RJ'S/beginning

Some of us have had the stuffing kicked out of us before surgery and then after with every complication known to man except maybe dying...( working on it ) I can't stand the I know better then everyone else attitude....Yes this is WLS and it is a Forum to talk about WLS but not the place to tell it like it is no matter what the cost! I still think and will always think that there are two ways of saying things... One kind and one not so kind..And back to the original post...No I don't think people who ask questions are clueless. I think that people who continuously make threads regarding people asking repeated questions is just not nice. I think that it leaves it wide open for us to wonder if she/he is talking about the question I posed.....Have a heart and it will come back to you ten fold! Going to bed now! Good night fellow WLS patients....Hope all have wonderful dreams!!!!!!

Got you beat too @@Chatterboxa86 Sorry....just trying to add a little humor. Life keeps kicking us in the arse while others are rolling along a country road with the windows down and the music a blaring... It can be a real stuff thing but it makes us into stronger people and we stand outside of the norm...People tell me all the time that I was saved by God for a special purpose. Maybe that is true for you both as well. Don't know what I'm still here for but the complications don't want to let up so maybe it is so that I can set the record for the entire next decade or two..... If we can't laugh then we only have crying left! It is what it is..And I chose it because I was dead anyway....now I am just doing it slower I think then I was...Or maybe not....hmmmmmmmm..Have to think more about that eh! Chin up girls..See what you can smile about and look it straight in the eye. Because it is up to us to make it or break it! Your fellow in the complication world of WLS.

If you need me..PM me and we can talk!

I feel your pain hun.. I really do...I am part of the 1% as well....Although I am pretty sure mine is less then 1%. Anyway the reason I am responding is because I want you to remember that attitude and keeping yourself up is 50% of what you are facing. If you let yourself become depressed over this it will just make matters worse for you okay! Trust me..I am 22 months with complications and not out of the woods yet! Please stay positive and keep looking for every little good thing that happens and Celebrate it okay!

A lot of hospitals use Vaseline! It works for everything else. Doesn't hurt to try it!

All you need is one person to make you feel like you are the bottom of the heap. We have dealt with so much and been through so much that it does not take a lot to bring a patient down. How many times did we all try and fail at different diets. I would almost say that that is the biggest issue that haunts us all on here. And when mistakes are made do we get the best results by putting people down or by encouraging them to do better.. You catch more flies with honey then vinegar...Same on here!

22 months out and still waiting! What is normal anyway eh?!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sucks doesn't it...... I don't think this will end in our generation. But I do think that if we stand together and try to stop this fat shaming as it happens in front of us to others we may make an impact one person at a time. I know there has been a few times that I have spoken up when I have seen it happen at the grocery store or park..... Because now, no one knows who I am and I am like a stranger. Unless I pulled out a picture. They would not believe that I lost 211 lbs. It is a sad time we live in when size really does matter in the human race!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I feel that there is not just one right answer for any given question. I think that one person may be able to say something better then another. I feel that someone may have a way about them to get their point across without causing hurt or fear. I wonder how many times a question is asked when it becomes too many. I certainly have seen that those who comment on those that ask the same questions over and over again have probably seen someone else post the same or similar thread. I wonder if there is more then one way to learn something. Do people all learn by being told once, I don't know...How about three times, or ten. Does it really matter in the entire scheme of things. If we are all teachers and have experienced this marvelous experience of WLS. Wouldn't it be amazing if we could put it out there without getting tired to teach others what we have experienced or learned through all this. How much do we give when we have paid it forward enough. Is there a time when you or I might be just the person to say what needs to be said so that another will say oh, okay I got this or I understand that now. I am okay with that part of this journey! I wonder! I really do.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ah I said that!

Finally someone sees it like I do! LOL

The best scar cream is caster oil. It does not smell and it penetrates the scar and makes it softer....that is what I use!

I have been shocked over and over again by what I personally did not know. I studied this for two years. did research and watched videos and asked questions on here and to my team. I did not know: What to eat and when in detail. 64 oz. of Water..say what? I loved water..What I hate it now..Never heard of such a thing! I did not know any nutritional retraining I would need. I did not know that you can get a leak 18 months out. I did not know that you can get reactive Hypoglycemia. I did not know that when you gain muscle you get bigger. I did not know that you could really die from WLS. I did not know that people would treat you mean because you lost weight. I did not know that people would tell me I took the easy way out. I did not know that people can live without eating for 5.5 months... I guess I did not know a lot. But then I live in one of the the poorest Provinces. Not to mention the most backwards Province in Canada when it comes to health. I had no idea that most of the things that happened to me did.....I am shocked that more people are not aware of this life saving chance. And that more people die because they are not invested in the changing of lives.... I had no idea I would hate Tuna after my surgery and I when it was I would be able to finally eat at all....I had to learn to eat again..Who does that! I never knew that people sucked the chocolate off of peanut M n M's and thought they weren't cheating..They should have eaten the peanuts..you know! Or lick the cheese off Doritos and feel satisfied...Say what! I know this is a little off the best but you know what I think: there are still people who think you can't get pregnant the first time you have sex. For such a time of the information age. People are still eating boxed macaroni and cheese and thinking that it is good for you. For now I will try to answer as many of those questions as I can and when and if I do tire out..I will back off and call it a day! For now..nope!

You know what..that father should have knelled down beside that little boy and told him that God made people in all shapes and sizes. Not to mention colors. It would have been a good time to teach his son that all men are equal no matter who they are. But no! He didn't did he. Instead he allowed him to say what he thought without a word because that kind of thing is taught! Children are innocent until they are taught otherwise. I don't buy it that kids say those mean things because of innocents. I feel they are not taught better at home! I know what that feels like because I have experienced it myself. My sisters daughter would ask her mom in front of me " Why is auntie J so much bigger then you mom." And then her mom would say now...That's not nice with a smile on her face.....She was almost promoting the rudeness.... Sorry don't 100 % buy the honestly of innocence. And if it was by sheer accident.. There would not be a second time!

I too almost died and 22 months later still have complications due to my surgery. I made a choice and for that I cannot go back.... Hind sight is 20/20. Why did your mom do it when you had so many issues? My sister who considered it has taken a step back because of me and i think she will not do it herself.....I also think that if I was better educated at the time I might not have done it myself...Like you I am on a lot more drugs then before and the new and different complications keep coming up. As soon as I think I am out of the woods bang...another one! I do not regret my choice however because I can't go back and I am stronger and I am living a better life then I did before...But what bugs me sometimes is that I hated so much all the abuse I took that at the time I would have rather died then stay the way I was....I could not stand the entire thing..... I do however warn those who come after me when I get the chance. It is a hard and dangerous road for some...Others fly through......It is worth the time to really get all the information and jump through all the hoops to make sure you know what your getting into before doing this..And even at that I was hit with other things I had no knowledge that would or could happen to me. No one has the right to criticize your feelings unless they have been there! I hope things get much better for your mom!

Ice cream hates me...Ate a few bites and threw up everywhere...Esp. Ha-gen D. I was so upset... But I will tell you that I can eat with no problem and they are not allowed in my house anymore.....Presidents Choice yogurt bars.....No, no, no, no for me!

I can't see why for any reason you can't feel what you really feel. It is your life your body...you call the shots. There are lots of things I regret in my life that others would poo poo on..But who cares.....Your reasons are yours and probably good ones..Never mind being picked on.......okay!

Your absolutely right @@MichiganChic it is like comparing a Ford to a Chrysler. No comparison if you like Fords...We are all different and that is so true. Environments and the like. Genes what we eat. Stress!...bla, bla, bla.... And if you don't keep up the maintenance then you rust or fall apart.......I love your analogy.... True that girl! I just find the city analogy so amazing. I love using it......LOL

Carolinagirl is the bomb. Great choice Alex for a fine example of the journey....Love that girl! Excited that you are so long in the success part too. Keeps me thinking that I have a good chance of making it too. Just knowing that there are those that have several years under their belt in this journey, gives me hope that I too may be one of them as well..... Thank you.

Congratulations.......your right. Now maintenance. And the real test of fears and worry. I am where you are too and fear of gaining it back is an every hour emotion for me. Even though I am now exercising again. I am worried that it will all come back on me and I will fail.... We are human with a lot of issues to settle and we will battle them constantly. BUT! we made it and a celebration time has to be enjoyed and then work to keep us there.....You will see some ups and downs over this.... Have a weight that you will not go above. I chose 5 lbs. When I hit that I will buckle down and lose it again........ Your not alone in this part......You have traveled the new road and have succeeded. I am so proud of you and you look so good and happy.. And you should be! You won the battle........And you shall win the war over what brought you here..... All the best sweetie as you enjoy what is ahead of you!

I went through this and still do. body image is one of our nemesis. We will always want to be what we were when we were a teenager. But is that possible. For some maybe. But in reality we need to remember w are not longer teenagers... I wrote an article about this recently in the article section. It will be one of the hardest things to except that we will never look like we did when we were in high school. Those days are gone. The focus needs to be on health and well being. Not looks. I still ask my hubby if I look fat or if I look like I gained weight. He does not roll his eyes at me. He just softly tells me that I look great. That I have my life back and that is what it was all about... Learn to except you as you are now......And who you are becoming.....It is not about the scale or pounds totally. It is about body image and how you must learn to be you now! Okay!

I know what you meant and I didn't mean to come off telling you straight.......sorry. just wanted you to know that she didn't give them to him.... I think that Protein Drinks and bars are awful myself. Only eat one kind and that is if I am in a place where there is absolutely nothing else to eat.......yuck! That is a very sad experience for you to have endured as a child.....Glad you overcame your fear of protein drinks and bars so you can use them when it is necessary.

I too have a special cabinet for my stuff. It is in my office so it looks like I am hoarding food.....But I don't give a dead rats tail...My hubby can eat all day long and would not gain a lb. He does not need my food! She did not give her son the Protein products. He took them and ate and drank them on his own @@lisacaron Hopefully lesson learned!

complex carbs will work best....Orange juice and then some multi-grain crackers and cheese. Or toast and peanut butter.....You will have to switch to 3 meals and 3 snacks.....Check it out with your nut though and as one who is battling it myself. It is scary, I get it so bad I pass out! yikes!