Lissa

The short answer is YES. I had tried all those crazy diets and never lost much... I did lose 50 pounds the year before my sleeve surgery, but gained it all back in seconds when I had a round of pneumonia. Since my sleeve, I've lost over 120 pounds, down from a 24 to a 14/16, and loving life!

Cut the perc in half and see if that doesn't help with the stomach issues, plus let you remain more alert. I was on pain meds for months prior to surgery, so I'd already learned that smaller doses a little more frequently worked better for me when they took my GB out. I only needed the pain meds for a couple of days after the GB surgery, and then nowhere near as often as pre-op. As for how long it takes to fully recover, the surgery pain was gone for me in a couple of days. I was released to full activity at two weeks out, but still had a small hitch in my left side for about a month if I stretched the wrong way. *I* thought it was a pulling stitch, but my doctor said that I was pushing too much on the exercise front. Either way, it was more annoying than painful, so I just worked around it. I'm almost 2 months post op and I'm just now finding all of the things that I can eat. For the first month to six weeks, any food with any fat in it sent me on an immediate bathroom trip. I ate about half a chicken finger last night (out with friends and starving) and it didn't mess me up, so maybe my tummy is finally calming down. Good luck...

I'd do my surgery again every day of the week and twice on Sunday!!! I'm not officially at goal yet, but I'm LOVING life these days!!!

I'm about 2 months out from my gallbladder removal and 19 months post-VSG. The first month after my gallbladder removal was touch and go on whether something would cause me to go to the bathroom RIGHT NOW. I had a couple of close calls because I drive so much with long distances between rest areas, but it's definitely improved now. My big changes to my eating habits are the I'm eating much more low fat food and avoiding fried foods. I've recommitted to water and low fat protein and stayed the same on my carb goals, which is little to none anyway. I saw the recommended eating plan after GB removal and laughed at it because most of it won't work for Rex anyway. I have noticed that anything acidic or too spicy is bothering me once again, but I have never really returned to orange juice or jalapenos since the VSG anyway. Good luck! I think the worst of the side effects are temporary, possibly because we learn how to eat with the GB gone. As for whether to have it out or not? I count having my GB out as the second best thing I've ever done, next to my VSG. I didn't even realize how much pain I was in until it was gone!!

Add in that your hormones are going insane right now, simply because of the weight loss, and you're having a rough time. (((Hugs))) It will get better. I can't imagine having to work at Starbucks, but maybe imagining all of that food as weight/fat would help you avoid it. Starbucks' treats don't tempt me at all because most of them are bread-based and I simply can't eat bread these days. I love their coffee, though, and have to be very careful not to get in trouble when I order a drink in there. I'm sure the employees think I'm a total rube because I still order "Large decaf, two splenda, two creamers", but that's what I can drink. I can never remember their fancy word for Large, sorry. As for hubby bringing home pizza, IMO, that's grounds for beating him! LOL I've found that I still love a piece or two of the pepperoni topping with hot cheese, but there's no way I can eat a whole slice most days. You'll find a way to accommodate your tastes while still adhering to your food plan as you get further out from surgery. It just takes time. You're doing great on your weight loss, though!! 26 pounds is NOTHING to sneeze at!!!

I've been making sure I got my vitamins and protein daily, using Neutrogena body oil, dry brushing (infrequently), and avoiding tanning since surgery. My excess skin is pretty much limited to my abdomen and upper thighs. I'm not at goal yet, although I've lost 120+ pounds and I have had a plastics consult (2 actually). I have about 10-15 pounds of excess skin, depending on which doctor you believe. I have also been an avid gym rat, doing cardio and weights to help tone things. My plastics doc says there isn't a lot you can do to avoid the skin, although he has encouraged me to keep doing all of the above things because they will help in the long run. A lot of skin issues depend on you... your genetics, your age, how overweight you are now, and if you've already had issues (C-sections, abdominal surgery). It's still better to have excess skin than skin that's full of fat. At least, that's my opinion. I'll take the excess skin that I have to deal with over the 120 pounds I've lost all day long!

My steri strips took two weeks to come off. I finally peeled them after my doctor's visit, but he gave me permission first. I went back to my regular body wash right after surgery. And, I think yogurt is probably considered a soft solid (depending on your doc's guidelines). I'm lactose intolerant since my sleeve, so yogurt is not a large part of my diet these days. As for pain, yeah, it's pretty normal to still have some pain at only 6 days out. There is a lot of healing going on inside you. Just take it easy and you'll lose the pain soon.

I'm no help, but I'm having a dilemma with jeans myself, so I'm going to follow your post in hope that someone can help us out.

Hi Mrs Byars, There is a forum specifically geared to pre-op questions here... and another geared to post-op questions if you want to research what it's like to be newly sleeved. Those forums are great because lots of our questions have already been answered. Use the search function on the home page to look up issues you'd like to research and there is bound to be a ton of information about that issue. BTW, my start weight was 352 and I'm down over 120 pounds at 18 months out. If you look at people's profiles, you can view their gallery pages and see the pictures they have posted. I have tons documenting my journey to today. I haven't heard of anyone who got sleeved that didn't lose a significant amount of weight. You won't be the first person to not lose any weight with the sleeve. Good luck!

I also like soup during the full liquids stage. I blended up some chicken noodle and some dinty moore beef stew (which disgusts me now) and both were good back then.

Yep. The fast weight loss we experience early out wreaks havoc with our hormones and it's just as likely to have an extra period as to have none. Just in case, there's no chance you could actually be pregnant is there? Enhanced fertility is another side effect of those hormones for some people.

This is a journey. Don't borrow trouble from tomorrow, just do what you know you must do today. Get in your protein and water, add in some exercise and LIVE. The great thing about the sleeve is that you don't have to believe in it because it is physically there. It provides restriction, you provide nutrition.

You're great with the bald thing. Cute. I don't have a preference. Current BF has hair to his butt, but my ex was bald. Both men are very sexy, IMO.

I wouldn't, only because your "goal" may change. The reality is that we all have skin unless we've been really blessed and that skin interferes with sizing, especially for skirts and pants. My goal size is a 12, but I'm still in a 16 because of my tummy skin. I'm really hoping that my tummy tuck will make a huge difference in pants sizing for me.

Oh, I meant to add.. if that guy has asked you out for more than one meal after you've said no, he's really interested. You could always suggest some kind of alternative date that doesn't revolve around food. Have coffee, go for a walk, take in a movie, anything...if you're interested.

Go with your friends! Go on the date! Just order broth soup or something that is within your current dietary guidelines. You can choose to be miserable or you can choose to live... and I think you've already chosen to live by having your sleeve. I went out to eat with friends within the first few weeks. They understood when I ordered egg drop soup and only drank that broth at the Chinese restaurant. They understood when I asked the waitress to blend me some cream of broccoli soup at Ruby Tuesdays and they understand now when I order a child's portion of grilled chicken/fish and a side of steamed veggies. It's not even a topic of discussion. That's just how I eat. I don't comment when they order a huge steak, baked potato and veggies, then add dessert on top (unless I'm asking for a single bite of some confection). Once you're through the restrictive stages of your diet, things will get easier, but there ARE ways to be social now without breaking the diet. Good luck!!

I wasn't sad when I realized that food was no longer my motivator, but the next step is to realize that food is just fuel. It's weird to me that now I choose food based on it's protein content more than what it tastes like. I still crave some things like Cheetos and sugar, but I'm pretty good about having a bite or two and then moving past those foods now. I eat like a skinny person. LOL You'll get there and be amazed at how much your thinking has changed when you do get there.

I've seen anecdotal evidence that suggests squats and lunges help with this issue. Flat butt is not one of my problems, though.

I think you've got a good basic routine there. I'd add that you should have your doctor monitor your vitamin levels and add in whatever s/he feels is appropriate. I recently added potassium and magnesium to my vitamin routine. It seems like every time they take away an Rx med they add in a vitamin! LOL

I've been wearing a compression shirt and shorts off and on since surgery. I don't know that they have helped by themselves, but they have helped in conjunction with exercise. My only loose skin now is in the back of my upper arms and my belly area, but I expected both of those. IMO, they can't hurt and they make me look better in clothes, so I'll keep wearing mine. I do try to make sure my compression shorts aren't so tight they cut off circulation in my legs because I do a lot of driving and sitting for my job.

Let me put this in perspective for you. If you have surgery, there is a risk of complications, both on the table and afterwards (stricture, leaks). That risk is very low, less than 1%. If you don't have surgery and continue to remain obese and probably gain even more weight, there is a 100% chance that you will eventually have complications from obesity, even more so than you already have. Almost every obese person has issues with self-image, walking, being out of breath while trying to do the simplest tasks that require physical exertion, not to mention inability to find clothes that look/feel good on the obese body. Eventually, eating badly will clog our arteries, lead to any combination of: asthma, arthritis, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, pneumonia, heart failure, blood clots (from inactivity), varicose veins, etc. So, when it comes down to it, it's LESS risky to have WLS than it is to remain obese. Dr. Oz said something that has stuck with me: "If you're 100 pounds overweight...it's like having cancer. You'd operate to remove a cancer, so why wouldn't you have WLS". At 18 +months out, I've had resolution of all my comorbidities, lost over 120 pounds, and I'm living a wonderful life that I couldn't have predicted pre-op. WLS changed and saved my life and I think it will do the same for you. Good luck on your journey!

You can change your own title any time you like. Read mine. It used to say "Life Saved by VSG". I change it whenever I get the whim. Go to your profile and you can do it easily.

call your doctor. It does sound like your synthroid needs to be adjusted, especially since you're already taking B12. B12 is what I was going to recommend to you. Good luck

I'm thrilled to know about this! Panera is usually my go to when I'm on the road and have to eat out somewhere. I'll totally be ordering some of these selections.