Rootman

Yeah the pic didn't come through. As I already indicated if I MARK AS READ and go back to VIEW ALL right away it shows 8 pages with hundreds of posts. This happens to me in Firefox 10 & 11 and the Android app.

Yep. I visit on either PC or tablet. Click the VIEW NEW CONTENT link on the center top of the page, peruse through the posts I want to read on new browser tabs (using Firefox 11.0) and then scroll to the bottom and click the MARK AS READ, then the MARK ALL AS READ links. I can do it again and it still shows a huge number of posts, all the way back to the previous day. I'm inserting a screen shot, I don't know if it will show. I use the Android app and have similar results, I mark ALL READ and go back and it shows hundreds of posts. Time doesn't seem to make a difference, it can be HOURS later and still show days of posts.

Yep, in fact I would bet you'd be hard pressed to find ANYONE who didn't have at least SOME "buyers remorse" post op. The physical ramifications of the anesthesia and sudden loss of caloric intake take their toll, let alone the psychological and spiritual strain. Post op I was fine till I got back to my hotel room in San Diego, then I fell to pieces. I was actually worried someone in an adjoining room might hear me and call the front desk or police. I was wailing and carrying on something fierce. 'WTH DID I DO TO MYSELF? WHY OH WHY DID I DO IT? I FEEL LIKE I'M GONNA DIE". Tough times. Now about 14 months post op I think it was worth all the pain and anguish. It has literally saved and transformed my life. I'd do it again in a heartbeat if I had to. NO REGRETS

I just reread my reply to your post and just to make sure I am clear I was NOT offended by the title. It's a great and perfectly fitting description of the feeling. One funny anecdote that I have is my brothers in-laws. Years ago when he married, they were all thin to only moderately chubby folks and all of US were pretty fat. My brother was perhaps the thinest but the other 3 siblings and parents were obese. I would occasionally catch snippets of rude remarks they would make about us, remarks about how fat we all were and couldn't do the things that they could do, like athletics and going on carnival rides, etc. They weren't overtly rude or condescending but they were a little thoughtless at times. Well now some 20 year later 3 of them are obese and the husband has really been packing on the pounds too. He now has the big "guy" gut and he's headed down the same road all of US were decades ago. This last Christmas I was the smallest male in the house! Even my 13 year old nephew (my bro's son) outweighed me. I had to fight hard and resist the urge to get in a couple of digs. Even they made some comments about how they miss doing the things they did in the past. No amusement rides and 18 holes of golf makes the hubby pretty winded. Of course we're now ALL on the far side of middle age and THEY are having a REAL tough time, health and other issues, where as I am for the first time in my adult life able to do dang near anything I want to. It's been tough but little things like this really make it worth it

Yep, being a big guy really sucks sometimes. I'm only 6' tall and was really surprised at how intimidated other people were by me when I was 375#. Once people got to know me and what a teddy bear I really was they typically were more at ease. I can't say that I've ever had it thrown in my face so blatantly as you have but it still hurts none the less. Your sig on your message is a little confusing. You are yet to be sleeved? The date for surgery shown is 3/20/12? All I can tell you is that for me with 170+ pounds gone it DOES get better. People tend to be more considerate and just plain ignore me now rather than seemingly purposely avoid me. One thing that I find MYSELF doing is being judgmental of other fat people. I find myself being grossed out and thinking "Why don't they do something about that?" Then I wake up and remind myself - "Hey BUD, that was YOU not too long ago."

I HATE IT! We've got a woman here that thinks it's really cute to send out emails using these crappy fonts. Not only does it look unprofessional it is also hard to read. I cut the text and paste it into notepad to read it.

It started like maybe the next day for me too. The naturally occurring gases that occur in the stomach now have no place to go on the swollen traumatized tiny sleeve, so it must come out the easiest way possible - a burp. Until the swelling goes down this is a common and sometimes painful occurrence. Just to be clear, this is NOT the gas they inject during the surgery to puff up your abdomen to get clearance for surgery. That gas is almost all removed afterwards and what little remains is adsorbed readily in a few hours post op. Is is just carbon dioxide. It is a popular myth that this gas somehow ends up in the stomach itself or somehow mysteriously migrates to and number of places (elbows, shoulders and backs to name a few). This just isn't the case, now IRRITATION from the gas being injected and stuff puffing up and getting tugged and prodded, pulled or otherwise moved around during surgery CAN explain most of the pains, but the gas itself is long gone. Sometimes the nerves that run through the abdomen just get irritated and misfire and give you mysterious pains in seemingly unrelated areas.

it can be tough. many like me really came to a crossroads where obesity was threatening our health so I came to the conclusion that I HAD to give up my precious food. As with anything after a while it becomes habit, just lie over eating did. Unless you have serious food related psych problems - which is what the psych eval is supposed to weed out - the lost weight, freedom of a slimmer lifestyle and increased energy and health more than make up for it. I know it does for me. We wish you the best no matter what you decide to do.

I feel REAL full REAL quick and on the FEW occasions I've over done it start to burp incessantly and am miserable till it passes or in one case, I puke up the little bit that I need to make room for. It used to be an extra piece (or TWO!) of pie or second helping was too much, now like an extra 2 bites more is too much. I have had to really learn to pay attention to what I am experiencing as decades of just ignoring the sensations and packing in more and more food have left me without any sense of what full really feels like. Yes, measuring or strictly limiting yourself to pre determined portions (like 1/2 can of soup) is THE way to make sure you don't overeat. It's always really been the way and is typically what got us into the mess of obesity in the first place. Portions are ridiculous now days and food is just loaded with extra calories with added ingredients.

That's a good question, one I didn't have to find an answer too. My PCP did all the follow up like lab works etc. He said that he knew of others who had it done "some where else" and that a local bariatirc surgeon in the area would "inherit" the case for you for a nominal sum like $2000. As I said I luckily never had to avail myself of their services. Being fairly remote from MX going back was just not going to happen. Maybe one of the places you are considering can answer it more accurately. There is some sort of insurance you can pay for that supposedly covers complications in a case like this. I can't remember the name of it, hopefully someone will chime in here and know what it's called and where to get it.

Yeah man that blows. I'd call the doc as you may be getting some serious erosion going on. The acid can really be an issue early on as the stomach is swollen pretty badly and the acid pumps that weren't cut away still overwhelm the small sleeve capacity. Some OTC antacids may provide some immediate relief. I can't take them as I get kidney stones at the drop of a hat if I hit anything with Calcium carbonate in it. Ask your doc for their advice. This can get scary bad pretty quick so time is of the essence.

32's? With your height you're a freakin' BEANPOLE! man I thought getting down to 36's was good. Yeah, I too haven't been on any rides for decades - at least none that count. Yeehaw (NOT!) a merry-go-round. The few I COULD fit in were REAL uncomfortable and the experience was more pain than pleasure. We may just head over to Silver Dollar City this summer and ride some rides!

Well muscle gain will certainly count towards SOME of it the simple fact is that you can't be losing fat and gaining muscle pound for pound by simply walking. It takes a LOT of work to gain a pound of muscle, more than simply waling can do. It's a mystery some times. The body simply CANNOT break the laws of physics and SHOULD lose weight with low calories IN and high caloric burn OUT. But as many of us have experienced it just ain't so sometimes. Water weight gain, waste retention, sneaky calories you aren't counting, hormonal changes all effect us. What it is exactly is hard to tell. Keep sticking with it, it'll start to come off again.

Well I'm not as big a guy as you all but I was 6' even and weighed 375 pounds. I'm down to spitting distance of 200 pounds and that may be my final weight. I carry it well and look pretty slim for that weight. I've yet to fly with my new weight.but I know theater seats and restaurant booths are now no longer an issue, neither is the steering wheel of any car digging into by gut. This last weekend I was walking around our outdoor mall and kept catching glimpses of my reflection in the shop windows and a few times thought "I wonder who the skinny dude is that keeps following me . . . oh wait THAT'S ME!" I used to cringe at the reflection of myself in any mirror or window. It's been a fantastic journey and provided me with fabulous results. I'd do it again in a heartbeat, but am thankfull I never will have to again.

Yep, same here, I rarely eat salads although unlike you, I do enjoy them There is nothing wrong with sticking with the rule, protein first carbs second.

Another poster just posted the same thing. Are you a coffee or soda drinker? Are you avoiding them now? Perhaps caffeine withdrawal? I do seem to remember having a headache at first too. The body is starting to burn the fat it stored away and all the other crap that goes along with it. Body fat is NOT a clean burning hi test fuel and tends to really make you feel crappy while it's burning it. In fact it's call KETOSIS. You're kind of early in the process to start ketosis but it MAY be an issue.

it IS great, look at my ticker below for my progress. You'll get through it and before you know it be a skinny minny!

I started this thread about a year ago. I was "feelin' the brain fuzz" something fierce. I think that it was caused by the change in caloric intake, the pretty nasty ketosis, anxiety and insomnia. I really started to perk up about 10 months out when my weight stabilized. Additionally, I've recently started on a 5-HTP supplement and it seems to really perk up my mood and helped a lot with the insomnia, and althoug it anecdotal I DO feel a tad sharper as well. So cheer up everyone, it too shall pass.

3 days, desk job, it sucked. I would take at least 2 weeks if I had to do it over again.

3 days - way too short.

As someone who is also experiencing the issue I would gladly sacrafice the time and effort to take are of any of you women who feel the need to put this issue to rest, multiple times if I have too You understand I am making this offer out of pure generosity and concern for your well being and am gaining nothing by it. Let me know if I can be of "service".

Yikes! I'm no expert but I've NEVER heard of an insurance company refusing to pay for anesthesia. I've heard of them refusing for dental procedures but never surgical. Seems like your only route is to get a WRITTEN assurance of pre-authorization and then make them stick to their promises. We all wish you well.

I seriously considered plication but could not come to grips with the fact that your stomach is still there only folded up and sewn with stitches. What happens to all the stitches? What about all the nooks and crannies that this would make? I mean does food and other stuff get caught in there and what, rot? how about insoluble Fiber, apple skins, seeds corn hulls? It scared me. So I elected for the sleeve and as FC notes it was the one solution that didn't involve a plastic gizmo floating around in your gut (that WILL have to be removed one day) or malabsorbtion because the portion of your intestine that adsorbs most of the Vitamins and Protein is, well, BYPASSED. The final straw was the fact that IF you develop stomach issues it takes an expert and an extra long scope to go down the esophagus through the pouch to the WYE of the bypass and back UP the duodenum into the bottom of the stomach. The sleeve is simple and quick and presents less long term difficulties than other procedures. JMHO, IANAD, IANAL.

Yes, it sounds like your therapist is, well, NUTS! Their thinking is NOT anywhere near accurate. Yes, a lot of WLS patients end up having the gallbladder removed, and so do NON WLS patients. Whether there is an increased correlation between WLS and INCREASED gallbladder problems is something someone else more knowledgeable than I am will have to answer. If so my WAG would be that it is the result of diet change and weight loss itself and NOT the surgery. As Trebendon points out there has been quite a few people who have had their stomachs either partially or fully removed due to ulcers or cancers. In fact goto Google and look up something like ENTIRE FAMILY STOMACH REMOVED CANCER and you can see several reports of entire families having a double whammy of a rare stomach cancer gene and them electing to have their stomachs prophylactically removed rather than take the (almost guaranteed) risk of dying from the cancer. They live(d) long and happy lives without their stomachs and with no chance of getting the cancer they were genetically disposed to getting. The stomach is one organ you can easily live without in this day and age. As far as the "getting stupider" thing I'm afraid that remark is so inane as to not warrant an answer as you said in your post. I think it's time to shop for someone for a new psych eval. Malnutrition is easy to avoid with the sleeve, unlike a bypass there is little to NO malabsorbtion of nutrients and a reasonable diet with plain old Vitamins should take care of you just fine. We all wish the best for you as you seek your answers!

Your story mirrors many of our own, yo-yo dieting, failed fad diet attempts and health that is going downhill fast. I was in just that boat about 14 months ago. I studied out the options, bypass, band and VSG and settled on the VSG. I didn't want the malabsorbtion and malnutrition problems associated with a bypass and didn't want a NON permanent solution of a plastic gizmo floating around in my gut, the band. I was sleeved and lost 170 pounds in 10 months. I did not reach my gaol of 180 and settled at a weight of 200 pounds. I am technically still overweight but no where near obese. Everyone says I look like I weigh 180, I have ALWAYS carried my weight well, even when I was super obese at 375 pounds I didn't look anywhere near it. You will have to make up your mind. I too had serious reservations about food. Food was one of the real pleasures I had in life, but it was killing me and it was time to get a divorce from it and to become just friends and not intimate lovers like we were. I now eat to live, not live to eat. Let no one deceive you, it IS a difficult change to make. I still struggle with it and find myself wanting to snack when I'm bored, lonely or depressed - which unfortunately for me is quite often. The physical restriction almost guarantees I will not fall back into the shape I once was. So as I stated, do your homework and then make your decision. It is PERMANENT, there is no turning back once you've had it done. The surgery is a resounding success in MOST cases (like mine) and in a few case a failure with complications and emotional issues. Research, pray seek counseling and then make your decision. No one but YOU should have the final say. It's tough at first but after a few months of misery you really start to reap the benefits. We all wish you the best no matter what your decision.