RJ'S/beginning

@@Valentina Wow. I am so sorry for your kind of pain that you deal with on a daily basis. Life sure throws curves whatever we choose to do. Your sacrifice was a biggy. I wish you all the best and good and love as you go forward in this journey.

That a lot of people worry about dying on the table but that there are much worse things that can happen to you then dying. I know that sounds harsh but please make sure you are prepared for anything that might happen and are ready to except anything that might happen. I learned an awful lot about WLS after the fact. And I thought I knew a lot before. Maybe it is difference 4 years later I don't know..But I doubt it very much! That is what I wish someone had told me before I did it anyway....not that I would have listened.

@@MrsPJ Ty very much....I have been on and off of here for years. There are times I get so tired of the same old that I leave fore a while but always check in to see how Alex's dream is coming a long. BTW he looks amazing in his new photo. Anyway. I will keep it in mind. Have great evening.

That is always the best way to go. ASK questions from your team and be knowledgeable about everything before you go in for surgery. Know what is going to happen. Possible outcomes good and bad. Be prepared for anything. Except any possible outcome before you agree to let WLS happen to you. It is your life your body. You are your own champion no one else will do it for you.

Actually it is very normal. Try just snacking a little bit at a time. Trust me if you had a leak there would be a lot more then just bile coming up. You would have a temp. And feeling quite dizzy and sick just to say a bit. Keep the Protein going in yogurt and Protein drinks for now. when you start to feel your heart beat under the food stop eating. It will ease up with time. Look for high protein and low fat foods. There are so many choices out now.

TY for that @@MrsPJ I am okay with who I am now. When it all happened it was painful. But I have managed to adjust. I am in a lot of pain due to scaring because of the complications of WLS. So for me to wear tight body forming garments is not possible. It has been hard but I now like who I am even with the lumps and bumps. It is part of the sacrifices I made to lose the weight. A choice I made good or bad.

Once the decision has been made all is a go. That was the easy part! Now the hard work of dealing with all of it for the rest of your life. No different then dealing with it all before the sleeve or bypass. Except you will be thin and healthy. It is a life long fight that will have losses and gains literally! And yes we may loose some battles but the war is ours... Good luck with your choice and don't be hard on yourself. How you dealt with coming to this decision was natural.....

My Sister had the Gastric bypass and has been extremely successful. I had the sleeve and am still not in good health. Her surgery went flawless. In either case there are good results and bad results. Please have your surgeon go over all the information and stats as far as success rates go and make your choice with confidence that what ever you choose you can deal with it because this is what you want more then anything. Remember you are not your close family members who had these problems but it is something to consider when making a life changing decision. And that is what it is.......

I had a very bad episode on vacation last year. I passed out in front of my grand daughter and worse the tide was coming in on the Bay of Fundy. As much as I am now used to this condition it can still rear up even when I am properly maintaining my Protein intake and everything. I find that if I get too excited about something happening it can happen anyway. My count goes down below 2 which 5 is normal. It has caused some issues with my over all health and some weight gain. It is just another symptom of the choices we make regarding what we feel is best for our overall health. Even with this nasty part of it. I am still happy I did it....

ajbishop2 I know why you shared the experience. And your attitude is amazing. I was just giving a general thought about how you can get caught up what others think. That woman had no right to treat you like that. But for some reason so many of them lack patient skills. They think they have the right to say anything. This is not so. But it is something we have had to deal with. It is the last remaining prejudice that has been left unchecked. By the way. I remember saying similar comments like you made about knowing what to do and then doing it. I am not trying to say anything negative about anything. I am just gently reminding you that you are a human and we have a struggle that we will fight our entire lives. Even when we know what we are supposed to do. I am heading into my fourth year now and fight every day to do what is right for my health and well being. Some days are great others not so great. That is why I said what I said. I was speaking as someone who has been on the other side of WLS. It was not meant in a derogatory way. It is simply the way it is. When you chose to write things on a forum like this it can be taken the wrong way. That was not my intention. I rarely post now for that very reason.... I want to say all the best and I am so glad you have the support you need. I did as well and it makes a huge difference when the fight begins. Take care.

When people make that comment I always say " so skinny people live forever " Most times it defuses the comment. but you need to know that WLS does not fix the brain. That will be an ongoing process for the rest of your life. There is a high percentage of people who become addicted to something that takes the place of food. This is something to watch out for. WLS is not a miracle it is a work in progress for the rest of your life. Bad times and good times will follow you and no matter what you will still have body issues. So what I am saying is fix the brain. How you think about yourself no matter what anyone says. This is about you and only how you can feel about yourself. Good luck on your journey and much success is what I wish for you.

Swimsuit? That is not even an option for me. I keep telling myself that it is just my outer shell and it means nothing. It seems to be working at times. I am pleased that I can do so much more now. I just finished another course and am very active. I need to be happy with that. I have developed pain in my side and cannot wear fitted clothing anymore. So I have had to go up a size or two just to be comfortable. They tell me it is all the scar tissue that is causing the strain on my body. That is fine. It is what it is. I had skin cancer removed from my face just recently and didn't it get infected. So I know I am now prone to it and that is that. Thank you for your comments ssflbelle I appreciate all the kind words people have offered me on here. It is a wonderful thing to have a place to come where others are understanding the issues we all go through. Believe me I would not like to go back to where I was so I will make due.

@@MichiganChic Thank you for your understanding. I am already coming to terms with it. My sister God bless her said that, "I am not defined by my shell but who I am on the inside. Think of the reasons you did this in the first place." And when I did it had nothing to do with the finish look. It was all about my grand daughter and moving and walking and energy and living. I feel like this was just another part of the journey now and it is time to go forward with my life and enjoy what WLS has allowed me to become. I just needed to get through the disappointment and I am almost there.

I just really can't wrap my head around the idea that it isn't going to happen. I am just stunned. I never expected this at all. As far as I knew it was all a go. It hit both my hubby and I like a ton of bricks. No it is not the end of the world, but we cried together because we did not see this happening. It was a sure thing. And yes my hubby loves me no matter what. But it was what I counted on as a reward for all I went through. Do I deserve it more then anyone else. NO! It was just part of the plan... the whole plan. The completion to a...... it was all worth it. Did I expect to look like a model. No. Did I expect to look twenty. No. I would lay in the hospital bed thinking about how wonderful it would be when it was all over. All over. It never even entered my mind that it wouldn't happen. It just didn't. Some of you will understand where others will not and I say that is okay! For some it was never part of the plan. Some would not do it for a million years or if they were millionaires. And that's okay. But for me. It was the cherry on the top of all the work, hard work. I geared myself up for it. I planned it. It was part of MY journey. No one else's..... Some of you have said some very heart warming comments and I am truly grateful for them.