Sleeved&Hopeful

You've had some great suggestions in this thread! We can always rely on excellent answers here. I agree with checking out medicaid in your state. You may be able to get some help. Also, my sweet friend MANDY GRAY just got gastric bypass paid for by the WLSFA.org! A beautiful woman--inside and out--and couldn't afford to get surgery on her own and didn't have insurance to cover it!! Please visit http://www.wlsfa.org they give grants to deserving people to have life-saving weight loss surgery! It's a wonderful organization full of some of the sweetest people out there! They have fundraisers to help pay for surgeries. It's WONDERFUL! I only wish there were more organizations out there like that! I think everyone who wants sleeve surgery or gastric bypass or whatever--should be able to get it! God bless you and big hugs.

Sooo happy for you! I would have been SUPER PISSED OFF!!

I've heard of a few people gaining 30% back and one lady gained back 50 of the 100 she lost. I don't hear about them very often though. They were over on another forum I belong to. I think the sleeve is one of the best out there. Do I think duodenal switch is an excellent surgery? Yes. BUT the trade off is you have to take a LOT of Vitamins and supplements and I know first hand what happens when you don't. A lady I know lost her insurance and job and could not afford the hundreds of dollars in supplements and vitamins she required. She got a charity organization to help her because she was getting VERY sick. It was her example that made think that while the sleeve may not be as powerful as the duodenal switch--it's a LOT safer! The sleeve is a really great tool and I don't want to get a DS and perhaps one day not be able to afford my vitamins. I also forget to take vitamins and with the HUGE regimen they have--I wouldn't remember every day. Some people are excellent at remembering--me--not so much. It was just too big of a risk to take for me personally. Gastric bypass? Pssh no thanks. Malabsorption of calories only lasts for 2 years but malabsorption of vitamins and minerals lasts a lifetime. Not a fair trade off IMHO. At 2 years out they end up with a restriction only procedure just like we have. And the restriction isn't as good as ours from what I've heard after several years out. There are some GBP people who can eat entire full meals and appetizers at restaurants with no problem. I will take my pyloric valve over their stoma any day Sleeve= safe and effective and has weight loss results pretty darn close to the gastric bypass after 2-3 years. I like that the sleeve uses the least stretchiest part of the stomach and that it helps with appetite. I like that if I forget to take my vitamins for a day or two--it's not likely to cause me to get sick as it could with the other surgeries.

I am able to eat more close to my time of the month too. It's been that way from the very beginning.

Hey I know a guy who lost 350 lbs with the sleeve! No sh*t! He did it in under 2 years. You can do it!

Drinking before the meal starts really shouldn't hurt. It's waiting to drink AFTER that is important. The liquids really do just go right through.

Hey there. You've lost 72 lbs which is awesome! How far are you from goal is the BIG question? Do you have much more weight to lose or are you pretty close to goal? If you are close to goal, it may be time to kick the carbs to the curb as low as you can get them. That seems to help a lot of people get to goal.

I have seen a few people only lose 25-30 lbs in 5-6 months but the majority of those people only had 60-70 lbs to lose to get to goal and it usually takes them 9 month to a year to lose it all (not always though--some of them lose it in the first 6 months). One lady I know had 80 lbs to lose and it took her almost the full 2 years after surgery to lose it all. If you look at the sleeve studies that are available online--they usually show best excess weight loss at 18 months post op. If you don't lose most of the weight in 6 months--that still leaves a good 12 more months for weight loss. It doesn't have to come off in 6 months--especially if you have less than 100 lbs to lose. There is a good 18 month window for weight loss. Even some gastric bypass people take over a year to lose most or all of the weight. It just really depends on how much you have to lose and how your metabolism is and also a big part of it is how compliant you are in the high protein diet. One big key I've seen is not drinking and eating at the same time. There is a video on youtube where a gentleman shows why you shouldn't eat and drink at the same time after weight loss surgery. It really DOES just flush the food down and you won't feel full as fast. Also if you feel hungry frequently make sure you try an acid reducer like Prilosec. Our tummies sometimes produce just as much acid as our regular stomachs and you can see how that might be a problem. Excess acid causes hunger and it also causes acid reflux.

I had to start taking 40MG of prilosec because sometimes our little tummies still produce the same amount of acid as our big tummy. I have no hunger hardly at all taking 40 MG prilosec per day. If I forget to take it, I get hungry and I also have really bad reflux. I was worried about the side effects but one lady I talked to said she has to take 80 MG of prilosec a day and she has been taking that much for 15 years and she is ok! So who knows? I just make sure I take my vitamins.

I like underhunder too!

I am SO happy for you girl! You are brave & beautiful and strong! Good for you for keeping your head up. Be proud!

The DS is highly effective just please stay on top of your vitamins and doctor's visits! I guess you already know the malabsorption is really hardcore on that surgery but that is the trade off because you can lose a LOT of weight :-).

I have noticed this alot. It is definitely weird. Some days I can't eat much but there have been a few times I have been very surprised by the amount I could eat. I think this is why measuring is important. I had my first cheeseburger since surgery about 7 months ago last week and it was probably a 4 ounce burger with patty, bun, and cheese without veggies nd I was able to eat 3.25-3.5 ounces of it before feeling full. I was a bit shocked but i think the bread slid on by lol and the protein was probably only 2 oz of beef. Then today I had a bun less burger patty about 2 ounces of meat and I was stuffed. Weird!

I have eaten bread a few times since surgery. It is the really thick rolls you get at restaurants. I can only eat about half of one!! They are VERY filling. Now I've tried a regular piece of bread (like a hamburger bun or regular piece of Mrs. Baird's) and that is an entirely different story. That goes down way easily. I guess even bread can be dense but obviously it is a not a protein--lol--that's why I've only had it a few time.

Ok, this reminds me of a post I read on a low carb forum I belong to. Of course you haven't regained weight yet and that is a blessing. You can prevent that weight regain before it actually happens by acknowledging you have been making bad choices. The post I read today on the low carb forum was about a lady who had RNY gastric bypass. She lost 120 lbs and by 3 years out she had gained 80 lbs back. She went back on a protein first/low carb program and lost the regain PLUS an extra 30 lbs! She has kept it off for 5 years!!! She started using her tool appropriately and has done very well It CAN be done. It just requires a lot of diligence in saying no to the easy sliders and sweets. IT CAN BE DONE