regret Be honest - does anyone regret the surgery?

[Bombs 353]

I have lost the stress that resulted from my lack of self confidence and thinking about my weight every second of the day. This is liberating.

[Chellemetime 299]

Don't regret a single thing! I wish I would have done it sooner! I've lost 76 pounds and am 11 pounds from goal. I was sleeved 12/5/12 and absolutely LOVE my sleeve! We had Thanksgiving yesterday and I had turkey and ham for my Proteins and then a tiny bite of some of the other sides. I was satisfied and didn't miss that overstuffed feeling. It's such a wonderful new life!

[Uniqbtrfly 27]

I'm 41 and need to lose about 100 lbs. Im going through the steps to get cleared by insurance, but I go back and forth? Should I just try a serious diet one more time (even though I've been steadily gaining this weight since my mid-20s and dieting off and on the whole time). Does anyone regret having the surgery?? I know its nerves, but its so drastic to remove part of your stomach...

I have no regrets and would do it again. I was just 59 when I had the sleeve.

[BestYet2Come 97]

No regrets!

[Tabby Closet 39]

Are you kidding me! I'm mad that I waited so long!

[jen1211 203]

I had surgery 12/11/12 and I have lost 140 pounds. I don't regret it for a second...once in a while I think it would be nice to eat this or that like I used to but then I remember the 140 pounds gone that have given me my life back! :-)

[SilliDazi 1]

I am almost at my 3 year annivesary post-op...I see it as a gift. Like most of the posts I have read, I just wish I had done it sooner. I will be 44 this year and I am living better than I was in my 20's and 30's. The only advice I can give is, use your first 6 months of post-op seriously and go for all of your follow ups. Learn to change your behaviors, be gentle on yourself when you make a mistake, and seek a support group in your area. Talk to others that are feeling what you are, it will help. I did not do this, but with this wonderful gift I can still make it work. It is a life time gift to be cherished. And of course..protien, protien, protien. ;o)

[Band2Sleever 78]

Been sleeved for three and a half months now and it's going great. I can eat anything I want but choose not to most of the time. The portions are satisfying and I'm losing weight albeit a bit slower than many other sleevers.

Wow! That is so inspiring.

How are you doing now?

[Vixynne 695]

I was sleeved in July 2013, and had no complications. I'm about a week away from 8 months post-op, and I can honestly say I have NO regrets.
I was well-prepared for the changes sleeve surgery would bring, thanks to counseling and group lifestyle classes provided by my surgeon's office. Talking to veterans here, and reading as much as I could about the surgery beforehand seemed to give me a solid foundation for moving forward with very few doubts. Yeah, I had butterflies the size of pterodactyls the whole 24 hours prior to surgery, but I knew I was doing the right thing for me, and I had a great surgical team, not to mention really fantastic emotional support from my loved ones.

Although I'm not the fastest loser, nearly 8 months later, I've gone from 238 to 158 pounds. My BMI is down to 29, from a high of 43. (It would be even lower, if I weren't so dang short--being only 5'2" is a pain sometimes!) I have less than 30 pounds before I reach my goal weight.
On surgery day, I was easily wearing 20/22 clothes and feeling awful about myself. Today I'm rockin' some size 10 jeans and size medium tops, and I never feel depressed or defeated when I see my reflection anymore. Sure, I've got some loose skin; two C-sections many years ago have left me with a kangaroo pouch that aggravates me--but I would MUCH rather have loose skin than look and feel--emotionally and health-wise-the way I did 8 months ago.

Weight loss has slowed WAAAAAY down now. I lose maybe half a pound to a pound per week; sometimes less. There have been plenty of week that I lost no weight at all. At first that bothered me, but I've put my scale away and broken my addiction to obsessive weighing. Now I only check my weight about once a month. If it goes down, great--if not, I ramp up protein/exercise or exercise more intensely or more often. My dietician and surgeon assure me that I'm well within the normal curve, and that this slow-down is just what to expect from about the 6-month mark onward. The scale CAN keep moving down; I just need to work at it more now, and I don't mind that. I'm living like a skinny girl--which is what I always wanted!! I have so much more energy now. Moving doesn't hurt; standing up teaching all day doesn't hurt. I can dash up three flights of stairs and NOT feel like passing out. I'm turning 45 next month, but I feel 20 again.

This surgery is a HUGE step, a massive change to your body and your relationship with food. I wish my insurance had allowed me to take that step years ago, but I'm so grateful and happy that I did it when I did!! Nope, no regrets, not a single one. I'm an advocate for sleeve surgery for those who need it to finally beat their obesity. I talk about it to anyone who asks. I'm proud of what I've accomplished, and happy to share my experiences with anyone who stands still long enough to listen.

[AZDesertRose76 18]

I'm about two months out, and I absolutely do NOT regret having the surgery. I've also been lucky not to have any complications at all. It's been remarkably smooth sailing for me.

Sometimes when I compare myself to other patients (generally a bad idea), I feel like I'm not losing fast enough, but I look at it this way: If I lose a little slower, my skin has a chance to bounce back and maybe I won't have a bunch of excess tummy skin at goal weight. (I expect to have some excess skin, but I'm hoping for not a huge amount. )

Fact is, I feel better. I'm off my blood pressure medication, I'm off the arthritis medication because my joints feel better, people around me are noticing that I've lost weight. (One of my neighbors commented on it today, in fact, in a nice way.) I've got some really cute spring clothes that I can wear again just waiting in the closet for the weather to be warm enough, which looks like it's going to happen next week.

The only thing I'm wishing for right now is clearance from my surgeon to weight train like I used to. For whatever goofy reason in my head, I like weight training better than cardio. (I DO the cardio; I just don't enjoy it as much as the weight training.) Right now, I'm still not supposed to lift more than 30 lbs to keep from herniating my incision sites.

Anyway, add me to the resounding chorus of "no regrets."

[Lilu 65]

I'm 41 and need to lose about 100 lbs. Im going through the steps to get cleared by insurance, but I go back and forth? Should I just try a serious diet one more time (even though I've been steadily gaining this weight since my mid-20s and dieting off and on the whole time). Does anyone regret having the surgery?? I know its nerves, but its so drastic to remove part of your stomach...

I was 41 when I had surgery, but do not regret the surgery what I regret was waiting so long to get it done. And what has happen to me since I got it because I was high risk to begin with it.. I did not expect to have so many problems. I had the same issue but I jump in and I float to the top. You will too. But make sure you have a good support at home. Make sure they all know you can't do this alone. I have been alone thru this and have found it very hard and feel of the wagon and gain some weight. Have an exercise buddy who will push you no matter what. Your start now should be to get smaller plates it makes it easy when people are serving you. Little changes here and there will help you and as for asking about regret well you will never know if that is the way you will feel because my regrets can never be yours. You will never move forward if you keep looking backwards.

Good luck and much success

[Andrew0929 1,101]

I went through a period where I did regret being sleeved. I had internal bleeding 5 days post op and had a second surgery as well as a ride to the the ER in an ambulance. I'm told I almost died as my BP was 60/25. Got through that and was back in the ER with abdominal pain 3 weeks later.

Needless to say I regretted being sleeved while going through that and told my surgeon exactly that. His response was that he'd ask me the same question in 3 months.

Now 3 months out and down 90 pounds I no longer regret being sleeved. I'm off 7 of 8 meds and expect to lose my last med soon and feel great. I would go through the same process again, including the second surgery, to achieve the results I've experienced.

[GetInMyBelly 80]

I'm regretting I let myself gain 50 pounds back!!! I dunno why I even did this surgery if it made no difference in my eating habits!!!! I'm so mad right now!!!!

[Tabby Closet 39]

I'm regretting I let myself gain 50 pounds back!!! I dunno why I even did this surgery if it made no difference in my eating habits!!!! I'm so mad right now!!!!

How long have you been post op?

[GetInMyBelly 80]

Two yrs