LaLaDee

I dealt with a lot of Hair loss. To be honest, no one else seemed to notice but I sure did! I went from having lots and lots of hair (once overheard hairdresser complain about much hair I have) to very thin hair.

I avoid ponytails, I didn’t like the tiny little thing poking out of my head. I bought volumiser shampoos and mousses and I blow dry my hair. Messy Buns work pretty well.

I also got those grey covering sprays and would spray them over any spots in my scalp that looked sparse. I don’t need to do that anymore because I have regrowth now.

I also watch my hair parting carefully. It can reveal balder spots depending on how you comb your hair.

I actually struggle more now with dealing with regrowth and having half my hair shoulder length and half my hair about 2-3inches. It is super, super annoying dealing with tufts flicking up everywhere. It’s growing back pretty fast but I just wish it would be faster. I’m not willing to get a short cut. That’s just not me. So I have bobby pins in awkward spots and lots of hair wax.

I have also played around with curling my hair too for added texture too. There are lots of things you can try. At one point, I thought I needed hair extensions but I am glad I resisted. Honestly, I want my hair and scalp as healthy as possible to assist regrowth.

just remember that even though it’s super obvious to you, most people are pretty oblivious. I do sometimes look at my before photos and gasp at my lucious hair. But I would trade my VSG for anything.

Wow! You have such a tiny waist! Those are amazing results!

On 25/08/2018 at 3:50 AM, CrankyMagpie said:

OMG LADIES GUESS WHAT!

Guess who just got their surgery date!

I wrote a long, impassioned plea to my surgical team--who were holding off my surgery until I hit 10% initial weight lost (I'm at 5%, will be below that by another several pounds after a week of liquid diet)--to please try to fit me in before flu season gets going and I get bronchitis and get stuck having to put off my surgery until May (I get bronchitis every winter, and it holds on for months; this is one of many issues I hope will clear up, somewhat, when I am at a lower weight). I don't think they had realized I'd cut back my work hours (I work at a public service desk on campus, where people literally walk up and cough on me -- I've taken leave from that part of my job until after surgery, which leaves me with very few hours per week and a feeling that my employment is in limbo and my coworkers are angry with me), or just how much anxiety this whole shifting dates thing was causing me, because I don't always express myself well on the fly, in person. (Those of you who have seen my long, rambling posts are going "or in writing, either," and I hear you )

They just called and told me they'll give me their first available, which is ... so much better than I had hoped for! I am so happy! And suddenly, just, kind of jittery, because it feels so SOON.

The first week of October!!! That is so much better than I'd been expecting/braced for. SO MUCH better! I am over the moon, y'all!

Congratulations on advocating for yourself! I’m Australian and didn’t have to do any pre surgery program or diet. Just a two week Optifast liver shrinking diet. While I went on a bit naive about how my life would change, I don’t think it’s hurt me ability to use the tool effectively. You sound super motivated so I’m expecting great success from you!!

4 hours ago, Neversaynever said:

I'm 53 next month but it won't stop me enjoying every minute

Are you serious? I thought you were in your thirties!! Whoa!

I’m in australia so I don’t know how helpful the pricing is. I didn’t really get a chance to discuss it anyway because I’m such a poor candidate.

So it’s either plastics or learning to live with my skin!

On 23/08/2018 at 3:44 AM, forgetmenot said:

I had my sleeve done Jan '17 and then a Tummy Tuck exactly a year later. At that time, I was also considering a breast lift, inner thigh lift and an arm lift (with the skin tightening extending down to the arm pits). For the most part my feelings are mixed.

The stomach area looks great and I have been able to squeeze into size 00 pants. I get plenty of compliments about my figure when wearing a figure hugging outfit. Having said that, there were some complications with the surgery with a somewhat disfigured belly button so I don't usually wear bikini/crop tops. There is another aspect that I didn't anticipate. When you are overweight and/or you have extra skin, an extra inch doesn't make too much difference. Now that I have a tiny 24'' waist, a "little" extra, whether it's from just bloating or a ever-so-slight relaxation of my diet, will eliminate the possibility of wearing something that clings to that area. Finally, the surgery and ensuing complications took me out of commission exercise-wise for at least three months and even now I still do not have much core strength at least relative to my other muscles.

As for the other areas that I did not get surgery on, a diligent weight routine combined with intermittent fasting has helped. There is still loose skin in the upper arms but muscle has filled out most of the space such that when I wear sleeveless tops it looks comparable to an "average" female. The part of the legs that would show past a skirt or shorts are very toned with no trace of loose skin. For both the arms and legs, I would say that it would not be worthwhile to get the additional aesthetic benefits from the surgery when you consider the resulting scars. The only problematic area remains the under arms. If I raise my arms above my head, you can see the muscle definition (again from doing a high amount of resistance training on the back muscles) but in a normal position the loose skin bunches. As a result, I still don't wear anything that reveals the area like spaghetti strap or strapless tops.

Thanks! That’s really helpful!

The loose skin on my arms is so bad that it’s hard for me to wear anything less than a half or 3/4 length sleeve. Although, I might be equally self conscious about a scar.

I cant believe how long you had to take off from exercising! That gives me a bit of anxiety. At this point I’m more worried about the recovery time than even figuring out how I would pay for my plastics!

24inch waist! You’re so tiny!! Sounds like you’ve had some amazing results!

@Neversaynever you look fantastic! Also much younger! Congratulations!!

7 hours ago, Nic C said:

I'm so happy this thread exists. I've been lurking around different forums and have felt a little discouraged that my HW is 416 when others are in the 200s. I'll be 29 in October and though I feel I should've started this journey earlier, I know there's a season for everything and I wouldn't have been emotionally ready back then. I'm in 26/28/4X clothing sizes and I refuse to buy more clothing until I lose weight. I have jeans ranging in size from 18-26 that I'll use to measure my progress in addition to the scale. My final, ultimate goal weight is 150 and it seems SO daunting since I still weigh over 400 lbs. I already know that if/when I get to Onderland I'm going to cry. I'm in the early stages of the process (psych and 2nd nut appointment are in September and still have to get medical clearance from my PCP and some other testing. I'm low-key freaking out about the upper endoscopy and gallbladder ultrasound) and haven't seen any loss yet but I'm hopeful. Y'all are such an inspiration!

Sent from my SM-G955U using BariatricPal mobile app

Welcome to the thread!! I started in US 26-28 (had to order clothes online, could not find these sizes in actual stores) and now I’m about a US12, bought some size 10 (32 inch jeans) the other day. I have recent progress shots on the forum somewhere if you’re interested.

There are lots of ladies here who are achieving amazing things. I can’t wait to see what we will all accomplish!

Thanks for all the love guys!

@Orchids&Dragons Physically I feel totally different. I feel so much lighter, like I’m actually floating sometimes. I’ve had a lot of health issues over the past year and I’m taking lots of medication but I still feel amazing. I haven’t thrown out my back or dealt with sciatica in ages! I have so much more energy. I don’t get hot and sweaty carrying in a bag of groceries. It really is totally different. I need to book in for my 1 year post op and see what my blood tests say. I’m weirdly excited to get the results!

@FluffyChix I wish I had your discipline and was more frugal. I get a buzz out of buying clothes from stores that i used to be too embarrassed to even walk inside of pre surgery. I have the credit card debt to prove it!

@KimTriesRNY I think hanging on to the old clothes is common. Plus size shopping is hard. It’s expensive and it’s a lot of effort to find decent looking clothes. I’m finding it so hard to let go. I hope you make it to goodwill!

Thanks again everyone! I just can’t believe an entire year has passed!

I'm so thankful for support that I've found here. I don't know anyone in "real life" who has had WLS. I don't attend any group meetings. All my pre-op appointments were individual. I was too nervous to even attend a group information session! So I'm hoping that no one minds if I share how I'm feeling on my first surgiversary.

One year ago today was the eve of my VSG! A year later and I'm 71kg or 156 pounds lighter. It has been the most insane year of my life. I've learned so much about myself and what I might be capable of. I've pushed myself harder than I ever thought possible. It's been baby steps and huge leaps all at once.

A lot has happened this year. I've read a million diet and nutrition articles online. I've obsessed over the numbers on the scale every morning. I have amassed a small mountain sized pile of clothes that I'm too worried to throw out in case I need them again. I cried the first time I tried on something in a "normal" store and it actually fit. I picked out more loose hairs from my shower drain than I ever thought possible. I tried out yoga and pilates. I cooked vegetables that I would have had difficulty identifying a year ago. I worried that I was losing weight too quickly. I worried that I was losing weight too slowly. One of my rings got so big that it flew off my hand and got flushed down the toilet. I spent an obscene amount of money on new clothes. I've eaten too quickly and felt sick. Sometimes I play with my squishy loose skin like it's play doh. Most of my shoes are too loose and don't fit properly. I can now fly without an extra seat belt extender. The first thing I do every morning is immediately feel my stomach and check that the weight hasn't come back over night or that this past year wasn't just some weird dream. Sometimes I look in the mirror and think I might pass for normal. Other times I hate my reflection. It's been harder than I thought it would be and it's been easier than I thought it would be. It's been a strange ride!

Anyway, below are some "before" and "after" shots. Hopefully you can identify which is which!

You can do this! Time to focus! Be your own cheerleader! Just think about what you might be able to accomplish in the next year!

2 hours ago, baribetty said:

How long did Hair loss last for you?

It stopped at around 6 months. I noticed a tiny bit of regrowth at around 8 months. That was a very good day! My hair is growing back pretty fast which I mostly attribute to all the Vitamins and Water.

At best, these staff sound incredibly unprofessional. At worst, they are violating patient confidentiality. That behaviour does not sound like a one off incident. They work with very vulnerable patients and they need to be put on notice that their behaviour is unacceptable.

I would email or write to the clinic manager and suggest that they investigate the incident. My clinic is owned by the surgeons, so if that happened to me, I would write to them. They take care to hire sensitive staff. I've actually seen their job ads, even their receptionists have to be aware that they are working with vulnerable people.

So many WLS patients have mental health and body issues. These staff need appropriate training. They could be acting inappropriately with other patients too. Someone needs to say something. So many WLS patients have mental health struggles. If that had happened to me when I first went in for a consult, I might have cancelled my surgery. I definitely would have cried for a few days.

You (and your son) are owed an apology. That is disgusting. I'm so sorry this happened to you. You sound like an amazing, courageous woman.