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I went through a dry skin phase, but went back to normal after a few months

Following this topic as I have ridiculously dry skin even pre-surgery.

Sooooo... I normally have fairly dry skin, but ever since surgery, it's been ridiculous! I have to smother myself in lotion like three times a day now (I use gold bond eczema cream), but I will have scaly skin again after like... an hour. Is this normal? I take biotin with my multivitamin. If it is normal, how long does it last? Or does it never go away?

Today’s outfit. I am in some of my new everlane work pants, a thrifted sweater, and a thrifted men’s wool vintage blazer. I go back and forth sometimes on whether to tuck in my shirt or not, because I have tummy loose skin/flab. I decided that the overall look was better tucked in on this outfit. Oh! I am officially “overweight” now. For the first time in my adult life, I am out of the obese category. Of course, I lost 3 pounds yesterday due to a stomach bug, but I don’t care, I’ll take it!

I've taken Nature's Bounty Hair Skin & Nails for years. I took the gummy version in the early days of my sleeve because I was afraid of taking too many whole pills (I take quite a few supplements). The caplets have more in it, so I prefer sticking with these. https://www.naturesbounty.com/our-products/letter-vitamins/vitamin-b/hair-skin-and-nails-3000-mcg-of-biotin-60-coated-caplets/ *I get mine at Costco, but you can get them just about anywhere.

I purchased mine from Amazon . Natrol Biotin Beauty Tablets, Promotes Healthy Hair, Skin & Nails, Helps Support Energy Metabolism, Helps Convert Food Into Energy, 10,000mcg, 60Count https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JKK3MAG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4smvEbCDYXK9V

I don't know which one is best, but I like the Nature's Bounty Hair, Skin & Nails gummies. They taste good, and in addition to biotin they have vitamins E and C. CVS often has them as BOGO, also.

Hello All I Need Some Input and/or advice, Had Lap band in 2007 did really well on it and lost 122 Pounds 288 down to 166! Last 18 months My weight has gone up, but was unable to be adjusted, Radiology MD said I was to tight and would not adjust me. I attempted multiple adjustments and every time the Radiology MD said no Im to tight. Went to my Bariatric surgeon and he finally removed all the fill and said rest 30 days and lets try a fill. That was before Thanksgiving. From then until Mid January I packed on 30 pounds! Finally got a fill of 1.5 CC (my band holds 4CC) and... nothing. It should be noted that I have no problems with GERD, reflux or any other issues - just no weight loss. Went to a new doctor (only changed because he is closer to work/home) recommended revision to BY-Pass, but I was thinking sleeve. He says if I want to get back down to 166 by-pass is the way to go. I know some people that had By-pass started off great and then gained weight. Here are my questions: Which way to go Sleeve or By-Pass? If you converted from band to sleeve how much did you loose in total? Did you loose as much as you had with the lap band? If you chose By- pass how much did you loose in total? Im not worried about the surgery or recovery - Im just worried about living with my choice how it will affect my eating and possible weight gain - I do not want to have a third weight loss surgery. Thanks in advance for your help.

My outfits from this weekend You've seen this sweater before, one of my faves. Jeans are too loose, but not super obvious And his one my bf convinced me to unbutton one button more than I would have been comfortable with 😂 And I can't tell you the last time I wore a belt with jeans! 😳

I just do about 15 mins of arm exercises in front of the TV every day or so: little arm circles (back & forward) large arm circles (back & forward) clasped hand pumps (put your hands together like you are praying and make your elbows touch, raise arms together up and down triep dips (knees bent OR straight out) push ups upward dog presses (like pushups, except your pelvis and legs stay glued to the floor) shoulder lifts I started doing them 4 months post op almost every day and I can totally see the difference in my muscle tone (I'm 1 yr 4 mnths out now). Mind you I still had a curtain of skin hanging off of them (no amount of exercise will get rid of excess skin). You can see how they looked before my arm lift in the Albums section of my profie.

Supposed to start "normal" foods this Thursday, but I didn't have anything ready for lunch so I had a rotisserie chicken thigh without the skin. Ate the whole thing, but I am stuffed. My stomach is handling well though. It is amazing. Before surgery I could eat half a chicken and still have room for potatoes, veggies and bread.

Hi! Are you just over 30? (I'm 65 but technically over 30 also😁) If you are just over thirty than you are still young! You'll do well with this, get good results and your skin should snap back more easily than us -ahem- more mature folks...It's good that you are doing this at a younger age! It's TOTALLY normal that your emotions are all over the map right now. You are going into the unknown with a life changing decision. You'd have to be a rock NOT to be a bundle of emotions right now. Visit here often--you'll get lots of helpful info and emotional support. Keep us posted--YOU GOT THIS!!!!

I meant to answer earlier than this but just am not feeling well at all. I saw my PCP and she did the CBC the bariatric appointment needed plus thyroid levels. I have the thyroid/neck ultrasound tomorrow. I'm not scheduled to even see the gastroenterologist until March 12 which means more waiting for the actual test. No one has called yet about the CBC results. My levels are off. All of a sudden my T4 thyroid level is low ... it’s so hard to find local doctors that accept my insurance since I’m on a *** special needs plan. And any specialist has to be on my doctors panel. Or I can’t see them even if they do take my insurance. Plus don’t they need to specialize in weight loss surgery skin removal? I thought of asking my PCP for a referral but she tries to play devil’s advocate instead of being my doctor. She was very judgmental about my surgery when issues came up afterward. I still don’t regret having it. I knew that it meant putting pressure on my chronic illness, even making it worse, but it was my last hope of having the tools needed to lose weight. Funny you say my demeanor is calm and even happy, thank you. I try. The last thing my sister said before she cut me out of her life is she thinks I live life too negative. I didn’t think I did, not sure about the elusive unicorn called happy but it’s more about living life exactly for what it is in the moment you are in and taken it one step at a time. i am not quite in the best place at the moment, and it’s not even my health getting me down. I went with my mom and her boyfriend to a celebration of life memorial for a friend who passed recently and on the way back we saw An Egyptian goose By a lake with chicks. My mom asked me to get out to take a picture with her phone. It was then I spotted a smaller chick laying lethargic on the sidewalk. Poor thing didn’t look alive but was. I tried to put him near the mom but he couldn’t move to walk and she rejected him. We took him home and called for help. To come take him. I carried him home on a small towel but he was so weak, he let out little chirps every so often when I talked to him. I got him to drink a little water. But his head kept rolling back and I knew he was too sick. But he was fighting so hard to live. We took him inside, I got him to drink a little more water and he chirped to me, but just when I tried to get some nutrition in him. Suddenly the life left him and I took him down to bury him under a favorite tree. Not the first time I’ve had to bury a baby bird. But they are all precious to me.

I had surgery 2 weeks ago. Before I even considered the surgery, my PCP mentioned it to me. I then began a 6 month journey preparing for the surgery. I was very lucky, because the hospital I went through (Brigham & Women's in Boston) has an excellent process. I had 2 meetings with the nutritionists in a group, and 3 one on ones. I had an hour long interview with a psychologist who specializes in bariatric surgery. I met with my surgeon 3 times. B & W has a whole lot of on-line resources. I also did my own research. I read all the medical information on the success rate of sleeve v. bypass, side effects, etc. I did a lot of research on what my eating would look like after the surgery. I encourage you to, also. While the amount of food and calories you eat during the phase when you are losing the weight very rapidly is an extremely low number, once you transition to maintenance you will eat more calories, which will also take into account your activity level. You will work closely with a nutritionist to find the right way to eat in maintenance. It is not "medically approved disordered eating", in fact it is the way healthy weight people eat naturally. I did this for my health, but I am not dishonest enough to suggest I don't also look forward to being thinner. I am 61, married for over 35 years in November, and a well established professional woman in my community, so I am pretty comfortable in my own skin, but not feeling uncomfortable sitting in a booth or in an airplane seat, or just being able to shop in non-plus size sections are things I look forward to. I don't think, however, that I came to this decision based upon fat phobia. If you are asking if the medical community offers this surgery as a result of fat phobia the answer is "no". Most people on here have one or more co-morbidities, including diabetes, high blood pressure, etc. I have avoided those, but I have pretty arthritic knees, and the extra weight keeps me from being able to walk any distance or enjoy the things I want to. You are undoubtedly aware of the health risks of morbid obesity, which are absolutely based in science. You don't see a lot of 300 pounds 80 year olds. I want to echo everything @TheAngryMeow said, above, about this being a tool, on a journey. There are lots of support groups for bariatric surgery patients, and that may be a good place for you to start. This is the opposite of easy, it is quite difficult. I am hoping and I believe it will be worth it in the long run, as I want to enjoy my future grandchildren and get to travel with my husband as we approach and get into our retirement years. I took a very different approach to telling people about this; I have been transparent and honest with mostly everyone, except for people who I only know professionally, I have merely told them I was taking a short medical leave. If they were rude or bold enough to ask, I told them. But everyone in my office knows, my friends and family, my neighbors, and many people who I consider friendly acquaintances. I decided I am treating a disease, obesity. I felt and feel uncomfortable at times about this, but only one person (my SIL) gave me much pushback. Most people seemed genuinely interested and wished me the best of luck; some people complimented me on taking this step to be healthy. The more often I tell people the less uncomfortable I feel. I did not want to have people think I was dying when they see me after a mysterious "medical leave". And, it has been my experience that lying, even through omission, has never been a healthy decision for me. But everyone should make their own decisions about their medical care, including how much to share with others, and what other should have information shared with them. Good luck to you! However, I don't think

AMAZING, that is almost 20 pounds a month! If I can loose HALF that amount per month post-op, I will be pleased, but I sure would like to be equally happy as you.. congrats on your epic weight loss!

Honest advise? Similar situations for me, making excuses to avoid being around friends, families and others due to my excessive weight. At first, I also felt "guilty" until I learned the excuses I made to friends and family were simply lies. The reality was the guilty feelings I was experiencing where more related to what I call the "self-preservation mode to avoid embarrassment and shame". Why did I feel embarrassment and shammed, I can probably write half a book just on that topic alone. There is a good write up in Psychology Today that discusses the similarity between feelings of Guilt, Embarrassment and Shame, I would say it's recommended reading for those who are morbid obese. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-pathways-experience/201709/embarrassment-guilt-and-shame Battling excessive weight goes far beyond "eating less and excising more", there are many Psychological related factors that MUST be addressed or your chances of successfully loosing weight and keeping it off will be reduced substantially. The lies, specifically to yourself have to stop. Perhaps if you told your friend the REAL reason why you did not want to participate they would be more understanding to your weight situation? And if they are not, I would say perhaps it time to surround yourself with new friends. When you say "I feel like no one can relate", I find that hard to believe, this forum is FULL of people who can probably relate to your situation in one form or another. You have already taken the first step by posting your message, never be afraid of asking for help, within this format or professionally.

Hey y’all!! MIA all week again- it’s all I can do during the work week to come home, do a load of laundry and cook dinner for my 9 & 10 yo. Whew Mama is TIRED! I wanted to give y’all a little update on my progress- I can’t get on my iPad for some reason so I can’t change my ticker but I’m down to 232.2- woot! That’s 43.2# so far! This week was slower but I’m eating and drinking more- still loosing about half a lb a day so that’s good. A NSV is that I went to the Goodwill on Monday ( $.99 cent day at my GW) and bought a bunch of size 18 khaki pants- typical art teacher attire- and THEY ZIPPED THIS MORNING! I was a size 24 Jan 2!! Hekka Yeah! Finally I had a GNO last night- we went to a local pub and then to see Mama Mia our on by our local theater club. I didn’t drink but I ordered their naked mugs (real chicken breast cup into cubes). We were in the nosebleeds- the theater is super old so during segregation it was the “black section” and the seats are TINY dingy and HOT! But I fit!!!!!! I’m attaching a picture of me in my SIZE LARGE dress that I wore (not XXL like 2 months ago!!!) Also attached is a comparison pic- Jan 2 to last night. Total difference!!

Sophie you look adorable. I love that white blouse on you. As always your smile makes me smile. AngieBear I love those jeans the details on the back is so cool. One of these days I’m going to buy me a pair of MissMe jeans. I want bling on my bum. I just have to get over the sticker price then I’ll get me a pair. I have lost a little bit of my butt but it’s still there with my thighs. But my top half I wish I still had something up there. Thank goodness for padded bras. They are my lifesaver. I’m still bundled up like a hot mess this morning. I’m freezing, but I did notice my yoga pants are getting loose up top. It sure is expensive keeping up with the changes in size. Have a great Sunday all. I don’t know if I’ll even get dressed today. 😂

They will not leave you in your clothes before you have surgery. You'll have the IV prior to surgery and once you are out of recovery/awake and able to move would be the soonest you can change. Having worked in the medical field I know it is NOT that big of a deal to disconnect an IV for a patient to change, but you run the risk of ruining your clothes. If you're a bleeder, or if you have a drain tube, you can bleed through bandages and leak around tubes. If you have an emergency, they will cut your clothes. Honestly, you are better off to wear a nice loose hospital gown that does not get trapped under you and maybe pull against your stomach when you are in bed, and just take a robe you can belt around you and cover up your back (or ask for a 2nd gown to wear backward) when you walk if you're that concerned about how you look. Having been through major surgery before, though not bariatric surgery, I can tell you I could have given two shits what anyone in the hospital thought about how I looked when I was in the hall or anywhere else though. I plan to wear in a front-zip sports bra with a loose knee-length cotton dress over leggings and hard-soled slippers to also wear back home and take a clean pair of underwear and socks. I'll take my usual 'trip bag of bathroom necessities' along with biotin dry mouth spray and chapstick (for the dehydration/intubation), an eye mask and plug-in headphones (block lights and sounds), plus an extra-long phone charger, my phone, and wallet. I'll leave a pillow in the car for the ride home. Boom, one cinch sack packed, and I'm done. They'll give you anything else you need.

Coming on to my fourth day post op after having sleeve surgery done on 2/18/20. Curious as to a few things. I’m not very hungry at all until I overthink it, I am a very tall large younger man and my suggested intake of protein just seems unrealistic. I have only been able to drink at tops 2 protein shakes for a total of 60 grams of protein. I’m doing my best to stay hydrated but I can’t only drink one ounce at a time, is that rule ok to be broken I feel like an ounce doesn’t even coat my mouth before swallowing. My incision sites have all been healing pretty well but the largest one the skin around it is turning black and blue as if it was bruised. Is that normal or did that happen to anyone else? My stomach feels sore especially in that one spot otherwise not too bad seems to be getting slightly better day by day. one final thing....when will I go the bathroom? I have a ton of gas but havnt had the call to go. thank you so much, amazing to find a community like this and be on this journey with you all. thank you, Michael

Pants shopping is a PROBLEM. But yeah, that’s just how my ass is pretty much. I don’t know why I got to keep it, but(t) it stayed. My boobs mostly stayed, but they are definitely suffering from the weight loss. Which, that’s what surgery is for! I’ll be getting a tummy tuck and a boob job. My thighs have a boatload of loose skin, but matter to me less than the other spots, so they will be lower on the priority list. OK, what you guys were SUPPOSED to be noticing is the cute buckle detailing just under the belt. I spent too much on these jeans (woooops), but that buckle was irresistible.

I had a gastric bypass in November 2016, lost 70pounds and kept it for about 2.5 years until I fell and broke the hip. Since than I gained about 25 pounds. Now I am trying to loose weight, but nothing happens. Any suggestion.

The very first time I felt the full impact of my weight loss was when I began to have A LOT more energy for tasks and activities I had long dropped because of fatigue. Walking long distances became pleasurable again and I encouraged others (mostly my thin & lazy teen kids) to join me. I believe it was around 190lbs (down ~60lbs) Next was when my super attractive Surgical PA said he wasn't worried about me or my progress, I was at the proper weight for my frame and I looked *amazing*. I could tell he really meant it by the way he gushed over my results. That was around 160lbs (down 90lbs) Another time, I was waiting in my surgeon's office about to discuss revision (from VSG to RNY to solve a few complications) and a prospective patient kept staring. Hard. He eventually asked me if i was waiting with/for someone and I told him no just my surgeon. I thought he was trying to *pick me up* but in fact he was confused that I needed to see a surgeon & was a WLS patient because i didn't look like it. (I've heard these types of comments several times) Two final events sealed the deal for me: My Bariatric surgeon and I decided revision to RNY was the best course of action for me but he DID NOT want me to lose anymore weight. He was adamant that I was at the right size and was already small enough at 155lbs & 5'3". (The revision went well and I'm maintaining in the 150s as promised.) Finally, I had Plastic surgery. At the Preop workup, I was discussing my plan with the surgeon. I wanted a Mommy Makeover- breast augmentation, Tummy Tuck and Brazilian Butt Lift. I wanted lipo on my back to transfer fat to my buttocks. He informed me that there wasn't much fat to lipo and it was excess skin that needed to be removed (instead I would need skin removal - a back lift and *maybe* after we could lipo my inner thighs for fat grafting.) He manually lifted the skin to prove it. I was shocked because I thought for certain it was excess fat but apparently I have thicker skin in certain areas. ****************************************** I took the long way round just to say that there were many incremental (progress) points that help me view myself differently/adequately and not just one defining Aha! moment. For sure outside validation played it's role and luckily I became receptive to complements instead of misanthropic because of society's new level of interaction with me (nicer, more welcoming) However, I'm unsure if I would have ever believed anyone's comments if I didn't begin to feel & see the change on my own first. Being kind, loving and accepting myself at every single stage of weight loss, instead of just at goal, really helped me. Good Luck ❤

@ms.sss are we supposed to be massaging our incisions? Is that what helps flatten them out? My Dr never said anything about that but I've read from you and others that you are doing it. My left arm is pretty flat but my right arm is still pretty raised along the entire incision line. Plus there are also a few spots where it's almost cyst like and I want to pop them but they won't pop. I took my silicone tape off tonight to check everything out and noticed all this stuff. I think I'm better off keeping that tape on if for no other reason than to keep me from messing with the incisions. I'm not taking pictures until they're flatter. Or maybe I'll just take a pic of my left arm because I think it looks pretty good. I really am happy with how both arms are noticeably slimmer overall, with all that flabby skin gone.

Hmmmmmm. Do you mean "thinking of yourself as a fat person", "expecting to see someone fat in the mirror" or "feeling fat"? I honestly can't say if there was a kind of "turning point" so to say for the first two things I mentioned. However, regarding the "feeling of fat" I have that quite often (I think this might be because of the loose skin I still have). Sometimes I think though that "feeling fat" is some sad kind of norm in our culture.