MegInNOLA

How wonderful that they found it so early.... prayers for you and your speedy recovery from surgery and moving on through the next phase of treatment/recovery for the sarcoma.

I had to gain a couple of pounds (more like 3, not 10) in order to get all the way to a 40 BMI. I had no other comorbidities. My primary care doc, though, pointed out that she could honestly state that my blood pressure was higher than it was a year ago (I was so stressed out at the thought of possibly not qualifying for the surgery!), AND she could honestly state that I had a family history of heart disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure. She put those things in the forefront when writing my letter; I believe she felt strongly that I needed the surgery, and she was going to help me get it. If I needed to, I'd be drinking a full glass of Water before weighing, wear NO shoes in order to be as short as possible, and I'd wear heavy clothing, too... whatever it takes. It's a fine line of getting there versus fraud, but I look at it this way: by having the surgery, I'm actually saving my insurance company TONS of money in future health care costs for me. I'm saving them money on medications, hospitalizations, possible cardiac problems, etc., all of which would add up to a whole lot more than this surgery costs. I've paid my insurance premiums for a long time; now I asked them to make an investment in my long-term health, which will benefit both me and their bottom line. Win-win. And BTW, yeah, my BP is normal now. I'm no longer "morbidly obese" or even "obese" (overweight, but not for long!). Snoring/sleep apnea--gone. Blood sugar--low normal.

Congratulations! You're rocking it!!

Congratulations! I started as a 26/28 and now wear 16's--I'm hoping to get to 14 eventually, but at this point, anything else is just gravy. YAY for the sleeve!

I definitely have what I call "dumping syndrome," as it mirrors my sister's dumping syndrome (she had gastric bypass). I had a few sips of a frozen, sweet coffee drink (a pre-op favorite of mine with probably 1000 calories), and felt the symptoms of nausea, hot/cold/clammy alternating, general weakness, and a desperate feeling that something was wrong. I am not lactose intolerant nor diabetic (and I wasn't pre-surgery, either). The symptoms subsided in probably 30 minutes, but it was a horrid feeling. I've had it before, too, when I ate some sugar-sweetened Greek yogurt (the Oikos caramel flavor)--again, same symptoms of nausea, heart racing, hot/cold/clammy, weakness, and that feeling that something was horribly wrong. Same thing when I ate 1/2 a small piece of shortbread (so I know it's not dairy only that does it). LOL You'd think I'd have stopped trying stupid things by now!!! And actually, I have, because these few episodes were horrible enough that I know my sleeve just doesn't like certain sugary foods. Fruit doesn't cause the same symptoms, happily, but I haven't tried fruit juice since right after surgery, as I'm afraid it would be too sweet and cause the yucky symptoms. So I don't know if that's officially "dumping syndrome," but it feels awful, and whatever it is, I'm going to try to avoid it at all costs. Not a big deal, really, and I'm sort of happy that my sleeve is restricting me that way, too--sugar is just not my friend.

One of my goals (I have a line of them, LOL) was to weigh less than my husband. He was sleeved in April 2010 and lost 115 pounds pretty quickly. I was sleeved April 2011 and have lost 81 pounds as of today--5 months out from surgery (plus I had lost 31 pounds last summer). Today, for the first time in our acquaintance, I weigh less than he does--TRUE, it's only by 0.4 pound, but it's there!! I have a long way to go, and these "interim" goals are my way of keeping the process fun. Next: To meet my Halloween challenge (still have a lot to go for that one!) and then to get to -100 pounds, then on to onderland!! So very glad I have my sleeve!!!

Wow! You look fantastic! Congratulations on your success so far.

Way to go! That's the kind of mental toughness that will carry you through lots of problems--I know you are proud of yourself, and you should be! You'll be sleeved in less than a month... keep it up!

Congratulations! It's fun to be comfortable in professional clothes... I'm enjoying shopping so much now!

Hey there! I had some of the same concerns as you. You may not feel full during the liquid phase post-op. Don't worry. You will certainly begin to feel restriction when you start eating mushy food. If you do feel full with liquids, Celebrate and don't worry about not being able to "get all your Water in." That will improve as your swelling goes down and your body heals. You really will be satisfied with less food. I can also attest to the fact that some of the foods that you love pre-surgery will not be things that you love post-surgery. I tried to drink a favorite coffee drink (frozen, creamy, sweet, delicious is how I remember it!) and got sick as a dog--too much sugar for me now! My entire diet has changed for the better--yes, I "have" to, but it doesn't feel like that. It feels like I'm finding my way along, doing okay, and my sleeve is doing what it's supposed to do, which is restrict the amount of food I can handle. I feel fortunate that mine also seems to dislike foods that aren't good for me anyway, like fried foods and sweet things; it also doesn't like some perfectly good-for-me foods, like chicken and eggs, and that's kind of stinky, but hey--I'm down 81 pounds!!! I'll do without certain foods forever, if need be--it's a trade I'm not upset about. Food doesn't mean that much to me any more. It's fuel. I feel hunger, but it's not the same kind of hunger, more of an "I'm getting grouchy and feeling kind of frazzled--oh, probably need to eat something" feeling. I definitely do not have to give in to "cravings," and I can't say I really have a lot of cravings. I ate tons of carbs before surgery, and I eat them daily now without counting them, but they're carbs in dairy, nuts, fruit, vegetables, and I focus on eating Protein first, so I don't even worry. No sugar, no flour products--again, just because my sleeve doesn't like them, and I'm okay with that! You'll do great. Your adventure won't be exactly like anyone else's, because you're not exactly like anyone else, but you will find your way. This board was a lifesaver for me right after surgery, so come on back and get tips and share frustrations--and try not to worry.

How wonderful! Your coworkers clearly want to support you--you must be a special person to them!

:-) Yay! I can wear my DH's old T-shirts now, too, and I'm actually looking forward to raiding his dresser for some flannel PJ pants that I know are in there (I gave them to him!) for lounging around on a cool weekend morning. Fun, hmm??

^^This, totally.

Congratulations, Meggie! That's my next goal, too--I'm at 225 today, and he's at 223, so it's close! Way to go!!!

Sweetie, you can do it. Breathe. Take a moment and make a plan. If you've been okayed for Protein bars, you're going to do just fine. I couldn't tolerate the shakes, either (still can't). Suggestions from me: 1. Put 1/2 c. milk, a couple of tablespoons of dry milk powder, some sweetener of your choice, and flavoring of your choice (vanilla, cocoa powder for chocolate, sugar-free chocolate syrup, sugar-free syrup of any kind), and zap it in your blender or Magic Bullet with some ice. Instant and delicious shake higher in protein than regular milk. If you can tolerate eggs, get a pack of the egg-white egg substitute (in the dairy section) and put 1/4 c. of that in there--it's pasteurized, so no germs, and you won't taste it at all. Again, higher protein. You can put all of that in the blender and end up with about 1 c. of seriously protein packed yumminess, because you can flavor it to your liking, and no icky Protein Powder taste or smell (I SO understand what you mean about that--smells like feet!). 2. Get some unflavored protein powder and add to the above--careful, unflavored does not mean there's no flavor, so be prepared to experiment a bit until you find a combination of flavors that hides that protein powder taste/smell--orange extract and chocolate are great together, and they seem to cover it. You can also try the sugar-free raspberry syrup and chocolate or my favorite, coffee and chocolate, for a good combination that helps hide added ingredients. 3. Get some

Happy sleevaversary! You do look amazing, and I'm another who always watches for your posts--I always feel more motivated and positive after reading them! Thanks, and enjoy your success (and the new "girls"!)!!

Definitely not trying to hijack the post, but Candace, you look beautiful! Great pic.

Wow! Congratulations!! I'm excited for you--what a wonderful thing to welcome a new child into your family.

I'm 6'2". Highest recorded weight at doctor's office was 337 (OUCH), summer of 2010. Weight the morning of surgery was 306 (still ouch). Surgery April 18, 2011. Lost 29 pounds the first month; obviously a lot of that was Fluid. No actual "stall," although around week 5 I began losing in stair-step fashion instead of every day. This is still going on, so I guess it's just the way my body loses. I lose a pound a day for 3 to 4 days, then stay the same for 3 days, then start losing again. I have never had a gain of more than a few ounces, and that is always gone the next day (I think it's due to salt and fluid retention!). Current weight is 226 this morning (YAY!). Goal weight is 190, although I suspect I'm going to end up well below that. When I hit 194, I'll be within "normal" weight for my height, according to the BMI charts. My original goal was to be in size 16 clothing (remember, I'm 6'2" and started in a tight 26/28); I'm already there--anything after this is just icing on the sleeve cake.

I have a roast in my crock pot at home right now! :-) Beef roast, small enough to fit in there (I have a smaller crock pot), can of beef broth, can of Ro-tel tomatoes, packet of dry onion soup mix. Just threw it all in there and turned on low. Can't wait to enjoy tonight! We like to shred the meat and enjoy in different ways--my husband puts it on a salad, and I like it with extra cut-up fresh tomato mixed in. Now that we're both sleeved, one small roast lasts us a LONG time with some left over for the freezer!

I felt that way at first, too--my "fat suit" had protected me in lots of ways. Give yourself time, though--I'm almost the same time out from surgery as you, and I've been noticing that I feel more free, less constrained, more open, more accepting. I'm interacting with my colleagues and students in a different, more genuine way. I don't feel like I have the same "walls" or "front" that I used to deliberately place. The fat was more than physical--I feel like I'm shedding the emotional and psychic fat, too, that kept me feeling "safe." I find I don't need them any more, and it's a GREAT feeling!

cheese. I like a great cheddar--just a small slice satisfies for around 75 calories. Also nuts--I eat them daily. Ten almonds (more than I can eat!) have less than 100 calories and fill me up big time. Another treat is bacon--I got the microwaveable kind, and it's 80 calories for 2 slices; kind of pricy from a calorie perspective, but I don't eat much, and sometimes I just want bacon. My biggest favorite snack is grapefruit--1/2 c of segments in juice is around 35 calories, a true bargain in snacking and completely delicious. Or fresh cherries, also around the same calories for 1/2 c. If you're low-carbing, these won't work for you, but if you're not, I recommend fresh fruit!

I talked with my husband about this very topic after I posted earlier, and he says he personally would prefer no scars... I haven't done any research at all about the various procedures (I'm talking here about either a lift or an augmentation), so I don't know what the scar profile is for any of them--does that factor into anyone's decision? I'm getting less and less happy with the shape and texture of the girls, and I know they're going to keep getting saggy and wrinkly as I continue to lose weight. I look great with my bra on, and my husband says he's fine with them no matter what shape or size they are, but he doesn't want scars. So I guess I need to do some investigating and see what's available. I'm still not planning for a procedure, but there's no harm in checking things out and being informed.

Well, I'm one who had serious buyer's remorse and now is really happy that I did it. I had no comorbidities other than being a little more than 100 pounds overweight. I had the surgery to prevent future issues, as I have a family history of heart disease and diabetes, and I had tried numerous times to lose the weight on my own without long-term success. I had the surgery and had no surgical complications. I woke up from anesthesia really angry at myself for getting to the point that I had to cut out a piece of my body in order to lose weight---SERIOUS buyer's remorse, I'm not kidding. As i recovered, it became clear that I did and do have a very small and very picky sleeve that tolerates only a limited repertoire of food and a VERY small amount of it at one time. Okay, that wasn't what I signed on for initially, but it was my new reality, and I have learned to not only "live with it" but to use it to my advantage. Every bad thing that happened--throwing up routinely, being severely dehydrated, feeling like an absolute failure in every way--every bad thing has turned around with time and persistence. As the weight has come off, I cannot tell you how absolutely happy I am about it. I don't feel very different physically, unlike a lot of folks, but I feel 100% better about myself and am so much happier. Plus, I'm really glad that my weight won't be the thing that takes me away from my sweet husband before it's time--I know I'm going to die at some point, but I honestly don't think about it on a daily basis any more (I used to worry about things like having a heart attack or stroke and being unable to physically recover because of my weight). So yeah, I had a tough recovery, but it's okay. It got okay about 8 weeks out--those first couple of months were not pleasant. I should tell you that my husband was sleeved a year ahead of me and had absolutely no complications AT ALL and was able to eat, drink, and go about his business with virtually no down time after surgery. Not me! But that's okay--it's working out just fine all around. It's different from before, but that's also okay--what I was doing before wasn't really helping me be healthy or look better, and what I'm doing now is, so I'm cool with it. No, I can't eat very much. Yes, I'm satisfied--I get to enjoy my food, but my food doesn't run my life any more. It's good for you to think about the possible down sides. It's good to try to imagine what it will be like. But you can't really know until you do it if it's going to be something you regret--and even if you do regret it at first (I think a lot of people have buyer's remorse!), you probably won't later. I know I definitely do not regret it at all, and I couldn't say that right away after surgery. Best wishes! Meg

I had watermelon as soon as I was allowed soft foods. Be sure to start with a small amount (in the beginning I could only eat a tiny bite!), chew it well, and enjoy--mind the seeds! You really don't want an accidental watermelon seed in your healing sleeve.