Recycled

I had absolutely no pain the entire process......... OK......see that.....how easily I got you to be pissed off at me and forget all about your pain...... I know it's not that easy when it's there all the time, but it might help some if you try to take you mind off the pain by concentrating on other things...... Go for a walk........Do some breathing exercises......take up a hobby......cook and freeze some small meals.......or if all else fails.....check with your doc and get some stronger pain meds. Rest assured though.....as others have said here......time will in fact heal and the pain will ease too.. Every day will be one more day with the worst behind you.

"Sometimes you feel like a nut.....sometimes you don't"......Couldn't help it...felt compelled to say that... You're by no means alone......check out this link....http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/300489-fallacy-of-the-6-month-wait/ Try to relax......you'll be looking back on all this in a flash.......not believing how fast the time went by....

fusion is one option for treatment of pain, but is limiting in post surgical mobility and can promote future complications. Have you looked into disk replacement. My wife had the Bryan disk replacement instead of fusion when she injured her neck. It was performed by a fantastic surgeon named Dr. Scott Katzman. He is renowned for this type of surgery. http://www.spine-health.com/treatment/artificial-disc-replacement/cervical-artificial-disc-replacement-technologies

GNC has them and you can get pretty good deals when they have sales or you get coupons or specials......sometimes buy one and get one free. I buy them by the box of 12 for $24.00. I have ordered them from Amazon and Vitamin shoppe and had problems with them not being of the same consistency. GNC has the freshest ones.

Added note: Surely you could still move forward with the consult for WLS........but in my humble opinion......there is no.... "which is more important."? Get your eyes taken care of !!!!

If and when you do go forward with sleeve surgery, the surgeon's staff will inquire about what previous surgeries and treatments (meds, etc.) you have had recently..........Sooo......you may want to run the information about your eye past them now, to find out how it may or may not impact any weight loss surgery and recovery.

I just picked a weight I remember from my past dozens of diets and weight loss efforts. A weight I felt was the most ideal weight for my body type. I completely ignored doctors or charts. I figured I'd tweak it the closer I got depending on how I looked and felt then. The excess skin does have an adverse effect on appearance and skews the number somewhat, but ultimately the number really didn't motivate me as much as clothes sizes and fit, but it was pretty close. Even though at times I felt I wouldn't reach my original goal weight, the additional effort to reach it, kept me on track with my new eating habits to solidify them and make them permanent. I did eventually reach my goal and then to avoid any anti-climatic backsliding because I no longer had a goal...... I set another one to lose a few more.......(no number.....just a few more) I found that in maintenance, I bounced up and down a few pounds every few days, so I wanted a margin of a few pounds leeway. Also, I wanted the knowledge that I had control of my weight on a daily basis. I lost another ten pounds over a couple of months and gained alot more insight into how diligent I must be to maintain. Bottom line.......the number is an estimate at best........you'll be the ultimate judge of what's best for you and you'll reach whatever goal you want by staying focused and not forgetting your past.

You wanna keep up the increased weight loss.....kick up the exercise. You will have more energy as you lose and can do more in the gym and you will lose more and constantly feel better and better. It's a win win. Hit the gym.

Not only will you be able to handle the wait.....You'll do great with the post-op and the new lifestyle. I did and your're gonna love the new you. The whole thing passes in a flash.......Enjoy.

70 Lbs,,,,, you are certainly on the right track. Glad to have you aboard. Stick around and share with others your experience. It will help you stay on track and provide valuable guidance to those seeking help and information.

Three and a half years post op.......Excellent accomplishment. A lot to be proud of. Keep up the success.

Cowgirljane, I just started maintenance and just recently returned from a vacation that was number one on my list of things I was shooting for when I reached my goal weight. And almost like clockwork of times past, I felt myself subconsciously easing up on the level of workouts I was doing during my weight loss. as in.......goal reached....vacation's over.....I can relax now....right !!..... Deja Vu..... This is the eye opener I needed as well. If it takes me creating another distant future goal to keep up the routine.....then so be it. Or maybe just to keep topic fresh in my mind by frequenting Bariatric Pal often to read posts like yours. Maybe even just set little goals of 2 more pounds to lose or attempting to build some more muscle in my arms to fill the saggy skin. Anything to keep me motivated so I won't backslide. Thanks for the reality check. Probably the most important issue of the whole process.

I'm over a year out and I still use it every day. It's just too easy to lose track of what you eat during the day and overeat or not realize just how many calories you're consuming. I just don't want to backslide. Even at a year the routines are not yet firmly implanted.......or maybe more accurately, my old bad habits are not yet totally gone. I need to stay vigilant. MFP - RecycledPlastic

Easier for sure, but more accurately would be the word "possible".......I had given up skiing due to my obesity. I figured I would never do it again. Now, I'm actually lighter than I ever skied before. What a thrill it is.....

Throughout the process I have been very much encouraged by the before and after photos of other members of BP. However I was reluctant to post any of mine until I was what I considered successful and reached my goal weight. Then I seemed to never remember to take a pic. Well, I just got back from a fantastic ski vacation made possible due to my sleeve, alot of fellow Bariatric Pal support and a year of rigorous effort. So here are some of my before and after pics.

I hear ya......I only wear the compression stuff under other clothes.

Being surprised that others still measure and count calories should be a worrisome concern to you. My failure to totally understand what was required was always my downfall with any past weight losses. I would figure I won the battle once I reached a goal weight and then slowly go back to my old habits.........and weight I like that my sleeve is a ongoing reminder of the lifestyle changes I have made and will continue to follow forever now. I know from past failed experiences in contrast to my present success, along with the maintenance feedback of others, that the longer I maintain my lifestyle and eating changes, the more likely they will become permanent. No more illusions that I can quickly defeat obesity. I will need to be forever vigilant. This will be my new normal

Well, just got back from a great week of skiing in Breckenridge CO. Haven't been skiing in over 10 years. My sleeve has given me a new life with no limits. Here's my before and after only one short year later......

Everyone's various replies on here answer your question and most other "when" questions........The answer of course is ......Everybody's different. Your time will be your time.

There is a bariatric support group that meets at South Miami Hospital each month on the forth Thursday of the month. (Check SMH website) I have been going to it since before my surgery. Anyone can attend. Very open and lots of great support. https://baptisthealth.net/en/health-services/south-miami-weight-loss/pages/support-groups.aspx

Wow, a more than likely, misunderstood 3rd person comment, about a unknown person..... probably taken out of context....... and he's lynched on here by some pretty biased women without so much as a "maybe there's more to it"........ If I ever find myself in real court..... I want an all male jury. Actually....I just like stirring the pot.....

It reminds me of that thing people are always saying......"I know how you feel".......no they don't....they just say it. And I find that typically the ones making comments about how easy or unnecessary something is........is from someone that knows very little or has never experienced anything remotely similar or comparable. Jerr Bear, if for no other reason.....the part where you refer to the risk of death, makes this urgently necessary. And anyone that doesn't get that.....can go *&%k themselves.

You pretty much answered your own questions. You're still losing and you added in what your body felt it needed. The things you eat pass thru the sleeve quickly, so you are not going to stretch the sleeve. You can eat a lot of food throughout the course of a day, just not very much at once. That being said, you do have to be aware of how much you are eating daily and keep it in check so you can continue to lose the weight. As time went on and I lost more weight, I found myself doing longer and more vigorous workouts which demanded more energy and fuel.......so I was constantly adding in more Protein and subsequently more calories. And just as you found, I still continued to lose weight. Now at maintenance, I am in the 1600-2000 calories a day range and can still drop a pound or two easily if I need to. You're doing great......keep it up....

To the letter.......