scrapbasket

congratulations on your success, your bravery, your honesty, your survival, your endurance and hope in the face of despair. you made it. never give up. thank you for being there and your wisdom on the forums. you are appreciated more than you can know. love sara and the fur gang

well it is up and down for the same 3#. in the old days I would have certainly gained in a difficult period like this. also, I notice my plateaus are allmost all at my old setpoints, I think the last time I weighed this, 20 yr ago, it was for a couple years. again, bike, water, hope, prayer, protein drinks. walk away from the sweets. and so on. reading here helps. my pants are getting loose again, and I have to take in my pajamas. he he. love sara

as of today I made it! to halfway, the better half. my band removal to sleeve surgery was 5 months ago. my band was 7 years ago and ended up leaking and created bulemia. I could never tell if I could eat, overeat, or vomit after 2 bites, and couldnt get below 202. I am so thankful I did this, tho it is still far from easy and I have a lot of GERD. Happy to be in onederland, even happier to try on clothes from 20 yr ago, triple happy to have hope for my future. my wonderful hourglass figure is not here yet, but it is so much better overall, and my dowager's hump is almost gone. I shall be looking into some plastics and such, but for now, I feel my path is bright. love sara

if you tried weight watchers or any of those formal diet plans out there you will have a record of your attempts, and you can also check your doctor's office to see if they have recorded your weight. discuss it with your care provider and also document any other health problems like bp and leg problems, which helps you get approved faster.

when I went on my last trip I could barely manage my suitcase. it weighed 48#. that is what I have lost. no wonder I was tired. or, in my usual terms, more than 2 bags of dogfood. ( 18 # each). just for practice, I tried putting one bag on each leg and going up a couple stairs : very tough. thank you sleeve!!!! love sara

I too am getting used to becoming visible again and attention from men.even with gray hair in front, they are giving me the eye. what, cant you see the fat and gray hair??? I guess I must look ok or project something good. it sure is strange tho I like it! love sara

I was always a classic hourglass but I have not lost my belly yet that I got with being over 200. I am just past halfway and hoping my waist will show up soon. my legs are much better muscle wise thanks to many trips in the living room on the exercise bike. I cant wait to see how I am in 6 months. love sara

oh, and a small firm pillow that helped more than the stuffed teddy they gave me for helping me move

I was really happy to have a thick sweater vest with wide sleeve holes and loose cotton pants. it may have looked funny but it was comfy. and I loved my sleep mask and ear plugs cause I had a roomie. didnt read anything. didnt wear bras. I was glad to have my extra fleece blanket and sockies cause I was cold all the time. lip balm. such things...

I went thru a month of hell with my mom becoming sick on the other side of the country. coming home, hit a long plateau but I am dealing with it all and finally losing a bit again. it was a rough patch, and I cant eat myself into a coma with the sleeve, so I just had to deal with it. plus I am worried about ebola, being a nurse and working for a company that is not giving us protection and that I dont like their decisions. cant say much about that on here. so back to exercise bike, eating right, drinking enough, having faith, and it works. I hope to get back to the y soon for water aerobics, and to o.a. meetings always helped, but only the sleeve worked for actually losing the weight. It is kinda scary, but I love taking in my jeans. again, faith, that it wont come back. I am into some of the clothes I packed away in hope of wearing them again. still not too near the sizes 10-14, but I hope to wear them again this year sometime, maybe by spring or summer. it is all a journey of faith, hope, love and forgiveness. love sara

Hi, I have to go to asheville nc on wed, my mother is very sick suddenly. this will be my first big trip post sleeve and I have never lived in asheville. I am 4+ months out of gastric sleeve surgery. can you give me any advice where to get premier Protein shakes and safe places to eat out? I will have a car but will be hanging out with family that likes to eat out. right now she is at mission memorial hospital but will be transferred to rehab/nursing home soon. is there a target store in asheville?a trader joes ?good thrift store?old navy? also I remember vaguely a great crafts store, something with a dragon logo, something earth something in the name. I am a quilter/craftsperson/nurse. decent cheap motel or b+b? she will probably have a long recovery if she recovers at all, but this trip is just for 9 days. thanks for any suggestions.I am usually in oakland ca. love sara

get some one to get you some imodium, works very well to slow you down.

since time and energy are short( leaving in 2 days, just had root canal to top it all off), I ordered the protein drinks and shakes and bars from amazon to deliver to mt mom's house. still wouldnt mind a few other useful recommendations, bed and breakfast or decent hotel? other fun asheville things to do? weather predictions? other useful asheville ideas? thanks love sara

salmon is so much better for you than tilapia. tilapia is farm raised and I hear they feed them junk. your body knows the difference. when a craving is healthy, go with it. I wish I could come over your house for some fresh caught salmon. love sara

that jerk!I just wanna smack him for hurting your feelings when you were vulnerable and trusting in his leadership and skill and he abused you. feel free to make a formal complaint to the medical board, they know how to discipline him. please look around and find someone who is kind AND skilled AND respectful. ask around a lot and never give up. it is your money, honey,your time and your body. settle for nothing less than the best. love sara rn ps we all love you and you deserve GOOD.

perhaps you can call your insurance provider, tell them what is happening, ask them if they cover another bariatric program since this one is temporarily unavailable, and also ask your hospital public access manager what is their plan for substitute care. this is very unusual and strange, so maybe it is way better for you to be safe in the care of another. I cant think of when I have ever heard of a doctor running away like that, but I sure wouldnt want that person doing surgery on me! let us know what happens, and just know this confirmed to you that you are really ready to do this. love, sara, rn ....deep breath....

ps leave it alone , dont pick at it, or you will have to wear a cone ( joke). love,sara

It is not a lap sponge, they count those 3 times and they dont look like that. not sure what it is. maybe the suture material. ask your dr. love sara, rn

it is going to be ok, one slip will not destroy you. some docs dont even have a strict preop diet, and I am willing to bet most of us have had that one last time to eat xxxx... proud of you for not eating all of the pizza slice. love sara

I meant to say I would have needed... It took me almost 3 months to go back to work in labor and delivery, a very athletic job. and I am older.

I would have needing more than 3 weeks recovery before nursing school unless it is a very easy semester. I suppose you could try it and see if it works, but I am a nurse and our job is quite rigorous. maybe being a student would be easier? it is a tough road. you could probably handle the course work. some however have minimal pain and can exercise. perhaps you should talk to your advisor. your health is more important than school, but I know how the pressure goes. what is your clinical requirement and can you take makeup sessions over the next couple years? I remember when a friend's mother became ill, she was in a different nursing school for a while and had to take 7 or 8 makeup clinical days the next year to graduate from the BSN program as compared to a straight community college RN program. plan ahead and if it takes an extra 6 mos or a year to graduate, it is worth it to save your life. love, sara crystal, rn

stalls are normal! it is like steps. drink your water and have faith. love sara

back in my oa days I found when I went off sugar it took about a week or two for all the cravings to go away. you will be on liquids longer than that probably so if you plan your cupboards well you will not be craving. somehow your system changes after the sleeve. I have indulged in a few bites here and there but seem to be ok without big dessert events. not eating bread helps me be LESS hungry and less craving. if I want something I will have a few bites usually. the sleeve has taken away almost all of the bottomless pit feelings, thank God. try to shop healthy and good luck. love sara

why not be kind to yourself and hubby and stay over in a nice hotel or motel the first day? or just go halfway and stay over? no need to make it difficult! but dont have a hamburger on the way love sara

Please tell me where you order them online... sounds like the easy way.