Lexington1020

My DS surgery was finally approved by insurance and is scheduled for 8/24/2017. Anyone have any feedback on when they felt good enough to return to work following the DS?

I use Topix! Haven't ever heard of Caboki but I'm assuming they are similar and if they have good reviews it would be worth a try.

If I were you, I would try to fibers first. If your problem is more on top and not the thickness. I have both (thinning top and extremely thin hair) but the fibers work wonders when my extensions are not in. I think you will really like them.

I know how terrible it feels to be balding, especially on top. One other thing that I swear by and use along side my extensions is hair fibers. They stick to your scalp and help cover the spots and help blend your hair better. I get mine from Sally's Beauty Supply but you can find them on Amazon as well. They made me feel like a woman again and helped cover one of my biggest insecurities. Good luck to you!!

My doctor strictly said NO carbonated beverages period. They feel that it could stretch the pouch. Also not good for you....which is obvious. But if I go through all this and stretch my pouch over a dumb soda I would be mad....this is just me of course. I also am not foolish to think that someday down the road I might have a sip of soda because I do not want to put that burden on myself if I did. But I am going to be strong and resist the urge.

You shouldn't be feeling that bad, so definitely put a call in to your surgeon. Here are some questions to ask yourself:
Are you drinking enough?
Are you getting enough carbohydrate? If you are sticking with mostly Protein Shakes, depending on the shakes, you might be too low on carbs and/or fat. Adding 2-3 cups of milk will boost your carbs and fat (if you do 2%). I like to see carbs up to at least 50-60g during the first couple months postop to facilitate healing. (Mine were closer to 100g from dairy, and I felt really good! After 8 weeks, I've decreased them to 60g).
Your potassium consumption might be low.. try adding a cup of coconut Water.
Your prescriptions might need to be evaluated, since blood pressure and blood sugar problems can get better very quickly postop.
What types of foods are you pureeing? How thin is it? At first, make it really thin.. like suck-through-a-straw-thin. Try pureeing potato Soup, split pea soup, oatmeal, cream of wheat.. something that is easier than meats.
Everyone gets so excited to get on the right path with diet, right out of the gate, that they frequently do TOO much restriction. First and foremost is you need to heal. Once you are 9 weeks postop, the real weight loss diet can begin. I'm not saying to eat twinkies and ice cream.. but rather dairy, legumes, grains, fish, some berries (blended and strained of seeds if permitted), etc.
Postop we have "baby tummies", and so we feed it like we would a baby. Water and milk, then gruel, and gradually things with more texture. You wouldn't blend up steak to put in a bottle.. don't do it to your tummy either.

So this morning I'm out in the HOT Texas sun. When I got to car I GULPED Water - boy did I feel it. Surgery on the 28th -- I cannot gulp water.

Sorry I don't check this often and hadn't seen your comment! They are not difficult at all to put in.. I watched several tutorials, however you may need an extra set of hands to help with the back of your head! You can usually get the stuff to do them at a local beauty supply store.

Ya I cannot go anywhere without water! But I have always been prone to carrying Water bottles.

WOW....that is so amazing! I am very excited for you and happy! Keep us posted!

Phew! What a week it's been!
I got notification of a work investigation on me last Thursday, and had to sweat it out without pay until Tuesday, when I was notified that I was fired. (It's a long story, but it wasn't anything bad or shady on my part - more like a technicality.) I was so dejected, thinking I'd lose my surgery, which was scheduled for August 15, since my insurance ends July 31.
Well, I called my surgical center and they worked hard for me and now I have my surgery on WEDNESDAY! This Wednesday! Ahhhhhh!!!
I was supposed to be on a 2-week pre-op diet, but now it's going to be 4 days. I have to get all my last appointments done in the next few days instead of the next 30. It's a crazy time, but I'm so grateful I get to have my surgery still!
I'm so excited, grateful, astonished, and nervous!!! Ahhhhhhgh!!! :-)

Ya I cannot go anywhere without water! But I have always been prone to carrying Water bottles.

i was told to take my Water everywhere and sip. i am several weeks out and still cant gulp.

Fellow DS fam..... I keep reading about sipping Water. I was very much in shock when I could take a fairly average drink of water. When I had my gastric bypass and took a large "gulp" of water it was like NOPE and would come back up. With my DS I can take a normal drink of water...just wondering if I was alone in this. I saw my lil pouch whenever they did the x-ray to make sure no holes or leakage, but I have still shocked. Could it possibly be because I am still on the "liquid" diet per say? Today is the first day that I can have soft Protein eggs, beans and what not....so I am just curious. I did not eat any eggs or oatmeal this morning just went with a protein shake- and I brought another for lunch. I plan on making the ricotta bake tonight for dinner. I have not yet seen the push back from my tummy saying no, you cannot take anymore but then in that same sentence I am not "eating" to get full just trying to reach my protein intake. Which honestly yesterday was the first day I got maybe 65 grams of protein....I was super stoked. I appreciate any advice, really want to hear back from fellow DS people....TIA!

Let me clarify When I started my process with my doctor I was 390 ( I did my three months work out/and diet with my nutritionist).....so when I had my pre-op meeting (June 5th) I was 365. I started my liquid diet on June 7th....day of surgery I was 340/339. (cannot recall exactly surgery morning was a bit of blur) Now...I weighed yesterday and I have only lost 1 lbs....I fear I might be in that stall. But overall I am feeling optimistic. Keep up the great work GenJones!

Let me clarify When I started my process with my doctor I was 390 ( I did my three months work out/and diet with my nutritionist).....so when I had my pre-op meeting (June 5th) I was 365. I started my liquid diet on June 7th....day of surgery I was 340/339. (cannot recall exactly surgery morning was a bit of blur) Now...I weighed yesterday and I have only lost 1 lbs....I fear I might be in that stall. But overall I am feeling optimistic. Keep up the great work GenJones!

I'm 3.5 months out, too!
There's a restaurant/bakery in my town called 7 Bites. It got its name because the owner had VSG surgery and afterwards could only eat about seven bites of food in one sitting. She decided, since her food intake was limited, that those seven bites should be the best food imaginable, so that's what she serves.
ANYWAY I'm telling you this because I've adopted this as a strategy and it works! I have seven bites per meal. I've mastered the art of spacing out my bites so that I finish with everyone else.
I don't get that sickly full feeling anymore. Sometimes after my seven bites I still feel hungry, but if I wait 10 minutes I realize I'm actually full.

I think what may help would be to box up a portion immediately to avoid this. I haven't gotten to your stage yet, but maybe being cognizant of the food and social connection. Eat slower, put the fork down between bites, and chewing slower may help your mind catch up to your satiation level. I feel so far is this is 99% psychological. I'm reevaluating my relationship with food.

I had a sleeve 5 1/2 years ago and just had revision to RNY. I stayed away from carbonation for about the first four years. Then I really wanted some diet Squirt. I did buy some and drank one every once in awhile with no problems. I think if you wait awhile like I did and use in moderation it would be OK. Now I am post op from RNY and will have to start my waiting game again!

I take big gulps with VSG

Sent from my A1601 using BariatricPal mobile app

As first time user, do you think it is easy to put them in? I have thinning hair and I use to have super thick hair and it is upsetting. I just want my hair to look full again...

Babe hair Extensions are 100% good quality Remi Hair and they have the halo extensions. I have struggled with Hair loss due to my PCOS for years and I am preparing to lose more after surgery. I have always used the itip extensions by babe. They clamp on with a bead and have actually made my hair healthier and grow back because it prevents the heat from my straightener from touching my roots. I seriously could not make it without my extensions. Being a woman with extremely thin hair is not easy at all.

It took me a while to figure out what being hungry or full felt like. It's confusing. I'm only one month post-op, so I'm still trying to figure this out, but when I'm full, I usually hiccup and get a stabbing feeling in my new stomach. There's also a feeling my food might come up if I eat one more bite. Granted, i only eat about 4 oz of food right now. The first few weeks are the hardest.

If you're hitting a stall, it might be a good idea to steer clear of the scale. I keep telling myself this is a long-term process and it will take time for my body to adjust. It turned out my stall was only for 6-7 days. I was panicking because I was thinking I was going to fail at this weight loss approach just like I have every other time I've tried to lose weight. When I hit my stall I had lost 17 pounds. That was June 28th. As of today, July 13th, I'm down 23.5 pounds. There is no way I could lose this much this quickly without an intervention. I typically lose weight slowly and have never lost more than 20 pounds on my own. It hasn't been easy, but I know my decision to have surgery was the right one. We have to patient....which can be hard.

My Dr allows mussy foods from days 8 to 28. If the meat can be broken easily with a fork like canned tuna and chicken we can have it. Or cooked fish.