QTR-nevermore

I went kayaking with my husband twice this week. I'm not even sore, and I was not worried about swamping the boat.

The family rodeo was always the highlight of the entire year for me and my sibs. I will always be grateful for the locals who were willing to trust little city slickers like us with a horse (all by myself!) for a few minutes. Good times. Snowflake is my favorite place on earth.

My pedigree goes back through Anna Flake. Funny thing... one year I was at the reunion and I saw Aunt Gerda in some theater for some event. She had fed me homemade ice cream sandwiches out of her freezer when I was little, so I remembered her fondly and went up to say hello. At my salutation she drew herself up starchily, and asked down her nose, "who are you?" I repeated my name, but she was not impressed. I thought a second, then said "I'm Anna's granddaughter." That did it. She beamed and enfolded me to her bosom with joy like a long-lost child. Family. Flake family. Interesting. Anyway, is your first name William? I love that repeating name. Re your question, I had my surgery through the center that was running a medical research study I was involved in in my state, so I got a bit of a break on the price. It worked well.

Hey, Cuz, my family tree positively drips Flakes from AZ. Used to go to all the Flake reunions. You possibly saw me and all my sibs (forced to) dress alike and play our little violins and sing at the reunions.....All the older generation loved it, but we kids felt socially shunned. Childhood trauma.......Anyway, I forgot I even HAD a tailbone until I lost all my weight. Now it protrudes onto my consciousness as a sore spot every time I sit slouched for long. Good luck with yours. Remind yourself to sit straight; it helps.

B12 is vital to your health. Google it for more information. Talk to your doctor about starting ASAP. Your weight loss is great, however. Keep it up!

Thank you, CMB Texas, for your story. I pray you will be successful resetting your resolve and getting help for your addiction. As a Mormon I do not think alcohol would be a replacement addiction i would have a problem with, but I can see shopping getting too big, and that could hurt my marriage. Thank you for the warning and power to you in your struggle.

I wish I could hear from some long-term Sleevers about their long-term stories. Obesity is an incurable condition still, and this surgery thankfully puts us into remission, but what happens when it rears its ugly head again? What do you do? How many folks have true long-term remission and what contributes to that success?

The amazing and frustrating thing for me was how much my tastes changed. All my plans went down the drain. I was left with a lot of protein shake mix that I could not use because it was seriously vile to me after surgery. I was unable to drink plain water, when i have loved it all my life, and suddenly it would hit my stomach and make me nauseated immediately. Crystal Light was all i could drink. Now, at 6 months out, I am again able to drink water. Meat is hard for me still, unless it is very moist. You will find your own new foods that help you through this.

Sugar free hot chocolate made with milk, eggs scrambled with onions and peppers and mozzarella cheese, cheese stick pan fried (dry pan--it fries in its own reduced fat goodness) until crispy and dipped in salsa, Greek yogurt with mandarin oranges (cuties, etc) separated into it, Jello instant sugar free chocolate pudding with extra unsweetened cocoa and protein powder whipped in along with the pudding mix

At two months out I thought I had dodged that bullet. Nope. At three months out my drain monkeys morphed into drain gorillas. Five months out (now), it is slowing. I was lucky in that I started out with VERY thick hair. It is not too thin now, but if this goes on too much longer, I will start to worry. My drain gorilla today was a little smaller. I hope it stops soon. I am NOT sorry I got the sleeve done. Life looks bright.

I have to plan ahead so I am not hurried when I eat. Especially on my way to clinical shifts. It seems everything is rushed. I have decided to just not eat until later if I am too rushed. Better than that horrible unsettled discomfort of eating too fast.

It is also very important to stick with the recommended diet. It helps you heal, and it also helps form completely new habits for your new life. That is vital for long-term success.

I never had a swallow test. Surgeon said it was not necessary with the way they did mine. I have had no problems, and my surgeon is very well respected and requested in our area. Procedures are evolving. Ask your surgeon for details about how yours was done before you get scared about what other patients have reported should have happened. My understanding is that if there is no pain there is no leak. Leaking of food into the body cavity is very dangerous and has consequences that are not easy to miss.

Falling is a fear that we all have when we are obese. We can seriously injure ourselves. Running is actually less dangerous to joints and etc. than some of the other things you have mentioned, if you start small and add distance steadily as you are ready. My ankles are unstable, so I used to really worry. Running actually helped me to feel much more stable and less likely to turn an ankle, both while running and all the time. You strengthen the muscles and tendons and bones that you use regularly. Just make sure you find a surface that is regular, like a track or well-maintained soft-surface trail, to start. Roads are harder on joints, and sidewalks are really bad. Only run on those after you are much more used to the impact. Be sure to use shoes that are relatively new. Running shoes should be changed every three to six months of running, depending on usage. Look up the manufacturer's recommendations on the shoes you get, and don't use them too long. That is what can wear out your feet and your joints.

White Sale, you are at the beginning of a new lifetime of different choices than before surgery, personal choices, choices that will be consistently needed to be successful in your new journey. No one is purposely on your case, or judging you, or ragging on you. We are all here to help and support you and each other. We all know the disability and pain of obesity, the horror of those inexorably creeping pounds, the feeling of the head suddenly pressurized and ready to pop off just from trying to reach to tie our shoes. We have all felt the derisive looks, the sneers, the disgust, from others around us. That is not what we do to each other here. We all are here to give our ideas, our collective experience and wisdom, our new hope, our blessings. Please accept our counsel when it is asked for, and accept us too. Friends tell the truth as we see it, and accept counsel when requested, and always extend helping hands. Friends?