VSGAnn2014

What a GREAT piece by Kai Hubbard. Just GREAT!

No matter how people treat us, it's up to us to draw clear boundaries and honor those boundaries ourselves and to ensure that others honor them, too. If you're having trouble drawing those boundaries or honoring them enforcing others to honor them, perhaps counseling can help you learn how to do a better job of all that . Good luck to you. You can take back back control of your own life and your dignity.

Glad you're on the mend, CGJ. It sucks to be sick. Spring, come on!

Congratulations to you. You have given yourself such a magnificent gift. And you're kind to volunteer your help to others. Huzzah!

I dunno about you guys, but I'm 69 years old. Do you know that the way I look today is probably the dewiest I will look for the rest of my life? Compared to 5 years from now, 10 years, 15 years from now ... I look f**king AMAZING! It is time-time-time-time-time-time for us to live in the present. Today really is all we ever have. I wish I had a magic wand I could zap all you guys and me with that would help us constantly be aware of this. Living here and now truly is the secret to happiness -- not weighing 10 pounds less or having 5% less body fat. After all, look at all the gifts and potential gifts we've already given ourselves by having WLS. Couldn't we just give ourselves this other gift, too?

What if Jesus is a fatty?

Told 3 people -- my husband and 2 friends who live 1,000 and 2,000 miles away. Do it your way.

Glad it's going better for you this time. Yup, first three days were the toughest.

Why the big deal about cake? Just skip it. If blowing out a candle is your thing, put a candle on a saucer and blow it out. Then fantasize about how great you'll feel on your next birthday. I just skipped the whole thing this year.

There's a lot of common wisdom in the idea that it's easier to diet if you just eat the same thing every day. Same thing for Breakfast, same thing for lunch, same thing for dinner. If I were you, I'd do this -- to keep myself out of the refrigerator and the kitchen any more than I already have to be in there. Breakfast - Protein drink Lunch - Protein Drink Dinner - Lean Cuisine or something similar (yes, I know it's not the most nutritious thing in the world, but she won't die between now and March 10 eating box dinners.) Snack - something sugar-free, like chocolate pudding If that doesn't work for you, no problems -- just figure out something you can stand that you could eat that totals 1,000 calories a day for the next 3 weeks. Good luck.

I'm 6 months post-op, and I now drink wine. But never more than 3-4 ounces, and I drink it very slowly -- usually over a couple of hours. The alcohol seems to hit me a little harder and faster than it used to (or it certainly would if I drank 4 ounces during an hour's time as I did pre-op). I've not had beer yet, due to the carbonation warnings. And probably won't for a long time. Besides, beer's just not my thing. However, I've read of many WLS patients online who do have the occasional beer and don't overdo it. 11 weeks out is about 2-1/2 months. If I were you, I'd hold out until 3 months. And then try a quarter or half a beer at home -- not in public, so you know how your new tummy will react to it. And yes, I've read about the dangers post-op of carbonation, transfer addictions, etc.

Sharon, I should have said this earlier, but ... You're a wonderful writer. Respect.

Yeah, niacin shortage doesn't make much sense to me. BTW, VSG patients aren't instructed to take niacin separately, although 100% of a day's niacin needs are in the Multivitamin I take. People do die of niacin deficiencies. They tend to be people who live in poverty, are alcoholics, and are generally malnourished. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niacin

I'm with B-52. There's a thread on this forum about a WLS patient who encountered (at her PCP's office) a medical student who's job-shadowing the doctor. Here's what the medical student said to the patient when the doctor was not in the room: "Automatically her face changes and she gives me the most snooty look and says, "Are you sure you really want to [have WLS]?" Like, "Have you researched it???" "Right now you are [losing weight] the 'right' way." She then follows with, "You may think that WLS is appealing, but the long term effects are horrible." http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/332860-rant-%F0%9F%98%A1%F0%9F%98%A1%F0%9F%98/ Did I mention that this was the reaction of a MEDICAL student? And once again, this is why, like B-52, I have not told friends and family, other than hubby and 2 very dear friends. I don't have the time, the energy, the patience, or the interest to educate my friends and family who are lovely people, but grossly ignorant about WLS. I have even less interest in becoming the WLS poster child of my professional and personal communities.

Information that's accurate should always trump uninformed fear. It really should.

Of course, the people on these shows who've had WLS and don't lose weight should never have had the surgery. So why did they have WLS? Because they were paid to have surgery. Why was that? Because the producers wanted to design a schadenfreude freak show that outrages viewers, which increases ratings. FTR, the producers of these shows have NO other motivation than to make money. Everything that happens on these shows and in viewers' responses is aligned with that simple goal. That is all. There's no "educational value," no "motivational value," no higher purpose at all. And worst of all, these awful shows propagate the myths that those who have WLS have to weigh 500 pounds or more pre-op, suffer from extreme, untreatable psychological pathologies, or are just plain weird. Think about it: What proportion of the people on this board resemble the WLS patients on those shows? Sheesh!

Sorry, but I know nothing about this. Couldn't you get your two doctors on the phone together for a consultation -- to collaborate? Very best to you!

WHAT! THE! f**k! I really can't believe that happened. If that'd been me, I'd have thrown her out of the room. I mean it. Thrown her out of the room. And maybe changed doctors.

Feel better soon, CGJ.

Good for you. I hope the rest of this phase goes easier, as it did for me after Day Three. I just fantasized my brains out during that phase -- imagining how much better everything would be a year later. During the pre-op, I was soooo ready to get the show on the road. And what's really wild is how fast the last 6 (post-op) months have gone. I can hardly believe how much has changed for me. And all good.

@@Rogofulm ... you've really done great. Just sayin'.

I'm always amazed when I hear someone say they feel guilty about not telling the world their business. And then they make it an issue of "conscience." Just gobsmacks me.

Only you can know (from what and how much you're eating) if you're in an actual stall -- or if you're just learning how to eat around your sleeve. And if you really don't know which it is, then I urge you to journal your food intake and find out. My Fitness Pal works great for me. FYI -- I lost 9-11 pounds each of the first four months. Then lost 7 pounds in Month Five. In Month Six I lost 5 pounds. The factors involved in that slowdown for me were: (1) I'm 73 pounds lighter now than when I started and (2) during Month Five I ramped up my daily calories from 800 to 1,000 to gradually turn up my metabolism. I expect it'll take me another 3 months to lose the last 12 pounds before I reach my goal of 150 pounds. Good luck.

In situations like this, I've noticed that if I'm "leaking" information (like it sounds like you were on the phone with your grandma) that I'm trying to get my own needs met while being a bit passive-aggressive about it. I'd say be very honest with yourself about why you are agonizing over this and whose needs are greater here (no judgment at all): yours or hers. Your analysis could go either way. But don't lie to yourself -- just tell yourself the truth. Best wishes.