tiffers

We do indeed walk in different parks. I have never been pregnant. I can however relate to being bed ridden and walking with a cane. A few months after my surgery I was diagnosed with a tumor AND a rare neurological disorder. On a positive note, the tumor was benign. However, it was very large and took over about 1/3 of my spinal cord. It caused a significant amount of nerve damage in my legs that I'm still dealing with even though the tumor was removed last summer. I can't feel my legs properly, thus the use of a cane. I don't use it as much as I used to, though. As far as my neurological disorder goes, I had surgery for that in June. A part of my skull and spine had to be removed b/c my brain is larger than my skull and it creates an enormous amount of pressure in my head and causes me to fall all the time ( nerve damaged legs don't help! ) among other things. For me, having part of my tummy sucked out was a walk in the park compared to having 1/3 of my spine taken apart, having an extensively intricate tumor removed, and then having my spine put back together. And it was also a walk in the park compared to having brain/cranial surgery. I'm only 30. I'm not married and I will more than likely not be able to be pregnant b/c of my spinal and neurological issues. The past 18 months have been very difficult and getting thinner has been one of the positive things in my life! Im sorry your experience isnt going that great. Im not trying to lessen your experience or get your sympathy by telling you my story. And I do agree that all possibilities need to be explored and considered. Everyone has a different experience and it's interesting to see different perspectives, too. Neither the tumor nor the neurological disorder were caused by my WLS. In fact, if I hadn't had the WLS, I'd be probably be paralyzed right now b/c my excessive weight would have delayed my surgery the tumor would have completely destroyed my nerves. WLS saved my life in more than one way and I'm a big fan of it.

Just to clarify, I don't think surgery is as painful as child birth. I just mean that the end results far outweigh all of the negatives that may come along with the journey of getting there. I've had 4 other surgeries since I was sleeved. Believe me, being sleeved was a walk in the park in comparison!

I haven't had any children, so I may be way off base here, but I equate surgery to being pregnant and giving birth. Sure you might have morning sickness, and swelling, and feel awful while you are preggers, and childbirth can be all kinds of painful from what I hear, but the end result, being your child, is totally worth it. Surgery, and post op issues that may arise, and getting used to a new way of life is painful at times, but in the end, I think it's totally worth it! Don't let the comments get ya down!

I'm 5' 7" and my weight pre- op was 258lbs and my surgery was 3/21/11. I'm down to 120lbs now. I don't exercise. Don't be mad. I do, however, teach pre-k, and I'm basically moving non-stop for 6-7 hours everyday. I thought I might gain a bit this summer while I was off, but I didnt.

I don't want to make false accusations against your cousin, but are you sure (s)he isn't just fishing for info? While I have been pretty open with people that I had surgery, I have not posted ANYTHING about it, or my weight loss on FB. However, I had a distant relative say something to my aunt about how I mentioned my WLS on fb. Of course, I hadn't. She was just being nosy. My aunt plainly told her that I indeed had WLS, it wasn't a secret, but she was positive I hadn't said anything about it on fb. She even pulled up my page on her phone to show my distant relative that I hadn't. Lol. I'm sorry about your awkward situation, and I understand that you probably feel hurt by people you trust, but in my experience telling people has been remarkably positive. No one has told me they think I took the easy way out, nor have I heard that people are saying that behind my back. I've had a couple of friends tell me they could never do it, or it's not for them. I totally understand and respect that. I too was once in their position. They are also still overweight/obese and Im borderline underweight right now. What I have had is encouragements and compliments out the wazoo. No one pressures me to eat more or offers me more food when I attend social gatherings that involve food. I can politely refuse foods that are offered to me without having to lie. It's really very freeing not to hide it. I have also had 2 people ask me what I did, and they are now in the process of being approved for the sleeve also. Just some food for thought.

How are you planning on hiding the surgery from your boyfriend, esp. since you live together?

Sometimes (rarely) my lower back would hurt a little bit. I would just stretch it out on an exercise ball and it felt better. I just figured my back hurt b/c I was overweight and I teach pre-k so I bend over all day. It wasn't until I went numb and tingly from the waist down that I had any concerns. The numbness didn't stop. It was constant. That's when I had the MRIs to figure out what's going on. Also, even though I found out about my tumor 2 months after my WLS, just wanted to let you and anyone else reading this know that my tumor had nothing to do with my WLS. My tumor was huge and had been growing in my spinal cord and wrapping itself around my nerves for years. Just don't want to discourage anyone from having WLS, b/c the two are unrelated, and if anything the WLS saved me b/c had I not had the tumor removed when I did I would be paralyzed right now. The weight I lost was enough for my neurosurgeon to feel comfortable about removing my tumor w/out going through a lot of fat to get there. But its gone now, I can walk, most of my nerve damage is gone and Im super skinny, so it all worked out. Woo hoo! Good luck!

Thanks! I don't eat seafood and as much as I love chicken and turkey, sometimes it gets boring. I tried bacon once, and it was so painful afterwards. Sometimes I wanna try it again, though. Lol.

I had numbness and tingling in my hands and arms. Turns out I had a severe (like I was on the verge of going in to cardiac arrest) potassium deficiency. Got that all settled and then I went numb and tingly from the waist down. But it wasn't my potassium that time. I had a benign tumor in my spinal cord that caused a mess load of nerve damage. So, yeah, if you have blood work done and all your levels are good, and you're still numb and tingly, def. go see a neurologist.

I eat ice cream! Of course, I am a Texan and Blue Bell runs through our veins.

I'm really confused by your response. Why would you say you hadn't lost any weight?

Don't let the comments, or lack there of, from others get ya down! You are doing a fabulous job! Have people asked you questions about other aspects of your appearance? People that didn't know I had surgery would usually ask me if I had cut my hair, or changed it in some way. They knew something was different, but couldn't figure out what. Also, your clothes may be too big, so it may not be as noticeable. Last night I went to buy some new jeans. I tried on a pair one size smaller than what I've been wearing. The sales girl laughed and gave me pair 3 sizes smaller, and they fit! I'm still in shock! Lol. I'm over a year post op, and my has pretty much leveled off, so I was not expecting that drastic of a change. But enough about me, just give it some time.

Thanks! I've never liked steak, but sometimes I'd really like a few bites of a burger (sans bun, of course.) I'm a year and a half post-op and a little more variety would be great! Thanks again!

I was told by my surgeon not to eat any red meat post op (ever) because it doesn't pass well through the sleeve. However, after being a part of this group for a few months, I see that several people eat it. Has anyone had any issues with red meat post op? I didn't really eat a whole lot of red meat pre-op, but sometimes my body just craves it. I'm a little nervous to try it now. Any advice, tips, horror stories?

Woo Hoo!!! Keep up the fantastic work!!