cajun

Way to go, you are going to be THIN ONE DAY!!!! just keep telling yourself that. This is the best Christmas present you ever gave yourself...lean on us when you feel you need it. We are here for you!

Maria, You will be in my thoughts and prayers as you battle this infection. You are so brave to post the truth about your experience, and your post might even save some lives, so thank you for your courage. While we all know it is true that infection is a possible complication of any surgery, it is not acceptable to try to cover it up. That makes me even more angry than the fact that you got the infection. In my opinion the very least they should do is send your money back. But there is no way they can make up for your suffering, including the stress of being away from your family. Please know that we are all praying for you, and so proud of your courageous spirit. Some of our other posters have experienced severe complications as well... Tiffany is one who comes to mind...and have gone on to heal and lose all the weight they dreamed of. You will too...I look forward to following your progress. Please keep us informed of how you are doing.

Hooray for you Tracy! Keep up the good work! We are all cheering for you and for the great team with Dr Aceves. Together y'all will meet the challenge of the "twisted band" and conquer it. I love your sense of humor...it will get you through tough times in life. :w00t::laugh0::party4::party4::lol0::lol0:

What a great Christmas present you are giving yourself! Congratulations! Hope tomorrow goes smoothly and you wake up with a smile on your face looking towards the NEW YOU!

Go to Nutrition Facts and Analysis for Fish, sardine, Atlantic, canned in oil, drained solids with bone to research how many calories are in various foods.

If you want to figure it out, you must measure your intake and calculate the number of calories you are eating and drinking, the grams of protein, grams of carbs, and the ounces of liquids. When I had a stall, I went back to measuring and learned I was eating 1400 calories. I was shocked. But that is why I stalled. Gotta have BETWEEN 600-800 calories per day and no more if you want this to work. And no more than 80 grams of carbohydrates per day. At least 70 ounces of water or other fluids, and AT LEAST 70-100 grams of protein. If you are doing that, and still not losing, it is just a stall while your body readjusts, and you should persist in the diet. You will be losing inches even while the pounds are not changing, Eventually the scales will start moving again if you follow the diet properly.

What is a "pain ball" ? I've never heard of it.

YIPPEEEEEEEE FOR YOU SUSAN!!!!! You are really working your sleeve along with meeting the challenges of daily life...a year full of growth! Enjoy your holidays, you deserve a great time!

That's the pits, HeftyNetty. What a long road you have had. I hope things will bet better real soon. Is there a special forum of folks who have had the same surgery that you can also talk with? I imagine that there is...they would probably be a lot of help, and we can be a cheering squad for you in general. We are all pulling for you.

Hey, Wasa, good to hear from you! Research changes on just about everything from one day to the next. I guess all I can say about the exercise deal is I think it's good for me and I'll continue to do it in moderation. Am not a marathoner or anything even close to it. The weight is coming off so I guess what I am doing is working... Good to hear from you! Happy Holidays!

I also think you need to talk with your doctor about the huge number of pills...they might be irritating your stomach. eleven ca citrate pills is an unresonable number in my opinion. I take one twice a day. How many milligrams is your ca citrate pill? Iron is very irritating to the stomach, and I'd take it after drinking a shake, for sure, to have something else in the stomach to help it go on through. But talk with your doctor. What you are experiencing is not normal.

I have started losing hair this week. Will be at 3 months on the 23rd. It's worth it to me. I like the mantra...I'm losing hair...I'm losing weight.

I personally would not take a chance by lifting too soon. Your doctor would be glad to answer your question, I'm sure. More than likely, you don't want to be back in the hospital with a hernia surgery so soon after sleeve surgery. Hug the kiddies and let someone else pick them up.

Hang in there! You will make it. You're doing a good job resisting the temptation to eat something that could jeopardize your sleeve! Congratulations!

I chose VSG so I don't have to deal with issues related to malabsorption, Vitamin deficiency requiring taking lots of meds, anemia (more meds), dumping (help...is a bathroom nearby???oops.) and less "cutting up" of the innards. My total excess weight was 130 lbs. I've lost 59 lbs since surgery on Sept 23. Feeling great. I can eat anything, just not much at one time. I'm not hungry because the part of the stomach that makes the hormone causing hunger is GONE. Good riddance I say. Do your research and what ever surgery you pick, find a surgeon who has done at least 300 of that kind of surgery. Research shows they have a much lower complication rate once they've done 300. Read everything you can get your hands on. That will give you a list of questions to ask your potential surgeon. Once you are confident of the surgeon and the facility (which needs to be a HOSPITAL, not a CLINIC,) go for it! Best of luck to you!

Tiffany, Being a nurse myself, I would be honest with you and tell you if I thought you looked "sick". Your photos do not look at all sick to me. You look absolutely beautiful. I think they are just so used to seeing you as obese that they are worried. Change is hard especially for loved ones. I would just let them say what they need to say and thank them for their concern. Then quietly go on about your business of getting to your goal. No need to say that you want to lose more. You can just say "I feel fine where I am right now (which is the truth...you are fine today.) Tomorrow...well, you might want to lose a little more but that's between you and your scale. If you decide to stay right where you are at, that's fine too. You might also want to share with them results of your normal lab tests and what your doctor says about how great you are doing. I am so proud of you and you inspire me to keep on going even when I have bad days. Thank you for all that you bring to us on this forum. P.S. Here is a link to "ideal body weight" calculators...there are different opinions and different calculators. Take what you like and leave the rest. http://www.halls.md/ideal-weight/body.htm

Thanks! Another pound this morning, down to 229. ! It amazes me too. I have not been in the 220s for about ten years. I thought I was fat as a teenager, but was looking at some old photos yesterday, and I actually looked pretty good! By this time next year, I'll look like that again! Am so excited about my transformation. It's the best Christmas present I could ever give myself. What a blessing.

shutterbug, Are you a photographer? If so do you do landscapes, flora, fauna, or what? I'm an amateur (hobby) photographer, no sophisticated equipment but love to take pics.

Actually the VSG has been used for many years as a part of the duodenal switch WLS, so it is not a new procedure. Many patients who are super morbidly have the VSG initially and after a year or two, the rest of the duodenal switch was completed, and this surgery has been performed since 1988. Since some patients did very well after having just the VSG, they decided to not proceed with the "switch" part of the surgery. That started research into using the VSG alone. Of course more research is being done and I'm sure there is more to learn.

The swelling does make it hard to get the fluids down at first...that will gradually get better. But that's the most important thing the first few weeks...fluids. Don't worry about protein and other stuff...just don't get dehydrated! That can cause lots of problems that you don't want. Sip Burp, Sip, Burp....walk walk walk, nap in between. You'll do fine! Right now your sleeve is in control...it's going to do some great work for you!

What do you mean by "medically"?

I agree with Tiff. You are purchasing a service and have every right to purchase what you want, not what someone else says they want to give you. Sounds like you've done your research...kudos to you!

Congratulations on setting your date...it will be here before you know it. I lost many pounds multiple times too, and at some point decided it was healthier to just stay put and not do the yo yo thing. When my weight started to interfere with my activities, even walking, I decided WLS was the only option. I'm so grateful that I discovered this forum, which helped me research surgeons in Mexico. There are many nurses on this forum who offer great advice and insight. Don't hesitate to ask questions. I have a good job and insurance, but the sleeve is not covered. Actually I was kinda glad because I've saved up, and did not want to do the six months of jumping through hoops that insurance requires. Once I decided, and chose a surgeon who meets my high standards, it was done in a month. Being a "get 'er done" kind of person, that made me very happy. I'm 2 1/2 months post op and have lost 58 lbs from my highest weight...33 of it has come off since my surgery date. No more hypertension or depression medication. Soon I'll be off the cpap. Best of all, I am active again and enjoying things I could not do for several years due to the weight. Are you in a DNP or PhD program? Congrats on that also...you are really a "go getter", aren't you? Best of luck to you. Where are you going for your surgery?

I took off 2 weeks, and was glad I did. I was easily fatigued those first two weeks, since I was on clear liquids only for 1 week and full liquids for 1 week. After starting mushies I got stronger and felt almost back to my normal self the third week. It was nice to be able to just go take a nap when I felt like it those first two weeks. I say if you have sick time, take it for a couple of weeks.

I weigh almost daily except when I am in a "stall", and then I weigh once a week so I don't get too discouraged. I've had several stalls, but still lose inches during those times...and am very happy overall with what I've lost.