SleeveToBypass2023

I'll have to ask. My doctor said because my ovaries were removed along with my uterus, I don't need progesterone. But I'll definitely ask.

Well, my win is that I'm surviving doing my overnight shifts at work, doing school (I started my IV certification class and my QMAP class during the day), and picking up an extra overnight shift here and there when possible. OMG I'm so tired lol But I'm so so happy with the fact that I'm in a size 8/10 Medium now. I started off in a 26/28 and sometimes a 30 (5x). I keep my jacket in a size Large because I like them a little bigger. And that absolutely BLOWS MY MIND that a size large is a little big on me lol My husband was looking for me in the store, and he said he saw me come around the corner and it took him looking past me and then back at me twice before he realized it was me because he said I look so thin that he just totally didn't recognize me LOL

I had a sleeve and then had HORRENDOUS gerd. I was on 80mg of Nexium per day as well as Pepcid and TUMS and it still wasn't enough. I had a barium swallow and endoscopy and found I had gastritis, esophagitis, and the high levels of PPI daily caused polyps to completely cover my stomach. I had to have 5 endoscopies to remove all the polyps. Then I had the bypass and it completely took care of the gerd. I had to have a ventral hernia surgically repaired and the gerd briefly came back and I went on PPI again for about a month and then it went away again. And I've been fine ever since. The smell sensitivity does die down, and mostly goes away, but I'm still sensitive to hamburger meat cooking, eggs cooking, and tuna fish. Other than that, the rest all went away. Bad breath can be ketosis, and as your diet balances out, it'll pass. Most of the time the taste aversions go away, but sometimes they don't. I used to LOVE green olives, pickles, bacon, salt. But now I hate all of that. As soon as I had the bypass, it happened. And that was a year and a half ago.

I'm sorry you're going through this, but I'm proud of you for being able to admit this and make the decision to change it. I worry about those that drink daily and don't moderate their alcohol consumption after the surgery. It's one thing to enjoy an occasional drink, it's another to drink daily (or multiple times per day). I really am impressed with your ability for self reflection and honesty. I really hope you're able to work through this. You took the first step today. Keep going, and good luck!!!

My hubby does all the cooking. I plan to prioritize turkey, then 1 standard spoonful of mashed potatoes (the big spoons, not the small ones), 1 spoonful of stuffing, homemade gravy on all of it, as well as 1 spoonful of cheesy peas, 1 spoonful of homemade cranberry sauce, 2 spoonfuls of broccoli and cauliflower gratin, and 2 spoonfuls of roasted brussel sprouts w/ bacon and parmesan. I know it seems like such a small amount, but I want to have a little of everything. I'm not having any rolls, tho. And I will (eventually) have a slice of no sugar added pumpkin pie with sugar free whipped cream. I'm REALLY excited. I LOVE Thanksgiving!!!

I did. I updated it

I've been wondering about something. When I look at my surgery progress under my picture, I have my starting weight (388) as what I weighed the day of my initial surgery. BUT, my highest weight was 421, which is what I weighed when I started the bariatric surgery process. I lost 33 pounds in order to be approved for the surgery, then qualified and had it right away. So should I put my starting weight as my highest weight, or keep it at the weight I was at on surgery day? How do you guys do it?

Awww, thank you!!! I was hoping to get to 250 pounds lost, but at this point I'm just gonna leave it alone. The goal is to NOT lose more lol But thank you for saying that I knew how much I lost but seeing there just hits different, you know?

Ok, you guys convinced me. What you all said really makes a lot of sense, so I went ahead and changed it. Thanks so much!!!

Makes sense. I might change mine then.

Yep, me. I never lost my hunger at all. I've just had to learn that if I follow my plan, I'm getting enough food. I ignore it by staying busy, working a lot, and keeping busy so I'm not focused on it. I make sure to have 3 meals and 3 snacks per day and prioritize protein, then healthy fats, then fiber, then carbs.

I think I've always had bad posture. Last time I was this size, I was in high school. I didn't care about my posture then lol I was really active so I really wasn't thinking about it. Once I had my son (at age 20), my PCOS kicked in hardcore and I gained a ton of weight that I couldn't lose. I assume my posture got worse, but I went from 165 when I got pregnant to 250 when I had my son. I lost about 15 pounds post baby and pretty much stayed there until I got pregnant with my daughter (at age 28). I went up to 315 when I had her and never lost a single ounce. As time went on, I slowly gained and nothing worked for losing it, so my "give-a-damn" busted and I stopped caring. And by the time I was 38, I weighed 395 and by age 42, I was 421. And stayed there until I had my original surgery in 2022. All through that, I'm pretty sure my posture just got worse and worse. And now that I'm 46 and weigh 245 pounds LESS, the bad posture is REALLY noticeable and even more uncomfortable than ever. I'm going to try some of the suggestions in this thread, because something's gotta give.

This is the first time I've ever seen your face!!! You're beautiful!!!

pic 1 - 421 pounds pic 2 - 176 pounds

I know exactly how you feel. I had the sleeve and did great. Had to have a revision due to complications and had a bypass. In both surgeries, I never ever lost physical hunger, nevermind head hunger. I still have head hunger to this day. And yes, I have times (not a whole day, but just certain times during a day here and there) where I eat something I definitely shouldn't be eating. Have I over-eaten? Yep. Have I eaten things I shouldn't? Yep. Am I failing my surgery? NOPE. I still feel some guilt when I "cheat" but you know what? It happens. Life happens. The point is you have to recognize that you had a slip, it is what it is, tomorrow is another day to start over and get it right. There's all kinds of online support groups, online therapy, and bariatric forums (like this one) that can offer help, support, suggestions, and accountability. You can do this, just remember WHY you did the surgery. Remember why you wanted it and why you jumped through all the hoops to get it.

I had to teach myself by literally only giving myself exactly what I'm supposed to eat for each bite. I'd set a timer and when it went off, I would get myself another bite worth of food. Or my hubby would do it. It's drastic, but I ate too fast and too much at first and REALLY paid for it. I had to do this for about 2 weeks until I got used to it. Once I did, I was able to put my full meal's worth of food on the plate or in the bowl. I also used toddler utensils so I couldn't over-eat.

I weighed 270 and was a size 22/24 when I met and married my husband. After I had our daughter, I was 340. And through the years, I went all the way to 421. My husband is known as a "chubby chaser" so he always loved how I look. Now that I'm 176 (I friggin dropped weight AGAIN...sigh...) and a size med/large, he struggles with how thin I am now. I'm literally the same size I was in high school. I weighed 165 then, so I'm still 11 pounds heavier but my clothing size is the same. My ring size is smaller. I have SO MUCH male attention now, and it actually annoys me. Every time I get hit on, I give the "bombastic side eye" and stare right through them. If they don't stop, and some don't, I say "no" and when they start to question me, I say "no is a complete sentence. now leave before I get pissed and show you my nasty side" and I walk away lol

I was on liquids for 2 weeks, then small smooshie foods for 2 weeks (like hummus, avocado, cottage cheese), then steamed foods like steamed veggies for 2 weeks. THEN I went on regular foods. But in extremely small portions. Before 6 weeks, your stomach is still swollen, still healing, and can't handle regular food. I would go back to liquids for a few days, then mushie foods for a week and steamed foods for a week. THEN I would try to eat regular foods again. Your stomach should be healed enough by then.

I'm not going to talk specifics on politics or who to vote for, but I will say VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!! This is such an important election and we have to have every voice heard and every vote count. PLEASE get out and vote if you haven't already. My family and friends already did. USA, USA, USA!!!!!! VOTE, VOTE, VOTE!!!!!!

I stayed up all night, until 2am, until everything was called. I was SO SO SO tired the next day lol Trump won, Republicans have the Senate, and it looks like they also have the House. Things are SERIOUSLY about to change Hopefully things will calm down around the country since the election, the ads, the mud slinging is finally over.

My weight seems to be holding steady at 180. I was hoping to get to 185 or even 190, but at this point I'm just glad I'm not 170 anymore. I'm a size 8/10 now (and I fluctuate between Medium and Large, depending on the brand). I noticed I don't have a lot of strength anymore, and I need to figure out how to build some muscle. But I have to not really work out, because as soon as I do, I drop weight like crazy. I wanted to try lifting weights again, but I don't have the strength and endurance anymore. And I'm ALWAYS tired these days. I'm on my feet all day at work, so I was told not to really work out if I don't want to lose more weight. So I'm kind of stuck. But anyway, I'm proud that I dropped so much weight, and I love my new numbers (blood sugar is 93 before eating and 122 after eating, A1c is 5.4, blood pressure alternates anywhere between 102/60 - 106/64, my total cholesterol is 143) but my iron is still too low and I have to have 3 iron infusions (blah). I've always had an issue with anemia, so this is no real surprise.

I think I am. )knock on wood). I seem to be doing very well, minus all the "need to gain weight" issues. Thanks!!

So in the US, trade schools typically give a certificate or diploma. The words college and university are used interchangeably. Also in the US, employers just want to see some kind of post high school education. I have an Associate's degree (2 year degree) and a clinical medical assistant diploma as well as several licenses and certifications. And I can pretty much choose where I want to work. My medical assistant diploma took me a year to get and was taught by a lead medical assistant with 20 years experience. My Associate's degree came from Denver Community College. I'm working on my Bachelor's in Public Health (9 classes to go) and I'm doing that online through American Public University.

This is interesting! Here in the US, therapists have to have specific college degrees and be licensed in order to do the talk therapy. Psychiatrists are pretty much the same except they have longer school and specialty training for the meds. Psychiatrists don't do talk therapy. The appointments are usually 15-20 minutes and it's really just checking in about the meds, side effects, make sure they're helping, and make any adjustments/changes as needed. Therapist appointments are usually an hour and they do talking, coping techniques, journaling, etc... And both are covered by the government insurance (Medicaid) here.

If your BMI is only 36, then there are many different reasons your surgeon may not want you to do the LSD (Liver Shrinking Diet). I would listen to what your surgeon says. You'll have to not eat 24 hours before your surgery anyway, and nothing to drink after midnight before your surgery. My guess is they feel that's enough for you. I wouldn't push it, if I were you. Anytime I had to deviate from my main eating plan, I worked with my nutritionist and spoke with either my surgeon or the nurse practitioner about it and we came up with alternatives together. I'm 2 1/2 years out from my original surgery and 1 1/2 out from my revision (due to complications from the 1st surgery) and I've been extremely successful. I suggest not doing things behind your team's backs. Speak to them about your concerns and see what you can come up with together.