I can't eat more than 1/2 cup or so at a sitting. Bread gets stuck, Pasta and rice come back, ice cream makes me dump. I want to nibble all day because I can't seem to get in more than 1000 HEALTHY calories a day and wine gives me horrific heartburn. I am either constipated or have poop Soup - usually the first leads to the second -- and I still can't have even a small glass of Water with a meal or I will horf it all back up. Regular water sits like a lead brick in my stomach still (after 2.5 years!!) and I still sit on the potty before I pass gas just in case.

That said...

I wear a size 6/8.
I can shop in ANY store.
My teenaged daughters now borrow my clothes and I borrow theirs. (Wait -- is that good or bad?)
I can fit in any seat AND cross my legs.
People don't look at me like I am Satan on fire when I sit next to them on the bus, the theater, the airplane.
I can put junk food in my grocery cart and not feel judged.
I can (and do!) walk 6-10 miles a day without pain the next morning.
I can keep up in Zumba class and still do another workout after.
I can dance all night without feeling it the next day.

I hike, bike, kayak, and play outside with my kids comfortably.
I no longer sweat like a horse the second I walk outside.

I am healthy. No longer pre-diabetic, no longer morbidly obese, no longer ruining my knees, hips, feet and back with excessive weight.


If this was the "easy way out", so be it. It damn sure was the SMART way out.

EDIT TO ADD:

It seems that some of you are taking my "litany of complaints" as real hardships and I want to correct that. None of the things I listed above are the end of the world nor are they even more than little blips on my radar.

When my ass hurts, I get up. When I'm cold, I grab a blanket. I choose not to eat bread, rice, pasta or ice cream and as much as I loved them before, they make me feel so urpy, I no longer WANT them. The poop soup/constipation, along with the juicy toots kind of sucks, but I think some Probiotics would correct that issue. I don't drink when I eat, nor do I drink for an hour after and it's not killing me. I don't need regular water, and while I miss it from time to time, a squeeze of flavor drops or a splash of fruit juice works for me. My inability to drink wine sucks the most, but it's a small trade off in the grand scheme of things.

Great post love it!! congrats on your successful hard work.

I want to be you!!!!

@LipstickLady. I hear all that you've saying! I used to be a sweat queen. ...now I can't seem to stay warm. The food thing...unless I graze most of the day, I will not get enough food in me. But I so totally agree...the wonderful new, so much healthier lifestyle I am enjoying is the best reward of all. My big burden......my loud growling stomach. And the instant burp fest that happens as soon as I drink. I do suspect that I'm maybe drinking too fast. It's just that most ttimes I forget that I'm sleeved! So, yes, I agree with you. I'll take Miss.Growly-Burpy SLEEVE and her dislike of almost nothing!

I am actually working out and emergency ass kit to carry with me to cleanup and restore my ability to be in a group. I am a full time college student. I retired from one industry and decided to do what I have always wanted to do. Now another year and a half of school and I'll be set to do so.

I had "an emergency" in the park last week. Three miles into a six mile walk. To my left ten feet away was the Nashua River (BIG HUGE DEEP River) to my right about 100 yards of woodland. It got to the point my ass informed me one of two things was about 10 seconds away from happening. Either you are going right here right now, -or- you can grab a couple of handfuls of those ferns and try to make it to that big tree..... I went the tree option. Was about 1.5 seconds shy..... Thank god I carry a knife on me. I was able to remove my underwear, and between them and the ferns did and acceptable job cleaning up. I was also lucky I was wearing my biggest hoodie that day and it hangs all the way down over my ass. I got home and decided I needed an emergency kit, I am just trying to decide what to include and how to package it. I don't take my backpack with me everywhere so I am thinking of some kind of standalone case. I guess a pair of sweat pants, wet wipes, a bunch of those big huge folded paper towels, baby powder perhaps. Oh and some ghetto cologne, Axe, lol.

Edited October 22, 201510 yr by winklie

LOL!

The things we are willing to do to get healthy! It is all worth it!

This thread is making me feel incredibly lucky! I have neither thrown up nor pooped my pants even ONCE in my 14 months post-op.

@@JamieLogical Suuuuure go ahead and rub it in, lmfao!!! j/k good for you. I hope that my ass and I come to an agreement as we have to live with one another.

I've had all of the symptoms you describe at one point or another. Some I grew out of, others, not so much. Wine still gives me heart burn and too much ice cream or anything super high in sugar is a no go. Small amounts are okay now. Probiotics help a lot! You are so right! these are such small prices to pay to have my health back! I would gladly do it all again to achieve this result!

Wow....um, is the crapping your pants thing something that develops over time? Post-surgery, I've been more likely to have the opposite problem. I had issues with IBS in the past, so the desperation to find a restroom is a familiar feeling for me, but I'm hoping that I don't have to go back to living it on a regular basis!

@@lauraellen80 I think it depends on the person. I am just 2.5 weeks out. However I was on Senna Lax 8.6mg tabs 4 a day for years prior to surgery. I get constipated very easily. Constipation causes me massive pain. Right now is an exploratory time, I am trying to figure out what works in what doses and how often. Thus far I have had two states, either plugged up, or the exact opposite. I am trying to find that middle ground. Adding to all this is the fact that I still have Isopure left and MY BODY HATES IT, but damnit, I spent $50 and no matter how my ass feels about it, I am going to drink every gram of it. I'm cheap what can I say?

I carry a change of clothes and wet wipes just in case.

This thread is making me feel incredibly lucky! I have neither thrown up nor pooped my pants even ONCE in my 14 months post-op.

I have never thrown up, either. And in all fairness, I've always had a touch of IBS. The sleeve just made it a little more unpredictable. So 1 outta 2 ain't bad!

Probiotics help a lot!

Hmm... maybe that's why I've never had this pants pooping issue. My nutritionist has had me on probiotics daily since before surgery.

I remember always being cold the last time I lost weight (before I slowly regained it..again). You can learn to live with it and sound as if you will, with no problem. My daughter would say leave VA and move to FL. She used to hate heat but now she lives there she would never come back to the cold.

The ass hurting...when I was thin after breaking my coccyx bone I wore bicycling shorts. They are padded and they keep you warm. There are also some things like spanks that have a padded rear end, maybe for the same reason.

Lipstick lady, loved your post, funny but not funny !! I have a question though ! Is it just gastric bypass patients that have the loose bowel problem ? I noticed the ones that had the same problem were all gastric bypass people . Im banded, none of the major digestive problems unless I eat something like raw peanuts , cashews etc. Just curious !! ( Also, if had to carry an Emergency Bathroom Pack, Id include a couple of Depends , and a small bottle of hand cleaner. Can't hurt !!! )

This morning, after my morning coffee, I felt it coming on and knew I had to run to the bathroom....

Yeah, I didn't make it. Luckily, I work from home, so the only people who saw and smelled my poopy pants were my 3 Basset Hounds.

You are and continue to be an inspiration to me. Like you, I wouldn't change a darn thing. Except my poopy pants.

Damn, I was really hoping "this" would clear up when closer to goal.. Gotta be a probiotic fix for this poppy pants issue. Walking my kids to school in the AM has been, err.. problematic>>>>