kmwheel

Wow! The thing I notice most is that I can really see your eyes now, and you are so pretty! I am getting a new camera for Christmas and can't wait to post my before/after. Congratulations on the loss!

Woah, no I won't be going...I'm still paying off my surgery trip. We just did our first cosplay event in Michigan last summer and it was so fun. My kids were Chell and a companion cube!

I am very pear-y, or as my husband lovingly calls me, his "Coke bottle" wife. I have lost a little bit in the bust...and I kind of figured that would happen, but I've also lost in the arms, butt, thighs, and legs. I can see a big difference in the legs now. I really attribute that to Water aerobics three times a week. Exercise can really help tighten things up. I think I look more proportioned overall now. I know that after three kids, my stretched out belly is going to be the last to go. One thing that happened to me after I lost about 40 lbs...I was finally able to fit into Victoria's Secret bras. They have an Angels one that's push up and gives you two cup sizes. Wow, does that ever make me confident. It makes me feel like I'm standing taller and prouder when I wear it. In my case, I wasn't so much worried about what my body would look like post WLS as how things would be medically. I have been on high doses of blood pressure medication since I was 20, and now the only thing I'm still taking is a water pill. I'll continue looking like an Easter egg on stilts for that!

It will come back...I promise. I'm sure a lot of other people will tell you the same thing. I am a little past two months out and I love to eat, I love food...I just am finally able to listen to my body and know when to stop. I don't really have an "appetite" per se, but food doesn't feel like a chore anymore. I had about 2 oz. of turkey, a tablespoon of mashed potatoes with gravy, and a little sweet potato at Thanksgiving (that is my favorite meal ever), and I think I enjoyed myself WAY MORE than I ever did when I ate until it hurt. You might find that you like different things now. I used to be really into sweets, not so much now...but a handful of almonds puts me in heaven. Give yourself some time. I know this sounds cliche, but it really is baby steps...and those milestones will come faster than you think.

Started my first project post-op. It's just a little scarf with some Paton's sequin lace for my mom's friend. It's a crochet stitch called angel stitch, and it's pretty fun so far. I'm glad to be back doing something with my hands.

Cute cute cute!

I am 5' 4", highest weight was 232. Surgery weight was 221, and I weighed 223 after the leak test (swelling). I wore 18/20 before, XXL at old navy and target...and now I realize how tight things were. I'm 2 months out now and 189. Just fit into non-stretch levis size 14, size 14 Target jeans (stretch), and a large Old Navy top. The Levis are tight, but wearable. I wear a large or xl top, depending on the top. I also just bought my first Victoria's Secret bra...so amazing. I always wore the Lane Bryant bras, and these are very comparable quality-wise, so if anyone is needing to move down from Lane Bryant...check them out. They only had up to 38D in the store and it actually fit WELL!! YAY!! I still have a muffin top and belly, but legs and butt are slimming down considerably. I have a very short torso and long legs (31 or 32" inseam...basically look like a head with legs), so I think clothes look weird on me. The thing I like the most right now is the Bally's yoga pants from Sam's Club. They tend to fit me for longer than anything else. I am doing Water aerobics, and I've gone from a 20w skirted swimsuit (old lady lookin' thing) to size 14 regular ol' athletic swimsuits.

Beautiful!!

16 to 10 is huge! Wow!! I totally agree on the indulgences. If it works for you, don't worry about it. Are you going to visit your family in Germany? I would miss them so much, but what a great experience for the kids. My husband is Army, but he's full-time for the National Guard, so we don't really have to move like that. Sometimes I think I would like to...I'd love the chance to live overseas for a while. My mom's got rheumatoid, so we are going to their house so I can cook Thanksgiving dinner. I can't wait to eat my tiny bit of turkey and mashed taters and gravy. I love that I'm not hungry now, but it is hard to get all of those calories in!

I love Lynda's schedule. Try taking half of what you think will work, wait a little bit, and then try a little more. I know exactly that feeling, though...when you go one bite too far. I'm 2 months out and I can do about 1/2 cup of food, but it might take me the better part of an hour...or sometimes I split it up into two meals. Don't feel bad if you're not getting your cues yet...it took me quite a while. For instance, about 6 weeks out, I made a turkey burger (no bun or anything, just the patty)...boy was it great. About halfway through, I was like...woah, nelly!! So I put it away and ate the other half later. Now I just start from 1/2 and go from there. Another thing....some days I can do what I think of as a "full portion", other days there will be no way. Our sleeves can be a little finicky!

Congratulations to everyone!!

Don't what-if yourself too much about the whole thing. I did that, too, and gave myself a lot of anxiety. Whenever I do that, things always turn out better than expected. If this doctor won't support you, definitely seek out another one who'll be willing to handle your follow-up care. I didn't even tell my PCM because she was moving anyway, so I never saw her. I didn't bother seeing the new one before I went for surgery. I had already had all of my labs and psych eval done here (by the surgeon) in the states when my insurance denied me, so I knew that I qualified. I just went in for a 6 week follow-up with my new PCM and she couldn't have been nicer about the whole thing. There was no guilt or judgement handed out, the entire office was thrilled for me and told me what a good job I was doing. She said she's seen people after RNY who would lose weight too fast and get really sick. She did some labs and told me she'd let me know if there was anything wrong or if I needed to supplement Iron, etc. I did take in my entire bag of meds that I take (prescription and non-prescription) so they could make sure I was on the right track. I go back in a month for a blood pressure check to see if I can lower my meds again.

I definitely think so, I always wake up thirsty. Do you keep something by your bed to drink? It's so hard to get all of your water in early on.

So excited and happy for you. You are so right that it's a tool and we have to work it! So glad to hear that some of your family and friends are coming around now that they see how successful you've been. One of my goals is to come off my blood pressure meds, and my dr. wants to do it slowly, but she said I should be ALL DONE by 6 months out. She's been very supportive, and I really appreciate my cheering section at their office! It really is an adventure, isn't it? Keep up that positive attitude.

I haven't done anything post-surgery. It takes me so long to get all of my protein in, etc. But...I have to start something soon. I have a giant pile of yarn glaring at me. I finished and blocked a pretty shawl out of sock yarn right before surgery.

Yes, absolutely. I am 6 weeks out and I haven't made a thing. It's like having crafter's block because you don't want to make something that will be too big. I'm having the same issue with clothes. My clothes are getting really loose, but I don't want to go buy something just to have it not fit in a few weeks. The only thing I've really purchased is swimsuits, because a swimsuit falling off during Water aerobics would be BAD! I really need to get back on the wagon. Maybe I'll just start with a scarf or something that's one-size. How are things going for you post-surgery?

This looks so good, but I dunno, I'm still pretty mad at them about Dawnguard. I can't believe I paid full price for that expansion.

I think a lot of it has to do with the actual hospital cost. I had a few choices of hospitals, and there was a really fancy one that would have bumped my surgery cost up by about 4k. If you spend some time on the boards, you might get a feel for which hospitals sound good to you. I went for one that was clean and had good care. I think most of them are just fine. Then there's the recovery segment. Some surgeons will send you to a "recovery house" and others to a hotel (I was at a hotel and it was gorgeous). Again, it just all boils down to your comfort level. I think that my surgeon was on the lower end of price range (not the cheapest, but) and I had high quality care and service from start to finish. I just had a 6 week follow-up with my PCM and she could not believe how great I'm doing and the price I paid for the really great service.

Sometimes people say really dumb thing because they think (who knows where they got the idea) that they're being lighthearted or funny, when in reality, they're just being asses. If she feels like you have a close enough relationship to say something like that to you, then I would tell her that it really hurts your feelings that she's being very glib with a major life choice (and a major surgery to boot). I'm not sure if she's the type to make fun of everything, and I think that it's hard to gauge that outside of our nice little circle of support here, but just write it off to poor social skills I guess!

This is why I didn't tell anyone before I went (except my husband and best friend). You have to make this decision for you. I made this decision to save my life...I wasn't willing to let anyone talk me out of it.

Holy schnikes! You don't even look the same. Way to rock that sleeve!

I would try different temp, or flavors. The old sugar free Water flavoring packs that I used to use are way too sweet for me. I can do maybe 1/2 of one with 20+ oz. of water. What I'm doing right now is mixing in just a little N2 (it's like the G2 Gatorade, but the Aldi brand lol) with my water. It changes it just enough for me to get it down. It does get easier...you had surgery 3 days before me! Also, when I drink the water, I still swallow air, so I get gas bubbles (I take gas-x for that) and reflux (generic Zantac or Prilosec). The acid reducers help me so much. I didn't even know I had reflux before the surgery, but I realized that a lot of the "hunger" I always felt was probably my reflux, and when I would eat, it would go away.

I ate a fun-size Twix and didn't have a problem, so the candy goes to work with my husband in the morning!

I feel the same way when I go home. My dad's very overweight, diabetic, has to shoot up insulin regularly. They both have hypertension, high cholesterol, my mom's had a hip replacement, all the bones in her feet fused, and now her spine's shot to hell and she needs two knee replacements. They've both eaten it up at restaurants since they've retired and it shows. Mom lost 40 lbs. but it was really too late with her. Arthritis and wearing heels to work all those years ruined her. I felt like I was 39 going on 60, and I knew I couldn't do it on my own. Now I feel like I've got a second chance at life that my mom and dad never got. I didn't really have a pre-op diet either, just healthy eating and liquids for three days prior with nothing to eat the night before. My doc said my liver shrunk up just fine. Good luck, Tram. Let us know how it goes!!

Really, if you think about it, Chicago would be a far worse place to have your surgery. They just put out a PSA with kids saying, "Don't shoot, I want to live!". I went to Tijuana and felt very safe in the area where they kept us. We walked quite a few blocks down the street to the mall, the hotel was gorgeous, and there was a Starbucks across the street. We even got used to the language barrier pretty quickly. You are either with a coordinator or medical transport...my husband was a little embarrassed that all of his fears so quickly dissipated once we got there. He was afraid I'd come back without my kidneys! Just remember, these places are like any big city...your guides will make sure to keep you in the safe areas. It's not in their best interest for patients to get robbed, etc.