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I haven't posted here in forever but id like to give an update and some encouragement for the newbies here. My surgery was in March of 2014 and it's probably one of the best things I've ever done.

I went from 310 at the time of my surgery and a size 24 to a low weight of 194 and a size 12. I have gained about 10lbs back but I've also added a lot of muscle and I'm still a size 12. I would like to lose more, but I'm happy for now.

I run, bike, kayak, and travel a lot more. I did some of these things before but not nearly as easily as I do now. I exercise at least 3 days a week and I'm preparing for my next 5K now and hoping to do a 10k in the spring.

The past year has been amazing, I've got to have awesome Halloween costumes, ride roller coasters, spend all day dancing at music festivals, explored Washington DC all on foot, and even met the host of my favorite podcast. I went to the beach in a (very modest) bikini and wasn't self conscious at all. I accepted a new job that was far outside of my comfort zone and that led to another job that was perfect for me.

It wasn't an easy journey, but I was lucky I didn't have a lot of complications. The worst symptom I have now is occasional low blood sugar but I can control that by sticking to a healthy diet. We all slip sometimes though.

Best of luck to you all. Some of you are going to have harder journeys than me. For some of you it may take a very long time to see the light at the end of the tunnel but I really hope that it will all be worth it one day.

The picture of me here was take on Christmas 2013, 2ish months pre surgery and the after was on Halloween. (I was Han Solo)

post-201974-14466452747638_thumb.jpg

Edited by Wallflower7522

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Congratulations. :) ;) :P :D :lol: B) :rolleyes: ;-)

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You look great, my surgery is on 11/11 and while I'm super nervous, I am also very excited to continue on to the next phase of my lifestyle transformation.

Best of luck to you!!

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What an amazing success story! Thank you for sharing your journey with us! You look fantastic!

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    • Aunty Mamo

      Iʻm roughly 6 weeks post-op this morning and have begun to feel like a normal human, with a normal human body again. I started introducing solid foods and pill forms of medications/supplements a couple of weeks ago and it's really amazing to eat meals with my family again, despite the fact that my portions are so much smaller than theirs. 
      I live on the island of Oʻahu and spend a lot of time in the water- for exercise, for play,  and for spiritual & mental health. The day I had my month out appointment with my surgeon, I packed all my gear in my truck, anticipating his permission to get back in the ocean. The minute I walked out of that hospital I drove straight to the shore and got in that water. Hallelujah! My appointment was at 10 am. I didn't get home until after 5 pm. 
      I'm down 31 pounds since the day of surgery and 47 since my pre-op diet began, with that typical week long stall occurring at three weeks. I'm really starting to see some changes lately- some of my clothing is too big, some fits again. The most drastic changes I notice however are in my face. I've also noticed my endurance and flexibility increasing. I was really starting to be held up physically, and I'm so grateful that I'm seeing that turn around in such short order. 
      My general disposition lately is hopeful and motivated. The only thing that bugs me on a daily basis still is the way those supplements make my house smell. So stink! But I just bought a smell proof bag online that other people use to put their pot in. My house doesn't stink anymore. 
       
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Oh yeah, something I wanted to rant about, a billing dispute that cropped up 3 months ago.
      Surgery was in August of 2023. A bill shows up for over $7,000 in January. WTF? I asks myself. I know that I jumped through all of the insurance hoops and verified this and triple checked that, as did the surgeon's office. All was set, and I paid all of the known costs before surgery.
      A looong story short, is that an assistant surgeon that was in the process of accepting money from my insurance company touched me while I was under anesthesia. That is what the bill was for. But hey, guess what? Some federal legislation was enacted last year to help patients out when they cannot consent to being touched by someone out of their insurance network. These types of bills fall under something called, "surprise billing," and you don't have to put up with it.
      https://www.cms.gov/nosurprises
      I had to make a lot of phone calls to both the surgeon's office and the insurance company and explain my rights and what the maximum out of pocket costs were that I could be liable for. Also had to remind them that it isn't my place to be taking care of all of this and that I was going to escalate things if they could not play nice with one another.
      Quick ending is that I don't have to pay that $7,000+. Advocate, advocate, advocate for yourself no matter how long it takes and learn more about this law if you are ever hit with a surprise bill.
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Some days I feel like an infiltrator... I'm participating in society as a "thin" person. They have no idea that I haven't always been one of them! 🤣
      · 0 replies
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    • ChunkCat

      Thank you everyone for your well wishes! I totally forgot I wrote an update here... I'm one week post op today. I gained 15 lbs in water weight overnight because they had to give me tons of fluids to bring my BP up after surgery! I stayed one night in the hospital. Everything has been fine except I seem to have picked up a bug while I was there and I've been running a low grade fever, coughing, and a sore throat. So I've been hydrating well and sleeping a ton. So far the Covid tests are negative.
      I haven't been able to advance my diet past purees. Everything I eat other than tofu makes me choke and feels like trying to swallow rocks. They warned me it would get worse before it gets better, so lets hope this is all normal. I have my follow up on Monday so we'll see. Living on shakes and soup again is not fun. I had enough of them the first time!! LOL 
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    • BeanitoDiego

      Still purging all of the larger clothing. This morning, a shirt that I ADORED wearing ended up on top. Hard to let it go, but it was also hard to let go of those habits that also no longer serve my highest good. Onward and upward!
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