MichiganChic

@@Bandista well, let's see!

I think we've all been there - especially the fear that you've lost that last pound you are going to lose - ever! I thought that from the start...all the way to 140 pounds lost. The thing about the sleeve is that you don't lose super fast, or at least most people don't. Ignore the "I lost 100 pounds in 6 months, at GOAL!" posts. That is the exception, not the rule. You'll see just as many post about slow loss. I almost never open those fast loss posts , lol. Good for anyone who can do that, but the hard cold truth is, we just can't control the rate at which we lose. We CAN control how we eat, making sure we follow the rules and doing our part. I have tons of great advice for people, (because I'm like that ) but the most important thing I can say is that you just have to stick with it for the long haul, and it will work. It's not magic. Just do the best you can every day, and know you need to do this indefinitely. You are not failing, you are just living.

So funny. I had the same experience as a morbidly obese woman with my friends and colleagues! I could not understand how that was (we are health care professionals) but they just didn't put me in that same bucket. Must have also been my other lovely and impressive qualities that blind-sided them

My doc used doxycycline, which really hurt, but I didn't get much good from it. She had planned to do it a second time but then changed her mind. I don't think that thing would have ever healed. I'm with you, I wouldn't have wanted to go on much longer with it. I hated having it cut open, but so glad it's over!

Good choice. You should never take on a major risk like this without really understanding it and how you would feel about it. I always tell people the risks are low, but if you have a complication, you have it 100%. It's not for everyone. I would not have had this surgery if I was at or under 200 pounds. I am surprised at people who have a BMI of under 30 and are having WLS of any kind to prevent further weight gain. In my opinion, that is a not a case of benefit outweighing risk. Good luck to you!

Her approach probably wasn't effective, but she has a point. Maybe consider she actually has your best interest at heart. Or just give it back to her - if she can dish it out, she should be able to take it.

I had 5 incisions....but since then I had a tummy tuck and they were mostly cut off. The one larger one that was above my navel (it was about an inch) is now just above my pubis. The others were so small you can't see them even looking for them.

@@Oregondaisy I added up my calories on Easter, and it was 3000! Yikes. I know with certainty I can easily weigh 300 pounds again in a year. No problem. All I have to do is eat candy and cheese cake and pick all day. So glad I am able to get right back on my usual diet after a day. That is something the sleeve either gave me or helped me learn - that one bad day or meal shouldn't become reason to continue. I sure hope that never changes.

I had thin hair to start with, and lots and lots of hair loss. I feel like I was a worse case scenario. I got all Protein in every day and labs were fine. I lost for about 8 months total. However, I had a lot of weight to lose, and it took about 14 months of severely restricted calories to do it. It took a full year to come back, and it's still improving. I'm almost back to where I started, thank goodness. So, even in my worst case scenario, I didn't go completely bald. I think most people lose less, and for a shorter time, and it grows back quicker.

You can see from the picture I posted mine was raised and red. It would flatten when she drained it. Glad for you that you don't have that. It was pretty miserable having it removed IN THE OFFICE! Yeah, not fun lol. Funny how sticking that needle in you doesn't even bother you, isn't it? Is your lower abdomen still numb? Mine is, as are my outer thighs. I'm not sure I'm ever going to get feeling back. I keep thinking she could probably do the liposuction to my outer thighs with no anesthesia and I wouldn't feel it, haha!

Clearly that is true. Made me laugh!

I can drink about 1/4 to 1/3 of a bottle at a time if I'm totally empty. Some days a little less but I have no trouble getting water in

Wow, number three is super insulting. That is pretty judgmental. I agree, the guy sounds clueless, and I think people give the most insight into their true thoughts and selves when they least realize it. At least you know where he is coming from.

Any chance you are pregnant?

It is irritating, but there are a hundred people lined up in front of you doing the exact same thing. It would be like line jumping, lol. They have a process and everyone has to follow it, most likely. You'll get there before you know it!

I was going to chime in and say exactly what @@AvaFern said. I've had a LOT of plastics, and I do look way better than I did, but obesity and age have taken their toll. Having said that, most of the population are not VS models, or any other kind of model. That's why they get paid the big bucks - it's rare. We have such an airbrushed society that even smart, educated, and reasonable people like me sometimes forget that most of us have a different version of beautiful bodies. We all have flaws. Once in a while I start thinking I need to fix this or that, and then I remember I am so thrilled to be a normal size and have the worst of the dripping skin removed! I tell myself to just get over myself and be thankful for what really matters....and a perfect body is not really it...just the fact that it's as good as it is, is a miracle!

I am not sure yet. I need to make sure I've totally healed, and I want the swelling in my left foot to be resolved. Some days it seems like it's getting better, then other days, not so much. I am anxious to have both legs be the same size, and I'm anxious to get rid of the excess fat on my lower hips, but not at the cost of my health. So, right now, it's a wait and see. How does the doc know it's not encapsulated? Now that I think of it I'm not sure how they knew mine was, but she absolutely removed a capsule. And then another....ugh, glad that's behind me! I think mine was also difficult to find a big enough pocket for the drain to be effective. They called it loculated, meaning it was a series of pockets. I think some were connected and some were not, so a drain was never going to work for me, either. Can you feel the seroma? I could always feel pressure and a vague sense of irritation/burning which was relieved by draining it. I live an hour away from my doc, and it's a horrendous drive either through or around Detroit traffic always during rush hour, so that made matters more difficult for me. I do hope you have a spontaneous resolution soon so that you can be over it, too. September is a long time to deal with this. I have been feeling like a perpetual patient, and I don't like that.

@@Oregondaisy I have that same recording. I can control it until about 9 pm, then I think I am just tired, and it gets harder. I go to bed at 9 most nights, and I always say nothing good happens for my diet after 9 pm! Most days I succeed in beating that ridiculous cycle of thinking, but once in a while it gets the best of me. I've been drinking Water lately, and it does seem to help.

I hear you. It's hard. Just curious - how much do you eat during a "binge"? I will usually indulge a little on weekends, but count those calories, and I know I can easily consume 2500 calories in a day. I am sure I consumed more on Easter because I ate candy and high calorie foods, and did not count them. I think I'm like you in that it comes on way easier than it goes off. I think I gain a pound with every 2000 additional calories eaten, and lose a pound for every 5000 calories burned. I know all the scientists will say I'm nuts and don't know what I'm actually consuming, but I really think it does work like that for some of us.

Only you can decide if it's worth the risk. I had GERD before surgery, and now I rarely have it - and even then, it's if I eat too much. As for hunger, I do have it now, but nothing like before surgery. And as for your concern about benefit vs. risk, I think that's a good question. I always encourage people to think about that, and I am usually the one trying to dissuade people with small amounts of weight to lose from having surgery. However, in your case, I assume your weight is lower because of a band. If you were to remove it and get a sleeve, you might be pleasantly surprised at how effective the sleeve is on a volume eater. I was both a volume eater and a grazer, and the sleeve cured me of the volume eating. I have to really work on that grazing habit. Regarding weight loss and pain, I've found a proportionate amount of pain to weight. The more I lose, the better I feel. I had generalized pain all over, and my joints ached all the time. As I lost weight, the majority of it went away. I have a knee that needs to be replaced, and just a few pounds - like less than 10 - really makes a difference for me. I can tell that I'm going in the wrong direction based on that knee. My point is, that last 45 pounds you have to lose could make more of a difference than you realize. I was a little surprised that a few pounds when you are at a normal weight could make that big of an impact. One other thing - I can eat pretty much anything. Have never vomited or slimed, and can eat more than a couple bites at a time. I live a totally normal life when it comes to food and eating - including having to watch what I eat to stay thin.

Lookin' good, sister!

I am 2 1/2 years out, and I still think about that, too. I've lost about 140 pounds and kept it off, and I KNOW that if I am not careful, I'll gain it all back. In the early days, it is a little shocking that yes, you do get full on a few bites. And that is a literal statement. food loses its appeal for a while, and eating doesn't seem worth the effort. Hunger is gone, or at least different. It is really such a relief from the relentless hunger and drive to eat that most of experienced pre-op. It's important to know that over time, things loosen up, and you will likely be able to eat more. Food becomes appealing again. You really have to work at the continued loss or maintenance. However, the hunger is either gone or greatly decreased, and the capacity is still much smaller, so it's doable. My point is this: It does and will work for the vast majority, but you also have to do your part. It's not a miracle. You have to decide every day, all day, how you will take advantage of this gift.

Your friend sounds she genuinely cares about you - enough to talk you off what she thinks is the ledge. She is obviously basing her opinion on what she thinks are facts. In her small world of knowledge about WLS, I'm sure it's enough for her to "know" this is a bad idea. I would try to talk to (not text) her. Tell her what you told us - that you need some support. Give her some facts and statistics. Have her come here and get opinions from the thousands of people who have actually succeeded. I don't know your friend, but she might be willing to reserve judgment since she cares about you. If she can't do that, then find support elsewhere. Eventually, you will prove her wrong.

Hey, good to see you poke your head back in. Glad you continue to do well! I too eat what I think are small, normal portions. I am so thankful for my normal life, every day. Sometimes I wish I had more restriction, but as long as I can continue on like I am, I'll be happy. However, I never forget I have a sleeve, or that I've made a permanent change in lifestyle. My weight and dietary habits are pretty much lurking in my thoughts. From the time I get up in the morning and thank God that I'm of a normal weight and get on the scale to confirm that it's still true, through every meal when I'm forced to think about what I'm putting in my mouth. I have not succeeded in changing my habits to the point that they are a natural part of who I am. I think it will always be forced for me. I don't care, though. I think there are people who have never been obese who prevented it by using the same behavior. But I bet they are never as grateful for the opportunity to be thin as I am!! Congrats on your continued success!

Love that show! I also had to binge watch it, too. That's my favorite way!