Helen the Cat

I an SO identify with you! I have always loved to shop and it has only gotten worse (better) since I have lost weight. I can't trust myself to go to a mall or store with clothing now, as I am always looking for something new to wear! My husband is APPALED that I love to shop so much and can't stop shopping.

Tell me about the It Works Products. My home email is

nota413@live.com

Thanks!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Thank you for highlighting one of my favorite scriptures. I love 1st Peter 5:7 and try to live it as much as I can. Daiy I pray for strength to make this verse a reality in my life. Thanks for bringing it up today!

Dear Sandy,

Was so interested to read at the end of your post that your husband was not supportive and didn't think you would go through with your surgery. My husband was also not supportive, but did accompany me to Mexico when I had it done. (Our insurance would not cover the cost, so I cashed in one of my retirement 401Ks to cover the cost.) Since my surgery, Bill and I have had increasing problems. We are both working hard to try and work them out, but some days it seems to me that I too married the wrong man. However after 42 years of marriage, I am not ready to let go of what we have! And I have to say, I love him so much more today that the day we married! I always tell him "I love you more than yesterday, less than tomorrow"!

I too get frustrated and sometimes "Blow up" at him. Then a couple of weeks ago, in the midst of one of our fights, Bill told me he was thinking of suicide! REALLY scared me badly! I thought we were making progress, and then wasn't sure we had changed the situation at all.

Currently we are talking with our family physician about it, and Bill is considering going on an antidepressant. I really feel that since I have lost 100 pounds, he feels threatened, that I might want out of our marriage. He is also about 100 pounds overweight, and I think he feels that I want someone who is slim and trim now. (So NOT the case! But how we feel doesn't always make sense or follow logic!)

I wish I had some "wise words" for you. But all I can say is that I will remember you both in my prayers everyday!

I have to say, that in spite of all the fights, problems, words, etc that we have had since my surgery, it is still THE BEST thing I ever did for myself and my health! I wouldn't go back to weighing 258 pounds for anything!!!

Thinking of you and sending you all my best!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear NaturalRhapody33,

How I wish you lived close to me! I too clean when I am nervous or worried or frustrated, or whatever...... But I like to have someone to do it with! I usually try to corral my daughter or grand daughter to clean with me. We have just finished remodeling our bedroom, and there is plaster dust EVERYWHERE, and I could SO use someone to help me clean! I am at this minute taking a break from washing, dusting, vacumming, EVERYTHING in the house! I am SO exhausted, but feel SO good knowing that soon (well in a couple of days I hope) everything well be clean and spotless here!!

But that is beside the point. I wanted to let you know that you are in my prayers, as I move around the house pushing my vacuum sweeper, singing as I go! Am sending you prayers and love and good thoughts!

I hope everything goes smoothly and without a hitch. Please be sure and post again as soon as you feel up to it, so we all know how you are doing! In the meantime, I will continue to clean "for you"!!!

Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way!!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear MrsTeacher,

I loved reading your story! And I can SO relate to just where you are! I have struggled with my weight my entire life. I was the only one in my family who was overweight. My Dad would sometimes get a little heavy, but as a (former) Marine, he always had the dicipline to "make it right". He would "bear down" and adjust his eating habits, and before you knew it, he was slim and trim again! I never had this kind of will power or whatever you want to call it. (At one time, I was engaged to a Naval officer, and he wanted me to join up also. I was a nurse and could go in as an officer. But I couldn't meet weight requirement, and eventually we broke up. I think my being unable to join the Navy was a big factor in our breakup!)

I would go to Weight Watchers (my favorite weight loss solution) and lose 40-50 pounds, and get bored, or lose my motivation, or whatever, and quit. Soon I would have gained 50 or 60 pounds back. Before I knew it, I weighed in at 258!

I started investigating weight loss surgeries several years ago, when my cousin had WLS. He is a surgeon and after his surgery, decided to specialize in Weight Loss Surgery.

(Unfortunately our insurance would not cover $0.01 of the cost of WLS, so I ending up going to Mexico also and having the surgery there and paying for it myself. Steve [my cousin] offered to do the surgery for free, but I would still have to cover the anesthsia and hospital charges myself, which he said would run close to $20,000!!! So I knew Mexico was for me.)

He lost all his excess weight and has been very successful about keeping it off. I finally made a decision to do it myself. (This web site has been a huge encouragement to me, helped me make my decision, choose a surgeon, etc.)

I am now almost 9 months post op. I have lost around 100 pounds (depending on the day, some days it is 98 lbs, others it is 101 lbs). I know I look and feel SO much better.

Yesterday my husband and I decided to take my Mom out for Sunday dinner. She is 91 and still very healthy. She plays the organ every Sunday for church, leads Bible study at the local nursing home each week, holds a sing along for the nursing home residents weekly, etc. Very active. I worked all night Saturday night, so couldn't get to her church until it was over. I went in as they were dismissing to let her know we were there. I stopped to say "hello" to several of the members who I remembered from when I was a teenager and attended church there. I actually had one of them ask me for some ID! He didn't believe I was who I said I was! He told me he "knew Kathleen" and she was much heavier than the person standing in front of him! Wow! What a great feeling! I was so thrilled!

I have to say, my WLS was THE BEST decision I have ever made for my health and well being! I am off of my BP medicine, my blood sugar medicine, my cholesterol meds, my anti-inflammatories and my allergy meds (I don't know what is up with that one! Why being fat made my allergies so bad? Who knows?)

So keep telling yourself you are choosing to be healthier and happier. It was THe BEST decision for me! And keep posting so we all know how you are doing! Best wishes for a successful surgery!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Holly,

Thank you for a great post, and lots of great insight for me to "chew" on! I too have been on the weight loss "roller coaster" most of my life. And I too have experienced relatives (in-laws, friends, family, etc) who wouldn't say a word if I was loosing, but were the first to say something when I gained a couple of pounds.

I remember once when I was visiting my in-laws. I was five months pregnant with our third child. My Father-in-Law's sister was visiting. She was a real looker, a knock out for her age (50ish). And had three model perfect looking daughters about my age. I was always so envious of her and her girls. I SO wanted to look that good!

I hadn't seen any of them for a while, and she made a BIG deal out of the fact that I had put on "a few pounds". I didn't know what to say! I mean, I thought everyone in the family knew I was pregnant. We had had a really hard time conceiving the first time, and then when we got pregnant two more times (in the space of two years!) everyone inthe family was talking about how fertile I was, and how "didn't we know what was causing this?" (I'm a labor & delivery nurse, so everyone thought it was SO funny when I kept ending up pregnant every year!)

At that time, I was 5' 7" and a fairly slim 160 pounds. And for Pete's sake, I was five months pregnant. My doctor had already told me he was worried, as I had only gained three pounds with the pregnancy, and he was concerned about the baby not getting the nutrition it needed (in those days we didn't know sex of the baby).

I had been fighting constant nausea throughout the pregnancy, and couldn't eat without throwing up, so I just didn't eat, cause I hate to throw up! And here she is telling me how fat I looked!

I was devastated, and finally just left and went home, crying my eyes out! What really frosted me was no one in my husband's family stood up and said "well, Kathy IS pregnant and has to gain a little to take care of the baby." or something to that effect!

For years I resented everyone associated with that incident! And it ate me up! Everytime I thought about it, I ate something, sometimes a LOT of somethings! I was going to show her (them)!

I finally prayed for the ability to forgive her (and everyone else) for her remarks, and after years of harboring a grudge against her was able to forgive her, for my own sake. (Unfortunately, she was dying by this time, and I couldn't go to her and tell her how hurt I had been and that I had forgiven her.)

What I want to know, is why can't we all just love each other for what we are? Why are we so critical of how each other looks, how much they weigh, what they wear, etc?

Now that I have had WLS, and am fighting the war, I hope successfully, I am trying to remember all the comments that have hurt me, all the looks I received when I was fatter, all the incidents that caused me pain, and am REALLY trying to forgive each and every person involved. I want to be free of the hurt feelings I have carried around for years and years. I feel that when I remember or experience an event that causes me pain about how I look, I tend to think "I'm going to show them..." and I eat to "show them". I want to be free of this hurtful, harmful behaviour!

I want to love and accept each and every person who comes into my life just the way they are! And I want to know that I have done everything within MY power to re-affirm each person's self esteem, thereby re-affirming my own self esteem! And hopefully, as I make progress in my mission, I won't feel the need to turn to food for comfort (or revenge) anymore. I want to be able to stand tall and free and accept myself along with everyone else!

Will be thinking about you on the First of March. Hope it goes well! Soon you will be a membet of The Loser's Bench!

Dear Diamonds,

What a great lesson! Thanks so much for putting it out there for us all to read. Sometimes I forget that I need to trust HIM, I want to do it all on my own, which I know only leads to failure and dispair! I am claiming that scripture as my own today, and trusting in Him to lead me in His pathways! Thaks again!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Car)

Dear TJ,

Thanks for posting. We all love to hear about each others experience. Sounds like you are doing great. And you are correct, slow and steady is the approach you want to take.

I remember when I was first sleeved, I was in such a hurry to lose all my weight. I weighed myself several times a day. Almost made myself crazy! Finally got my head screwed on correctly and realized that it was a life long journey, not one that was going to end when (IF) I ever hit my goal weight. A hard lesson for me to learn, and I am still struggeling to get to goal, but have lost 100 pounds since my surgery last June.

Keep it up, and you will do great, and be amazed by your progress. Keep posting so we know how you are doing! Best of luck!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Congratulations Beautifulnewme, and also congrats to Willow! It is an exciting journey, the journey of a life time! Best of luck to both of you. Hope it goes well. If you have questions, concerns, or just need information, this community is GREAT! I didn't seriously even consider weight loss surgery till I stumbled on this web site and received so much encouragement from it's members. Be sure and keep us posted on your progress. We are a great bunch of encouragers and love to hear how you are doing in your journey! Again, Congratulations and Best of Luck!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Dear lbarksdale1

Congratulations on your decision! I too researched the thing to death before making a decision. I had to, in order to convince my husband and family that I was doing the right thing.

I am so pleased with my decision. I have lost around 100 pounds (varies by a pound or two depending on the day) but essentially am 8 pounds from goal.

I am struggling right now with an issue of emotional eating, but am trying to work on the problems that have caused it (it isn't a new problem by any means!) and resolve it.

Good luck to you as you are beginning a journey to a new life! Am happy for you that so far it has been without complications. I share your excitement over those gorgeous clothes! I have an entirely new wardrobe, and LOVE IT. I went from a 26/28 top to a 12/14, and a 22/24 slacks to a size 8! (I love to say that, so I'll say it again, I wear a Size 8 in jeans!)

Best wishes. I know you are going to be successful in your journey!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Oh Lyra, We must be twins that were seperated at birth! You describe so perfectly my feelings about food! It has always been my BFF.

Hey! Kathy, are you stressed out? Go whip up a batch of cookies and eat five or 10 of them (after eating at least 5 or 6 raw ones!).

Hey Kathy, are you feeling nervous over something? Why don't you fix a huge meal, invite all your friends/family and pig out on Beef Wellington, Twice Baked Potatoes, Broccoli with cheese sauce, Asparagus with Browned Bitter and Cracker Crumbs, Creme Brulee, and a couple of wines to match each course.

Poor Kathy, did you have a fight with the hubbie, you should make yourself a cheese cake from scratch and eat half of it while sobbing in front of the TV while watching your favorite chick flick. Etc., Etc., Etc.......

And of course the praise and recognition I get from all our friends and family because I am a good cook/baker (or so they say) just makes me feel so much better about myself, until I get on the scale (well pre op anyway).

I have been having a REAL struggle with emotional eating the last couple of weeks, cause my husband and I have been having some problems. in our marriage So I am making horrible choices about what I eat. It is constantly on my mind right now, how soon can I eat again? What can I eat? What am I hungry for? Oh the stress and pressure!

And the thing that I really don't understand is, when I KNOW all this, why I can't get control of it!!!

Of course, I knew all of this pre-op also, and couldn't get control then either! Such a puzzle!

But now at least I can't go too far over the edge, as my sleevie stops me when I get full, and starts to protest LOUDLY (with pain) when I continue to eat after I am full. I just don't want to take any chance of stretching out my pouch/sleeve with overeating and start to gain weight. I have done so well up to now. (Have lost around 100 pounds! Only 8 pounds from goal!) And now the emotional eating thing kicks into high gear! Oh the frustration of it all. I am SO thankful for this board and web site, so I have somewhere to come to read, vent, question, talk, and get answers. Thanks to all for everything!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Believe me Teatime, it is a life long struggle! I too was on the road called "Eating Myself to Death". I love to cook and bake, and of course, I love to eat! That is how I got to where I was. I had my procedure almost 8 months ago, and the weight just seemed to melt away after my surgery. Now the weight loss is slowing down, and I am (trying) to come to terms with eating in a correct fashion. I still love to cook and bake, and it is SO hard not to EAT!

I fixed desssert last night (at my husbnad's requst) and ate it myself (he didn't even eat it after I fixed it for him!) and when I got on the scale this morning, I had gained 4, Yep that's right FOUR fricking pounds!!!!! I know that one desset didn't do that, it was a combination of the food choices I made yesterday. So today I have made a decision to get serious about my weight loss.

I HAD lost 100 pounds, now I am only down 96 pounds. The last 15 pounds have been SO slow. I have really struggled. And now I am gaining, so I HAVE to get serious! (I think my 100 pound weight loss lasted all of twenty minutes. I was lucky that I happened to get on the scale during one of those 20 minutes!!!)

I used to drink alcohol on a fairly regular basis. (I don't mean go out and get drunk drink, just a cocktail before dinner, or a glass of wine with or after diner.) But, I have found that alcohol doesn't sit that well with my sleeve. So I have pretty much given up on drinking. ~Good bye margarites that I love, ~ Goodbye chocolate martinis that I crave.~ Goodbye Peach Bellinis that were so much fun at Lunch occasionally!~~~ Goodbye.

And now I am saying goodbye to desserts that I love. Oh how I love to read those receipes for Red Velvet cupcakes with frosting an inch deep! How I love to read a new Beef Stroganoff recipe that is loaded with sour cream and calories. How I love to read (Oh Hell you get the idea!!!)

Instead, I am choosing to be healthy and fit! So, Excuse me, now I have to get up off my butt and go get busy, my treadmill is just around the corner!!!

By the way, Congrats on your weight loss, and thanks for letting me vent! Best of luck on your journey!!! I mean that, good luck. It is a journey, and it can be a life long struggle, But as my Dad used to say, nothing good comes easy!

What specific codes do you need? Procedure codes or diagnostic codes? There are literally THOUSANDS of codes out there, procedural codes, medical condition codes, etc.

Wikipedia has a list of the ICD-9codes for different medical conditions. They also have a current listing of the currently used CPT (Common Procedural Terminology) codes. But to ramdomly pick your codes would be a crap shoot.

Have you considered speaking with the billing office of your physician/surgeon? They could tell you which codes they used in billing your procedure. It is very complicated. I am a nurse and worked for a surgeon for 8 years. I used to do some of his billing so I used the codes, and belive me, it is very complicated!

Here is a link to a tutorial LilMissDiva wrote that tells you how to put the weight loss. Hope this helps!

Go to your internet browser and type in www.tickerfactory.com

2. Scroll down the page to halfway and click on Weight Loss, in the Weight Loss/Fitness section. **See above screen**

3. Choose your ticker ruler, there are many to choose from. Check all the pages! Once you have chosen one you like, click next. Do the same for your ticker Slider, and click next again.

4. Fill in your personal information on this page. Once completed, click next.

5. This page will show your finish product and will leave a code for you that you will need later. Do not shut down this page, you will need to go back once you complete a few more steps. The correct code to use has been circled.

6. Go back to VST/LBT. There is a drop down menu at the top left of your screen. (Circled) Next, click on My Settings. ***Please Note*** VST and LBT both function exactly the same. For demonstration purposes I’m using my VST account.

7. On your options page, you will need to navigate to your Options tab (circled).

8. On your options tab, you will need to click on the Change Signature option (circled).

9. This is what your page will look like. Have the cursor in your Edit Signature text box.

10. Go back to your completed Diet ticker web page. Highlight and copy the entire code, circled in the photo above in step 5.

11. Once again go back to your VST/LBT page that you just left. In the text box, paste the code you copied from the ticker factory website. Click Save Changes.

12. Once you have done this, it should reset the page to show you what your new signature looks like. Congratulations!! You now have your ticker set to show others your progress.

I think it was around 5 to 6 months post op that the weight loss started to slow down. Up until then, it just seemed to drop off without any effort from me. Now it is more slow, and I have to work at it.

I HAD lost 100 pounds (the last five pounds taking almost two months!) but I ate dessert last night and when I got on the scale this morning, EEEK!!! I had gained four, Yes FOUR FREEKING pounds!!! I almost dropped dead right there and then, naked and cold on the bathroom floor!!!

BUT I know they will come off again. Dessert is not something I usually allow myself, but my hubbie specially requested it, and then I couldn't resist. (In the end he didn't even eat it himself!)

Anyway, Congrats on your weight loss. And keep up the good work!

I can feel your pain! I wasn't going to tell anyone either, except really close family. I did tell my sister, as we are really close. I asked her not to tell anyone though. Low and behold, when I got home from my surgery, I had an email from a college classmate who said she had seen Caroline (sister) and Caroline told her all about my WLS! I was stunned. I wrote back to the friend and said "Well I wonder what part of "Please don't tell anyone about my surgery! my sister didn't understand?"

But Melinda (friend) had already told about 8-10 of our other classmates, so the news was OUT big time. Since then, when anyone askes me about my weight loss, I just tell them, "I had a bariatric procedure." If they ask questions, I figure, I guess I will be the one to educate them on WLS surgery. That's what nurses do anyway, teach their patients about their conditions, how to handle it, what their meds are for, etc. A big part of being a nurse is educating your patients, so I just consider anyone who asks me questions about my weight loss as a sort of "quasi patient" of mine, and tell them what they want to know. I guess it has turned out to be easier that way. And nobody is off in the corner speculating about how I lost weight, and talking about me behind my back, they just come right up to me and ask. Which I guess I would rather they did anyway.

I felt the same as you when I went back to work. I work 12 hour shifts, and went back when I was 10 days post op. My surgeon told me I could go back to work in one week, but I had the ten days off, so I took them all. I was SO tired, this deep bone weary tired that just wouldn't go away. It took me like two months for the fatigue to wear off or go away or whatever. But I finally did start to feel better again. And now I feel pretty good. I have lots more energy than I used to have. And I don't need nearly as much sleep as I used to need (before loosing 100 pounds!).

Anyway, Congratulations! I think you are doing wonderful. Keep it up!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Yeah, one of my ports popped open too. It was gross! I didn't even butterfly it. It was the one in my navel, and was such a hard area to butterfly. So just kept it covered with some gauze. Showed one of my daughters who almost threw up! Obviously, she isn't a nurse. but it healed OK, just left a bigger scar, but it's in my navel, and trust me, NOBODY gets to look at my navel! So who cares! Anyway, hope you are doing OK, and have no further complications!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

It is SOOOO hard to learn to eat slow!!! FOr 42 years I have eaten as fast as I can! I am a nurse in Labor and Delivery, and if you have a labor patient and you get a lunch break you are lucky!!! You learn to eat fast, cause your patient might get to the point of being ready to delivery, and if you don't eat fast, you might not get to eat at all! So for 42 years (that's how long I have been a L&D nurse) I have eaten fast. And that habit has carried over to my meals at home and when we go out. It is SOOO hard to break!

I TRY to remember to count my bites, and count how many times I chew to slow myself down. But I usually forget and when I have shoveled everything in as fast as I can, I think "Oh NO! I did it AGAIN!" So no my hubbie tries to remember to tell me to EAT SLOW! But like I said, HARD HABIT TO BREAK!!!

Oh....E-girl, I am SO sorry that you had that much discomfort when they pulled the drainage tube! It is usually a very minor ouch. It must have adhered to something internally. I am SO sorry. Hopefuly that pain is gone and you won't have anything like that in the future!

But at least it is over, and you are home! I have to say, I really never had any horrible pain when I had my procedure. I was sore, and used a pillow up against my tummy when I laid on my side, to support my little incisions (ports actually). Getting in and out of bed was touchy for a day or two, but never had any pain that was as bad as you described!

Have to say, you were lucky! A pain pump!?! Wow!!! My doctor didn't even give me any narcotic medication post op. His assistant met with each of us prior to surgery and told us what to expect. One of the things she mentioned was that Dr. Rod didn't use ANY narcotics post operatively, only a powerful anti-inflammatory. Being a nurse, and being a NOSEY nurse ast that, I asked WHAT it was that he used. She told me it was Toredol, which is an injectable anti-inflammatory medication similar to Mortrin (Ibuprofen) but in injectable form. We use it all the time on post-op C-sections, and it does make them more comfortable. She further told me if the pain got "really bad" to ask the nurse, and the nurse would call and get an order for "something extra".

So the one time I was pretty uncomfortable, I put my call light on (more about that in a minute) and the nurse called somebody and got an OK to give me my Toredol an hour early. (It is usually given IV push every 6 hours, It had only been five hours since my last dose, but they went ahead and gave it to me an hour early. BIG DEAL!) But again, I have to say, I was never in really excruiating pain. Just thought if I could be more comfortable, why not.

About the call light. It is funny, now that I am looking bad on the incident. I was uncomfortable and remembered that the assistant told us to tell the nurse, and she would get us "something extra" for the pain.

So since I felt a little more uncomfortable than I had, I put my call light on to ask. My nurse came "stomping" into my room, grabbed the call light out of my hand and put it on the bedside table as far away from me as possible and yelled "WHAT?" at me. She seemed to be REALLY mad at me for putting my call light on. I told her what I wanted and she didn;t say a word, whirled around, stomped out of my room, and I never saw her again that day! (Someone else came and gave me the early dose of Toredol.)

My husband who witnessed the whole incident said "If I were you, I don't think I would use the call light again!" and laughed. Looking back it really is funny now. At the time, I was appalled! And I have to say, I KNOW if I treated a patient like that, I should just pack up my stuff and head for the front door immediately, cause my little rear end would be SO fired! Anyway, it is funny now.

I said all this to say, I hope you are feeling better today, and to welcome you on the start of your journey in a "new life" after WLS. Hope you are feeling ever so much better, and the pain and discomfort will soon be a distant memory. (And hope you NEVER have a nurse like mine!) Best of luck, AND Welcome to the Loser's Bench!

Kathy D (aliad Helen the Cat)

I know how you feel. Before I had my procedure, I told ONE other nurse at work, and asked her to keep it quiet. Well, she didn't! I had tons of calls and cards from other nurses that I work with, so I know she told everyone. (It was nice that they called and sent cards, but I really wanted to keep the news of my surgery quiet!)

I was only 10 days post op when I went back to work, and everyone kept telling me I didn't look any different! Well, what do you expect in ten days? But they were so suportive as I progressed in my journey. Keep your chin up, and don't worry, everyone will be envious as you drop those pounds and start to look and feel so much better!

Keep posting. Let us know how it goes at work. You are in my thoughts and prayers tonight!

Hey Missbv,

Good of you to post and ask your questions. This is a wonderful forum! It was from reading the posts on this forum that I got up the nerve to follow through and have my surgery. And my results have been nothing short of a miracle! As of today, I have lost 100 pounds! I did a sort of minii celebration this morning after I got off the scale. Unfortunately there was no one here to celebrate with me! But I am celebrating anyway.

I have ALWAYS been big, fat, fluffy, large sized, Queen Sized, etc. What ever you want to call it. And I have done EVERYTHING to try and lose weight. I am officially labeled as a "Re-Offender" at Weight Watchers. Been there, done that 18 times!!! (I read somewhere that doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results is the definition of insanity! I just didn't realize that it applied to weight loss efforts!) Anyway, besides Weight Watchers, I have done The Weigh Down Workshop, Over Eaters Victorious, Over Eaters Annonymous, Jenny Craig, Diet Center, NutraSystems, OptiFast, MediFast, and too many more to remember or name. I Always lost, but I Always regained what I had lost, and often gained a few more pounds too.

I started thinking about weight loss (bariatric) surgery a few years ago. My first cousin IS a bariatric surgeon, and I even went and saw him in consultation. He is so sweet, we grew up in the same household, and he was always mean to me when we were little. He said he felt guilty and offered to do the surgery for free, if I could pay the hospital and anesthesia, which he said would be anywhere from $10,000 to $20,000. Well, I don't have ten to twenty thousand just sitting around, and our insurance wouldn't cover $0.01 of it! So against my husband's best judgement, I went to Mexico and had the procedure done there. I paid for it by cashing in one of my retirement 401k accounts.

Bill (my hubbie) was AGAST! And very much against it. But I persevered. I talked and talked and talked to him. I researched it to death, and found a hospital that was JACHO certified in Mexico. JACHO is the "Gold Standard" accrediting organization for health care in the Unites States. They also do International Certifications. It is a guarantee that you will get the minimum standard of care, at the least. Hopefully it will be lots better than minimum standard!

I also stressed to my husband that I wanted to do the surgery for health reasons, not just to look better. I have been able to get off 8 of my 10 medications! My cholesterol is normal now, my blood sugar is normal, my allergies are almost non-existant anymore, I have been able to stop my anti-inflammatory medications, my blood pressure is normal. So many things health wise are normal for me since I have lost so much weight.

As far as your husband, talk to him, explain to him, tell him how you feel, what you want to do, WHY you want to do it. Talk, talk, talk! Bill is diabetic and has lots of other health problems. (The least of which is he is also about 100 ponds overweight.) And I have to admit, we are having some problems since my surgery, But we have been married for 42 years, and I for one, am committed to working them out. I know Bill is committed to our marriage also, so I know thngs will eventually get better. Hopefully better than they have been in years and years!

I know he is very threatened by my weight loss. I casually mentioned to him once, when he was complaining that he needed to lose some weight that since he is now on MediCare, and they cover bariatric surgery, that he could also have surgery and lose weight., He exploded! He said "I suppose you don't love me now that you are skinny and I'm still fat!" It took me a long , long time to convince him that I loved him NO MATTER WHAT!!! Guys must have SUCH a sensitive ego!

But anyway, best of luck, no matter what you decide! This site will help you in SO many ways. There is endless information on the Sleeve surgery, and everyone is so helpful to great you information when you are wondering about something. So research and read, ask questions and discuss. Know WHAT you want and why. And again, BEST of LUCK! Keep us posted, keep on telling us how you are doing. Everybody here will support you! Love and Hugs and Prayers coming your way!!!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)

Wow girl, that is fantastic!!! I have to say, I wish I had kept as close a track of my measurements as you have! I just sort of hopped on the scale every few days, and made a sort of mental note of how much I had lost. I never even did any measurements. Wish now I had. I do know that pre-op I weighed 258 pounds. I wore a size 26-28 top and 22/24 pants. Today, as a matter of fast exactly TODAY, I weigh 158 pounds, for the very first time! I am wearing size 8 jeans and either a 14/16 top or size large. I recently had to purchase some scrubs to wear to work, and I bought size SMALL scrub pants! I was so excited. I tried on the mediums, and my sister said "those are gonna fall off you, they are to big!" Wow, I loved it. The sales lady told me it was because they were unisex scrubs and they ran large, I told her (nicely) to SHUT UP! I didn't want to hear that, I was in a small for the first time in my life, and I wanted to shout it out to everybody!

Anyway, You are doing GREAT! Keep rockin that sleeve. It is a wonderful tool! Big congratulations!!! Keep us posted you skinny minny you!

One of the things I FINALLY figured out (and it took me long enough to figure it out!) is to always eat protein first! I would dish up my meal, and dive right into the small amount of carbs I was allowed. I LOVE carbs, be it potatoes, rice, pasta, breads, sweets; I LOVE carbs! But I have found that if I do the protein thing first, usually I don't have room for the carbs, and my weight loss seems to be more even, less of the yo-yo thing when I get my protein in.

I am still struggling with getting all the protein that I am supposed to have (and I am 7 1/2 months post op now!). But weeks when I am good and drink my protein drink and eat my protein first, I see more of a weight loss and less of the yo-yo thing, where I gain a pound, lose a pound, gain a pound and half, lose a pound, etc.

I don't know why it took me SO long to figure this out. I had read it here on this very web site dozens of times. But it really does work, protein first, then a few carbs if I still have room.

Best of luck to you! Keep it up. (BTW, I have lost 100 pounds as of today! WOO HOO!)

Merydia710,

you have made such a smart choice! It is hard for the little ones to "get it"! Even my 7 year old grand daughter can't grasp or understand the whole weight loss thing. I just had my surgery in June of last year, and she saw me on an almost daily basis before and after my surgery, doesn't comprehend or understand the whole thing.

When I make a comment to her mother about how much I have lost, she will say "did you lose weight Grandma? You look the same to me." I am now smaller than her mother (who weighs a normal weight for 5'3") and she still doesn't understand that I used to weight twice as much as her mother. It is just so hard for the younger ones to grasp any of it.

But take heart in the fact that you are on the road to being healthier, and willl still be around to love your daughter when she is an adult. Something that she can not appreciate right now, but surely will when she grows up! My two daughters tell me all the time how happy they are with my weight loss, as they know I will be around a lot longer to bug them, be there for them, etc. now that I am healthier and slimmer!