STLoser

It was a blood test.

Also, I my surgeon and dietitian acted like the amount I lost in 6 months exceeded their expectations and was not the norm, so maybe your expectations are a little high. It sounds like you are doing great!

I am 5'3". I was 393 pounds when I started this process, and 368 the day of surgery. I was the 276 at the 6 month mark. I am almost 13 months post op now and I weigh 217. I am personally THRILLED with my weight loss and never could even come close to losing that much in 6 months or a year before I had surgery. Anyway. I started out much bigger than you and I "only" lost 92 pounds in the first 6 months. I have had some stalls along the way, but I have consistently lost and what matters is my overall loss and how I feel, which I am so happy with. I am STILL in the obese category since I'm short, but it's worlds away from where I was before and I'm happy.

I have shared the fact that I had surgery with anyone and everyone. I'm just an open book and also a bit of an oversharer. At 50, I also don't care what anyone thinks anymore. If people ask how, especially if they are overweight, I am glad to share in case it will be helpful to them. But this is just the way I am. I've never been very good at keeping things to myself. It's funny, because I'm great at keeping secrets people tell me, but I don't hide a lot about myself. I don't expect others to be like me and understand why some people don't want to let anyone know they had surgery. No one is obligated to share with strangers or acquaintances, and I feel like it's deeply personal for everyone to decide what they are comfortable with. You just have to decide what feels right to you.

Congratulations on getting to Onederland! That is amazing! I am 17 pounds away from it myself and it seems unbelievable that I could ever be there again. I totally understand what you mean about clothes. It's hard to overcome years of never fitting into anything and it's overwhelming to figure out what to wear. Lizonaplane suggested Nordstrom. I haven't shopped there in years because I was too big, but last time I went they were fantastic at trying to fit me for a strapless bra. I wear one of those off the chart sizes, so they couldn't help me, but they sure tried and never made me feel like a freak like I have often felt at other places. Best service ever. Again, I congratulations on your success!

Good for you for standing up for yourself! These doctors have no right to treat people that way! I went through much of the same treatment, and I as do most of us who have been overweight or obese, and it's not OK!

I was at the vet with my mom's dog (my mom is in the hospital), and they had a t shirt that said "I kissed a dog and I liked it" for sale. I went to buy one and they only had 2 or 3x. I would have been too big for either of those sizes last year. Now they are way too big for me! I was disappointed I couldn't get the shirt, but I have never had it happen where I couldn't find one because it was too big!

I have so far lost 175 pounds, and I want to lose at least 30 more. I have a ton of excess skin on my lower stomach and thighs. I will take it ANY day over being as big as I was. I was afraid the loose skin would be heavy or uncomfortable, but it really doesn't bother me at all, and it's easy to hide with clothes. Although I am not too worried about hiding it on my legs. I proudly wore shorts all summer! I feel like I worked hard to get this point and I don't care what anyone thinks about my loose skin as long as I am happy, I which I am. I may have it removed in the future, but it's not likely since I already had to pay for my wls out of pocket. It doesn't bother me if I have to live with it. My life is a million times better when I weighed almost 400 pounds!

I lost a lot of hair for several months starting around month 3. I'm happy to say it stopped around 7 months. I am 13 months post op now and I have a lot of re-growth now.

I learned the hard way to never trust a fart. [emoji23]

I definitely felt it was a major threat and therefore got vaccinated as soon as I was eligible. It gave me so much hope until I saw that so many in my state aren't getting vaccinated. I live in a rural/suburban area and most of the people out here are against the vaccine, and masking, etc. I feel safer having the vaccine, but I have a 10 year old son who goes back to school tomorrow who can't get it yet so I'm scared. My mom is also having brain surgery to remove a tumor tomorrow so I'm petrified one of us will get covid and pass it on to her. She is vaccinated too, but I'm still scared. I tend to always imagine the worst so I worry about everyone close to me and can't understand the mentality nowadays where people don't want to get vaccinated to help protect others who can't get the vaccine.. I got it for myself, but also for other people. Anyway, I still always wear a mask and limit my outings as often as possible. Luckily, I'm a bit of a homebody anyway. Ha ha

I can climb the ladder on my son's very tall bunk bed to make it and kiss him goodnight now! I used to have to have my tall husband strip the bed for me to wash the sheets and he had to make the bed!

Oh, and I had a catheter for my c section, but I not for my wls, but it was no big deal at all and I actually loved not having to constantly get up to pee. Iol

I just turned 50 this month and my ONLY retreat is that I didn't do this sooner. I had my surgery right before my 49th birthday last year. If I had done this in my late 20s or early 30s when I weighed around what you do instead of waiting until I was almost 400 pounds, it would have prevented me from having the liver disease and other problems that led me to finally get surgery. I am also a very anxious person and always think the worst. It doesn't help that I'm an RN, so I always imagine every scenario that could go wrong. I just had to keep telling myself that statistics were in my favor and there was way more chance of things going right. There is always a risk of complications, but that risk is small. I'm so glad I took the risk and my life is a million times better now than it was last year. You are smart for doing it while you are young. You will hopefully prevent so many problems!

One of my favorite quotes too. One of the best movies ever!

I actually had the Loop Duodenal Switch, which is still a fairly new procedure, and my surgeon automatically keeps you 3 nights for it. I have a sleeved stomach with bypassed intestines. I didn't have any surgical complications, but I was very nauseated and vomited old blood the first few days, which can happen, and as a result I could not complete my swallow test the first 2 times I tried. I threw up the contrast every time. So they kept me an extra night just to be safe and the day I went home I was so much better and had a pretty uneventful recovery. My pain was never bad at all, except 10 days post op I had back pain that the Dr. Thinks was a kidney stone, but I because a day later I had blood in my urine. Really though, besides the nausea, this surgery wasn't bad at all! I would do it again in a second!

A year ago, I was in your shoes. I weighed 393 pounds and was having so much trouble getting around. I had been obese for so long too, and because I'm short I still am, but I am still losing. I weigh 219 right now and things have changed IMMENSELY from a year ago. I walk with ease and don't get short of breath anymore. My asthma, which only was diagnosed 10 years ago when I became super obese, is so much better that I barely know I have it. I can't remember the last time I needed my rescue inhaler, and my Dr. decreased the dose of my daily preventative inhaler. Most importantly, I have reversed my fatty liver disease, which is the biggest reason I did this surgery. It's hard to imagine right now, but you will be here, and you will feel so much better. I wish you the best of luck!

I just went to a concert and was able to buy a shirt too! I mostly wear xl now but they didn't have an xl in the one I wanted so got large and it fit. I couldn't believe it! It is so cool to be able to buy a concert shirt! It sounds like you are doing great with your weight. You're almost back down to where you were before your hip surgery. That is a big surgery to go through! I know what you mean about still seeing a bigger person when I look in the mirror. It is hard to look and the mirror and not see the bigger person, but sometimes I get a glimpse of myself and don't recognize myself. And just remember, those smaller clothes don't lie!!

Hello all! Nice to see this thread active again! I'm doing well. I'm down 173 pounds since my pre-surgery weight of 393. I just got to 219 and I am really looking forward to getting to onederland! My goal is to get to 193 but I'd like to get down to 170 or less ideally. I couldn't be happier so far though and I feel amazing! I don't do any crazy exercise, but just walking and being more active overall. I just turned 50 and I feel like I'm 25 now! [emoji2] Sounds like all of you are doing great!!

I just realized I can walk upstairs carrying something. I was bringing an end table up from our basement and I walked up carrying it without having to stop or hold on. For years now I would have to prop the item on each step to get it upstairs because I could not go upstairs without holding on, AND I couldn't alternate legs going upstairs. I feel so normal now. It's surreal sometimes!

I paid out of pocket (21,000) for my surgery and it was worth every single penny and I am worth it. YOU are absolutely worth. You are doing this for you!

I buy Citracal Maximum Plus. I get them on Amazon and they're about 14 dollars for 180. I take 4 of the them a day. I tried Bariatric Fusion chewables early on, but I but I couldn't stand the texture or how sweet they tasted. Pills are much better for me.

Ha ha. That reminds me. We had these plastic lawn chairs.. They were designed for bigger people, but I was still over the weight limit, and we had the a while so they were kind of brittle. I was sitting on our deck one day and the chair just totally collapsed under me. It must have looked like a building imploding! [emoji23]

I definitely had that happen at my highest weight. I've taken more than 1 chair with me! [emoji23] I'm 172 pounds down, and it's still weird that I fit into chairs now. I still find myself checking out chairs at places wondering if they'll fit, and then I realize "Oh wait! I don't have to worry about that anymore!" I've been bruised from chairs like the ones you described in the conference room. I don't miss that!

I stayed in the hospital 4 nights but did not have a pain pump, although they did give me pain medicine any time I needed it. I had more trouble with nausea than pain and once I went home I did not need the Percocet they gave me. It sure can't hurt to have a pump when you go home though.. Better to have it in case you do have pain. Good luck!