lauri407

You've done an absolutely fantastic with your weight loss! I have been watching your updates for months and love see your before, during, and after pictures. You really look happy and healthy! I need to check out your blog because I'm now almost at 7 months post-op and need to start exercising. It's so intimidating and I finally bought shoes, and have a workout outfit. Now to just motivate myself to get to the gym. How long did it take you to feel motivated to WANT to go work out or run? Congrats again! Laura

Congratulations! You were one of the first people I saw before/during pictures of and I was excited to learn more about the sleeve surgery via these board and you. I'm so glad I went through with the surgery and hope my success is even as bit as great as yours has been 1 year out!

Pre-op, I was prescribed 25-50mg of Levothryroxine a day. Post-op, they tested my levels and my dosage was increased to 75. I had a really long stall in the month of February and early March, but since then and with the new dosage, my weight loss has been steady. When I go back to my gen doctor next week to get tested again to see if my levels have changed it all. The biggest difference I noticed was my energy level. When I started taking the 75mg dosage, I could stay awake and felt like I had some energy. Previously, no matter how many Vitamins, Protein, or hours of sleep I had, I felt like a wilted flower.

Richmond, VA here. Drinking my Water now... biggest struggle for me the past few weeks. You must be getting excited about your summer surgery!

I miss fish and chips, Chick-fil-A chicken sandwiches, and yeast rolls. That being said, I know this is my mind speaking and I don't need them. I rather wait and eat a proper fish and chips meal than eat a subpar version. I miss drinking during or after eating sometimes. Just depends on what I'm eating.

I had a period for the two weeks of my pre-op diet, had my surgery, and then two weeks later had a period that lasted over 8 weeks. I went to the surgeon and obgyn and they couldn't identify why I was so weak, tired, and had a period that was excessive. My Obgyn put me on birth control (generess fe) 3 pills for 3 days, 2 pills for 2 days, 1 pill for a month and a half straight. After all of that, my bleeding still required a tampon as of three weeks ago. I totally get what you're going through. My hypothyroidism is a bit worse and they dramatically increased my dosage from when I took it a few years ago and started taking it again just last week. They didn't test my B12 and said they would at my 6 month appointment.

I have a really bad sore throat and cough, and had the flu shot, but like you I was worried. I ended up going to an urgent care center and was given some "heavenly" cough medicine (hydrocodone +antihistimine) plus an albuterol inhaler. The cough medicine knocks me out, but my aches, pains, and sore throat are a distant memory when I take it. I've been out of work for two days, but I figured that still being fairly recently out from having wls, I needed to be careful and give myself some time. Go to the doctor's if you can but make sure they are aware of your surgery so they give you medicines that aren't going to react negatively with you and other meds you may be taking. Mine cautioned against antibiotics but was happy to give me medicine to help alleviate some of my symptoms. I hope you feel better soon!

I think you're right! It does help to take a step back and see the big picture. During my first stall that lasted four weeks, I didn't feel that way at all, but now that I'm losing again, I know that during the stall I was able to lose some inches and my clothes were much looser on me. While I'm enjoying watching the numbers on the scale go down, I feel like it's a matter of time before I stall again. I'm not trying to be a negative nelly, but I do think that it will be a pattern of my weight loss, and not a forever stop. Thank you for taking a big picture look at the graph. I enjoy looking at my full graph too. It makes me hopeful when I get to the 3 mo, 6mo, and 1 year mark. :-)

Congrats on onederland! I'm not bruising more, but my bruises are certainly taking longer to go away. I've had some bruises on me for over 3 weeks. I've heard some people say you can "brush" or massage them away but I haven't tried those techniques out.

If any pants felt tight or were rubbing against the incisions, I padded the incisions with loose gauze taped lightly with papertape. I also would unbutton my pants and make sure my shirt or sweater were well over the pants waistline. I sit in an office chair all day at work, so I only had to remember when I got up to do something. It does feel weird the first few days and you will be extra cautious. It's a good thing! Good luck going back to work! Remember to take your time as it's a big adjustment getting back into a routine!

I had my surgery on 1/15 and went up and down a couple of pounds for 4 weeks straight. It sucked big time! At the next surgeon's appt, I showed him my food logs and he told me to knock it down to just 3 meals a day, with no more than 4 oz. He also said to focus on Proteins and getting my liquids in, which most of us know by now. I had to cut out my "snacks" of 1oz. of perky Jerky, frutis, etc. He said to also cut out the soft foods like yogurts, cottage cheese, etc. and focus on real foods. I know that each doctor suggests something different. I've seen some people break a stall by eating 5 smaller meals, some by carb cycling. For me, I have finally started to move back down after sticking to my 3 meals a day. It's what worked for my body. If you can, go back to your surgeon, show your food logs, be honest, and follow the advice of your surgeon and/or dietitian if you can. I hope going back to phase 1 works for you in jump starting the weight loss. Sounds almost like the 5:2 pouch test I've heard about on here that some veterans go back to to reset themselves. Wishing you all the best.

Just wanted to add to this thread that I've currently had a period for over a month. My Ob/Gyn put me on 10 day progesterone and now that I'm done with the pills, my period has become even worse. I'm going through superplus tampons every 1-2 hours. I'm feeling very week. I go to the Ob/Gyn tomorrow and she's talked about going on birth control pills. I have PCOS and am scared about going on birth control pills as I've had issues with fertility. Anyone else going through this? How long did it take to regulate? I'm really hoping this is just estrogen leaving my body, but I wish it would give me a break... I've been on a stall on my weight loss for just as long.

I am trying to find the group, but I'm unable to do so. The group link has changed... try this: http://www.bariatricpal.com/groups/357-autoimmune-sleevers/

I think my eyes just became as big as saucers. My weight has stalled for 3 weeks and while I know that it is typical this early in to my weight loss, I want to try to help get myself out of this stall/plateau. Today was a perfect example of my typical eating and I only had 15 grams of carbohydrates. While I'm averaging about 50-60 oz. of Water, my Protein has been doing pretty well at about 60-80 grams with calories anywhere from 500-700. I like the idea of graham crackers/cream cheese to help get in a few more carbs. Any other ideas? I'm not a yogurt fan.

Sorry about feeding the trolls.. but.. Nancy, throw out the soda. Your drama over drinking soda is way overrated and if you can't handle giving up soda, you seriously need to seek out the help of a counselor before, during, and after VSG surgery. I drank soda every day, and had a serious carb and sugar habit too. In order to use the tool of surgery correctly, I had to follow my surgeon's orders, and cut out all the crap. Almost every single one of us who has been through the surgery has had to go through some kind of withdrawal from a food or drink. We didn't end up here because of healthy habits. We've all seen and heard of the person who messes up a bit during pre-op, and that's "normal" as they confess, learn, and move forward. You seem to be confessing, but then going right back to the bad habit. I hate even replying as it's giving your soda habit more attention than it deserves. Get help from a professional.

I'm so very sorry for your loss and will be thinking and praying for you. I have appreciated learning from you and your posts and hope you take the time you need to come back to us. I'm glad you have support and home. Please also know that we support you as well.

Hi everyone, I had my 2-week post op today and it went pretty well. My surgeon, Dr. Brengman was very happy with my progress and promoted me to soft/mushy/pureed foods. I have a lot of personal issues going on since the week before my surgery, and since it's gotten worse he suggested I seek out the help of a counselor that can help me process those and my feelings regarding surgery/body image. His support was more than I could have ever asked for today. Really meant the world to me. So far (including pre-op) I've lost over 30lbs, so I'm pretty happy with that. I hope to continue to do well and need to focus on myself and my health. For anyone else stressed, anxious, or going through other personal issues, please make sure to make sure to make yourself the priority. This is our chance to be good to ourselves. I hope everyone else is doing well where ever you may be in the VSG process. I've not been able to get all my Protein and Water in, but I'm close to 45-50oz. and he said to just keep trying. We can do this ladies and gents! I'm glad to have my weight loss progress as something to look forward to and the opportunities it will bring me in the coming days, months, and years.

This cracked me up a bit. I came out of surgery and when I was finally in my hospital room, I looked around and wondered why I was even there because I hadn't had surgery. I was so high on painkillers I didn't realize I had had surgery already. I took me looking down my hospital gown to realize I had in fact had five new holes in me. I wish you well in your days before surgery! It IS real!

This definitely happened to me as well. It happened mostly when I was drinking cold Water. I also tried letting water or liquid "roll" into my mouth versus trying to sip/suck it down to make the pain stop. I'm less than a week post-op and still have a little bit, but it is getting better. It doesn't happen when I have a warm chicken or beef broth. Could you tell a difference when the liquid was either really cold or warm?

My husband will be there with me in the morning, but because this is the first week back at college and he just started going, he's going to leave once he has to go for his classes. He has a break in between classes and will be able to relax a little at home, take care of the dogs, etc. He will be back in the evening to spend the evening with me. The next morning he'll most likely leave early so he can run home and then make his classes. I have my mom coming in the day after my surgery to spend time in the hospital with me and to take me home when I get discharged. I've tried to round up a few friends in advance to call, text, and even visit me if they want when I know I'll be there alone. While I'd love for my husband to be with me the whole time, I can't imagine how exhausting that would be, not to mention stressful. The nurse in the seminar in the hospital said that the time in the hospital is just that. It's not a vacation where I can rest and enjoy the time (maybe if I were in Mexico..lol). I will also have my iPad there to keep me busy.

Bless your cotton socks! This does not sound normal. When I had a breast reduction and had two jp drains in me I had some tenderness and some normal "discharge" into the bulb, but nothing like what you experienced. I would definitely try to get an appointment today. I'm so sorry for the pain you are in and will be sending positive vibes your way. I'm hoping you get some relief from the pain soon!

I love this thread! The day I started the two week pre-op diet I was 316 and now with just a few days to go until surgery, I'm down to 300. I'm really hoping to break into the 200s by Wednesday. At first the pre-op was really hard, but I get it now. It not only is shrinking my liver preparing it for surgery, but it's helped prepare me and give me the confidence I needed to know I can do this. I'm full of nervousness and excitement right now. Reading and viewing all these posts help boost my confidence and encourage me!

I'm having surgery in Richmond, Virginia.

I guess I forgot to add myself to this thread. My surgery is on January 15th. A week through the pre-op and no longer have headaches, knock on wood. Having many personal issues at home recently which isn't good, but I'm trying to focus on the positive stuff going on in my life like this surgery. One more week and I'll be on the other side.

You can do this. It's not going to be easy, especially the first week. You are in a few days now so I know you are getting ready to hit the hardest part of this. On day two, I was dying for food, or at least I thought I was. The evil pizza Hut commericials came on and I thought I could smell and taste the pizza on the screen. That pizza would have tasted good for all of five minutes had I really had it in front of me, but it's not worth the chance to become the person is screaming to come alive while I lose this weight. You can do this. Be sure you have some Tylenol in advance to help with withdrawls from caffeine, carbs, and sugar. I went through one day of it and cried myself to sleep the headache was so bad. The next day my husband went to the store and got some and he was a lifesaver for doing that. Be sure to prepare yourself and set yourself up for success. This is great advice from SkinnyGirl. My jaws actually hurt from not being able to chew/crunch, etc. I didn't even think about crunching on ice. Get some of those Mios, Kool Aid, Icee flavor squirt bottles to change up your Water. I wish you the best of luck and remember to keep at it. This is a true test of ourselves and our will power. At my last appt. with my surgeon, he told me that when we get those pangs of hunger where it feels like we would be close to bartering to have a piece of food we aren't supposed to on our plan, that was our shrinking liver (and head) trying to trick us into thinking we need it. You are in control and can make the right decisions. Good luck!