DesertRat

I've been drinking coffee off an on for over 50 years. I started when I was very young. But I've also had years on end when I didn't drink so much as a drop. I've also been a tea drinker, herbal tea drinker and even at times just hot Water. For years and years I've never been far away from a hot, no cal beverage for a good part of each day. It was 117 degrees at my office today and I drank coffee. I don't think I'm adicted to it, I've gone from coffee to herb tea without ever missing coffee. I just like having a hot liquid available in abundance. The NUT actually said that coffee would be OK in moderation. She suggested decaf tea however. I dunno.

Being a peritonitis survivor (non-sleeve related) I concur. However, I can tell you that when my appendix burst I felt it instantly. I realize that a leak is not quite the same thing as a burst appendix but anything leaking into the peritoneum is bad news and will probably announce its presence with fever, etc. If in doubt get thee to an emergency room.

I'm dying to hear more myself. This is a real saga, a triumph over some very bad circumstances.

Well, iMHO, something is definitely wrong in that behavior. It seems like deliberate taunting which makes no sense at all. I wonder if he fears that you will no longer care about him once you lose weight. I would be careful not to respond until you know that you can do so calmly. I'm not saying that you will overreact but if I were in your shoes I'd have to take some time to make certain that I could handle anything that came from it without strong emotion. But I would address it head on. Support system is very important and if someone is not respecting and supporting you in your choice something is going to have to give.

One of the things I am doing in anticipation of my VSG surgery is experimenting with foods that will be allowable after the procedure. A few nights back I was taking my walk and found myself craving something sweet. When I got home I took care of the craving by eating 6 ounces of Chobani plain Greek Yogurt. It was one of the most filling things I've ever eaten and the nutrition is good. The taste, however, was not all that good. It reminded me of sour cream, which gave me an idea. Today at the grocery store I picked up some onion Soup mix and when I had my yogurt I tried adding some, effectively making the yogurt taste like onion dip, albeit much more healthy. It was delicious. The onion soup mix does have some carbs so that requires accounting but it's not much and the flavor boost is tremendous.

All things in moderation, even moderation itself.

It would be a good vegetable dip.

I've read stories on here of people with low BMIs experiencing very good results, even ending up at the lower end of the normal scale. My BMI at 36 is not that low so I have no idea of what to expect.

That's good news. Being an old pro at surgery, 8 in total, mostly arthroscopic, I have gotten pretty relaxed about dealing with it. It's never fun but, IMHO, attitude is the biggest thing. If you are positive with yourself, positive with the medical personnel and leave yourself in their capable hands you will be fine.

Hearing such a success story is very encouraging. Thanks.

Thanks for sharing CrazyCat Lady. I'm sorry to hear that it's gone poorly for you and hope that things turn around. Surgery is funny stuff. About 7 years ago I had a rotator cuff repair form which I woke up smiling. I recovered from that operation very fast and had virtually zero problems. Two years later I had a bone spur removed in my ankle, a less involved surgery that took but a few minutes. My experiences after that very minor operation were quite negative. I was in a foul mood for about a week, had more pain and the anesthesia absolutely kicked my butt. I was in a very complex class the week after surgery and because of the anesthetics I was unable to concentrate enough to get the benefit of the class. It was a sad deal. In my case, I blame the anesthesiologist. In fact, there's a note in my chart specifying that he never be involved in my treatment again. I didn't care for his manner pre-op and I suspect that he overdid it with the drugs. There's no way to prove anything but I'll refuse his services in the future. Anyhow CCL, I hope that things turn out better for you as time goes by. Stick with the program and make the most of it and I'm certain you'll be fine in the long run plus all of the advantages of being slender.

Everything in life is a trade-off. We all arrive at today as a result of millions of choices we've made over the course of our lives. Most are obvious, one doesn't wander out into traffic but it's still a choice. When we choose to have WLS we are making a trade, a very serious trade. There are things we'll leave behind. No more binges of Cookies or ice cream, no more coffee and sweet roll breakfasts, etc. The benefits of the trade are phenomenal however, no more high blood pressure, no more diabetes, extension of life by decades and a better quality of life. I've been at both the top and the bottom of the weight roller coaster before but never minded the fact that I had to get smaller clothes, shoes, etc. Clothes and shoes wear out anyhow so sooner or later you'll be buying replacements. As far as people not liking you for you instead of because of your weight, entirely true but also true for the segment of society that have always been normal in weight. There will always be people that don't like you and their stated reasons may or may not be the real reasons. There are people that just don't like you. It's something we all have to deal with and not having weight as a scapegoat forces us to deal the issue. In my late teens and into my early twenties I had to adjust to a new, more slender, body image. I'm sure that I left a few people puzzled by my responses at times. I was so used to being put down for being obese that even when I was fairly slender I tended to evaluate much of what was said to me as criticism even when it wasn't. When legitimate criticism came my way I found myself defensive because for so many years I had been criticized and teased for my weight. It took years to overcome but eventually I did. Now, with the weight coming back over the last 20 years or so I'm not eager to revert to my earlier self image. I miss the confidence I had in my slender years and look forward to going back to that state of affairs.

Good to see you on this thread. I was beginning to think that it was a ladies only thread. 75 pounds in 4 months is pretty good. Assuming that my surgery happens as planned in July a similar rate would have me at my goal by Thanksgiving. I guess that would decrease the amount of turkey in the holiday and increase the amount of thankfulness.

Uhhh . . . what he said.

Thank you for posting this. Your avatar photo would seem to back up your words. I find it interesting to follow the progress of someone that didn't have a huge amount of weight to lose. It seems that the surgery is quite effective for people in your situation. Congratulations on your success.

Being put under is a lot less of a problem than it used to be, I've been anesthetized 10 times over the last 51 years and I can tell you that it's become a lot better as the years have gone forward. You take a couple of deep breaths and you wake up in the recovery room.

My philosophy is to be as self reliant as possible but I am aware of my limitations. What I can't handle on my own I leave in the hands of my Creator.

This gives me a lot to think about. I've always been more concerned about my excess weight than the SOs in my life have been. I'm not morbidly obese, I'm at a BMI of 36, but I have several co-morbidities which have me quite concerned. The thing is, I don't like looking at myself when I weigh 250 pounds. I can stand myself around 200, am comfortable at 180 and feel the best at 170, a weight I had to struggle to maintain even when I was in my mid 20s. If I didn't have the co-morbidities I could maybe credit it all to body image issues but that's not the case. Seven prescription drugs daily is too much and I need to do something about it. Still, I find the fact that I am less accepting of my weight problems than the women that have been in my life to be interesting.

It's normal to be afraid. It is a big step but the odds are strongly in your favor. They know what they are doing and modern anesthetics are much safer than what was available in the past. The surgeon isn't going to operate unless he/she is convinced it can be done safely. Believe me, no surgeon wants to take unnecessary risks. I've been totally anesthetized ten times, mostly for arthroscopic surgeries. It's never fun but really not that bad. The most serious operation took several hours and I woke up refreshed and in good spirits afterward. Just take it a day at a time, a step at a time.