swizzly

LOL...I get it through drinking coffee, which I've been allowed to have since two days post-op.

Looking great, my friend!!

You look great -- your hair is darling and your beautiful blue eyes just pop in that picture. FAB!!!

I can have carbonation (eg, soda, fizzy water, sparkling wines) in moderation, but I do limit it. I have a coke light every now and then for a treat when I've been out walking in the hot sun all day sometimes. I have to drink it real slowly and it doesn't sit well, but it does really hit the spot every now and then.

MsC, I totally agree on every point, and I'm fine with bluntness -- one might say it's my preferred language. While we're on soapboxes and keeping it real, let's remember that women's bodies are basically considered as public property -- available to be looked at, commented on, even touched without permission (see: pregnant women's bumps, men putting a hand on your back, etc.). And those bodies better be okay with the public or else that is a Bad Woman, a Failed Woman. Of course, it's also not good to have too good a body or to dress sexily, that brings a whole 'nother swath of judgment. And women keep each other in line by criticism and judgment of each other's bodies. The only way to really deal with all this, of course, is to utterly ignore it and live your life authentically. The judgers and haters can all suck it. Easy way out? You're goddamn right I'm going to take it, I deserve it, I'm going to enjoy it, and I'm going to be a success with it. And if you don't like it? You are welcome to bite me. I'm so over listening to the petty gossip of small minds and narrow worldviews.

Wow. Wow. WOW!!! You look absolutely fabulous!!

Seriously. I about passed out yesterday trying to get in my Spanx. Lordy. Ima get rid of thoe suckers, they are killers. Plus they hurt my ribcage. Meh, I like comfy shapewear.

Totally awesome NSV!!!

Stopping smoking is hard -- YOU CAN DO IT!!! The snacks can be dealt with subsequently, but focus on kicking the habit! I quit in January and I've stayed quit, feels great. GO YOU!!!

Awesome NSV!!

You look FANTASTIC!!!

Most of my family are thin or normal, and though I had no reason to think they wouldn't be supportive, I didn't tell any of them prior to my surgery. I understand your reasoning for doing so, and especially if they will be helping and supportive of you. Even if they are afraid on your behalf or have their own feelings about it, if they are ultimately supportive and helpful, that is what most matters IMO. I do feel you are in a very difficult situation that's not going to get any easier for you. That is the one with your mom. After you have the surgery and see how much better and more healthy you feel, you will want even more to have your mom get healthier too. Would she ever consider doing a surgery (probably more like a DS in her case, VSG might not be enough)? It's got to be hard to watch her be unhealthy and house-bound like that. Anyhow, wish you all the best!

Congrats! That's a great milestone!!!

I definitely have days where I can eat more than I expect, and other days where I get full super fast on everything. I never lost my hunger either, but it's somehow really much more manageable than it was pre-op.

Good luck -- you'll do great!!

Awesome!! I haven't noticed seeing the light yet, but I'll be on the lookout now...

I have also heard silica is good -- I've ordered some to give it a try. I already take biotin 5000 mcg per day, as well as a local treatment called Priorin that's meant to help with hair loss too. Between all of these, I'm hoping something works LOL. Whether any of them are helping or not, the hair loss has slowed down a bit in the past month or so -- but that might also be down to having less still left to lose.

I believe you, it's a life's work for sure. (PS--I wasn't responding directly to you in my post above, just to the original poster and then pontificating in general, as I am wont to do. Due to the adjacent-ness of it, may have seemed like I was lecturing you directly -- totally not the case. )

I never told my mom about my surgery till like five months post-op (or anyone in my family actually). I didn't have any reason to think she'd be negative or unsupportive, I just didn't want to get everyone's opinions about my body and my choices for that body. The God-made-it-that-way argument strikes me as absurd, so I would just ignore that one. Frankly, I would ignore her in general. Just nod and smile and agree with her that no one knows trouble and sorrow like she does and then...change the subject gracefully. Good luck!

I have a VSG friend who had this directly post-op and had a rough three-four days -- but then it corrected itself without surgery fortunately. I wasn't cold at all the first few months, but lately I have been -- except only when it's actually cold (in my opinion). Like in my office it's sometimes just too cool and I feel it more than I used to. Have a fan on my desk that gets much less use than it did before... My Iron levels have gone up since surgery, and all my blood values are good to excellent. I take a good multi, a B-complex supplement and Calcium citrate (along with Biotin and another Vitamin thingy for my GD hair that was falling out left, right and center LOL). I also take a time-release med, no problems. I also use NSAIDs as needed (not every day, just every now and then) and I take a PPI 20 mg protonix. I have been taking the anti-gallstone med since surgery and will continue for about another month (was meant to be six months, but I decided just to use it all up), have no sign of any GB problems. My GB was clean and stone-free prior to surgery. I prefer to keep it if possible. What I DON'T take anymore? High blood pressure meds -- yay!! (The clothing thing is no joke for a working woman -- that has caused me some serious angst and MONEY. Ugh.) Good luck -- let us know how you're doing!!

Well, I never saw you before (hi!), but you look GREAT!! I would never be able to guess your age from that photo!! ETA: And OMG, I'm so jealous of your teenybopper-smooth neck!!!!

Great job, you look fab!!

ITA with iegal re: the wheelchair request for the return trip! Excellent plan! I didn't have to fly for surgery either, but I do fly a lot in general. My question is, how do you KNOW you will require two seats? Do you just feel that way because of your weight, or is there an actual airline guideline? As far as I'm aware, not all airlines will require that you purchase two seats -- and if you don't have to, I'm thinking you totally shouldn't. I seriously HATE fat-biased society and the way the obese are singled out and punished, when all other sorts of things are accommodated and helped out. So I would lean in the direction of buying your seat like any other passenger, unless you are expressly required to do otherwise. Anyhow, just a personal soapbox of mine LOL. I wish you the best of luck and a comfortable flight to your new life! ETA: Maybe call up a couple of airlines and talk to them openly about your question and see if they can give you a biz class upgrade for a reasonable price as a way of meeting you halfway?

I preface this by saying I'm not a binge eater and never have been, nor am I an emotional eater. So take my input for whatever it's worth, given that. I gained weight for several reasons, but primarily due to anorexia and bulimia (purging only, no bingeing) in my younger years, followed by health problems and some awful medications, compounded by large meal portions/bad food choices and lack of exercise. However, I got myself under control by learning maintenance as a way of life. GRANTED, I was maintaining at 100 lbs too heavy, but I stayed at that same weight for over a decade. I had the help of a therapist throughout -- but not my ED therapist, just a normal good one (several actually, as I get a new one wherever I live LOL). I so often wanted to go on another diet or start something new to lose the weight, but I had failed in the past and I was terrified of getting into the cycle of up and down and hating on myself. I thought about WLS for YEARS, but wouldn't go ahead with it because I wasn't ready. I have no crystal ball, I don't know how this will work out. All I know is, I spent a long time learning how to not gain weight (now I'm learning how to lose it in a healthy way as well -- thanks, sleeve!) and be in some kind of balanced mode where I only wavered +/- 10 lb. The fact that I could do that, and maintain a weight for so long, is what gives me hope that I can maintain at a lower weight when I'm done losing the excess. So yeah, my point is -- I invested 10 years in learning how to find a healthy balance and body acceptance, and how to eat less the next week if I'd overdone it the previous week (or day or whatever, though I didn't obsess by the day generally -- that's how EDs work in my world ) and that sort of thing. I wish I could've done the sleeve sooner, but I wasn't ready. I think being ready (or as ready as you can be -- mentally speaking) is important, because this surgery WILL mess with your head no matter how sane and grounded you are. Yes, the tool will help you control your eating at first -- but if you go into it white-knuckling it, you might not be ready to use the tool over the longer term, in the way YOU deserve to use it. You want success and you deserve to find it -- so look for ways to find balance prior to surgery and then the tool can be a more natural part of that journey. The risk for transfer addictions is no joke. Best of luck to you!! I wish everyone a great experience. PS: When people give you the "easy way out" crap, ask them when was the last time they typed out a letter on a typewriter and put it in the post instead of using email? "Easy ways out" are actually advances in medicine and technology, so we don't have to do the weight-loss equivalent of sending smoke signals (from a high mountain, on a windy day, from a fire we built without axe or matches...only to fall down the mountain [and even into a hole] and have to start all over again...) anymore.

I had no catheter, but did have a drain. I got no real pain meds, just tylenol -- but I didn't have much pain so that was okay. I didn't have any gas pain at all. I did have pretty bad dry heaves for a couple of days, but they cleared up suddenly and never returned. I had no pre-op diet, and my post-op was to move to full foods nearly straightaway. Which worked fine for me, I never had a problem with eating or drinking. I have not had any problems with head hunger hardly at all, I have had actual hunger to deal with -- still do. But it's manageable, so not a big deal. Overall, am having a great sleeve experience thus far! Also - i was off work for over a month, just how my doctor does things. I think that helped though. Good luck getting the energy back!!