I had my 18 month checkup and it went really well. My labs are great, my blood pressure is great, maintaining my weight so surgeon is very pleased that I have been able to effectively work that sleeve and am enjoying very good health. What I think is sorta funny on my labs is that I take way less Vit D then I used to - but instead of being deficient, I am now slightly higher then normal. I don't take Iron, but my iron levels are slightly above the "normal" range.

We talked about a couple of things that I thought might have broader interest. I was a band to sleeve revision and some don't do very well. He felt that some of that has to do with the scar tissue and how it limits what the surgeon can do.. ie in some cases they can't make the stomach "just right" but in my case that was possible so it helped me be successful in spite of being a revision.

We also talked about the basic idea that I have the disease of obesity and right now I am effectively managing the symptoms but to never forget that my body has been morbidly obese for so much of my life - that is it's more "natural state". Emphasizes how for many (most, all?) of us, that maintenance is an ever vigilent watch to keep the weight from coming back.

Another comment he made that i am still thinking about, but I thought was very insightful, that recovering from being morbidly obese is like recovering from a "trauma" in some ways. I was in a bad physical state for so long, it takes awhile for the mind to adjust to being normal. I notice for myself how much different my own thinking about myself has changed in the last 6 months so I think there is truth to this.

I told him I get a minimum of 60g of Protein a day and he advised that current thinking is higher then that - even for maintenance, especially if you are active/excercise to shoot for more like 80g. In truth, i probably do get more like 80g a day since I stop counting when i hit 60!

ETA: I almost forgot the most important part! We talked about whether the sleeve physically stretches - and absolutely it can. So, from the very beginning and continuing into maintenance, do not eat to "full" or "over full" - protect that feeling of restriction to help with the long term success.

It was inspiring to see him. This maintenance thing can feel hard at times, but the visit re-emphasized what i need to keep on doing!

Georgia...you have mentioned that before. Wow! I'm so sorry that there is just nothing offered post-surgery in the way of classes' date=' healing, teaching, etc. Thank goodness for this forum, right? You have done an amazing job considering post-surgery, post-weight loss, there is so much confusing, misleading information. I think you deserve a pat on the back for that!

I really should take this class, it would be silly not to![/quote']

Yes and report back!

Lynda

Great account of your checkup, Jane.

I have not had my labs done since my 18 month checkup. My surgeon was so happy with them he didn't even want to see my labs at my 2 year. Now I'm getting ready to have my 3 year and I'm excited for labs because I want to "know" they are ok instead of just assuming they are.

I really like the comment about obesity = trauma. Not only physical but mental as well. That is so interesting and I wish more surgeons focused on this and could make recommendations/help the bariatric community with this. I think generally the normal comment is trauma = therapy. But I think there are smaller ways to heal from that trauma (of course depending on how bad it is, some absolutely NEED therapy as treatment.) But it is most definitely a "process" and I know of some bariatric patients who still struggle with the mental aspect years later.

Edited to add: I was just scrolling through the list of post-op classes my surgeon offers and saw this:

Moving Forward in the New Year Redefining the History of YOU!

In this class you learn how to:

• Become conscious of unconscious thoughts leading to negative, self sabotaging behaviors
  
• Identify and diminish the power of the critic/the voice inside your head (the one that tells you how rotten you are)
  
• Deciphering bodily hunger from emotional hunger
  
• Become the “observer” of your emotions without acting on them
  
• Change the channel on YOUR emotional dial
  
• Connect with your power and create a plan to move forward
  

I might try taking this class!

Now this is a class I'd be really interested in........

I have Kaiser and they offer a lot.

do they let outsiders come in for the class? That would really interest me....