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Update: healing well. Started scar laser therapy last week. Still in compression but I got a cute short sleeve dress I can't wait to wear on my summer vacation. I will probably be in compression for the rest of the summer just because the swelling gets so crazy in the extreme heat where I live. I am excited and loving the results so far. It feels so great to not feel my arms shake and move around while doing things daily. Going down stairs, running, stirring while cooking, all feels different. Also I am a violinist and I no longer feel my arms shake and move while I play. I am so happy about that.

That's quite a journey you've been on. I'm curious, what's been the biggest surprise for you, either positive or negative, since having the surgery? Something you didn't expect going into it?

I'm not to drink any carbonated beverages, and that is okay since there is too many chemicals in those sodas, and they make you more thirsty. I stopped sodas years before surgery anyway and have been drinking crystal Light, all flavors for the variety. I urge you to try that and some have caffeine if you need the caffeine. I'm not to drink any caffeine until I am about 6 months out. But you go with what your team says, or do what you think is best. Wishing you the best.

Aaah scales. They have the power to make or ruin your day just by standing on them. Did you weigh more at your doctor’s than at home initially? I weigh differently at my GP, my follow up doctor, the hospital & at home. So they keep their records and I keep my mine. The actually weight loss is the same just the numbers are different on the scale. Check your batteries. How old are your scales? As my old scales were failing my weight was erratic until they finally read I weighed like 100kgs more than I was. They went in the bin & I bought new ones that day. Remember you have lost 43lbs in 4 months so averaging 10lbs a month. That’s fantastic.

Welcome back! It seems like most people drift away after a while, once they get used to their "new normal" post-surgery life and no longer want or need everything to revolve around their surgery. I'm almost 3 years post-op and sometimes get tired of seeing the same posts over and over again from the next crop of newbies. There are a few WLS veterans like catwoman7, Arabesque, and The Greater Fool who have stuck around and answer these questions with the patience of saints, but they are few and far between.

Sorry you're having trouble sleeping. I know that's just making recovery harder. You probably already know this, but here's the thing: being stressed out about not sleeping can just keep you from sleeping. The first step in getting past that is just to release yourself mentally from the stress/insomnia cycle. What I mean is that you have to acknowledge that you just had major surgery. Coupled with massive dietary changes and you are going through an incredibly stressful time right now. It's normal when stressed to struggle with sleep, so the best possible thing you can do is simply acknowledge that sleep may be difficult for a while and it's okay. I would also say do whatever you need to do to get control of your pain levels. You may need to try changing out your pain meds, or consider changing where/how you sleep. As an example, even though I'm normally a stomach/side sleeper, I slept on my back in a recliner for the first couple of weeks simply because it was less painful. Finally, I'd recommend researching good sleep hygiene and implementing as many of those recommendations as possible. Right now, you need all the tips and tricks you can get. Good luck.

18 months post op, RNY, and I drink sugar free soda daily, not that I should, but I do. And I don't have any issues with it. I can gulp water if I have an empty stomach, can't gulp soda, but I can sip it like normal and I love it. I even drink it with a straw. Everyone's experience will be different. I waited at least 6 months before experimenting, and I would recommend going very slow, a sip or two at a time until you know what will happen.

Hi! I had the gastric sleeve on May 28th, 2025. I underwent this surgery because I take medication that made me hungry and it got me obese up to 207 lbs. I used to weigh 135 prior the medication. So I ended up deciding to not quit the medication and to undergo this surgery for weight loss.

A couple things related to my weight gain - when I gained weight it was due to eating fast food/junk food during nursing school and then the pandemic (people sending goodies to hospitals) and the stress of the job. I also had two traumatizing relationships in that mix - what was 30lbs would have been 60lbs pre-wls When I was gaining weight, I wasn't stepping on the scale. So now, I do this often to keep me accountable. You are going to regain some, your stomach is tiny and then the swelling goes down and you can eat more (and you should)! I feel like wls is the only way I could have kept this off. The best thing is that the food noise is gone! I would redo the surgery once a year, every year, if I had to. That's how important is been to me.

there was some big blow-out a few years back (I can't even remember why anymore) and several people left and went over to ObesityHelp, but I think only about one or two of them are still there.