supbanana

Update: I gained 20 more pounds within three months of posting this. I panicked and had IUD removed. The ravenous hunger disappeared, weight is slowly coming off again, but this whole thing has been a nightmare.

Starting weight: 370 Surgery weight: 288 Current weight: 210 Goal is in the 160-175 range, so somewhere between 35 and 50 more pounds to go.

Another concern is, at this point, I'm nearly two years out. I'm afraid that even if I do remove it, I missed my 'honeymoon' period to lose the weight. Still, I've picked up good habits. Not to say that I'm perfect, but there's no reason the loss should have just stopped cold like that. :/ Still, I don't want to go through the pain of having this removed if it's *not* the problem... but I'll never know if it is or not without removing it. Like I said, I'm lost and very conflicted, heh.

Forgot to say that I've had it in for a year this month and the problems are getting worse (been developing UTIs, no sex drive... all stuff that isn't officially listed as a side effect, but that people list anecdotally as side effects). I adore the IUD for how effective it is, and for the light periods, but outside of that, I'm miserable and it seems to keep getting worse. Thank you for your input, I'm just trying to gather as much info as possible before making a decision.

Bump. I know this is an older post, and I apologize, but this is *very* relevant to my current situation. Can anyone that had the Mirena removed update with whether or not the loss continued once it was gone??

Hi there, I had the sleeve in 8/13 and lost an average of 10 pounds per month. After 9 months and nearly 100 pounds down, I had the Mirena (hormonal) IUD placed. My loss stopped immediately. I've had it in for a year now, and the loss stalled despite becoming a runner, sticking to the diet, etc. All of the literature says that the IUD does not cause weight loss or gain, but some googling shows a lot of anecdotal evidence that it sure can. I'm trying to get info from other sleevers that may have had IUDs placed after surgery - how did it affect you?? I have one friend in this situation that continued to lose, but I'm just at a loss and honestly struggling with having the IUD in. Please, I would appreciate any experiences or advice on this from people that have gone through this... if you don't want to post publicly, can you please message me? I'm considering having this removed. I have no idea if that will help or not and I'm just... just lost.

I was sleeved in Mexico. At almost two years post op, I often feel very little restriction and have struggled with 20 pounds of regain.

Ha, sure did! Just updated my thread. Here's a bonus progress pic for anyone else playing along. Only 10 pounds until Onederland!!

Hey folks, just wanted to give an update! 8 Months out, down 90 pounds from surgery, completely loving my sleeve. Still can't recommend Dr. Illan enough!! I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. Only 10 pounds from Onederland! Starting to think about plastic surgery for the darn extra skin, but I wouldn't change anything.

I'm sitting pretty in a size 18 for the first time that I can remember, and yesterday was my six month surgiversary, so I thought I would write up an update, especially considering my post detailing my experience with Dr. Illan was somehow lost during the update. First off, here is a Dr. Illan and three weeks later was in Mexico having the surgery. I've more or less consistently lost 10 pounds per month since surgery. It hasn't always been easy, and stalls have happened, but it is by far the best thing I've ever done. I honestly often forget that I've had surgery. Dr. Illan's team provided the best medical care I've ever had in my life and I would go back to him in a heartbeat! Just to make this more fun, here's a progress pic, highest ever weight vs. today:

Absolutely. Dr. Illan and his team completely transformed my life. I still say they offered the best medical care I've ever had in my life. I would feel comfortable recommending any of my loved ones to go to him and genuinely wish he did plastics so that I could go back myself! Omar is also completely fantastic. In addition to taking superhuman care of his patients (seriously, I don't know how he manages to be so attentive to everyone at once), he noticed that the husband of a patient of a different doctor had nothing to eat and took that man out for food. They completely go above and beyond in every way!

Hm, it looks like my post about my experience with Dr. Illan was deleted, but I can honestly say it was the best medical experience of my entire life. I have the experience recorded on my blog if you want to check it out: http://gainingme.livejournal.com/5015.html And pictures! http://imgur.com/a/ldVZI This before/after isn't entirely accurate because I started the surgery process at 300lbs, not 340, but today I'm down to 240 (I've lost 60 pounds since August 1st)! Love my sleeve so much, highly recommend Dr. Illan, would go back in a heartbeat.

I know this sounds crazy, but it works wonders. Have you heard of the Oil Cleansing Method? http://www.theoilcleansingmethod.com/ It's basically cleansing your face with oil - it removes all dirt and makeup, gets the gunk out of your pores, and leaves you nice and moisturized. It's good for all skin types, including acne prone or oily skin.

Indeed it is, but that's okay, I'm just happy *someone* can relate!