Immediately following the surgery (still in the clinic): I was uncomfortable laying down - I slept sitting up a lot. Gas pains sucked so I walked as much as possible to try to get rid of them.

Eating after surgery: You might not get as much water and/or protein as you think you should. Don't freak out, just do what you can as you heal. It will get better over time.

Your specific questions:
Is it true that your hair could fall out around 3 months post surgery? Yes, it's true. But it's not as scary as you might think. It's more of a thinning and it comes back eventually. Mine thinned out, but came back curlier than ever, so that's kinda cool.

Is it really possible to lose up to 100 lbs? Yes. I lost 140+, but I weighed more than you when I started. It varies by individual. Try not to compare your loss to others who weighed the same as you at the time of surgery. You'll go crazy if you do. Just focus on your own loss.

How do I keep from looking flabby? Exercise helps, but you could still end up with loose skin. It also depends on your age and the elasticity of your skin. I wish I would've done more (or some) exercise. I have lots of extra skin. I don't really care too much though, because my clothes hide it and I don't plan on wearing a bikini anytime soon.

I can't answer about Dr. Aceves or Fibromyalgia, as I have no experience with either.

I would eat when it's convenient for you and when you are hungry.

I had a post-op infection (serratia) in one of my incisions. I ended up in the ER and had to have it drained/flushed with saline, then packed twice a day for about 4-6 weeks until it closed naturally on its own. Luckily my husband is awesome and did the packing for me - and he was MUCH gentler than when the doctor did it. I don't think it's a very common complication, and it was more of a discomfort/annoyance than anything. It wasn't extremely painful.

It really did take a long time. I remember telling my husband "I just want to not be tired anymore!" 12 weeks isn't an unreasonable number in my experience. That sounds about right for me.

Neck pillow! I slept sitting up for the first couple of days and really could've used one. Other than that I didn't need much. Just comfy clothes, warm socks (maybe some slippers for all that walking you'll be doing), toiletries. You might bring a book or something, but I really wasn't in the mood to read after surgery. I jus****ched TV and walked.

Pssshhht! Don't let it get to you. Sounds like she was just being snarky and trying to make herself feel good. I personally wouldn't be able to "handle" a band... nor would I want to with all the potential complications involved. I think the sleeve is by far superior, but then again I guess I'm a little biased. ;) If you choose the sleeve you will be able to "handle" it just fine.

Avoid it if possible, especially that early out. I am 2+ years out, and I've only had a few sodas. I used to be thoroughly addicted to diet dr pepper, but now the carbonation stings my throat. If I do have one, I have to have it on ice and slightly watered down.

Thank you... and stay positive! Good luck with your weight loss!

You definitely lose the most in the first year. Average weekly weight loss varies per person, I'm sure. Some weeks you lose more than others. But on average, for me, it was about 2.5 lbs/week for about a year. Roughly. Of course there were plateaus, stops and starts, all that. After that first year everything slowed waaaay down and I started holding steady. I probably could have lost even more if I'd exercised more, so that's a factor too.

Hope that helps!

Yesterday my gmail popped up a little reminder from Obesityhelp that it was my two year surgery anniversary! I thought I'd take the opportunity (a day late, but whatever!) to update the community on my progress and what it's like being two years out.

Leading up to surgery...
I'm 30-mumble and I've been married for 13 years. (Wow.) Anyway, I was heavy my whole life. If you look through my profile there's a little tidbit about how I weighed 160+ lbs in SIXTH grade. That's about 70 lbs more than a normal sixth grader. My weight at the time of surery was 338 - my highest ever. I had surgery in Tijuana, Mexico. Surgery itself went well, no real complications. I got home, however, and discovered I had an infection (Serratia), which took about 8 weeks of two-times-daily wound packing by my husband to finally heal.

The first year...
I was tired all the time. I never drank protein shakes. Nastay. I'd gotten my fill in the pre-op diet. I discovered Eggface in this time, though, and that helped a LOT. Early on I ate a lot of scrambled eggs, which I know some people can't tolerate after surgery but I had no problems. It took a long time to really figure out what "full" was. There were times when I'd eat only to discover I ate too much and ended up burping up bits of food. Gross. Water was (and is) a challenge for me. I lost quite a bit of hair. It sucked tremendously. BUT despite all of this crap, I lost a TON of weight.

The second year...
My hair came back! It's now much curlier than it's ever been, so that's kinda cool. I eat normal food and I'm happy to say my portions are still very limited. Recognizing "full" isn't really a problem anymore. I do have heartburn quite often though. I occasionally have esophageal spasms or gas pains or some crazy chest pain. Not 100% sure what it is, but holy crap does it hurt. Luckily it usually doesn't last long and doesn't come back for another month or so. Not sure if it's directly related to the surgery or not. My skin... OMG. There's so much of it. I would love to have surgery to get rid of it (especially in the neck area), but it's not hideous or unbearable or anything. Pretty much everything between my knees and *****ould use a little tightening. Hah.

Successes...
So I've lost 140-something lbs! Awesome! It's not exactly as much as I was hoping for, but I will definitely take it! Here are some of the really cool little things I dreamed of before WLS that I've been able to enjoy since surgery:
* Shopping is fun again. (In dresses, I can sometimes wear a medium!)
* During a recent trip, the airplane seat was roomy and I didn't need a belt extender.
* I can cross my legs with ease.
* Tying my shoes? No problem!
* I can sit on the floor again! And afterward... I can actually get back up.
* My office is cramped and it's kinda cool being able to squeeze between narrow spots.
* I can sit on my husband's lap.
* Stairs? No prob! We parked on the 4th floor of a parking garage recently only to realize the elevator was broken when it was time to get back to the car. Around the last flight of stairs my legs were starting to protest but I wasn't gasping for breath!

I'm sure there's a ton of other stuff I could add. It's hard to put two years worth of trials and successes into one post. I'm so happy I had this surgery, no doubt about that. I can't imagine where I'd be physically without it. I am not perfect, though. I know there are some things I eat/drink (*cough-Starbucks-cough*) that aren't good for me and if I'd cut them out I might lose more weight. But I am happier with my body than I've ever been... and my goal isn't perfection.

So that's about it. If you've read this far, thanks! If you have any questions for me, please feel free to ask away.

I remember that feeling! It was awesome to weigh less than what my license said. It had been wrong for soooo long.

I went to a nurse practitioner I had never seen before the other day. We were going over my medical history and she was typing it into the computer as I told her.

I said, "I had a vertical sleeve gastrectomy in 2009." She says, "Okay"... tap tap tap on the computer... "When did you say you had your lap band?"

Excuse please? I didn't say I had a lap band! Sheesh. Just had to share that.