deedee

Terrific job on your loss! I'm glad you're doing so well.

Welcome Dee! My surgeon was willing (and planning) to do the VSG and gallbladder at the same time. He said at one time the gallbladder was routinely removed with wls. At one of my pre-op meetings a few weeks before surgery my husband asked about the risks of being under anesthesia longer in order to have both removed and the surgeon did say the longer your under, the greater the risk (it really didn't seem that much greater though). Although my gallbladder was bad (based on an ultrasound I had last spring due to pains), we decided to wait (there were other reasons pertaining to my situation as well). The surgeon said I would need to wait either 4 or 6 weeks (can't remember) between surgeries, but it wouldn't be a problem. Good luck on your decision process, I'm sure your surgeon will have some good advice.

It sounds like you are doing really well. Congratulations!

Hello and welcome! There are a lot of us out here. Take some time and read through the forum and feel free to post your questions there as well. There are sub-forums for post-op questions/concerns, diets, general sleeve talk, etc. I have found so much useful information and very knowledgeable people. Can't wait to get to know you and hear all about your journey!

CONGRATULATIONS on the size 12's! I completely understand what you are saying. I finally got down to 160.5 and thought, great I should be out of the 160's soon, then this morning I was 162:-( Good luck with your fluctuation! I hope you get back to normal soon.

Ange, Thank you for keeping us posted on how you're doing. I hope things start to get better soon. Take care of yourself!

Your doctor was right, your weight loss is remarkable. Congratulations on your success, you are doing an amazing job!!!

I don't think anybody should feel bad about keeping it to themselves. I think it is a very personal decision, we are all who we are now, and who we will become in the future, based on the experiences we've had (will have) in life...and we just have to make the best decisions we can make that fit with our lives and philosophies.

AJW- I also go through a lot of up/down movement on the scale, it started with my first stall 2.5 weeks out. It sucks, but then it's so nice to see it drop and never go back. Official weigh-in weight from this morning: 160.5 lbs. I did up the Protein by eating more meat last week, but was not successful in adding in a Protein Drink in the mornings...maybe this week? I've been noticing the weight loss has slowed down over the past month, but when I look at it like this--week by week--it helps me focus on the success.

Welcome to VST! My husband came with me and I was so glad to have him there...I freaked out a little and they had trouble getting the IV put in. He works from home and brought his laptop with him and worked some while I was in surgery. My mom stopped by after she got off of work and waited with him until I was out of surgery. My surgery took longer than planned because they repaired a hernia, so she went home before I was out of recovery. My husband stayed for about an hour (I think) once I was back in my room. I was to be released the next day in the late afternoon, so he decided to come later in the day. I was feeling great most of the morning, practically running laps, until they took me down for my barium swallow. I started puking and dry heaving. I called him as soon as I got back to my room and he got ready and came, but we live 1.5-2 hours away, so it took a while. I guess all this rambling is to say, it depends on you and what kind of support you feel you will need. I needed my husband when I felt crappy/scared, but maybe you have a friend in the area? I told 2 different friends that inquired that I would prefer they stay away and I'm very happy I did. Good luck with your journey!

YAY Chancie!!!!!!!!!!!! I am so happy for your success. You have done amazing and will be at goal in no time. CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you so much. Congratulations on your revision, you will be making your weight loss goals before you know it!

I agree with VegasAngel that you have to figure out what's best for you. My surgeon told me, before I left the hospital, to stay off of the scale for 2-3 weeks post-op. I made it to day 8, if I remember correctly, so I don't think every two weeks would be far from normal. The neat thing is that this is your plan and you can always make adjustments as needed. For me now that I'm able to eat more and my weight loss has slowed down (I also don't track my food), I feel it's important to weigh more often (daily) to help me make proper food choices throughout my week. It keeps me accountable when I don't see a loss for 3 or more days, I know I need to get back on the program completely.

Welcome Jodi! Congratulations on your weight loss so far (we had similar losses)! I just had my 4 month surgiversary yesterday, and my weight loss has been slow now for almost a month. Do you exercise? I'm hoping that maybe doing a little more exercise (adding in Sundays on a consistent basis) will help me. Good luck!

I am so HAPPY for you! You are such an amazing woman and deserve all the wonderful joys in life that you're experiencing now and will experience in the future. You were one of the first people here that reached out to me when I was having an off day and sincerely touched me with your kindness. I do not feel that my journey through this process would have been the same without your words of encouragement and support. THANK YOU TIFF for being you and congratulations on your transformation!

CONGRATULATIONS Deb!!! That date will be here so quickly. Good job and luck on your pre-op diet.

I'm so glad, thank you for updating us!

I was also on full liquids when I returned home, so yogurt and pudding would have been okay for me at that time. Thank you for the kind words Judy!

Woohoo Shanda!!! I am so happy for you. You are going to be a beautiful bride, can't wait to see pictures.

CONGRATULATIONS! It really will be here before you know it. You can use this time to get all prepared (if you aren't already). Keep us posted on your journey.

I began telling everyone when I first started exploring wls because I wanted feedback as I researched, BUT I tend to tell most people everything (everyone knew about my fibroid surgery last year and I had no problems discussing that either). Now I didn't go out of my way to share this news, but if we were talking (and I talk a lot, to a lot of people) about our lives, weight, upcoming plans, etc. then it was something I'd share...so most people at work, a retirement party last spring and any friends I talked with. I shared with Jazzercise group when I first started back because I was only 1 month post-op and modified quite a bit. The only people I haven't told is my tap class. I started with them 2 months post-op and had never met any of them before, the first class a couple of ladies were talking about diets and I mentioned I was working hard to lose weight too. Now that are really noticing the weight loss, I might try to figure out a way to mention it, but I'm not sure yet. We really do not have a lot of "chat" time at class and unlike my Jazzercise people, I don't see any of them outside of class. I don't think that I got many negative reactions, although I got many people saying I wasn't big enough, but I looked at that as a compliment and told them they were wrong of course with a big smile...it pretty much ended that, if it didn't I kindly let them know that the conversation was over, still with a smile. So I guess it depends on your personality, outlook on life, and what you want to deal with. I've heard of some people telling only a couple people before and then sharing with those who ask after (because it's already done and there is nothing to debate). Good luck!

Welcome back Judy! I'm glad you're doing so well.

Oh my goodness, I'm so glad that you thought to visit the surgeon's office. I hope it all gets better really soon. I didn't realize blood clots could happen from riding in the car long distances...thank you for sharing. I hear you on this week ending. I took a mental health day on Tuesday (I knew I was about to fall apart), had the day off Wednesday for a follow-up appointment, and ended up having a breakdown at work around 2 pm today, just finally made it home. Just one more day!!!

I just got back from my follow-up appointment. The whole office was very excited to see the progress I've made over the last two months. After saying thank you for the compliments, I didn't know what else to say...it got to be a bit embarrassing and I kind of felt awkward. The surgeon thought my blood work looked pretty good. He's having me take a break from the Vit. D for a month and then start taking 5,000 IUI's every other day (that level was too high, in July it was only 18). He's just having me take 500 mg of vitamin B12 because those levels were high as well. He wasn't concerned at all about my low iron because the saturation looked fine. For my cholesterol, he said to watch my cheese intake (I pretty much add cheese to everything in order to up my protein). He did bring up my goal weight and basically said he'd like for me to shoot a little lower than just normal, he mentioned 22. We'll see, at 148 lbs I will have a bmi of 24.6, and at that point I know will feel like a success. I think I'll just know when I'm done and that will be that. At the end of the meeting, I asked him about getting pregnant. He basically said what I thought, I need to be at a healthy weight for 2-3 months and that is usually around 12 months out for most. I'm considering coming back to a low carb diet to speed up the weight loss and hopefully get to goal sooner. I was planning to start trying in June (around 10 months post-op), but it would be great if I could start even sooner :001_tongue:.

I'm so happy that you are on your way to recovery and preparing to work through your head issues. I began seeing a therapist when I started this process and it really helped. Due to scheduling issues I haven't been in a while and really need to start back because my emotions are all over the place this time of year.