thumb is waiting to you are at goal and stable for 6 no the to a year before having surgery. My NUT is insistent that I wait at least 18 months to 24 months post-op to have surgery. Having said that, I reached goal at 1 year and had my PS consultation right at 1 year and have scheduled my first surgery for October which will be 16 months post-op. My plastics surgeon just asks that you are at goal and stable for 3 months (which I will be). My bariatric surgeon and counselor (and various other drs) are fine with me preceding now. There are a few folks on here who had surgery less than a year out but I think when you get to or close to goal is really a better determination. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

It is even a fairly small percent with bypass. I had bypass and do not dump. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

My understanding is that Biotin does not stop hair loss, it just helps it regrow faster. Make sure you are taking your Vitamins and all your Protein, but still fast weight loss can lead to some hair loss. If you have thyroid issues already, hair loss may be exacerbated so be sure to keep an eye out for other hypothyroid symptoms and get it checked and meds adjusted. Otherwise, just hang in there and know that it won't be forever. On the loose skin, I don't think there is really much to prevent it. As james said, it depends on how much you have to lose, how fast you lose, genetics, age, etc. I am 48 and lost an average of 10 pounds per month for 12 months. My loose skin didn't really show up too bad until the last 30 pounds and now it is bad. I will have to have plastics to correct. I will say though, I was afraid of both of these things too for YEARS which kept me from preventing doing it. I wish I hadn't been scared and did it sooner and younger.

Are you taking thyroid med and if so, when did you last have it checked and possibly adjusted? Hypothyroid can make you very tired and prohibit weight loss. Be sure that is treated appropriately. I would go back to logging. You say you are very aware of what you eat but without logging, do you know how many grams of Protein / carbs / fat and calories you are getting? food logs are very helpful to identify areas you might be able to improve. Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

I think @JaimeLogical had TT before WLS. You might message her if she doesn't see this tag (not sure if I spelled it exactly right). Sent from my HTC One M9 using the BariatricPal App

Yep - what @@Cervidae - sounds like reflux. Even pre-op, I would go through these strange periods of STARVING feeling and it would take me a week to realize each time it was reflux. Once I would take a round of meds for a few weeks, it would go away for a few months and then come back.

I'm sorry you haven't received a response. I am afraid I don't have same insurance but I just wanted to respond and say don't give up!!