KS Fort Worth

Awesome!!! I crossed that barrier twice up and down, and was approaching it a third time when I finally said NO MORE! Keep us posted when you hit Onederland!

I to am sorry to hear it.
All I have to say i that what he told you is just a lie, and excuse to cover his actions. I for one am an adamant supporter of every story having two sides but his story just plain stinks. When you need him the most he ups and fools around on you.
Only you can make the decision of what you want out of it, to heal or not. Otherwise just dump his sorry ass and move on. Sorry to be blunt but I just really, really hate people who play games and lie.
I've been married 30 years and there has been a LOT of times it would of been easy to stray, opportunities have presented themselves or I could of MADE an opportunity. I have NOT strayed as I value my marriage, my wife and the solidity that it gives both of us.

I researched ALL of the surgeries as I personally believe everyone should so they are making an informed decision. Yes, the OH site is another good place to read and see what people's experiences are. It's a very large site simply because there are dedicated threads for ALL of the different WLS. There are more surgeries being done than just the sleeve, band and DS.... just that the others are either still experimental, modifications of the main three or just have not had the same type of success as the other three and so are not well known.
I also didn't want the complications of life long blood panels and such. Also, while the DS does tend to make it easier to choose less than healthy foods, it is also still a tool. I know a couple people who have actually regained weight on the DS surgery. It always amazes me when people have surgery and just assume they don't have any accountability afterwards.
Good luck with your research. I applaud you for doing it, many do not.

I looked into both. I "only" had 107 pounds to my goal, though, and felt the sleeve could get me there without the malabsorption. I wanted restriction without the dangers of malabsorption. In addition, I'm a military spouse and we've spent most of the last seven years overseas. Getting regular blood panels could be tricky, especially in remote locations like our current assignment. And having a surgery that requires me to have them could keep us trapped in the states, essentially limiting my husband's career.
For me, the added stresses and possible complications didn't seem worthwhile. However, if there is a more significant amount of weight to lose and access to high quality, regular medical care, I think the DS is a good option.
I see no reason not to do the sleeve, and if necessary, continue on with DS at a later date. The way a DSer and sleever eat is totally different, though. I know this isn't nice, but I've always kind of thought of the DS as the "lazy" way...how hypocritical is that? Check out ObesityHelp's board on DS. They eat all of the junk we avoid. I feel like it's not guaranteed, but that coming out on the other side of a sleeve leaves you with a more rounded, healthier relationship with food.
I'm biased and freely admit it. I didn't want a surgery where it would be perfectly okay to eat bacon cheeseburgers sans bun for the rest of my life. I wanted to be healthier while still eating like a regular person.
Best of luck whatever you decide,
~Cheri

Hello all! So I am down 67# today..sleeved 4/3 and have been in need of some new scrubs for awhile! So I went and bought some on sale last night..went down 2 scrub sizes and my coworkers said that I have been hiding under the bigger ones ( well honestly..I was being cheap because the bigger ones are like wearing pjs.. But they aren't flattering) so I thought I would break down and get new ones..so today..I am rocking some curves! LOL!! Slowly but surely will win this race against the bulge! I promised myself I wouldn't post a picture until I wa 6 months out..and I will definitely post a before and after..but to me..this was too good!

Hi everyone! Sorry it has taken me so long to do a post-op update. I got home Friday evening, went straight to bed. Saturday slept all day, then Sunday had an unexpected mini-family reunion at my new apartment. I am doing great! So blessed that God took care of me during this and is continuing to bless my healing process. I pray that all the July sleevers are also doing great and will be praying for those who are about to start this journey! Thank YOU all for your prayers and well wishes!
If you want to read about my experience with Dr. Almanza, here's my post - and I will be happy to answer any questions for you!
http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/44496-dr-almanza-1-week-post-op-long-post/
Hugs,
gena'

You know, I have to pity people who would do such an act. Their lives are so miserable they must do some act like that to try to elevate themselves. I am happy that you were able to confront this moment and I hope you realize this was her issue, not yours. For whatever reason she was threatened by you ... your intelligence, your relationship with members of the family, your faith ... something ... This is how bullies behave, whether they're 8 or 80.

I have 2 fat stories: I was on a group church trip. That's right I said church. We were in the hotel playing Taboo and one lady pointed to me for the team to guess the word. The word was "overeating"! I held back the tears. I was in my 30s then.
The latest one was in 2010, at my school I wore a purple shirt and walked passed this one student and her friends. She really hated me. She started singing, "I love you, you love me." I was at my highest weight then 372. I looked at her and said "I know I'm fat but I can change that. Look in the mirror, you can't change that.". She shut up really quickly and never did that again.
Sent from my iPhone using VST

I posted this in post surgery but I guess it should have gone here. I was just too excited...
I finally did it! I hit the onderland. I have not been under 200 in over 13 years. You should have seen me I had just gotten out of the shower (o.k. well maybe you don't want to see that, lol) and decided what the yeck it's been a couple of days let's weigh and see what it says. I was actually shocked and just stood there. When it finally registered that the scale wasn't broke and not going to move anymore I started crying I was so happy. I got dressed and ran outside to find my husband and it was so funny as soon as he saw me he said "you made it under the 200 mark didn't you" He knows me so well...
Anyways, I wanted to share my story and to thank everyone on here for all the support and advise I have received over the past Year. I think I signed up about 6 months before my surgery and was on here everyday it is great to know you are not the only one out there with gas, your hair falling out and all the loose skin but I would not change it for the world. I feel better than I have in years and I know I've added years to my life with this change.
Thanks again - Everyone

Saggy skin is not a by-product of one weight loss method versus another. An individual can have saggy skin after weight loss whether the weight loss is by diet, diet and exercise, or weight loss surgery. Bottom line is that the weight loss can cause the skin to sag, not the method used to lose the weight. Some factors to consider are age, because our skin becomes less elastic the older we get and the amount of weight one loses. For those who lose large amounts of weight, there may be some skin issues, but that can be corrected after the weight comes off. For me personally, I'd rether worry about the health issues I face by NOT losing the weight, and deal with any sagging of my skin later, after I'm once again thin and healthy. Good luck to you, and I hope you found this helpful.

Okay, I woke up singing the Annie song "tomorrow!" I am SOOO excited!! EEK!! Spa day today, facial, mani, pedi! Then 7:30 am is surgery! I have to be at the hospital at 5:30am. I will post as soon as I am able to.

The day of the surgery, I thought "oh my gosh, what have I done to me?". It's been an adjustment but the benefits are being seen. I've not taken a blood pressure pill in 2 weeks and I've lost 22 pounds in a month. Five days after the surgery, I walked a mile in 30 minutes...7 days later, I'm walking a 15 minute mile. I walk 30-60 minutes a day. I'm excited to step on the scale and watch the numbers go down. My clothes are beggining to loosen up. I'm looking forward to playing harder with my grandsons when they come to stay this next week. My whole spirit is uplifted!

My doctor, without hesitation, gave me a card from Dr. Kim's office and told me to set up an appointment! THAT was very encouraging.

I'm having dinner with family and friends for 1 last "hoo-rah" where I can eat and drink "normally" ....I do have these feelings that I need to make sure that I have my favorite Mexican, Chinese, etc. But when I think about it, I think....I've tasted it all, it's just food and at this point I'm tired of treating myself like a human garbage disposal. Looking forward to loving myself into healthiness and skinniness!!!

Ok quick true story , after all pre op requirements were met ,no small task, about a week before surgery date I was getting nervous , wifey's negativity ,my fear ,pride and lots of other neg. emotions were getting the best of me. I sat down in my kitchen with my two therapists Ben and jerry to have a pint of chubby hubby and sort this out.Chair breaks,kinda explodes,in a second I'm on my back like a turtle on his shell , splinters in my back and ice cream everywhere.Pretty clear sign to follow through with surgery.That was 12/7/11 I am down 131 lbs and the only regret is not doing this sooner. Good luck on your journey and god bless you!

I wasn't really scared of it all. I just thought I can lose on my own! After all, I had done it before, right?! I have lost 70 + lbs on my own. But, it all came back and then some. Finally, at 45 with menopause knocking at my door, the weight will not move. I finally have realized that I need help! I'm excited now!
Do what we all did! Take the first step and go to the info session. Once I educated myself on the process, I felt so much more confident about my decision. I started this process in February. I was just approved for surgery on July 3.

I had these same thoughts, I think we all have if we're honest! I honestly told the nurse while laying on the pre op table that I didn't want to do the surgery anymore lol I was laying there crying and freaking out.. she gave me something to "relax" me and off I went! I can tell you now, 6 days after surgery, that I have dropped 12 lbs of true weight (not IV Fluid, swelling etc) and I am soooo happy I did this! I look at the scale everyday and say " I will never weigh this amount again" WOW! So empowering! This decision is not right for everyone but if it is your right decision, don't wait! do it and LIVE the rest of your life with gusto! My 1 year surgiversary reward will be skydiving! I can't wait!!! I'm 41 and ready to live again, the fat suit has got to come off =) Good luck with your journey and hope to see you on the losers side!!

By all means, get all the information you can, and make the decision that's best for you. I'm scheduled for July 24th and have lost about 35 pounds since February. This is my third *major* weight-loss episode, and I had begun to wonder a few weeks ago whether I COULD in fact do it by myself this time. What I was reminded of by responses to my similar-to-yours question in this forum was the stress that life tosses our way. The last two times I lost a lot of weight, it was coping with external stress that undid all my hard work. I believe that the sleeve will be the tool *I* need to succeed.