Helen the Cat

Monday afternoon, the 23rd Tenna38, Is it over? How are you? Are you having much pain? Did the whole experience go smoothly? You have been on my mind and in my heart all day long. Got up at 5:00 AM this morning to pray for you, cause I wasn't sure what time your surgery was, and I wanted to be sure to get those prayers going prior to your arrival at the hospital!!! When I had my surgery (in Mexico) we flew to San Diego the day before, and were at the hospital at 6:00 AM the next day, the day of surgery. I knew my daughters were praying for me, but they didn't know I was going to have surgery so early. Anyway, have been praying for you off and on all day today. I went to see my Primary Care Physician today, and got the good news that I am doing well. I sort of figured that I was, because I feel good, but is always nice to have oit confirmed by a doctor! Funny thing happened at the doctor's office. They always weight you on the way to the exam room. (Today is the first time I have seen my PCP since my surgery. I had the surgery in Mexico, and was working in California at the time that I had it. I just came back home to Iowa a month ago. ) The nurse led me to the scale, and I hopped on. It is digital, and it read that I weighed 162 (I usually weigh around 160, but had jeans and boots on in addition to rest of my clothes.) She went to record the weight in my chart and said "hold it a minute..... is your name Kathy D Warren? When is your birthday? I think we have the wrong chart..... or it looks like somebody made a mistake the last time they weighed you, the recorded weight for last June was 258, how can that be right?" I had to laugh and tell her that I had lost almost 100 pounds in the last 7 1/2 months, and that she had the correct chart, and the 258 from last June was correct, and the 162 today is also correct!!! What a great feeling! Anyway; Please post as soon as you feel well enough to be on the computer. Am so anxious to hear how you are doing!!! Take care, relax and rest easy! AND Welcome..... to the Loosers Bench!!!!! Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way! Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Sunday evening, the 22nd Paola, Just a note to tell you that talking about food/cooking food/baking food/watching TV about food, etc does NOT always lead to failure. I LOVE to cook and bake. I almost ALWAYS bake something to take to work the three nights per week that I work. In recent weeks I have made Cookies (six or seven different kinds), cheese cake, brownies, Dutch Letters, Almond Pastry, and various different kinds of candy to take to work, just because I enjoy making it. I don't eat what I make, as I know I need to eat Protein FIRST! And then I don't have room for sweets. I have lost 98 pounds since my VGS surgery, and continue to loose. I intend to NEVER gain the weight back either!!! You have made a committment. So tell Dad to stand back and watch as you fulfill your committment as you travel your new journey. Never the less, I know it is extremely hard to have a parent criticize you or tear you down. I KNOW for a fact that my Dad loved me, but he was always brutally critical of me, especially my weight problem. Sadly, he did not live to see my success. You are in my thoughts and prayers! Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way! Keep on Keeping on! Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Sunday evening, the 22nd Dear Writergirl, Congratulations on your decision to get healthier! I have spent most of my life going to Weight Watchers, Overeaters Annonymous, Overeaters Victorious, Diet Center, Jenny Craig, Weight Down Workshop, etc., etc., etc.!!! Essentially doing ANYTHING I could to lose excess weight. I did EVERYTHING I could think of, read about, etc to lose weight. And I did loose weight. I ALWAYS lost a significant amount of weight. The only problem was, when I would get bored with my diet, or when I got most of the weight off, I would think "Yeah! Now I can eat again!" and soon I would gain everything back, plus a few more pounds. I have always been "fluffy", but the last few years (I am 62), I gained enough to qualify as "morbidly obese". I finally made the decision in early 2011 that I had to "do something" to stop the madness! After spending a lot of time on this web site reading other individuals experiences, I made the decision to have a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. I had my surgery on June 18, and have lost a total of 98 pounds so far. I have 10 pounds left to go to get to goal. My weight loss has slowed down considerably, but I am confident that I will eventually get there eventually. And truthfully, if I NEVER loose another ounce, I am happy where I am! I am so thrilled with how I feel, and needless to say, I am thrilled to death with how I look! I wore a size 26/28 top and size 24 pants prior to my surgery. I now wear a size 8 in slacks/pants/jeans and a 12 or 14 in tops. I have been able to go off my blood pressure medication, my arthritis meds, my cholesterol meds and my allergy meds (can't tell you why on that last one!). I have loads of energy and feel so much better than I did 8 months ago. It wasn't all easy. I was plagued by a bone deep fatigue for weeks after the surgery. I went back to work 10 days after the surgery, and let me tell you, I had to literally DRAG myself to work every night! I am a nurse and work 12 hour shifts, and I wasn't sure I was going to make it initially when I went back to work. I also fought with nausea for several weeks after the surgery. I still have to eat slowly to "catch" the "cue" that I am full. I try to count my bites as I eat, and chew slowly and really well. I know that my pouch will hold 7-8 bites. If I go one bite past full I am very uncomfortable for several hours, so I try to catch that "cue" when it happens so I don't over eat. I also lost a lot of my hair when I was about 4-5 months post op. But it is coming back now, the fatigue is long gone, and the nausea is only a distant memory. I personally have four friends who have had various bariatric type surgeries in the past, and have overeaten and gained all or most of their weight back. I am working REALLY hard to make sure that I don't join their little group. I have joined a Wellness Center and work out four days a week. I am doing everything I know of to get and stay healthy. So again, let me congratulate you on your decision! Be sure and keep us all posted as to how you are doing after your surgery. We all love to Celebrate your victories with you. Will be sending prayers your way as you undergo your procedure! Best of luck and keep us all posted! Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Sunday evening the 22nd Dear Proudmomma, Congratulations on your decision to change your life in such a positive way! It is truly a life changing decision. The pre op diet WAS the hardest part of the entire thing for me. My surgeon wanted me to limit my carbs to 20 Gm of carbs per day, and nothing else except Protein. I love protein, but giving up the carbs was REALLY hard for me. (I LOVE bread, Pasta, potatoes, rice!) I also gave up Diet Pepsi, as I had read that carbonated beverages can stretch the pouch out, and lord knows, I didn't want to do that. So Diet Pepsi addict that I was, I went "cold turkey" and gave it up. Every once in a while I still have a single swallow of Diet Pepsi, but for the most part I don't drink it at all anymore. Have switched to iced coffee for my caffiene fix! It is really great that your parents are available to help you out with your children! My children are all raised, so I didn't have that worry. But my husband was a huge support for me. I too had my surgery in Mexico, and he went with me and took care of me the entire time I was recovering. I am so thankful for his assistance! Be sure you post after your surgery to let us know how everything went, how you are doing, and how you are loosing! We all want to Celebrate with you when you join the "loosers bench"! I will keep you in my prayers as your surgery date comes closer! The entire experience is a journey that you will walk for the rest of your life, and it is so exciting. I have lost around 98 pounds so far, and love the changes that I am experiencing in how I look and feel. I know that I am so much healthier than I was before I lost all the weight. Don't get discouraged and enjoy every minute of your new life! Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way!!! Kathy D (Alias Helen the Cat)

Sunday, the 22nd Garyrupp, Congratulations on your decision to change your life in a fantastically positive way! It is a huge life style change, and I have to admit that some days I still regret that I can not eat everything I ate in the volume that I used to eat it. I eat my five or six bites (and am full) and think "gee that was a REALLY good __(whatever)_____! I WISH I could eat some more!!!" But I know that if I eat one bite past my "full point" I will be uncomfortable and hurt for several hours. And that is enough to deter me from eating "just one more bite" (most of the time)! Also after all I have gone through to get to where I am (I've lost about 98 pounds so far), I don't want to start "undoing" everything by overeating and stretching out my pouch! I have four friends who have had various bariatric surgeries, lost a lot of weight, and gone on to overeat again, on a chronic basis, and gained back most or all of their weight! THAT is something I NEVER want to do! How long have you been comtemplating having surgery? Have you educated yourself really well about it? Are you prepared to change your life radically? Is your surgery already scheduled? How soon? How much do you have to loose? These are all things you need to reconcile in your mind before you have your surgery. I am NOT trying to talk you out of the surgery, just trying to get you to think about how your life is going to change. Best of luck with your decision! I will keep you in my prayers. Please post more and let us all know where and when your surgery is going to take place, and especially how you do after your surgery. We all love to hear success stories and celebrate your victories with you! Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way!!! Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Sunday evening Tenna, Just wanted to drop you a note to encourage you and to assure you of my prayers tomorrow for both you and your family. You are correct when you say you are starting a journey. It is the journey of a life time, as it is truly life changing! I am 7 1/2 months post op, and have lost around 98 pounds (it varies a pound or two either way depending on the day). I went from a size 26/28 top to a 12/14 and 24 pant size to a Size 8! I am SO thrilled with how I look, but even more thrilled with how I FEEL! Some days I have a little "buyers remores" when I am eating something really good, and have to stop after just a couple of bites. I am really sad some days, cause I want to eat more of what ever it is that is tasting so good. But I know that is how I got into this situation in the first place, and my sleeve is my tool to help me overcome my problems with food and overeating. Anyway, prayers coming your way tonight and tomorrow. Be sure and post to let us know how you are doing!!! Best wishes, love, hugs and prayers!!! Kathy D (alias HelentheCat)

Sunday evening, the 22nd Tiffanye, So glad you posted how you are doing. I have been thinking about you and praying for you these past days. I had to work the last three nights, so haven't had time to check these boards. I work 12 hour shifts (am a Labor & Delivery nurse), and when I work two or three nights in a row, all I have time to do is travel home from work in the morning, shower, sleep, get up, get ready for work, travel to work, work my 12 hours and start all over again! I commute almost two hours to and from work, so I literally don't do ANYTHING I don't have to when I am working several nights in a row. So glad to hear the pain isn't bad. I didn't find it horrible, and my doctor did not prescribe any narcotic medication AT ALL. I was nervous about that before the surgery, because I am a wimp when it comes to pain, but I didn't think it was all that bad. And once I got rid of the gas, I felt pretty good. Today my hubbie and I drove to Des Moines (about 2 hours south of where we live) to go out to brunch with some friends. It was icy and snowy, and I am a chicken about driving in bad weather. But we did well. We went to a restaurant where our son is the executive chef. They served a breakfast brunch buffet, and it really tested my will power not to over eat! I feel I was fairly successful though, and came away without being in pain, which happens still if I overeat. So I have to count today as a victory. They had Salmon parfaits, which was flaked smoked salmon on a bed of diced hard boiled egg and either creme frech or sour cream. Was really yummy, and since eggs and salmon are a good source of protein, I didn't feel at all guilty about eating it! And I LOVE salmon! I imagine you are on liquids now. Soon you will be progressing to mushies and then solids. Take it slow and enjoy the journey. I will keep you in my prayers. Post again soon so we all know how you are doing! Love and Hugs and Prayers! Kathy

Irene, You are a REAL inspiration to so many of us!!! Your pictures are absolutely AWESOME!!! I wish I looked as good as you do! I am ten pounds below you, and wearing a size 8 which is OK, but no way could I get into a size 2/4/or 6! I am still trying to work out and loose more on top. where I am more of a 12/14. Have always been bigger on top and wish I could get both halves to equalize! A dress is out of the question for me now, as the top is either skin tight (which I just can not stand to wear) or the bottom is so big it looks clownish on me. So I am going with seperates and hope that I look stylist and well dressed. I REALLY appreciate your remark about there being no "expiration date" on how long our sleeves will work. I have been worried since I am now 7 months out and still have 10 pounds to loose. I want to get to goal so badly, but am worried since my rate of loss has slowed down to barely preceptible. I have gained and lost the same 2-3 pounds about 15 times in the last 1-2 months. Today is a good day, but tomorrow I will probably gain a pound or two. It seems that my body "plays around" with the weight for days (or weeks) at a time, and then all of a sudden will drop a pound or two. For ages I teetered on the 168-170 edge. I would weight 168, and rejoice, then the next day 170, then the next 169 then 170 again, and so forth, Then all of a sudden I was 167. And then I started again, 166, 168, 169, 167, etc. I am firmly around 160 now, but the battle continues, up a pound, down a pound or two, up two pounds, etc. DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!! But I am trying to weigh only every 3-4 days, sometimes every week (I have trouble holding out that long!) so that I don't get crazy and obcess about it. When I was first sleeved, every time I peed or pooped I would strip and weigh myself. Spent half my time dressing and undressing. Finally decided that I had to stop that before I wore my clothes out and got blisters from unfastening and refastening my bra! Anyway, the gist of this message is to thank you for being an inspiration to each and every one of us. Many times after we get sleeved and get a good start on our journey, we sort of "fall away" from being active on this set of boards. We quit reading and posting and just sort of drift away. We forget that we owe a debt to those that encouraged us, helped us, advised us, celerated with us, etc our first few days, weeks, months, etc. So a big THANK YOU to you for keeping us fired up, encouraged, enthused, informed, etc. You are an INSPIRATION! Thanks! And keep posting your comments AND your pictures!!!

Tiffanye, Here it is Thursday morning (amost noon actually) and your surgery is probably over by now. I got up at 6:00 AM (Iowa time) to pray for you and your surgery this morning. (Actually, I went back to bed after I prayed Hope you don't care.) I hope all went well, and you are back in your room by now, waking up and comtemplating your spot on the "loosers bench"! Remember to get up and walk A LOT! Walking helps to get things moving again internally and helps you to get rid of the gas that they use to inflate you insides when they do the surgery. So walk, Walk, WALK!!! I remember I practically wore a path in the hallway the first night after my surgery, Since I had slept the majority of the day, I couldn't sleep that night, so spent most of the night walking in the hallway. I will continue to pray for you. Be sure and post how you are doing so we will all know. And remember that you are being thought about and prayed for continually. Love and Hugs and Prayers! Kathy

Tiffanye, It is normal to be nervous! I remember feeling the same way. I am seven months post-op today! And I look back on my surgery as the best thing I ever did for myself! And I did it just for myself. I wanted to look better, but my main goal was to improve my health status! I have been overweight since the day I first drew breath! I weighed over 9 lbs when I was born, and just kept getting bigger as I grew up. I can't remember ever wearing kids clothes. I was 12 years old and wearing a size 16! My Mom made most of my clothes cause we couldn't find clothes to fit me when I was a kid! I grew up with all the kidding, being made fun of, etc that goes along with being an overweight child. For years I struggled with going to Weight Watchers, Over Eater Victorious, Over Eaters Annonymous, Jenny Craig, Diet Center, etc., etc., etc. FINALLY. it is over! I eat 6-8 bites and am full. Some days I do better than others. I still struggle with eating sweets. I love to cook and bake and it is hard not to eat what I make. But I am trying. My cholesterol is down to normal, WITHOUT medication! I have been able to quit all my anti-inflammatory medication, my joints don't hurt anymore cause they aren't stressed with extra weight. For some (unknown) reason, my allergies have improved also and I have been able to quit my allergy medication. Also I have been able to stop my blood pressure meds as my blood pressure is totally within normal limits now. But best of all, I look good! I love being able to say that I wear a size 8! (I love it SO much, I'll say it again, I wear a Size 8!) The day of my surgery, I wore a 22/24 pant size and a 26/28 top. Now my pant size is 8 and top size is 12 or 14. I weighed 258 pounds when I went into surgery. Today I weigh 160. My goal is 150. Some days I weigh 158, but today is a "fat day" and I weigh two pounds more than my lowest. Tomorrow it will probably be 159. I wouldn't take anything to change back to where I was pre-op! My life is totally differnt, and I love it. My husband was afraid that I would change in my feelings toward him if I lost weight. It has been a struggle to convince him that I love him, no matter what! But I think he is finally starting to believe me. Back before Christmas I was doing some of my Christmas shopping and a (male) store clerk tired to pick me up! Which has NEVER happened to me before. While I was absolutely NOT interested in "going out for coffee" with him, it did wonders for my ego! In conclusion, try to concentrate on the end outcome, not on what is going to go on in the next few days. All the discomfort, aches, pain, etc will soon be gone and you will begin to live your "new life" on the "loosers bench" ! And try to remember what fun that is going to be! Concentrate on the end outcome. You will get through this! I'll be praying for you tomorrow! Kathy

Libby, I had a Vertical Gastric Sleeve 7 months ago today. I weighed 258 pounds prior to surgery, and today I weight 160 (and struggling to loose the last few pounds!). I love my sleeve. My cousin is a bariatric surgeon, and he was the one who convinced me to do the VSG instead of a Roux N Y procedure. He has had bariatric surgery, he had a Roux N Y about 10 years ago at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. After his surgery, he did a fellowship at Mayo Clinic and then started doing bariatric surgeries himself. He lost over 100 pounds and has maintained it very well. He was my inspiration to do something. I went to see him in consultation, and he convinced me that the VGS has far less complications than RNY, less problems like dumping syndrome that many with a RNY experience, no malabsorption problems, etc. So i went with the sleeve, and wouldn't trade it for anything. The day of surgery, I wore a size 26/28 top and 22 or 24 pant size. Today I am a size 8! (I love saying that, so I'll say it again "I wear a size 8." Gee that makes me feel good!) I don't have words to say how happy I am that I had my VGS. It is a non reversible procedure, so you need to be sure of your decision if you go with a VSG. When we crossed the boarder back into the United States (I had my surgery in Mexico) one of the gals riding in the van responded to the boarder guards question of "do you have anything to declare?" with "No, but I left my stomach in Tijuana!" So funny! No matter what you decide, Best of luck on your surgery!

Barbara, I am seven months out today, and am struggling with the whole maintenance issue. The weight loss period was a breeze compared to trying to maintain the loss! I have lost 98 pounds, and am 10 pounds from goal, but with my lousy eating habits, I have gained and lost the same 2-3 pounds for over 2 months now. I am also struggling with trying to buckle down and work out on a regular basis. I bought into the theory that WLS was "the easy" way to deal with weight loss. Well maybe the loosing period was easy (it really was!) but maintenance sucks! Seriously though, good to hear from someone who is farther down the line than me! Can't wait to see your post op pictures after your plastic surgery! Kathy

I can't believe it has been 7 whole months since I was sleeved! It has gone so fast! And yet it seems that right now time is moving SO slowly! I know that you loose most of the weight in the first year, and I am SO anxious to loose the last few pounds I have to go. And I am getting nervous, knowing that I am over half way to the one year mark, when I will stop loosing. I want to get those last few pounds off while I still have time. This past summer (when I was living/working in California) I swam for an hour every morning. Since moving back to (cold and frozen) Iowa, I can't swim on a daily basis. I joined a work out center last week, but am having trouble getting there on a regular basis. I work 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, so evenings are out, and I sleep during the day. So have had to confine my work out times to my days off. I NEED to get off my rear end and get to the work out center on a more regular basis! The sad fact is that joining and paying your money does NOT do anything for weight loss or toning, IF YOU DON'T GO AND WORK OUT!!! I also am trying to come to terms with what I am eating. To often I figure "will I can only eat a couple of bites of it, so I can't do THAT much harm, so might as well eat it.", instead of trying to eat healthy. I don't want to be one of those individuals who loose dramatically and then gain most (or all) of it back! I have a very good life long friend who had a Roux N Y done 7-8 years ago, and now has gained back almost all of her weight. I don't think she changed her eating habits a lot, and now she is stuck with a weight gain back to her (almost) original size. She is such a good friend, I feel so for her. After all she went through to have the surgery and then to gain most of the weight back! I LOVE to bake and cook, so it is a daily struggle not to eat what I am baking/cooking. I am trying to follow the rule "always get my protein first". But some days the pastry, or cookies, or cake, etc seem to be shouting my name as loudly as they can! I know I have to STOP, but some life long habits are SO hard to change! The good news is that I SO love being a Size 8, and I don't want to endanger it with weight gain! I also love all the compliments I have received on my weight loss since the surgery. I don't ever want to weight 258 pounds again! I am beginning to think that maintenance is harder than weight loss! The loosing period has been a relative breeze, it is the whole maintaining thing that is going to drive me crazy (and believe me, crazy is not a far trip for me!). Anybody have any good tips for maintenance?

CC, try not to get discouraged! Weight loss happens at a different rate for everybody. Some days I will adhere to my eating plan exactly, and the next day I will have gained a half pound or a pound. Then there are days when I eat like I know I should NOT, and the next day, I have lost a pound and a half! I can not make sense out of it, so I just try very hard to adhere to my eating plan and not come down to hard on myself when I fall off a little bit. I noticed a weight loss immediately after I got home from the surgery, but didn't see my clothes getting bigger on me. In fact, I went almost two months before I noticed that I had to adjust the size of clothing I was wearing! I began to think that all my weight loss was in my fingers (my rings were loose) and feet (my shoes were loose). Then all of a sudden, everything started to look REALLY loose. So, don't get to caught up in numbers or sizes (although I have to admit, I LOVE to say, 'I wear a size 8"), or whatever. Stay on your eating plan (the one you surgeon recommended) and concentrate on walking and increasing your exercise a little. I was living in California immediately after my surgery, and I started swimming laps about three weeks after my surgery. I swam all summer, and in additon to feeling great after my swims, it was an exercise that didn't load my joints (my knees hurt too sometimes, and I had a hop replacement 15 years ago and probably need to have it revised soon), so was pretty painless, but still a good aerobic workout. (If walking bothers your knees, try swimming.) Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!

Thank you so much for posting the details of your experience. It was very interesting and quite similar to my experience. I to opted to have my surgery in Tijuana, since I was paying for it myself. (Our insurance company cover NO type of weight loss procedures/medications, etc.) I am now 6 1/2 months out. I weighed almost 260 when I started and am now firmly in the mid 160s. I have to say, I am THRILLED to death with my results. I went from a 3X or even 4 X in tops to a large. My pants size was 24-26 prior to my surgery. I now wear a size 8! (I love to say that! So I'll say it again; I wear a size 8!) I am in my mid 60s and thought it was to late to have the surgery and lose weight, but so far, so good. Keep going. You will be thrilled you did!

I can hardly believe it, I am only 9 pounds from goal now! I am six months and 13 days post op, and have lost a total of 99 pounds! (I need to update my weight loss ticker!) I almost broke my husband's ear drums this morning when I got on the scale. He was in the shower and I came into the bathroom to step on the scale before I got dressed and fixed breakfast. When I saw that I had lost three pounds this week, I let out a yell that scared him to death and almost broke his eardrums! He told me he thought someone was attacking me! I have been so gratified lately to see that I now fit perfectly into a size 8! My size goal was a 10 or 12, so when I hit Size 8 I almost lost it completely! ANd now my 8s are getting big on me! Hurray!!! I told my sister that I am going to have to find thinner friends and realtives. I have been giving my clothes to her and to one really good friend as they get to big for me. Have given away 9 or 10 pair of jeans that were hardly worn, as I changed sizes so quickly. And now am getting close to being a size 6! WooHoo! How Sweet it is!!!

I am going to have to find skinnier friends! I have been giving away all my clothes that are to big for me, and now I am small enough that I am smaller than all my friends. For a long time my sister took my clothes, but now I am like 45 or 50 pounds small than she is. So now I need to find smaller sized friends and relatives!

Lots of times if I am going out with my hubby, we order one meal and split it. Sometimes we have to pay a split plate charge of a couple dollars, but it is still cheaper than both of us ordering a meal. Sometimes I order just an appetizer, and that works good too. If I order a meal, I have started asking for a to go box WHEN I order my meal. I ask them to bring it when my food is served. I explain to the waitstaff person that I can only eat a very small amount, and know that I won't be able to eat my entire meal by any means. Then when my food comes, I box up 3/4 of it immediately and place the box out of sight. I try to be sure and tell the waitperson how good my food was (when it WAS good!) and leave a nice tip for their assistance in providing me the to go box with my meal. So far, I have never had any wait person be rude or pushy about why I ate so little. And I have tons of left overs to feed my husband.

I am just over 6 months post-op. I started noticing real hair loss at about 3 1/2 to 4 months. It got so bad that I spent hours before I would go to work trying to arrange my remaining hair to cover the really thin spots, where you could see my scalp plain as day! ( I have a LOT more sympathy for those guys who do the comb over thing now!) I finally sucked it up and bought my first wig. I LOVE it! It is SO much easier to get ready for work or to go out! And I think it looks really natural! I now have six wigs, all very similar to what my hair looked like before my surgery, but just a little bit different style from each other, and a little bit different color. A week or so ago, my husband asked if I wanted him to shave my head for me. I kept worrying about strands of my own hair slipping out from under my wig, and was self conscious about it. So he got his clippers out, and the hair is gone! I love my wigs, and think they look very natural (see my profile picture). I have been taking protein supplements since my surgery, getting well over 80 GMs of protein daily. I take two prenatal vitamins twice a day, take Biotin, use Nioxin Shampoo and Minoxidil treatment on my scalp, and still my hair fell out. So I think that some people are going to experience hair loss no matter what!. But I am firmly with Bionicbroad! I would rather be thin and bald than Fat and Hairy!!! I love my new body, and love the looks and compliments I get about how I look! (I had a guy try to pick me up a couple weeks ago when I was Christmas shopping, a First!!!) I will always take Bald and thin over Fat and Hairy!

When you are researching a facility/surgeon to preform your surgery in Mexico, or for that matter any place outside the USA, look for a facility that Is JACHO Internationally certified. The JACHO certification is the Gold Standard for hospitals here in the US, and they also do international certifications. JACHO certification assures you that the hospital conforms to the standards necessary to provide SAFE medical care.

Well, Merry Christmas Sleevers! I am happy to report that I survived the Christmas pressure. If you read my previous blog entry, I was stressed to the max about all I had to do. With the encouragement of several who commented on my entry, I tried to slow down and enjoy the journey and not stress about the destination. I am happy to say that all 25 people showed up, and we had a lovely day. The grandkids were wired (from to much sugar and too many presents,) but still were fun to have here. The food (I did fairly well staying on my high protein, low carb, low, low sugar diet plan) was great, Prime Rib, Cheesy Potato Cakes, Yummy Spiced Green Beans, Homemade Rye bread, Scalloped Corn Casserole, Broccoli, Raisin, Bacon Salad, Tossed Salad, Cinnamon Rolls, all kinds of raw veggies to munch on and of course endless sweets, cheese and crackers, nachos, etc. But my Mom (age 90) was here, along with my brother and sister, all four of our kids, their spouses and the grandchildren, my husband's sister and spouse, his parents, and several good friends. Had such a good time. I am still cleaning up from all the meals (had company for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and enjoyed it to the MAX. And happy to report that this morning I weighed in and I lost another 1.5 lbs. I am so excited, I am only 12 pounds from goal now. It is getting closer and closer, and I am just plain thrilled. Also am going to come clean about my struggle with my hair loss. Around 3 months post op (I am now 6 months post op) I noticed that my hair was getting thinner and thinner. You could see my scalp, and I spent hours before work trying to arrange what was left to cover the bald spots. Finally I bought a wig! And I love it! Everyone at work kept saying "did you style your hair differently? It looks so cute!" For a while I was telling everybody that it was a wig. Finally one of my co-workers said "stop telling everyone it is a wig. It is your hair, bought and paid for, just say 'thank you' when some one tells you they like it." So that is what I do, I just say "thanks, I like it too." So for all you sleevers who are having concerns and/or struggles about thinning hair, or outright hair loss since your surgery, it's not that bad. I think my wig looks very natural, and it cuts down the time I need to get ready for work by 1/2!!! I am taking prenatal vitamins daily, eating well, taking my protein supplements, taking Biotin and B vitamins, using Nioxin shampoo and hair treatment, using Minoxidil solution on my scalp, and trying to think positive about my hair re-growth. But I have to say, I would rather be bald and thin(ner) than hairy and fat! I love my new body, even if it has less hair than I woud like!

How much hair do you think you are loosing? I started losing mine between 3 and 4 months post op. By 5 months post op I was scared, I could see my scalp all over my head. When I showered, there was hair in the tub when I got out, when I slept, there was hair on my pillow when I got up, when I blew my hair dry, there was hair in the sink! There was hair everywhere but on my head! (I have a LOT more sympathy for men with comb overs than I used to have!) I spent hours in front of the mirror, trying to cover the balding spots before I went to work. I finally gave up, and bought a wig. And since the hair loss kept up, I finally decided to shave my head. I now have five wigs, all different styles, but still similar. All are slightly different color, but close to the color my hair has been for the last few years. I love my wigs and I love how I look in them, especially with my new (thinner) body! I think the wigs look very natural, and I don't think anybody that I work with even suspects that I am wearing a wig. So far, my hair has grown out to about a half to 3/4 inch in length, but it is still to short to tell how much is growing back. Am drinking protein supplements, taking multiple vitamins, Biotin. B vitamins, using Nioxin and Minoxidil, and trying to eat as healthy as possible. Am hoping for the best with re-growth of my hair. BUT if worse comes to worse, I will continue to wear my wigs and be happy. I would rather be thin with a wig than fat and hairy!!!

I wasn't even worried about hair loss when I had my surgery, my hair has always been one of my better features, and it just never dawned on me that I might lose a LOT of it. But somewhere between months 3 and 4 post-op, I noticed that it was noticeably thinning. I mean, you could actually see Patches of my scalp. There was hair in the drain after I showered, hair on my pillow in the morning, hair in the sink after I washed my face and brushed my teeth, hair everywhere, EXCEPT my head! I spent hours in front of the mirrow trying to arrange it to cover the bald spots before I would go to work. (I now have LOTS more sympathy for men who do a "comb over"!) Finally I thought "nuts, I am going to get a wig". And that is just what I did. I had SO many compliments on how nice my "hair" looked from co-workers. I would always say "thanks, it's a wig". Finally one of my co-workers said to me "Don't say it's a wig, just say 'thanks!' when someone compliments you on your hair!" So that's what I do now, I just say "thanks, I like the way it looks too." I now own five wigs, each one cost around $100.00. Have bought them slowly, each is a similar color, if not exactly the same as the previous one, and similar styles, just a little different from the others. I don't think anyone realizes they are wigs unless I say something. I finally got Brave, and shaved the remaining hair off my head. I kept worrying about strands of my own hair escaping out from under the wig, so one day, I just shaved it off. My own hair is now about a 1/2 inch long, but it is to short for me to tell how thick it is coming in. But I don't care! I would rather be bald and thin than Fat and Hairy!!!

Woozers! Nine days till Christmas and I am SO busy! And of course with all the baking and cooking I am doing, it is SO hard NOT to sample, Not to graze, not to try "just a bite"! It is driving me crazy. We arrived home (in Iowa) from California (where I have been working the last year and a half) on the 7th of December, and I feel like I have been on a treadmill ever since. My new job started on the 12th of December, and tonight I start Five nights in a row of 12 hour shifts. I wish I hadn't been SO agreeable when they asked me if I could work all these shifts. I have baking left to do, Christmas Cards left to address, sign and mail, LOTS of shopping left to do (hadn't done any Christmas shopping before I left California!), my house to clean and a meal for 20 on Christmas Eve to figure out yet! My eldest daughter wants me to come to her house next Wednesday (the next free day I have!) and bake Christmas Cookies with her two boys, stay overnight, come home and get ready for all the overnight company that is coming on Friday. I feel like I am going to explode from the pressure of all I have to do. AND I am still trying to eat healthy, make sure I get enough protein, enough water, take my vitamins, etc. Tomorrow will be my 6 month Surgiversary! I have lost a total of 94 pounds since June 17, gone from a size 26/28 in tops to a 14 or a size large. Gone from size 24 pants to an 8! I have had SO many wonderful comments on how nice I look. It really thrills me! Just wish I could get off the treadmill and enjoy it a little. The down side is that my hair has gotten so thin (never thick to begin with!) that I finally shaved my head the other day. I have purchased a couple of wigs that I think look really natural and love the way they look on me. So yesterday I told my hubby, give me your clippers (he shaves his head!) and I did mine. It looks weird when I take my wig off, but with it on, I think I look pretty good. Oh well, I am going to slow down one of these days and enjoy all the blessings in my life, the biggest to date is my new and improved body!

Well, I have stepped up my protein, vitamin and biotin intake, but nothing seems to be making a difference so far. BUT, my wig arrived, and I love it. It looks so natural! Check out Headcovers Unlimited.com. They have TONS of wigs and hair pieces and are SO great about talking to you on the phone if you have ??? or concerns. I love the wig I got from them, and am not embarassed at all to wear it anywhere. I was hesitant at first, but had so many compliments on it that I thought "what the heck? it looks great, I'm going to go with it."