tell what challenges yall faced after vsg surgery i have had many positive challenges and I would like for us to all discuss our own personal challenges good or bad. ..I will add mine later today because I'm at work shhhhhhhh don't tell my manager :-)

Edited January 8, 201412 yr by isleeveinjesus

Bad: Stopping to check myself out in every mirror I pass.

Good: Stopping to check myself out in every mirror I pass.

True story!

Good

Small butt

No longer sweat like a small piggy all year round

Wider selection of clothes to buy

Bad

Sore tailbone from lack of padding on butt

Freezing cold all year round

Wider selection of clothes to buy

The good still outweighs the bad... but lmao at the earlier comment "the ugly... the inside of my thighs" - me too!!!!!

I saw some folks post about Smooth Moves tea. I'd like to caution people against using it regularly. It contains Senna. This plant, as well as Cascara Sagrada, are anthraquinones and can cause Melanosis Coli. By itself, MC seems pretty benign, but there has been a correlation between this and two forms of colon cancer. I used it for years because I thought it was safer than OTC or Rx methods, but I was recently informed that I had MC after my last imaging. I just thought I'd pass it on since I told doctors for years that I used it, and not one suggested I shouldn't use it to avoid the constipation caused by one of my Rx medications.

Jdmama911 congratulations on identifying your emotional issues. I'm guessing that's the hardest part.

I quit smoking 4 years ago and was a maniac. I would cry, just cry over stuff. It was like PMS x 100. I remember telling my husband that I felt like my best friend had died. It was tough. But I got through it. Now I can't even believe that I ever smoked.

The lozenges were my life saver. I slowly weaned off of them. When you are ready, you can do it!

Losing my hair!!

The bad for me was learning how to eat at the right speed and right quantity as the dynamics constantly changed during the first 6 months. Lots of sliming and some throwing up during those early months. It was also hard determining what types of food your sleeve could handle after 1 month when most transition into solids. I never had trouble with eating and drinking at the same time. After 6 months, my sleeve chilled out a bit and became more accepting g of most foods. Today @18 months there is hardly anything my sleeve will reject except too large a quantity.

The good for me was no more high blood pressure (been 110 / 70 for several months now), no more sleep apnea (disappeared during first month), no more pre-diabetic conditions and a much fuller life with my family in terms of quality time and activities. Food is no longer the boss of me and I have learned how to eat as an active athletic person of ideal weight.

Edited January 10, 201412 yr by Fiddleman

Biggest adjustment...being constantly on the alert for constipation. I take a stool softener morning and evening, and a couple of ounces of prune juice at bedtime. Plus I put Benefiber in and on everything I can.

The most difficult thing I experienced after surgery was nausea, nausea, nausea. But it only lasted a few days, and once it was gone, I started to feel the benefits. Weight loss, amazing blood sugar levels, cutting down on some of my other meds. Life is good!

The Good:

1) Much less knee pain. No longer take anything for arthritic knees. And I can even wear heels again without hurting the knees!

2) Shopping my closet. Many things I haven't worn in YEARS and things that were given to me that I never wore before. ( Too small) Flip side to this will be cleaning my closet when I need to go down another size!!!

3) I have gone from a tight 26/28 to fitting a 22. I look forward to the 22 being too large soon...

4) I can do more. Walk further. Play with my daughter. Get up and down off the floor. Sit in chairs more comfortably. FIT (with room to spare) in the bath tub.

5) I am less worried about developing another DVT. I will forever have to live with the after effects of the two DVTs and PEs I had, but I know I have cut down my chances of more occurring.

The BAD:

1) Hunger. As soon as I was far enough out that my swelling had gone down I have had hunger. Some may be head hunger but a lot is stomach hunger. The flip side is it is much easier to make go away than before. ( much less food needed)

2) Ketosis stink. Yeah, I had it

3) hair loss. Mine is pronounced because of other issues. I have been wearing a wig since Thanksgiving. I also have a couple head covers for chemo patients for times I don't want to wear my "hair hat".

4) Realizing once and for all I am a carb addict. Even with the sleeve, once I gave in to them I had to fight to get away. The sleeve may limit the quantity, but not the desire for or ability to eat. They slide down much easier than lean Protein too.

5) Realizing the sleeve won't save me if I don't do what I need to. I knew it was only a tool going in. But there was still a secret little place in me that hoped it would do things I couldn't. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt now that I have to be accountable for me, including my sleeve.

6) Vitamins. Have to take, don't like.

The UGLY:

1) My body. It may be smaller but I think it is less visually pleasing than before. Between the sag and scars and my bald noggin...Well let's just say either I stay covered or the lights better be off!

2) Not being where I want to be. Again, all on me. I love I have lost weight. I love I will lose more. I hate that it isn't going as fast as I once imagined it would. Part of that is my body and how it lets go of the weight, a lot of it is on me. I have not ate totally to plan and not exercised enough, so what do I expect?

Overall I would do it all again in a heart beat. I imagine in a few months this entire list will have changed so stay tuned!

BAD: 1. im hungry all the time because i drink Water 30mins after i eat 2. i can fit my favorite belt anymore its a levis heavy duty belt 3. i have trouble eating slow but im learning 4. chicken is no longer my favorite 5. i had to buy a coat because i get cold now GOOD: 1. I LOVE to put on my shoes now less belly in the way 2. the clothes that i buy only fit for a short time 3. I look damn good in a suit and everybody get tired of me talking about how good i look lol 4. meals dont cost more than 7 dollars at resturants 5. sex is better 6. i can walk long distaces without my back hurting 7. i can start to see my muscles again

Hey, you're list sounds like you read my mind. My list is almost identical to yours. I wish you the best on your journey. How much have you lost so far?

Bad:

1. I can't really tolerate chicken anymore.

2. I had to donate all of my expensive work clothes because they were were too big.

3. I often revert back to my early post-op diet and forget to eat, or I survive on yogurt with chia seeds and 12 almonds, string cheese and Baby Bon cheese.

4. I've had two neurosurgeries in the last year and still have some issues, so I haven't really been able to embrace my weight loss.

Good:

1- I love the look in my wife's when she looks at me these days, which of course makes sex great.

2.I'm running out of clothes again because I am getting smaller so quickly.

3. I don't feel ashamed working out in the gym because of the way I look.

4. I have been this light since I was a teenager and can wear a loose fitting large and I'm on my way to a size medium.

lol its good to see that we all are having the same issue's minus the yeast infections i dont think i can get those lol..have anyone been expericeing joint pain or back pain due to weight loss

I'm afraid you might be wrong - I have a yeast infection on my skin! I'm using jock-itch powder on it (per doc).

Bad things: brown urine had to sit in the er for 4hrs yesterday .with no clue why.

2.back pain .dr. says my hiatal hernia.

3.wks post op nd no energy.

good things:losing weight quickly .

need to go shopping .(when i get energy)

Hubby always complimenting me.

sorry everyone just feeling down. just thinking when will i feel better. i still don't regret my decision for the sleeve but i want to start enjoying everything about it!

Bad

I did the cross-addition thing. Booze is a total no-no for me. Dry for close to a year now.

Good

Easier to find nice stylish clothes for my job.

Can eat popcorn almost every night-good Fiber and feels like I'm having something forbidden.

Good: I love looking at a tiny little serving and knowing it will fill me up. I have lost interest in sugar.

Bad: I am filled with non-stop rage and fury about feeling like a failure. I have only lost six pounds. I've tried cutting calories, raising calories, drinking more, drinking less...you name it. I wish I had known that the sleeve doesn't work for some people.

Good: I love looking at a tiny little serving and knowing it will fill me up. I have lost interest in sugar. Bad: I am filled with non-stop rage and fury about feeling like a failure. I have only lost six pounds. I've tried cutting calories, raising calories, drinking more, drinking less...you name it. I wish I had known that the sleeve doesn't work for some people.

Why are you so angry? How far out are you to feel like a failure already? You need to be patient and stick strictly to the program set by your nutritionist. Hang in there and it will get better.