SpecialK1960

I am posting this here becuase i am really only looking for the ladies' opinions. And I know that if I toss up a good question, you ladies will hit it out of the park. Besides with a post title that has the word naughty in it... you know it will get lots of traffic. Here is the deal. I am married, happily, for 24 years. I am not looking to hook up. So why do I feel a bit guilty spending so much time on a web site chattin' with the girls? This site is mostly women. I am spending way too much time in the "Powder Room." (the forum site, not the restroom). Readng all of your secret little thoughts. Maybe one of you will let something slip and then I will be able to figure you women out. And I do go to all the other forums as well, I am not just hanging around this one. But I am spending a lot of time talking with girls - something I have not done in a long long time. So let me have it ladies ... is it wrong to be spending so much time chatting with my new lady friends? (PS- you are supposed to say no) Women cannot complain about men anymore until they start getting better taste in them.

I do agree with the distinction between tummy hunger and head hunger. Yesterday I was walking through a large parking lot. On the edge of the parking lot was a Kentucky Fried chicken - the wind was coming right at me.... the aroma of Nature's most perfect food - fried chicken - was all embracing. I closed my eyes and took in the sweet aroma of the forbidden delicacy.... I saw angels... but they had chicken wings, and little baskets with rolls and gravy... I am pretty sure I passed out. Da^^%, head hunger.

Gurgling Bubbly feeling..... oh yeah I got some of that. Right after eating, or when hungry, my stomach sounds like a Blue Man Group concert (or some nice tribal drums) - not particulalry loud all the time, but it is a bubbling. Feels pretty funny. It is pretty pronounced and when it decides to get loud - wow. I am not taking my daily Pepcid religiously, and I need to be more careful about doing it daily. I think that will help. In the mean time try to get your stomach to play show tunes. I am working on a complete musical myself. (all the songs kinda sound the same though)

With my insurance (United) they gave my Dr's office the pending authorization number. The doctor's office sent it to me so I could follow-it online with the insurance company. It also allowed me to push a bit and get a quick approval, which I needed for work scheduling. When I sent in e-mails stressing the need for a quick decision, I simply refered to my case number. All medical records and systems are now required to be electronic, if there was a pending claim, the doctor's office would have a claim number. My guess is that they never submitted. It is your health - be a little pushy. If you have any reason to doubt what they are telling you, ask to see a copy of the submission to the insurance company. Tell them to send a copy to you directly.

How awesome is that - to lose over 100 pounds. You should be so proud. You know the average horse racing jockey weighs about 112 pounds (we should all keep one of these little guys around for spare parts) - anyway, just think about how cool it is that you have come so far and you must feel so much better. The half way point - congratulations

I am about 4 weeks out and am having a problem with the SLIMES (we have got to get a better name, but I will admit it is perfectly descriptive). I guess as I am transitioning to more solids, I am eating too fast. It seems to hit me when I am reading or eating lunch at work. I think what happens is that I am distracted by what I am doing and not paying attention to eating slowly. I am taking little bits, but not paying attention to the speed. I do not eat too much because i am only putting a small portion on the plate. For me it feels like you have to burp, but can't. I have on 4 occasions thrown-up. But it is not really like throwing up, it is more like burping up a ton of siliva - sounds wicked gross - really not that bad. It is nothing like real throwing up where you feel out of control. And it feels like it is coming from the bottom of your feet. For me anyway, it is just like a ... bluuuuurp - and I am done. No food is coming up at all. And as soon as I have blorped (technical medical term) I feel instantly 100% back to normal. Weird, but sounds like it seldom lasts for more than a few months. I am not sure if it cures itself, or if blorping simply teaches us to eat slower and the cause is then eliminated.

I am sort of the opposite. Now just over 4 weeks out and trying to eat more regular food, I am finding that I am more hungry than I was just after surgery. I am having to really eat slow and in small portions, so I may not be eating enough at each meal. The supplements make sure I am getting everything I need, but I think I need to eat a little more at each sitting, or more often. The funny thing is that being a little bit hungry does not bother me at all anymore. I just ignore it for a while. In the past at the first sign of hunger I would have eaten a small wildebeast. Now, I am so pleased with my losses (and since I can not pig out like it was an Olympic sport anyway) it just does not bother me like it used to.

And remember the open part of the gown goes in the back...

Awesome, Good Luck. I am so glad I did it - I am sure you will be too!

I had my surgery on June 14th. The best decision I have made in 20 years. I wish I had done it 5 years ago. So conrats on making the call and starting your journey to a new you!!!!! People here are real nice and helpful. Just reach out with questions and you'll get tons of helpful suggestions and encouragement.

I ride, but I have a D%$# needle valve that is stuck in one of my carbs so I have an occasional gas leak...right into my block - wipes out 50$ worth of oil. Have not ridden since surgery, but looking to maybe trade up in the next 2 weeks. I am a crotch rocket guy. No offense, but a nice smooth 4 cyclinder would be a lot easier on the shaking and bumping... I am sure you are now going to run out and trade your Harley for a rice burner....LOL Hope you get back on the bike soon. It is summer and time to ride.

You know you are getting too big when you look in a full length mirror and can see your butt without turning around. It is nice to see so much more of Mr. Winky. It seems like a good 3/4 of an inch has been added thanks to so much less belly protruding. Momma says she is VERY happy. As for morning issues, no change here, but after work, I could hunt with it.

My wife is going out of town for the weekend. Before she left this morning she said, "Now don't go crazy and get a girlfriend while I'm gone just because you are getting all skinny." We laughed. But is it so flattering to know that not only does she appreciate that I am beginning to look better. But that another woman might also see me differently than they would have 5 weeks ago. I am not looking for another woman, however, to know that I might be attractive to one is AWESOME. It has been a long time. So I am going to absolutely love every minute of her additional attention. I do not think for one minute that she loved me less when I was bigger. But she is more open about my appearance and it is so encouraging. Besides thinking about why a loved one treated us different when we were bigger is focusing on the past. All that new attention - that is the future and it is sooo bright. (and sorry for butting in on the "ladies page," but you are so much more interesting then the men)

Just started running again and have lots of upbeat stuff. But for the first time Pink's You are F'n Perfect (uncensored version) has a whole new meaning for me. Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel Like you're less than ___ perfect Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel Like you're nothing, you're ___ perfect to me You're so mean when you talk About yourself. You were wrong. Change the voices in your head Make them like you instead. So complicated, Look happy, You'll make it! Filled with so much hatred Such a tired game I've seen you do the same The words are so encouraging. It gets me going again more than any other song. I am far from perfect, but just to have that little "Hottie / Tart" say that I am is encourgaing. Because I know she is singing just about me...LOL

So you brush a bit more ... no biggie and it is not permanent. Besides I only notice it once in a while. Others may be passing out, but heck that is their problem! I looked into the hair issue pretty in-depth. I used to say, "I may be fat but I still got great hair." Which at 50+ is something. If you eat right it should not be a problem. I was really worried about this. I think as you feel less attractive because of your weight you develop new vainities - like my fabulous full head of hair. LOL And remember a lady whose pants fall off... Well, that can be a real concersation starter depending on the circumstances. Great at a party, not so good in church!!

At 50 I had a testosterone level of about 100, it should be 450 for my age or even higher. I started the shots and really did feel better and lost weight. Both because I felt better and was more active and because I think my metabolism was simply working at a higher pace. After a few months I had a huge spike in my PSA and had to go to the urologist "just to be safe." Well, that did not work out as planned. I had early Prostate cancer. That meant stopping the shots as they can be an antagonist for PC. I started gaining weight even faster. That is when I decided to check into the sleeve. You have to give the T shots a chance. They really did do a noticibale improvement for me, before I had to stop. I was on shots 1x every 2 weeks for about 3 months. I noticed the difference and so did my wife. Testosterone seems to affect many life functions and body systems. It really made a positive impact for me.

The old dog breath. Pretty nasty. I think combined with the three weeks of pureed and soft foods (ie: proving that man can live on Beans alone!!) that I am the perfect companion for a long car trip... in a small car... with lots of people... and a wet dog .... and broken power windows .... Vegas anyone?????

Decided I had to do something. I went to meet with Dr. Kuhn in Dallas on May 31, 2012 and pushed them and my insurance to get this done fast. I had work issues and if I did not get it done quickly I would have to put it off for 4-6 months. Since I had made up my mind I was going to do it, I was not going to let the insurance company or anyone else slow it down. I got the doctor's scheduler to put me down for the 14th (although she said we will never get approval in time...). Pushed my insurance hard. United Health Care - only fair to name them because they came through. I had my approval by the 7th (a world record I am told). I started my liquid diet on the 8th, a Thursday. I suppose it is appropriate that I admit that on Tuesday I killed so many chickens at Buffalo Wild Wings that I am pretty sure it was a felony. Then on Wednesday in order to say a fond fairwell to food I had a fine filet mignon, garlic mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus, a nice wedge salad, and this humongus peach bread pudding with Jack Daniel's sauce. I say that so you will understand why I was able to lose 10 pounds before surgery. All those goodies are a long way from that yummy pre-surgery liquid diet. And I will admit during that last week I did have a cool malt beverage or two (hey, beer is a clear liquid!!). Before surgery I drank a good amount of beer. I have not had one now for 25 days and I will admit I do miss it, but no where near as much as I had feared. I might be able to have one, but I am using my surgery to explain why I ust have tea at BWW now. Eventually I will have beer again, but for right now I have a very convenient excuse and I am using it. So far so good - three+ weeks out and feeling pretty good. My biggest fear was not being able to drink while eating and that is a problem. I used to drink 32-48 ounces of liquid with every meal. If not, I'd get the hiccups. So now it is really hard. When I take even small sips with food it doesn't go down all that well. But it is getting better. I had a hiatal hernia fixed at the same time, so that is likely part of it. I am a bit disappointed in my pounds lost, only because I lost so much at first, that when it slowed to a safe and normal rate, I was (and am) wanting more. I have lost about 8 inches from my belly already and that just rocks. But I figure with beer and all I was eating about 3000 to 3500 calories a day and sometimes way way more than that. Now it is 600-1000 per day. My expectations were/are a bit unreal - I know that - at the rate I was losing I would have dissappeared about August 12th. But when you make the change, and I have made huge changes (no beer, back to jogging, eating so carefully) I wanted instant results - which is likely why diets did not work well for me. I have not eaten one piece of anything bad at all in 25 days. And, in all honesty I would run over a nun for a few french fries, but I am so motivated that I really do not want the calories right now. With the sleeve I will have plenty of time to eat what I want down the road. For now I have to get my lifestyle changes a bit more ingrained. Did everyone get to enjoy the gardenhose down the nostril until it hits the balls of your feet and then swallow 10 gulps of Galveston Bay salt Water? Boy that was fun. All kidding aside, my urologist doesn't scare me that much. That was as yucky and experience as I can remember. But it did locate the hernia pre-surgery and that was good. I was out of the hospital the next morning and really felt pretty good. I had a drain and that was a drag. No pain involved, it was just a dangling clear turkey baster of yuck right there all the time. I think only doctors should see stuff that is supposed to be on the inside. I do not need a little tube with me draining out into a little looking glass. I was grossing myself out. So that is a bit about me and my start. Thanks for listening.