KathyM

I can't wait to hit onderland!! That has to be frustrating to be so close and just teeter on the edge of that cliff! I know you will do it any day!!!!!

I went back to work just over a week after surgery. I do alot of lifting in my job and didn't have any problems. Plan to pack your "meals" and take them for a while, it helps if you don't have to make decisions on the spur of the moment as to what to eat while you are still adjusting to your new tummy. Old behaviors will sometimes try to creep back in if you are not careful.

I went to Mexico for my surgery because like you, my insurance wouldn't pay. It was a scary thing to do alone, but I have absolutely no regrets - except that I didn't do it sooner!!!! Good luck in your decision process and use this forum to ask - ask - ask questions!

Kathy

I was just wondering if anyone who went to Mexico or out of country for surgery because their insurance wouldn't pay for it used the cost as a tax deduction for uncovered health care expenses? And if you did, did you also count the airfare?

Thanks

Kathy

I love taking the leftovers home and can usually make 2 or 3 more meals out of them. If I am going to be out for a long time and don't want to deal with the leftovers, I still order what I want and just walk away from the rest, or I order an appetizer. I agree with Tiff, being with friends and family is worth way more than any food I leave behind.

I think you would regret it if you tried pizza this soon, your tummy isn't ready for that yet. I didn't try pizza until 4 months and could only eat about a half of a slice. Be patient, just like someone said earlier, it will be worth the wait. Stick to what your Dr/nutritionist recommends, in a few months you will be able to have whatever you want.

I think that is completely normal behavior. I remember doing the exact same thing, in fact I gained 10 lbs before I started my preop diet doing just that. Don't sweat it too much, once the surgery is done you won't be able to over eat and honestly I didn't really miss any foods right after the surgery. Now that I am far enough along that I can eat whatever I want, I find that I am really not as interested in the things I used to crave. Just remember that whatever you put on beforehand will just be that much more you have to take off afterwards. It is possible, you will succeed either way!

What you are feeling is sooo normal! I can remember feeling that way myself. As it gets closer it will feel like time is standing still lol. Congratulations on taking this step to a new and healthier you!! I am really happy for you.

Lou - I am so happy for you!! Cutting your diabetes meds down by so much, before you know it you may be off of them all together!! I hear you on your food difficulties, for me it seems that I want to eat all the time, and when I do it is just small amounts but then I am wanting to eat again shortly. I am trying to sort out if this is old behavior trying to creep back in or not. I used to be a "grazer" before the surgery, just grazing all day on stuff. I am wondering if now that all of the newness of this is starting to wear off if I am not reverting back to old habits. I have also had a terrible problem with reflux and find that if I eat anything after about 8pm then I am going to have a horrible night refluxing. I do take Protinix as needed and I think it helps. I saw a commercial for pizza Hut's cheesy bites pizza yesterday - it looked so cheesy and good - the pepperonis were winking at me on the TV lol. I would love to have just one last binge where I could just stuff myself with something really horrible haha. :devil_smile: :devil:

:funscale:

Cheri - you look fantastic!! Isn't it so predictable that we are our own worst critics? I wouldn't have noticed your bra, your hair, your rolls lol or your makeup if you hadn't said anything, I would have just thought you looked awesome (and I still do).

I read what you wrote about your husband - you said that his idea of a beautiful woman got larger as you got larger. What I saw when I read that was that YOU were the constant in the equation. What he thinks is beautiful is YOU and as you have changed, he still knew you were what he wanted! As you get smaller, he will still think that what is beautiful is you. I am dating someone that I am madly in love with. He was with me at my heaviest, told me I was sexy then and still says it now, and has been very supportive of all of this. Occasionally he has commented that when I get skinny I will look for someone new. He isn't what I would think of as overweight, he is built like a linebacker on an NFL team but I love everything about him. I think it is normal for our significant others to worry about change, and I don't really know what the answer is to put those worries to rest. I tell my boyfriend all the time that even though I ultimately did this for myself, I also did it for us - I want to be healthier so that we can do more things together and live a better life.

And the boobs......yeah...they are just gonna have to be fixed, I have already decided there is no way around that lol. It will be my reward for getting to goal

Coops- I am soooo sorry that you have gotten ill a few times I had the stomach flu last week and it was horrible! Like you, I am not intimidated by Christmas at all. I have actually found that I don't do well with chocolate, gives me heartburn in the worst way! Can't do beer well, but wine has gotten to be a good thing for me - now if I just had some time off so I could enjoy it!

Keep up the good work everyone - 2011 is going to be a great year!! Just think where we will be on our one year surgiversary!!!!!!!

It's great to see some posting from this group again! Can you believe it has been 5 months? It seems like a lifetime ago and yet it also seems like just yesterday! I am soooo envious of those of you who have hit onderland - I can't wait to be there. Does anyone have a hard time seeing themselves thinner? What I mean is that when I look in the mirror, I still see the same old me, my eyes still see the way I used to look. I wanted to take some pics to post for an update, but I still feel like I look so awful in them. It's a process I guess. The sagging skin is pretty yucky and when I lie down in the bathtub it seems like my tummy is the size of a football field, but at least it isn't built on a big hill anymore

I am still extremely happy with my sleeve and haven't regretted it for one day. All the saggy skin, stalls on the scale, crazy reflux and the pukey learning curve I had getting used to the size of my new tummy have been worth every bit when I think about how good I feel now.

Kathy

If they could just make Ritalin for boobies so they aren't all looking around in different directions, not paying attention all the time - especially when you lay down! I am totally getting my boobs done when I reach goal. I know that I will never have a sexy tummy no matter what, but I will see how I feel once I get to goal.

I was at work the other day, and 2 of the nurses I work with were joking and said that they loved me, but I really needed to get some scrubs that fit me because I was swimming in the ones I was wearing. I knew my scrubs were getting pretty loose, but I have been so overweight for so long that I am afraid to try on new clothes because I worry that they will be too small. When I look in the mirror, I still see the old me. Anyways...and I hope I don't gross anyone out with the next part....the nurse manager of the ICU called me and said there was a patient on the surgical unit who was crashing and they wanted me to go out there and start an IV medication to keep her blood pressure up, stay with her and monitor her until they could get the ICU room cleaned and ready for her...off I went. While I was in her room taking care of her she started to vomit....and it was not pretty..I will avoid the description since I know this will be too much information for some...but I quickly turned her on her side to keep her from choking while I was turning on the suction. Unfortunately when I did that she totally nailed me! All down the front of my pants and my shoes!!! I am usually a quick dodger of all things nasty, but I was so worried that she would choke I was right in the line of fire. When she got transferred to the ICU, I went back to my unit and told my manager that I was leaving to go get some new shoes and uniform. I ran across to Wal-Mart and didn't have a clue what size to get. I had been wearing 3XL before the surgery and 90lbs later was still swimming around in them. As it turned out, I bought an XL!!!!!!!! I don't even remember the last time I wore that size!! I was smiling as I checked out in my barfy pants. That was NSV #1

NSV #2 - I got back to the hospital, ran into the bathroom to change clothes, threw my old scrubs and shoes in the trash and walked back into the ER. EVERYONE who was working freaked out!! They all couldn't stop talking about how good I looked. I do have to admit though, that it made me feel pretty uncomfortable. I am used to being large and in charge lol but not all of this! I had my back to the door of the triage room when one of the night shift girls walked in and she told me that she thought "Who the heck is that?" when she saw me from the back and then when I walked out she was stunned it was me. Feels so good, but a little un-settling at the same time. After Christmas, I am buying all new scrubs and getting rid of the old ones - after all, I will never see those sizes again. Oh, and by the way.. my coworkers from the morning cheered for the lady who barfed on me because she is what finally made me get something that fit me!

I just updated my ticker this morning and realized that I have passed the halfway point!!!!! 90lbs in 5 months! If I wouldn't have had this surgery, I would still be desperately trying and failing at losing 10 or 20 lbs, and I would still be miserable and soooo unhealthy. Words can't even describe how blessed I feel to have been given this gift. :heart:

LOL too funny!! But I know exactly what you mean - I can't stop feeling my ribs when I lay in bed - they are awesome haha

Thrift stores are the best when you are going through sizes so fast. I totally scored a pair of Eddie Bauer jeans for $3 the other day lol. I am planning to stay cheap till I hit goal then look out! I will be a shopping fool!

Kathy

I worked yesteray and we all brought in food to make a feast. I felt really guilty because I has small bits of everything that I wanted to try and I also grazed a little all day which is an old habit I DON'T want to go back to. But, I never ate to the point where I felt overfull and when I got home and thought about everything that I had eaten throughout the day, it really wasn't that much. I figured the scale would be mean to me this morning, but I actually lost another pound lol. First major food holiday since my sleeve is now behind me!

Kathy

Congrats!! I am so happy for you! It just gets better and better each day. Keep walking and moving around, those pains will go away soon.

Kathy

Hi!

I am a nurse in a busy ER. I had surgery on July 16th, flew home on the 19th and was back at work on the 24th. my energy was great and I had very little pain other than the first night after surgery. Congrats on your decision to do this, I am so happy for you!!

Kathy

I had this surgery 4 months ago and am almost to the halfway point of my weightloss (woo-hoo!), but even if I didn't lose another pound the surgery has worked! I feel better, I move better, and I AM HEALTHIER!! The choices I make are now and have always been mine. The consequences are a little different now - as said in an earlier post - if I eat too much I will throw up. Do that a few times and you will figure out how to stop before that point. The consequences before - HUGE! None that I could see while I was stuffing my face then lazily laying around on my couch in that warm stupor that followed a good binge, but I was silently shaving off years of my life. Arthritis, sleep apnea, high blood pressure, facing an indeniable future of diabetes. I was tired and miserable all the time. It will work! Yes it's a tool, but you can do it! Take your life back, it's a wonderful feeling.

Kathy

Are you napping during the day? If so, you might want to try not letting yourself nap to see if that helps you sleep any better at night.

I have had some trouble with reflux as well and am also on Protonix once a day. For me it is worse at night, occasionally in the afternoon when I am napping. Here are some things that I am doing that seem to be helping.......

Take my Protonix in the evening (I have more trouble at night than during the day)

Nothing to eat after 8pm, but I will continue to drink Water

Make sure that the last meal I eat for the day is not too acidic - no Tomato sauce, etc.

Do not lie down for at least an hour after eating - this increases the chances of refluxing. 2 hrs is better if possible, gives that tiny tummy more time to process the food through

I hope some of these will help you too, reflux can be a nuisance. If it doesn't get better, talk to your doctor.

Kathy

Yaaaay for you!!!!! I totally laughed about the donut - I have always thought that was crazy!!!!

Tracy -

Again, I can't speak for everyone, but for ME the surgery was a breeze - don't get me wrong, I was terrified but with the exception of a few hours immediately after the surgery I didn't think it was painful at all. I had surgery about 6pm and didn't take anything else for pain after about 11am the next morning. I did have some nausea during the first night as well, but it subsided pretty quickly. I was lucky and didn't have problems with gas like some do. The day after my surgery when I was drifting off and napping alot, I forced myself to get up and walk the halls 3 times every time I woke up then went back and napped some more and I think that might have kept me from having problems with the gas in my abdomen. I had surgery on a Thursday, flew home from Mexico on Sunday and then drove an hour home from the airport when I got back. I was tired when I got home, but I was not in pain. It was the first time I ever asked for apple juice on the plane and not soda lol.

As far as the weight loss, it has been unbelievable. There are lots of thoughts out there as to how often you should or shouldn't weigh yourself, but I could NOT stay off the scale!! Every time I stepped on it, it was lower and I was blown away! I have lost over 70lbs all together and I still have those "ah-ha" moments when I realize that I will never see those 70 pounds again and it feels incredible! I used to come home from work and flop down in my chair, graze on junk all evening then go to bed. My sleep was horrible, I tossed and turned all night. Woke up about 4-5 times and used the bathroom. Now I feel GOOD! I have so much more energy, my flop down chair was just removed from my den last week and an elliptical trainer is in its place - sure I can only do about 5-10 min on it at a time, but the point is - I AM DOING IT. When I go to bed at night I sleep good and rarely wake before my alarm goes off. I now don't care where I park in the lot, because I don't have to worry about how far I am going to have to walk, and I don't care if I have to walk all the way to the back corner of Walmart to get milk lol. There are a million things that I can tell you about how much better my life is, but I don't want you to nod off. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask or private message me.

Do you have a date for your surgery yet? Where are you from and where are you planning to have your surgery?

Kathy

Tracy -

Welcome!! I didn't have to have a psych eval but the reasons behind them are very valid. Many people who are overweight have a long relationship with food as a coping mechanism. Once you have the sleeve done, it is physically impossible to be the emotional eater you were before. What they are looking for is whether you have a means for coping once food is no longer an option. I can't really speak for others, but I know for myself I did have a little bit of mourning for being able to stuff myself with pizza or something to that sleepy, comfortable I just want to lay on the couch and veg feeling. I was also somewhat surprised at what a behavior my eating patterns were, something that I would have completely denied before surgery. Now....don't let all of this scare you, new behaviors and eating patterns are learned and your relationship with food will become much healthier. It is often said on this site that you will be eating to live and no longer living to eat and that is so true!

Hopefully your nutritionist will be able to answer your questions about pre and post op eating, but if she doesn't then come back here. Everyone is more than willing to share their experiences, what works and what doesn't.

I am happy for you that you are making steps towards a healthier you. I was sleeved in July and it is the best gift I could have ever given myself (and my family!)

Kathy