CowgirlJane

I was ravenous much of the time pre sleeve. I felt "hunger" post sleeve at times, but overall it is reduced considerably. I would say 90% reduction and I am nearly 8 months out.

Hey, it is great to hear from our "December" family - oh how far we have all come in the last 7 months! I cruised through a number of posts and those of you with signatures - I can see the updated progress. Wow, I wonder how much weight we as a group have lost???!!! it is just awesome. I hope you all are doing well.

I think that the first 2 months... there is a lot of change going on. Maybe the body is still producing alot of hunger hormone? I don't know. what I observed is that my hunger decreased even more around 2-3 months post op. I don't know if that is because I finally figured out how to make things work for me or what the deal was. A couple of ideas - make absolutely sure you are well hydrated. I swear I need more Water now then I ever did! Also, make absolutely sure you don't have heartburn/acidy stomache/reflux. Even if you feel "ok" sometimes that feels like hunger but it is really mild heartburn. In hindsight, this is one of the problems I had with the band - I was so dang hungry all the time - at least some of it was stomach acid. You know what made it feel better? ice cream. that was not good at all. Since being sleeved I have stayed on top of the hydration and acid and the hunger has been well managed and I no longer crave ice cream or anything like that to comfort or soothe my stomach. I thought it was all in my head - emotional soothing - but I am now so convinced that it was at least 80% physical since a PPI made it go away.

I think that it is very hard to assess how "ready" you are. I was banded in 2001 and I really really thought I was ready. In hindsight, I didn't know what it even meant to be ready.... really, i just had no idea. It sucks that I had a miserable 10 years with the lapband, regained all the lost weight etc, but I tell you what, it really makes me appreciate the tool that the sleeve is. Also, since I was in such a different state of mind with the sleeve, I didn't regret that I don't get to eat much anymore. Like i said before, the rough Patches were just in perspective. I felt very worried about the risk of a revision, but in the end, decided I was dying slowly from the obesity and so might as well throw the dice and go through with it. Overeating was ruining my health and interferring with my life - I was just done with it. I went through a lot of turmoil in the year leading up to this surgery, maybe i got alot of it out of my system... not sure. Now, what is more bothersome is that everyone else cares so much about food...lol. Damn these people who all want to take time for meals an stuff.

I am talking about even people who saw me during the journey - someone I saw just 2 months ago walked right by me not recognizing me. My good friend keeps doing double takes! I guess I really DO look different. She tells me that there is no way i still have 40-45# left to lose - well, I really do, but it still made me feel good! -Size 16 (no W!!) instead of 26W or whatever I could cram myself into -Comparable size to many of the women i know, even though I still have more to lose -People are INVITING me to ride their horses! Offers I would have never gotten before. I am a good rider, it is just I was so dang huge! -I can crawl in and out of the bed of my truck (hooking up the gooseneck hitch!). Could not have done that 6 months ago -I no longer feel like I am made of glass and could break with the slightest stumble or fall. -I can run, keep up with my dogs, horses etc. Living the life I want - this is the dream! So, the weird thing for me recently is clothes shopping. I feel like an intruder in the regular sizes section... like I will be tossed out when somebody discovers I snuck in...lol. I can't seem to find clothes that i like though, it is weird, it looks to me like the cute stuff is int he plus sizes. What the heck is wrong with me??? lol. i don't think I have any danger of becoming shopping obsessed.

Looking at the stats, reflux post sleeve is a common "complication". People often get it even years later. I never had reflux until the band - and then it was horrid. I have a mild amount now, probably wouldn't have any if I gave up coffee. It doesn't give me alot of problems, keeping my fingers crossed it doesn't get worse..

Well, women's clothing are sized so crazy and very inconsistently. there is a lot of variation in where you fit. I am not a lane bryant shopper, so I can't say about their brands, but in general the 14W and 16W are a good size bigger then the "non W" sizes. I was at Macy's and all the plusses were way too big. Same with Fred Meyer (variety type store). I was at Costco and they had non stretch jeans - the biggest they had was a 16, I was thinking they would be too small, but they fit! Last time I was in normal sizes, clothes were smaller for the same size. 10-11 years ago I got down to a similiar weight, but was still wearing 18W or 1X. Sad but true, clothes are "growing" with the nations ever increasing obesity epidemic. They call it vanity sizing. I wish they would just go to a simple numeric system more like mens clothes.

A a current photo (I am not done yet, still in progress). The horse I am riding is on the smaller side compared to what I am used to. My before photo is of me just standing. I will be honest, it is hard for me to look at that photo, but it is a good reminder of where I never want to go again.

I started out at 308 about Nov 30th. Had surgery on 12/12/11 weighing 300. So, I am about 7.5 months out and have lost over 105#. It is slowing down a bit, but I am still losing!

Do a search for regrets, and you will find people who feel that way the first month or two especially. We are all different, but I was so READY for this surgery that I never had feelings of regret. I knew what to expect and things were not as bad as I had mentally prepared for. Don't get me wrong, I went through about a 2 month period of feeling tired and a little blue.... but I had read enough to know that was very common. And like everyone said, it did get better. And look at me now, getting fitter, looking better, outstanding bloodwork, no more high blood pressure... etc etc. I am positively thrilled with my results. You know what, I think I am starting to believe this is going to work - I have given away my bigger clothes! It is real this time.

Congrats!!!! I can so relate! When you start at the 50 BMI mark, you really notice moving through the "catagories" I am so looking forward to getting under 30 BMI!!!!!!!

You have done so great!!! This is one of my "looming concerns" - the long haul. I know that weight loss maintenance is harder then the losing. I am trying hard now to build those new habits - but I have been obese or overweight for about 42 of my 48 years, so I have no illusions - this will be a lifetime struggle. I appreciate your posting, it gives me hope that i TOO can do it, and make those right decisions.

I feel sad for people who are struggling several months out. IT is a risk we all faced and some got luckier then others. What I will say in terms of the lesson learned - don't rush this. Be sure you are really confident in your surgeon - not just his skills, but his "infrastructure" so you know you will get support over the long haul. One of the many things I liked about my surgeon's practice is that several of the people working there - including one of the surgeons - has been sleeved. Working with a nutrtionalist is MANDATORY which seems kinda weird, but now I so much see how important it has been for my success. That is the person I called or emailed in those early months when things were hard. My own personal cheerleader and eating coach...lol. I just felt like they offer a total solution, not just a cut your stomach out and wish you luck. I realize that some people need to go outside the country etc. - which I think is a very good choice for many people - but even in that case, make sure you are confident that you will get help if the going gets rough.

It was hard the first few months - just adjusting to everything, feeling a little emotional, hating the way everything tasted weird, feeling tired, but i never regretted it for a minute. Now, I am 7 months out, i feel great, food is food and tastes fine - it is no longer the center of my world so I am not overly concerned with it. (The funky taste I had for months seems to be much better now though) And, at 100+ pounds lost, I am living a much better life!! No regrets here!

Everybody is different, so no idea if this will help. Every time my weight loss slows, the problem always seems to be I have slacked off on protein, water or activity. I actually can't understand it, it always seems to me I am overeating when I refocus on protein, but it seems to trigger a weight loss. I guess my advice would be to "shake it up" - change something in one of the key areas and see if it helps. If all you do is elliptical, do something else. Eat a little more, or a little less - get that protein in, get that water in - but do something just a little different and see if it doesn't help. Since you lost so much pre-op (good for you! it helps!) maybe you have hit the slow and steady phase a little sooner then others, but in the end, seems like losing 85# is amazing and awesome!!!! Congratulations on your success so far!

I think there is a food board that has lots of posts on this subject. I don't do Protein drinks right now - totally burned out on them! Now I do Protein Bars for that boost. Anyway, my opinion that the best Protein powder is Syntrax nectar. You can order a flavor sample pack for around $13 from the manufacturer - call their customer service. I think you can also order it on netrition.com As far as premixed, I always drank the Premier Protein sold at costco. 180 calories, low carb and 30grams of protein!

Don't feel too bad, I think I did worse pre-op and have so far been very successful post op. I had my band removed in Sept 2011; was sleeved Dec 12, 2011. The 2.5 months between, I was so dang hungry I was just driven to eat. I was feeling stress about the sleeve surgery too - so that didn't help. the surgeon sent me to a bariatric doc who is not a surgeon and she came up with a diet for me that i survived. It was high protein/low carb, but there were certain foods that were quantity unrestricted so I could stick with it. I only lost a few pounds, but the important thing was I stopped gaining, even through the Halloween/Thanksgiving timeframe. I started my preop diet 2 weeks before surgery and only lost 8# in 2 weeks. It was a liver shrinking/low carb diet, I didn't have to do the shakes. Anyway, i have lost just over 100# now, including those 8 preop pounds. I was and am very dedicated to making this work. That time before the surgery I was just driven to eat, i don't know why, but i had just a heck of a time. I don't mean "last suppers" because even then I just didn't care about special meals or anything. I was just hungry and wanting to eat way too frequently. I am sharing all of this so you hopefully don't get too stressed. Try to find a way to not gain, and keep things in check, but don't feel bad that you have not been able to make all the changes yet. It really is easier once the hunger isn't so overwhelming.

The pain really does go away pretty fast. I was more sore from my band removal (port!) then I was from the sleeve surgery. It is true I was pretty fatigued and kinda "blah" the first 2 months post op. Let me tell me, after you have lost 100#, none of that will matter - just a distant memory. My advice for people is to know that the early weeks will at times be difficult and if you can just "be okay with it". Adjusting to things, learning how to eat through the progression of foods etc. maybe some blues over not being able to use food as a comfort. - all that. My Christmas dinner was a Protein shake - that was bearable, but it did make me feel a little forlorn...lol. Those first few months, you are losing weight but maybe nobody else even notices it. It is like you have all the negatives, without getting the boost. Then, one day, you realize you feel okay again. Energy is back, back to exercising and all that. Then, you start to notice the weight is coming off... and other people start noticing. And then you get to the point where you are doing lots of activities, looking better in clothes and all that - and life is just so good! Keep your eye on the prize when you aren't feeling 100% at the beginning.

This is very much a personal decision - there is no right or wrong. When I was banded in 2001 I intended to keep it a secret - my hubby, two sons and my very close sister knew. I was so embarassed about having WLS and rightly so, worried about failing (which ultimately the band did fail me). It broke my heart when I overheard her telling some people that i hardly knew about my surgery, in a very disapproving tone and saying hurtful things on the topic. It hurt me deeply, but I learned my lesson - if you tell ANYONE it is potentially public knowledge. Well, maybe it is if you tell ANY women, my guys have kept it very private. My husband accidently let it slip after I revised to the sleeve 10 years later - he told another of my sisters about the lapband - and felt so awful about it. By then, I was over it, so it didn't matter. I have been pretty open/telling people about the sleeve, as my attitude and headspace is way different then it was 10 years ago. I have no sense of shame or embarrassment, I want to shout it from the rooftops, but I STILL sometimes have trouble with this. I have lost 100+ and people notice it! I don't necessarily want to discuss the details with every person I have ever met in my life, in every single situation i am in, but some of them are PERSISTANT. I found that the statement of a high protein/low carb, working with a nutrtionalist, doctor and exercise trainer - some people don't find that to be an acceptable/complete answer. I was on a group camping trip (horse camping and so fun!). I knew about half the people there, and sitting around in the evening "persistent Penny" was just badgering me. I actually thought about just telling her I had weight loss surgery to shut her up, but, that isn't fair to me or anyone else sitting there. When I talk to people about it, I try to educate. I spent a lot of time/engergy understanding why I can't keep weight off with just diet and it is a complex subject. I had metabolic syndrome and my body just always wants that weight back - against my will...lol. I am driven to eat and always regained. It isn't willpower, it isn't a personal weakness, it is more like an imbalance in my body that I could not "rebalance" as much as I tried. I feel that talking about WLS means being willing to hear the backstory - those are my terms...lol anyway, she bugged me several times over the weekend and because i am stubborn, the more she pestered me,t he less I felt inclined to talk to her about it. she is skinny, it isn't like she is someone that can benefit from it. She is a cool lady and someone that I hope to remain friends with, so I will tell her, just not on a center stage (around the campfire) with a bunch of complete strangers who are mostly quite athletic (horse people often are). On the other hand, I have more then once told a retail clerk about the surgery - like they open the door by asking about something I am buying or whatever... I tell them I lost 100#, my labs are great, no pre-diabetes, no high blood pressure etc etc. I want to give others, especially if they are obviously obese, the education about this if they want ot hear it. I know that other people who are 100++ overweight THINK about WLS even if they aren't ready to do it. I don't push it after the initial short little speech, but I have had a couple ask me more. I even met one clerk who is scheduled to get her sleeve later this year - she was so excited to meet someone who had been successful. So, in summary, you are totally right to respect your own comfort level with communicating this. i wouldn't tell your MIL either based on what you just said! I told my whole family, via email, the day after my surgery. I didn't want any doubts or fears to be planted in my brain. In the email, I asked for support, but asked them to simply keep any doubts or negative feedback about it to themselves. i didn't hear from my brother R and his wife - so I knew which camp he as in...lol. Otherwise, I was OVERWHELMED with support, they love me and have watched me fight this fat for decades. It gave me joy to feel that love right when I needed it - recovering from surgery. My brother R and his wife saw me at the family summer campout/reunion and they were so happy for me, so they were supportive, even though they had their doubts about surgery as a solution.

So, when I went in for my 6 month, they had me fill out a questionairre and they asked about difficulty swallowing, so perhaps it is one of the possible side effects.

My band removal was done as an outpatient day surgery. The port area was sore, and I got a virus shortly after surgery so didn't feel so great, but all in all not too bad. The big surprise was a couple of days after it was gone, I was uncontrollably hungry.

I started a little higher, but hit the 100# loss mark at about 7 months out. My weight loss has normally been more then 10# a month, but June was only 7# one thing is different people count their preop weight loss differently. sometimes people have incredible stats, but it includes alot of preop weight loss. I lost 8# on my 2 week preop and do include that.

I am doing great. 7 months post op I hit my 100# loss mark - I am losing as well as a typical "virgin sleever". I think the sleeve is alot better then the band - I had one of those for 10 years! I have alot of posts in this forum that tell more of my story if you want to read it. I was sleeved Dec 12, 2011 and am now too busy running around, riding my horse and enjoying life to retype it.

So, let me get this straight... the device used was the stapler/cutter? Like they use to create the sleeve? I have never heard of this, but I am NOT an expert by any stretch. What i know is that when my band was removed it was totally encased in scar tissue - I saw pictures - it was invisible and gross I might add. They did a lot of cutting to dig that sucker out. I didn't really ask what tool they used, but seems very odd to me about putting staples in. Anyway, I would really listen to the surgeon's caution about this, assuming they are experienced at revisions.... ps - a look at my photos convinced me that the band is hardly some "low risk easily reversible device". Bullcrap - it causes damage.

So, I would disagree on the point of asking the surgeon to do the procedure a specific way. i personally would ask what they do and why they do it. If you don't like it, go somewhere else. I would never feel comfortable asking a surgeon to do something special for me outside of his normal protocol - i guess, I think I am not qualified. I would also hate to be "blamed" if something does go wrong. For example, i had read about some sort of leak prevention technique which sounded good to me. I asked about it and the surgeon went through their own results and showed that they get BETTER results then reported in the article I referenced, lower complication/ leaks following their own technique. They are fairly high volume (by USA standards) and have been doing it for I think 4-5 years now, so I decided to trust them on that one. I am glad I did!