CowgirlJane

This is the vets forum and topic BUT I must say that it took awhile for the hunger reduction. At 4 weeks you are still on soft or mushy foods and nerve damage isn't healed yet. I think it takes till 6 weeks or MORE before things start feeling like they should. Also if you are not on a ppi for acid cont8...start now. That often feels like hunger and most everyone benefits from it in the early months. Our bodies still make acid for a full size tummy...

My advice.. ditch protein bars! They are sliders and also tend to be high carb. I am 28 months post op and eating low carb is the only thing that works for me to control hunger and cravings.

On the band to sleeve forum people talk of bad gas bloating, no feeling of restriction and urgent bowel even a year post op. I do get diarrhea from a protein drink and have to give it a rest for awhile but otherwise don't experience these things. .do you?

I got sick of sleep studies. I learned how to adjust...Google it! Basically it's the balance tween snoring and blowing your sinuses out. Haha. I suggest he goes up a few notches. Get a proper mask that Fits!

There are online places that tell you how to adjust the levels...I had a resmed I gave to my son. Google it. You can buy a new mask online without a prescription.

I sent you an email but no reply yet ...

Be careful. Nerves are cut.. I don't trust how it feels until 6 weeks post op.

I agree with the basic theme that we should be here to support not bash each other. I in no way troll on any other forums with any intention of causing someone any distress. The way it is laid out, sometimes I have accidently posted on a forum I didn't realize was in the bypass or lapband area, but i have gotten smarter about it over time. I think we all have the right to make our own choice of WLS, what we think best suits us and our lifestyle... and hopefully based on some sort of surgeon recommendation. Once somebody has had surgery, it is absolutely pointless to be negative about their surgery. At that point, it is about supporting each other to be as successful as we can. What I have a problem with is the idea that it should be all candy and roses... when people are preops and they are asking for people's experiences I feel it is the right thing to honestly share my personal experience. I am a revision from the band to sleeve after 10 years of "failure" with the band. One of the disappointments i had in my banded days was that the online support group I was a part of hid the vets forum from preops and recently banded. It wasn't until I was a year out that I realized how many people had the same struggles i did. After a decade, most (but not all!) fellow bandsters had either revised or had their bands removed. In fact, i have in my paperwork info from bioenterics that the band was intended to be temporary and would likely need to be removed. That is my personal experience and maybe it is based on how they used to do bands (I was banded in 2001) but it is what happened. I wish i had really understood the implications of all that before i was banded, but i didn't. I think it is a big mistake to not let people hear people's experiences - positive and negative. BTW, there are aspects of being sleeved that are negative too, and I am forthright about that as well. Like, I have a dairy intolerance that has pretty much killed my ability to eat ice cream (okay, that is probably a good thing - ha!). I like that the veteran's forum here is available for all to read, there is much to learn from people who are years (or a decade) into a procedure. Congratulations to all of us who are working to improve our health through maintaining a healthy weight loss... no matter the means!

I would do a search on realself.com - look at before and after photos and read reviews. My advice as someone who lost a lot of weight and had plastics - don't worry about it just yet. Stay focused on getting healthy now. When you get to goal, you can do some free consults to give you an idea of what they recommend. good luck!

2 plus years out I can tolerate anything really but I have become at least somewhat lactose intolerant. What that means as a practical matter is that ice cream is off the menu. I never have been able to abide by Chinese restaurant food because of the MSG and who knows what else (no problem with Thai, Indian etc)

millergirl, PSSC has support groups in several locations for their patients. I think Edmonds, Fife, Marysville and Bellingham. I don't go to them because i am apparently not a support group kinda gal....haha. you should check them out. You should join their facebook group too if you haven't already.

I wandered off my own topic... My point is that goal is just a number, it is so arbitrary. I claim I got to goal in Feb 2013 because I liked the sound of a nice round 150# weight loss. I fit size 8 pants; sounded great to me after being a 3X. I have lost more since and truth be told I would like to end 2014 solidly in the mid 140s rather than solid 150. I think I see goal as more of a fluid destination.... more part of the process. You know skinny people see their weight that way too. Like, they have a number or size in mind, but it isn't seen as the "end" of a journey. It's more of a place you are at.

sarsar, I too went through menopause very young and it made me feel sad. Hard to explain. Now I love that I am done with it except I hate that every damn issue I have is now blamed on hormones (used to be blamed on my fat). I don't get constipated anymore, in fact sometimes have the opposite problem. I go through periods were I cannot tolerate protein drinks (just entered one)without diarrea so I have to stop drinking them for a month or two and then can start up again. anyway, I eat veggies at least 3X a day. My typical breakfast omelette is loaded with veggies (and a protein source and uses egg beaters and a bit of cheese). I spread that over breakfast and either a mid morning snack or lunch. If I make a separate lunch it is frequently a salad with protein on it (like a salmon burger or sliced turkey or shrimp or something). Dinner is often just meat but I try to have some carrot stix or more salad or something veggie like. Maybe I use lettuce leaves instead of bread to make a "wrap" of some sort. Or I put coleslaw in something that resemembles a fish taco. I think that helps me alot with being regular. I have reflected alot on "making it to goal". I got another PM yesterday from somebody who feels like a failure since she hasn't lost much since her band to sleeve revision. She wants to know how she can emulate my success. I was feeling sorry for her till I read her stats... she revised at a weight similiar to my goal weight - she was in the 160s and my original goal was 158. So, how do I kindly say.... "and what the hell did you expect? To lose 160 pounds when you only weigh 160???" That wouldn't be nice so I am letting it lay until I feel less snarky. My friend M just found out that a level 3 sex offender just moved in next door to her. She told me (and only half kidding) "my gun is loaded, hope he shows up because i am in a very bad mood". That is a little how I feel. Don't worry... no loaded guns.... just a loaded tongue.

I would like to do a bunch of travel this next year but am not in a kind of relationship that includes that sort of activity right now. I traveled solo to Mexico to visit a friend that lived down there and that was great but I want to travel all sorts of places... I am curious how others have found a community of singles to do stuff with. i am a member of some meetups, but the travel ones don't seem to do anything really. Ideas?

Denise - you don't look fat, you look great - don't apologize! My problem isn't lack of activities. I stay busy, have lots of friends, have more hobby opportunities than i can squeeze in... I have the ways and means to travel. If I set my mind to it, I could even find buddies to do all that travel with. It is more of a mindset. A big part of what happened this week was the discussion with the counselor brought up some painful feelings. You know, I was always the cheery optimist - funny smart fat girl. Maybe I just need more time not playing a role or being something other people think I need to be. You know I only just recently told most of my family about my split up. I just don't have it in me anymore to deal with other people's emotions. Counselor and I talked about even finding new (not replacement, but additional) friends who are in a better state in life as I am feeling the weight of so many people I know dealing with just uglies in life.

I was banded in 2001 at 272. Lost to about 205 in a year. Had issues. ..unfilled by 2003 By 2005...All time high 332. Band removed and revised to sleeve in Dec 2011 at 308; lost 150 over 14 months. Now maintaining in the 150 ballpark...total loss 160. So for me the sleeve has worked alot better.

Since I did a lot of first dates, one thing that drives me crazy and that I know men HATE is people lying about their weight and posting photos that either hide it or are out of date. BTW, men do the same thing but they lie more about their height, age and then weight/physical shape. I was never rude to anyone, but it shocked me to meet someone who was so clearly nowhere near what they advertised. So, while that guy was a jerk about this ladies weight, I also empathize with just being sick of the lies and misrepresentations... like didn't they think I would notice that he is 5'3", bald and gasps for air walking down the sidewalk? Anyway, I also don't know how anyone can think they are in love or in a relationship with someone they never met. I guess I am an odd duck, but I am slow to love people... quick to like... slow to love. Love comes way after the initial attraction and excitement for me. There is that whole chemistry thing too... have no idea how you can know that if you haven't met.

So, I am hanging out in the 150-151 range lately without fasting. My version of fasting has been to have low carb days... really low carb... alternating with my moderate carb days. I would like to get to 145 but I have to admit I am worried about my sadness level the last few days more than my weight. Counselor i see really thinks that letting my blood sugar drop is contributing to the problem... I don't know. Today I didn't even want to eat but had lunch because she told me I should. Why am I so funked? Well, there have been a couple of triggers - like just **** happening all around me that I find unbearable at times. Every time i see or talk to my ex I go into a tailspin. Mostly, I think it gets back to the midlife crisis stuff that swizz talks about. Dang it... I have been talking to like a half dozen good friends to discover I have about the happiest life of all of them... maybe this is really as good as it gets. That my friends is a sad realization. I will get over it, but am wallowing at the moment. I am still practicing my positive writing and remembering to be grateful. I have been the queen of grateful my whole life and I guess maybe it's a little busted right now. Sarsar, I did like 4-5 consults and my questions became refined as I progressed through them. I needed to see like a zillion before and afters because I started to understand the "cherry picking" process. My favorite local doc had a bunch out on real self AND must have had 20 photo albums covering decades of surgery. She even explained how her technique evolved - I really liked her alot. Also, to have them really explain what the recommend in terms of phasing.. and why. Make sure they have done a goodly number with photos of massive weight loss patients. It is very misleading to look at photos of a tummy tuck of or mommy makeover for someone who had a kid or two and wants to look 25 again. Seriously, massive weight loss is a whole different kettle of fish. Ask about where the surgery is done (surgical center or hospital). Talk about how complications might be handled. Ask about complication insurance. Discuss after care. I have alot of issues with naseua and anethesia so I had alot of questions around that. Length of surgery. What they recommend for your breasts and why. The Seattle female doc I almost went to gave me the best advice on breasts and it guided my choice. I am SO HAPPY I listened to her and not all the online DDD people who think we all need huge boobs...LOL. I am so happy being a shapely C cup and I have received very positive feedback from the males around so I don't think I went to small and I can still button a jacket. I was so terror struck at the idea of plastics, i don't even remember everything now... the initial consults really bummed me out, but i got desensitized. Plastics is about tradeoffs and it is something of an art I think... so understanding that surgeons asthetics is really important. If you are getting a lower body lift you really do risk a bit of a boy figure... watch their before and afters for that issue. Arm lifts - man, look at those afters to see the scar placement. Ask them about scar placement for arms. Ask how they will do the breat lift. My boobs were small and perky enough that he didn't have to do the T cut underneath so I basically have no breast scars - I love that.

My blood work was last checked just a few months ago and my vit D is good. I also spend quite a bit of time outdoors - horses and farm work! I get your point though, there are alot of factors that "might" contribute to this. right now sleep, dealing with a person in my private life who gives me stress and exercise are my top theories so i continue to work those aggressively. I also had very sad news from a couple of friends the last week, and while i am trying to not feel the "weight" I kinda do.

Here is what the NUT told me... for a high BMI person who "Failed" with the lapband... they don't want us to lose 100# and still feel like a failure because we didn't get to a set weight. Truth of the matter is - I started at 308, got down to about 190... and screeched to a halt. It took some concentrated effort to get down to the 146-150 range where i currently live. I would have been pretty good maintaining at 190 (compared to 300+!!!) even though I was still quite overweight at 5'5" so, my advice is to be realistic in knowing that you will have to keep working that sleeve to get to your personal goal. You may decide to stop short, but don't consider that a failure, consider a huge improvement over where you started... everything else is icing on the cake. My practice tried to tell me I was good enough at 170 too.... for same reason. They were right, I was pretty good at 170 but i like 150 a lot better and i intend to fight like hell to maintain it. If I bounce back up to 170 at some point, I'll be okay though. So, when the asked me my goal I told them that while I dreamed of getting to a normal BMI, I would consider myself a success if i got under 200# - everyone was satisfied with that answer and were wowed when I got to a normal BMI and have been maintaining it.

Yellowstone was amazing!

Fiddle, I find it interesting that you suffered from a fairly similiar situation as me - the sleep deprivation leading to not feeling 100% the next day. As a woman, it is always said to be my hormones acting up. I assume they didn't try to tell you that it was due to too little estrogen...haha. Anyway, I do wonder if there is a correlation to the massive weight loss? My other theory is that I used to feel miserable but since I felt so physically miserable all the time when i was obese I didn't notice. My standards are much higher now!

Okay, on plastics.... I really think you should have multiple consults. For me the first one was like M2G experience - emotionally devastating. Apparently I was worse off than any of you because I my entry ticket was about 20-25K for doing the first of 3 surgeries! I never found out the total cost but I guessed it to be in the 40-50K ballpark. That was until I found Dr Sauceda where I paid 16K for the works, including actually getting after care by the Doc and real nurses for those first 11 days. So, my point is to get different consults and opinions. I was astounded at how adament each was about which procedures should be done together (or not) - every consult essentially recommended a different combo!!! Local surgeons recommended the long thigh lift and Dr S did a small one on me. That was a tough trade off because my inner thighs still touch, but when I look at photos - I have remarkable improvement without the difficult healing and long scar. I can still revise later to the long lift but for now I am pretty content. They all (including Dr S) gave me somewhat dire predictions - you won't be perfect, but good improvement. That is expectation setting - as a formerly obese person I am not going to have a super model body no matter what. However, I have been to the gym ladies and they have mirrors. My body looks good compared to other women in my age range - and plastics is what helped me get to that. Just for a little shock factor I am including some graphic pix. The befores were taken by Dr S the night before my surgery. The afters were all taken either immediately post op or within the first 2 months. I need someone to shoot more pix of me for my 6 month mark coming up mid april. In spite of the dire predictions, my body truly transformed. Afters, these were mostly taken to reveal status of scars over time.. but you can see the massive improvement. and my breasts look great now, they are a little weird looking immediately post op in the full body picture due to uneven swelling and riding a bit high:

Florinda you aren't the only one with outrageous weight bounces.... and they often take multiple days to come off and I still think it is water I just woke up and can't recall the right word but essentially when your body stores carbs (glycerin?) it picks up a bunch of water too. That is why most of us lost a crazy amount of weight the first month - a good portion of that was water as we radically reduced overall intake we were reducing carbs. I think it is a mistake to get so upset by it as it is part of the process and if you stay eating clean it will come back off in a few days.

I had multiple procedures at once and am so glad I did. It was NOT super painful but recovery was long.