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Hi everyone, my name is Arlin I am Dominican and I'm 33yrs old I have two wonderful boys of ages 15 and 9.. I have finally did the Gastric Sleeve Surgery after many years of doubting and very expensive diets.. This is my story!

I was never a skinny person not even as a child however I was never considered "fat".. I am considered curvy, I have always been very comfortable with my body, to the point that I have had relationships with men that are very handsome and some say how the hell u got that guy, and my answer has always been " u gotta be confident and be happy" thats a true beauty!! I lost control of my weight after my first child, during my pregnancy with him I developed Eclampsia so was in the hospital 4 days a week with iVs and medication that took my weight to 60lbs more in just 6 weeks! After i gave birth i lost about 30 pretty quickly and just hanged in that weight for about 5 years. Then I was pregnant again with my 2nd child and to be honest with him I didnt gain as much I pretty much stayed in my same weight..

I have tried so many diets and products since I was 18yrs old that if I add up their costs it pretty much could have financed a house or a Lipo in DR maybe like 5 times.. when I turned 30 I noticed that i was gaining more weight and not loosing as quickly as I used to be able to do it in the past! Since I am so confident and happy in my life I was scared that if i do surgery, it will not go well!! I know it sounds dumb as f**k, but i really thought that if something happened during the surgery and i died, IF I get to the gates of heaven God will ask me why I did it, I didnt have an answer cause trust me when I say I am happy and confident I truly am so i felt like it was selfish.. I know how it sounds and my friends use to literally just punch me!!

So what made me decide?? Simple my kids, I noticed I couldn't keep up with them anymore, Parent Teacher Confrences are a nightmare with all these steps these schools have (Coño is not easy going to 5th fl when the stairs are doubled) 🤕. Mainly I just dont want them to settle on their health just because I did. Life is not promised to anybody and we can just drop dead at anytime but we can at least try to make the right choices to live today! I aslo love to dance and I noticed i was loosing my breath after just one salsa and my knees be killing me the next day.. So I man up and decided in December that this what I need.. I want to still be happy, confident, but most of all healthy!! So i did all the tests and research my great Doctor McGinty asked me to do very quickly and went under just 5 days ago!!

Im not gonna lie the first three days post-op I was regretting everything, i was not much in pain but had very bad nausea and kept vomiting everything down to some blood as well.. Thankfully I didn't destroyed anything, yesterday and today have been much better I can actually drink my fluids pain is not bad at all, I just still have some gas and sometimes cramping in my stomach!! I know this was a long ass post (sorry) but I am really excited for whats coming in this journey that is changing my life.

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I want to wish you many blessings on your journey to a healthier you. Your story touched me and inspired me.

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Arlin
I am 10 days post op and yes it was very rough at first but after about the 5th day no kidding it gets better and better. Today I feel my energy coming back... I am drinking my Protein better, and I can eat about 1oz of puréed and foods. Oh and by all means stay hydrated . I m very happy you did it and I pray that you are more than successful


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Thanks so much Apple1..

Godsgirl65 yes today i feel so much better i was able to walk 2 miles and i can drink better ..

Thanks so much for ya kind words, is really great to have support from people feeling the same way and going through the same things

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Hi Arlin!! Thank you for stating your story!!! I too am Dominican and 30 years old and a teacher so I know how you feel about those stairs on parent teacher conference day because I go up and down them everyday coño lol It's not easy but I'm sure it was the best decision of your life!! I go under on April 12th and I'm excited but nervous as well!! Hope you have a speedy recovery!! [emoji4]


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2 hours ago, CJ1107 said:

Hi Arlin!! Thank you for stating your story!!! I too am Dominican and 30 years old and a teacher so I know how you feel about those stairs on parent teacher conference day because I go up and down them everyday coño lol It's not easy but I'm sure it was the best decision of your life!! I go under on April 12th and I'm excited but nervous as well!! Hope you have a speedy recovery!! emoji4.png

Lmao yes those damn stairs and the teacher always looks at me like are u alright when i get to the classroom lol.. yay Im excited you made your decision, trust me it gets better after 5 days just have to hang in there!! Your body will prove to u that it can handle this journey you just have to set your mind to positive mode!! Good luck and definitely keep me posted

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Lmao yes those damn stairs and the teacher always looks at me like are u alright when i get to the classroom lol.. yay Im excited you made your decision, trust me it gets better after 5 days just have to hang in there!! Your body will prove to u that it can handle this journey you just have to set your mind to positive mode!! Good luck and definitely keep me posted


My students look at me like that lol Yeah I've heard the 5th day post op is the better day...can't wait to just finally get this done! I'm tired, just like you, of dieting and the hundreds of dollars being spent monthly on diets and trainers and what not. Thanks for your advice and well wishes!! Means a lot to me!!! I'll let you know how it goes!!!


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    • Doughgurl

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      · 1 reply
      1. Phil Penn

        Good Luck this procedure is well worth it I am down to 249.6 lb please continue with the process..

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    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

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