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HW: 399 CW: 264 GW: 199 Total Inches lost: Waist: 12.5” Hips: 10” Progress video of my non scale victories & some before & after photos attached. ☺️ Hi everyone! I had sleeve surgery on 12/6/23. My weight on the day of surgery was 381, but just a few months prior (October ‘23), I was in the 390s — peaking at 399. 😭 I still can’t believe how far I’ve come since then. 🤯 At first, around this time last year, I was a little discouraged that I wasn’t one of those lost 100 lbs in the first 4 months stories. But now, looking back, I’m so proud of the progress I’ve made and those thoughts are long gone. My doctor even said he prefers when patients lose weight a bit slower, since it helps them adjust to their new lifestyle easier and avoid some of the negative side effects like hair loss. I’m happy to say I haven’t experienced any hair loss at all 💁♀️ and my habits are NIGH and DAY from when I was .5lb shy of 400lbs. I gotta say being in the 260s feels unreal. My goal weight of 199 doesn’t feel like a far-off dream anymore but now within reach. When I was 399, the idea of weighing 199 felt like a fairytale ✨ but now, being just 65 lbs away, it feels like I can see the finish line in the distance and it won’t be long until I cross it! 🏃♀️💨 If you made it this far, thanks for reading. 🤗🩵🩷 Wishing the best to everyone on their own fitness journey. We got this!! 💪 video-output-BBFB7DF1-7AA4-435F-9BE5-1CD3270BACD2-1.mov
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Weight loss surgery success journey stories are important because the written word enables us to connect on an emotional basis with others. Telling our journey stories is a way to build a deeper level of understanding. Thinking about and creating our stories regarding our life history, life experiences, and influences on our lives can be related to family, friends, acquaintances, and even strangers. Everyone has different, exceptional life experiences with unique and special stories to share and teach others. My own story is one of redemption and salvation – but my redemption involved turning away from religion, and my salvation came from science. I was born and raised in a religious, conservative Christian home in Charlotte, North Carolina. My parents are both immigrants from Taiwan, and they moved to the United States in the 1980s. Their command of the English language and understanding of American culture were poor. Their acclimation to the United States was heavily dependent on their participation in the Charlotte Chinese Baptist Church. The Christian Baptist church is where my parents first initially met each other. They dated for a short period of time before they made the decision to get married. After marriage, they gave birth to me as their first born, and two years later, my younger sister. As far back as I can remember, my family attended Sunday services at the conservative Christian Baptist church on a regular basis. I was indoctrinated into being a conservative Christian by my family, friends, teachers, classmates, schools, and the conservative Christian church we attended. I was taught to believe in Jesus, Virgin Mary, and the existence of heaven and hell. We prayed in church, and I was taught to "give my life to god" and to avoid "sin." I was taught homosexuality was a sin and that LGBT people went to hell. My parents forbade my sister and me from dating, and I was told by my family, church, and teachers to save my virginity for marriage, which meant premarital sex was a major taboo. When I was in middle school, all of us girls were enrolled in the "Best Friends" program, an abstinence-only "sex education" program. The program merely consisted of "just say no" if boys wanted sex. Throughout my entire childhood, I unfortunately endured extreme domestic/family violence and experienced severe physical, verbal, emotional, psychological, spiritual/religious, and sexual abuse, incest, trauma, and molestation perpetrated by my conservative Christian father. My conservative Christian father was a very active volunteer at church, and he was highly respected by fellow church leaders and members of the congregation. However, he used his outward acts of service for the church as a deceptive mask to harbor many deep, dark secrets behind closed doors. My father was a chronic alcoholic and domineering, psychopathic perpetrator of horrific violence. He was a sadistic sociopath who derived sick pleasure from abusing my mother, my sister, and me in every way possible: physically, verbally, emotionally, psychologically, spiritually/religiously, and sexually assaulting, molesting, traumatizing, and humiliating us. My father weaponized the Bible as a tool to repeatedly abuse, assault, control, molest, terrorize, threaten, and violate my mother, sister, and me. He claimed the Bible justified his abuse, violence, and mistreatment towards us. He was a gun owner who threatened on countless occasions to murder the three of us and burn down our home “to destroy the evidence," so our bodies would never be found. Both my parents constantly warned I would be sent away to a foster home, where I would be treated far worse by strangers if I ever told my school teachers or complained to authorities about the horrific abuse and violence that was taking place at home on a daily basis. As an innocent young child, I wholeheartedly believed every word of my parents as I did not know any better. A middle school classmate noticed a bruise on my arm and asked me about it. I confided in her about the abuse and violence being perpetuated by my parents against me at home. She was sincerely concerned about my safety and worried about my well-being and told our homeroom teacher, who in turn, informed the middle school guidance counselor. After lunch, I was pulled from algebra class and asked to speak with the guidance counselor. Out of my irrational fear of being removed from my family home, the only place I'd ever known, I lied and said I'd injured myself by accident. At the time, I thought I was in trouble because I'd never been removed from class. I wanted only to return to math class to avoid missing any important class material. Back when I was an innocent child, I still believed in a just and merciful God. I used to kneel at my bed every night and fervently pray to God to kill me in my sleep. I desperately wished to die so I would not be forced to endure another day of extreme abuse and violence. It's heartbreaking for me to think back now about how I started seriously contemplating suicide when I was a young child. I did not wish to live and did not want to continue enduring the horrific abuse I experienced as a child at home every day. No one seemed to care about or love me, not even my own parents. I felt absolutely trapped in this living hell at home. As a child, my parents would not allow me to seek mental health care since doing so would reveal their abuse and violence towards me, and they knew they would face severe legal repercussions. My immigrant parents came from a conservative, traditional Asian culture and attached a very negative stigma to psychological services. They viewed patients who sought mental health treatment as "crazy." At the age of 18, I was finally able to move out on my own, and I left my hometown of Charlotte, North Carolina to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I began to meet and learn from people of different races, ethnicities, socioeconomic classes, religions/non-religions, with family backgrounds and histories that were unlike the oppressive, conservative Christian culture I'd grown up with. I was exposed to new, fascinating ideas, thoughts, and perspectives from my university professors and fellow college students. I learned about liberal. progressive Democrats and the concepts of socioeconomic and racial injustice, diversity, equity, and inclusion, women’s rights, and more. I was exposed for the first time to secular ideas. I began questioning the existence of God at this juncture. All the rules and regulations I'd been taught to follow by my conservative Christian family and church as a means to salvation had brought me nothing but painful despair and misery throughout my entire life up to that point. I was exposed to an entirely new world in college in which I learned that I had value as an individual as well as learning critical thinking skills, philosophical logic, and scientific thought. However, the years of abuse had left many scars. I sought help from a psychiatrist who finally diagnosed me with major depressive disorder (MDD), generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)/panic attacks, and complex post-traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). My psychiatrist prescribed antidepressant and antianxiety medications for me, and I also began intensive psychotherapy. I sought out trauma-focused mental health counselors and therapists and successfully completed countless mental health treatments and therapies for my healing and recovery. I discovered the abuse and violence I experienced during my childhood was not my fault, and I was not to blame whatsoever despite what my conservative Christian family constantly told me. I also learned about concepts and techniques such as self-care, emotional regulation, and developing healthy boundaries. The mental health treatments I received included Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy, Somatic Experiencing (SE) therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) group therapy as well as medical treatments such as Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment and esketamine treatment. In addition, I attended support groups for survivors of childhood abuse and incest, sexual assault, rape, and religious trauma. My journey back from the brink had finally begun. However, I was about to take a huge and very dangerous detour in my journey of healing. Food was my drug of choice back then. I used to binge eat massive amounts of food to desperately fill the empty void of nothingness I felt within and to cope with my feelings of depression, sadness, worthlessness, hopelessness, guilt, shame, fear, emotional numbness, fatigue, exhaustion, migraines, stomachaches, anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, flashbacks, difficulty with focus and concentration, and other symptoms. I preferred unhealthy junk food and fast food that provided me with momentary comfort. I gained prodigious amounts of weight. The antidepressants I took increased my appetite, causing more weight gain. The weight gain made me feel even more depressed, and the depression made me eat ever increasing amounts of food, which became a vicious cycle. I developed social anxiety and hated going out in public because I feared strangers bullying and taunting me for my appearance. I am 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and unbelievable as it may seem to most people, at my maximum, I weighed a staggering 321 pounds at my highest and had a BMI of 51.8. I was super morbidly obese, extremely unhealthy, and unfortunately, developed many serious, chronic health issues over the years. Due to the excess weight, I used to get winded easily and ran out of energy very quickly. I could not stand or walk for more than a few minutes before I began experiencing excruciating pain in my back, forcing me to sit and rest before I could stand and walk again. I suffered from numerous chronic, life-threatening health conditions, which included high blood pressure, high cholesterol, pre-diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, chronic back pain, knee pain, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, hiatal hernia, and others. Since I have a family history of even more severe health issues such as stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, I saw the writing on the wall. My super morbid obesity was literally killing me, and my future seemed bleak and hopeless. Due to my ever growing weight and developing serious, chronic health conditions which made my life excruciating painful and miserable physically and psychologically, I still had suicidal ideation, conducted detailed research on methods for ending my life, and even began to make active suicide plans. Fortunately, President Barack Obama successfully passed the Affordable Care Act, commonly referred to as “Obamacare.” Obamacare was the first time in my life I had the opportunity to obtain health insurance as an adult. Luckily, I also discovered Dr. Peter C. Ng, MD, FACS, FASMBS at Rex Bariatrics and their amazing UNC Rex Health bariatric surgical team in Raleigh, North Carolina. On Monday, October 6, 2014, I underwent a form of bariatric (weight loss) surgery called the duodenal switch with Dr. Peter Ng at UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh, North Carolina. Thanks to Dr. Ng and his compassionate bariatric team at UNC/Rex Healthcare, my recovery was finally back on track. Science, not religion, literally saved my life. My closest friends volunteered to help me many times, and they're absolutely critical to my success. Cathy took me to all my doctor’s appointments and was my biggest cheerleader. Joni was another amazing mentor and took excellent care of me at home while I was recovering from surgery. I would not be alive today if it weren't for Barack Obama, Dr. Peter Ng, Cathy, Joni, and other dear friends. I learned how to eat a healthy diet and began an exercise regimen to help take off all the excess weight. I worked tirelessly and pushed myself to the limit in terms of my diet, exercise, and lifestyle transformation. It was very difficult to say the least, but I succeeded, not through prayer or faith in God, but through hard work, sheer will, grit, perseverance, determination, and tenacity. Ultimately, I lost 191 lbs – a weight loss I'm very happy and pleased to report I’ve maintained to this very day. I now weigh 130 lbs, which is exactly what I weighed when I was 18 years old, and I have a very healthy BMI of 21.0. Since I've lost and kept off such a massive amount of weight, I no longer have any of the aforementioned health issues; they’ve all completely resolved themselves, for which I am very thankful. I eat a healthy diet, am physically fit, and lead a physically active, robust lifestyle. My friends lovingly refer to me as the "Energizer Bunny." I am happy and healthy now. I continue to take antidepressant medications and to see my psychiatrist and therapist because major depression is prone to relapse without ongoing treatment. I've developed a strong, iron-clad support system of compassionate, caring, kind, empathetic, generous chosen family and loved ones, all of whom I'm incredibly grateful to have in my life. I do not begrudge faith to people who take comfort in religion; however, the toxic form of Christianity that consumed my childhood nearly ended my life. I was saved by science and human compassion. My will to keep fighting came not from a belief in a reward after death, but from learning of the inherent value each of us has here on earth while we are alive and breathing. I visited my bariatric surgeon Dr. Ng for my annual follow-up visit last year on Wednesday, October 1, 2024. I received my blood work test results, and my labs were "perfect." Every year, Dr. Ng laughingly tells me my blood test results are better than his own! Dr. Ng is, without a doubt, my favorite surgeon since he literally saved my life. I’m exceptionally grateful for him and his expert surgical skills in performing the duodenal switch bariatric weight loss surgery on me, and I’m also tremendously thankful to the entire UNC Health Rex medical team. Sunday, October 6, 2024 marked a significant date in my life; it was my ten-year surgiversary. In case you aren't aware, a surgiversary is the anniversary of a surgery, most commonly associated with bariatric (weight loss) surgery, a medically necessary surgical procedure which profoundly changed my life with the best possible outcome. I’ve been grateful and fortunate to find peace, bliss, happiness, and joy in life without the need for religion or belief in a god or higher power. I absolutely love my life, and I'm beyond excited and thrilled to experience all the fantastic joy and happiness that life has to offer. I finally love and truly believe in myself. I'm an outgoing, hardworking, highly energetic Taiwanese American leader and activist. I’m self-employed and work tirelessly at multiple contract and freelance paid positions. My roles include working as a private military defense contractor with the U.S. Department of Defense by assisting active duty U.S. military personnel with their Mandarin speaking skills at a U.S. military base, as a Mandarin speaking private tutor, as an independent film & media contractor for Rob Underhill Productions, as a freelance writer & editor, and as a social media marketing manager. I'm a multicultural individual with a global mindset. I'm known for my values and strength of character: ethics, integrity, perseverance, resilience, and tenacity. Brimming with confidence, commitment to excellence, fervent drive to succeed, innovative thinking, and positive, can-do, go-getter attitude. My passions and strengths include professional networking, social media marketing, event planning, business development, communication, leadership, writing/editing, and team building. I'm well-connected politically and socially including CEOs, VPs, C-Suite executives, elected government officials, directors, leadership, management, business owners, entrepreneurs, physicians, attorneys, engineers, sales & marketing, real estate brokers, creatives, musicians, artists, innovators, and other powerful community leaders at local, state, and federal government levels, U.S Department of Defense (DoD), Fortune 500 companies, and nonprofits in Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill/RDU/Triangle, North Carolina, United States, Taiwan, China, and elsewhere around the world. I'm passionate about personal growth, living a fulfilling, purposeful life, and highly value community engagement. Most importantly I love volunteering, inspiring and motivating others, “paying it forward,” and having a positive impact on the community and world around me. I spend much of my free time performing charity work, volunteering at my alma mater UNC-Chapel Hill, promoting business owners, and volunteering and canvassing for Democratic politicians and elected government officials at local, state, and federal levels of government. I'm active in volunteering with many nonprofit organizations, mainly secular and non-religious, although I've cultivated and maintained dear, loving friendships with Called to Peace Ministries, a Christian-affiliated nonprofit organization that provides advocacy, education, support, and practical assistance to domestic violence survivors. In addition, I love volunteering to help people who are struggling with their own weight loss challenges, and I always hope my own story will inspire them. The causes I hold closest to my heart are ending domestic violence and abuse, ending poverty, promoting secular humanism, critical thinking, and science education, advocating for separation of church and state, supporting mental health advocacy and research, supporting social, economic, and racial justice and diversity, equity, inclusion, and helping people who are overweight and obese in their journeys to lead healthier, more physically active lives. I'm extremely active politically and have volunteered countless hours for Democratic political candidates' campaigns in Wake County/Raleigh/Triangle/RDU/RTP, North Carolina with their successful election and re-election to elected government office positions. In addition, I'm very active in the secular humanist movement by participating in local, state, and national meetings and conferences with my favorite organizations including The Freethought Society, Recovering From Religion, American Humanist Association, and countless others. I also enjoy volunteering for other liberal, progressive organizations that support ending domestic violence, advocating for mental health, women's rights, gun control, comprehensive sex education, socioeconomic and racial justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and more. I enjoy cultural arts such as traveling domestically and internationally, learning about different languages and cultures, attending plays/theater and comedy shows, visiting museums, and going to concerts and hearing live music. I've traveled all over the United States, Canada, Mexico, Caribbean, and Asia including Taiwan, Japan, and Singapore. I'm physically active, love adventure, and enjoy experiencing nature and being outdoors. I love spending time in nature and exercising outdoors, especially hiking and ziplining. I've also done parasailing, flyboarding, canoeing, kayaking, sailing, cruising, whitewater rafting, and been given countless opportunities to experience many other awesome adventures I'd never received before. I absolutely live life to the fullest. This is the happiest I've ever been in my entire life, and I want to help others improve their lives and feel the same joy as I do. If I can do it, you can too! Even if life seems bleak and dark and you feel like quitting, DON'T GIVE UP! I promise you, life gets better; I'm living proof of that! I suffered through countless seemingly insurmountable adversities, barriers, challenges, and obstacles in my lifetime, but I also became a more empathetic, compassionate, loving, and kind human being. I'm a resilient and tenacious survivor and thriver. I'm an unstoppable force of nature to be reckoned with; there's absolutely nothing in the world that can stop me. My experiences have made me absolutely fearless: I fear nothing and no one. My long-term goals are to become a published best-selling author, a highly sought after public motivational speaker, and to give TED talks. I want to speak to audiences around the world about my journey, grit, perseverance, resilience, determination, strength, and tenacity, and to inspire and motivate others to do the same. Thanks so much for reading my story; feel free to share if you’d like and reach out to me if I can help! I attached a photo of Dr. Peter C. Ng, MD, FACS, FASMBS and me at UNC Rex Bariatrics Healthcare taken on Wednesday, October 1, 2024. (10-year surgiversary celebration of my duodenal switch, a bariatric surgery that Dr. Ng performed on Monday, October 6, 2014) -
Angel4ronaldo67* changed their profile photo
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Hair loss at 4 months post-op! Ordered collagen pills. Anyone ever take those?
BlondePatriotInCDA replied to Selina333's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
I agree with SpartanMaker that you can try all the supplements people suggest but; ..I recently went to my dermatologist for hair loss and I worked in a dermatology clinic for years so not only did I ask my personal dermatologist, but I went back and asked my former employers about supplements/treatments. My personal dermatologist said studies/research shows that they really don't work including biotin shampoos etc. Biotin coats the hair shaft to fluff it i.e. make it stand up a bit giving the appearance of being fuller and working, but its coating hair that's already dead so its not treating hair loss. So until your hair stops shedding it can help with appearances. Collagen can't hurt, but most likely won't help. All the dermatologists at my old clinic (6 separate doctors) all agreed that hair supplements aren't worth the money since they really don't work, but if it made me "feel better" taking them and I didn't mind "wasting money" they couldn't hurt. They all agreed that making sure I got all my protein in each day and taking my multivitamin so I wasn't deficient was the best route to take. I was told that in general after a major surgery if people continued to "shed" after 12 - 18 months to be sure to make an appointment as there could be more going on but until then it was completely normal. Needless to say I continued to shed past 18 months and made an appointment. I'm now being treated for possible LPP which could have been brought on by the stress of surgery - its difficult to determine as its idiopathic. Luckily for me its really early and doctor feels I won't get bald patches. Whew! So, unless its major shedding (clumps), you notice bald spots, itching, sores, redness, scaling etc, or you've gone past the 18 months timeline its a "normal" reaction to the stress of surgery there isn't anything to be done other than wait it out. All else fails to assure you, make an appointment with your dermatologist to alleviate your concerns. -
Blood Pressure Issues
AimeeMcGregor replied to AimeeMcGregor's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I have. They are looking into gallbladder issues, which I heard is common. I didn't have any issues with mine before the surgery so I'm hoping they don't need to operate again. I was just wondering if anyone else had similar issues with their BP. -
Karrie Elizabeth joined the community
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@SpartanMaker funny you mentioned your run and how you had to play the why in your head -this morning I woke up at 4am. as I always do. and kept pushing the snooze button, but I knew I had to go the gym and do lower body weight lifting- I knew in order to progress how I am trying to shape my body I needed to do it. So I got up, and did it. As I was working out, I told myself your here, put your game face on and just effing doing it. Probably one of the best lower body workouts I have done in a long time. I am constantly repeating it in my head- glad I could help!
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Hair loss at 4 months post-op! Ordered collagen pills. Anyone ever take those?
Selina333 replied to Selina333's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Thank you! -
Almost 4 months post-op + progress pictures
Selina333 replied to meraynareyes's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Wow! So happy for you! Our journeys have been similar! I started at 244. Was 228 day of surgery I think and I'm 190.6 now. I am more flexible and feel better all over. Hopefully the weight loss continues. I am not sure I want to get down into the 120s or 130s like I'd set before. Probably 140s or 150s will be ok for me. I'm 5'3" but I'm 51 so the smaller I get the more wrinkles I see! No likey! But will see. Congrats on your weight loss. I'm happy for you that you got to do this at your age. Wish I had! Keep going!! You look fantastic!!! 🤗✨️👏 -
Blood Pressure Issues
SpartanMaker replied to AimeeMcGregor's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
Wow, that's a bit concerning for sure. Hopefully you've already seen a doctor and discussed this issue? There are some medical conditions completely unrelated to weight that can cause a sudden rise in blood pressure, so I would think it's worth a visit to your doctor to discuss what may have caused this. Also, have you noticed any patterns where it's high vs. low, or is it just high all the time? For example, times of day, before vs. after eating, sodium intake, life stresses, that sort of thing? -
Food Before and After Photos
SpartanMaker replied to GreenTealael's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
My "American take on a Greek salad" from dinner last night: -
Hair loss at 4 months post-op! Ordered collagen pills. Anyone ever take those?
SpartanMaker replied to Selina333's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Simple answer, Yes. Slightly more complex answer, ALL protein is made up of amino acids. That's sort of the definition of a protein. I suspect what you may be asking is does protein powder contain all the essential amino acids? For those that don't know, there are some amino acids that our bodies can manufacture themselves, and others, called essential amino acids (EAAs), that we have to get from dietary sources to stay healthy. For the most part, protein powders do contain all the EAAs. Some are better quality than others however. I personally would focus on "Whey Protein Isolate" because it's fairly pure and has a more rounded amino acid profile compared to some other sources. If you are vegan or just prefer to avoid whey for some reason, soy also is pretty good, but pea and rice tend to be a bit lacking in one or more EAAs, so caution is advised there. A mix of various sources is probably the way to go for vegans -
Food Before and After Photos
Dub replied to GreenTealael's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
Dinner last night....filet, portabellas, broccoli, cauliflower and a small dose of horseradish sauce. -
I resumed keto last month. i really needed iron and have been able to cut back on iron supplements somewhat as a result of now getting more through my diet. Sticking to meats, chicken , fish accompanied with an assortment of high fiber-low sugar vegetables. Small amounts of cheese and very seldom nuts….as both are more calorie dense than I want at present time.
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Hair loss at 4 months post-op! Ordered collagen pills. Anyone ever take those?
Selina333 replied to Selina333's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Thanks for all the comments. At least I know it's not just me going through this. And all the info you shared is good to know! I guess I'll up the protein in my food intake! Sounds like that's the best thing I can do. Oh. One more question! Does protein powder have amino acids?? Not that I can get a lot of that in, especially if it's filling! Thanks again!! -
56 now. Sleeve done 9 years ago. Wish I had not waited. Been sidelined the last 5+ years dealing with family illness and the aftermath. Getting on top of the regain now...finding the groove again as I resume the successful post op methods.
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I would've had no trouble with a Disney trip 5 weeks post op.....other than hearing "it is small world after all" 17,000 times.
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The fear mongering is getting to me
Dub replied to Bambi150's topic in Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums
Sometimes people just suck. Seriously. Who gives a rip what someone's neighbors uncle Cletus's fourth cousin's proctologist told him about WLS horrors ?? Some folks enjoy pissing on others and tell them it is raining. Some, however, are simply trying to identify with you and find something of relevance to utter. I remember when I had disc surgery in 2017.....can't tell you the number of people who told me their aunt Berthas bingo group had group disc surgery and none of them can tie their shoes without going into a 2-day coma. Yeah...the disc surgery was a source of wonderful relief. That being said....I avoid bingo and proctologists to this day..... -
'1) 30oz Yeti cups 2) a talking scale. I kid you not....I am 9 years out...my scale has a female voice and I love hearing her tell the news every morning. 3) a fluffy pillow to take with you to surgery. Use it to hold pressure against your abdomen on the ride home...and whenever you need it those first couple days/week. When standing or walking...that pillow helps. I learned this trick during 3 abdominal hernia surgeries.
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You got this. I was also active on here in the years following my sleeve. Had a life event occur that knocked me down. Stayed in a hole for the past few years....but started resuming normal life recently. Addressing the regain. That part is going well. Staying in my lane, been alcohol free the past 6+ years, working long hours and taking care of yard work & house chores on my days off.
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I never have been able to drink decaf. The process used to produce it was a turnoff. I prefer to buy dark roasted beans & grind them finely just prior to brewing. I used to use Splenda & protein shake (as creamer). Now I am dabbling with monkfruit & allulose vs Splenda.
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I was fortunate in that my first sips of water that were allowed after surgery were so dang welcome...and the satisfaction of having those sips carried over in the weeks ahead. Always having a water bottle close at hand is a good habit to get in. It seems to be a widely held practice by people in general.
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My only gripe about spinach is that you have to buy a 37 gallon bucket of it.....as it reduces down to a 1/4 cup once cooked. Actual measurements....or so it seems. Love the stuff. Butter, garlic, curry powder and a splash of heavy whipping cream and keep stirring in heaps of baby spinach. In a few minutes the magic happens.
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Need help; 2 years post surgery
Dub replied to AbsoluteScenes134's topic in Post-op Diets and Questions
Sucks that nobody replied thus far. Perhaps drinking a protein shake first thing each day will help kick start your system. Hopefully the intake will help get your system functioning -
Day before Oct '15 surgery. During was taken Feb '16
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Any luck with insurance coverage
PorkChopExpress replied to Ruby22's topic in Endoscopic Sleeve Gastroplasty Forum
I’ve run into similar issues with ambiguous insurance code stuff, especially when it comes to newer or non-traditional procedures like ESG. It’s super frustrating calling and getting different answers each time. I had to push a lot for coverage on something once, and only got traction when the billing office from the provider contacted the insurer directly with suggested codes. If you're planning more procedures or looking into broader health coverage in the future, especially for your family, I found this info on https://premierpmi.co.uk/health-insurance/health-insurance-for-a-family-of-4/ pretty helpful when we were comparing options. It gave me a clearer picture of what to expect. -
Two months out from hiatal hernia repair. Surgeon said to expect a lot more flatulence...something about the 'air' no longer being able to 'burp' out so comes out the other end. That is my experience but have no understanding of why that swallowed air cannot be 'burped'. ???
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As I understand it since your stomach is smaller and not completely resting against your diaphragm anymore you no longer have the ability to "push" burps out as well. Plus, since its smaller and we don't digest slower the trapped air moves a lot quicker out of the stomach so its no longer available to burp out. Hence the other option for removal.
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