Valentina

63 yrs here--64 next Valentines' Day.
I tried on my wedding dress a few weeks ago---the dress I wore 43yrs ago---and it just hung on me. I am now wearing a smaller dress size than I did when I was in the seventh grade.
Is WLS during my "golden years" all sunshine and rainbows? Hell no!
Are the struggles insurmountable? Nope
It's all about "balance" and your expectations of a fuller, happier and healthier life.
"TO THY OWN SELF BE TRUE."

Whatever gave you the idea that people who receive Medicare have not worked????? People who receive Medicare worked for many years and paid into the Medicare system in order to recover their hard earned money when they reach retirement age--or sooner if disabled.
Make me really upset that people with Medicaid and Medicare pay less than the people who work Hard with insurance !!! System all messed up.

Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App
Please stop and think before posting such a hurtful statement.
(MHO)

63 yrs here--64 next Valentines' Day.
I tried on my wedding dress a few weeks ago---the dress I wore 43yrs ago---and it just hung on me. I am now wearing a smaller dress size than I did when I was in the seventh grade.
Is WLS during my "golden years" all sunshine and rainbows? Hell no!
Are the struggles insurmountable? Nope
It's all about "balance" and your expectations of a fuller, happier and healthier life.
"TO THY OWN SELF BE TRUE."

Prayers going up for you and your father---if you think an offered prayer might help.
This is my mantra:
"Yesterday was the past."
"Tomorrow is a goal yet to be reached".
"Today is called, "The Present" because it is a GIFT. We get to "open" it new every day and make it our own.
Leave the past behind, look forward to the future and being able to "be there" for you father, but for today--concentrate on the Lord's gift to you----The Present.
Make the most of what you have and the least of what you haven't.
Be kind to yourself. Listen to your sleeve. It will help you get through if you learn to listen to and work with it.
Take the time to take a deep breath, pause and THEN step off into your future.
PS: I live in Upstate NY. If there is any way that I can help you and/or your father do NOT hesitate to ask.
Again, prayers offered.

Thank you all very much!! and thank you @@Valentina !! My dad is in Buffalo...even tho i'm in Cali, it will always be home and I will always be an Easterner! Prayers always help and are always appreciated. :-)
It was so weird not having cravings and eating right...then in one day it all imploded. I thought I had it under control but obviously I still have work to do and REALLY need to come to terms with my Emotional Eating.

Prayers going up for you and your father---if you think an offered prayer might help.
This is my mantra:
"Yesterday was the past."
"Tomorrow is a goal yet to be reached".
"Today is called, "The Present" because it is a GIFT. We get to "open" it new every day and make it our own.
Leave the past behind, look forward to the future and being able to "be there" for you father, but for today--concentrate on the Lord's gift to you----The Present.
Make the most of what you have and the least of what you haven't.
Be kind to yourself. Listen to your sleeve. It will help you get through if you learn to listen to and work with it.
Take the time to take a deep breath, pause and THEN step off into your future.
PS: I live in Upstate NY. If there is any way that I can help you and/or your father do NOT hesitate to ask.
Again, prayers offered.

63 yrs here--64 next Valentines' Day.
I tried on my wedding dress a few weeks ago---the dress I wore 43yrs ago---and it just hung on me. I am now wearing a smaller dress size than I did when I was in the seventh grade.
Is WLS during my "golden years" all sunshine and rainbows? Hell no!
Are the struggles insurmountable? Nope
It's all about "balance" and your expectations of a fuller, happier and healthier life.
"TO THY OWN SELF BE TRUE."

Crunchy Cheetoes are my "demon food". Grrrrrrr! I can sniff them out if the neighbor three doors down has an unopened bag! (slight exaggeration).
I have had to learn just NOT to have them in the house. I am of weak constitution where Crunchy Cheetoes are concerned.
I don't crave them, but if they are around I WILL snarf them down.
That's how I cope with slider foods.
Whatever works, right?
Good luck!

Whatever gave you the idea that people who receive Medicare have not worked????? People who receive Medicare worked for many years and paid into the Medicare system in order to recover their hard earned money when they reach retirement age--or sooner if disabled.
Make me really upset that people with Medicaid and Medicare pay less than the people who work Hard with insurance !!! System all messed up.

Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App
Please stop and think before posting such a hurtful statement.
(MHO)

Whatever gave you the idea that people who receive Medicare have not worked????? People who receive Medicare worked for many years and paid into the Medicare system in order to recover their hard earned money when they reach retirement age--or sooner if disabled.
Make me really upset that people with Medicaid and Medicare pay less than the people who work Hard with insurance !!! System all messed up.

Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App
Please stop and think before posting such a hurtful statement.
(MHO)

Whatever gave you the idea that people who receive Medicare have not worked????? People who receive Medicare worked for many years and paid into the Medicare system in order to recover their hard earned money when they reach retirement age--or sooner if disabled.
Make me really upset that people with Medicaid and Medicare pay less than the people who work Hard with insurance !!! System all messed up.

Sent from my SM-G928T using the BariatricPal App
Please stop and think before posting such a hurtful statement.
(MHO)

Welcome! Most definitely, Welcome.
BP needs all the supportive members we can get. One thing I can guarantee you is a diversity of opinions. We seem to have an over abundance of enthusiastic and hopefully well meaning opinions. Conversation can get quite----"lively" from time to time.
I had my sleeve surgery in 2011 and mine, too was considered "experimental". Now the balance is turned 180 degrees. Most WLS are sleeves where way back when, the bypass was considered, "The Gold Standard of all WLSs." How times have changed.
I was born and raised on a dairy farm. I can still not think of any other or any better place to learn life's lessons. My father caught his arm in the PTO of one of our tractors during corn chopping season and broke his arm 13 places between shoulder and finger tips. Anyway, my entire senior year of high school, I was responsible to milk our 90 head of Holsteins twice a day . (I always made it a point up until then to stay as far away from the barn as possible). I had to and did learn each and every cow. I also learned much respect and responsibility. The general populous needs to acknowledge that without the farmers we would all starve---especially in times of war.
I apologize for my babbling. I just wanted to share that with you. I LOVE Holsteins!---and the farmer whose job is the most dangerous job in the country.
Again, I welcome you and encourage you to "Post in with both feet".
Best wishes.

5yrs plus out and still feel no hunger.
I eat on schedule----each day-----every day------365days/year.

I wish someone had shared with me that having Fibromyalgia might/would make any nerve pain extremely intense and different from regular surgical pain.
If I had known that, I would have been able to wrap my head around the possibility and not just be blind sided.
If you don't have Fibro, I would just say "roll with it". Especially we women who have given birth. Try to relax and breath through the pain. It really does help.
AND
DON'T WORRY. You got this!!!! We are all here rooting and praying (if you'd like) for you.

Hello all. Thought I'd introduce myself. I'm Mary, I live in Wisconsin, run a dairy farm with my hubby and we have two grown children and two grandbabies. I had been a large gal my whole life, no doubt in part due to the fact that beer, brats and cheese are staples in any good Wisconsinite's diet . After climbing to a BMI of 50 and feeling quite useless due to my physical limitations, I finally decided to have WLS in 2010. I ended up going to Mexico since my insurance company would only pay for bypass or Lapband because they considered VSG experimental. Fortunately, my daughter is a gastroenterologist and she used her connections to hand pick me a surgeon who was renown in the international bariatric community.
My recovery and overall weight-loss journey was fairly easy and uneventful. Even though I had surgery in Mexico, I still attended local WLS support groups throughout the entire process. It was nice just to be around people going through the same thing. Over the years I saw dozens (probably hundreds) of patients come and go. Very few veterans stuck around. But for some reason I felt a certain level of responsibility to help those coming behind me. In addition to the group meetings, I saw a therapist on a regular basis for the first couple years. That, by far, has been the secret to my success.
About 6 months ago I quit attending the support group meetings. A new coordinator came on board and we didn't exactly see eye to eye on a number of things. Basically she felt threatened by my vast knowledge and experience and I thought she was a stupid twit (at least that's my take on it ). So I decided to leave "real" people behind and enter the world of cyber support. I've been lurking for quite awhile and finally decided to join up.
From what I've observed so far, the problems and issues I read about online are not dissimilar to what I heard in the support group. The biggest difference is there are a LOT more whiners and non-compliant patients online. Maybe being anonymous just makes folks more comfortable with complaining. Maybe the online patients left their support groups to seek justification for their bad behaviors from strangers (cause we never coddled them in our group sessions!) Or maybe they are trying their best but their programs did not properly prepare them or they don't have local support groups. Unfortunately the naivety of some of the people giving advice on here is a little scary to say the least. And then there are the delusional individuals like that organic milk chic. No one like that would ever pass the psych evaluation in a real bariatric program so I've missed out on that type of sparkling personality in group session. Of course I may have been a little biased by her username.....my husband always jokes, "we prefer our milk with a healthy dose of antibiotics".
Anyways, just tonight I realized my 6 year surgiversary was 2 days ago and I missed it. Oops. I guess that's a good thing, though.....means my new skinny life is so normal I forgot about my surgery! Either that or I'm just old and senile. In either case it's been fun and I hope I can continue to encourage people to take full advantage of their new lease on life after WLS.

I'm a week post op (09/29) and have been feeling great. Unfortunately I live in Wellington which is in Palm Beach County and as you may know we have a hurricane in the area. My wife being a nurse is on the A team and has been on lockdown since yesterday. Guess who's been giving me my blood thinner shots? Yup I had to man up. Very proud of myself and my wife still doesn't believe me.
Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

I am going to have to disagree with you. If you had done everything you would still be seeing a therapist. You can't just give up after a few sessions. I think what you may not be understanding from the feedback you are getting is how much you have to work and how focused and dedicated to changing your relationship with food you need to be after surgery. Surgery will not cure you of what drives you to binge. It is a tool, not a magic wand.
I highly recommend you find a good therapist and consider attending support groups. You may find help with Overeaters Anonymous. You can find meeting lists and other resources like podcasts online at OA.org.

Let's please keep this conversation civil. It's against forum rules to call other members names etc. Let's just be NICE. if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it here.

They did do that but I also unbanned their original account. Please stop calling this member a troll. I think they can use all the support can get .....

I use a large coffee mug warmer. I found a beautiful antique Victorian cheese plate that fits onto it perfectly.
I hate eating cold food!

I'm sure there are many people that were able to get psychological clearance and still get surgery. I saw my wife struggle with binge eating/bulimia and the Lap-band for years. She often ate to the point of severe discomfort and often complained of pain from bingeing way beyond her comfort zone (almost every single night) She threw up frequently. On several occasions, she admitted to me that she liked the feeling of being empty (hence the bulimia). I like the feeling of being full. I'm sure we have our own experiences that shaped us to feel a certain way. She did lose about 80# and has kept off about 70#, give or take. I believe she is in "remission" with her eating disorder (if there even is such a thing), but it does flare up now and again, often during periods of high stress.
If the sleeve could completely prevent you from bingeing, I would say "go for it", but it can't. I totally believe you about how detrimental it has been to you. Have you tried some type of eating disorder clinic? I feel they would have the best understanding of various eating disorders and how to treat them. I worry that for you, especially since it appears you do not have weight to lose (based upon your BMI), that it wouldn't serve you ghe way you need /want it too. I strongly encourage you to seek some emotional support for your binge eating disorder, whether or not you decide to proceed with the surgery. You're not "CRAZY", as you mentioned, but you do need help, and in my humble opinion, it's not surgery. Best of luck to you on your journey towards healing yourself.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G900A using the BariatricPal App

5yrs plus out and still feel no hunger.
I eat on schedule----each day-----every day------365days/year.

"Sometimes, hopefully, maybe, in most cases, many times, probably, etc. etc" are all wonderful and sensible words, but when all is said and done, they are just that----words.
In order for words to make sense, they have to be "heard". When a SO or friend is not at a place where they are capable of hearing them, the words might as well be spit into the wind.
One thing that I am absolutely convinced of is that WLS changes people. EVERYONE who has WLS changes. That's what it all about, isn't it?
MHO? One should NOT have WLS until their main support (SO, spouse, bbf,) has had every opportunity to come to terms with all of the ramifications. I strongly suggest therapy---separately, and then together. "They" don't "always come around".
I have been obese since the third grade. Waiting a year while having therapy would be a exercise of great joy , understanding and acceptance of me "changing".
Given the choice of twenty less years but with John in my life or living longer alone, there would not be a nano second's hesitation.
More understanding on MY part and NOT listening to those who said, "Go ahead---he'll come around", and maybe, just maybe John would not have swallowed 120 Vicodins while I was on the operating table.
Maybe. Just maybe.
Just think, pray, consult, talk, discuss and then repeat a thousand times if need be. Take a deep breath and consider all of the consequences.

Crunchy Cheetoes are my "demon food". Grrrrrrr! I can sniff them out if the neighbor three doors down has an unopened bag! (slight exaggeration).
I have had to learn just NOT to have them in the house. I am of weak constitution where Crunchy Cheetoes are concerned.
I don't crave them, but if they are around I WILL snarf them down.
That's how I cope with slider foods.
Whatever works, right?
Good luck!

"Sometimes, hopefully, maybe, in most cases, many times, probably, etc. etc" are all wonderful and sensible words, but when all is said and done, they are just that----words.
In order for words to make sense, they have to be "heard". When a SO or friend is not at a place where they are capable of hearing them, the words might as well be spit into the wind.
One thing that I am absolutely convinced of is that WLS changes people. EVERYONE who has WLS changes. That's what it all about, isn't it?
MHO? One should NOT have WLS until their main support (SO, spouse, bbf,) has had every opportunity to come to terms with all of the ramifications. I strongly suggest therapy---separately, and then together. "They" don't "always come around".
I have been obese since the third grade. Waiting a year while having therapy would be a exercise of great joy , understanding and acceptance of me "changing".
Given the choice of twenty less years but with John in my life or living longer alone, there would not be a nano second's hesitation.
More understanding on MY part and NOT listening to those who said, "Go ahead---he'll come around", and maybe, just maybe John would not have swallowed 120 Vicodins while I was on the operating table.
Maybe. Just maybe.
Just think, pray, consult, talk, discuss and then repeat a thousand times if need be. Take a deep breath and consider all of the consequences.