redroses47

I had my surgery a year ago and I think they reduced the costs on the band and the sleeve about 5-6 months after I was done.

And no, I don't attend any support groups. I never did.

I think they had a special pricing offer or something going on, I feel lucky!

Do you ever go to any support groups?

They have reduced their prices .. I definitely paid more than $17,000

Hi again,

The cost for me at Puget Sound Surgical was a little over $17 000. It's only been two weeks, but so far best money I have ever spent!

Isn't Dr. Landerholm great? He didn't do my surgery but his post-op was fantastic. I would recommend Puget Sound to anyone. Hope you are feeling well, too!

Hi, I live in Surrey, BC and just had my sleeve at Puget Sound Surgical on April 6. Dr. Landerholm was fantastic, I would recommend him to anyone. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions, I'd be happy to share me experience to date.

I am in the Vancouver area and I was done a year ago @ Puget Sound. I highly recommend them.

Hi, I am in BC in the fraser valley. I am considering the sleeve surgery. I understand some people go to Puget Sound for their surgeries ? Is there anyone else from the lower mainland that has had this done ? I am going to talk to my doctor this weekend and get her input.

For the first few months, my weight dropped quite dramatically. I was constantly looking at my wardrobe to find things to wear as I am sure, like many people, I had quite a size range. I had it in my mind I had clothes for 'months ahead' but the truth for me is that I went through my entire wardrobe and zipped past sizes I expected to wear (but didn't) in less than 6 months post-op. I got to the point where I tried on my smaller clothes once a month and I could see the difference each month and there were many things I never even got a chance to wear. Talk about thrilling.

Don't feel reluctant. I think that is a natural feeling because we have all dieted and gained back and tended to keep that larger wardrobe 'just in case'. I guess we knew deep down that diets don't work. But this does. Trust me.

I just did my second consignment and the store couldn't believe these were my clothes. They were new-ish but much much larger than the woman standing before them. The owner asked me if they were actually my clothes! As I was preparing the clothes for this consignment, I was holding up items I had worn mere months ago and can't believe I was that big. I had been dealing with my brain not catching up to the image in the mirror plus the comments I had received from others so after I looked at my old/large clothes recently, any remaining denial flew right out the window.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

Congrats on the success!! I totally related to your point about having a carefully cultivated wardrobe. I'm feeling the same way. I have loads and loads of (really nice) clothes that all fit me now (and for the past decade), but nothing in a smaller size at all. I am feeling reluctant to get rid of anything, which is the first indication I've had that I on some level might believe this won't work for me after all. Weird. I know things already don't fit, but I'm a bit in denial.

I also hear you about not posting photos.

Cheers!

The pics always tell the strongest visual story but no, I have no plans to post. I wish to keep my identity private.

Amazing! Would love to see some pics if you have time to post.

Wow .. look at your success! Very inspiring, too!

wow this is all so great to hear, I too felt the energy drain and i'm feeling it again guess my bloodwork came back and I may be anemic now. I have to go see a specialist at the end of the month.

I exercise like crazy and love it.

Thanks for posting this it's great to hear from others further down the road.

Congratulations on all your success!

Thanks for posting I feel so completely different in heels. I used to feel like I was jamming my foot into the shoe (I probably was) and thought it looked great but in reality, it only promoted swelling. Not attractive. I have lost about a size and a half (plus a width) since my weight loss, too. Another unexpected perk!

Congrats on a great success story ... it is brill to hear!

I am sooooo getting the heels now! I can wear them all day in work without any problems and it feels GREAT!!

Sounds like you will/are heading into maintaince mode with no probs... good luck! =]

Laughing here .. good call on the tray!! Yes, not only was it down but I had at least 8" to spare. Talk about another mini success!!

Congrats,, and OH by the way could you get the damn tray down on the plane????

Thanks for your comments

I think it's important also for those who have had successes to also share the difficulties, too. For me, I dealt with extreme exhaustion for about 4 months post-op when I heard so many times that I will be up 'n running in no time. I found this pretty difficult and let myself nap when my body told me it was time to rest. However, it does pass.

And, you will stall and everyone's schedule for stalling varies. However, the weight will come off. Follow the rules and you can't go wrong. My weight dropped very steadily for at least 6 months before my first stall and that one lasted about a month. And of course, the closer you are to goal, the slower the scale moves. That is where you rev things into gear with exercise as it's so exhilarating to move without those same pains you may have had post-op!

It's pretty amazing to me how this surgery has changed my life. My one-year anniversary is coming up and I can't believe the number of ways my life and health have changed.

Obviously, the main one, is how I look. People who have not seen me in awhile are simply blown away. I am half the person I used to be. Original size was 28 and now I am a 12. My wardrobe that was very carefully collected and cultivated over the years is completely gone. Ask me if I care. Shopping today is a THRILL!

I have not told people how I lost my weight and the only ones who actually know the truth are my family. Works for me .. I know people around me are very critical of this surgery and I don't feel like fighting the fight, you know? It's my business and my success .. I am very happy.

I was on a plane recently, too. Can you say 'snap me in' without tightness or asking for an extension? Freedom, baby .. it's incredible. I can even cross my legs in the seat. And not feeling like I am squishing the person next to me is an amazing success. Paint me happy!

I eat quite a bit more than I did perhaps 6 months ago but I have never gained any weight back. I exercise (very easily, I may add) about 5-6 days a week and I can actually run for the first time in over 20 years. My foods remain healthy choices with high Protein and veggies being the main options. I have zero cravings for chocolate which I found weird. My pre-op tastes were sweet and post-op are definitely savory.

Wearing high heels now is sooooo easy and comfortable, too .. that rocks!

I did experience the hair-loss factor quite heavily in the 8-9 month post-op period. Nothing you can really do and I didn't subscribe to special shampoos or Vitamins .. it's a body/system thing and you have to roll with it. I have a lot of hair and very long hair, too. My bathroom floor was quite a mess every day for a number of weeks but then it suddenly stops falling out. You will survive this .. I can promise you that.

I will need follow-up tummy surgery. My weight fell off so fast that I wasn't able to even try to exercise my way through it so I do have that apron that needs to be removed. I have gone for two consultations and I have to wait another 6-8 months before anyone will consider this since my WLS is still considered quite new and I am expected to continue to lose weight over the next year. I am not at target weight yet but I suspect I won't really get there as I always felt I was too thin by those standards. Regardless, should it stop today, I am fine, happy and healthy.

Thanks for reading and best of luck to you!

Pre-op I drank 2-3 cups of coffee a day and I made a decision to stop drinking coffee post-op until I felt better to do so. What I found is that my taste for coffee was radically altered after surgery and I didn't have a sip for about 6 months. The taste was horrible. I was recently on a road trip to Vegas and I was dead-dog tired so I grabbed a coffee and made myself drink it. Honestly, I could have flown a plane after that *lol* and since then I am back on coffee - about 2-3 cups a day with a bit of cream and I am now 8 months out. No issues, pain or bloating, etc.

Great update! Although I am 8 months out, I can relate to a number of things you posted here. I didn't tell anyone about my surgery except for my family and I know my staff are seriously wondering how I have dropped all of my weight. Whatever .. I made it my decision not to say anything. That is my comfort zone. I also related to the eating little in the morning and more in the evening time. I have no idea what my caloric intake is but I think like you .. it balances out in the end. My weight continues to drop. The last one was the hair loss. I really started shedding pretty badly around the 5-6 month mark and only now does it appear to be waning. Talk about a panic .. my hair is very long and very full and even my hairdresser noticed the difference. It's starting to come back though. I can see the new growth. Anyway, best to you. You are doing great!

I'm excited to be giving my 6 month surgery update. There were times when I didn't think I could do this, but it gets easier every day and every month. I feel pretty much like a normal person now. I eat whatever I want (within reason) and my sleeve keeps me in line. I am thankful for that control. I still have occasional moments of pity for myself when I can't eat a big meal or a large serving of something. But, I'm always able to put it in perspective when I remind myself of the positive life changes I've had post op. I can now move around with much less knee pain than I was having. I can't remember the last time I got short of breath doing a normal activity like WALKING up some stairs. I have gone from a size 22W to a 16 Misses. Since I had to buy a suit in a size 14 this past weekend, I guess I'll officially be in that size soon. WOW! Now that's results. It feels so good to go to the "regular" clothing section and pull something off the rack. Shopping for clothes is so much less stressful than it was a few months ago.

I wasn't exercising much until around the 5 month mark. I'm getting a regular exercise schedule going now. I can tell that it is keeping the weight loss more steady and will hopefully help me firm up some. I seem to go through small stages of loose, wrinkly looking skin to smooth skin. This mostly happens on my thighs and a little on the upper arms. Overall, I'm doing pretty good with not having too much flabby skin. My hair was fine until recently and I thought I might get off without Hair loss. But, right around the 5 month mark, it started shedding real bad. At least I was anticipating that it might happen so I wasn't totally shocked. I immediately started wearing wigs and am currently enjoying trying out some new styles and colors that I would not have been brave enough to try with my own hair.

I thought that Thanksgiving and Christmas would be awful in terms of not being able to eat, but it was barely a blip on the radar. I ate a little of everything I wanted to eat with no problems. As usual, I stopped when I got my full signal and tasted a little more later when I was ready or hungry. The biggest thing I have to monitor with eating these days is that my sleeve handles different volumes depending on the time of day. In the morning, I can barely eat anything at all. I've taken to drinking a Protein shake for breakfast instead of trying to eat because it was getting frustrating to feel stuffed after 3 or 4 bites. At lunch time, I can take in a little more depending on my stress level and how busy I am that day. When I'm stressed or rushed, I can't get down too much. If I'm able to take my time, I can eat about 1/2 - 3/4 cup of food at lunch. I don't like to linger over my food too long, but sometimes I have to just nibble on it while I work (after my official lunch time is over) or I would never get in a decent amount of real food Protein. Evening or dinner time is when I can eat what seems like a normal amount of food. I can easily do a cup of food for dinner most nights. Sometimes it freaks me out a little to eat that much, but I have to remind myself of how little I've actually eaten all day. So, it all balances out. I'm always careful to not stuff myself at dinner just because I can eat more at that time. I still listen to my full signals and stop when I feel it. Like many other sleevers, I have found it way too easy to take in junk food so I have to really watch myself with that.

I am able to drink soda with no problem. I just can't gulp them the way I used to and the way I can Water. Sodas have always been a problem area for me but I luckily acclimmated myself to diet sodas on my preop diet, so that's mostly what I drink. I occasionally have a regular soda but in general they seem too sweet for me to drink more than a little of. The diet sodas don't seem to be having a negative impact on my weight loss or stretching my stomach. I started experimenting slowly with diet sodas around 4 months and am used to them now. It takes me a long time to drink a normal amount of soda and I rarely finish whatever I have ordered/bought so I don't worry about taking in too much. I was cleared to go back to regular caffeinated tea about a month or so after surgery and haven't had any problems with that either. I do drink regular sweet tea when I drink it. I don't drink a lot of it the way I used to, I guess because it's too sweet. But it still tastes good (better than soda) so I don't stress about it since I'm drinking a small amount compared to before surgery.

Like many other WLS patients, I struggled with whether to tell people about my surgery. I decided to tell them so that I wouldn't feel like I was being deceitful about how I lost weight. I know that's not the best decision for everyone, but it's the best choice for me. I also decided that I wasn't going to talk about the surgery I had or give out any other info. I know that some people are too invasive/nosy/insensitive with their questions and I didn't want to have to deal with that. I can just imagine someone asking me how much of stomach I let the doctor cut out, how many times I've thrown up, or how many times a week I poop. I'm sure some of you have dealt with that BS. My strategy of telling people that I'm not giving out any details about my surgery, including what kind of surgery I had, has been extremely successful. The minute I tell people that I'm not telling what kind of surgery I had or that I'm not giving out any details, I generally don't get any other questions. I mean not one more question after that. On the maybe two occasions that someone tried to push it a little further I just looked at them blankly and smiled and let them figure out why I wasn't talking anymore. They got the message REAL fast. It's kind of funny sometimes. I tend to tell friends or closer acquaintances that it makes me uncomfortable to talk about it and they respect that immediately without feeling like I"m shutting them out. Maybe this strategy will work for someone else. I think in time I may be more open about the surgery, but I'm not ready right now.

Overall, this was the best health decision I could have ever made for myself. I hope that other people who are on the fence about it can benefit from this blog and from other people's blogs. Feel free to post any questions. I don't sign on as often as I used to, so if I don't respond it's because I haven't been online in a while. But I will respond to all questions as soon as I see them.

Best wishes to everyone. :cheer2:

I was sleeved 8 months ago and I still experience coldness frequently. Or at least my propensity to it .. it hits hard and fast out of the blue. Even during the summer months. I think it's a part of this journey of rapid weight loss and as well, less body fat.

It's quite a feeling, isn't it? Congrats on your success - you look terrific

well ....stepped on the scale this morning (which i do twice a day lol) and it says im 248.....thats 100 pounds gone within 1 year!!!!!!! i cant believe it..it just doesnt seem real. anyways i went shopping yesterday and for the first time i was able to buy clothes from old navy instead of the big and tall shop. i went from wearing a 5XL and yesterday i bought a shirt that was an XL. I cannot believe i fit into an XL. anyways to anyone thinking of getting this surgery.....go for it ...its amazing. it feels so awesome to not have to "diet" to lose the weight. also just wanted to say thanks to this site and the people for all the support. ive added a few pics ...the one where im wearing a hat im weighin in at 348 and the other 2 are very recent at 248.  

I have similar questions as former_vbg .. perhaps you could post more information about your surgery?

In speaking just from my experience, I had a nutritionist set up post-op so I could deal with the questions and concerns that you are currently experiencing. You need some help and I do agree that your doctor's lack of concern is an issue.

I can't really tell when you had your surgery but for me, I was very careful what/how much I consumed for at least 4-5 months post-op. While I am 8 months out now and can pretty much eat whatever I want, I still choose my Protein, vegetables and Fluid intake first. I don't graze or 'test' myself in ways that I know are possible with WLS because there are slider foods that you can eat 'n eat 'n eat .. staying the path of healthy choices ensures success.

I don't know why I had such great success thus far but I know we are all different and my assumption is the more weight one has to lose, perhaps it comes off faster. Simply a theory on my part. I completely understand your frustration and you do need some help and guidance. Perhaps your doctor's office can refer you to a nutritionist who specializes in bariatric surgery? That seems to be the ticket here for you. Anyway, good luck to you

I was off work for about 10 days and I planned it that way. I was pretty tired immediately post-op and continued to struggle with exhaustion for a number of weeks afterwards. I have a management/HR job .. office work mainly .. so it was a small blessing in my view that I didn't have to exert too much energy because I wasn't sure I could. That has all changed now, of course. Everyone is different but I have read mostly that people take 7-10 days off.

I am 7 months out and I can tell you that the initial days are very much day-by-day .. baby steps, sort of thing. Many people talk about the head hunger and you will go through it from time-to-time but I can tell you from personal experience that the post-op hunger is diminished to quite an extent. I haven't had one hunger pang in 7 months - no kidding. I got into this health groove so quickly because I was so happy that I had the surgery, it was a success and continues to be. I have lost over 125 pounds and 8 sizes and I could never have done this on Weight Watchers in 7 years never mind 7 months. Please focus on the gift you are about to receive. You will be adding years to your life. Think about it this way, when the head hunger hits .. you don't see old morbidly obese people .. they cannot survive excess weight .. you are on a path of a long healthy life. Best of luck to you.

My fear is not of dying or complications from the surgery, but of the aftermath of the surgery. I am frightened of not being able to handle the head hunger. I've been fat for all of my life, and I eat b/c food is like my best bud. I eat when happy, when sad, when bored, etc. I eat b/c I like to eat.

So, any advice for me? Any others have issues with this and how did you handle it? I'm wondering if I might need psych meds when this is all said and done. (my surgery is in 6 weeks) I am having this surgery to better my health.

I have always been a good sleeper but I found post-op, I was like the original poster .. my sleep felt incredibly deeper and I needed much more if it - at least for 2-3 months. Pre-op I was a coffee drinker (not much, perhaps one cup a day) but I stopped that completely. I have to wonder if my sleep now is a true reflection of my body without coffee but regardless, I sleep way better and seem to crave it a lot more. I nap almost every day now plus I sleep about 7-8 hours a night.

I spoke to my surgical clinic about this topic last week as I had a 5-week stall in my 4th month. I was told that most sleeve patients have one or two pretty major stalls within the first year and that is based on their stats with their patients. I was like others - up and down the same 2-3 pounds BUT my clothes were incredibly more loose by the end of that stall. So I know for a fact that the inches continue to shift around even if the scale doesn't move but don't despair .. the scale will move again.

I agree with Goodlife. I only use the bars when I am stuck or really not feeling like a cooked meal but I do consume most of my Protein from regular foods and not shakes/bars. I started the bars about a month out.

Oh my god *lol* .. I will soon, I promise.

I have NO clothes left. I just did a consignment a few days ago and put in pretty much everything I owned. I am having to go and buy things now but what really rocked were the tight new jeans I bought. Waahoo! It was GREAT. I felt so good and the funny thing is that I am not where I want to be yet so I know the best is still coming. I am buying smaller sizes that I can't get into yet, too .. the motivation is there .. it will be soon I hope.

Simply put .. I am proud of you. You are doing great :thumbup1:

For years I was a solid Protein shake person and for the life of me, post-op, I am gagging on these shakes now. They just taste so gross to me so I stick with the bars (see my other post).

OMGOSH! I can't wait to switch over to the premeire bars (hope they are good). I'm drinking the shakes (which I used to love) and I'm super tired of them, I'm to the point of almost gaging everytime :thumbup1: ...I have 1 more week on mushies BLAH!

I have always consumed either Pure Protein (20 grams of protein) or the Premier Protein Bars (30 grams of protein) but I watch the calories on the latter bar. They are close to 300 calories so those are more like a meal and it took me awhile to be able to actually eat the whole thing. I was too full!

The Pure Protein are under 200 calories and I use them to boost my protein intake if I haven't had enough for the day or I need something quick and/or portable.

You and I were sleeved one day apart and your write-up here is very close to where I am, too. I am down 105 pounds now and similar clothing stats, too. I actually bought a size 14 skirt today - I haven't worn that size in 20 years. Simply amazing.

You are doing GREAT. Like you and other posters said, I would have to dig very deep to find some old pictures of me and be BRAVE enough to post them. I am a chicken shit *lol* .. but I will soon. So many people around me are finally saying something about my weight loss now. It's humbling on one side and a reminder on the other that life has changed significantly already. I am aiming for another 40 pounds.

Way to go! Great post .. thanks for the update.