McButterpants

Welcome Jade! Feel free to post about fears, ask your questions, and continue to research. You will find a wealth of information here. You'll find nay sayers in your life - they may be family members, friends, even members of the medical community. Do your research and network here. You'll know when you're ready to commit. Best of luck to you!

Hi there. I think it's perfectly normal to feel that way...I did, for sure. I waffled back and forth many times between August, 2013 and my surgery date, November 14, 2013. Sometimes I thought, "Have you really tried hard enough?" "Can you lose the weight on your own?" "This is so drastic!" I'm now almost 8 months out and I realize, I wasn't going to be able to do it on my own. I tried multiple, multiple times. It's drastic, but I needed drastic! This was the best decision I could have made for me. I'm happy I wen thru with it. Only you can decide if you're ready - this is a life-changer. Do your research. Do some soul-searching. Continue to network with other sleevers. You'll know if it's right for you. Best of luck!

I had my surgery on an outpatient basis - in admitting at 6:00 am and in the car at 12:30 heading home. I think this is becoming more popular. My local doctor was horrified when I told her (I was self pay, so went to a surgeon in another state, then follow ups with local doc who also performs surgery). She keeps her patients in the hospital for 3 days. I'm not saying I wasn't nervous about the outpatient thing, I was. We scoped out which hospital is closest (5 minutes) and had the doc's personal cell number on hand, just in case of complications.

You're recovering from major surgery! You will get tired, but each day you will get stronger and feel better. Hang in there - keep working on getting in your Protein and your fluids. Be kind to yourself - if you need to nap or rest, do it. Also, if you are able to cleared, walk. Starting to get into shape will help with your energy as you heal.

Have you talked to your doctor about thrush?

My doc only allowed walking (non-treadmill) till 6 weeks. After that, no restrictions on activity. I walked a lot and did the elliptical at the gym as well as incorporated strength training.

Awesome sauce!!!!!!!

I started shedding in the 2nd month, got really bad 3rd month and finally started slowing down in the 7th month. Some days were horrifying in the shower! I started seeing regrowth around month 5 - so I was losing and regrowing at the same time. I have a lot of regrowth now and it's an awesome sight! My doc said, "anything you lose due to surgery will grow back." I was skeptical in the beginning because I was losing so much, but it appears to be the case.

As @@Kindle writes - everyone is different. I took 2 pain pills on days 3 and 4 after surgery and it was so I could sleep more than about pain management. I felt more discomfort than actual pain. The discomfort would subside when I walked. My pain level was less than recovering from my c-section.

I think what you're feeling is perfectly normal - I know I did. This is a life changing decision; it's also a life-changer. I waffled back and forth many times during the process - thinking maybe I should try to lose it on my own one more time. I even thought of backing out the morning of surgery while in admitting. You have to be committed - committed to changing your lifestyle. Only you can determine if you are ready. Ask yourself why you want to do this. What is motivating you. Are you committed to hard work this entails? This isn't easy - it's hard work. This is a lifelong commitment.

I think we have found a new transfer addiction! LOL So cute.

Ahhh the food funerals! I had many before I started my pre-op diet....so many that I decided to start my pre-op diet a day early. I had lots of pastas, pizzas, steaks, etc. leading up to my pre-op diet. The night before my surgery, my doc gave me the green light to eat anything I wanted. I was shocked - no restrictions other than no all you can eat buffets (we were in Las Vegas) and "don't overdo the red meat". My husband and I were shocked. We asked twice to make sure! That night we had a wonderful dinner - the decision making was hard...Mexican? Italian? Burgers and fries? We decided on Italian - it was awesome and it really had little do with the actual food, it was more about the experience. Slowly eating our appetizer (stuffed peppers) and really talking and connecting. Then on the main course (chicken and penna w/ white sauce for me) where we took samples off each other's plate. Then dessert - we ordered two, but didn't all of it. It was amazing! The funny thing about the food funerals or saying goodbye to food...it wasn't necessary. I really don't care about those kinds of foods any more. I still get enjoyment out of food and I can eat lots of different kinds of food (I have a sleeve of steel - the only thing that bothers my stomach is my bariatric Vitamins and lettuce). Food doesn't rule my life any more - it's fantastic! So, enjoy your last meal...savor it. Enjoy it with friends or family or significant other. It's not necessarily good bye, maybe "see you later". :-)

Sounds like a wonderful holiday and, of course we missed you! Life isn't the same without our Revs! I can sympathize about the sunburned scalp - had that happen a couple of times this summer already...makes shampooing a new adventure in pain. Welcome back, pretty lady!

Good luck @@tamalyn! I think going to a trainer is your best bet...one because you risk injury if you try to go it alone, but also, if you set an appointment with a trainer, you're more apt to go to the gym. Same goes for a workout buddy - you'll cancel on yourself, but not another person who is relying on you to go. Great job and keep up the good work!

Interesting responses! I'm 5'3" - with a muscular build...all ass and legs. At my high weight of 256, I was a 20 because I refused to purchase a 22. Ahhh, denial! At about 200, I was able to get into 16's comfortable. I'm 184 now and a comfortable 14 (they are getting a little loose) and a medium or large top.

I got one from my surgeon, but I have never used it. At almost 8 months out I usually split my husband's meal (actually about 80% for him and 20% for me). I just ask for a 2nd plate and haven't had any issues. If he wants something I don't want, I just order a full portion and bring most of it home for leftovers. Also, ordering off the appetizer menu helps, too.

Hello there, my fellow PCOS'r! I'm almost 8 months post op...I'm much older than you (44 years old). I commend you for starting your journey now and not losing many years like I did. I went into this hoping my only regret is that I didn't go thru the surgery sooner and that is my only regret. I was diagnosed with PCOS and metabolic syndrome a few years ago - I finally found a doctor that would listen to me and she wanted me to get better. I would only have a few periods a year - some say I was lucky, but OMG, they were bad and I would lose days to feeling bad. I, too, looked forward to a life of gaining more and more weight and feeling increasingly bad physically, not to mention the mental/emotional struggles that came along with that. Since surgery, WOW, what a difference. Almost immediately I started feeling better. I chucked the Metformin about 2 weeks before surgery (with my doc's approval). My periods are now like clockwork and not bad or painful any more. My acne which I've had since about 13 years old is gone - my skin is clear. I feel strong and have more energy than I have had in my adult life. As for carb cravings - I was a carboholic pre-surgery. Now, they aren't important to me. I used to love bread - good crusty artisan bread. Now, I really don't care if I have it or not. Bread actually makes my stomach feel bad. I went to Olive Garden the other night and had 1/2 a breadstick - I didn't enjoy it. I would have never thought that a year ago. Pasta no longer has it's clutches in me - I can eat a couple of bites of it, but prefer chicken, it just feels better on my stomach. I don't care if I have another potato, but I still enjoy a french fry or tater tot every once in a while. Tortilla chips are a slider for me - I can eat a lot of those, so I just keep them out of the house. hair growth has slowed down a bit, but it's still there and I still have to tweeze. It's OK though - I'll take the good with the bad. Best of luck to you. Again, I admire the fact you're doing this while you're young. You're going to do great!

Congratulations! This is just the beginning! You're going to feel better every day and you're going to have new experiences all the time!

I'm jealous of you guys that can eat salads. I miss them so much. I can eat maybe 1/2 cup of lettuce - that's it. It does not agree with me. I know people that can eat cups full of salad.

I'm amazed at how much my life revolved around food when I was pre-op...Now, while I still enjoy food, but it doesn't rule every thought. I don't think about it all the time like I did a year ago.

Agree with above - it's probably acid. Talk to your doc about a proton pump inhibitor, that may help. Newly sleeved folks often confuse the acid feeling with hunger. My "hungry feeling" is much different post op than it was pre-op and I had to learn to identify it. Once I realized that the acid feeling wasn't hunger and got that under control it was easier. Hunger now feels more like "empty" if that makes sense. I also know when I should be hungry - about every 3-4 hours. If it's before that, it's probably acid and I pop a Tums and it goes away. As far as when to stop when you're full - I do a hiccup/burp sort of thing or my nose runs. Those are my signals that I"m getting close. I can eat a couple of bites after that then I have to stop. When I was early out like you, I ate on the clock. Every 3 hours I ate something or had a shake. One thing that helped me with getting my Protein in was drinking protein-fortified hot chocolate when I couldn't stand the thought of another shake. (www.mybariatricpantry.com) They have 15 grams of protein, so not as much as a shake, but more than could consume with food. I hope this helps! Best of luck to you.

I have tears in my eyes and a smile on my face. You're a beautiful person and it has nothing to do with your weight. You are a kind and generous person and I happy and proud to call you "friend". You've come a long way, baby. Absolutely beautiful. Thanks for posting your pics!

My hair loss/shedding started at just over 2 months and just slowed down at just over 7 months. The worst of it was in month 4. My doc said, "Anything you lose due to surgery will grow back." I'm seeing a lot of new growth - so much so, it's hard to style, but I don't mind one bit. My doc approved Biotin and Folic Acid - for regrowth, not for stopping the loss. I also use Nioxin shampoo and conditioner (it dries out the scalp, so I use moisturizing shampoo a couple of times a week). Toppik will cover the real thin spots (go their website - the product works just like in the videos, it's awesome - seems expensive, but I'm still on my first bottle). I also had to resort to a shorter cut to mask all the loss. I can tell you this - even with the hair loss, I am so glad I had the surgery...It's totally worth it, especially since I'm seeing all the new growth.

Yep - I'm a November sleever, too...feel the same way. I chalked it up to fatigue. Some days I don't want to be a weight loss surgery patient any more. I don't want to have to eat Protein all day long. The other days I wanted a drink of Coke! Look at how far you've come in the past 7 months! It's amazing. I hear you, my sista! We're going to get thru this, though. I want to lose faster. I have about 25-30 pounds more and I'm losing so slow that I think I'll be an old lady when I finally lose it all! LOL. Tomorrow is another day, however. We'll get up in the morning and go to battle again. Hang in there - we'll get thru this!