hermione53

Hello everyone,
I'm five months out after 17 years of banding. I am SO GLAD I made the switch. I won't bore you with my band and band revision journey. I will focus on how amazing having a sleeve is. It's the surgery I hoped I was getting 17 years ago! With the sleeve, I can drink my Protein in the morning. No waiting hours for the mucus cap to dissolve. I can actually drink a good bit of Water. I do not throw up. I only did once and that's because I ate too fast. Like it was said above, I don't feel like I'm being choked with food sitting at my esophagus. I am able to eat healthy foods (meat, salad, veggies). My head is in a better place because I had a wonderful two months or so of having NO interest in food. It gave me a great start/ restart.
To answer some questions from above, I had my band removed first and then was sleeved 7 weeks later. I did gain weight in that time, but it wasn't a ton- five pounds? I thought it would be more, but I hadn't been feeling much restriction for years so... At first I was upset about the two procedures and thought about going with RNY because my surgeon would have done that it one. But, I found the waiting time fine and I'm glad I didn't do so much at once. I have no pain in the port area. The band removal surgery was very easy. I was in and out of the hospital in four hours with very little pain.
If you have questions, just ask!

Yes! I had a lap band installed when I was 29. I'm pushing 50 now and so wish I'd been able to have this surgery to start with. It's been life-changing. Good luck whatever you decide! Only you know what's best for you.

That is totally awesome! I think I'd lost 27# at three months and was pretty proud of that. Don't let stories of people losing sixty pounds in two months discourage you! We all lose differently. You've got this!

Try to keep in mind that you have made a permanent change to your body that will help you lose weight and control regain for the rest of your life. So what is the hurry? Whether you reach your goal in a year, or two years or even three years, won't it be just as sweet as you imagined it? I'm 21 months in and I am still working toward my goal, but I am incredibly grateful for how far I have come. Some people lost when I lost in the first seven or eight months after they had surgery. Some people have lost less than I've lost in the same amount of time. Bodies are not to be compared. What matters, is your well-being and at a specifically physical level, it sounds like your well-being is improving. Really, the only thing that's happening is you're having thoughts that are causing you to suffer. But your weight-loss is well underway. Congratulations!

Well, just know that people are thinking of you and sending you warm wishes!


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Your experience of homelessness and real starvation adds an extra layer of complexity to the struggle. I am so sorry you experienced that. I would consider those months traumatizing. Do you see a therapist? I'm in a trauma group for different reasons and it's good to have the support. Be kind to and patient with yourself. You deserve it.

Hi HillaryCatlin, Wow, I have to say thank you for having the courage to bring up this topic. I have a lot of worries about my fat woman identity and whether I'll be able to give it up as a coping mechanism. I've not been much lower than 180 pounds as an adult and even as a late teen. The last time I remember wearing a size 12 was in the 7th or 8th grade. I have not been a thin person since I was about six years old. Who will I be as a thin person? I have no idea and the whole concept is unfathomable to me, particularly because I'm now 47 years old.
I'm feeling fine at the weight I'm at now (a little over 200) because I've been up, down, and around this weight many times. I think it's when I lose another 20 pounds that I'll start having to deal with fear and self-sabotage. I have a history of physical and sexual abuse and know that I gained weight as a way to self-soothe and to try to protect myself/ become invisible. I've rarely ever gotten appropriate/ wanted sexual attention from men and the prospect both excites and terrifies me. I've been in therapy since I was 15 so you think I'd have gotten through all of this by now, but even though my abusers (family members) are not in my life right now they continue to live in my head as evidenced by the shitty way I treat myself. Getting the surgery 10 weeks ago has certainly given me hope for the future and lots of motivation. I feel like a significant shift has occurred and I really do believe I can get to those scary lower weights and keep going this time. My lifelong depression has lifted significantly.
One thing I've done is joined a 12-week trauma group. This is something I've never done before, but it seems like the right time. The six women in the group have to have a goal for the 12 weeks and everyone has chosen very personal ones. Mine is to be more open to other people and to be more social because I tend to be very isolated. The group is sort of freaking me out right now because it's new, but I think it's going to be good for me. I also have a good therapist and we talk about my fears of becoming thin.
I'm not sure where I'm going with all of this except to say I get where you're coming from. I also think the simple fact that you are aware that your fat girl identity has long served a purpose will go a long way in helping you question if the fat girl still serves a purpose. I don't think mine really does anymore. I'm ready to both honor her and slowly let her go.
Thank you for sharing your experience. It helped me share mine.

I used to fly every day, sometimes 2 times in a day at 330 pounds as a business traveler for years. I only had a couple bad experiences.

Flying now is worse because the TSA gets to molest you and you can't do anything about it.

I found this very touching. I hate to fly because I feel like this woman. A NSV will be flying to Alaska in September and not getting panicky about taking up too much room. What are your flying stories?
https://futuretravel.today/what-it-s-like-to-be-that-fat-person-sitting-next-to-you-on-the-plane-85006e263778

184. Ate like crazy this week ☹️

You look great in both pictures. You've done an amazing job and don't look gaunt at all. It's probably taking people a while to get used to the new you. Shrug it off and keep throwing your arms up in triumph!

I forgot to mention that I wish I'd known how helpful tracking on My Fitness Pal would be. I've tracked with a vengeance. I'm on a 141 day streak and I think it's made all the difference from my previous bariatric surgeries. :-)

I have no GERD or dumping. No Hair loss either (YET). My experience has been great so far. I do agree that the recovery was harder than I expected. Some people seem to bounce back quickly, but I really didn't start feeling like myself again until almost four weeks out. The pain was more than I expected so I stayed on Oxycontin longer than I would have liked and Oxycontin kept me awake, which only slowed down the healing, in my opinion. I was a zombie.
I wish I:
would have known that I'd have a drain. I wasn't told until right before the sugery and had it for ten days. It was fine but weird and unexpected. had bought large Tegaderm film online to bandage said drain. The surgeon gave me three to take home and i needed more in three days and had a hell of a time finding it. I walked from pharmacy to pharmacy when I felt like crap. had taken photos of myself in tight clothing and taken my measurements. had asked more people to visit. had done a lap-band to sleeve conversion years ago. I love the sleeve! Good luck to you!

Everyone is different.

I'm 5 1/2 months out and haven't lost any. Hope I'll be one of the lucky ones who gets a pass, but I'm not banking on it. I'm taking all the recommended supplements plus Biotin for regrowth. I'm also taking Biosil even though it's expensive because my hair stylist swears by it for recovery from hair loss/ trauma.


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During my wait I enjoyed preparing and acquiring things. Most of what I bought I used only briefly. Some not at all.
I am very glad I got an AltaHR Fitbit and Aria scale. Those plus logging my food and Water in Myfitnesspal are my fabulous accountability tools.
I bought too many kinds and too much Protein powders. I used only the Syntrax (because it didn't significantly change texture or flavor). I gave away 3 other kinds of Protein Powder and PB2--quite a bit of money. I never used Protein Bars, and only used powders through the purée stage.
I bought lots of gasX strips and only used about 4.
I bought cute little spoons and forks and briefly had fun with them, now they are put away.
I bought a covered ice tray, popsicle forms and 2oz containers and haven't used any of them. My portions aren't that small, and I didn't use popsicles.
I bought protein fortified instant Soup from BariatricPal and they aren't clear enough for liquid stage and aren't tasty enough for purée stage.
I bought a year of Patch MD Vitamins I am using and was happy to have at first, but I could easily have switched to oral 2 months in.
An over the shoulder cape-style heating pad was briefly useful, but I stopped being freezing a month in.
I had lots of smaller clothes, so didn't have to shop, but I was surprised how fast I went through sizes, and less than 5 months in I've found I will be needing smaller sizes than I've ever worn, even at what I thought was a healthy weight for me.
Basic message, try to curb the impulse to shop. What you have will work, and you won't need a lot of anything new for a long time.
I love my results. I make excellent healthy food choices, exercise daily, and just went out in a body hugging tank dress and felt good.
I was low BMI to start, slower weight loss than some, faster than others.

I forgot to mention that I wish I'd known how helpful tracking on My Fitness Pal would be. I've tracked with a vengeance. I'm on a 141 day streak and I think it's made all the difference from my previous bariatric surgeries. :-)

179


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I'm 5 1/2 months out and haven't lost any. Hope I'll be one of the lucky ones who gets a pass, but I'm not banking on it. I'm taking all the recommended supplements plus Biotin for regrowth. I'm also taking Biosil even though it's expensive because my hair stylist swears by it for recovery from hair loss/ trauma.


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Good advice,@introversion. I've noticed feeling very tired so I've bumped up my calories, too.


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I would say mostly I feel compassion because I was there for a very long time. I know that likely they are feeling pain physically but also mentally.
And there is a part of me that wants to simply tell them they don't have to live like this.
But I have also learned that someone suffering from obesity has to get to their breaking point before they are ready to listen and take action.
My husband is a great example. He is morbidly obese and a few years older than I. He watched me go from from a normal size when I met him to exceed a BMI larger than his now. He also watched me suffere through many back surgeries and health issues because of it.
When I decided I was going to have WLS, he decided he was going to too and began the process with me.
He backed out and although extremely supportive of my decision to move forward, he clearly is not ready. He eats completely out of boredom not hunger and yes, it does frustrate me to know he could be living differently but he clearly is not ready.
I think it will take a health issue to make him ready. He is generally healthy and does not feel pain yet. Something will have to be his last straw and he will have to get there on his own.
I have many friends and colleagues who are morbidly obese and they are all curious but none ready to do anything so drastic to take action.
So, I feel empathy and compassion because I know that at some point they are going to feel pain or end up with serious health issues and they don't need to live like that.

Considering how many times I've flipped from fat to thin, I feel compassion mostly.
But it seems that we are most critical of traits we see in others that we dislike in ourselves. So I guess his disdain is a reflection of his fear of going back to being that fat guy again.
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Keep the chin up. Do me a favor. Next time you are shopping at the grocery, go to the dog food aisle and pick up 2 15 pound bags of dog food and carry those with you through the store. I bet after 5 minutes your arms will hurt. Then sit back and smile as you have lost an incredible amount of weight. It did not all go on at the same time and it is not coming off in 90 days. You are a success!!!

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At 3 months out, I'd lost 33.5 pounds. Not everyone responds rapidly to weight loss surgery.
However, my painfully slow weight loss phase (100 pounds over the course of 18 months) is now Water under the bridge. The important part of my journey is my ability to maintain whatever I've lost.
Also, a great analogy between weight loss and toilet paper exists. A roll of toilet paper with 250+ sheets is fairly big. Once 50 sheets are removed from the roll, it still seems big to the naked eye. On the other hand, a roll of toilet paper that starts with 175 sheets looks tiny after we remove 50 sheets.
Similarly, a 50-pound weight loss is not as noticeable on someone with a starting weight of 250+ pounds. However, a loss of 50+ pounds is dramatically noticeable on a 175-pound person. After all, (s)he now weighs 125 pounds.
What's the point of this story? Your weight loss will appear more noticeable in the mirror as the pounds continue dropping. Good luck to you.

I can understand that. I'm 11 weeks post op and I have lost 34#. It's seems slow and I have yet to drop a size in my clothes (I have tightened my bra, but that's it). I was hoping by now I would be in smaller scrubs. They are definitely looser, but no size change yet. It's tough. I am a revision from lap band and I was slow then too. You just need to think it didn't come over night nor will you lose it over night. I am just keep doing my thing. Going to they gym 4 days a week for an hour. I'm trying not to go crazy, because I think that's what knocked me down last time. (I was going 6 days a week and sometimes twice a day, which isn't sustainable for me). I figure this way if I start to really stall I can bump it up.

Just keep working it and it will happen.