Acadia

I'm 42 DD ... was, now around 40 D 1/2 and I got a great one from Glamorise (Sport Max) that, while it does create uniboob, it holds the girls in place, they don't budge at all - even when I run.

See her for a little while. A therapist can help you see things you never realised and can help make you much more ready for the procedure and life after. Use this as a learning time to learn more about you, your needs to overeat, your needs to eat certain foods, your desire to have the surgery. My therapy sessions were exceptionally helpful. But you have to be open to it. And your therapist can tell your Dr. that she doesn't think you're ready, so take her thoughts to heart and ask her to help you figure out why she's getting that vibe.

meat tenderizer is usually just papaya and pineapple enzymes mixed with a little salt. Not dangerous necessarily, but a little papaya juice or pineapple juice may be more appropriate as dry powder is hard to swallow on its own.

Once you start solids it should be reduced. Then it will depend what you eat. Clean foods (no sugars, no white flours, etc.) and you'll have normal movements, if you eat sugars or loads of white carb foods (generally also loaded with sugar) you'll likely continue with loose stool (sugars cause your intestines to pull Water out to clear them faster, hence loose stools). As for hunger, you may always feel hungry. The band doesn't reduce your hunger (in some people it can press on the vagus nerve, but you don't actually want that as it can cause other issues), it simply reduces the amount of food you can eat, which then triggers the 'full' response with less food. Once your pouch is full you simply can't jam anything else in there without vomiting and eventually your stomach sense the signal that it's full. I felt like I was starving the first four weeks. Only after my first fill was I able to go a full 5 hours between meals (depending what I ate). Isopure really does help though, I saw that you're using it, you can use it as the cold water in Jello to make a high Protein snack as well. But even cold it's so much easier to get down than a shake!

I had the single incision and it took my incision around three weeks to mostly close, one side reopened, then it closed about a week and a half later. I had general abdominal discomfort but not pain. What type of pain are you having? If it's dull it's pretty normal. If it's sharp - you need to see your Dr. That said, you could continue to have pain for up to six weeks after surgery, you're only two weeks out. Just see how things go the next week - but if at any time you get redness, heat, sharp pain, vomiting, or fever, go see your Dr. immediately and ask for an x-ray to make sure everything is still in the right place and nothing looks out of the ordinary.

I agree that you're likely too tight. It can take up to four weeks for your fill to actually take effect (several people post about this on the board). I'd suggest going to see your Dr. to get a little unfill. Since you've been vomiting so much, you may want to ask your Dr to do the unfill under fluoroscopy with a barium swallow to make sure your band hasn't slipped (that can also account for more vomiting). You definitely don't want to get an unfill then find out that you still have the same problem and it's all due to a slip.

A slider is a food that you can eat and it seems to just slide through the band and you don't get full on it. It almost acts like a liquid. I've found that liquids, naturally, are sliders - but so are really crunchy and dry foods. It's the mushy foods like Pasta, rice, tofu, veggies, etc. that aren't sliders for me - and they often get stuck if I don't take tiny enough bites. Which is the point I suppose, to eat the stuff that actually fills you up and not the stuff that slips through

I use sour gummie one-a-days, chewed really well for a multi. I find they aren't very sour at all but taste a lot better than the plain ones. I also take: B12 (sublingual) - very important to take for the rest of your life Calcium (petites) - important because you won't digest it quite the same Vitamin D (Gelatin capsule) - important because most people don't get enough anyway B1 (gelatin capsule) - important for the first 90 days Iron (every three days - slow release) - for women this is important if you don't eat much meat Acidophilus (pearls) - this will help keep your intestines happy with beneficial bacteria Prilosec (not the generic) - keeps acid reflux away, suggest for the first 6 months Biotin (sublingual) - will help prevent or reduce hair loss B Complex - good to make sure you're getting all of your Bs as they help with energy Cinnamon (revs metabolism) Magnesium and Zinc (snapped in half) Omega 3 (sublingual)

My Dr. has the rule that if you get a fill between 0800-1200 then no food or drink after midnight. If you get your fill from 1300-1700 then no food after 0600. It's better if your stomach is nice and empty.

I was shocked at how my reaction was to my first fill. I already had about 2 ccs from a passive fill in my band when I had surgery (no Fluid is injected, a syringe is simply inserted and the band is allowed to pull in the fluid it needs to reach equilibrium). At my fill they added 1.5 ccs. I didn't really notice anything initially. I was able to drink Protein shakes fine, was on fluids for 24 hours, no issues. Then the next day I wasn't really hungry. But I did try to eat some rice - stuck. Another day I tried to eat some linguine - stuck. Potatoes - stuck. But things like oatmeal, toast, popcorn, tortilla chips (crunchy foods or food that was already in tiny pieces) was fine. So I'm having to learn to eat all over again. Tiny bites. Chew really really well. Don't drink at all during meals (doing so now makes eating a painful experience) - I used to be able to drink fine with meals (I know I wasn't supposed to). A great example: I made myself a breakfast burrito yesterday (8 days after my fill) with a very thin tortilla (it was 1" wide and about 5" long) and as long as I took very tiny bites it was fine. Until that last bite - over full, stuck, slimed, PBed for the first time. Needless to say, being stuck sucks horribly, the sliming is horrendous, the PBing is scary because you don't want to start to vomit. So listen to your Dr. Your fill may be fine initially. It may be fine the first night. It may be fine the first two weeks. Then it might hit and you're restricted and it's a hard thing to relearn overnight.

Yea, that sounds crazy high. Their only material costs are a syringe and some saline - total cost about $1. I'd love to know how they justify $400. Fortunately my insurance covers all of my fills.

It is an absolute slider for me. Especially the Trader Joe's Olive Oil popcorn. As an occasional snack I imagine it's fine (I sure hope it is!) but if it is a slider for you then you'll want to ration yourself - and not do what I did by eating a half bag of TJ's OO (325 calories) tonight!

I use sour gummie one-a-days, chewed really well. I find they aren't very sour at all but taste a lot better than the plain ones. I also take: B12 (sublingual) - very important to take for the rest of your life Calcium (petites) - important because you won't digest it quite the same Vitamin D (Gelatin capsule) - important because most people don't get enough anyway B1 (gelatin capsule) - important for the first 90 days Iron (every three days - slow release) - for women this is important if you don't eat much meat Acidophilus (pearls) - this will help keep your intestines happy with beneficial bacteria Prilosec (not the generic) - keeps acid reflux away, suggest for the first 6 months Biotin (sublingual) - will help prevent or reduce hair loss B Complex - good to make sure you're getting all of your Bs as they help with energy Cinnamon (revs metabolism) Magnesium and Zinc (snapped in half) Omega 3 (sublingual)

I just had my first fill last Thursday (the 17th) - no food after midnight then the fill at 0900 then liquid diet for 12 hours, I tried some mushroom risotto at night because I was hungry for solids and it seemed to go down okay. On the 18th I had oatmeal in the morning with blueberries and almond slivers, and then had a crisis with my kitty (diagnosed with Stage 4 Renal Failure) so I didn't eat anything until around 10 PM and then I tried some mushroom linguine and noticed that it got stuck. Despite chewing well. Then yesterday I had oatmeal for Breakfast again, tried some mashed potatoes and those got stuck, then tried some dry ramen noodles as a snack and those got stuck. Then today I wasn't hungry for breakfast, just had crystal light, and then tonight I tried mushroom risotto again and no go except in teeny tiny bites. I can drink fluids just fine, but apparently my band would prefer I don't eat rice anymore. I won't be trying bread, which I was able to eat prior to my fill. So, my guess is that I'm at a good point since I'm not all that hungry, I can stay full on a little for over 5 hours, can still drink fluids fine, and am back to losing. I must say, getting stuck is a horrendous feeling.

Yes, this is normal and you'll likely experience it at a stronger level for 4-5 days after surgery. You may experience varying degrees of it for a few weeks.

How was your fill?

The FMLA entitles eligible employees of covered employers to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave. Eligible employees are entitled to: Twelve workweeks of leave in a 12-month period for:the birth of a child and to care for the newborn child within one year of birth; the placement with the employee of a child for adoption or foster care and to care for the newly placed child within one year of placement; to care for the employee’s spouse, child, or parent who has a serious health condition; a serious health condition that makes the employee unable to perform the essential functions of his or her job; any qualifying exigency arising out of the fact that the employee’s spouse, son, daughter, or parent is a covered military member on “covered active duty;” or Twenty-six workweeks of leave during a single 12-month period to care for a covered servicemember with a serious injury or illness who is the spouse, son, daughter, parent, or next of kin to the employee (military caregiver leave).Elective surgery is not covered. Nor is cosmetic surgery. If your employer fudged the paperwork to get it covered then they are doing so illegally. However, if obesity and your coexisting comorbidities were considered serious enough that you would have been eligible for FMLA without surgery (unable to do your job due to your obesity) then it could be covered. However, most employers require that you take all of your earned time off / personal time off before you're allowed to access Short Term Disability (which is sometimes covered as well) or FMLA.

Mine is 1" to the right (when looking at my belly head on) - so on my left side, and 2" down from my navel. Basically at the 4 o'clock position were my navel a clock.

"How can you drop inches if you're not dropping pounds." Your body will redistribute weight, you can be losing fat but gaining muscle (even if you're not working out you're likely moving a little bit more), you could have Water weight gain in some areas but lose fat in others - resulting in steady weight or gained weight but lost inches. There are all sorts of ways.

I'm the same as Kalipso2, I weigh myself daily (morning after urinating - and nude). It keeps me on track for the day and I tend to watch my hunger more when the scale has gone up. I get weighed at every appointment at my Drs, and those are monthly right now.

Looking at my navel from the front mine is about 1" to the right and 2" down from my navel itself. So when I look down I see it left and down 2". The Dr. generally places it where it makes the most sense based on your internal anatomy. Some people are better suited for a higher placement, some for a lower placement. All depends. I would definitely ask and mention the issue you currently have. The worst thing he can do is say no.

The first 4-6 weeks are for healing, not weight loss. If you watched a video of your surgery you'd realise why it's so important to listen to what your Dr says and stay with what's on your list to eat. At this point though, you are very likely ready for a fill. You'll want to make sure to monitor your Protein intake, Fluid intake, weight, etc. to show your Dr. your progress and your current situation. Don't lie about anything. Some people are tempted to say that they're losing weight to make themselves feel good - that won't help you. You likely won't get a fill if you're losing. Conversely, if you lie and say you're not losing but you are - then you risk actually being overfilled. If you go see your Dr with a good track document showing how you're doing s/he'll be able to make the right decision for what you need at this point. If you are super hungry all the time and feel like you could eat anything tell them that. But don't tell them you CAN eat everything if you've just come off of a liquid diet. Chances are you can't eat as much as you think.

FMLA isn't "offered" it's federal law protecting time off for very specific things. This surgery is not covered by FMLA. As for her being fired, the first step is to ask for the reason - in writing, but you have to send them a request in writing - and certified mail - to make this legitimate. Workers may request the reason for discharge by sending a written request to the business for a signed written statement of the reason for discharge and the effective date. Businesses must respond to the request in writing within 10 days of receipt of the worker’s request. If a worker wants to write a letter requesting a written reason for being fired, the worker should be sure to date the letter, keep a copy of it, and send it to the business by certified mail, return receipt requested. This provides evidence of when the request was sent and whether or not the business received it. It will also help to get a voice recorder or an app on your phone to record conversations and record every meeting you have with your boss or HR people from now until the end of your employment (but first you need to look up the law for your state for recording conversations, in some states only one party needs to know, in other states both parties need to know). Document everything from here until you are gone. Before you go, talk with HR and ask them why you are being fired, even though you'll get that in writing you need it orally to know if you're eligible for unemployment. If you were fired for misconduct you're not eligible. Also, you'll want to know all the COBRA information mentioned earlier. That will allow you to continue your medical coverage (at an expense, but cheaper than paying out of pocket for some things).

My preference is Isopure Zero Carb - you can use it for up to 3 'shakes' a day (you have to have something with carbs for the other two). It is 40 grams (160 calories) of pure lactose free Protein, clear like crystal light, and is awesome over ice or made into a slushie, or even used as the cold Water in Jello. Other than that, Aitkins chocolate shakes are okay but not great (for my palette), muscle milk strawberries and creme is fantastic (for me), even the powder. You really have to try all sorts of shakes to see what you like best. Start with a flavor, if you like Nesquick strawberry milk, you'll like Muscle Milk Strawberries and Creme, if you like chocolate milk, you'll probably like Gold Standard chocolate. If you like fruity flavors you'll probably like IsoPure fruit flavors (Orange, Mango, etc.) if you just want something more liquid and like kool-aid you'll like IsoPure Zero Carb. It's all about testing. Fortunately, if you have too much of any one shake that you aren't very keen on you can mix it with one you like until they're gone.

Your nails completely replace themselves over 3-6 months. So if you're seeing changes after a week or month then you have other issues going on. If you're eating more protein and eating better though you'll notice that your nails will come in stronger, harder, and more resilient. But it takes 3-6 months to see those changes.