Missy161

Just checking in. Hope all of you are doing well. I had my sleeve in August 2015. I've lost 98 pounds. I swim 1000 yards 3 days a week and am now testing as physically fit for my age and being a female. I could not have imagined the positive changes in my life 2 years ago.
To all who are preop- it is worth every appointment, struggle and sacrifice.
To those newly postop- try not to focus on the scale. I had long stalls. During those stalls I lost a lot of inches. I recently found one of my old bras- I've lost 10 inches in band size!!
To those who are farther out like me- it is a life unimaginable though starting to get more comfortable as a "thin" person. Stay connected to a support group of some sort- it helps keep you on track!
I included my picture from the day I checked into the Bariatric clinic HW 241, other photo is from 1 year postop. CW 142
Happy spring and have a blessed Easter!!

Which is a legitimate curiosity, and that's okay!! There are many others that might take it as a comparison, even though that's ultimately on them, I think the poster was just showing his concern for who might be comparing themselves or not be as strong to see his/her own journey as their own. When I read "ONLY lost such and such" that is a flag of comparing; that's the dangerous part.
You have done very well in your first two weeks, that's awesome...keep up the great work hon! Blessings to you.

I had to put mine on before surgery and had to wear them for 5 days post op

I just had the ones that would inflate and deflate in intervals. Once I was up walking I didn't have to use them.

You have to walk, walk, walk. If you do that, it will go away sooner rather than later! Also most people say that since the gas is outside of your digestive system (are you getting pain in your shoulder, for instance?) that Gas-X won't help you.

Good luck!

Walk more it will get better and drink Camomile tea but not hot warm it helps ,, I'm on my day 8 post ops and pain is getting less every day

Walk walk walk move move move and it will pass in a few days

Hw 325 cw 270 Sw 292 gw 190

I have seen many of his videos and he is so very informative! He provides a wide range of education on our new lifestyle

iamready4this

That's interesting perspective. I'm not totally sure I agree with you. I cook a lot and 20 minutes is not really realistic. And then there is the shopping and the planning.

Yes it is better to cook a huge batch and freeze it and I will do that when I can, but that's not always realistically going to happen, especially when I go back to school (I am a teacher). I didn't get fat primarily from fast food, I got fat because I'm a great cook and could never figure out how to cook for one. That's not going to get any easier with the micro portions I can have now.

I think a certain amount of practicality is important. Yes I admit I am an addict. But what makes food addiction the most difficult addiction (IMO) is the fact that you can't just stop eating like you can with drug or alcohol addiction. I feel like I need to have "safe foods" I can get on the go and not just tie myself to my kitchen.

I just cut over 22 inches of my hair off!! I'm loving it.

I love this thread Joan!!!
I too have noticed many positive changes. I cut my hair to shoulder length also lol.
I feel better than I have in the past ten years😄

I really love your hair. I don't think I could cut such gorgeous locks!
I chopped about six inches off. Choppy layers.

So our stories are so similar. I've had a very easy everything since surgery. Pain, getting in Water and food. It's been amazing and has far exceeded my hopes!
If you cut you hair you have to send me a pic! You're adorable!

You know, I have to be honest - I don't know. I can tell you that I had a phenomenal surgeon who did my sleeve robotically. That cut down on pain and recovery time. The hospital was amazing, too. I was an ERAS patient - Enhanced Recovery After Surgery. I had a special drink that kept me from getting dehydrated during the surgery. It also meant that I had extra precautions against nausea and vomiting. I was up walking within 3-4 hours of surgery. By hour 12, I was doing laps in the hall and sitting in the chair in my room. I walked and walked and walked while in hospital. Other than that, I think I just got really blessed!

I can honestly say that the entire experience was significantly easier than I expected. I had practically NO pain other than some gas discomfort and mild soreness. I had no trouble drinking or eating, albeit very tiny amounts. I was pain free by the end of week 2. I've not had anything more than some heartburn.

Im so glad I did this! It really is an awakening of your inner self. I am beginning to feel like the outside is starting to match the inside, and I love it!

I'm thinking about cutting my hair, too... What do you think?

Same here! I had surgery a month ago, and I have crazy energy! It's great! My skin is clear and glowing. I feel pretty, but most importantly, I feel healthy! I'm loving this!!!

That's lovely to hear@Joann454. It seems like the operation is really about opening up and releasing the inner happier you.

Taking your life back is pretty cool. I'd like to try kayaking again. Been years.

There have been some interesting side effects post op.
I care much more about myself.
I've cut my hair to my shoulders (I'm sure I kept it long to "hide").
I've had my nails and toes done.
I've bought new clothes, perfume, jewelry.
I've gone to the dentist and had some cosmetic work done along with a good cleaning.
All of this keeps compounding and helping my self esteem.
I laugh and smile more. I move more. I'm friendlier.
I wasn't expecting any of these side effects!

One of my good friends is your height and about your weight now. I know that being double that weight had to be really hard. That is really an amazing accomplishment, you should be really proud.

Wow..Surgery is tomorrow for you. Let us know how you're feeling.
It's normal to be a little and even sometimes, a lot nervous.

By the way, congratulations on your 23 pounds lost.

You really need to work on getting your Protein count up. You will lose muscle mass quickly at only 20-30 grams and toh don't want to do that.

I lost weight quickly as well too. As long as you take your Vitamins and keep your protein count higher (what's your surgeons goal?) to preserve muscle mass, I wouldn't worry about the quick loss

I just asked this on another thread...sorry if it's too personal, but...are you having regular bowel movements?
If you're not, that could be the cause. According to my NUT (and I double checked with another NUT to be sure), that pesky itching could be from not having regular bowel movements.
Here's an article on candida (yeast infection) and leaky gut syndrome. You can also do a google search for: yeast infection bowel movement and it will provide some good links.
http://www.yeastinfectionadvisor.com/leakygutsyndrome.html
I've had two NUT's tell me it's so important to take a good quality probiotic. I use Ther-Biotic Complete powder - it has 100+ Billion CFU's.
Post op, I thought I was going to have to treat a yeast infection with an over the counter treatment. I called the NUT and told her I hadn't had a bowel movement in 5 days and she freaked a little. I had to take some Metamucil and start the probiotic up again. Once things got moving, that irritating itch went a way.

Yep. I froze for a few months. It was almost painful to go to the grocery store without a sweater b/c I was so cold. Had to run in and hurry to get out before I turned into an icicle...lol But at 15 months out and with my weight leveled out, I don't have the issue so much now.

Congrats on your surgery. I'm new to this forum and my sleeve surgery is happening on Tuesday the 18th. I'm excited to hear of everyone's successes. Best of luck on your journey

I started this journey June of 2016. After switching surgeons and starting the process over in December I finally had my surgery on May 3rd 2017. I am so thankful I did my research and decided to go with my surgeon Dr. Rossidis. He truly is amazing and I am just so happy with how everything went. I am down a total of 59 lbs since January with my highest weight being 303. I knew I was overweight but I didn't see how my body really looked until I have done photo comparing. I still have a hard time seeing it in the mirror and I know it's still early but I am hoping my brain will catch up with my body sooner rather than later. I find myself asking all the time if I look okay or if something really does fit me well. I workout 4-6 times a week and I have to say I absolutely love working out now. It's my escape from everything else that is going on it life. I don't have cravings anymore and I actually have to make myself eat enough.... I never thought I would forget to eat. But I have and now I make sure I have a reminder in my phone to tell me to eat. My fitness pal is a life saver and I track all of my food in there... sometimes I miss but no one is perfect. I haven't told many people about my surgery and the ones that do know are supportive for the most part. I have to say I am so happy I made this decision for me and no one else. My family that saw me in February was amazed to see how much I have changed and I think that they are happy for me but at the same time not... my family loves to eat and for the most part all overweight. I spent a whole week with them for a vacation and they couldn't understand why I was going for runs and I didn't eat nearly as much as them. I actually lost a lbs on vacation and I have never done that. I am so proud of myself and have to keep myself positive with this journey and not let anyone bring me down. If I keep doing what I am supposed to do I can't do anything else but be successful. My aunt actually said to me you know in February you were still beautiful even though you were so big because you were just so confident. I know she didn't mean it in a bad way but it just made me feel like I guess I shouldn't have felt confident at 300 lbs. I thought I looked beautiful then and now I look at those photos and I can't believe I let myself get to that point. The photo I am posting shows me on the right at about 297 in February 2017 for my cousins wedding. The left is me last week on vacation July 2017. Photos show everything and it makes me see how far I have come and how far I have to go. oh and I am almost in a size 18!!! I was a size 26
HW: 303
SW: 277
CW: 244