Proud2BMe

The only regret I have is not having this surgery done sooner. I actually feel like I'm finally normal as I'm finally eating normal sized food portions. For example, a normal food portion of pizza is 1 slice. Yet before I would eat an entire large pizza. I truly feel the surgery saved my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

@@Proud2BMe Glad to see your post! Hope you are doing well - think about you often! Stay strong!

The only regret I have is not having this surgery done sooner. I actually feel like I'm finally normal as I'm finally eating normal sized food portions. For example, a normal food portion of pizza is 1 slice. Yet before I would eat an entire large pizza. I truly feel the surgery saved my life and I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Some stalls can last a long time. You need to shock your system. First make sure you are eating enough calories. If you have too few calories your body will cling on to fat instead of burning it. Then check to make sure you aren't eating too many carbs. Carbs will sabotage your weight loss. Finally, makes sure you are exercising because there are indeed people here who complain about weight loss stalls who do not do any exercise. Finally you can try to shock your system. One easy way is to eat lots of carbs for a couple of days and then go to no carbs. The sudden shock can break a stall. Keep in mind that you will experience all the withdrawals of going without carbs, such as headache, fatigue, feeling of faint, irritability, etc., until you reach ketosis. If you already consuming carbs then cut out all carbs right now. This works for me.

My experiences are completely opposite. Before surgery, on drink would have got me buzzed with red cheeks. After surgery I can drink like a horse and practically nothing. Not even red cheeks. This weekend I went out and had 8-10 drinks and was not drunk. My friend who went with me and who had the same number of drinks but does not have the sleeve was wasted and was falling and puking everywhere.

Well, it's been a while since I posted here. I thought I would come clean and admit that I've developed an alcohol addiction. I knew the risks but I never thought it would happen to me.
For the past month I've been drinking every day, mostly whisky. I drink first thing upon waking up and then hit a few shots each hour. I've been drinking at night until I pass out.
It started because of tooth pain. I had some left over lortabs and was using those but when those ran out I was still in pain. So I turned to alcohol. Previously, I only drank when I went out on Fridays and Saturday, if I went out at all. So I'm officially hooked now. And alcohol effects me completely differently after surgery than before. Before just one single drink would leave me flushed and stupified. Today I can drink like a gallon (over-estimation) and be fine. I no longer get hot or flushed from drinking and it takes a lot to make me drunk. I think the surgery effected my metabolism somehow.
Anyway, I'm living proof that this can happen to those of us who have had the surgery. The only "good" news is that I haven't gained any weight. That actually surprised me. But I guess I haven't been eating much. Then again, I haven't lost any weight either. I'm still 14 lbs away from my goal weight.
I thought about getting professional help but my friends think I don't need it because I haven't been drinking like this for long. They want me to taper off. I have been drinking like 5 or 6 shots before work and my best friend says to slowly taper it off to just one shot before work before trying to cut it out completely.

Four years ago my best friend casually commented to me that I needed to lose weight and was too big to do it through diet and exercise. She suggested I get bariatric surgery. I was devastated and highly offended. I thought bariatric surgery was for losers who couldn't do it on their own. At my highest point I was at 388 lbs.
Then I developed heart problems which I was scared would end up killing me. I was a chain smoker and transitioned to e-cigs after my grandmother died from COPD complications.
In late 2014 it just dawned on me one day that my friend was right. I couldn't do it on my own. So I began to research bariatric surgery. I settled on gastric sleeve and began to look for places in my area. After exhausting my search as the expense was too great (I didn't have insurance) I decided on going to Tijuana. I joined Bariatric Pal and began researching everything with a passion. I also began saving up. About 8 months later I had enough money saved and finalized my plans. I was sleeved on May 12, 2015. Fast forward and I feel as if I've been reborn. I'm not the same person. This has completely changed my life. I've lost 176 lbs to date and should be at goal in maybe a couple of months.

Well, I've seen both sides of the coin on this topic. I've seen rude replies and I've seen innocent replies that some overly-dramatic person takes offense too. You can't please everyone so if the mods are doing their jobs then it should not be a problem. A mod should be able to read a reply and tell if the poster is being rude or if someone is just overreacting.

Bandages and duct tape, it's what a lot of lesbians and FTM transgendered individuals often use.
However, it's probably best to just save up for gynocomastia surgery.

Agree. Have them retest. For the overwhelming majority of pre-diabetics or recently diagnosed diabetics the surgery will clear it up. I was told patients who have been diagnosed within two years have the highest chances of being cured.

Saw it on FB and I commented that she needs weight loss surgery and not Weight Watchers. People came out of the woodwork to attack me with the standard misinformed and ignorant crap about the surgeries.
I'm really despising Oprah and how she is fooling people for profit. She isn't in control of herself and needs the surgery too.

@@SimplySharon
The point is that you should have already been made aware that you might die during surgery. If anyone is going into this without understanding that there is risk for surgery then please realize that you have not researched this enough. No surgery is 100% safe. However, you need to do some soul searching to find out if the risk is worth it or not. Many people who chicken out of having the surgery will go on to die of an obesity-related illness. For example, I knew a woman in the early 2000s who canceled her gastric bypass within days of doing it. She lived for 2 more years and died of a heart attack brought on by the fact that she was morbidly obese, weighing over 400 lbs. So don't think that you are safe by canceling your surgery. You just need to be aware that there is a risk of death and a risk for complications. If you feel the benefits outweigh the risk then go ahead and do it. The majority of people do fine with gastric sleeve. This board is filled with people who have had the surgery and are pleased with the results. Speak to your doctor if you have any more concerns.

@@SuninVirgo
You don't know what the health of the person is going into surgery. Not every death is from negligence. In fact most surgery-related deaths are natural, part of the risk of having surgery. Simply being obese puts you at a greater risk for dying during surgery. Did you know that? The higher your BMI the greater your risk of death. If you are diabetic or have high blood pressure then your risks for death during or shortly after surgery are even higher. Then again, even healthy people sometimes die in surgery. I've heard of a case of a healthy 20 year old guy who had a heart attack when given anesthesia and died. So this belief that surgery should be 100% safe is simply not correct. Whichever doctor you chose will let you know that there is a risk of death. No doctor can promise you that you will not die or will not experience any complications. There are things you can do to lessen your risk of death. If you are diabetic or have high blood pressure, get it under control before having surgery. Follow the pre-op diet and lose as much weight as possible before surgery. If you plan your surgery for a month or longer into the future don't wait until two weeks before your surgery to start your diet. Start your diet right then and there. The lower your weight at surgery the higher your chance of surviving.

People seem to forget that death is always a risk with surgery. Patients who have comorbidities, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, lung problems, etc., are at a greater risk than those who do not have such issues. The risk of death is small for a relatively healthy person. However, every patient needs to be aware of the risks before going into this.

Well, I've seen both sides of the coin on this topic. I've seen rude replies and I've seen innocent replies that some overly-dramatic person takes offense too. You can't please everyone so if the mods are doing their jobs then it should not be a problem. A mod should be able to read a reply and tell if the poster is being rude or if someone is just overreacting.

@@Proud2BMe - I'm really happy to hear you've made such great progress. Keep up the good work. I also encourage you to stay really open and honest with yourself about this. I believe that some people genetically are at more risk for alcoholism than others. Add in the high risk from the WLS and that's a bad combo. You slid down the slope without realizing you were slipping this last time. Now you know the slope is there, so you can use all your awareness to try to avoid it. Unfortunately, you might not be able to walk anywhere near that slope anymore. As I said in my last post, I've never had a problem and hope that I can still have a glass of wine socially here and there, but your post made me realize, that might not be the case. You also might not be able to "enjoy an occasional drink."
I know it feels like there must be a way to just have an occasional one, but that's walking on the top of that slippery hill and you could quickly start sliding without even knowing. My father and mother both used to drink a lot before I was born. They both quit. My mother can have an occasional drink, like maybe 3x a year and is fine. My father hasn't been able to touch even one sip in 40+ years because he knows he can't get close to that slope.
You've tuned in your awareness to this right now. Keep it at high alert. Keep up the good work! Don't be afraid to get some professional help if you are feeling challenged. I don't know you, but I have faith in you!

Well, I've seen both sides of the coin on this topic. I've seen rude replies and I've seen innocent replies that some overly-dramatic person takes offense too. You can't please everyone so if the mods are doing their jobs then it should not be a problem. A mod should be able to read a reply and tell if the poster is being rude or if someone is just overreacting.

Ummm, Horse S**t. Sorry, HIPPA was wiped out in 2009 when the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was passed. One of the provisions was an automation of doctor and hospital records via federal grants to state hospital associations. The public reason was "well it will make it easier for people's medical records to be shared with other medical providers in case of emergency." And that is a dang lie. If you want more information than you ever want on this, I am very sure I can prove that assertion.
For the purposes of this discussion, if you have serious drug/alcohol or psychiatric problems and you think the government, law enforcement or big pharma doesn't know it, you are wrong if you have third party coverage. What this means is even though you think your attempts to get help won't or can't be used to keep you from purchasing a firearm in the future, hurt your job prospects, create difficulty getting insurance and professional licening et. al. YOU ARE FLAT OUT WRONG. That patient privacy/HIPPA form that you sign is not worth the paper it is printed on.
I self pay and have to work very hard to keep my information out of that system.
NOTE: you might ask, why do I care? I really don't give a rip about being one more data point in a government data base, but my ex-wife is a government employee (and bi-polar) and she has access to the whole dang database. She illegally tracks everything I do on the system and let's my kids know everything about my medical history, with the hope of embarrassing me. I don't want her, or anyone else to know. So I work very hard to keep it private. I switched to a non-ObamaCare insurance plan. My doctor is not on the state electronic record system. Most of my pharmaceuticals are purchased from other countries because its cheaper, and no one has a record.
So the assertion that it's ok to get help with drug and alcohol problems because "the government will protect your privacy" is VERY, DANGEROUSLY wrong. Sorry. That's a fact and I will gladly defend my position to anyone who wants more info. But this isn't a political site,so I don't want to get too far afield on this, so please if you disagree or want more info please PM.

Not quite true. They can't give out your information without your permission. However, there are key fields where such is required for employment. So if you deny an employer access to your medical records then it may cost you a very good job. So it's a "damned if you do, damned if you don't" scenario. If you deny them access it's bad. If they see it on your record it's bad.

Update:
I'm now down to just 4 shots a day that I take at night. I no longer drink before work or during the day. This is a far cry from doing around 20 or more shots during the day. I would wake up and hit like 5 or 6 shots before work and then hit shots off and on during the day before getting wasted at night.
The day I stopped drinking in the morning and during the day was the worst as far as withdrawals. I felt horrible, was shaking, feverish, dilated pupils, etc. It was pretty crazy. But it got better each day from there.
I'm using the HAMs method at the below link and it's really working for me.
http://www.hamsnetwork.org/
Tonight I'll be reducing to 3 shots and when I get down to a half a shot a night I will then quit altogether. Then I will abstain for a very long time before allowing myself to enjoy an occasional drink.

Well, I've seen both sides of the coin on this topic. I've seen rude replies and I've seen innocent replies that some overly-dramatic person takes offense too. You can't please everyone so if the mods are doing their jobs then it should not be a problem. A mod should be able to read a reply and tell if the poster is being rude or if someone is just overreacting.

Just an FYI: I've chosen not to get "professional help" because doing so can stigmatize you for life as it will be on your medical records and can interfere with you getting a good job or worse down the line.
The HAMs method is working for me and the Sinclaire approach seems like it would be good for people as well, but only if they can make it OTC.

Well, I've seen both sides of the coin on this topic. I've seen rude replies and I've seen innocent replies that some overly-dramatic person takes offense too. You can't please everyone so if the mods are doing their jobs then it should not be a problem. A mod should be able to read a reply and tell if the poster is being rude or if someone is just overreacting.

Just an FYI: I've chosen not to get "professional help" because doing so can stigmatize you for life as it will be on your medical records and can interfere with you getting a good job or worse down the line.
The HAMs method is working for me and the Sinclaire approach seems like it would be good for people as well, but only if they can make it OTC.

Update:
I'm now down to just 4 shots a day that I take at night. I no longer drink before work or during the day. This is a far cry from doing around 20 or more shots during the day. I would wake up and hit like 5 or 6 shots before work and then hit shots off and on during the day before getting wasted at night.
The day I stopped drinking in the morning and during the day was the worst as far as withdrawals. I felt horrible, was shaking, feverish, dilated pupils, etc. It was pretty crazy. But it got better each day from there.
I'm using the HAMs method at the below link and it's really working for me.
http://www.hamsnetwork.org/
Tonight I'll be reducing to 3 shots and when I get down to a half a shot a night I will then quit altogether. Then I will abstain for a very long time before allowing myself to enjoy an occasional drink.