soccergirl88

I've made it to the 6th month mark today and am down 73 pounds(plus the 20 I lost pre-op). I've gone from a size 22 to a size 14/16. While I am happy with my progress...it has not been an easy journey. Around the same time I started the pre-op process, I was diagnosed with a herniated disc in my lower back that made walking, sitting, and standing a painful experience. I received an epidural injection and it helped tremendously, but I naively thought that was the end of my woes. Shortly after that, I began experiencing terrible upper back pain that made my day to day activities painful and after I was sleeved things only went downhill. I became chronically dehydrated because of my swollen tummy and became depressed which in turn caused me to drop most of my classes during spring semester. My upper back pain progressively got worse and it forced me to miss half the semester(miraculously I still passed). I finally got answers earlier this week after an MRI of the thoracic spine, they found 7 things wrong with me...7!! A complex surgery involving moving my lungs out of the way to fix my spine was suggested. I asked my chiropractor what caused all of this to happen to me, and she said what I've always known all along...my weight. Years of being obese and then morbidly obese caused wear and tear on my spine. I'm 24 years old and was told I had the spine of a 35 year old...that's a hard pill to swallow. It's sad to know that my bad choices and irresponsibility led to the painful nightmare I'm living right now. My biggest regret is not getting this surgery sooner but what's done is done and in time I hope things can get better. For those who are young like me and are considering surgery, just do it....the benefits outweigh the risks...a little extra weight may seem harmless but the truth is we don't know all the potential consequences of obesity until its too late.

I talked to my surgeon about coffee yesterday during my 6 month post op appt. I wasn't allowed coffee until now...he said to just do 1 cup a day because it can cause ulcers later on down the line if I drink too much of it. But every surgeon/nutritionist believes differently so go with what YOUR team says.

I'm 6 months post op and in the last 3 months I've only lost 20 pounds so that's about 6 pounds a month. I think average weekly loss depends on different factors such as calorie/protein intake, exercise(or lack there of), etc. everyone is different. My doctor keeps reminding me how impossible it would have been for me to loose 70 pounds on my own and that I should quit complaining and be happy lol.

Mido 5'4 y cuando empece el programa con la oficina de mi cirujano pasaba 309. El día en que me operaron pesaba 289. Estoy a 219 y me falta 74 libras. Ay voy al pasito pero estoy feliz porque nunca hubiera podido perder 70 libras haciendo dieta y ejercicio.

Felicidades!!! Yo tengo casi seis meses y he perdido 70 libras. Estoy de acuerdo contigo, es la mejor decisión que yo pude hacer.

Since my 1/11 surgery, I've gone from a 44D/DD to a 38D/40DD...I don't mind loosing my boobs at all! I hope since I'm in my 20s they won't sag too much, that's my only concern.

Hello! I'm 24 years old, sleeved January 11th 2013. Down 70 pounds post op, 90 including the 20 lost pre-op.

I recently had to buy all new clothes at Torrid and Forever 21(jeans are 16 bucks!!!). I've gone from a size 24 to a size 16. I started freaking out when I realized that pretty soon I won't fit into Torrid sizes at all...it's like where the heck am I supposed to find cute flattering clothes? It's a brand new world...I'm not prepared for the transition from plus size to "normal" size.

We all have unique levels of sensitivity. What hurts one person may not hurt another one. Everyone's feelings are valid though.

I completely understand OP. My nephews have called me fat and taunted me about my weight for years(they're now 14 and 10). It can be very hurtful.

I'm sad to say that my first time drinking post-op I basically got wasted on a pineapple and Malibu :-( Try a Cadillac margarita with a double shot of patron, those are awesome!

I'd like to know about people's experience with alcohol post-op. How much do you drink? Last night while I was on a plane back home to LA I ordered a mix drink with my dinner, after 4 ounces I knew I'd reached my limit, I felt very sleepy lol.

Yes, it's possible. Especially if people have this surgery with the mentality that they don't have to work hard to loose the weight because the sleeve does it for us.

My insurance paid close to 60,000. Pretty obscene amount if you ask me.

Just quickly wanted to share my first NSV! I'm currently on a plane waiting to take off and.....I didn't need a seatbelt extender! I know many of you will agree when I say what a relief it is not to have to go through the ordeal of asking for one discreetly and hoping no one notices. :-)

I'm 4 months post-op. Highest weight was 309(BMI of 53)...day of surgery I was at 289 and this morning I'm at 227.8....Total weight loss of 61.2 pounds since surgery. I don't exercise(shame on me). I eat between 500-900 calories. I thought I'd have lost more by now but as my surgeon told me a month ago: " can you think of a time where you've lost more than 30 pounds in 3 months and kept it off?" The answer is no..so I'll unhappily accept my slow weight loss.

I woke up in a bit of pain but the worst part was it was hard for me to breathe. I was also very thirsty and nauseous.

There's something wrong with your doctor then because that is ridiculous..you are in great distress, her job is to help you. If you have insurance, call them and ask for the information of a GI specialist and call their office right away, explain the situation and hopefully they can help. Or at least ask your surgeon to refer you to someone.

I speak for myself when I say...hell yeah! I am slightly bitchy these days.

To the OP..it's best to ask your doctor or nutritionist. As you can see on here, the responses you may get are um not what you may expect. Best advice is if soda was something you consumed in great quantities prior to surgery, then it's probably not a wise decision to start up again unless you have some super self control!

Once you move to soft foods, the hunger will lessen. In a perfect world, we'd all like to wake up from surgery and find our hunger has magically disappeared forever but sadly that's not how it happens. Only advice I can give you I add more protein to your drinks. Your going to get a lot of grief from some because you're so early out and are not following the diet plan set forth by your doctor. Whether you paid out of pocket or not for this surgery, it's not wise to risk your well being so soon after surgery by advancing your diet. Above all, follow ONLY what your doctor says. It's premature to contact a doctor about excessive hunger so early out, but I understand the misery because I went through it too. Find something to occupy yourself with and remember to sip, sip, sip. Hope this helps.

Miralax! I hope that helps.