RJ'S/beginning

A 10 year old child eh...A few months ago my daughter called me and told me that I had lost a baby giraffe. Excuse me...Yah she said you lost the same amount as a baby giraffe weighs...Boy did I feel good about that....not!!!! Anyway now I am invisible, no one recognizes me..That is a strange feeling...No one asks me any questions because no one I know knows who I am..they walk right by me and don't see me.....I stood beside a friends son last week in the grocery store and he did not know it was me..i did not tell him either....So strange! I do have collar bones now and bony hips.....That scares me a bit.... Your doing great kid..Keep the eye on the prize and just keep swimming and it will all happen...Best to you!

No, no, no...that is the worst thing you can do..That is your depression talking...If you walk away from the help and encouragement that we can give you..Then you will really be on your own.....I know you are lower then a snake in a wheel rut right now and for good reason..I would never judge you for that....but if you give up on the few things that make your life worth something then it is totally over..... We are here to listen and help where we can..others are having hard times too and you holding on and still working it is an encouragement to them as well... Please do not go and give up the forum family!

I will be 1 year out on Nov. 6th....I thought I knew enough to be very comfortable with the surgery. I was one of the few that went into the surgery with such happiness I could not wait for my second chance at life...Before the surgery I was just existing but now I am living... Think of the reasons you have decided to have this surgery..Is it for you or your family...Only you know the real reasons why you are doing it..... The sleeve is a great tool to use to help you not to over eat while you are dealing with the issues in your head that brought you to this place....If you are ready for a big change in your life..The sleeve certainly gives you that But you have to work at it..All the emotions and body changes. your mind working against you or all other sorts of interesting things that you will go through that you never ever thought you would.. I studied the sleeve for 2 years before I had the surgery and now I realize that I did not know as much as I thought I did...By experiencing it yourself you will learn more about yourself then you ever thought possible..You will find the person that has been locked away inside and you will watch her emerge.... This forum was a great help to me and I am sure others benefited by it.....This is a valuable tool also..No one is going to tell you to do it or not do it...you have to make that decision for yourself... I went through a lot to have this done..5 months in the hospital with a leak and 5 more months with nurses care at home....I would do it again in a second if I knew I would be able to do all the things I can now...This surgery gave me a second chance to live my life..To fly.. to move forward....It actually saved my life!

Dumping also refers to diarrhea...Extreme diarrhea ..caused by something that your sleeve cannot tolerate..Happens mostly with the by-pass but can also happen with the sleeve. Mostly fast food or carbs can bring that on.....

Sure didn't need to waste their time abusing those rats..As most of us can attest to..Sugar is a drug of choice for most of us who use it as a comfort food.....Dang...wish it was turnip or something like that....lol Never was an Oreo fan.....Maybe I did one thing right..If I had been, maybe I would have been a lot heavier before my surgery..... Anyway...excellent information for us all..Thanks!

That is amazing...I have always believed that you can talk about anything as long as you are tactful and caring...Your nurse showed true compassion...I hope he keeps it!!!

Your working it girl.....In 2 weeks I too will be trying an airplane seat...I am so stoked to seat in one because the last time I flew was 3 years ago and I was miserable and so was the crew to me.... I love being invisible now....Hope there too, no one will notice me this time....

wow..I am surprised at 3 weeks out you can handle any kind of meat...i was just starting puree..but each Doc is different....You are still healing, that may account for some of the pain....It is going to take some time to get used to the new you and your new stomach...It will be quite the adventure.. I am so happy you are working on your issues and feeling it out..You will learn exactly how your body will react to different foods. 2 or 3 hours later...hum!! If you can drink a Protein shake or some of one anyway...In my early stages of this I drank a lot of them...yuck!!! But for the good of my health I did it... Most of the problems that got us here are in our heads..We have to deal and solve those first before we can fix the body.... Wonderful that you are listening to your sleeve and its needs.....just keep swimming girl!

At 11 months out I still vomit..Not as much as I used to though....Last night is the perfect example...i was upset and sat down to eat my dinner....1 bite and I felt like my stomach closed shut......I vomited up that one bite and stopped eating... Now if you are having trouble with some foods..You find them heavy on your stomach..give it some time before you try them again..It could be that your sleeve cannot tolerate it at this time.... 11 months out and I cannot eat beef or pork or Chinese food My personal favorite...Well it used to be....Happening once is not an issue...but if you find it is happening a lot...Get it checked out. Meanwhile if you can, drink some Protein shakes as a replacement for the lost food...gotta keep that protein up kid!

I had been to the hospital several times over that year trying to get help....they gave me meds to stop it. but never suggested a specialist until they finally said okay this is enough..You need to see a specialist..I was in there in less then a week. Sometimes you really have to literally have your head in your hands to be helped.....This was the case for me! I could feel his distaste for me because of my weight..And it hurt! He did his job but only after my husband lost his temper and demanded he do the surgery needed..... Like I said the man is amazing at what he does...He had no manners for me then...Now...He had manners galore and it hurt!

In 2009 I had to have some emergency surgery because I hemorrhaged for almost a year....It got so bad I was finally rushed in to see a specialist and he treated me for this problem......He treated me as if I was a low life who did not deserve his help...He did not want to help me at that time and was very forward with this thoughts regarding obese people....I told him when I left that I would never be back in his office again as he was a mean but talented son of a b#^%&h. Well, I was sent back to him by my GP and he was so different to me...He was kind and thoughtful and commended me on my huge weight loss....He did not remember me personally but had my file and quickly looked up my information..... He was so gentle and understanding I started to cry...All I could think of is why would he be so mean to someone who needed his help like I did in 2009...I wept for those who he has seen over the years like me whom he treated poorly...And for those who would come after me....My thoughts and nerves were all over the place as he assured me that he would fix me up as good as new again... More surgeries in my near future....As if 11 were not enough....But how can someone be so completely different because of how someone looks...This is prejudice of the worst kind! I am thinking that when I see him again which will be soon I am going to ask him why he thought I was a different person back then then I am now. How he was able to judge me as unworthy of his help. Why he did not want to help me back then but was forced to! They take an oath of do no harm and then decide it does not apply to over weight people.....I am so emotional over this day I can hardly stand it.....I am very sad that anyone looks at the shell of a person and decides that they are not worth their time.... Night and day..What a difference!!!!!!!!!

Tried on a leather coat that was given to me 2 months ago and it did not come close to me being able to button it up....Well...Today I slipped it on and buttoned it up...It is still snug but I still buttoned it up....Can't wait to wear it...It is a large.....unbelievable! A red coat that I worn 3 different times in my life I have been able to wear for the last month.....Each time I wore it was a decade a part....Today it has become to big for me...The other 2 times it became to small for me...Guess I will have to send it to the thrift store....Oh dear! I am very happy with this situation!

I have found that I kinda go through a cycle of tiredness...I hope that your Doc. gave you a list of Vitamins to take and you are taking them...You will have to for the rest of your life...you cannot eat enough to get the required amounts of your daily requirements. Depression....a difficult thing to deal with..I have Chronic and it flairs up a lot...When that happens I make myself get going and busy myself...a hobby, helping others, walking or just getting out of the house.... Don't forget sometimes our bodies take breaks to catch up....I could be just that...Take the time to listen to your body and act accordingly...If you need to rest..rest...K

Sooooooo..soon you will be on the losing side of things.... A WHOLE NEW WORLD IS GOING TO OPEN UP TO YOU!!!!! Taking this step is just the beginning and one of the hardest to get through....You will both do great!!!!!

Went down really good though..And had a wonderful crunch....Can't say I won't eat it again, but...not for a while I think.....Love your post!!!!

This is true..There is not one of us who will not struggle now and then with the issues that helped us become addicted to food...You are a head of the game because you recognized it and now you are back on track....Great progress on your part I say!!!!!! If we can fix our heads, we will be able to fix our bodies !

One of the first questions I asked my surgeon was " Why did you pick this kind of surgery as your choice for life?" I was very satisfied with the answer as we all know how heavy people can be treated by medical staff.... If their heart is not in it...Then he would not have put his scalpel in me! And that's a fact!!!!!!!!!!

I can't believe it...Yesterday I had popcorn for the second time and it acted like a slider food to me....I could have eaten it for hours.....Yes I suppose it has Fiber and low in calories....But dang.....It just did not fill me up!!! Anyone else find this to be a slider food?

oops sorry the point had already been made above while I was writing my answer...

Muscle and fat weigh the same..The only difference is that muscle is more dense then fat so it takes up less room...

I make so much food from memory that I don't ever test...If I use a new recipe I follow directions and again don't test....Seems to have worked for me for years..... Maybe it's because I'm older then you guys.....lol

You know yourself better then I know you! You will make the right decisions for you when the time comes....One of the biggest things I am working on right now is to be able to pull back and stop at just a small piece or bite.....I feel so empowered but at other times I want to cry....Working on that one still......Building a new you takes time, courage and commitment...... When you are ready you will start to discipline yourself and make needed changes for that you can control the addiction that we all have here... That is how I see it anyway...

I am sure at the chow lines there are some reasonable choices...and you sound really smart..I bet you know what you can pick up to eat that would help you get to your goal....Now the issue is how you are eating! Put your plate down in front of you and rotate it all around in a circle......This gives you a chance to pause and work out a plan of attack....After each small bite, put your fork down and chew, chew and chew...You can start to feel your sleeve filling up....I cup of food is about all most sleevers can handle. About half way through concentrate on your sleeve and how it feels.....most of the time as a few minutes pass, you will notice that you are not hungry anymore.....Your done...Leave the rest and go... This works for me everyday.....hope it helps!

As I work to rebuild myself I push the limits to see how I will react to the food that took up all my thoughts and time before I had this surgery..... The other day my friend ate a huge ice cream cone in from of me while I ate a half of an apple....the whole time I thought you think I am the one suffering but it is your hips that ice cream is going to be on...I was excited to eat the freshly picked apple..... Still there are times that I would love to have a small ice cream and I don't because I have not tried to see if it is a trigger food for me...I know that Pasta is, and so is squares....I have searched long and hard to find tiny pasta so that in my mind it looks like I am having some pasta...Squares...have not even gone there at all yet..Still don't feel strong enough to try that..But I will.. I want to be able to go out to dinner at someones home and eat what they eat without making a big deal about how much I eat......So a little bit of what ever has worked for me so far....I am 11 months out and most of the time I can take it or leave it when it comes to the trigger foods for me..... That does not mean that I think it is okay for someone, anyone to binge and lose control...The whole point is to gain control of this life long addiction and work on it...Probably for the rest of my life.... I would never say that what you are doing is wrong. But there will come a time when you will have to face the demons like everyone else and put the addiction in its place..... I always feel so good when I walk away and don't eat something that I know is a bad choice like junk food...But it does not happen all the time...I am human and so are you......This gives us the chance to test our limits and learn what makes these things our trigger points...How it makes you feel, why you reach for them. Why you get such gratification out of this item of food....You have to break down into pieces the why's hows and whens and it will never effect you the same way again...You will have the power, you will have won over that small part of the food addiction....

First mistake was that you looked around at the others who were there with you and judged yourself the worst one there....this will be an issue you will have to look at later on after your done the surgery and working on your head issues... All the fears you have are legitimate, and warranted, but the big picture is you and what is best for you personally... There is a small percentage of people who have trouble after surgery...Majority don't....You have to do what is best for you not those other people in the room... Head up, strong and forward to a new and healthier you.....Stop being so hard on yourself....Please learn to love yourself...k