Rootman

Hope this won't get knocked off the thread, direct link to the Youtube vid :

Well if they don't sign off then start looking for a new doc - it's painful and hard sometimes but there are doctors out there that WILL help steer you in the right direction for WLS. Yes we SHOULD lose the weight with diet and exercise, just as everyone should avoid VD and unwanted pregnancies by practicing safe sex and abstention, and just like dieting - that ain't gonna happen. Eating is beyond a biological imperative, it is VITAL to existence. We MUST eat. We in the first world however are victims of our own success. food is cheap and plentiful and very easy to get too much of. We have so many labor saving devices that are life styles are so drastically different than they were even 50 years ago. There you have it, cheap food and lack of exercise and obesity is the result. Sometimes it takes drastic measures to insure success in beating it, and quite often WLS is that measure. If your doc doesn't see it that way or at least begrudge you the procedure when you've made an informed well studied decision then it's time to part ways. We all wish you the best in seeking your solution to this issue.

Wish you well - best of luck starting your new adventure.

Quite frankly I am surprised you didn't experience this sooner in the post-op stage, most of us have. Too much too fast and you end up with the symptoms you describe. Where I differed is that once I puked - typically ONCE and very little, very fast - I was alright and didn't KEEP upchucking. Either you're a little more sensitive than most or the very real possibility that you got a hold of something "bad" from the fast food place. If you're OK now then just chalk it up to experience and be more careful next time.

I'm in the same boat, been that way since childhood. Getting sleeved slowed me down for a while but as I advanced post-op I am returning to my old ways again. Caused me some grief at first as the sleeve didn't appreciate the huge chunks of food being thrown at it, but after about 1 to 1.5 years it's grown tolerant. I quite frankly just gave up and don't worry about it. I DO however stick to precise food portions and try to not vary so as to eat MORE since I eat so fast. I finish up and stop.

Yep, I concur, spot reduction is not possible. You lose fat typically in the reverse order you gain it, so first in - last out. It's pretty much how you've been programmed genetically. That being said what the posters above have mentioned, good leg exercises like mentioned or even cycling and swimming concentrating on kicks.

Hi Shell, welcome to the VST forum. Jump right in and ask questions and give answers. We all wish you the best on your new journey! Just realized you posted this in the "Twenties" group - sorry - I'm just a resident old fart

Well, yes we DO have privacy but if a coworker (who is probably fat too I would guess) asks then I would TELL them the many benefits of WLS. It's your choice but informing other people who may need it is one thing that I look forward to doing. I tell ANYONE who asks and have had at least 2 people pursue WLS because of my openness. I didn't tell anyone before hand besides my wife and openly tell anyone who asks about it now. And your question is the reason: Why Lie? We openly boast about so many things in our life, kids, work, homes etc, why not boast about the single most beneficial health decision that I have EVER made for myself?

Vary good resource, thanks!

They hit people differently. I hated many of them and settled on Boost! by Nestles from my local Walmart, not the greatest nutrition wise but adequate. I never obsessed with these Protein drinks, as long as they have some decent protein content and not to many calories, fat and sugar it will get you by. You will probably only be drinking them for 6 months to a year, it's not like a life long need, so even adequate ones are more than good enough for that time span. Just find one you can tolerate with upchucking and stick with it.

I second this, it is wicked good stuff.

I'm with you sister, I've encountered the same in the past few years. I'm sorry that I cannot offer words of condolence or wisdom, I just wanted to let you know you are not alone.

Start the appeal process and KEEP after them, I have the sinking suspicion that you were denied just because your group mad some sort of "quota" or something, if you have the BMI requirements and have other co-morbidities then you SHOULD qualify. Get on the phone and start demanding answers. We wish you well!

Yeah, both itchy and numb are normal, a bunch of nerves were cut in the tissue when making the incision. After a while the nerves heal for the most part, I had a few days where I had a real bad stinging sensation, the doc said it was the severed nerves healing and firing off, something like the phantom limb pain that amputees feel, although a LOT less severe. It will likely pass, if it doesn't go back to the doc and get it checked out.

Wow, I just did a Google search RH NEGATIVE BLOOD LOSS and came up dry, not being a health care professional I am certainly NOT and expert but this does not sound valid to me. Any one else chime in?

Good gawd, and here I thought I was doing well riding 100 miles a WEEK, I can't see doing that much or more in a day! Good work fellas, you are an inspiration!

Just stick with it, everyone has plateaus and everyone stalls for a time. Keep up the good work and the weight will again start to come off, we all panicked when the scale stopped moving, it happens to us all. Keep up the good work.

Mixed bag here, skin is clearer and my eczema is gone and most all the acne too, although I have a bit of a turkey neck and look a little haggard sometimes. It's hard to tell what is from the weight loss, natural process of age - as it's been 2 years since I've had the operation, and exposure to the sun as I've been outdoors more post-op then I have EVERY been in my entire life, started bicycling in earnest this past spring. Regardless, I'd rather look like I do now and be thin then still be fat and laying around on a couch a pasty faced acne ridden slob covered in eczema As far a beauty secrets, I have none. See a cosmetologist and treat yourself to a makeover. And if they can't help see a plastic surgeon and treat yourself to a face lift for a job well done on the weight loss.

It took about 10 months to lose 150 pounds, the last 25 came off over the next 6 months and I've been holding stead since. I never made it to my original goal and realized that my goal was unreasonable. I've always been one to be a bit heavier than what I looked. Most people guess my weight at 180-190 whereas I weight 200-205. I'm happy and can hold this weight so I count it as a success. A few in this post, and other threads like it, mention that they would NOT do it again. Please don't take this as trying to diminish their negative experience or deny your regrets but for the VAST majority of people who get WLS, especially the sleeve, IT WORKS. In my case, it worked very well, in others not so well and for still others a complete failure. It's bound to happen, we are all different and react differently. Unfortunately there is no crystal ball that allows you to see your outcome before you have the surgery. I've had Lasik surgery to my eyes and bunion surgery to me feet, both which worked out well too, and yet I have heard of a few that have lost their vision after Lasik and lost part of their foot due to complications after bunion surgery. I also know a woman who's daughter went in for common wisdom tooth extraction and got an infection, it hit her heart and in a matter of days she died. S#!T HAPPENS. Think of the people who won the lottery and lost all the money as well as their marriages and family. Bad things just happen sometimes. Weigh the pros and cons, consult those in whom you trust and decide for yourself. It can be a miracle, or it can be a curse, the odds are in your favor but there is a risk - as well as there being a risk with remaining obese and contracting any number of conditions form it too.

As already stated it takes about 6 months to be able to get a good appetite back, at about 1 year you can really start to eat a lot more and about 2 years out you can really pack away the food - although NOTHING like what you can pre-op. So use the time well to train yourself in good eating habits.

Yes, I can confirm that it is more typical to have HEIGHTENED sense of smell and taste. Check with your doc.

Yeah, it works for a while. I had a fav shirt, soft as silk and oh so warm and comfy, we took it in once, the next time it was going to put the breast pocket somewhere under my armpit so I had to toss it. Hated that!

Mine only hurt when the put it in for the first 12 inches, after that it was clear sailin'

Yep ketosis and it's a toss up as to whether it's actually you urine that funny smelling or your nose that's smelling funny. Taste gets effected too, so expect things to taste bad shortly.

Someone who had WLS (not a sleeve) told me that his tastes changed much more post op than even after he quit smoking decades ago. Food had SO much more flavor and sweets were practically obnoxious. I am at 2 years out and find I can tolerate them more now but there is definatly more flavor there now.