ChaosUnlimited

Sorry that happened, I haven't had that experience but you should definitely follow up with your primary care doctor to make sure they keep an eye on your liver. Hopefully your new lifestyle will help reverse it.

I would check with your surgeon to see what they allow at this stage, but one of my first puree meals was huevos rancheros! I mixed a little salsa with scrambled eggs and pureed. It didn't bother my stomach but I was only able to eat two bites. You can also puree some chicken and light cream of mushroom soup, that is pretty good.

I think in comparison to a lot of message boards I have been a part of, not always bariatric, this site is actually pretty good and the majority of members are supportive. There are a few that come off as abrasive in their replies, but that is everywhere, even IRL, lol, not just this site. It's helpful to some degree to get others perspectives and opinions, but that's exactly what they are, others opinions, which may or may not be in agreement with my own. That's ok, sometimes it's good to hear differing viewpoints. I think it's a problem if someone is trying to use a message board as a substitute for medical advice or for true surgical support, because some of the advice I've read out there on the web makes me cringe, but as @jenn1 said take what you want from it and leave the rest.

Is it possibly something in your diet? I know when I eat too many carbs I get gassy, I have to limit my protein bars for this reason.

I was told by the nutritionist before surgery that it was likely to happen. My surgeons practice recommends taking a Biotin supplement 2 x a day to try to help with it. I was so happy for the first several months that I didn't notice a difference in the amount of hair I lost, and then starting in month 5 I had to unclog the shower drain 2-3 times during my morning shower so the water would drain and I had to clean my brushes every couple days. My hair used to be very thick, so much so that I often broke hair clips trying to fit them onto my hair. Now I can feel it's much thinner, especially at the crown of my head. I'm hoping I don't develop a bald spot! But the good news is that once the rapid weight loss tapers off it does grow back, from what I am told. **I have noticed that when I use a hair band to make a pony tail, I have a lot more hair falling out in the shower the next day. I think the band being tight and pulling at the hair doesn't help, so I have stopped doing pony tails for now. Sucks for exercise and bad hair days, but I'm trying to salvage what I can!

I'm over 6 months out and have been afraid to try rice. I do miss it though. I have tried riced cauliflower and it is close to the same kind of texture. I want to try it like a fried rice sometime. You can buy it frozen at some grocery stores. Congrats on 2 months!

Those are great, especially the Steve Buschemi leggings!

When Santa says it. Ho ho ho!

I just have a regular kitchen scale, I think I got it at Bed, Bath and Beyond. I've had it for a long time.

My husband and I both went from fitbit to the Apple watch. I had a Charge HR, my husband had the Blaze. Totally agree with @fruitandveggies review of both fitbit and Apple. I did enjoy the challenges that you could do with friends on the fitbit and miss the social aspect of using it, but I love my watch for all of the other things I can use it for. One of my favorite things is that I can leave my phone in the car or gym locker and use wireless headphones to play my workout music from my watch. No more having to try to find a place for my phone while working out. I also like that my watch reminds me to get up and move hourly throughout the day - it helps me since I'm currently at a desk job.

Use this time to get ready for the big day. Practice eating slowly, taking small bites, and logging meals and water. Focus on all the reasons you have chosen to do this. Know that better things are coming!

A nice note sent to the CEO or President of the hospital about your great experience is always appreciated, especially if you remember names of the people who took good care of you. Sending to the CEO/President ensures it gets seen as it filters down through the ranks, because they usually send it to the dept manager to show to the department and staff who were mentioned, and to put a copy in the employees file. If you want to send food, I agree with the poster above who said get something in bulk from Costco or Sams Club as opposed to a smaller, prettier arrangement. Costco used to have these awesome giant breakfast muffins in a bulk pack in several different flavors. And it's true, junk food will get eaten with no crumb left behind. Most nurses like their sugar and caffeine while working a 12 hour shift! @FluffyChix Nurses won't usually take anything, especially something consumable, from a patient room. One reason is that nurses see the germiest patients at times, not saying you are one, lol, but eating something that came from a patient room would be a potential germfest. Another reason, it is prohibited to accept personal gifts in most places, and taking something from a patient room would be like accepting a personal gift or taking something from a patients personal belongings. Now send a bag of candy out to the nurses station for them to put in their break room (it's then "theirs" and not "yours") and it would likely not last the shift!

I use My Fitness Pal to track my weight loss, exercise, water intake, and to keep a food diary. I like that you can look at your days nutrition info to keep track of carbs, protein, fat, etc. Its free to use with an option to upgrade to a premium service, but I find the free version to have everything I need.

Find an info session and go, you will have so many questions answered. I procrastinated on actually making the first move to get surgery for years as well, I thought about it but didn't take that first step. My only regret at this point is that I didn't do it sooner. Many things depend on your insurance plan and your surgeons requirements, so it's hard to say that any of our experiences here will be what you will experience. However, I have to say that I had the 6 month supervised diet program and at first i was mad about it. My thought was "I've waited so long to take the first step, I finally did it, and I want it done now, I don't want to wait even more time". In retrospect, I am glad that I had the extra time to process the changes I needed to make, and to learn the ways of the new lifestyle I would lead. It would have been a difficult transition if I had all these changes happen suddenly. Find a surgeons office that offers a full program with education, support group, and nutritionists. Invite your husband to go as well to educate himself on the differences for some people in losing and maintaining weight loss. My husband didn't really understand why I chose to do surgery and going through the educational pieces with me helped I think. Even though he didn't really want me to do it, he was very supportive when I needed him to be.

That is an awesome accomplishment girl, you are rockin' it! Congrats!

I'm between 5-6 months out from DS and have lost around 85 lbs. I've lost a lot of fat in my face which I feel is making me look older, I have more wrinkles around my eyes and my skin under my chin is loose. Has anyone found anything that works well to help that sagging skin tone up, or a good under eye make up that doesn't accentuate the wrinkles? I know nothing will fix it other than maybe eventual cosmetic surgery, but I'd like to find something that can help camouflage until I'm ready for that. Share your beauty secrets ladies! Currently I'm using a vitamin C lotion on my face and neck and applying emu oil to my neck and under eye area before bed. It's very moisturizing. I'm using Clarins concealer which is ok, but I can only use a tiny bit, even a drop too much and it makes the wrinkles stand out more.

I agree with this, anything you say regarding your new size vs theirs is going to come off as offensive. They have got to see that you are small now, so it may just be a generalization to continue to include you. Maybe they are having a hard time identifying with the new you, and don't want to leave you out? Don't let it cloud your view of all your hard work and the achievements that you have made. A size 4, damn! I haven't been that size probably since kindergarten, lol. Keep up the great work!

As a follow up, I started using raw shea butter on my under eye area and my neck twice a day. I love it and feel like it's really helping. It's not going to "fix" the problem, but I can definitely tell the difference on the days that I use it vs the days I don't, so I try not to skip a day. It can feel a little heavy, so in the morning I mix it with my emu oil and apply right after my shower, it absorbs pretty well by the time I put my make up on. As a bonus, when I went jogging on a cool and windy day, I used some on my face before going and it helped protect my skin from wind burn.

I wouldn't doubt too much, I think (hope) they will attempt to do something to make up for the damage that was done. It goes so far beyond just the monetary issue, I can't imagine how betrayed you feel, and all the time lost that you could have been losing and getting healthier rather than having issues because you still have the band in place. Not to mention the danger to you in not knowing the truth about your medical/surgical history for so long. They made a huge mistake, and with the power of social media, if they don't respond in a way that says they are working with you to try to get to the bottom of what went wrong it can have a very negative impact on their business. Something needs to be done towards making it right for you. (Again, not that it can really be made right, but they need to make a gesture) I am very interested in hearing what their response will be since they have been in contact with you now.

Yes, I like the s'mores, but it's really just a marshmallow flavor, no graham cracker. That's a good price for the big bottle. I don't have World Market near me so I always have to order online and pay the shipping too.

That's ok, at least I know I haven't been missing out on some exotic secret flavor! I also use the Torani sugar free flavors, I currently have the pumpkin pie, hazelnut, english toffee, s'mores, and brown sugar cinnamon. I use them in my coffee instead of sweetener, in powder mix protein shakes, and if I ate oatmeal they would be good in that too.

Not that it can be made right, but I hope that you at the very least get an explanation and your money back. I hope you are getting back on your feet now, it sounds like a terrible past few years for you. I wish you the best in getting this sorted out.

Wow, that's terrible. Did you contact the doctor or have any recourse when you found out?

They have mocha?!?!?! Where can I get it online? I've only ever seen Chocolate, Vanilla, Strawberry, Banana, and Caramel.

Glad you have a good sense of humor about it Jenn1. I think I would have said something when he started walking away like, Hey, where are you going with my money? At the gym I go to, the zumba class got so big they started having it on the basketball court and it's in full view of everyone. There was a guy on the upper level filming it with his phone, one woman noticed him, pointed him out, and a bunch of women got mad and went to get him. He saw them coming and left down another stairwell. He's probably lucky they didn't catch him. They reported it to the front desk and they now keep an eye out to make sure it doesn't happen again.