rubyspring

I'm only 10 days out but lost some weight before surgery and over 10 lbs since. Clothes have started to hang on me so I thought I would go through my dresser and closet before having to go back to work next week. Result - 4 big garbage bags of clothes that no longer fit and will go to charity; my lose is their gain, lol. Fortunately I saved quite a bit of my "smaller" stuff always hoping I could get back into them someday. Well, some day is here. My only complaint is everything is shrinking at different rates and my upper arms are being the stubbornest! Hopefully I can do this again after another 25 lbs and then I'll actually have to go clothes shopping . . . in the misses section. Yeah!!!

My surgeon told me that he considers the sleeve a success if the person loses and maintains the lose of 2/3 to 3/4 of their excess weight. That's the difference between your start weight and "normal" weight". So if someone starts at 300 lbs and normal for their height is 150 pounds, then a 100 to 113 lb lose is "success" though to the rest of society that person is still heavy. Not everyone can or will get to "normal", but we will get BETTER if we use the sleeve as a tool to improve ourselves.

I went off HRT several years ago after being on it for over 25 yrs. My doctor slowly ramped me down, reducing the dosage by half every 2 or 3 months until I stopped. I had very few symptoms along the way and don't regret the decision to stop taking them. I agree with others that this should be something discussed among your doctors, but I, personally, would strongly object to going cold turkey. Good luck.

It's time to call your doctor and get checked out. Rapid weight loss at this point is probably dangerous. Good luck.

I use

All doctors seem to have slightly differently lists. Here is what i can have: low sodium broth sugar free Jello sugar free popsicles Water decaf coffee and tea skim milk V8 Protein supplements; pre-mixed or powder I like the vanilla Protein Powder with 1/2 water & 1/2 skim milk and an ounce of sf coffee syrup. I also add unflavored protein powder in my jello. I'm sure others will add their suggestions too. Good luck!

I may have a couple suggestions for your toddler. During my 2nd pregnancy I started spotting and wasn't able to lift my 15 month old for 3 months. One thing is to get down to her level, maybe on one knee, and give hugs. Keep a one- step stool handy and have her climb on that to get on the couch or your lap or on the bed. Don't be afraid to tell her that the doctor said you can't pick her up right now but will be able to do so in a few weeks, but you love her very much; at 20 months she understands a lot more than one might think. Good luck with your surgery.

I was sleeved last week and will be 60 next month. Am I close enough (lol)? Having gotten through this first week without too much trouble. Just a few days on the pain meds and I must be one of the few people out there who actually likes my protein shakes. I've had 2 cervical disk fusions and think another may be in my future. Torn ACL on one knee about 8 years ago and had that fixed and doc cleaned it out in there. The other one has some weakness and arthritis; I,m really afraid of trying to do anything on uneven ground for fear of messing it up more. Not too many other complaints along those lines.

You might want to ask your PCP to refer you to a different surgeon. I think the surgeon you chose should support your decisions and should have to make an awfully strong case to get me to change my mind.

Welcome. My self-pay surgery means putting off the new car for a few years too, lol.. My sleeve isjust a couple days younger than yours so I'm right behind you on the healing. I really like your "9 month" philosophy; think I may borrow it.

Congrats on getting your sleeve. Good luck on your journey. This forum is a great place to share your victories, questions and gripes.

Congrats on your success. You're an inspiration!

how long since you've been sleeved?

Welcome and good luck. You'll get the hang of this in no time. You can always check out the Help section - put something in the Search box in the upper right and change from Forums to Help files, then click the magnifying glass .

Hi, I'm 6 days post op and will be turning 60 next month. I try pretty hard to hide the silver on the top of my head but after hearing all the stories about hair lose I may be grateful for any strands, no matter the color, in a few months. Think this group is a great idea. I know one thing I've noticed this week is I don't bounce back surgery like I used to. Had a knee repaired 8 years ago and was back at work in a week. I think I will be putting in a few hours each day, from home, next week. Looking forward to hearing from all in the group

Never thought it would be a struggle to get down a full dose of milk of magnesia. I don't recall it being so sickeningly sweet. Like everything else this first week post-op, it's sip, sip, sip. I hope the outcome (lol) is worth it.

Just wanted to share, as I sit here 5 days post op, that I'm watching my wonderful husband put together my (our) new treadmill. I really can't get in my walking in the heat of the last month and don't like doing laps around the mall. Now I don't have to worry about falling on ice or snow either; that is a really big fear I have - breaking a hip. He has been great from the moment I decided to get the sleeve and I hope we can share a much more active life in the years to come

Have you tried bottled water instead of the tap? My tap water tastes awful but the other is fine. I also use sugar free syrups in my water instead of crystal light, 1.5 ounces replace same amount of water in 1/2 litre bottle - not as sweet. I'm finding that sweet now tastes "sweeter"; sickening. Good luck.

It's only been a few days since my sleeve but all is going well. I am self pay so I understand your concerns. Be sure you have a very experienced surgeon; mine only does bariatric surgery in a center of excellence. He overstitched the staples and says this all but eliminates the risk of leaks. I thought I would be out of work for one week, but my doc says not to drive for 2 weeks. I plan on doing about a half days work from home next week just so I don;t fall so far behind. I also find that I am not rebounding as quickly as I did when I was younger (I'll be 60 next month). Good luck on your journey.

Thanks, found this info very useful.

Congrats. It's hearing about successes like this that keep me motivated. Thanks for sharing.

It's not just the number of pounds that need to be looked at, imho. Dallasmom4's BMI has her as obese, she has some serious co-morbidities, and she is absolutely correct to be concerned about her "apple" shape which is more dangerous than someone who is "pear" shaped. Good luck to her as she researches her options.

congrats on the good news and good luck!

Congrats!

Those are good questions to ask both your doctor and nutritionist. I will say your recovery period will be a good bit longer than for many of us that work in offices. I have a 3 wk restriction to 10 lbs and then 3 wks to 20 lbs. After that I can lift what i want. Good luck.