The Candidate

How bad was the pain?

Congrats! Those first months are wonderfully magical. You will have many more celebration days coming your way. WLS is for me, the closest thing out there to the fountain of youth. You expect to feel better, but you're completely overwhelmed by how it will positivity affect so many other aspects of your life: your mobility, stamina, confidence, belief in yourself and so many others. WLS isn't just a cold sterile procedure. It's your life 2.0 reboot and a second chance to get it right this time around. It's just going to get better and better!

That's great progress! Congrats!

A lot of things change when you become a post op. Sometimes you might feel a little lost too. But the further out you get the more you'll start to understand with how your new body works. Spending time here on the forums, YouTube, and searching for other WLS blogs helps a lot to fill in the blanks. Best of luck!

Well it's been over a year for me but I think I was still wearing the steri strips and gauze at that point. I'd check with your doctor about what you can apply to it over the counter.

It'll be here before you know it! Congrats!

Glad to hear you're feeling better. ????

This is the perfect time to pamper and remind yourself that you are worth this! Great idea!

It's kind of hard to distinguish the difference, but I would guess it's a lot more head hunger than physical hunger at this point. The cravings were wicked for me the first month or so. If you don't give in you'll discover that they will start to lessen after awhile. Try and distract yourself, and stick to your post op instructions. This journey is as much mental as it is physical. Good luck!

I had a catheter in the hospital. It's quite normal to be peeing like a race horse this early out.

You look lovely and the height of perfect health! Congrats! You are what all of us aspire to achieve. Happy 3 year mark!

Good for you! Getting up and about is the best thing to speed along recovery. The naps help too. ????

Now related to this post... I've been quite surprised about how little sagging skin I have, especially with my stomach. I'm still planning on plastic surgery, but if I didn't have it, I could get by. HW: 248. CW: 130

Not related to this post, but I just wanted to say: Wow! Congrats on how very far you've come. That's amazing! ????

The stretchy bands are also good for your arms.

You should seriously consider consulting. I hope things improve for you very soon. Best of wishes.

I'm so very happy to hear this news! Congrats!

You look incredible! If I saw you on the street I would never believe you ever had a weight problem. Congrats!

In those last few days before surgery, my happiness and excitement completely overwrote any lingering fears. I had a hard time keeping a smile off my face as they wheeled me in. I knew my life was finally going to change forever, and that fat would no longer be my defining word. Commit to this change with every Fiber of your being and I promise you that you will never look back again. I can't adequately describe how much better my life is now than it was before surgery. And please make sure you take plenty of before pics, along with your measurements. Congrats and best of luck!

Your outside appearance changes a lot faster than your internal view of yourself, especially if you've been fat your entire life. It can take a long time to mesh the new thinner person in the mirror with the old fat person in your head. I'm still having problems coping with this issue.

Stupendous NSV! Congrats!

I guesss because ive done all my research on the sleeve i havent looked at RNY..... Kinda scares me.Understandable. You should definitely stick to whatever you feel the most comfortable with, there's no right or wrong whichever way you go. ????

It's not quite the same situation, but I had to sign a waiver before surgery saying that I understood that when they opened me up and for whatever reason determined that medically I had to have a sleeve over RNY it would be okay. I actually think this is quite common whichever procedure you choose upfront. If I had woken up and found out that I'd been given the sleeve, I would have been equally happy. However if they won't do the sleeve in your case, and you are dead set against the RNY, than maybe self pay is an option for you. Just remember that you might have to sign the same kind of waiver I did. I actually think it's pretty common nowadays. Good luck!

So happy to hear all is going so well. Congrats!