Roo101769

I can say my odor changed with ketosis. I never much noticed it on my breath, but my body sure smelled "off". It was especially bad for me for a few weeks post op as the anesthesia smell mixed with it. I am now almost three months post op and the smell has faded. I do get in more Water now so that could be part of the solution. Also, I use scented lotions and perfume (besides bathing of course) to help mask any lingering odor. The fact you are so far out does make ketosis seem unlikely, unless you recently readjusted your diet. I would check up with a doctor and see what they say. And please do NOT feel down on yourself. You have fought hard to get a body that is healthier for you. If an odor is the price to pay, well so be it. Side note... I just thought of this, a literal light bulb moment! I started taking Probiotics a couple weeks ago. Since I have the odor seems to be less. I am not doctor, but maybe there is a correlation??

I have one. Mine was put in through an artery in my groin. I was given "happy medicine" but was awake during the procedure. I was afraid of it, but honestly it was no big deal. It is placed in the inferior vena cava (hence IVC) to catch blood clots before they can reach you heart / lungs.

He canceled.... Oh well, back to the drawing board I suppose.

I weigh every morning too. It is about accountability for me, nothing else. That way, when I go to put something in my mouth I should not I can say to myself "did you like the number today?" And "do you want that number to change?" Personal preference I think...

Just a quick pic of me so far. Please ignore horrible lighting and junk in background, I had to take in ladies room at work as I don't have a full length mirror at home. While I can't wait to lose more, I am pretty happy with the so far. I truly wish I had take measurements prior to everything to see how far I have come. ( I KNOW the inches have changed a lot!) I am not a huge "selfie" fan, but will try to get more to document my journey. BTW- I am meeting a new guy tonight for the first time.. think the zebra print is too much? LOL

I have been single for 16 years now. ( Officially 14, but we separated two years before divorce) Anyway a lot of that time I spent locked away. I did gain a large portion of my excess weight once I was married, and I had not become accustomed to my body once we split up. Then, over the years the weight just kept creeping up higher and higher. Then in 2007, ten years after I separated from my husband, I decided it was time to get some control. I worked hard, dieted and exercised and managed to lose about 38lbs. While I was FAR from thin ( I was still 276lbs! ) I had a new sense of self esteem and others took notice. My social life did pick up, but not as I hoped. I suddenly became a sexual being, and not in a good way. I had many men hit on me, but none wanted a relationship. It seemed my body had gone from something that shamed me to something created for only one purpose. (at least in the eyes of the men around me) This further destroyed my ego and again, over time and a pregnancy, my weight crept back up again. The final straw was when I was hospitalized last year for my second DVT/PE. I knew I had to change my life or risk losing it. So I found the sleeve and there was no looking back. I have now lost 64 lbs since August. I have a LOT more to go, but I am thinner now than I have been in over 13+ years. This time my ego is a bit more fragile. I don't feel "sexy" like before. I sag more, have more scars. My hair has thinned to the point of wearing a wig. I am older and also a mother this time. So the idea of dating scares me more than ever in many ways, but I refuse to give up. In fact I am meeting someone new tomorrow. We have been chatting and so far it has been nice. I am trying with all my heart not to go into it being negative based on past experience. At the same time I will admit I am more guarded than ever because of the path I have traveled. Yes, I have been hurt. But I am not a bad person. I am worthy of being loved and truly believe somewhere out there the right person FOR ME exists! So don't be hard on yourself. Accept that you are who you are, but that doesn't mean you aren't worthy too. It is just about finding that right person. They do exist. You were worth the surgery. You were worth losing the weight. ( and may I add you look FABULOUS!!) And you are worth taking the time to find your soul mate. Consider it being choosey, not desperate to find just anyone. Enjoy the dates for what they are. And when that right one comes along....then this will just be a footnote in your life story.

Due to repeated DVTs / PEs I am accustomed to being a pin cushion. I usually let them know up front that I can be a hard stick. Some come back all cocky and say "I can get anyone" while others tend to thank me for the warning. I have to tell you that the nurse who did my IV for the surgery was AWESOME! It did not hurt and she got a great vein. ( in my lessor hand) So just take a deep breath, look away, and before you know it the IV will be in and that part will be over! Good luck!!!

Ok I know I am not the first to have this NSV, but I certainly am loving it! I decided to take a bath this a.m. Due to bad weather and a sick kid I stayed home from work today. My daughter was in her room laying down so I thought I would hop in the tub. My friend gave me fizzy balls for the bath and I wanted to use them. Typically I don't take baths. Not only is it a huge effort to get in and out, I felt wedged in the tub. Last bath I took I was literally touching every side of the tub at once. My hips barely fit. Anyway, I still have a small difficulty getting up and down, mainly worried about bad knees. But once I sat down I realized I had room! Not huge, but about an inch on each side of my hips!!! Woo hoo! I laid back to soak and realized it was so much more comfortable to do that too. I have decided I need to buy more bath products now because I see a lot more of these soaks in my future!

I am sure there is a point we all go through where we may not look totally healthy. Or bodies need time to adjust to what they are going through. I have lost around 65lbs so far and, at times, I look bad. My hair is terrible (not just due to surgery but other factors) so I started wearing a wig. With the wig I need to wear make up or I think I look weird..So I actually look better now to others, but when I am home and "undone" I look horrible. It is all perspective. I still have over 100lbs to lose to reach "goal" so who knows what stages my body will go through. Ultimately all I care is I am healthy so let others have their opinions...

Me too, lighter than in years. I do not know the actual last time I was this weight, but I would say at least 15+ years!

I have been a bad girl during the holidays. I ate things I should not have and got way off plan. I have recommitted myself to following the plan starting the new year. I have been eating on plan ( and yes, it has been hard to get back on track) and moving more. In just a couple days I managed to not only get the couple pounds off I regained, I also managed to lose two additional pounds. I am at the year end goal I set for myself and only a few days late. This is why I love the sleeve. As long as I do what I am supposed to do I WILL lose the weight! Best desicion I ever made!

100% truth..I was sleeved 10/21. I have lost 30 lbs since then. From everyone's posts I have read, plus my NUTs opinion, that is a modest amount. I have not exercised to speak of and I have struggled with eating. (around the holidays) I do believe had I ate to plan and did more moving I would have lost more weight by now. So....going forward (2014 resolution of sorts) I am getting back to eating clean and incorporating more exercise into my life. I still have a few months left of the "honeymoon" period and I really want to take advantage of them!!!

I will leave the thought of being obese and unhealthy behind in 2013. I have no reason, no excuse, not to be the healthiest I can. I leave behind arthritic knees that I can barely walk on. I no longer take medication of any kind for them, and I can wear heels again. I leave behind (God willing) the circulatory problems that have lead to repeated DVTs /PEs. Everything that can be done (including getting the weight of) is being done. I do not want to be a statistic and die from it. I leave behind the notion I have it all in control with my sleeve. I learned over the holidays there is NO doubt, I am addicted to carbs. I now know what a slippery path it can be if I allow myself to "go there". I can't. I do not have the control. I leave behind 63lbs that hurt me, held me down. I was allowing fat to kill me a little each day. I lived like an woman much older than my years. I don't ever want that body again, one that limited each and every aspect of my life. I left behind my hair in 2013. It is something that is kind of hard for me to this day, but it is what it is. I am wearing a wig now that I really like and get tons of compliments. Now...in 2014 I hope to find me. I hope to reach my goals, with the sleeve and in life. I want to be healthy, I want to feel young again. I want to be the best mom I can for my daughter. Yes, I even have hope for maybe finding love. ( Ok- been single a looooong time! lol) But I hope to find love for myself before I love another. I am working on it all. Because long as I am here there is hope!

Well...now I have to go buy an ice cream maker! LOL

I certainly hope it is possible because it is my plan!! I was sleeved 10/21 and I have lost 30lbs. Prior to surgery I had lost 32lbs, so in total I have lost 62lbs.( Since August) I absolutely struggled during the holidays, I will be the first to admit it. I don't want to be bashed or pitied, because I own what I did. I am recommitting my efforts to try to get things where I need/ want them to be. Granted the first months are supposed to be the easiest for weight loss, and now those are gone. But the honeymoon isn't over and I still plan to work the sleeve the most I can. I have my plan for fitness in place, I have downloaded the Fitbit app (and will buy the Fitbit asap) and I have the will. The third thing is probably the biggest key for success. Even at the weight I am, I am thinner than I have been in over ten years. I am very excited to see how much further I can take this. I haven't forgotten why I had surgery, I just needed to hit the reset button. So good luck to us all for keeping on keeping on!!!!!!

You are not alone. My first few days post op were very similar. I had pretty bad problems with the anesthesia ( could NOT wake up after surgery) and when I finally did my first clear memory was of throwing up everywhere. I too had nausea, mostly after pain meds. So each time I got the pain med I had a Phenergan chaser! LOL I was in two nights myself, but that was their standard. I was only able ice chips (no water) for the first two days. The day I was released I was given a cup of apple juice, but only managed a couple sips of it. I was up walking and going potty pretty well on my own, and I really didn't have a lot of gas issues. When I got home I was wiped out for about a day. Then I started getting my strength back little by little. I was feeling better from the surgery when I returned to work 9 days after. But, I was exhausted for several more days. About two and a half to three weeks out I finally started to feel a lot like my old "normal" self. I think I did not give enough thought to this being MAJOR surgery and what it could do to my body. I too had read about how easy it was for others and fluffed it off. But everyone is vastly different. My very best friend had his sleeve done 12/17 and he had pretty much NO issues at all, released next day and none of the problems I did. It just is what it is. But I can honestly tell you it will get better!

I have five incision scars plus the drain scar. Two incisions were about a quarter of an inch to half an inch each. The other three are all about and inch to an inch and a half. In the hospital one of my incisions oozed horribly. I was told it was because I have to be on blood thinners and they said my subcutaneous tissue was "mush". So they glued it shut. The rest were stiched. I tried removing my steri strips too early, but my surgeon said it was ok. I ended up busting a stitch or two in one incision then spent two weeks dressing with butterfly bandages to try to pull it together to heal well. That scar is the only odd one. The area that opened developed a larger area of scar tissue. It "looks" almost the same but feels a lot different than the other scars. They are all still pretty red, but I am sure they will fade with time.

I have one. I have only used it once. I made a LOT at that time though. It is good. I didn't try a lot of the recipes so not sure all that can be done with it. But I certainly believe it is money well spent!

So I don't happen to have any baby photos of my girl available, ( not that your little man isn't totally crazy adorable gmanbat) but I can share a pic of her now. She is beautiful. Yes, I am very biased. But many others have said the same so they must be right, right? LOL

I made chicken cordon blue casserole ( recipe off of this site!) and mashed cauliflower. I also had loaded mashed potatoes for those non healthy eaters. My cauliflower was a little to garlicky, and I really like garlic. But the casserole was VERY good! I made taco cupcakes Tuesday and really enjoyed them. ( in cupcake tin with ground turkey and wonton wrappers) Christmas breakfast was egg muffins, another recipe from here!

I am not saying this for pity or to be confrontational. This is just MY truth. I can (and have) eat slider foods easily. Not to the extreme quantity I once was able, but much easier than I can eat Protein. I have struggled with stopping now that I started. There may be people who can limit their self to just one, I am not that type person. As the poster said above, be careful. I am just over two months out and already find slider food easy to eat, so I am very worried about 4, 6, 8 months out! This is my addiction. I have fought it and have been able to lose 62lbs since August. ( both before and after surgery) But I am still morbidly obese. I still need to lose about 118lbs. If I don't get a grip on my addiction again, it will win. I didn't have major surgery for that to happen. I would never beat anyone up for doing something I have done. I just say remember how we all got to this point to begin with. If control was easy for us would we really had needed the surgery?

I am so right there with you!!! I too have had slips. Ok, fall flat on my face. I am not even that far out so it is even more disturbing. I seriously thought I would be more emotionally ready for the holidays than I was, plain and simple. So I too have already decided to recommit myself to the plan. I have to detox again from carbs. I am going to substantially increase my activity level and try to start working some of the dangling bits into a bit more solid mass. (ie: firming and toning) I have already told my five year old that starting the new year all the junk is gone. (she doesn't need it either) I have been very lucky I haven't gained, but I also haven't lost anything. Before the damage is done I need to nip it in the bud! Good luck and Happy New Year!

Oh RJ and McButterpants, I totally do get where you are coming from. Not that I have experienced anything near what you have RJ. ( I thank God for me and say prayers for you) But the mind I was in pre op is a lot different than my post op mind. I am still happy I had the surgery. I am glad I have the chance to change my self in a way I need. But I have struggled with "old brain" lately. I want to eat as I have, which I cannot. I eat too fast and I have mindlessly put things in my mouth. I will be the first to admit I was not as prepared for the holidays ( mentally and emotionally) as I had hoped I would be. I have been tempted, and have given in to temptation. Do I eat crap every meal? No. I do try to maintain my focus on lean Protein first. But some sliders have slid by. Enough to set off a fairly "good" bought of diarrhea. ( Seeing the glass as half full I will have to say it cured some constipation issues I was having) I had to hit the reset button and get myself back in check. The thing is I have not been as strong mentally as I thought I was. I did my research. I could talk the talk. But walking the walk has been more difficult than I ever gave credit to. I am not giving up or giving in. Everyday I have the chance to do what I know I need to...RJ, I think you suffer from PTSD. I am not trained in any way to feel this, but what you have gone through certainly more than qualifies you I think. I really hope one day soon you find what you need to be better able to cope with your new world. To me you seem like an awesome person deserving of an awesome life!

My psych eval was pretty easy. I said all the right things because I really did know the material. ( I wasn't trying to snow anyone, just well read on the subject) I took a long written "test" for him and that sort of worried me. It was almost testing intellect. I thought "you have to have a high IQ to need bariatric surgery???" Anyway, this guy is published on the subject. I was sort of nervous due to that fact. ( that and I really don't like shrinks much) But when all was said and done I passed and it really wasn't that big of deal. I am sorry to hear you got "one of those" types with their preconceived notions. I don't believe she should be giving evaluations for weight loss surgery if she feels that way!

Ok, I have to be honest here. I am not married, I am single. But I can answer to part of your post. I am more self conscience of my body now than I ever was fat. Now granted, once I hit 316lbs it was becoming a big issue. But when I was maintaining around 280-290lbs ( for a few years) I was pretty self confident. But now I weigh less than I have in at least 10 years and I am more self conscience than ever! The fat is shrinking but it is leaving behind dimpled and excess skin. Not to mention my scars from surgery that criss cross my abdomen are still red and angry looking. I cannot imagine anyone seeing me naked at this point. While I am dressed I do look ok, it is just the thought of what I look like undressed that freezes me up. I am scared to death to even contemplate that notion right now. So I may understand how you feel. As far as your hubby...I can only take a guess and assume he doesn't know how to act. You and he were in the same place at the same time when you first got to know each others bodies. But now yours is changing, quickly. While you are learning it, he may feel afraid to. The body you had is gone. ( the one he knew) The body you have right now is only momentary. If he really likes it he might be disappointed when it too is gone. It is good to know you two can talk, that has to be helpful. I hope you can find someone out there that has more insight and might be able to help. The best of luck on working it all out!!!