antigone40

Im down 105 now since 8/18/14

This was early Jan...UNBESLEEVEABLE

Damn yourself ;}

Forgive me but damn...

Ahh, just would like to share a little more of my journey !:
The past six months have transcended my highest hopes.
This surgery was, by far, the greatest decision Ive ever pursued.
I started out as a miserable, girl hidden within a body that served as a prison.
And after shedding over 100lbs in under 6 months, after not being able to walk on a treadmill for 20 minutes to now being able to RUN ... FAST for 45mins - 1 hour.
After squeezing into size 20 jeans to Now having my size 12 jeans starting to fall off of me.
I am finally free. My body is , for the first time EVER, matches the mental image i have had of myself. One day I was walking towards a shop and the reflection in the glass startled me. I was wondering why there was a pretty, thin looking, woman coming towards me ?
It was me. I had not recognized myself.
By the end of this months I will be a proud member of ONEDERLAND!! (Only THREE pounds away!!) .
My sister had her VSG done one month before me. My two cousins had gotten there VSGs done in December & one in February. Therefore I have had the best support system i could have ever imagined.
One girl who was my friend completely ignored my calls & such immediately after I was released from hosp after surgery . She was always morbidly obese & I think she was just upset that she wasnt able to be approved for her surgery (she was opting for sleeve)
Months go by and have not heard from her . Then recently she adds me on twitter and tumblr writing all these things like 'I am so glad I didnt get the surgery like u taking the easy way out , u are a weak freak haha' . Mind you this girl is 5'0 and over 300lbs. I laughed even though it got under my skin. Certainly this surgery is no easy way out.
Well yeah

Oops I meant to say "surgery " goal weight ! Gotta love auto-correct!

My doctor stated that I don't have to start the pre op diet until 2 weeks prior to surgery. My birthday is April 26, so I'm having a blow out this year.

May 26th is my surgery date! Very Anxious..wish it was here already. How has your journey been so far pre-op?

Interested to see the awesome group that will be going through this journey with me at the same time. Please reply so that I can follow your journey as well. My last weigh in is on April 15 and surgery date will either be May 11 or May 18.

I lost 7 pounds the first week and only 0.4 the second week, so I was right where you are. I was frustrated and concerned the same way you are too. But, you know what? A couple months out, it finally sank in that it doesn't matter how fast I lose the weight. This isn't a race. This isn't a diet. When I'd been on diets in the past, I always wanted to lose weight as fast as possible so I would be "done" sooner. This is a whole new ballgame. I'll never be "done" with my sleeve. Whether it takes 6 months or 16 months for me to reach my goal, I will get there and I will stay there. I've now lost 42 pounds since surgery. I have about 40 pounds to go still, but I really am in no hurry. The scale is trending down and that's good enough for me.
There are some advantages to losing weight more slowly, btw. You don't have to replace your clothes as often. You don't have to answer as many questions about how you are losing weight so fast. Your skin has more of a chance to recover and adapt. It's not all bad!

I was taking Alleve or Advil......a few weeks before surgery I had to stop, and since surgery I my knees have been much better.......besides arthritis (not RA), I am missing cartiledge.....

My story is probably like a many others. First came the depression from just another of the many failed yo-yo diets. Then I started losing my center of gravity from lack of strength thus falling down stairs or injuries at the gym. Osteoarthritis and degenerative disc disease of the spin followed quickly behind. Then, lack of sex with the spouse led to low self-esteem. Diabetes followed that, and then the last straw...optic neuropathy. Okay, I can deal with a lot but going blind??? Hell no. I didn't have to get super large to make my mind up. I had to start losing my eyesight for me to "see" the light.
Surgery was this past Thursday and I am resolved. People have the nerve to tell me I don't have will power. They just don't know what they’re talking about. People who have gained and lost 70+ pounds multiple times have will power...more than most. I don't need skinny people giving me unsolicited and uneducated advice. I need smart people, who have been through what I have been through, giving me smart advice. That's why I posted...to talk to "real" people...who know...

For me, I started out my journey totally certain that I wanted bypass, but about 1/2 way through the pre-op insurance requirements I realized that the re-routing of the intestines was not really something I wanted. The reason I chose the bypass initially was because I thought you could lose more weight with it. I decided at that point that if having bypass meant I lost 100 pounds, and having the sleeve meant I lost only 75 pounds, no big deal....if I had the tool I could work harder to get those extra few pounds off. Turns out my concerns were moot because I have lost 140 pounds with the sleeve and never regretted my decision for a minute!

I have the same co-morbidities. I was sleeved Sept. 26th at a Bariatric Center of Excellence. The doctor said my diabetes would go away in 3 - 4 days. It went away in 2! He said the sleep apnea and non-alcoholic fatty liver would go away in 3 - 4 months. I never wanted my insides re-routed or the dumping you get because of the removal of the pyloric valve with bypass. I also didn't want the higher level of aftercare necessary to make sure I didn't develop Vitamin or mineral deficiencies. I was sleeved on a Friday morning. By Sunday morning I felt as though no surgery had happened! VERY happy I chose the sleeve.

I'm having RNY... it's interesting because I've had several (non-medical) people ask me why I don't have the sleeve or the band. Their thought process being that "I'm not that big" since I only have about 110lbs to get rid of. I think many, supportive friends and family outside the WLS loop want to see us happy and healthy with the least possible side effects. What they don't take into account are the long term benefits.
I'm already taking an over-the-counter stomach acid reducer that doesn't work so great (by the way, isn't it clever marketing that I know the meds don't work well but I still continue to purchase them!) So one reason I'm going RNY is for the reflux benefits. I can't wait for the first day I realize I don't have reflux! I won't promise anything, but sometimes I like to Celebrate by dancing horribly in front of my girls.
Another reason is that I know I have a food addiction. I'm an active member of a 12 step program and have been for a few years. In recovery, you know you'll always and forever be recovering. I don't think I'll ever be cured, but I do think I can use tools that help me stay on track. I look at WLS as a tool. And since I have a few options on which tool I can use, I'm choosing "the gold standard" (que the trumpet blasts, do-do-do-dah!) This tool overall has some of the best long-term research and it has a possible negative consequence (dumping) built in that may help me if I make a less than stellar choice in what I consume.
These are my reasons, though. I like reading why others have chosen a certain path because it helps me to reevaluate what I think and sometimes challenges things I suppose to be correct. Best of luck to you, I know it's coming up fast!

You can still get dumping syndrome. I am 2 weeks and 4 days out and if I eat something sweet, even applesauce, it can go right though me. Even Peanut Butter made me feel ill since it is high in fat. Each person is different and some with bypass can still eat candy and sugar and not be affected.

Please know, diabetes being gone instantly does not happen for all RNY patients. In very well may go into remission over time but there is no guarantee. About 75% see the diabetes go into remission. Do not expect it to be gone instantly. If your doc is promising this, he is misleading you. Also, it is not cured. It will come back with weight gain. Regain is rather common so, a true diet change for life is needed.
Below is a link to an article. It states only 30% of diabetic patients leave the hospital with no medication but, it could resolve within days to weeks. It does take months for some patients as well, however. My sister, for example took about 9 months to come off all meds. The time you have had it and the severity of it both are factors in determining when and if it will resolve.
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-789X.2010.00802.x/full

It seems to me that different surgeons have different opinions. I discussed band vs sleeve initially. The surgeon said they'd had a lot of success with the sleeve and no longer considered it just an intermediate stage for very large people before they went on to have the bypass. I thought the sleeve sounded less drastic than the bypass because there's no re-routing involved and therefore there should be less malabsorption. Also re band vs sleeve the sleeve should help more with type 2 diabetes and with the sleeve the part of your stomach that produces ghrelin, the 'hunger hormone' is removed.
However, by the time my surgery was scheduled there was a new surgeon with very different opinions. I met him just before surgery when it was too late to change things without cancellation and long delays. Basically he said that the sleeve was just as drastic as the bypass with the disadvantage that it couldn't be reversed whereas the bypass can be. That scared me a bit because obviously with the bypass you still have 'spare stomach' inside you whereas with the sleeve he was going to take away 90% of my stomach and that would be gone forever.
It seemed to me that he had taken over the other surgeon's list and didn't necessarily agree with the choices made. However, to be honest I've never heard of a bypass being reversed - I don't know whether anyone else here has?
I went ahead with the sleeve and am 4 weeks out now and don't regret it so far. I'm certainly never hungry and that's a bonus although I realise that this will probably change the farther out from surgery I get.
Good luck with everything whichever choice you make.

Well I've been accepted but unsure whether to go did the full bypass or sleeve. .... The weight losses seem to be the same ....?

i'm 50. i've only been sleeved for a little over 4 weeks. I've had to make changes in my life and i will never eat the same again. Would i have the surgery again with what I know now? I'd have it without question.
I've proven in the past that I can take off 50 pounds with just a bit of effort. Problem is, it always comes back. The sleeve gives me a fighting chance this time.

Do not regret a single thing! I also don't regret the timing. I did it when I was ready. It's been awesome, 110%.

I'm 41 (pushing 42) and I needed to lose at least 100 lbs. I've lost 90 in 8 months. It's the best gift I EVER gave myself. I don't regret the surgery or the power it has given me to control what I eat. I have my life back.

Only regret not doing it sooner. since march I'm down almost 90 lbs and probably added 10 years to my life.

Only regret is that I didn't do it sooner!
When I stopped to be honest with myself - I wasn't going to "seriously diet one more time." Sure, I could have...and I probably would have, eventually, gained that weight back (again). C'est la vie. I can donate a portion of my stomach to the HazMat container if it means I can get healthy, once and for all!

I, too, have become very open about my decision. I originally thought that I was going to keep my decision to my immediate family but thinking of ways to explain my 2 week absence from work and then eventual weight loss was weighing (pardon the pun) on me. I am such an open, honest person that is was just easier for me. So far everyone has been supportive. I am sure some don't agree but they have kept those opinions to themselves. I truly hope that I am so successful that I can be a mentor to friends who might want to go this route.