6 months out!!

Wow. I just have to share bc I am just so amazed at myself and what the world of science/medicine has done to help save us!   What an exciting ride this has really been so far!!! I've lost 128lbs since having my DS in October 2014. 128!!!!! It is just mind bogging!   I do have so much loose skin in my arms and my thighs, but my stomach and my butt seem to be doing well as far as no sagginess going on and still losing in those places  lol  Are there specific workouts that you're finding work well with helping with arm sag? or am I just going to have to wait till I have plastic surgery/body lift?

When I started I was more than a size 28 in pants (I don't really know, since a few months before my surgery I just started wearing stretchy pants than I know were beyond a true size 28. My shirt size was a 3x-5x or 28 depending on the style & brand. My pant size now is a 22, jackets and shirts 18/20 or 1x/2x again depending on style. Even noticed my ring size went from a 7.5 to a 6 lol   MY feet don't hurt nearly as much, I don't have that fat hump on the back of my neck like I used to, and OMG what are these things called hip bones and collarbones? ;-) 

Only issues I seem to have are being Vit A & D deficient (even after all my high doses of vites), some hair loss (although my hair is so thick you wouldn't know it) and dealing with gas. omg. toxic, deadly, setting-off-my-CO2-detector kind of gas. It was so bad I was in the hospital for a night because the doctors thought I was having a heart attack. I am eating healthy, no soda, candy, more veggies and enough protein to choke a horse (not that I would ever subject poor horses to these protein shakes), I don't drink milk bc I know that will be bad news (Diamond Breeze Chocolate Almond milk is legit!), I just can't pinpoint what is causing my stanky flatulance other than maybe too much fat somewhere in my diet. I even feel like i get gas bubbles or like my stomach is turning over and rebelling against me. It gets quite embarrassing in quiet meetings lol   I have Devrom, but my farts just laugh at it. ;)

Other than that stinky issue, I don't regret having this surgery at all. Like most people say, I wish I had done it sooner!!  I do know that I need to start working out more, but with working 2 jobs almost both full-time, I am just exhausted! I feel good that I've cut coffee out, but omg some days it's tough and you just wanna grab that liquid energy...  Eventually I would like to run a half marathon - maybe this coming fall, I did sign up for my churches softball team, so we'll see how that goes lol   I'm planning on May 1st, going back to the gym to start swimming and taking it slow.  I worked out with a trainer before my surgery and he was amazing, but he's since left the gym I'm at to go back to school. So I signed up with another trainer back in January to get back into it (that was the first time back to the gym since my surgery) and I couldn't walk for a week and a half. I know good burn pain/pain and bad burn/pain and that was not a good burn. I guess my muscles have atrophied with the rapid weight-loss, and him not being versed in what was going on in my body didn't help either of us. So to say the least, I've been afraid to go back because it was such a horrible feeling not being able to walk, sit without looking stupid or get up out of a chair. Even trying to sit on the toilet was a challenge. The tops of my thighs were just hating me.

So anyway, all is going well, and excited to see where the next 6 months will bring me! Teachers at school that I don't really even talk to said that I was looking great! When I've told them how much I've lost since the beginning of the school year, they just respond, "Wow, we're not even going to recognize you come next school year!!"

So questions:

-Arm exercises that work best?

-Any home remedies for bad, stinky gas?

-Has anyone tried getting hair extensions? Others say they can't tell, but i know I'm having an issue with some hair-loss on the back of my head and would like to get them filled in with extensions..only thing I worry about is what if I lose the hair that it's attached to? lol  minor detail...

Thanks!! Take care everyone! :)

I used an off brand of the antibiotic, Flagyl, to combat gas for years. Currently I'm using VSL#3 probiotic and trying to get away from the antibiotic. 

--gina

Just wanted to say congrats on your success. It is so exciting! I don't have any remedies for the bad gas. Mine tends to go by what I ea****ch the carb intake. I don't notice much gas until days I have more carbs than normal. I have some hand weights I work with for arms. My arms are the worst so I really need to use them more.

Congrats. That's fantastic. What length common channel did you have?

I actually don't know the channel length! I will ask my surgeon when I see him next month. 

Have you tried a pro-biotic?  After gall bladder removal and similar issues, dr. ohhira's pro-biotic was almost completely curative for me.  Recommend it highly.  

having my ds in one week….. nervous, but excited

I haven't tried any because I just feel so overwhelmed on what to choose. Maybe I'll give that one a try. Where do you find it? 

And best wishes for your upcoming surgery!! Since I first posted this one I've lost another 5 lbs and went bra shopping today. I used to be a 46-48D, I bought a 38D today! Woohoo! Again best decision ever. :-)

I ordered on amazon. or dr. ohhiras has a website too.  comes in a green box.  Was much cheaper on amazon than local store, but still seemed very expensive to me. BUT... after it made such a huge difference for me, I didn't mind the expense at all.  I had tried other pro-biotics, but this one is the only one that really made a clear - almost overnight - improvement.   I started off taking several a day, then cut back to one a day and now only take it 2-3 times a week.  Not sure it will help, but definitely worth a try.

great! Thank you so much!