Helen the Cat

Dear JASLEEVE,
Am so glad to hear that you are doing better. Although I didn't post or comment, I have been following your saga since you first posted about feeling crappy.
I felt really bad the first few weeks too. I went back to work when I was 10 days post op, and believe me, it almost killed me trying to work 12 hour shifts when I was so tired and felt so crappy! (I am a labor and delivery nurse, and work from 7:00 PM till 7:30 AM in a department where we do about 350 deliveries per month, which translates to 6-8 deliveries a shift. BUSY, BUSY place!)
I was sleeved on June 18th, I am seven months out yesterday, and I still have an occasional problem. Tuesday night I fixed dinner for myself and my hubbie, and as I was putting stuff on the table I was struck by a bout of nausea! I mean overwhelming nausea! I had to go lay down, and needless to say, I skipped eating dinner that night! I slept most of the night and got up around 4:00 AM feeling normal. Don't have any idea what happened, or even if it was related to my sleeve. Just know that once in a while I feel "off". Usually doesn't last, and usually isn't as intense as it was Tuesday night. But I just wanted to say "hang in there", this too shall pass!
I am down 98 pounds now (I know, I need to update my weight loss ticket!) and now wearing a size 8! I NEVER in my wildest dreams thought of myself as a size 8. In fact, it still seems to me to be a dream. But everytime I put those size 8 jeans on I pinch myself and say "Yep, It's true, you're a size 8!" And I still have trouble believing it.
My biggest fear is that I will gain weight back and be a size 26/28 again. But I trust my sleeve and intend to keep on keeping on and loose the last few pounds I need to loose to get to goal. Keep on Keeping on, and you wilk get there too. And remember when you feel crappy, "This Too Shall Pass!"

I wasn't even worried about hair loss when I had my surgery, my hair has always been one of my better features, and it just never dawned on me that I might lose a LOT of it. But somewhere between months 3 and 4 post-op, I noticed that it was noticeably thinning. I mean, you could actually see Patches of my scalp. There was hair in the drain after I showered, hair on my pillow in the morning, hair in the sink after I washed my face and brushed my teeth, hair everywhere, EXCEPT my head! I spent hours in front of the mirrow trying to arrange it to cover the bald spots before I would go to work. (I now have LOTS more sympathy for men who do a "comb over"!) Finally I thought "nuts, I am going to get a wig". And that is just what I did. I had SO many compliments on how nice my "hair" looked from co-workers. I would always say "thanks, it's a wig". Finally one of my co-workers said to me "Don't say it's a wig, just say 'thanks!' when someone compliments you on your hair!" So that's what I do now, I just say "thanks, I like the way it looks too." I now own five wigs, each one cost around $100.00. Have bought them slowly, each is a similar color, if not exactly the same as the previous one, and similar styles, just a little different from the others. I don't think anyone realizes they are wigs unless I say something.
I finally got Brave, and shaved the remaining hair off my head. I kept worrying about strands of my own hair escaping out from under the wig, so one day, I just shaved it off. My own hair is now about a 1/2 inch long, but it is to short for me to tell how thick it is coming in. But I don't care! I would rather be bald and thin than Fat and Hairy!!!

I was on TPN for over 2 weeks, and was weaned off over a few days.
Clear liquids for 17 days, then I was on full liquids for a week and then progressed through mushies/puree/super soft moist foods for another month or so, and actually stayed on purees/mush food until 3 months when I could really eat a more solid, dense meal more than once per day.

I went clothes shopping the other day, as everything I had (and most of it purchased since my surgery June 18th!) was getting too big! I had to use a belt on every pair of slacks, jeans, and pants that I owned, or they would fall off.
I previously posted (about a month ago) how thrilled I was when I bought a pair of size 12 jeans. Well for some reason, I never expected it to be a permanent change! Instead, I expected (DUMB me huh?) to go shopping and have to go back into a size 14 or 16. (I mean, that has been my history my whole life! Lose a few pounds, be a size smaller and the next time I go shopping, I have gained those few pounds back, PLUS a few more, and I am back up a size or two!) But low and behold, I tried on about a dozen size 12 slacks, AND THEY ALL FIT ME!!!
Just to live dangerously, I tried on a pair of size 10s! And guess what? They went on, and zipped most of the way up. It won't be long (I hope!) till I can wear a size 10 comfortably! I only bought one pair of size 12 slacks, as I am holding out for those size 10s!
I am so happy, I am thinking of having a sign made that says "I am wearing a size 12, for the first time in my life!" and wearing it strapped to my back! I mean, I still have about 30 pounds to go till I am at my goal weight. But if I NEVER lose another ounce, I am happy! I have NEVER in my life worn a size 12 before! I went from childrens sizes straight into a Misses size 16 or size 18, and of course shortly after THAT, into Women's sizes. What a thrill. I can't stop telling everybody I meet "I now wear a size 12! Did you know that Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12?" People I work with are beginning to look at me funny when they hear me say it for the umpteenth time each day! But I don't care! I LOVE IT!!! I am SO thankful for my sleeve!

I went clothes shopping the other day, as everything I had (and most of it purchased since my surgery June 18th!) was getting too big! I had to use a belt on every pair of slacks, jeans, and pants that I owned, or they would fall off.
I previously posted (about a month ago) how thrilled I was when I bought a pair of size 12 jeans. Well for some reason, I never expected it to be a permanent change! Instead, I expected (DUMB me huh?) to go shopping and have to go back into a size 14 or 16. (I mean, that has been my history my whole life! Lose a few pounds, be a size smaller and the next time I go shopping, I have gained those few pounds back, PLUS a few more, and I am back up a size or two!) But low and behold, I tried on about a dozen size 12 slacks, AND THEY ALL FIT ME!!!
Just to live dangerously, I tried on a pair of size 10s! And guess what? They went on, and zipped most of the way up. It won't be long (I hope!) till I can wear a size 10 comfortably! I only bought one pair of size 12 slacks, as I am holding out for those size 10s!
I am so happy, I am thinking of having a sign made that says "I am wearing a size 12, for the first time in my life!" and wearing it strapped to my back! I mean, I still have about 30 pounds to go till I am at my goal weight. But if I NEVER lose another ounce, I am happy! I have NEVER in my life worn a size 12 before! I went from childrens sizes straight into a Misses size 16 or size 18, and of course shortly after THAT, into Women's sizes. What a thrill. I can't stop telling everybody I meet "I now wear a size 12! Did you know that Marilyn Monroe wore a size 12?" People I work with are beginning to look at me funny when they hear me say it for the umpteenth time each day! But I don't care! I LOVE IT!!! I am SO thankful for my sleeve!

At first, was going to keep it a secret, and not tell anyone what I had done. I did tell my best friend at work, and asked her to Please keep it quiet. Well when I went back to work, almost everyone knew. So I guess my friend "forgot" to keep it quiet. I had a number of people come up to me and say they heard I had "taken the easy way out" to lose weight. I finally got up the nerve to tell someone that there was nothing "easy" about having the WLS. That it was major surgery, left me with only a 2-3 ounce stomach, involved lots of education, lots of motivation, a huge amount of determination, and the wonderful benefit of knowing that I will never be fat again. Most people were flabergasted when I said all that. The only person I haven't told is my mother. She is 90 years old, and worries about EVERYTHING. Being a good daughter, I don't want her to worry over something that she can't change or do anything about. So I haven't told her, and since she lives 100+ miles from me, hopefully none of my friends will ever see her to tell her. (When I answer people's questions and tell them about my experience, I add the caveat, "Please do not tell my mother about this if you should meet her. I wouldn't hurt her for the world, and I know she would be hurt and worry about me if she knew. Thank you!"

But now when someone asks me what I have done, I am up front with them and tell them that after many, MANY years of trying to lose weight permanently, I decided to try a different way, not THE EASY WAY, just a Different Way. I am happy to say that it is proving to be a successful way! After reading about Dr. Oz's endorsement of WLS, I decided that being up front about what I have done is best. Most people I know have only known me fat, so they are bound to notice a difference, and want to know what has changed.

But I have to say, whatever works for you is the right thing to say.