Stacy160

I dunno who told you that, but the vast majority of patients are told basically that they can resume s-e-x as soon as they're comfortable with it.

Yep! We (everyone that is, the human race -- not just overweight people lol) have fat pads in our upper and lower eyelids, and you won't believe how much bigger your eyes will look in pics further down the road. The only possible negative about losing some of it is that you might look a little darker under the eyes, but hey--that's what makeup's for, right?

My 4th anniversary was about 10 weeks out of surgery, and we went to a seafood place to celebrate. I got the parmesan-encrusted baked scallops and omgggggggggg, they were so unbelievable. There were 10 of them in the dish and I managed 5, barely (not having any of the bread and just a couple bites of salad). I'm not sure exactly how they were made, but I think they were just rolled in parmesan cheese and garlic powder or salt, placed in the baking/serving dish with some butter, and baked. It was amazing.

Carbonation is NOT my friend anymore lol.... it feels terrible and wants to bubble back up my throat! However, I will occasionally either let a diet soda go flat-ish or pour it over ice and give it a good stir, and that seems to work well. Beer, not so much, and that was always my go-to drink (I drink VERY rarely these days, even before surgery) -- guess I'm a wine girl now. Although those Smirnoff things are yummeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Good luck, and have a good recovery... we'll be thinking about you!

It could be, definitely! I know my reflux was a combination of the hernia and my diet. Whenever I went really low-carb, it'd go completely away, no matter how much greasy or spicy stuff I was eating... soon as I'd go back to having cereals, milk, pizza, tomato sauce, and sugar, it'd be right back again. I'm 99% sure I developed the hernia during pregnancy (I had a BIG baby), as that's when it all started for the first time.

You're right...breakdown happens in the stomach, absorption happens in the intestines. Hey, I say whatever works for you! If you can't get in the required Protein yet with eating it only, then get it in with drinks. But I have to echo the suggestion to dump the shots--if you want good, quality protein, whey protein isolate is most easily absorbed by the body.

Just finished one, actually. They're a little on the pricey side, but so convenient! I think for economical reasons, I wouldn't have relied on them during liquids, especially since they're only partly whey protein isolate, but they sure are handy now, further down the road.

I had a moderate-sized hiatal hernia which was repaired during surgery, and that alone (no more heartburn, GERD, waking up choking after inhaling stomach acid) was worth the sleeve. It's an excellent choice for your friend!

I just got in from a run/walk.... I'm kinda modifying it on my own this time around since I'm not really quiet starting over at the beginning. Last time I went out I only ran 5-minute intervals... mighta been able to run 8 once, but that would have put me up a long hill for the last three minute and that was just not happening LOL. This time out I started out doing 13 minutes straight, and feeling great. I think what the big difference is, is that I've been taking magnesium for the last 3 days. I got it because I've been getting just awful cramping in my legs and feet every night, even just watching TV but also through the night, waking me up several times, and online research pointed me in that direction. I read that some of the signs of magnesium deficiency were not only cramping but constipation, muscle fatigue, etc., all of which tend to be problems for me. WELL. I have not had a single cramp since I started taking it on Saturday (twice a day), constipation is NOT a problem (yay), AND I could tell a huuuuge difference in the running today! My endurance still sucks overall and I'll never be more than a mediocre jogger, but dang it, it helped. So anyway... something to keep in mind if any of the above are problems for you!

Dear Chilo, like I said in another thread I'm right there with ya! 12 lbs away, give or take -- for the last 7 MONTHS. Why is it so damn hard to get back into the right mindset and leave the damn carbs alone?? Even the "healthy" ones--nuts, Fiber One Cereal, etc -- *sigh*. Let's take advantage of the nice hot summer, get out there and exercise, drink lots of Water, and work these last few stinking pounds off once and for all, 'k? We've lost more than that on our own before... we've got this. Just gotta get our heads back in it.... I LOVE the idea of looking at fat pics, so that's what I'm gonna do today before going out to run!

Heck yeah, I'd have camped at four weeks out -- if it hadn't been the end of February! We camp a LOT. Just make sure you take plenty of stuff that's part of whatever food phase you're in, that's either ready-made or easily warmable over the fire (or gas stove, if you use one of those). Activity-wise, you'll be fine hiking around. I'd even get in the Water, just maybe not play too vigorously. I dunno, different docs have different restrictions for exercise... mine pretty much cleared me for anything at 4 weeks. Have FUN!!

Here's mine: Try not to get too complacent with the fact that initially, the sleeve really does do the work for you, through pure and simple restriction. You couldn't not lose weight if you wanted to. Even when you get to solids, you're still so tight and restricted that you can have a little treat here and there and not have it affect your weight loss, so it's way too easy to not work hard enough on your eating habits. But here's what can happen: You get a few months out, and not only does your weight loss slow down naturally as you get closer to goal, but pretty much all the swelling's gone down inside, and you can eat a lot more. Suddenly the freedom to eat like you're in maintenance instead of the losing phase isn't there, and trust me, it is SO HARD to get both the body and especially the mind back where it should be to get the pounds off. So, my advice is that no matter how great the weight loss is going, no matter how easily the pounds fall off initially eating "normally," remember that it WILL NOT LAST that way and stay on track until you hit goal... don't count on the sleeve to do the work for you, just know that it enables you to actually DO the work yourself for the first time ever, and that you WILL have to do it yourself.

God, yes... I could not WAIT to get to mushies and have the refried Beans with taco sauce and a little cheese. I craved it, and it's not something I'd normally have on a regular basis. What saved me from all the sweet stuff during the liquid phase were the Soups, particularly tomato. Tomato Soup with a dollop of Greek yogurt was pure heaven for me for those couple of weeks.... are you on clears still, or on full liquids yet?

The skin's gonna do what the skin's gonna do, no matter what. Some of the "firming" or Vitamin E lotions might help slightly with elasticity and tone, but not to any noticeable degree. Exercise, as you noted, can create a firmer frame for the skin to sit on, but won't do anything to change the skin itself. Not to be a downer, but really all you can do is hope for the best and work with what you've got in the end (or, pay to have it removed!).

I don't know if you'll get much response here (might try the Plastic Surgery forum at OH!), but here's a link to some Google images. Warning--there are some boobie shots too, so be careful if you're at work or the kiddies are around! http://www.google.com/search?q=brachioplasty+before+and+after&hl=en&rlz=1G1GGLQ_ENUS337&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=50vyTdukM5Oo0AHM17WFDA&ved=0CDkQsAQ&biw=1671&bih=879

You ARE a success already! The good news is, you get to keep being a success from here on out -- too cool huh? You look great, keep on rocking it!!

I only had soreness in the abdominal muscles (like I'd done a thousand situps), and some mildly sharper pain at the big incision when moving from lying to sitting (like maybe 4-5/10, but only for a second or two), and it was all gone by about day 4.

Girls, we can do this! I'm so glad to have a couple other people who are in the same place as I am. I agree about the snacking, it can be a huge problem, even if it's healthy stuff. Personally, I do SO much better if I track my food (I like myfitnesspal.com) but that also can be an enormous PITA, especially on busy days. Staying accountable, here's something from last night: I'm sure I got in 900-1000 calories, and very few carbs, which is fine with me, there are days when I might have 700 and other days when it might be 1200 (when I'm being "good"). But last night after dinner I had one Edy's Fruit Bar popsicle -- sugar-free, 25 calories, and SOOO delicious, it's like a smoothie on a stick. Not a problem, right? But, I also had a box of Pure Protein bars sitting on the shelf, and my mind would NOT forget about them. So, what the heck they're only 2 net carbs, right? So, since it sounded good I had one. That's TWO HUNDRED calories, and damn the carbs. Then, I had another damn popsicle! So, after dinner I wound up adding an extra 250 calories to my daily total!! If I were still heavier and just counting carbs, that wouldn't be a big deal at all, but now, this close to goal, that's just sabotaging what had, up til that point, been a very successful day. *sigh* Sooooo, for me, I think I need to try and get back into the habit of tracking my daily intake so I stay mindful of what I'm doing. That's probably been the biggest hurdle for me through this whole thing... just eating without really thinking about it. Gotta re-train the brain!!

Right there with ya! I lost until about the end of September, so roughly 8 months... and not since then. It's my own fault... I HAVE to keep the carbs way down, like below 40 grams, in order to lose, and it is SO HARD this far out, especially when the weight comes off slower anyway, and I get sooo bored with Protein, protein, protein. I'm maintaining great, but I still have 12-14 lbs to get to my original goal (depending on the day) and I'd like to see if I could to another 12 past that. As the weather's gotten hotter, it's so, so so much easier for me to do, and I also get a lot more active, so I expect to at least get down to my original goal within the next couple of months. We can do this!

Grand Blanc here.... HI!

Couch to 5K is awesome!! It's the only thing that got me running (jogging) successfully for the first time in my entire LIFE. I started it toward the end of July last year and ran my first 5K two months later... 3.1 miles straight, no walking. Granted, that took me 39 minutes, but still...YAY!! I've got another one now in 8 weeks and I'm SO not ready for it. Actually it's the Warrior Dash, it'll be about 3.3 miles, with obstacles scattered through it (balance beams, climbing walls, going through Water, mud, and over fire )... I went out today and did 5' run / 3' walk intervals....I think I could have run 8 minutes somewhere in the middle there but didn't want to push it and risk injuring anything. I'm not sure where that puts me week-wise, but I'll jump in and do this with you all!

Although I have to admit that is was really, really nice to have my hubby and son there to "fetch" me things (water, blanket) and give me a hand up off the couch for the first couple of days, I could easily have done it by myself. I was out driving and shopping on day 4.

I was one of the lucky ones with a great, smooth recovery as well. No nausea, no gas pains... I guess if I had to pick something it would be having to get myself up to pee every 1-2 hours while on the IV (they pump a LOTTA liquids into you!) and the sharper pain I got while getting up and back down into bed again... but I'd rate that at about a 5/10 on the pain scale and it only lasted for a few seconds, and only for 3-4 days or so. And only when transitioning in and out of bed. I did go home with a drain for a week and there was some minor pulling where it the stitch was in the skin. It was bulky under my clothes and I couldn't lay in bed with it, but I just had to laugh at it. It was kind of a pain in the ass, but really not--if that makes any sense? I could whine about how unbelievably DRY my throat was for days afterward... sounded very froggy for 4-5 days. But, that's just a whine. Same with the two weeks of liquids... I felt wonderful, never hungry during that time, but by about day 12 I was dying for some substance. Again, just a whine.... So, I never really had anything that I could call "worst," just some inconveniences! I really just sailed through the whole thing.

NOOOO!!! If they know ahead of time that they're going to have to work around you taking time off (even if it's just a week), I can just about bet that'll kill your chances, especially with so many people competing for the same jobs these days. Later on when you need to ask for the time, you can tell them whatever you want, from the whole truth to nothing at all. Good luck with the interview!