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@@BLERDgirl I'm thinking that when someone asks a question that is covered under FAQs we can point that person to that topic in FAQs. If Alex makes it easy to find the FAQs section by putting it in several places in the Webpage then that increases the chance of people finding the answers themselves without having to ask. If you find the article that you are mentioning above, please send me the link and I will be sure to include it.

Hi Vets, I checked with Alex and he gave me the go-ahead to collect information that would go into a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) Section that is easy to find on the Website (actually he asked if I could help coordinate it when I asked if we could do it)! That may help alleviate some of the concerns I've seen lately about re-answering questions over and over and give a resource to those that need it. I believe it would be easier than searching the forum because it is hard to figure out an exact topic to search at times and as a newbie, searching may not be the first thought of how to find information. The vets have been answering (or at least viewing) the questions over and over so I am posting this in the vets section because I feel you are the experts for this but am eager to also hear from people that are not vets as well. So three things I am asking for to collect the information for Alex to post: a) Topics for FAQs (see beginner list below) Information to put into the FAQs c) Helpful hints on how best to provide the information and set it up (any web experts out there that can help advise?) Do we need to separate out for sections for each type of procedure or is the information universal for all procedures? How best to collect the topics and information to go into the topics? (I know SharePoint would be good but I don't think we have that with this site.) I'm sure you long timers have a list of what should be there, but here is few to start: - Hormone changes after surgery and impact on mood - Alcohol when if at all? - What to bring to the hospital for surgery (I saw someone has started a list already so this one may be close to being done for content!) - Surgery in Mexico - Pre-Op diet - Post-op diet - Maintenance diet - How often should I weigh and pros and cons of different frequencies - Stalls and what to do - Plastic surgery - Surgery regret - Challenges pre-op - Challenges post-op - Challenges in maintenance - Insurance approval and what to do if not accepted - Helpful hints for each stage - What to drink to keep Water amounts to where they should be each day - What to eat to get in the Protein - What not to eat and why - What to expect day of surgery. - What exercise works best at each phase? - Thing I should definitely call my doctor right away about I know that we have many different inputs from our own doctors and NUTs and would need to preface the FAQs with the information that your doctor's and NUT's advice should be followed over what is posted here, but it is to give folks an idea of what we have been told by outs for our WLS. Any other ideas are welcome and appreciated! Thank you!

@@LipstickLady It is ok as long as everything was high protein, low carb!! LOL!

@@Babbs so I can work out and get my batwings and thunder thigh skin to be less of a problem! Good to know! Sounds like muffin top can't be taken down with the exercise... Thanks everyone!

What place on your body have you found the the excess skin to be the most annoying, problematic, irritating to you?

@@winklie Thank you!

@@LipstickLady Thanks for the link. I purchased mine so I can avoid the poopy pants!

What brand/type of probiotics are people using that work well?

@@LMolina1987 I was just thinking today about how happy I am that I had the surgery. It wasn't nearly as painful as I expected and recovery has been better than expected as well. I am 5 weeks post op and so happy with my weight loss so far. I didn't tell hardly anyone because I didn't want the naysayers voices in my head before, during and after surgery because it was my choice and I had done the research and asked the questions to lead me to this place in my life with decision to have WLS so their uninformed feedback was not desirable for me.

@@CowgirlJane Thank you for sharing! It is good to learn from others what to watch out for as you have gone down this path before many of us and I prefer to not learn the hard way if at all possible!

@@pink dahlia I had the sleeve and have that problem but also have IBS so that may not be a good indicator.

Why do you feel you were unsuccessful at your first bariatric surgery attempt?

@@LipstickLady thanks for sharing! Now I know some of the things I have been thinking are short term (I am 4 weeks post surgery) are not! Good to know so I can mentally prepare myself that this will continue! I have been warm-natured my whole life even when I was slimmer and almost always warm and would get nauseous when too warm. The last week I have gotten cold faster than anyone and am tolerating warmer temperatures better than I ever did. I would rather be cold-natured than warm as I can add more clothes, move around more to warm up, use blankets, drink warm beverages, etc to warm up. Good to know this may be a long term side effect! I may even be able to wear long sleeve shirts and sweaters instead of short sleeves in the Illinois winter!

I am in my fourth week after surgery and I too am still hungry. I am able to eat about 1/3 a cup of food max at a time and then 3-4 hours later, I am hungry again and I have been eating again because my stomach hurts and I feel weak. If I wait too long between eating something, I am so hungry that I tend to eat too fast and then my new stomach lets me know on no uncertain terms is that acceptable! I've still continued to lose weight and when I told the doctor I was doing this over the last week, he didn't seem concerned. I am making sure that Protein is what I am eating and my overall calories per day is a total of 700 to 800. Most of the posts I have seen the doctors suggest they eat only 3 times a day so what I am doing may not be the correct way of doing it but it is working best for me. For my weight loss journey I do not weigh every day but approximately once a week. I am in it for the long haul so if I lose weight slower than most, I am ok with that because it is a journey , not a sprint for me. Every day is a new adventure as I'm not sure what will happen next. I'm sure things will stabilize at some point, but for now I try to listen to my body and do what makes sense for me. I am keeping my carbs below 50 grams per day (usually less) because I am worried that if I have any carbs only food and it goes well, I might keep going with them and then this surgery will be for not! I still have the head hunger for carbs that i fight every day. Hoping that goes away at some point.

You do not have to deal with anyone that treats you in a way that is hurting you physically, mentally or emotionally even if it is a family member and even if they hold finances over you like that, you just need to find a way to make it without those fiances somehow because the price is too high.

@@JamieLogical what are you eating to be able to get in 100 grams of protein a day without shakes?

For me sitting up straight or semi-straight was not too good for a few weeks after surgery. It will help if your car seat can lean back some.

I've been drinking my water 64 oz a day and moisturizing. I'm only 52 years young. But I live in Illinois and have been in Florida since Friday so maybe I just need more fluids in Florida 90f temps than in Illinois. Thanks everyone for the suggestions! Next goal is to get my hands to look as pretty as yours!

You need to talk to your doctor to see if it is physical and if it isn't then NUT to see if it what you are eating and then psychiatrist and maybe not in that order. Hugs to you as you get over this hump.

So I have lost almost 40 lbs with pre-surgery diet and post surgery. I've noticed (as did my 26 year old son who usually notices nothing so it must be fairly noticeable) that the back of my hands look very wrinkled and old. Is this due to weight loss in my hands and will it stay this way or eventually go back to not as wrinkly?

Yes doctor actively encouraged the flu shot.

@@Fame and @@anna9/15 I am 3 weeks 2 days post surgery and have had a couple of meltdowns and a little bit of regret but have focused more on staying busy and trying not to think of the harder parts of this surgery and post surgery or I would not be doing well mentally. My focus has been one day at a time and doing what I need to today and today only. This is very hard for me as I am a natural planner and like to look ahead and plan what is coming up. I did go shopping today and purchased a few clothes to fit into in the next couple of months because I will be traveling to Europe for work in 4 weeks and am worried about not having what I need clothes-wise for that trip as my clothes are starting not to fit. That ended up being a boost for me because I was trying on X-Large instead of 2X and they were getting close to fitting. But I digress. I went into this surgery more for the health aspects than the clothing aspects, but it is nice to see the smaller size clothes working out too! I am finding that watching t.v. with the food commercials or going shopping in the grocery store brings on the head cravings so I'm going to have to do something different (limited or no t.v, shopping on-line for food or sending the family, etc.) because it really makes me feel sorry for myself that I can no longer eat those things. In my heart I know that I did the right thing having this surgery, but also know that there is still a long road ahead with many land mines and challenges and I need to be active in setting myself up for success in every way possible. I am actively seeing a psychiatrist and ensuring my meds are in line with what I need to stay well mentally because I need to do that for me. Good luck to you both and hoping things turn around for you soon.

@@anna9/15 what are you anxious about?

I have the same problem. I just started taking my pills uncrushed at 1 weeks out which I know it not what I am supposed to do, but I got the medicine down that way.

@@FrankiesGirl - that has been my main staple while on pureed foods is flaky fish. I also eat canned chicken with light mayo. Also peanut butter.