bigbit

7 months in and no hair loss. I take Biotin twice a day, B12, D3, and a chewable Multi-Vitamin. Latest blood work from 2 weeks ago shows everything in normal range.

Elode,

You look great. And as a fisherman, that's a nice Crappie you landed. My one pleasure trip to your neck of the woods was to go bass fishing on Table Rock Lake.

@@sgc, to give you one reference point, I had my surgery just over 6 months ago and I am down 115 pounds - about 20 of that was pre-surgical liquid diet. So your expectations align with my experience to date. I agree with VDB that I wish I had done this sooner. Too many years of suffering at 400+ pounds. I'm 2 pounds away from breaking into the 2's!

I've had several, and each time they put the plastic bit in my mouth after having me swallow a liquid. I had to stay awake long enough for the tube to get past my tonsils, then it was sleepy time.

Requirements depend on your Insurance policy and the wording in the policy. I have Anthem Blue Cross (I'm in Southern California), and my policy dictated proving I participated in a weight loss program for at least 6 months in the past 2 years. I to had to have a minimum BMI of 40, or a lesser number if certain comorbidities existed. My pre-surgery BMI was 56+, so no issues there. I had to get Upper GI, Pulmonary and Cardio testing, psychological exam, approval from my primary care physician and specialists, nutritional consultation, and lots of waiting. I started working on getting the surgery in May 2015, and finally had the surgery in November. Since then, I am down 114 pounds, so it was worth the effort and wait.

Crotch swelling used to be a problem for me as a teenager, but in my 60's it's an event for celebration!

I like the little symphony of gurgles and noises my stomach makes after drinking fluids. It goes on for quite a while - like air bubbles are rising to the top of a container...

@@Elode, your surgeon did a great job. You should be happy, and I can tell you are!

I seem to be losing weight at different rates in different parts of my body.

I wore 5X shirts and pants when I started - I'm down to 4X on the shirts and still some 4X shirts are a bit snug. On the other hand, my pants are down to a 3X and I'm getting ready to go to a 2X. My surgeon said this is normal - that the belly goes last - but when I was younger, I was heavier in the legs.

I'll take the progress as it comes.

I'm halfway to goal - here's a before and "after"

Glad to hear that things went well!

Yes, the vagus nerve is the sneeze / nose run / hiccup button. It gets more easily irritated by the smaller stomach capacity, I have suffered all of the above symptoms.

I *HATE* Walmart and stay away at all costs...

I'll never be able to watch The Big Bang Theory in the same way again!

I started at 415, with an all-time high of 426. I had the surgery last November, a month before my 61st birthday.

Right now I'm at 309. I can't report anything unusual to date; everything has been good with little pain and good progress.

I empathize with all of your frustrations: the chairs in restaurants (especially booths), airplane seats, event seats, etc. Next Monday I'll be on my first airplane flight since taking off over 100 lbs. I'm anxious to see how things go.

Obviously, the health improvements have been great. I can walk now without getting winded; climbing stairs is pain-free and easier; I can sit in a stadium seat with someone next to me, etc., etc. But I still have a ways to go, being slightly less than halfway to my goal. Blood pressure is way down, heart rate is down, all my blood numbers look great. For me, this was the right thing to do.

Elode,

I hope your surgery goes well and with a quick recovery!

Slime is like this whitish foamy liquid that you regurgitate when you have over eaten.

Fat: 1 gram = 9 calories
Protein: 1 gram = 4 calories
Carbohydrates: 1 gram = 4 calories
Alcohol: 1 gram = 7 calories

Alcohol is second only to Fat in calories per gram, and is quickly absorbable. Like @@con con said, alcoholic drinks contain a lot of empty calories, along with the potential to bring on poor judgment. It's your business what you do in regards to alcohol consumption, but I pretty much swore it off back in 1988 when I first learned the above facts. I haven't gone completely dry, but I can count on one hand how many alcoholic drinks I have in a year. My view is that I have enough trouble controlling caloric intake from food without compounding the problem with alcohol.

Sure.

I never responded well to drugs like Asacol and Colazal, and eventually, my gastro put me on Entocort (budesonide capsules) several years ago. Since then, I have been in relative remission (occasional minor flares). I have not done the Remicade route; we are holding that back as a last resort.

I found that the first month or two after surgery, I was having problems with what I would classify as a flare. I changed the Protein shakes I was taking to lactose-free ones and I have been doing much better. I use the Bariatric Advantage Lactose-free Protein powder, and Lean Body On-The-Go and Slimfast lactose-free shakes and I seem to tolerate these much better.

I can't comment on the impact Remicade could have on your VSG; I do know that Remicade does reduce your ability to fight infections, etc.

I have been diagnosed since 1983 with Ulcerative Colitis and have had many colonoscopies over the years, but none since my VSG last November.

Based on my experience, I wouldn't worry about the colonoscopy itself but rather the prep. The scope only goes through your lower intestine and nowhere near the stomach. However, the prep itself is like the liquid diet one goes through with VSG surgery, only just for a day or two, plus the taking of laxative preps.

My concern would be with the very strong laxatives you will need to take to prep your colon the day before surgery. There are two options for a prep solution - one is called Go Lytely, which one must drink large quantities of as part of the prep, or a second one whose name I've forgotten, where you need to drink two full glassfuls. I would think the second type would be better for your situation.

I'd talk to both your Bariatric surgeon and your gastro about your situation and see if there should be any adjustment made to the prep quantities or procedures to accommodate your sleeve.

I'm 61. I started the pre-op diet on 10/13/15 and had surgery on 11/3/15. Down 94 pounds so far. As Craig said, it takes focus, work, and determination, but the procedure is a valuable tool to keep you on track.

No drain.

Don't know if there are any recovery time differences between a straight sleeve and a band-to-sleeve conversion. I had sleeve surgery in November, and was out 14 work days before returning. The first 5 days I used sick leave and for the rest I collected STD.

I would advise your being referred to a gastroenterologist. You need to know if this is a specific food reaction, IBS, Colitis, or something else. I've had Colitis since 1983 and my gastro is great, and has seen me through it all, including my WLS.

Agree with the other posters - most likely residual gas pain from the surgery, and it may migrate to your shoulder area before the gas has a chance to dissipate from your body.