CowgirlJane

Thank you for the comments. A specific set of things happened that led me to post this thread...and I am long since over it. I do think part of the problem is that I have at times become short, terse, brief - and that does not come across as supportive. In truth, being sleeved saved my life, changed my life in my late 40s. I wish similar success for everyone but it's hard to always type that meaning out to everyone. It is also true that the early day struggles just seem so small now... and yet I know they are not when you are in the middle of them!

I don't think any WLS eliminates cravings or some of those other things. Even gastric bypass, not everyone "dumps " and I think some that do initially don't later. No matter which procedure. ...it isn't easy for most of us. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using the BariatricPal App

Well thank you!

I had the band for 10 years, found myself weghing about 40# more than I started. I revised to the sleeve 4 years ago and maintaining 150#weight loss. I think the sleeve is easier to live with. Less hunger, less pain...HOWEVER...don't be fooled into thinking that the hunger reduction lasts forever. Many of us experience the return to hunger. I choose a bariatric practice with lots of support and education which I think helped me be more successful with the sleeve. I think you should research the sleeve and bypass - both good choices. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

I have often wondered about long term studies that show longevity rates between people who choose to do WLS versus those who do not. I have not actually seen these studies, but I did find a few interesting articles on the ASMBS website.... I cut and pasted a portion of one below and put in a link to it. Interesting. What I can't tell from the summary is if it was a comparison of people over a certain BMI or what.... but at least its an indication. That same area of the ASMBS website has several good sensible, easy to follow articles on weight loss surgery - the various types, myths etc. http://asmbs.org/patients/benefits-of-bariatric-surgery Improved Longevity Several large population studies find that individuals affected by severe obesity who have had bariatric surgery have a lower risk of death than individuals affected by obesity who do not have surgery. One of these studies found up to an 89 percent greater reduction in mortality throughout a 5-year observation period for individuals who had bariatric surgery when compared to those who did not. Another large population study comparing mortality rates of bariatric and non-bariatric patients found a greater than 90 percent reduction in death associated with diabetes and a greater than 50 percent reduction in death from heart disease. The mortality rate for bariatric surgery (3 out of 1000) is similar to that of a gallbladder removal and considerably less than that of a hip replacement. The exceptionally low mortality rate with bariatric surgery is quite remarkable considering that most patients affected by severe obesity are in poor health and have one or more life-threatening diseases at the time of their surgery. Therefore, as regards mortality, the benefits of surgery far exceed the risks.

The honest truth is you will change after massive weight loss. Most likely for the better, but I believe most people change at least some aspects of their life besides diet and activity level. Change is hard and can be threatening. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

Happy Easter ladies! I am spending it with my new beau and his friends...very nontraditional! He taught me how to swing a golf club y yesterday...we went to the driving range. He is a great golfer...he was better than anyone at the range. He was a firm but patient teacher..it's harder than it looks. I have only known him just over a month but developing a little crush - it's fun, like dating should be! Why has it taken me so long to find just a nice smart easy to be with, athletic, good looking man? Anyway, not sure it will goanywhere...but enjoying the ride. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App Happy Birthday Cathy!!!! How was Mamma Mia? Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

Pepcid AC isn't strong enough. Take omeprazole - you can get over the counter or prescription. Hope you feel better soon. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

No one has suggested it is WLS related. My urologist is curious about it and actually wants to do more tests on me. Anyway, it is known that drinking at least 2 liters of Water daily helps prevent them. Ann is right, I gained 7#I think. It took 4 days after stent was removed to see weight drop. OP probably will have a not so great month weight loss, but it's just temporary. It does seem like an epidemic on these forums. I have been reading for 5 years and don't recall it coming up before the last month, so I think coincidental. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

It IS a dilemma. I am in the"dating casually" phase. Meaning, intentionally keeping it light and not focusing too quickly on one man. I have been seeing two guys for about a month and realized I don't have time for more than 1-2 dates a week so there is no room to keep it open to meeting someone new. H is a super nice man, by all accounts seems to be really into me, perfect on paper - but I just don't feel the chemistry. He isn't easy to converse with. M - smart articulate lawyer, made some crappy life choices, not perfect on paper but super fun to hang out with, wonderful conversationalist, easy to be with. Today, I decided to kindly break it off with H because I am just not into him. M and I discussed things and he is cool with seeing each other even if it's not likely to result in a life partnership. We h ave fun. Now I have "space" to meet someone new..and keep my heart open to meeting someone that I am " into" as well as being a good match "on paper" Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

Good job- you have been very successful! I gained about 7#from my kidney stone ordeal. Stent was removed 4days ago and I have lost 4of those pounds . I am pretty sure it's just w Water weight from the IVs, the meds etc. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

I am so sorry for not understanding. What is it you felt like hiding? I am glad you plan to talk to your bariatric practice about everything because I failed with the lap band pre sleeve and one of my"failure factors" was shame and hiding when things didn't go well. I have been successful with sleeve and one of the things I do is view myself as a patient who has "hired" a bariatric practice to help me control obesity. If I run into a problem, I don't hesitate to call or visit them, even ,4 years out,because I am their patient/client and their expertise can help me! I don't need to be perfect for them, they need to be perfect for me. That is a huge shift from my previous, shame based way of looking at obesity. It's normal and desirable that you have no appetite at this stage. I have never heard of additional stomach shrinking. Good you are taking Vitamins etc. I suggest following your food and Vitamin schedule like taking your medicines..You are doing it for health not because you are hungry. This is the chance to change your relationship with food! I know you mention you have been drinking 2 gallons of Water a day for awhile but that is shocking to most of us because th a that is 4X as much as most of us struggle to consume. I would bring this up to surgeon because I wonder if that will prevent you from having enough"room" to consume adequate nutrients. I also wonder if it can create an electrolyte imbalance. Remember as a sleever you are consuming so much less, I wonder if that much water is too much. However, sounds to me like you are doing great and will find much success! Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

It is wonderful to not worry about the EMTs hurting themselves while trying to care for us! I have a history of fainting, maybe half a dozen times in my life?... never been out for too long of a time, but what is interesting is that I know exactly how it feels and can usually (not always) stave it off by getting horizontal as quickly as possible. I would be curious what your doc finds because I have never had anything tangible show up... except it is often associated with something frightening or gross. I fainted right before plastic surgery, for example..haha. No, I didn't get a discount on the anesthesia.

I don't know. They did the pulverize procedure and I have captured like 5 grains of sand..don't ask... that I will bring and see if they can analyze. Since 80% ofkidney stones are calcium based, drinking the lemon Water seems like a rational measure to take. The side benefit is that I have changed no other habits but am dropping down to the low 150s where i was before this nightmare began.

150# lost..and the most amazing thing for me is I haven't regained it. If you are on a pc, click my profile to see photos. That before photo is from a time when I doubted it could be real. Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

My sleeve surgery was Dec 2011. Beginning about 6 weeks post op, working out was one of the integral aspects of my weight loss / health improvement efforts. It helped me in sooo many ways - reducing muscle loss, made me feel good, improved heart health, reduced blood sugars etc etc. In the end though, the way it helped me the most is getting to goal and finding a better body than I ever knew I had under all that! working out helped me be more shapely. A year ago I had a pretty high level of fitness, but life started throwing obstacles at me. It started with a problem with my right hip that wasn't properly diagnosed and treated at first. Then, I developed a few other issues that at the very least discouraged me from working out. I remained active, but not that focused attention to fitness for most of 2015. So, here I am a year later, finally on the road to recovery (2016 challenges so far have been a surgical complication which led to a big infection followed by a hellish few weeks dealing with kidney stone) and I recognize some old thinking/feeling about exercise. To be honest, I have been largely bed ridden/chair ridden since late January due to these latest issues.... i haven't just lost the appearance of fitness, I don't have the stamina that i used to. I finally make it through the day without an afternoon nap - I guess I have been pretty sick really. this morning as I was dressing I realized that I feel fat even though I am still at goal. It is that old all or nothing thinking - just because I am not as fit as I was - it must be terrible. I also had that feeling like it is impossible to ever get there, who am I kidding, why try?? Alot of these thoughts were internal messaging, not really rational thoughts. It was an eye opener to me to find old tapes wanting to replay in my head. what I know rationally is the key is just to do it. There is no start, no end - fitness is a daily activity. (I stole this concept from the Julian Michaels quote that goes something like this - Transformation is not a goal but a daily activity). Anyway, I remind myself to be gentle - I have spent nearly 2 months semi bed ridden, and before that had way reduced activity - it will take time to build back up. I know where to start (I have a whole fitness routine from my physical therapist) and I have been successful before so I KNOW this is possible. I am pretty sure I will always be an obese person (in terms of certain attitudes, old tapes in the head etc) and will always need to be on the lookout for these kind of destructive thoughts. I have set a very realistic fitness goal that I aspire to hit by the end of the year, but just doing "something" right now is better than nothing so that is where I begin! this week has been lots of shorter walks... and doing some of my physical therapy for my hip (which feels great right now luckily!) This morning I decided to talk back to the negative tapes in my head and pat myself on the back for still being at goal, still being able to run upstairs - ha - in spite of my setbacks. It seems that vets often post about getting off track eating wise, which of course is absolutely the main reason for regain, but I wonder how many are working to find that workout/fitness level again?

I don't know if this helps... but I could NOT control pain with regular pain meds alone. If I didn't have ibophrofen at least once a day, the pain would spin out of control no matter how many percasets I took. Same thing happened in the emergency room - they basically knocked me unconscious but I still felt pain until an anti-inflamatory was administered/ This is one of the reasons I went for the surgical procedure, i was worried about staying on IB due to the ulcer risk.

I hope your stent is more comfortable than mine was! I had it for less than a week and could not sit comfortably that whole time. It impacted my work, my daily life considerably. I wasn't medicated for the removal - it was over fast though. I was shocked how big/long that dang thing was. I guess I didn't really understand what had happened to me during the "surgery"...yikes! This really is an ordeal! Makes me wonder how people survived it years before we had the treatments... although I have to tell you the thought that a sadist dreamed up that whole stent thing crossed my mind. Wishing you the best!

All programs are a bit different, but my practice encourages us to eat "5 mini meals" a day. The reason they say mini meals, is that they all follow the same pattern, Protein, followed by veggies - limited quantity of carbs/empty calories. Some people think of crackers and stuff as "snacks" which is definately NOT a good idea. I personally have to eat 4-5 times a day to stave off hunger....

@@Miss Mac I lost a 40 year old Super Morbidly Obese niece and a 64 sister in law - both died instantly of heart failure way before their time. They were both very high BMI. I have just been very curious about results across large populations and this is the first time I have seen these types of studies mentioned.

Either will help, but there is strong evidence that the rny is more likely to "cure" type 2 diabetes. That doesn't mean that the sleeve won't bring your blood sugar to normal levels, but the odds are likely better with the RNY I say this as a 4 year sleever-believer veteran - they are both good procedures but I think it is smart to look at the studies and evidence over large populations. Talk it over with your surgeon and focus on that 3-10 year horizon, not necessarily what happens in the first year post op (in my opinion)

Agree with everyone... this is a nice simple explanation with pictures of the main WLS types: https://asmbs.org/patients/bariatric-surgery-procedures

My surgeon and NUT wouldn't set a goal, but asked me mine. I think it was their psych eval! Like you I was over 300# when I began and also like you, I set my goal (or rather my idea of success)to get under 200# and maintain. When I got their I set my goal of 158 because it meant losing a nice round 150. I feel like goals are important but I had this history of hitting some magical number and then quitting my "diet" only to regain. I think that I have found some rational balance...that arbitrary number is a marker - I stay under it! It's an accountability thing but I also go back to my "success criteria" is maintaining under 200# and I don't have to think in all or nothing terms. I am not articulating it very well, but my lifetime of dieting gave me alot of baggage and the scale, a goal weight etc is no longer a source of anguish,shame. Anyway - I like your approach and it worked for me!

Actually, I met a guy who doesn't drink and told me that was a big advantage in meeting women in bars! Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App

Ok, this is from the app Sent from my KFJWI using the BariatricPal App