ILKrista

LOL- I had the complete opposite problem since surgery. I'm lucky to have a bm every 7-10 days unless I take milk of magnesium or a laxative. It varies from person to person & I'm still hoping that once I'm in maintenance & can increase the level of grains, it will balance out. Even if it never does, I would much rather deal with this issue than the multitude of physical & emotional problems that went with being morbidly obese.

I share with everyone. Not that I'm going up to strangers and announcing it, but if someone asks how I lost the weight, I tell them I started eating high protien/low carb, I jog a couple miles a day & I had weightloss surgery. Most people have been supportive... and the rare person has made an ugly/ignorant comment. I think the worst I heard was when someone said that it didn't seem fair that insurance should pay for a surgery when my weight was my own fault... my response was that I hope she felt the same way for people who smoked & ended up with lung cancer. Otherwise, a few people have accused me of taking the easy way out... In my mind, I just give them a one finger salute. ;-D. For me, I couldn't take the stress of trying to keep such a big secret. But it is a very individual choice.

Welcome to a New World! Because I deserve Happiness! Courage to change!

I had one. They put it in after I was knocked out & took it out before I woke up. However, it gave me the worst UTI ever! I actually considered that far more painful & irritating that the surgery. I constantly felt the need to pee, but never could & worst was I would keep contracting the stomach muscles to try to force it, which hurt like hell because of the incisions. I would talk to your doctor before hand & see if there are other options.

So, I'm wanting to go on some sort of birth control. However, my surgeon tells me the pill is out. It isn't effectively absorbed with part of my stomach gone... This seems strange to me because it seems like I've read about a lot of you all using that as birth control. So, she is putting me on the patch. I'm not thrilled with this. When I quit smoking & tried to use a patch it really irritated my skin. I'm curious if anyone has any experience using the patch or the pill? I've even been thinking about an IUD, but the idea of implanting something freaks me out a little. Krista

I think that no matter what medical procedure you ever have, someone will have a horror story to go with it. Getting your gallbladder out? I'm sure someone can tell you a story about someone who almost died, someone who can barely function with it gone, etc. Weightloss surgery is no different. There are risks... don't kid yourself about that. You have to decide if the risks are worth the potential rewards. I'd bet 99% of us who have had the surgery would say YES. Keep researching, be comfortable with what you are going to do. Good luck to you.

NiseeG- That's awesome! I only wish I had saved more of my old clothes so I could be so excited when I fit into them again. But as you say... they would be out of style now. I think I would still wear them just because I could! Krista

Doctors are not going to recommend you having a beer... it is a lot of calories & carbs & doesn't do a thing for you nutritionally. That being said, I have a couple beers a month. It takes me about 3 hours to drink a pint because I don't want to have my stomach full of gas. I just returned from a trip to Ireland where I had at least a half a pint of Irish cider a day... not recommended, but enjoyed. Doctor vary on whether beer is okay. I have had no problems, but you have to realize that it will slow weightloss if it becomes a regular thing. Krista

Ten years ago when I was in college, I bought a nice brown wool coat, size large. Even then it was about 4-5 inches away from closing in the front, but it was my goal to wear it. Well, over the 10 years, I got bigger & bigger & it got packed away and forgotten about. Last week while at a friends house, his dog ate the zipper off my fall coat. When I got home, I went looking for a different coat to wear and uncovered the long forgotten coat from college. So excited to put it on & discover that it FITS perfectly! I still can't believe it. The scale may not always be moving, but these things can really make my day. Krista

Thank you! That's my diva look. lol. Good luck with your surgery & feel free to message me if you have any questions! I remember how overwhelmed I felt about it all during most of the process. Krista

See my signature for the exact amounts, but I lost about 10 pounds a month the first 6 months & it has slowed a bit since. Krista

Before surgery I told family, friends and coworkers. After surgery, I get asked a lot about my weightloss because I work with the public & seem the same families very regularly. I tell everyone who asks how I lost the weight that I had this surgery (and eat high Protein & hit the gym). I hope that it helps someone else, the way a coworker being open helped me. Krista

Hey Ali, Don't get down on yourself. I completely understand where you are coming from. I'm also eight months out. Months 6 & 7 the weightloss slowed way down because I had slowly slipped into eating way more carbs than I should have been. I then went on a vacation where I kind of went hog-wild with the beer & chocolate. I wanted to enjoy myself, but at the same time, I could feel that crazy urge to eat crap overtaking me, just like it used to do pre-sleeve. That freaked me out! I hadn't actually gained back any weight, but I felt like I was at the cross-roads where I either made a choice to succeed or to just say I'm okay with where I'm at, and not lose that last 35 pounds. The day I got back from vacation, I decided to do the Atkins induction phase (super-low carb it) for 2 weeks, just to get myself back on track. I dropped 5 pounds the first week. I'm into the second week & I no longer have the urge to eat the crap foods I was slipping back into. I feel back in control & like the weightloss journey is not over. I'm certain I'm going to lose the last 30 pounds. YOU CAN DO IT! Just refocus yourself. We are running a marathon here & are about 3/4 of the way through. Don't give up on yourself now! Krista

Hard to really say exactly, but my timeline went something like this: July 2010- Approached Primary Care dr about the surgery & got a referral. August 2010- Met with surgeons office & began 3 month supervised diet for insurance. During this time period, I also had the psych eval, labs, & sleep test done. I was hoping for a November surgery. No problems with insurance approval. September 2010- Found out my work would not let off work in November because my boss was going to be on maternity leave from early December- mid February. (I am second in command, so to speak & they were afraid she could have the baby early). December 2010- Met with surgeon's office again. I had gained 10 + pounds due to quitting smoking & depression over the delay in surgery. Told to lose it or no surgery for me in late February. January-February 2011- Worked my *ss off to lose that weight. February 23, 2011- Had my surgery. Although I was upset at the time about the delay in surgery. I read the boards on this site every day & felt that it actually helped me understand what the realities of my new life would be & just how committed I would need to be to be successful. I hope this helps a bit. Krista

The doctors suggested I wait a week so that I could twist my torso without extreme pain to check blind spots and whatnot. Definately no driving if you are still on the pain meds. I waited about 5 days after surgery & was fine. Krista

I have been sleeved for about 8 months now. I just had two new firsts since I've had my sleeve: VACATION- A few weeks ago, I went on a 10 day trip to Ireland with a girlfriend. I was worried about how I would do with having the sleeve & needing to eat so often. It really wasn't a problem & I was able to enjoy the vacation. I did pack 1 protein bar to eat each day of the trip. I also bought some nuts & peanut butter & fruit to have as snacks. For the meals, I mostly followed my usual eating routine... I focused on the protein first. However, I did indulge & overindulge several times. There were quite a few times when I ordered a desert instead of eating a late protein snack. There were a couple occasions when I stuffed myself to the point of feeling kind of sick because the food was so freaking good. And, I will admit that I had at least a half pint of beer or irish cider every day we were there. But the good news is, I came home the same weight as when I left. Thank god for the sleeve, I physically couldn't pig out like I would have without it. GETTING SICK- Earlier this week, I ended up with what I believe was food poisoning (my own cooking, I"m afraid). I was really afraid to throw up... I haven't yet since being sleeved. Happily, it was no worse an experience than before. In fact, it was over a lot quicker because there's a lot less there to throw up. The only difference I noticed is that now I can't do it without crying. Anyway, just thought I would share. Life is still pretty normal after the sleeve. The only thing it has limited me with is my ability to overeat & abuse food... and I thank god that it does that. Krista

No one can tell you what to do. But I can tell you that probably everyone who is getting this surgery has that moment of panic about what they are about to do to themselves. I wrote letters to all my family & friends the night before saying goodbye because I was so convinced that I would die during the procedure. But I had come to the decision that I would rather risk my life & potentially die than to continue on as I had been... fat, miserable, & ashamed. Most people who haven't had weight issues will tell you to do it on your own. I had tried and failed for 10 + years & was fatter than ever. All I can tell you is that I wouldn't change having the surgery for anything. I'm down over a hundred pounds since January. I feel better than I have since I was in high school. I still have to work to lose the weight (eat right & go to the gym), but the surgery has made it so my hunger is under control & if I do mess up & eat something I shouldn't, i physically can't overeat the way I would have before. Good luck! Krista

I think some if has to do if you have stretch marks or not. Pretty much any place with stretch marks is really saggy on me. I'm down about 120 from my heaviest & I look like Magda from 'There's something about Mary'... just not so tan. Seriously, it's pretty bad. I hit the gym 4 times a week to jog & lift weights. i can see the nice arm muscles, but below is the saggy skin. In my case, I'm hoping to hit goal by February & then maintain for a year & then looking at some reconstructive plastic surgery. I wish I had better news. Krista

Keep us updated on how it goes! I'm headed for vacation this week, but when I get back, I'm planning to do this too. food has been on my mind way too much & lots of cravings. I'm sure my carbs are too high & I need to kick my body back into gear. Let me know how it all works out! Krista

Check with the doctor about the nicotine in the gum, but I'm pretty sure that there are additional chemicals in cigarettes that aren't in the gum, so it is easy for them to tell if you have been smoking or using a quitting aid. I quit using Chantix prior to my surgery. It was rough, but really worth it. No way I could be jogging & working out like I do if I was still smoking. Good luck! Krista

I have the same issue with jewelry. If it isn't 24k gold, I can't wear it without it causing my skin to blister. I haven't had any issues with the staples or screws (hernia repair). I am 7 months out, so if it was causing a problem, I think it would have shown up by now... hopefully . Krista

I've told just about every person who's asked about my weightloss about the surgery. However, I also recently started dating & I'm not bringing it up on first dates. I think that when you hit the 4-5 date stage it might be something to mention, but it is pretty heavy for a first date. As for the eating, I've found that a lot of times if you do a dinner date, you are talking a lot, so it is easy to eat really slowly & move the food around on the plate. If they comment on how little you eat, just tell them that you do 6 small meals a day, so they all have to be a lot smaller. It's true & it isn't getting in to why. You could also suggest a first date that wouldn't involve food... go bowling, mini-golf, the zoo, etc. Good luck! Krista

Congrats! You look so much YOUNGER!

I'm 7 months post-op & this is still a mega issue for me. I've tried the Miralax- (stool softener doesn't work for me, laxative does, but is bad for you). I drink Benefiber in EVERYTHING, I eat prunes. I finally have started taking Milk of Magnesium once a week. This does work & is non-addictive. Hopefully, when I get to my goal I can add back in more veggies & that will allow things to move a little more naturally. Krista

I agree with Coops. My doctor's number one recommendation was to do the intervals on the treadmill. It keeps your body from getting too used to the workout. I started walking 3.4 pace/jogging 4.0 pace, slowing increased the length of time I was jogging. Now doing jogging 4.3 pace for 3 min & then adding in a minute at 4.8 pace. Once I can do 20 min at a 4.8 pace I will try to add in a few minutes at 5.2 pace. It really helps cardiovascularly. Good luck!