Smanky

I have a philtrum piercing, and did have a labret, but when I took it out for a medical procedure, it closed over so quick I decided that after ten years I was ok not getting it re-pierced. Love my philtrum piercing, though.
Piercings are great, tattoos are great, I'm pro-body mods. Don't care what anyone else thinks, and don't care what someone else chooses to do so long as they're happy.
Nose piercings are a great choice - they're pretty low on the pain, look fantastic, and don't close over as fast as mouth piercings do if you need to take it out for any reason! My recommendation is go to a dedicated body piercing place, do not let anyone near you with a piercing gun, those things are horrible and don't pierce clean. Surgical steel is the standard, and your piercer will be able to recommend the right jewelry. Once it's healed, you can swap the jewelry out whenever you feel like a change.

I had raging GERD pre-surgery, and while the GERD has pretty much gone post-op, I'm so prone to developing ulcers that I'm still on 40mg of Pantoprazole almost two years out. The plan was for me to wean off Pantoprazole, but when I do, I get a fresh ulcer. I have a pooling of bile in the bottom of what's left of my stomach, which I suspect is at least contributing to it (and I still get "gallstone attacks" despite no longer having a gallbladder). Unfortunately, it's not a sure thing that a bypass will cure GERD, which sucks.
100% feel for you. It's just relentless complications. Hope your surgeon has some idea.

Neither of those drugs is going to "end obesity" when obesity can be a symptom of poor economic status and they cost almost $2000 a month in some cases. Maybe ending obesity for the wealthy but for the average person you see in Walmart? No.

Thank you kindly for all the information and your openness. I’ve re-read your posts several times over the past few weeks, as it’s such an important decision to make, and am scheduled for a MGB on February 24th. Ready for a new start!

I will never understand this bizarre notion people seem to have that an "easy way out" for weight loss is a bad thing even if it did exist. Like... why does it need to be a struggle to be ok? Do we need weight loss to be some epic f***ing crawl across a flaming desert of despair to be acceptable to people who aren't involved? Does my head in.
Makes me inclined to answer "my own hard work" when asked how I lost so much weight. It's not anyone's business anyway.
Also: you look AMAZING! Seriously. And that top you're wearing is gorgeous on you!

Genuine first weird NSV:
Walking outside and experiencing that magical sensation of my undies slowly falling down inside my jeans, which are also slowly falling down. Holding my jeans up by the pockets on my way home, with my undies trying their best to be budget thigh-garters.
Sexy!

I'm super fortunate that my partner has always been a gem. He never made me feel bad when I was morbidly obese - that was all me hating myself. He was initially against my WLS until I had a meltdown and told him the bald truth about how miserable I was. He didn't know because I don't like talking about my feelings and tend to hide it as best I can. His misgivings about the surgery were all safety related.
Post surgery, we've just gotten better, not because I'm small now (though he's enjoying the novelty of new little-me!), but because I'm HAPPY. I'm happy and I've got my mojo back, and I'm lot more fun to be around. We've been together since 1989, and my change in mental health has recharged us both.

I will never understand this bizarre notion people seem to have that an "easy way out" for weight loss is a bad thing even if it did exist. Like... why does it need to be a struggle to be ok? Do we need weight loss to be some epic f***ing crawl across a flaming desert of despair to be acceptable to people who aren't involved? Does my head in.
Makes me inclined to answer "my own hard work" when asked how I lost so much weight. It's not anyone's business anyway.
Also: you look AMAZING! Seriously. And that top you're wearing is gorgeous on you!

Genuine first weird NSV:
Walking outside and experiencing that magical sensation of my undies slowly falling down inside my jeans, which are also slowly falling down. Holding my jeans up by the pockets on my way home, with my undies trying their best to be budget thigh-garters.
Sexy!

Gold and silver are softer and therefore more porous on a microscopic level, and can "pit", meaning bacteria or other irritants can cling to them. They can also flake off into the open wound, and are more reactive with body fluids. They're generally fine for a healed piercing (which can take a few weeks to several months depending on what kind of piercing it is), but because they're not as hard and non-reactive as something like surgical steel or titanium.
I worked, unfortunately, at a Claire's in a mall for several years when I was in college, and I know that stores like that push gold as being "safer" when really it is "more profitable". I had nothing but problems with piercings done in gold with a piercing gun. I have since gotten SEVERAL more piercings done with a single-use hollow needle at a piercing parlor, and have had none of the same issues.
The right establishment should almost feel like a medical office.

I have a philtrum piercing, and did have a labret, but when I took it out for a medical procedure, it closed over so quick I decided that after ten years I was ok not getting it re-pierced. Love my philtrum piercing, though.
Piercings are great, tattoos are great, I'm pro-body mods. Don't care what anyone else thinks, and don't care what someone else chooses to do so long as they're happy.
Nose piercings are a great choice - they're pretty low on the pain, look fantastic, and don't close over as fast as mouth piercings do if you need to take it out for any reason! My recommendation is go to a dedicated body piercing place, do not let anyone near you with a piercing gun, those things are horrible and don't pierce clean. Surgical steel is the standard, and your piercer will be able to recommend the right jewelry. Once it's healed, you can swap the jewelry out whenever you feel like a change.

I have a philtrum piercing, and did have a labret, but when I took it out for a medical procedure, it closed over so quick I decided that after ten years I was ok not getting it re-pierced. Love my philtrum piercing, though.
Piercings are great, tattoos are great, I'm pro-body mods. Don't care what anyone else thinks, and don't care what someone else chooses to do so long as they're happy.
Nose piercings are a great choice - they're pretty low on the pain, look fantastic, and don't close over as fast as mouth piercings do if you need to take it out for any reason! My recommendation is go to a dedicated body piercing place, do not let anyone near you with a piercing gun, those things are horrible and don't pierce clean. Surgical steel is the standard, and your piercer will be able to recommend the right jewelry. Once it's healed, you can swap the jewelry out whenever you feel like a change.

I have a philtrum piercing, and did have a labret, but when I took it out for a medical procedure, it closed over so quick I decided that after ten years I was ok not getting it re-pierced. Love my philtrum piercing, though.
Piercings are great, tattoos are great, I'm pro-body mods. Don't care what anyone else thinks, and don't care what someone else chooses to do so long as they're happy.
Nose piercings are a great choice - they're pretty low on the pain, look fantastic, and don't close over as fast as mouth piercings do if you need to take it out for any reason! My recommendation is go to a dedicated body piercing place, do not let anyone near you with a piercing gun, those things are horrible and don't pierce clean. Surgical steel is the standard, and your piercer will be able to recommend the right jewelry. Once it's healed, you can swap the jewelry out whenever you feel like a change.

I have 2 additions to my list!
It finally occurred to me today: my heels aren't cracking anymore. Sure, I'm not a dainty-sandal or slingback-kitten-heel person in any way, but even still - my feet are looking good! No more cracks so big you could go spelunking.
And second: I've become a morning person and can't oversleep. I used to be a night owl, and would easily sleep ten hours if allowed, and that sleep wouldn't be quality because of my terrible breathing (undiagnosed, but I know I had sleep apnea). Now that I breathe normally, I can get by on a lot less sleep, even WITH my cat waking me up multiple times during the night. I wake up at dawn and... I like it!

I often wonder how different I feel to my partner. He had decades of cuddling a chubby-to-obese partner in bed, to now cuddling what I can only imagine feels a bit like a human-shaped collection of broomsticks.
I mean he was on the gradual journey with me, so it's not an overnight change, but still. Gotta be wild!

Yeah, mine too. And my boobs have vanished. I used to say I'm shaped like a plank with tits, but now I'm just the plank. 🤡
I can wear the hell out of a suit, though. Tailored clothes love me. Bikinis... yeah not so much!

That is excellent, Summerseeker! I honestly think we're just so hard-wired from years of obesity to expect the worst when it comes to scales, even when there's no need. And I agree with Catwoman, I think on holiday the activity portion is way higher than our day-to-day activity, and because it's on holiday, you don't notice because you're so distracted by fun stuff. I know I came back from a week at an interstate festival that felt like I'd eaten loads and was prepared for the scales to show it... and yeah, rather than gaining I'd lost a little more. It's wild!

That is excellent, Summerseeker! I honestly think we're just so hard-wired from years of obesity to expect the worst when it comes to scales, even when there's no need. And I agree with Catwoman, I think on holiday the activity portion is way higher than our day-to-day activity, and because it's on holiday, you don't notice because you're so distracted by fun stuff. I know I came back from a week at an interstate festival that felt like I'd eaten loads and was prepared for the scales to show it... and yeah, rather than gaining I'd lost a little more. It's wild!

it shouldn't complicate it at all. Once you're out a ways, other than eating less food than before, things are pretty normal...and often much easier than they were before surgery.

I have just arrived home from our 14 day holiday. We had it booked pre- covid and the company allowed us to continue postponing the booking until we could go. It was a All inclusive type holiday where you stay in a big resort and everything is at hand which suits us when travelling, my husband needs a wheelchair. We were a little nervous of the airports and flying as it is such a hassle with a wheelchair. It all went quite smoothly except for the times I was stranded with a hubby, wheelchair, two suitcases and two bags and a large handbag. At times it felt like I was the puzzle where you have a river to cross with a bag of grain, a hen and a fox. I wore the bags like a bandolero, pulled the suitcase and pushed the wheelchair with my stomach. Oh the joys of checking in at airports.
I ate what I wanted, which being me, was always the best fish, seafood, cheeses and a vast amount of serrano/ parma ham. They made their own Cookies and bread so these never got bypassed but in small amounts. I even had butter and ice cream. I drank strong coffee with liqueurs and some long cocktails. Usually one or two a day. A few times I felt really drunk when the bar tenders had made the cocktails stronger than the last. It was not a good feeling but I found something to eat and then the alcohol was absorbed quickly.
I was a little worried to get on the scales this morning. Pre surgery, I could put almost a stone on in the two weeks [14lbs] a lot of it was Water weight around my swollen ankles. I weighed in at exactly the same and TMI moment, had 8 days of poop inside me. So may even loose weight when the medicine kicks in [ or is it out ? ] So te he he another win win for my bariatric surgery

I got on the scale this morning to find I've hit goal (in fact, I'm below goal). I'm floored. There's always that doubt in the back of the mind that says "ahh, you'll never make it", leftover from a lifetime of yo-yo dieting failure and self-sabotage, so to actually get here is surreal. This is the first time in my life I've been a normal BMI. I thought it would take me months to shed the final kilogram, especially since I feel like I'm eating in a maintenance way now and not really watching calories like a hawk, but I feel like it dropped off me super quick in the last month (with an extra kilo as a bonus).
For info purposes, it took 14.5 months to go from a 42 BMI to 25. Hard, hard work, but so worth it, and I despite the constant "am I eating too much" voice in my head, I feel like I do have a healthier relationship with food now, in that there's no guilt and shame anymore, even when I've had a mouthful too much.
So happy, stunned and grateful that I'm actually, finally here.

I lived on Protein Water in the first few months when I couldn't eat more than two mouthfuls of anything. Kept me hydrated and got protein into me. Nothing bad happened and I still get a lot of my protein from protein water.

I lived on Protein Water in the first few months when I couldn't eat more than two mouthfuls of anything. Kept me hydrated and got protein into me. Nothing bad happened and I still get a lot of my protein from protein water.

Genuine first weird NSV:
Walking outside and experiencing that magical sensation of my undies slowly falling down inside my jeans, which are also slowly falling down. Holding my jeans up by the pockets on my way home, with my undies trying their best to be budget thigh-garters.
Sexy!

I was lucky I guess, I always knew that this surgery for me. I have many surgeries and have a c'est la vie attitude. I would have been the first guinea pig to have this surgery, that's how much I wanted it. I just needed to have the money spare to do it. So I lost weight and gained weight and gained more weight for 40 years. In the end I was as unhealthy as was possible, I had no joy. My day was so different to now.
My life is fantastic, I fit in the world, I am so happy. I want you to feel this too. Go for it, what do you have to loose ?