pvechiola

Well here I am wow my 1 year anniversary
today I had sleeve surgery this day last year
And what a ride it's been!
This was the best decision I have ever made !
I had done every diet known to man kind and failed time and time again
my rheumatoid was out of control
my prescriptions where growing by the month and diabetes and heart disease where just around the corner and I was deeply unhappy within myself
desperate to be healthy but unwilling to make the necessary changes and sacrifices to get there it was all just too hard.
steroids played a large role in my weight gain and lack of exercise due to the pain in my feet and hands it was a downward spiral at my heaviest I was 115kgs so 230 pounds
Some would say not that big but to me it was huge.
I followed a blogger in nz who had the surgery and an idea was born she looked amazing
so off I went to her surgeon next step to come up with $20,000 as I was self pay
I saw the surgeon in December and in March I had the surgery.
Looking back at times I felt defeated like this weight won't come off it's so slow couldn't imagine myself smaller and it took a long time for my mind to catch up with my body I still felt big up until recently.
Basically this journey has been the best decision of my life
I am so happy within myself I feel alive,confident,beautiful,healthy
these are things I've not felt in a very long time
I am now 71kgs and I'm happy at this weight
I know maintaining this will be a life long commitment and sometimes I eat bad things I'm human but it's not often and I always think of where I've come from and where I'm going and I can't go back I've come to far and it's true nothing tastes as good as skinny feels
I will keep these comparison photos and look at them when I need to be reminded of where I've been in this journey
For anyone considering surgery don't put it off you won't look back a new you is possible you just have to want it !! the surgery itself and recovery was fine sure at times I hated it but looking back for me it was easy.
Good luck to everyone on this journey it sure is an amazing one this app has been so helpful and I'm truly thankful for it.
 

Hello glad to hear good results from everyone! It's day 6 for me and I'm really feeling good! I Never had any pain medicine since surgery just levsin for the spasms. I wish everyone a speedy recovery from here!!
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G930A using the BariatricPal App

Great update! I'm glad things are getting better. For what it's worth, today was day 6 for me and I had virtually no pain at all. Not even from the incision. Walked quite a bit today. Things turn a big corner right around the 5-6 day mark. Hopefully you experience the same! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You look amazing ! Since my surgery I have inspired 4 other ladies to take this life changing journey! I'm so happy I decided to have my surgery Feb 20 2017 if I had to do it again I would without a doubt! This have really changed my life also! Congratulations to you and all of us that has decided to take control of our lives and not let bad food control our destiny [emoji3]

I am so happy I did this; I haven’t felt this good and a very long time. I had my surgic done on December 27 2016 and as of today March 30, 2017 I have lost a total of 50 pounds. I thought before I would have trouble eating right, but believe me when I tell you the evil food that I use to love it’s not a problem don’t even want it like fry chicken, bread, and lots of sweets after all food is only a mind thing.

Thank you so much ... I told my son I can knock him out now, lol. Just kidding but thanks for the motivation. I need and so appreciate it.

Okay I have been doing an ab challenge for just a couple of weeks that my son sent me in an email... along with my routine exercise as well as cardio. I just wanted to post a progress pic to show that I am getting a lil cut up in the abdomen area. This is a total NSV for me. I don't know why Bariatric patients weight loss is different than when a person who has not had surgery loses weight. I am 174 lbs and I know some people that say they are 160 or high 150's and I look as small if not smaller. Can't wait to see what I look like when I hit goal weight of 150 lbs. I Just wanted to share my pics with my BP FAM. Please excuse all the mail on my dresser in the second pic. I keep my mail for centuries, lol.  

The way I eat now to maintain my weight at a reasonable point is based on principles of intuitive eating. There is a lot of information about it online but the core info is in a book called intuitive eating by Evelyn Trimble. It's on Amazon. It is based around the idea that our bodies have a set point that they are comfortable at and that set point is a healthy weight because our bodies are always striving towards health. When I reached my lowest weight of 115 I started to get very depressed and basically anorexic, terrified of gaining weight back and still living my life on a diet. That can only go on so long and after a while your body will be able to eat more foods and more quantity and even sleeve and bypass patients can find themselves white knuckling it again to avoid gaining weight. This is because dieting, i.e. Nutritional deprecation, doesn't work in the long term. Your body knows your starving and starts to fight back by increasing hunger and holding on to extra calories by slowing your metabolism.

Intuitive eating is the natural way of eating we are all born with before we start dieting and messing with out internal cues. The basic philosophy is simple: eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full, allow all foods and honor your cravings. Eat regularly and respond to hunger.

This process has allowed me to stop dieting and to maintain a healthy weight post bariatric surgery while also being free to eat the foods I enjoy and crave. Maintaining was the worst part of this for me and thank goodness intuitive eating allowed me to find a way to make peace. I had gotten down to 115 at 5'6 and looked quite sick. I didn't know what to do so I just kept losing. When I realized how unhappy I was I decided to make peace and allow my body to settle and a healthy weight no matter what that might be. Intuitive eating helped me gain to about 128 and it's perfect for me. My weight stays very close to that range and I eat whatever I want at the the time. I never binge and I don't think much about food any more to be honest.

There is me at 115 vs 128. I feel much better now and I eat all kinds of yummy foods. I also have the energy now to run and lift weights on a regular basis and it's become a wonderful coping mechanisms for me.

Yes. In spite of what I went though it has all been worth it. I have a huge amount of energy. I run about 2-3 miles a day and lift weights. I can carry my kids around and barely ever feel tired. I'm in the best shape of my life. As long as I slow down my eating and chew well I can eat quite a lot without issues. I would recommend this surgery to anyone who is uncomfortable in their body, tired and in pain.

I'm want to share my story so that any of you who are in the fence about this can have a full picture of what can happen both bad and good.
I had gastric bypass dec 2014. My surgery was very very painful. The first two days I vomited a lot of blood and they had trouble getting my pain under control. They gave me a lot of narcotics. My dr, dr Thoman from Santa Barbara, barely checked on me. I was at cottage hospital in SB.
I went home after five days in the hospital. I was going okay but then. The mental challenge of not eating was no joke. It was something I was so used to. They had given me a ton of narcotics and I kinda used those to cope with the emotions of not being able to eat.
About a week later I started to have major pain in my upper stomach. I went back to cottage and they found stones in my gallbladder so out it came. I went home but the pain remained. My doctor was very absent during this time. I told him about the pain and I kept taking more and more narcotics to deal with it. He blamed my pain on the narcotics but I felt trapped in a catch 22. Take them or not take them.. either way.. pain.
Finally after several exploratory surgeries my dr decided to revert my surgery and make it into a gastric sleeve. After that my pain was gone but I was by now hooked on narcotics. I ended up having to go to a detox facility to get off of them. Worst week of my life.
I could barely eat anything during this time and dropped weight rapidly. After I was free of the narcs and started to try and eat. But I could not get anything solid to pass through my stomach. Months went by and finally I said- okay something is wrong. Every time I ate solids I threw up. I elected to go to a new doctor after my bad experience with dr Thoman. I just felt he didn't care and no loner trusted him and his bedside manner was terrible.
I went with dr Swartz in Fresno and he was great. I diagnosed me with a sever structure and did an endoscopy which opened it up. He said I had a ton of scar tissue from dr Thomans style of revision.
After that I gradually began to eat some solids and after many months is continued to approve. Needless to say I lost a huge amount of weight very fast and was loving that. However I had severe malnutrition. My hair fell out in clumps and my legs went numb. I have dumping syndrome and I also still
Sometimes vomit if I don't chew enough of just having a bad day or mix liquids with solids etc.
I feel the American health care system to be very lacking in post operative care. Also they pass out narcotics like they are candy which had a lot to do with my issues.
It's been over 2 years. I went from 240 to 115. I've since gained back to 129 and am holding there. I no longer diet, I just eat to fullness and try not to think about food very much. I run and lift weights daily and that has been the key for me to feel comfortable without having to stay on a diet forever which is impossible to do.
Reaching maintenance was the hardest part of this process and I had very little advice to help me besides to stay on a diet forever. Ones appetite does return and one is able to eat much larger quantities that early on. For instance, now I can eat almost a whole chipotle burrito. I decided dieting wasn't for me and embraced intuitive eating philosophies instead which help me maintain in a place I am happy with.
I still live with this surgery in a daily basis. food gets stuck at least a couple times a week and I have to throw up do to the pain. I can't eat too much or eat with liquids or I will have dumping syndrome. (Yes you can dump with a sleeve). I am happy but good is always an issue. I feel quite sick after I eat sometimes. It's always a struggle for me. I'm not sure if this is due to my complications or just the surgery itself. My best friend had bypass and she says the same thing.
On a positive note I have an amazing body. I really really enjoy my body and my energy and health and I would do it all again even though it was hard. I can run, chase my kids, work my active job, wear any clothes I desire. I feel very attractive.
If you are considering this surgery because you aren't able to live a healthy and energetic life at your current weight, than do it. It won't change how you feel about yourself on the inside and it could end up being replaced by other dependency issues... but at least you will be physically stronger and healthier. I suggest therapy for anyone that is going to do this. Healing comes from within.
Remember you will never again be able to eat to your hearts content. You won't be able to feel like you do now when you eat. This surgery will not help you maintain your weight loss forever and it's vital that you have realistic expectations. Try and make peace with food. Don't see it as an enemy but as a vital component to health.

I dealt with very little loose skin. Mostly on my neck and tummy. I am now having plastic surgery for it in Mexico which I will post about in the plastic surgery section.

On a side note, I you are considering vsg surgery in Mexico, I would highly recommend it. My care here has been extraordinary.


  

Thanks for sharing I am waiting approval and diet date. Getting excited.

that will pass and you will be so happy to have done this. It has been six years for me and I have never had any regrets

I just got back from a week away on vacation, my first vacation since having the VSG. We stayed at a beautiful all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. And like being on a cruise, we were always surrounded by free food and drink.
There's a lot I didn't do "right". I never made it to the gym (though I did swim every day and went kayaking once). I did indulge in alcohol, though never to a sloppy excess. And I did visit the dessert buffet on more than one occasion. But I also made an effort to emphasize Protein, and stop when full, and separate eating and drinking. I was constantly struck by how little I eat now -- just a few bites and I was full. I found myself rearranging the food on my plate to make it look like I'd eaten more than I had. Honestly, there was a little regret that I couldn't "enjoy" the meal like I used to: 2-4 courses with 2-4 drinks. Instead it was a taste of this and that and a sip of wine at the end. But beyond that disappointment there was amazement that I could now just walk away from the food still on my plate, that I could skip dessert or an appetizer and not really care. I even dropped a pound or two while I was away.
For example, I knew that if I had something like french toast I wouldn't have room for any protein, so I didn't bother with the french toast or at least with no more than a small bite. And after all the dire warnings it was somewhat comforting to find that neither my susceptibility or hankering for alcohol had increased noticeably. But best of all I felt so much less self-conscious poolside. I've passed my half-way point with "just" 40-50 lbs to go, and I'm rediscovering favorite old clothes I'd put away.

Hello everyone, 3/30/17 will be my three month post op appointment and I am down 61 pounds. I can't tell you how surreal it all feels. I've went from a 3x to an xl in shirts and from a 22 to damn near a 16 in pants. Fabric makes the difference. But omg. I am so blessed I feel like I'm getting a second chance to finally feel good about myself. My confidence has gone way up. My energy levels have went up. I'm just so happy to see what's in store for the rest of my journey. So far I've been healthy recovering well with no hiccups and I hope and pray this continues. Eating good and staying away from sugary foods. And I still enjoy ice cream and sweets just low sugar sweets. Which is a plus for me and my sweet tooth. But overall this journey has been a lifesaver. Tomorrow I'll be cleared for weightlifting and I'm so happy to start toning up my body. Thanks to god for blessing me with my surgeon and family for all the support and love in the world. Hope everyone else's journey is going good. From 299 to 238[emoji38][emoji38][emoji38]

@@Lucky2Lose Thanks for sharing your story... When we constantly fail at weight loss, it can defeat us to the point of complete surrender. I didn't tell many people i was getting the surgery, and you know what... No one even noticed i was losing any weight until i had lost over 70 lbs. Without the tools this surgery gave me, i would have given up... AGAIN!
I didn't know what to expect, i chose the sleeve, because i didn't want to change the plumbing in my body, but i knew i needed something more than the band. Once i started losing, i used my addictive personality for the power of good... lol. And i would push myself to walk more, and challenged myself by buying the pizza for the family and picking it up, bringing it home, and sitting at the same table as my family would eat it.
Everyone has their skeletons in the closet, and everyone has their problems, the only difference is that ours shows on the outside... Give in to the fact that you need help, and then never look back! Embrace that we are living in an age when a surgery like this is possible, and enjoy a win for once!
I challenge you to post an outfit you want to wear, then let's circle the date on the calendar and get this thing going!
We all have it in us, We just need to do something... For US!
I believe in you!

Thank you! I just downloaded this app, so thankful for it! I have no family support and I live alone so that makes it harder but I want to try to use this group as my accountability. I saw you can get a buddy or mentor?

Hi, sorry you're struggling with your pre op diet. I too cheated but made sure it was with raw veggies, salad or other v low cal items. I got bored with the shakes but I still lost 10lbs in my 12 day pre op period. I agree with Jacinta. I think you're self sabotaging so you can cancel your op. I would advise talking to your surgeon and if he thinks he can still go ahead, do it. You won't regret it and and it will turn your life around. Never again will you have to go through this battle with your conscience and will power on this scale ever again. Good luck

My mom's hair is thin but she's 73, she turned me on to the color hairsprays that she uses and I fell in love with it! I use the light brown spray about 6" away from hair so it looks natural and it comes out looking like highlights. It is my miracle spray.

Hi, I am new to this board and have started the process for the gastric sleeve surgery. I came across your post and since I am bipolar 1 . I thought your experience in the process might help me. I went to an information session 2 weeks ago and 2 days ago I had an appointment with the doctor who is the director of the program. Everthing went well but he has a concern about how medications for depression and bipolar will make it difficult for me to reach my goal after surgery. At the end of the visit he took me to his secretary to make the next appointmetns but she asked me to see the social worker before making appointments. I then had my appointment with the soial worker and when the visit concluded she advised me to call her today as the team needed to review my case to see what comes next (don't understand why the dr was ready to give appointments and she kind of put that on hold). I called her today but left a message in her voice mail. She seemed concerned about the medications I take. Did you have any problems with your diagnosis or medications.

Soooo, as someone that had thick gorgeous hair before surgery with no Hair loss, my life is sucking right now. I was losing it since about 5 weeks but now (@ 3 months out) it's horrible! My hair is starting to come out by the handful and there is hair all over my house! It's so embarrassing to shed constantly in public so I've been keeping my hair pulled up in a loose bun most days. Then my salon recommended the Paul Mitchell tea tree line so I got it. It's supposed to help with fallout and thickening. I've not been using it long but it makes my hair look so much fuller! Haven't noticed a difference in the shedding yet, but I've not been using it long enough to give it a chance. Best part is, no chemicals like Nioxin or hair falling out if you stop using it. It smells VERY much like tea tree oil and mint so if that's bothersome, pass on this product. It's also safe for color treated hair. You might wanna try it out if you are noticing thinning. Hope it helps someone who is desperate like me!

I am six months post-op today, and I have lost 85% of my excess weight so far (184 pounds). And I have no reason to believe I won't lose the rest (33 pounds). It is all about devotion to proper food intake and exercise.

I'm pre-op, but I watch the show as well. Even though many of the patients are twice my weight, the food struggles are so relatable. Plus, it's interesting to see the family dynamics, and how they contributed either by enabling or by being abusive. I also find it helpful to watch the episodes with noncompliant patients, because it helps me see some of the unhealthy rationalizations they use for why they're failing. Some of those folks construct elaborate "woe is me" delusions. They'll put away a plate of mexican food, then swear up and down they followed the diet 100% during their follow-up visit.

I just watch it no matter how I am feeling. It keeps me straight. It was a motivator to have my surgery. I can relate despite being no where near 600lbs, but I keep telling myself that I easily could've been there,

I watch it and sit on my recumbent bike or elliptical and work out while I watch. It amazes me how a few of them can eat large amounts so soon after. I'm 6 months out and have eaten sliders thinking it seems like a lot. "Following dr plan" to get enough Protein and calories, but a sandwich from drive thru.....I can't even look at a biscuit still.

Yes, I do. It helps keep me on track when I see them mess up. Also, I can relate to all their feelings, even though I've never weighed that much. Thinking about "Oh, it'll be ok to do this and that, it won't hurt anything," then seeing that it DOES matter.