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Yea, I started with diarrhea and then became very normal. I am lucky enough to not have had to deal with constipation which is HUGE for me because I suffered from it for the last 7-8 years and was on prescriptions meds to be able to go to the bathroom. I haven't been on any meds or supplements since surgery and as regular as I ever! (Weird, but I love it) haha

I, for one, don’t believe i feel bad nor harbour any shame about my wls (or any other medical/surgical procedures i have had). I think its just not my bag to share my business to all indiscriminately (i mean, i have even been known not to tell new acquaintances my real name for months lol 😉 ) I have a friend who does keto/low carb. Whenever we go out to a meal together, she has a several minute conversation with the server about her food choices and why, and sometimes shares how much weight she has lost to date (or gained recently by “cheating”). Meanwhile, i just quickly ask to swap out my potatoes or whatever for salad and internally hope (while simultaneously outwardly looking like i’m waiting patiently, ha) for my pal to finish her discussion so we can get our food already!! 😂 But i get it, she is passionate and proud of her lifestyle and progress, and she’s a sharer, so of course she wants to share. And if/when she finds an eager listener, then score! Win-win. At the same time, there are others (like myself) who prefers to discuss aspects of my life to a curated audience. Ain’t nothing wrong (nor weird) with either.

I'm so ready for this. I was scheduled for August 16th for the sleeve but when they got in there the Dr found a massive haital hernia. So it took priority and now it's almost healed. They said November surgery. Just called the Dr's office and they said they'll have the scheduler get hold of me. Yay!!! Sent from my SM-S901U using BariatricPal mobile app

Yes it is. It's been since June of 2021 I've been waiting and jumping thru the hoops. It was very disappointing in August that it wasn't done but necessary. So I've just been trying to be patient. Sent from my SM-S901U using BariatricPal mobile app

I noticed quite a few people don't want to admit to having WLS, and I totally get it. But when hubby and I go to a restaurant, I always tell the server that I had gastric sleeve surgery and I will definitely need to make a couple of substitutions on my meal and I will need a to-go box (any time we go out to eat, my meal is good for that night and at least 1, sometimes 2, more). I've had a few ask questions about it, and they all have always congratulated me and were more than happy to accommodate my needs for the substitution (typically I swap out potatoes and/or rice for a side salad or extra veggies). I'm always proud to tell them I had the surgery, and I usually include how far out I am from surgery and how much weight I've lost so far. Is that weird? I don't feel the slightest bit awkward or uncomfortable about it. Not at all. My family and friends all know and cheer me on. I was never shy or worried about telling people, and I don't particularly care if anyone has a problem with the fact that I had the surgery. Again, is that weird?

Yeah interesting thread - I see my weight, my weight loss, and how I did it as totally my information to share or not as I see fit. Some of us are just more reticent than others - that's life!. I've had a lifetime of being judged for being overweight and obese so I'll decide how I live my life at a normal weight with no obligation to explain it to ANYONE. Nothing wrong with one or other approach - I just don't think I especially owe a waiter any explanation/justification of why I want my meal a certain way. I just assume they'll bring it as I ask for it cos that's what waiters do (and this is said in the knowledge that I and all of my family have done that job at some time). 😁

This made me think about my own decision not to share my surgery with anyone that didn't have a "need to know". Virtually everyone I work with has never actually seen me in person, only via zoom, since we almost all work remotely. I didn't tell anyone, even my boss that I was having weight loss surgery. Quarterly, my larger team (50-60 folks) gets together in person now, but I've put off traveling for these meetings for most of the year. I used my significant hearing loss as the main rationale. I do have a significant challenge hearing in crowded rooms due to my hearing loss, so it's absolutely an issue. If I'm honest with myself though, I put off going mostly because I was ashamed of my weight. I also knew that after surgery, I'd be closer to a "normal" weight and while some might notice a difference between "video" me and "in person" me, I figured it won't be nearly as noticeable for most folks. Anyway, mid-December, I'm finally planning to go to the quarterly get together. Fair or not, I know 2 things are true, and I made the choices I did based on this: Being obese carries a significant stigma that we are lazy, have no self-control, are morally bankrupt, are unattractive, etc. I've seen and felt this personally and its impact on promotions and work assignments. No one will ever admit to feeling this way or letting it impact business decisions, but it happens consciously or not. (I digress here a bit, but if you doubt this is real, look at the C-suite in any major corporation and one consistent theme is that it's exceptionally rare to see someone that's even overweight, much less obese.) Many people think that WLS is the easy way out, so don't associate weight lost this way as "redeeming ourselves" for the laziness and lack of self-control. In effect, only if you lose weight "naturally", are you proven "worthy" again. Frankly it sucks that these attitudes are so prevalent, but they are. I made the choices I did because I don't need anyone at work judging me or my motivations. As someone else said, I did this to save my life. We should be celebrating it. Instead, it's just more stigmatizing.

This is another one of those it just depends because we’re all different. I can’t recall being swollen post surgery (it was a little while ago now) & wore the same waisted fitted pants home a couple of days later without issue. I do reminder feeling a little tenderness/sensitivity in the abdominal area for about a week. I used to roll my waistbands down to sit below my tummy not to put any pressure on the wounds. Same with tummy sleeping. I’m a side sleeper with a twist (so from about waist down I’m 3/4 on my tummy) & I was sleeping like that in hospital. But there are many who can only sleep on their backs for some time. Are you having issues with swelling? Are you swollen or bloated?

Sometimes doctors are so used to hearing the same old stories day in and day out that they just assume that they have heard them all and quit actually listening. The ONLY remotely logical reason I can think of them wanting you to have surgery while you are actively losing on your own would be if they expect you to lose some and then stop losing. If you lose and get below the BMI threshold you would no longer qualify unless you gained again. My question would be how close to a normal BMI you can get on your own. If it were me I would wait and see how much you can lose on your own. Only you know how you are really eating and if it’s all related to this illness that is now being treated it should reverse itself. You can always have the surgery down the road if you don’t lose like you think you will. Sounds like your gut is already telling you to wait. I say trust it.

I am in my 60s. I just recently had a revision WLS. I will speak mainly about my first WLS since revision was made for other reasons. For the first few months, the post-op diet does feel like a sacrifice. Especially the liquid phase. Not actually physically since I had decreased hunger but more mentally, emotionally since eating was never really about physical hunger to me. After the first few months, things normalized. I was able to eat whatever I wanted, just a much smaller amount and social eating was pleasant again. Because of the rapid weightloss, and the positive feelings of losing weight, it was much easier for me to transition to a healthier diet naturally. Was the the weight loss worth it and did it offset the sacrifice? Absolutely. I feel so much younger now being able to move as my body intended. Most health issues resolved too. I would do it again and again in a heartbeat.