piercedqt78

You are so awesome! I cannot wait to get my surgery done. I hope I am as successful as you! Beautiful! You must be proud.

You are a superstar!!! Way to go! You have rocked that sleeve.

Piercedqt78 said something about always being great at sugar coating things. I think that is a HUGE metaphor for all of us...We spent years sugar coating our lives, literally and figuratively. We are no longer doing that for our physical health ( no more excess sugars!) and now we no longer do it for our mental health either!!! You get what you get... This is me.

I have always been the rock in my family. When things go bad my entire family turns to me, and I am usually strong enough to carry everyone through it. I use to do that and then come home and curl up in bed with a book and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to drown my sorrows, or to sooth my stress. I have ALWAYS been a stress eater and my sleeve has helped that almost completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty fight with my step-dad, he said some cruel things to my daughter and to me, he has a bad habit of not thinking before speaking and hurting peoples feelings. Well I had just had enough and I as you so very well put it "felt my feelings" and I let him have it. My mom defended him, after he made my 12 year old cry over her new hairstyle, and my mom is my Best Friend. Well when she defended him, some past hurt from her previous marriage (to an abuser) came out, and in the past I would have shoved those feelings back down with a box of Cookies and a quart of milk, without that option I just told her how I felt. When she told my sister how I felt, and what I had said, my sister (who is also morbidly obese) said, well we all felt that way, but Mandy finally said something. It's like she has all this courage now that she is thin. Then my sister called me and said, "way to go standing up to him and mom". I guess the more weight I lose the more my brain to mouth filter shrinks too. I'm not cruel, but I am honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that's how I live my life. I have always been honest, but was really good as sugar coating, and that just isn't happening anymore. I wrote this about 6 weeks post-op and I think in a small way it applies:
why is it that sometimes the thing we fear the most is evaluation of our lives? And self evaluation is the hardest. We are our own worst critics. I know that I look back over my experiences and think what the hell was I thinking? I have made mistakes, and most of them have been a learning experience. Others, well I'm still searching for those lessons. My head swims with thoughts, experiences, conversations, and still I seek more, more knowledge, more value in actions, and more experiences. I don't want my life to come to a conclusion, and I look back on a boring or worse sad life. I want to look back and say, I have lived, and now I'm ok to die. I want to be ready to let go. I don't want to say, wait, I have more to do. I tell people what I think, and never say goodbye without an I love you, to those that matter. I give my heart freely, and without expectation of anything in return. I try to express myself openly and honestly. Can this end in heartbreak? sure, but do we really know we are alive in a perfect world? I think the risks of getting hurt is totally worth it for those times that you discover that people care about you too. What if you didn't say something and the love of your life felt the same way, but was affraid to speak up? It would be tragic to live in that kind of isolation. People always talk about living life to the fullest, but how many have danced in the rain? Or reached out and held hands with a close friend, just to feel them closer? A wise man said that the rain lets you know you are real, and that no matter how wet you get, you will always dry off. That is a soul that really lives life. If you were told tomorrow that you had 6 months to live, would that be enough time to make things right in your life? Do you have a bucket list that is a mile long with nothing checked off? I don't, know why? I live life as it comes, one day at a time. Live, love, laugh....indeed.

I have always been the rock in my family. When things go bad my entire family turns to me, and I am usually strong enough to carry everyone through it. I use to do that and then come home and curl up in bed with a book and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to drown my sorrows, or to sooth my stress. I have ALWAYS been a stress eater and my sleeve has helped that almost completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty fight with my step-dad, he said some cruel things to my daughter and to me, he has a bad habit of not thinking before speaking and hurting peoples feelings. Well I had just had enough and I as you so very well put it "felt my feelings" and I let him have it. My mom defended him, after he made my 12 year old cry over her new hairstyle, and my mom is my Best Friend. Well when she defended him, some past hurt from her previous marriage (to an abuser) came out, and in the past I would have shoved those feelings back down with a box of Cookies and a quart of milk, without that option I just told her how I felt. When she told my sister how I felt, and what I had said, my sister (who is also morbidly obese) said, well we all felt that way, but Mandy finally said something. It's like she has all this courage now that she is thin. Then my sister called me and said, "way to go standing up to him and mom". I guess the more weight I lose the more my brain to mouth filter shrinks too. I'm not cruel, but I am honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that's how I live my life. I have always been honest, but was really good as sugar coating, and that just isn't happening anymore. I wrote this about 6 weeks post-op and I think in a small way it applies:
why is it that sometimes the thing we fear the most is evaluation of our lives? And self evaluation is the hardest. We are our own worst critics. I know that I look back over my experiences and think what the hell was I thinking? I have made mistakes, and most of them have been a learning experience. Others, well I'm still searching for those lessons. My head swims with thoughts, experiences, conversations, and still I seek more, more knowledge, more value in actions, and more experiences. I don't want my life to come to a conclusion, and I look back on a boring or worse sad life. I want to look back and say, I have lived, and now I'm ok to die. I want to be ready to let go. I don't want to say, wait, I have more to do. I tell people what I think, and never say goodbye without an I love you, to those that matter. I give my heart freely, and without expectation of anything in return. I try to express myself openly and honestly. Can this end in heartbreak? sure, but do we really know we are alive in a perfect world? I think the risks of getting hurt is totally worth it for those times that you discover that people care about you too. What if you didn't say something and the love of your life felt the same way, but was affraid to speak up? It would be tragic to live in that kind of isolation. People always talk about living life to the fullest, but how many have danced in the rain? Or reached out and held hands with a close friend, just to feel them closer? A wise man said that the rain lets you know you are real, and that no matter how wet you get, you will always dry off. That is a soul that really lives life. If you were told tomorrow that you had 6 months to live, would that be enough time to make things right in your life? Do you have a bucket list that is a mile long with nothing checked off? I don't, know why? I live life as it comes, one day at a time. Live, love, laugh....indeed.

I have always been the rock in my family. When things go bad my entire family turns to me, and I am usually strong enough to carry everyone through it. I use to do that and then come home and curl up in bed with a book and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to drown my sorrows, or to sooth my stress. I have ALWAYS been a stress eater and my sleeve has helped that almost completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty fight with my step-dad, he said some cruel things to my daughter and to me, he has a bad habit of not thinking before speaking and hurting peoples feelings. Well I had just had enough and I as you so very well put it "felt my feelings" and I let him have it. My mom defended him, after he made my 12 year old cry over her new hairstyle, and my mom is my Best Friend. Well when she defended him, some past hurt from her previous marriage (to an abuser) came out, and in the past I would have shoved those feelings back down with a box of Cookies and a quart of milk, without that option I just told her how I felt. When she told my sister how I felt, and what I had said, my sister (who is also morbidly obese) said, well we all felt that way, but Mandy finally said something. It's like she has all this courage now that she is thin. Then my sister called me and said, "way to go standing up to him and mom". I guess the more weight I lose the more my brain to mouth filter shrinks too. I'm not cruel, but I am honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that's how I live my life. I have always been honest, but was really good as sugar coating, and that just isn't happening anymore. I wrote this about 6 weeks post-op and I think in a small way it applies:
why is it that sometimes the thing we fear the most is evaluation of our lives? And self evaluation is the hardest. We are our own worst critics. I know that I look back over my experiences and think what the hell was I thinking? I have made mistakes, and most of them have been a learning experience. Others, well I'm still searching for those lessons. My head swims with thoughts, experiences, conversations, and still I seek more, more knowledge, more value in actions, and more experiences. I don't want my life to come to a conclusion, and I look back on a boring or worse sad life. I want to look back and say, I have lived, and now I'm ok to die. I want to be ready to let go. I don't want to say, wait, I have more to do. I tell people what I think, and never say goodbye without an I love you, to those that matter. I give my heart freely, and without expectation of anything in return. I try to express myself openly and honestly. Can this end in heartbreak? sure, but do we really know we are alive in a perfect world? I think the risks of getting hurt is totally worth it for those times that you discover that people care about you too. What if you didn't say something and the love of your life felt the same way, but was affraid to speak up? It would be tragic to live in that kind of isolation. People always talk about living life to the fullest, but how many have danced in the rain? Or reached out and held hands with a close friend, just to feel them closer? A wise man said that the rain lets you know you are real, and that no matter how wet you get, you will always dry off. That is a soul that really lives life. If you were told tomorrow that you had 6 months to live, would that be enough time to make things right in your life? Do you have a bucket list that is a mile long with nothing checked off? I don't, know why? I live life as it comes, one day at a time. Live, love, laugh....indeed.

I have always been the rock in my family. When things go bad my entire family turns to me, and I am usually strong enough to carry everyone through it. I use to do that and then come home and curl up in bed with a book and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to drown my sorrows, or to sooth my stress. I have ALWAYS been a stress eater and my sleeve has helped that almost completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty fight with my step-dad, he said some cruel things to my daughter and to me, he has a bad habit of not thinking before speaking and hurting peoples feelings. Well I had just had enough and I as you so very well put it "felt my feelings" and I let him have it. My mom defended him, after he made my 12 year old cry over her new hairstyle, and my mom is my Best Friend. Well when she defended him, some past hurt from her previous marriage (to an abuser) came out, and in the past I would have shoved those feelings back down with a box of Cookies and a quart of milk, without that option I just told her how I felt. When she told my sister how I felt, and what I had said, my sister (who is also morbidly obese) said, well we all felt that way, but Mandy finally said something. It's like she has all this courage now that she is thin. Then my sister called me and said, "way to go standing up to him and mom". I guess the more weight I lose the more my brain to mouth filter shrinks too. I'm not cruel, but I am honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that's how I live my life. I have always been honest, but was really good as sugar coating, and that just isn't happening anymore. I wrote this about 6 weeks post-op and I think in a small way it applies:
why is it that sometimes the thing we fear the most is evaluation of our lives? And self evaluation is the hardest. We are our own worst critics. I know that I look back over my experiences and think what the hell was I thinking? I have made mistakes, and most of them have been a learning experience. Others, well I'm still searching for those lessons. My head swims with thoughts, experiences, conversations, and still I seek more, more knowledge, more value in actions, and more experiences. I don't want my life to come to a conclusion, and I look back on a boring or worse sad life. I want to look back and say, I have lived, and now I'm ok to die. I want to be ready to let go. I don't want to say, wait, I have more to do. I tell people what I think, and never say goodbye without an I love you, to those that matter. I give my heart freely, and without expectation of anything in return. I try to express myself openly and honestly. Can this end in heartbreak? sure, but do we really know we are alive in a perfect world? I think the risks of getting hurt is totally worth it for those times that you discover that people care about you too. What if you didn't say something and the love of your life felt the same way, but was affraid to speak up? It would be tragic to live in that kind of isolation. People always talk about living life to the fullest, but how many have danced in the rain? Or reached out and held hands with a close friend, just to feel them closer? A wise man said that the rain lets you know you are real, and that no matter how wet you get, you will always dry off. That is a soul that really lives life. If you were told tomorrow that you had 6 months to live, would that be enough time to make things right in your life? Do you have a bucket list that is a mile long with nothing checked off? I don't, know why? I live life as it comes, one day at a time. Live, love, laugh....indeed.

I chose the sleeve because the results seemed similar but with less malabsorption of Vitamins. I also liked that the sleeve isn't very stretchy.
People seem to have great success with either, but the sleeve has easier recovery.

Awesome!! You look fabulous congrats!!!!!!

I also had reflux. You know why? Because I was fat. LOL
Cured that. Haha
Ok, seriously, getting a second opinion now is a must. Don't seek out someone with the same opinion as you, but just a valid medical opinion. Explain your concerns. It may be the same opinion as the fist surgeon, it may be different. Ask questions. The "whys" are important.

sometimes it's not the body changes that attracts people, but the confidence, pride, and self worth that makes you stand out.

@@KittyKatt Check everyday, twice a day if it makes you feel better. And you know what they say, "the squeeky wheel gets the grease"

I had my 1 year on the 8th but due to a nasty stomach virus I was unable to go, so I went today. I'm down 91 pounds from my revision weight, and 134 from my highest. I had 100% perfect labs, and my surgeon that is normally very to the point called me a "superstar" It just made my day. I also did my measurements and I'm now a 33-28-32. I can wear a size 3 in every brand, and as small as a 0 in some brands. Today was one of the happiest days of my life!!

I have always been the rock in my family. When things go bad my entire family turns to me, and I am usually strong enough to carry everyone through it. I use to do that and then come home and curl up in bed with a book and a 1/2 gallon of ice cream to drown my sorrows, or to sooth my stress. I have ALWAYS been a stress eater and my sleeve has helped that almost completely. A few weeks ago I had a nasty fight with my step-dad, he said some cruel things to my daughter and to me, he has a bad habit of not thinking before speaking and hurting peoples feelings. Well I had just had enough and I as you so very well put it "felt my feelings" and I let him have it. My mom defended him, after he made my 12 year old cry over her new hairstyle, and my mom is my Best Friend. Well when she defended him, some past hurt from her previous marriage (to an abuser) came out, and in the past I would have shoved those feelings back down with a box of Cookies and a quart of milk, without that option I just told her how I felt. When she told my sister how I felt, and what I had said, my sister (who is also morbidly obese) said, well we all felt that way, but Mandy finally said something. It's like she has all this courage now that she is thin. Then my sister called me and said, "way to go standing up to him and mom". I guess the more weight I lose the more my brain to mouth filter shrinks too. I'm not cruel, but I am honest. Sometimes to a fault. But that's how I live my life. I have always been honest, but was really good as sugar coating, and that just isn't happening anymore. I wrote this about 6 weeks post-op and I think in a small way it applies:
why is it that sometimes the thing we fear the most is evaluation of our lives? And self evaluation is the hardest. We are our own worst critics. I know that I look back over my experiences and think what the hell was I thinking? I have made mistakes, and most of them have been a learning experience. Others, well I'm still searching for those lessons. My head swims with thoughts, experiences, conversations, and still I seek more, more knowledge, more value in actions, and more experiences. I don't want my life to come to a conclusion, and I look back on a boring or worse sad life. I want to look back and say, I have lived, and now I'm ok to die. I want to be ready to let go. I don't want to say, wait, I have more to do. I tell people what I think, and never say goodbye without an I love you, to those that matter. I give my heart freely, and without expectation of anything in return. I try to express myself openly and honestly. Can this end in heartbreak? sure, but do we really know we are alive in a perfect world? I think the risks of getting hurt is totally worth it for those times that you discover that people care about you too. What if you didn't say something and the love of your life felt the same way, but was affraid to speak up? It would be tragic to live in that kind of isolation. People always talk about living life to the fullest, but how many have danced in the rain? Or reached out and held hands with a close friend, just to feel them closer? A wise man said that the rain lets you know you are real, and that no matter how wet you get, you will always dry off. That is a soul that really lives life. If you were told tomorrow that you had 6 months to live, would that be enough time to make things right in your life? Do you have a bucket list that is a mile long with nothing checked off? I don't, know why? I live life as it comes, one day at a time. Live, love, laugh....indeed.

I chose the sleeve because I did not like the thought of them rerouting my insides. also because with the sleeve they remove the part of the stomach that produces the hunger hormone. But be aware it is not easy you need to change the way you eat and how you think about food.

POSITION AVAILABLE: Hours: M-F 24/7. No vacation pay. No sick days. No experience required, but must be willing to learn on the job… and put forth a tremendous amount of effort. GREAT BENEFITS.


If you saw that employment ad, would you apply for the job? Most of us would probably be curious…but that business about no vacation days and no days off may lead us to say, “No, thanks!” What if the job opening was for…MARRIAGE? Let's say you would be applying to be a wife or husband? Would you take the job?
What if the job opening was for PARENTHOOD? You'd be applying to be a mother or father. Would you sign on the dotted line?
Those two "jobs," spouse and parent - fit the job description above. You don't get days off from being a mom, dad or spouse - not if you want to be a really good parent or want your relationship to be healthy. You have to show up every day -- whether you feel like it or not.
In 2007, Cari (the Post Op of A Post Op & A Doc) accepted a position that was neither spouse nor parent (although she also held both of those positions). Her new job had the same requirements: 24/7, 365 days a year. Her new position was as a WLS post-op living a life in Recovery From Obesity. Oh, she didn't know it at the time, but living healthy is a full-time job. The benefits have been incredible for her – being able to enjoy improved health, wear cuter (and less expensive) clothes, enjoy activities she couldn’t when carrying excess weight (biking, hiking, and kayaking to name a few), being able to travel with ease, and enjoying an improved self-esteem leading to a more enjoyable work and social life.
Those benefits come with responsibilities, because being healthy is a JOB. Being healthy doesn't just happen. You have to show up and do the work. You don't get to "take a break" because you're tired and you don't get to play hookey or take sick days. If you're sick, you still need to take care of yourself.
Are you treating your obesity like a full-time job, or a hobby?
Recovery From Obesity is a full-time job. What sort of performance evaluation would you give yourself? How would a real-life employer deal with you if you weren’t performing the job duties you signed up for when you accepted the job?
Most employers would give you a warning and expect you to improve your efforts and performance in order to secure your position. If you continued to put forth minimal effort and consequently didn’t meet even minimal performance criteria, you’d eventually be fired.
When you made the decision to have weight loss surgery, you were made aware of the requirements for keeping your weight off: eating healthy foods in healthy portions, drinking lots of Water, and getting exercise on a regular basis, to name a few.
If you’re not following through with the job criteria you accepted when you decided to have weight loss surgery, who’s going to give you a warning? Maybe the doctor or nutritionist – if you attend your follow-up appointments. If you continue to treat your weight loss surgery like a part-time position or hobby, the benefits won’t be part of the package. But who can fire you?
A better option than quitting is to go after that great benefit package the job of healthy living offers and get some ON-THE-JOB TRAINING. Get to support groups, make an appointment with your nutritionist, get into therapy, find a mentor who lives a healthy lifestyle, and commit to your job/yourself. In order to perform better on your job, you need solid instruction on healthy living, eating and thinking.
This on-the-job instruction requires a whole lot more than a single visit to a nutritionist, a stopover at a support group meeting, a session with a surgeon and a 1-hour psych-eval. Yeah. A LOT MORE.
It might take a solid year or more of working with a life coach or personal trainer. It might take regular attendance at 12-Step meetings. It might take annual attendance at educational conferences, targeted toward living fully in Recovery From Obesity. It might take 3-5 years of therapy (we vote "highly likely" on this one)…Heck, It might take ALL of these things, and more.
THINK ABOUT IT: In the past, most obese people did a horrible job of managing a healthy weight. In fact, an employer would have fired The Post-Op (Cari) after moments of observing her on the job, based on how she took care of her health when she was at her highest weight. The idea that anyone would magically and immediately be able to perform the job of taking good care of their health simply by having weight loss surgery seems a bit…far-fetched. Don't you think?
To live fully in Recovery From Obesity, people need regular and ongoing ON-THE-JOB TRAINING. If you want a certificate suitable for framing or perhaps a 90-Day chip from OA, and a smiley face on your lab results as rewards for your efforts – go for it! Positive reinforcement… in non-edible forms!
Recovery From Obesity is a full-time position that requires ON-THE-JOB TRAINING for a long, long time. Understand that the benefits are the result of your very own effort and investment (of both time and money). What sorts of "training" programs are you involved with aiding your "job performance" in Recovery From Obesity?
A Post Op & A Doc have a copy of the Gotta Do ‘Em’s (and a lot more free handouts for you) on our website and on our Facebook page.

These were taken today. The 2 "selfies" were in the doctor's office, and the one with the Water in the background is from his parking garage. I don't mind walking the entire length of the garage with a view like that.
       

I had my 1 year on the 8th but due to a nasty stomach virus I was unable to go, so I went today. I'm down 91 pounds from my revision weight, and 134 from my highest. I had 100% perfect labs, and my surgeon that is normally very to the point called me a "superstar" It just made my day. I also did my measurements and I'm now a 33-28-32. I can wear a size 3 in every brand, and as small as a 0 in some brands. Today was one of the happiest days of my life!!

Wow. Congrats!

Thanks for sharing your pictures!!!!
Congrats!

I had my 1 year on the 8th but due to a nasty stomach virus I was unable to go, so I went today. I'm down 91 pounds from my revision weight, and 134 from my highest. I had 100% perfect labs, and my surgeon that is normally very to the point called me a "superstar" It just made my day. I also did my measurements and I'm now a 33-28-32. I can wear a size 3 in every brand, and as small as a 0 in some brands. Today was one of the happiest days of my life!!

@@piercedqt78
yeahhhhh, and your point is :lol:
you are a great success story!!!!
"Today was one of the happiest days of my life!!"
your lovely smile says it all
but..............be prepared for many, many more happy days
keep up the good work for the rest of your healthier, happier, longer life (i know you will)
welcome to maintennance!!!!
kathy
congrats

Great work!!

That is amazing news! You should be very proud!

Woot Woot! Can't wait to get MY success story going!
Congrats on all the hard work paying off!
Ginger