southernsoul

Sounds like somebody took the expression "Put a cork in it" way too literally! Glad y'all found it before somebody got hurt.

Sounds like somebody took the expression "Put a cork in it" way too literally! Glad y'all found it before somebody got hurt.

Great points...thanks for the valuable reminder!

Thanks for writing me cherip and southernsoul. In reading your comments I see you BOTH had surgery 6/19! Obviously a very good day for both of you.. I know I am far from the only person who has weight issues and must deal with aches and pains. It gives me so much hope for my future when I read of others success. In fact, it makes the pain now more manageable in a way, knowing that it won't last. While the damage is done, I know I can vastly improve my symptoms and prevent further damage by getting the weight off.

Thank you, Annie. What a nice compliment

My knees started bothering me in the mid 2009 time period. I had cortisone shots in both knees every 3 months as well as Euflexa series twice. I tore the meniscus in my left knee and had arthroscopic surgery January 2011.The Dr. said he repaired the meniscus and cleaned out some of the arthritic damage and felt it would buy me a couple of years. Then I did the same to the right knee and once again arthroscopic surgery July 2011.this time the Doctor said he saw major cartilage damage. Then MRI of right knee cause it just was not getting better so knee cap ( patella femoral replacement which is not a full or a partial but a knee cap only ) replacement November 2011. Oh and we can't forget the physical therapy for all 3. then low and behold my feet started hurting. I had bone spurs in both heels. Cortisone shots, orthotics for my shoes and exercises did zip. Here I went again to surgery. In February 2013 I had my Achilles tendon released and lived in a boot for 6 weeks. 2 weeks of sleeping in it then 4 more all waking hours. Physical therapy once again. Did I mention that my weight had gotten to an all time high of 240??? As I was contemplating more surgery to stop the bone spur pain in the right foot I happened upon a lecture locally on the topic of weight loss surgery for seniors ( 57 is senior ). My consult was May 6th and surgery was 6 weeks ago June 19th. I am so glad I had it done. I can already see and FEEL the difference. True I had a set back but diverticulitis was not surgery related. I am down to 205 from 232 on June 19th and already down 2 sizes. You will do great. Just getting the excess pressure off the knees and feet has helped already. Chin up and you will be kicking you heels up before you know it. !!

Yay! Congrats on all your success and all your progress!!!

Wow - all good stuff! Really like your morning smoothie recipe - stealing it. I hadn't heard about the restriction being more obvious with solid foods. I'm still on liquids and sharing many of your previous fears. As for your trick with the denim capris, perhaps if you lie about something and they catch fire?

You won't have to miss any of those foods, at least not forever. The thing is, you won't be able to eat as much of them as before, but you can certainly have a couple of bites & feel fine with that. There may be certain foods that no longer agree with you, but that can happen to anybody. Some people develop allergies to things as they get older, or start getting heartburn from something they used to eat with no problem. Adjustments are a part of life, and this is certainly a big one. Seeing a counselor is a great idea, although I have to admit I am biased. I'm working on my masters degree in clinical mental health counseling, so that's definitely not an objective opinion. Do everything you can do to help ensure your own success.

Southernsoul-- oh my goodness! I couldn't imagine being on liquids that long! But I'm sure your doc has a method to his madness
Good luck to you!!

Congratulations!! I'm having surgery on the 19th, so maybe by October I will have matched your 100 in the other half of the year! Good luck on the rest of the way!

Wow, what a powerful moment. Thank you for sharing. Your daughter is lucky to have you for a mom.

Wow, what a powerful moment. Thank you for sharing. Your daughter is lucky to have you for a mom.

This is very inspiring to me. I also have terrible knee and leg pain, and I limp badly. My surgeon told me I must start walking, and so I am doing the best I can. I often feel like my pathetic gimping along is not effective at all, except in the sense of making me hurt a lot. However, I have just begun to notice that it is getting ever so slightly easier...at least it seems like it. I have been wondering if I am really seeing improvement, or if I'm just imagining it. Your post has renewed my hope that it will get better, and that I CAN do it. I don't have any thoughts of running or rock climbing or anything like that, but I sure would like to believe that one day I might walk even 5K steps in a day. I do believe it's time for me to buy a pedometer!

Preach it, girl!! There is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that I have always loved: "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." You are absolutely correct that the sleeve is just a tool. I don't feel ashamed for one second that I'm doing this, and I could not care less about somebody else judging me for it. Nobody can make me feel ashamed without me agreeing that there is something to feel ashamed about. There are things in my life that I'm not proud of, but this ain't one of them. Good for you for being proud!

Preach it, girl!! There is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that I have always loved: "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." You are absolutely correct that the sleeve is just a tool. I don't feel ashamed for one second that I'm doing this, and I could not care less about somebody else judging me for it. Nobody can make me feel ashamed without me agreeing that there is something to feel ashamed about. There are things in my life that I'm not proud of, but this ain't one of them. Good for you for being proud!

Congrats!! You go on with your overweight self!

Preach it, girl!! There is a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that I have always loved: "Nobody can make you feel inferior without your consent." You are absolutely correct that the sleeve is just a tool. I don't feel ashamed for one second that I'm doing this, and I could not care less about somebody else judging me for it. Nobody can make me feel ashamed without me agreeing that there is something to feel ashamed about. There are things in my life that I'm not proud of, but this ain't one of them. Good for you for being proud!

Thanks for sharing the start of your journey & I wish you all the luck in the world!

This is great information...thanks so much for sharing!

This post has been on my mind since yesterday-- I just had a hard time accepting that it is better to not quit than to quit, under ANY circumstances! ......so I goooooogled it! This article makes a LOT of sense about the headaches, and it gives good tips on how to succeed. This topic is close to home for me, because I quit only about 8 wks ago after smoking for 25 years! I've used the gum. It is HARD but I didn't get headaches when I tried, so I'm sure it's that much harder for you. But you CAN do it if you want to. There is nothing redeeming about cigarettes -- they are so bad for you, expensive, make you a social outcast, make you smell bad, stain your teeth, stain your fingers, and did I mention they are SO bad for you ?!?! Like poison. That you are addicted to repeatedly inhaling into your lungs. There is help available to stop if you want it. No one is going to say not to quit because you get headaches initially. Except you. You can do this!
OK check this article out: http://www.livestron...hout-headaches/
I wish you the best of luck!

I quit 2 1/2 weeks ago with Chantix and a nicotine vaporizer (basically an ecig, but rechargeable & refillable). I saw my surgeon last week & asked if the vaporizer would be a problem since it is A) inhaled and still nicotine. He said he didn't think so, that his main concern was lung capacity, not nicotine itself. He hasn't mentioned a pre-surgery blood test, either. To be on the safe side, I will probably transition to nic gum if needed a month or two before surgery. I'm hoping it won't be necessary, though...I didn't even touch the inhaler yesterday til almost 6:00 pm, so I can really tell I'm needing it less & less each day. Don't try & cheat the requirements...they are there for a reason. Good luck to you!