NP_WIP

Prior to surgery I went about 9 months without my period. One month post op I got it and after that for the first 3 or so months, I was getting it up 2x per month sometimes only 10 days in between periods. I was told by my surgeon and primary doctor that it was normal because of the estrogen being released. I started the pill 30 days after the surgery and I'm more sensible to it now, if I do not take within 2 hrs of the scheduled time, in a few days I start bleeding. I will contact your gyn to make sure its from the surgery and not something else as everyone is different.

I only told a handful of people to avoid unnecessary comments. My mom still doesn't know and she lives with me 🤷‍♀️ I feel like every journey is so personal that the last thing you want is others commenting when they have not walked in your shoes. Unfortunately, in my culture people think everything is done out of vanity, and that was not my reason and therefore I did not want to be associated with it.

I was told a year, but I sipped a beer at about 6 weeks, hated the taste and still do 8 months post op. Had my first official drink 8 weeks post op, a margarita with lots of ice to dilute the drink. It will hit you fast, 2 sips in and I started to feel a tingling sensation in my nape, that's how I still know I'm getting tipsy. I did notice that even though it hits faster, it also metabolizes faster. I tasted wine about 4 months post op, prefer not to do it, cheap wine its not the way to go, my palate separates the alcohol and it taste like a sip of juice, followed by a sip of alcohol. Since then, I had done a skinny mojito twice. I do try to limit the amount of alcohol I'm consuming because of the empty calories, and because I do not want to go back to bad habits, socially I think is fine.

Not missing being bigger, but do understand where it comes from. You are going into something unknown and holding to things that are familiar appeases that fear. We also hold on to clothes we like that we do not fit into because one day we will. Once you start seeing that you are sizing out of clothes, even the ones you used to love, you will not care. You will find joy in trying new clothes and new sizes.

Congratulations, amazing work! Sent from my SM-S916U1 using BariatricPal mobile app

I was ignorant about the differences between procedures when I was looking into doing the surgery, however had a close friend and family member who each had done one procedure both in April of last year. Based on their experience post op, the rerouting of the intestine and the fact that I didn't want to loose it to fast with the idea of giving my skin time, and learning to fuel my body, I went with the sleeve.

I used to shed the usual 50-100 strands per day prior to surgery, plus my hair was brittle and thin. I was advised by the RN to keep hair loose as much as possible, take biotin for new hair growth, avoid treatments or heat, and was only once a week. While I was doing that the first few months, it did increase a little bit, but wasn't as alarming since I had cut my hair from hips to shoulder length one month post op. Now at 8 months post op, I have started to wash it 2x per week, and can definitely see more shedding. I have reduced the brushing to once a day, try to keep it as loose as possible (no messy buns) and started using some natural hair drops that stimulate growth and help with dryness. I suspect it will be a few more months of excess shedding for me, I'm just glad there is no bald spots.

I think in our journeys we all have different moments that accumulate over a course of time. 2 months prior to surgery I had a doctors appointment because I was not getting my period at that point for 7 months. They were referring me to an endo since obesity causes PCOS and they wanted to rule that out and my BP medicine was being raised and my cholesterol was being monitored. A few weeks later I was on vacation and taking some pictures. While I was posing a certain way, my body wasn't doing that at all. I took those moments to actually see what I was doing with my life, and made the decision 2 weeks later.

Agree with the above post, in my pureed/soft stage (mine was combined), I was allowed refried beans but they were too dense as is, so I had to mix with greek yogurt or broth to avoid the food stuck feeling in your chest.

Hope everyone is well! I have had a slow month so far, only about 2.5lbs but can't blame anyone but myself. Went on vacation and ate everything I saw lol I drank also which I was not doing and this caused major swelling on my ankle, and have not exercised in 3 weeks. However, I'm able to fit some shorts that I purposely bought a smaller size. I am 11lbs from my original goal of 180 so that's a big plus, my second goal is 160 but I may fall somewhere in between 165-170 depending on how I feel. I think after I hit 170 , I will not look so much at the number on the scale but how I feel. Funny that now I can see my stomach roll and dare to complain but it shows me that I'm no longer hiding and afraid to see myself in the mirror.

So far my only aversion is beer. I can't stand the feeling of it on my tongue or the sour taste. I was an avid beer drinker and now, hard pass. I think is the hop because I can do champagne but I'm actually glad I can skip it and save those empty calories.

I agree with the above post, speak to your team and review what you are eating and drinking every day. I tend to not loose much if I eat too little, and do not drink enough fluids.

It's supposed to be a rule to follow forever, however the nutritionist said the guidelines are there due to feedback from patients. Some may be able to eat before the 30min are up depending on how they feel. I can drink up to 15min before, but after I have to wait 30min to 1 hour depending on what I eat. Soup is a no no for now, I can only do a few spoonful and that makes it difficult to get my protein in.

Do not beat yourself up for eating it, take it as a learning experience and understand that it may be a trigger food for you. What works for me is eating after I served myself what would be my portion, sometimes even less and then waiting a few minutes to see if I want more. I time my meals to be 30min, if I do not eat my portion within that time, I just stop and leave it for later as a snack. Follow your guidelines as that can vary and speak to your team if you feel you need more direct help.

That is normal with Isopure, even the fruity ones. Make it ahead like suggested before, it should be gone after 3 minutes or so.

I agree to stay off the scale, the first few months I did my best to only get on it once a week or every few days if I knew getting on it was going to cause some emotional turmoil.

My doctor's plan said to introduce lettuce at stage 5, which was around 2 months and raw veggies after that stage. The nutritionist also suggested the same timeline, even though we were prioritizing proteins, she said to leave a little bit of space for some vegetables so your new stomach can learn to eat different foods and relearn how to digest it.

Prior to surgery up to a week depending on what it was. After surgery I will do 3-4 days depending on what it is, some meats tend to get drier, and if that's the case I will add some broth. Today I'm having carnitas which I made on Friday, and just adding some broth when reheating, heck I may have some left over for tomorrow 🤷‍♀️

I did not have any craving for the first few months, but after month 6 I have been craving fried food, not like pre op which was usually orange juice or chocolate.

Some from my support group have recommended Better Help, which is fully online.

I had my surgery in another city, had to fly out. All my appointments have been virtual. I had 1 week post op, 2 weeks post op, and then every 3 months up until a year. I can reach out to them at any time though, and I have support meetings 3 times a week also on Zoom.

It will get better. I did not meet my water intake the first few weeks, and couldn't meet the protein without the shakes. I was told by my surgeon that it was normal for the first month, but then to prioritize.

I have traveled every month since surgery, starting at exactly one month post op. I took some protein powder (fruity one) and some shakes in my bag and then just ate the protein of whatever was being served. At my 2nd trip, which was about 7 weeks post op, I followed the same idea, but only took the protein powder since I could eat a little more and I wasn't afraid to try new things, even a margarita. After month 3, I take Gatorade zero packets (easier to take along but only 10g of protein) and some quest bars, and eat about everything and log all foods.

We were told to be careful when microwaving or reheating food, because it can dry out the proteins and make it harder to chew and digest, but we can still use it.

I managed to go to a conference all of last week and still have energy to hit the Disney parks in the evenings. I had 20k+ steps every day. I wasn't afraid of not fitting in rides (even the kiddie ones), I didn't feel like people were looking at me and judging me, and I managed to loose a few pounds even with the crappy food provided (kids menu were just fast food and at sit down restaurant massive 4oz of steak, 20 baby potatoes and half a head of broccoli)