Suz-
Glad to hear about the rain!!!

HW- 250
LW- 122
TW- 120

Was at 118 during the week- but after a meal at Outback and a few desserts here and there I am back where I should be.  I seem to ALWAYS remember to eat on the weekends!!  :)  I am still only exercising 2 x's a week and I feel like a sloth- but I don't want to lose anymore- oh well...

Have a good week everyone!!!
Brit

 Thanks Suz!
I'm sure I don't drink enough water and I def drink a lot of coffee which further dehydrates me. 
I take a lot of vitamins in addition to the B's and A's but I will def try to up my water intake.

Happy 2 year sister!

Hi, Beth...we are surgery twins! Glad to see that you are doing well with maintaining your weight in spite of the other challenges in your life right now. I wish you all the best in working things out so that your life is the way you want and need it to be.

With regard to your dry skin issues, of course staying hydrated through sufficient fluid intake (read: water ) is key. But, in addition, it could indicate deficiencies in Vitamin A and/or B Vitamins. You might want to up your intake of B vitamins, as you can't overdose on those...any excess is excreted out in your urine. I take sub-lingual B12 and a B Complex tablet nearly everyday just to stay on top of my values.
Vitamin A can be taken in tablet form, but is also found in dark, leafy greens, carrots, and cantaloupe. I prefer to get my intake up by eating more salads made with dark lettuces and spinach, as well as by eating more greens and carrots.
I hope this helps.

And remember, if you need support...we are all just a post away!

~Suz

He said that the lose BM's can be par for the course. He also said that people don't always consider this type of thing happening as a side effect of the surgery, but says it's fairly common after WLS. He suggested that I up my fiber intake which is hard for me to do...Fibers usually involve high amounts of carbs also... Still not much change with the BM's but the surgery saved my sanity. NO ONE should ever have to go through that amount of pain. It was EXCRUCUATING...like nothing I've ever felt before and I put up with it for about 3 weeks straight. Not mention about 4 prior occurances/ flare ups that I thought were hemmoroids. Ahh the joys and conversations post op...

Yeah I think I checked in after my 1st surgeries and that was it for the year. I hadn't thought about how some of it may benefit you guys so I probably should share what I went through.

So here goes...

After the big bowel obstruction/ hernia repair surgery in April of last year I considered a case against my surgeon because he had repeatedly told me that something must be irritating my pouch all the while my bowels were strangulated and dying off. Thank God I persisted by telling them that the problem was severe enough and had another Dr check it out when I went in for the hysterectomy, and he repaired the problem. But...rather than sue the Dr. I decided that it was I who signed the release forms knowing full well what I was getting into..even though my problem went undiagnosed for almost 14 months. So I let it ride... a few months later I developed a hernia along my incisional line and had to go in for a repair. The repair ended up being twice as much as we had initially expected and this was the point my family said...Lori, had the DR not let  this issue ride for so long you would not being going through all these surgeries. So it was at this point I decided to try to persue a case with my GB surgeon. In ordering my medical records we found a very interesting piece of information. The Upper GI done the day after my original gastric bypass surgery included a radiology report that showed an obstruction. Not only was it never addressed or brought to my attention, when I was hopitalized for an obstruction at 7 months post op I was released 3 days later after given meds but without further investigation or  mention of the previous report. So the Dr had numerous opportunities to diagnose and treat the obstruction but it was as if he was under the impression it was no big deal. He has since retired. In December I had an additional surgery which I will discuss later, but although I was told by several attorneys I had a VERY strong case, I waited too long to address it, only starting in December when my statue was up Jan 31st 09 (2 years after my initial surgery).... So That said...no big deal. I will continue as I have and take things one day at a time.

One other bit of advice. The last surgery I had was related to a rectal issue that came up from almost 2 years of lose bowel movements. For the last year I have been having intermittant pain with BM's and thought it was hemmoroids. I blew it off because NOBODY likes to have a Dr examine their hind side....unless the pain is excruciating. That's what finally took me to the Dr. The pain was totally unbearable...so I went to see a specalist and had an acute fissure or tear. I ended up having a sphincterotomy. Had I addressed the issue when it first came up there was a much greater chance it would have been corrected with medication but because I let mine go so long it could only be corrected with surgery...SO, as with everything else, be sure you address any issues that arise as soon as they come up.

And I guess that's my update for now.