devichan

When I had this for my gall bladder, it went away. The only place I scarred at all was where I scratched it open in my sleep two weeks out after all the redness was pretty much gone. If you're worried about that, you can cover it, but the glue itself won't cause issues. Bruised-looking is normal and you'd have that with stitches too.

My husband's CPAP is barely audible. He's completely adjusted to it and it's made a huge difference in his life. You won't be such a light sleeper anymore if you need one... you'll rest much better!

5'1" and 280... pre-op, down from 295 in Feb. No surgery date yet.

I'm so sorry you are going through all this. I haven't been sleeved yet myself, but I do see where it's not all roses for everyone and I want to thank you for sharing your story! Over and over, I see people saying "the first month is a major trial." I hope that by the time I'm approved, you are on the up-bounce and can reassure others in turn! Take care of yourself, please...

Oh man, I'm already addicted to knitting... thank goodness I have a deal with my husband that I don't buy any yarn unless I have a project for it!

Thank you for posting this and giving me hope. (Started at 295, am 280-ish now, no surgery date yet.)

Hang in there!

I'm a fan of Sparkpeople. It's free, like I think the others mentioned above are.

Just wanted to thank you guys... I'm thinking ahead and trying to find resources I think I can like, and this thread is awesome!

I had the same concern... I'm good at dropping, awful at keeping off. When I mentioned it to my nurse, she said "We'd appeal. You wouldn't be here if you could keep it off without surgery." Ask your BN what their policy is.

If I have surgery before my birthday, I'm going to suspend aging for six months and have my half-birthday in March. Maybe you could do something similar? Wait six months and have a party then?

Two appointments back-to-back, two positive results. Yesterday was my second nutritionist appointment. I am down 9 pounds in a month. She is thrilled, and when I gave her my food journals (yay, Sparkpeople!) she says she wants me to keep doing what I'm doing. The results of my psych tests came back. Unsurprisingly, I came back as a nonconformist. But they are also seeing my motivation and like the fact I'm taking what I'm learning here and devising strategies to make this work. I already have begun to be more mindful of my food intake, I'm practicing chewing to applesauce consistency, and I've already dropped soft drinks, caffeine, and drinking with my meals and for half an hour after. They didn't see signs of psychopathology or of disordered eating. All of these things plus my success so far reassured him and he is going to recommend the surgery for me. Other successes: I have had the pre-existing clause removed from my insurance with the proof I was insured at my last job. I joined the gym on the first floor of my office and start tomorrow (today I didn't have time to go before work after my appointment). Work pays for a personal trainer visit every four weeks, so I'm going to set that up soon. Until then, I'm going to walk. I put together my exercise playlist today, and I also have some podcasts I can enjoy while working out. My sleep study showed no apneas, but plenty of hypnopneas. I think that is something that might go away with shrinking size. I told my sixteen-year-old last weekend. True to her awesomeness, her reaction was "Grandmother likes to be bossy and nosy, so I won't tell her. It's your body. I hope it works out for you. Should I be worried about anything?" I love this girl, I really do. (She just got into art school. <3 SO PROUD. <3) Now I'm flickering back and forth between calm and nerves. My next dietician appointment is 9-MAY. My daughter (who normally lives with her biodad and stepmom) will be arriving in early June. I would like to have the surgery before she visits. If I don't have it by the end of May, I might not be able to do all my summer plans and would have to wait until September because travel is important. I really don't want to wait until September. On the other hand, my insurance requires six months of supervised dieting. If they decide my visit to my PCP back in December counts, I'm in. If they don't, it's September. I don't want to be stuck in my pre-operation supervised diet phase for six more months....but I have to admit on a money level, I wouldn't mind. I guess that now that I'm on the road, I want to get to the destination and get it done. Still certain. Still uncertain.

Nekobasu! I love Miyazaki. Ahem. Topic. After my C-section, I was numb from my bellybutton down for about five years. After a while, I got feeling back to about halfway between my navel and my hipline, but I still feel mostly pressure in that space. That was 16 years ago. I don't think I'll get much more back. I'm just really careful in that space, because I'm also prone to skin yeast infections there under my pannus already.

I haven't had the surgery yet, don't have any advice, but I wanted to offer you a hug if you want one. As a woman who got pregnant using two forms of control at once (!), I know that sometimes these things happen. Please hang in there. You'll be better positioned once the baby's born to go for long walks in the summer twilight and get good exercise!

I'm getting mine done at Unity too, probably with Dr. July. I liked her attitude and sense of humor when I went to the info session, and the staff there are kind and love to laugh. Not sure on dates yet.

If mine thins a lot, I'm thinking of getting it African-style braided. Either that, or starting to wear a headscarf - there are so many beautiful fabrics out there and I can knit too.

Does it come back, though?

Wow, Rebeca... I think you're right. You look so very much like me when I was in my 20s. Right down to the size. The hair color in your profile pic is somewhat darker than mine, but yeah. And I don't take it in a mean way. I might still be your size if I hadn't killed my knees. (And I love the pink-hair passport thing. I can just imagine the "seriously, WTH?" looks. ) Feel free to message and geek with me about things.

Thanks, Kenai, sorry I missed your reply! I'm going to Unity. I really like the doctors there. Plus the practice is really close to work. Today was my first psychiatrist appointment. I wasn't worried about this until we met, but now I'm a bit concerned. What if he decides I'm not ready because I like myself as I am? Surely I can't be the first size-positive person having surgery for health reasons? Nerves and more nerves.

Could someone let me know when's the best time to take my B-complex pre-surgery? Mornings, noons, evenings? With food/without food? Also, after surgery, is it OK to crush up B-complex and put it in a drink?

My husband just got his CPAP in December and BOTH of us sleep better now. Like you, he was nervous. I can tell you they have several kinds of CPAP. He actually found out he sleeps best with the full mask, but others' milage varies and you should try different kinds of facial appliances until you find the right one for you. My husband no longer wakes up a lot at night. He used to be a two- or three-bathroom-run guy, but now he sleeps right through. He no longer wakes up with headaches or groggy. His snoring is virtually gone, and when he does snore it's because he's gotten himself into a weird position or has a cold. I sleep better because I'm no longer waking up and nudging him to start breathing or shift position to ease snores that used to be audible on another floor. Yes, this is getting you approved for surgery, but being diagnosed is really a gift. You will have so much more energy later. Please do the second study and let go of your worries. Like the surgery, this is taking steps to protect your health before something drastic happens. **hugs if you want them!**

I'm early in the process of getting ready, but I know this'll be a big one for me. I'm starting to practice now (with no surgery date in sight yet). When I'm at work I set a timer on my Outlook that tells me when I can next drink. Next week I'm starting to set timers to do it on the weekend on my phone. It's getting easier as the days go by.

Awe. Some. Thank you! :)

I don't have any advice, but I wanted to say a) it's awesome to see people casually using another language on here, and could you translate for those of us following the conversation? I don't trust Babelfish.

Thanks so much, jibstep. It just frosts me that I can't trust my own blood. And the worst part of it is that they love me, but we just can't communicate. Ah well. My heart-family is on my side, completely and without reservation, and some of my spiritual community have already said they will come to the hospital and pray over me post-surgery for better healing.