KathyM

From what I hear, it is fairly common around the 3-6month point. It is a pain and will freak you out, but just remember that it is temporary and it will grow back. Small price to pay for a new body I have really thick hair so I wasn't worried about it happening, but I lost a ton! It seems to be slowing down alot, so I will just be patient now, not one of my finer attributes lol.

I think that the nutritionist is forming a plan for someone with a normal sized tummy. I agree with an earlier poster that you should consider what they tell you, AND listen to your body, then formulate your own plan. Your body will tell you what it needs. 3 big meals a day would definately not work for me. I eat when I am hungry and that could be anywhere from 2-6 times a day. Just make sure that when you eat, what you are eating is good. Did they give you a reason that they want you off of the PPI? I am just wondering because as a nurse I know that some people are on them for years. If it works, then why would you change it? I take one in the evening, and if I don't I tend to reflux pretty badly at night. You are doing great!!!!! Listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs. Hopefully by now you have tackled a few of the behavior issues that trigger "grazing" or mindless eating. I kind of think that eating just because it is mealtime also incorporates behaviors of eating when you aren't really hungry. I may be way off base, but it's just my opinion. When I went to my doctor at about 3-4 months, he did lab work and we both agreed that as long as I wasn't deficient in any areas and I was losing at a reasonable rate, then what I was doing was working. Kathy

I will be at 6 months tomorrow, this is really hard for me because I still see the fat girl when I look at pics, but here is a before pic and a now pic. Be nice please .

Coops - I had way more to lose than you did, you have done fantastic!

Thank you Fern - that was very kind and Lilli there is no secret - the sleeve does the work, you are basically just along for the ride lol. I am excited for you, it will be a whole new life for you like it has been for me!

It should be fine - just keep it clean, apply a little antibiotic ointment and keep it covered while it is draining. Watch for signs of infection - excessive redness, drainage that changes from clear or a thin watery red drainage to yellow or thick. If you get this or develop a fever, call your doctor and have him look at it.

It would be so interesting to know how the nutritionist recommendations would differ if they were actually someone who had been sleeved. I think they all have the best of intentions, but don't really have a clue how things are after the surgery. If everyone was identical and everyone's bodies recovered and acted the same way, then we could all have the same guidelines, but they don't. Listen to your body, it will tell you what it needs. It sounds like you are making intelligent choices about trying to get in your Protein and staying hydrated, I think you will do great!

I can't wait to hit onderland!! That has to be frustrating to be so close and just teeter on the edge of that cliff! I know you will do it any day!!!!!

I went back to work just over a week after surgery. I do alot of lifting in my job and didn't have any problems. Plan to pack your "meals" and take them for a while, it helps if you don't have to make decisions on the spur of the moment as to what to eat while you are still adjusting to your new tummy. Old behaviors will sometimes try to creep back in if you are not careful.

I went to Mexico for my surgery because like you, my insurance wouldn't pay. It was a scary thing to do alone, but I have absolutely no regrets - except that I didn't do it sooner!!!! Good luck in your decision process and use this forum to ask - ask - ask questions! Kathy

I was just wondering if anyone who went to Mexico or out of country for surgery because their insurance wouldn't pay for it used the cost as a tax deduction for uncovered health care expenses? And if you did, did you also count the airfare? Thanks Kathy

I was at work the other day, and 2 of the nurses I work with were joking and said that they loved me, but I really needed to get some scrubs that fit me because I was swimming in the ones I was wearing. I knew my scrubs were getting pretty loose, but I have been so overweight for so long that I am afraid to try on new clothes because I worry that they will be too small. When I look in the mirror, I still see the old me. Anyways...and I hope I don't gross anyone out with the next part....the nurse manager of the ICU called me and said there was a patient on the surgical unit who was crashing and they wanted me to go out there and start an IV medication to keep her blood pressure up, stay with her and monitor her until they could get the ICU room cleaned and ready for her...off I went. While I was in her room taking care of her she started to vomit....and it was not pretty..I will avoid the description since I know this will be too much information for some...but I quickly turned her on her side to keep her from choking while I was turning on the suction. Unfortunately when I did that she totally nailed me! All down the front of my pants and my shoes!!! I am usually a quick dodger of all things nasty, but I was so worried that she would choke I was right in the line of fire. When she got transferred to the ICU, I went back to my unit and told my manager that I was leaving to go get some new shoes and uniform. I ran across to Wal-Mart and didn't have a clue what size to get. I had been wearing 3XL before the surgery and 90lbs later was still swimming around in them. As it turned out, I bought an XL!!!!!!!! I don't even remember the last time I wore that size!! I was smiling as I checked out in my barfy pants. That was NSV #1 NSV #2 - I got back to the hospital, ran into the bathroom to change clothes, threw my old scrubs and shoes in the trash and walked back into the ER. EVERYONE who was working freaked out!! They all couldn't stop talking about how good I looked. I do have to admit though, that it made me feel pretty uncomfortable. I am used to being large and in charge lol but not all of this! I had my back to the door of the triage room when one of the night shift girls walked in and she told me that she thought "Who the heck is that?" when she saw me from the back and then when I walked out she was stunned it was me. Feels so good, but a little un-settling at the same time. After Christmas, I am buying all new scrubs and getting rid of the old ones - after all, I will never see those sizes again. Oh, and by the way.. my coworkers from the morning cheered for the lady who barfed on me because she is what finally made me get something that fit me!

I love taking the leftovers home and can usually make 2 or 3 more meals out of them. If I am going to be out for a long time and don't want to deal with the leftovers, I still order what I want and just walk away from the rest, or I order an appetizer. I agree with Tiff, being with friends and family is worth way more than any food I leave behind.

I think you would regret it if you tried pizza this soon, your tummy isn't ready for that yet. I didn't try pizza until 4 months and could only eat about a half of a slice. Be patient, just like someone said earlier, it will be worth the wait. Stick to what your Dr/nutritionist recommends, in a few months you will be able to have whatever you want.

I think that is completely normal behavior. I remember doing the exact same thing, in fact I gained 10 lbs before I started my preop diet doing just that. Don't sweat it too much, once the surgery is done you won't be able to over eat and honestly I didn't really miss any foods right after the surgery. Now that I am far enough along that I can eat whatever I want, I find that I am really not as interested in the things I used to crave. Just remember that whatever you put on beforehand will just be that much more you have to take off afterwards. It is possible, you will succeed either way!

What you are feeling is sooo normal! I can remember feeling that way myself. As it gets closer it will feel like time is standing still lol. Congratulations on taking this step to a new and healthier you!! I am really happy for you.

Lou - I am so happy for you!! Cutting your diabetes meds down by so much, before you know it you may be off of them all together!! I hear you on your food difficulties, for me it seems that I want to eat all the time, and when I do it is just small amounts but then I am wanting to eat again shortly. I am trying to sort out if this is old behavior trying to creep back in or not. I used to be a "grazer" before the surgery, just grazing all day on stuff. I am wondering if now that all of the newness of this is starting to wear off if I am not reverting back to old habits. I have also had a terrible problem with reflux and find that if I eat anything after about 8pm then I am going to have a horrible night refluxing. I do take Protinix as needed and I think it helps. I saw a commercial for pizza Hut's cheesy bites pizza yesterday - it looked so cheesy and good - the pepperonis were winking at me on the TV lol. I would love to have just one last binge where I could just stuff myself with something really horrible haha. :devil_smile: :devil: :funscale:

Cheri - you look fantastic!! Isn't it so predictable that we are our own worst critics? I wouldn't have noticed your bra, your hair, your rolls lol or your makeup if you hadn't said anything, I would have just thought you looked awesome (and I still do). I read what you wrote about your husband - you said that his idea of a beautiful woman got larger as you got larger. What I saw when I read that was that YOU were the constant in the equation. What he thinks is beautiful is YOU and as you have changed, he still knew you were what he wanted! As you get smaller, he will still think that what is beautiful is you. I am dating someone that I am madly in love with. He was with me at my heaviest, told me I was sexy then and still says it now, and has been very supportive of all of this. Occasionally he has commented that when I get skinny I will look for someone new. He isn't what I would think of as overweight, he is built like a linebacker on an NFL team but I love everything about him. I think it is normal for our significant others to worry about change, and I don't really know what the answer is to put those worries to rest. I tell my boyfriend all the time that even though I ultimately did this for myself, I also did it for us - I want to be healthier so that we can do more things together and live a better life. And the boobs......yeah...they are just gonna have to be fixed, I have already decided there is no way around that lol. It will be my reward for getting to goal Coops- I am soooo sorry that you have gotten ill a few times I had the stomach flu last week and it was horrible! Like you, I am not intimidated by Christmas at all. I have actually found that I don't do well with chocolate, gives me heartburn in the worst way! Can't do beer well, but wine has gotten to be a good thing for me - now if I just had some time off so I could enjoy it! Keep up the good work everyone - 2011 is going to be a great year!! Just think where we will be on our one year surgiversary!!!!!!!

It's great to see some posting from this group again! Can you believe it has been 5 months? It seems like a lifetime ago and yet it also seems like just yesterday! I am soooo envious of those of you who have hit onderland - I can't wait to be there. Does anyone have a hard time seeing themselves thinner? What I mean is that when I look in the mirror, I still see the same old me, my eyes still see the way I used to look. I wanted to take some pics to post for an update, but I still feel like I look so awful in them. It's a process I guess. The sagging skin is pretty yucky and when I lie down in the bathtub it seems like my tummy is the size of a football field, but at least it isn't built on a big hill anymore I am still extremely happy with my sleeve and haven't regretted it for one day. All the saggy skin, stalls on the scale, crazy reflux and the pukey learning curve I had getting used to the size of my new tummy have been worth every bit when I think about how good I feel now. Kathy

If they could just make Ritalin for boobies so they aren't all looking around in different directions, not paying attention all the time - especially when you lay down! I am totally getting my boobs done when I reach goal. I know that I will never have a sexy tummy no matter what, but I will see how I feel once I get to goal.

I just updated my ticker this morning and realized that I have passed the halfway point!!!!! 90lbs in 5 months! If I wouldn't have had this surgery, I would still be desperately trying and failing at losing 10 or 20 lbs, and I would still be miserable and soooo unhealthy. Words can't even describe how blessed I feel to have been given this gift. :heart: