POLL: PLEASE HELP THE DEC.'03 FRUMPIES!!!

Hi everyone! I'm a member of the December '03 board, and I was wondering if you could give us some good news....... Quite a few of us are in that stage where we're losing our hair, everything, and I do mean EVERYTHING is either flat, hanging, or sliding downward in rolls and folds, the loss is slowing, and we're feeling pretty dumpy and depressed. I thought I would ask all of YOU if we can expect some relief from all of this anytime soon. Here are our questions: When did you stop losing your hair? Did your hanging, flopping, folded body parts retract at least SOMEWHAT post-5 months? Did you do ANYTHING special that you feel may have helped ? At what month did you feel that you had broken out of this icky bald, floppy, nothing-fits-quite-right stage? What advice would you give your poor December '03 sisters to get them out of the "frumpies"? Mind you, we are all GLAD that we did this, we're just in a bad phase right now, and could use some kind words of wisdom from your collective experience! Thanks SO MUCH for sharing!! [email protected] RNY 12/21/03 309/229/120

1. I stopped loosing hair at about 7 months post op, but I had to undergo another surgery and it started all over again, and now 13 months post op my hair is looking better and healthier, a GREAT product to use is called "got 2b glued" its a hair glue that really stiffens and thickens if you have a short hair cut, this works great with the new hair styles, I bought it at walmart for about $6.00, and it helps to also but got 2b squeeky clean to wa**** out. :0) 2. still hanging and flopping, I did water arobics and deep water aquatread. 3. finally at 1 year post op I can fit in much smaller clothes and my body isnt quite as distorted, and looking good in clothing, shorts and cute tops... 4.hang on be patient, and enjoy the ride!!! It only gets better :0) Remember to keep up the vitamins, calcium citrate, (get a dexa scan so you know you bone density, You dont want ostioperosis),B12 sublinguele, for energy, water to flush the fat and toxins, exercise to tone, and enjoy the RIDE!!! :dance

Thought I'd end up bald for sure! Finally stopped after almost a year out. I've trimmed and cut my hair several times to try to make it look better. I think I'm finally on the right track now. Hang in there, I was surprized it bothered me as much as it did. Still flabby and the skin just flies in every direction. Be sure to keep exercising - I go to curves 3 times a week and it does help. Good luck! PS....invest in a "good" bra! It feels so much better.

let's see... hair fell out in bunches around 4-6 months and then went back to normal pre-op fallout... and the bulk of the hair came back, but now at 14 months post, it's wavy/curly when it used to be board straight... I hear this isn't abnormal. For the flat/flabbies, wear good foundations (bra, girdle, body slimmer, etc.) I swear that my mother's generation never really saw cellulite in their behinds/legs because they always wore long line panty girdles and it held everything firmly in place... didn't give the fat a chance to get "fluffy". Wear your bra to bed...you're retraining everything . My skin is slowly catching up though I still look much better clothed than I ever will again naked. I found that if I took a little extra time to put on some makeup, get a manicure/pedicure (take time for ME) then I felt better during those middle months. Things do get better... if you need something to focus on, keep a list of non-scale victories... like going down a shoe size, or putting on a ring that didn't fit before, or getting to the top of a flight of stairs and realizing that you're not huffing/puffing, or for that matter, getting to the top of the stairs without stopping to rest 1/2 way... focus on the positives...... you'll be amazed at all the wonderful things that are happening right under your nose. Good luck to all of you!!