hermione53

Good luck! We'll see you on the other side!

The only thing I'd add is a small thing of hand lotion (though the nurses likely have some if you need it). My hands were dry. I brought only my phone, charger, ID, insurance card (so I could pick up meds afterwards), lip balm, and ear plugs. I expected it to be noisy, but it wasn't. I left in the clothes I arrived in (baggy stuff). I didn't even bring toothpaste and a toothbrush. They provided that. A baggy robe may have been nice, but they gave me an extra hospital gown to put on the opposite way. Good luck to you!

Thanks. Congrats on your weight loss! You've done great!

I find his videos very helpful, too! I learned through him that I'm taking the wrong kind of iron. Totally missed my surgeon's recommendation. I think I'm going to get his book!

You look fabulous! Thanks for sharing your courageous journey!

Not sure that I have much to offer in terms of advice about dresses since I'm only 24 pounds down, but I just wanted to say congratulations on your celebration and congratulations on your weight loss!

How about baking some kale chips? They're really crunchy. Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You've lost a lot of weight so far! 28.5 pounds. That's great! I'm almost six weeks post-op and have lost 19.8 on about 800 calories a day and daily exercising. I say keep up the good work and give yourself some credit!

You'll do great!

Thanks, @@fatontheinside! I'll check out your blog!

Try not to be too nervous! I really like the psychologist at the center where I go to. At the first meeting he asked questions about what diets I'd tried before, what my weight history was, why I was interested in the surgery, and about my family history. I have a long history of depression and a pretty crazy family history and I was honest. Didn't stop me from getting approved! He actually helped me make the decision to get the surgery because I was on the fence. Just be yourself and good luck :-)

Wow. You've done such a great job. Thanks for sharing! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Great job! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Wow, your family sounds pretty cruel. It must be very hard on you. I'm 47 and my dad berated me about my weight since I was about 10 years old. I decided about 7 years ago to cut off most contact with him and it's been freeing. He reached out to me right after my sleeve surgery bc my brother told him I'd had my band removed. I emailed my dad to say I'm well, thanks, and Happy New Year. That was it. I figure that I have enough criticism towards myself. I don't need it from anybody else. Getting this surgery is a courageous move. Congratulate yourself for that! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

Hi there, I'm curious to know how you're doing. Are you still on Seroquel? Has it affected your weight loss? I'm five weeks post op and taking 25mg to help with sleep. This week I actually gained 1.5 pounds and am wondering if Seroquel is to blame. I'm not eating more than 800-900 calories a day and I'm exercising, drinking the recommended amount of water, etc. I'm going to try not to take it tonight. I hope you're well!

Hello all, I'm looking for a memoir or fiction to read that will inspire me as I go through this journey. Do you know of any good memoirs, biographies, or novels about weight loss, WLS, or overweight characters overcoming adversity? Here are a couple of suggestions from me: Weightless: My Life as a Fat Man and How I Escaped by Gregg McBride. This is a memoir. Gregg lost over 100 pounds without WLS. I found his story inspiring. He also underwent extensive post weight loss plastic surgery. A lot of it all at one time (ouch). Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. This is young adult fiction about a quirky overweight teenage girl in the 80s finding a boyfriend and overcoming famiy difficulties. I loved it. I also remember reading a novel in the 90s that I'd like to re-read, but I can't remember the name of it. I believe it was about a lonely obese New York man who ate out alone a lot. He started losing weight by just walking for hours aimlessly. He explored all over the city and lost a bunch of weight. Does this ring a bell with anyone? Happy Sunday!

Thanks, OP, for starting this thread. I'm 5 weeks post op and weigh weekly at the gym. Yesterday (my birthday!) I went there all excited to see how I was doing because I've been sticking to the program 100%. I'd watched friends eat my free birthday dessert at a restaurant the night before while I stuck to 3 oz. of grilled shrimp. They were excellent shrimp, BTW. Anyway, I was feeling good because I've been hitting my Protein and Water targets and exercising 40 minutes a day. I'd just gotten my hair cut and colored and was SURE I'd have lost a few pounds. But no, I'd gained 1.4 pounds! Intellectually I knew there are many reasons for this, but emotionally I felt dejected, frustrated, sad, and demotivated. It really soured my day. But I stayed at the gym even though I wanted to leave. I did my 40 minutes on the treadmill and even took an extra walk later in the day. Do I feel great today? No. But I'm going to stick with it with the help of all of you and trust that my body will work its way through all these changes the way it's meant to. Best of luck to all of you! Sent from my iPhone using the BariatricPal App

You've done a great job! Kudos!

I'm glad you asked this question because I've been looking for cheaper alternatives, too. I take 2 Celebrate chewables a day and one Bariatric Advantage soft chew to get to 1250mg.

There's no way that I could have gone back to work after a week even though i have a desk job. I was still in a good bit of pain and on narcotics. Bending over was painful until week 3. I went back to work after 4 weeks and I'm glad i did. I'm so sorry you don't have more vacation time/ sick time. Whatever you do, try to take it easy and get a lot of sleep when you're not working. Best of luck to you!

I had to wait two months between my band removal and the gastric sleeve. This was planned from the beginning, as my surgeon won't do a conversion in one go. i did gain about 6 pounds during that waiting time, but the time went by pretty quickly. I'm 4 weeks post op and doing great. This is all worth it so hang in there! I'd had two bands and a hiatal hernia and still got my sleeve surgery done! It's such a different experience. I love the difference.

I'm four weeks post op and a 44G. I went braless for most of the first two weeks. It was awkward, but you deal with it. I then wore an Enell, which I HIGHLY recommend. My regular bra underwire kept rubbing against one of my incisions and my drain hole so the Enell was a lifesaver. Now I wear it just to work out and am back to my regular underwire. Best of luck to you!

You look great. Definitely an inspiration!

Hi, this is my first post. I'm almost 4 weeks post my sleeve surgery and so happy that I made the switch. Short version: I was banded 12/99 and loved it at first, but I didn't stick with the exercise and eating regimen as well as I was supposed to. Lost about 32 pounds. Gained about 20 back. Lost it again... Didn't realize it for years, but the band had slipped and I had a hiatal hernia. Lots of acid reflux. My pain wasn't as bad as others. Got to my lowest weight b/c I couldn't get much down. Was rebanded 9/07 and had no success. Even with a very tight fill I could eat quite a lot. Not a plate of pancakes or anything, but a lot. Would lose on Weight Watchers, gain again... blamed myself. Felt like a failure. My PCP asked me early in 2016 if I wanted a referral to a different surgeon. I was about 50/50 regarding doing a conversion because I didn't think I was having any problems and I could feel some restriction so knew it was doing me some good. I got a lot of support from the whole team, though, and decided to go for the conversion. Had my band removed 10/16. Sleeve done two months later. Winds up that I had another hiatal hernia. Who knew? All I know is that after both bands I experienced lots of hunger and was fighting with myself from day one. With the sleeve I feel almost no hunger. I know things will change as time goes on, but for now I'm very grateful.

Wow! Kudos for all of your hard work! I'm newly sleeved and am inspired!