gustavo52974

For those of us in the gay community, I just don't want to be considered a "bear" anymore. "Bears" are guys who are large and hairy.

Congrats! I hope everything goes well. Let me/us know how you're doing post-op!

Try sneezing! I'm a pretty tough guy, but I actually saw stars the first time I sneezed after surgery. I thought my abdomen was going to explode!

It's strange...I read a lot about people eating Jello right after their surgery, but my surgeon and NUT were both vehemently against this. What gives?

I'm 11 days out and I'm starting to feel hungry again. I can't eat much in one sitting, but I do get hungry. Is this abnormal?

She did Weight Watchers commercials. That doesn't preclude the possibility that she had WLS.

If anyone is an opera fan, the American soprano Deborah Voigt had gastric bypass and was very public about it. It changed the quality of her voice: it became less rich, full, and dramatic for a few years after. Her voice eventually gained back some of these qualities and she has remained thin, but it wasn't like it was. My point is that a significant weight loss might change Aretha Franklin's voice as well. I haven't heard her sing recently, so this is just a guess.

This is totally a guess, and I don't mean to spread libel, but I'd bet real money Jennifer Hudson had some kind of WLS. Also, I have no idea if WLS was involved, but Kristen Wiig looks like someone who had lost a lot of weight at some point. I see it in her face.

My surgeon told me that I was also pre-diabetic, but never said anything about bypass being a better option than the sleeve. That doesn't it's not true, but my surgeon is very conscientious and I trust him implicitly.

Yes, I have a dent on one of my incisions too. 12 days post op here. It doesn't bother me so much, but my surgeon cut into me in 7 different places. My belly looks like a map of Stonehenge.

I know how you feel. I'm only 11 days out of surgery and I had some serious buyer's remorse episodes. Some people call it "mourning the loss". I suppose my loss is that I'll no longer be able to shovel large amounts of food into my mouth anymore. I sincerely loved doing that. But I was starting to disgust myself when I looked in the mirror too. I'm starting to feel human again though, and you will too.

Hi all, I'm 8 days out of surgery. Has anyone experienced a drop in testosterone immediately following surgery? I'm pretty sure (though not confirmed yet) that I must be low on testosterone. I feel weak and lethargic, I have no sex drive, and I'm not sleeping well--all symptoms of low test. Is this common?

I have that a bit too. I feel like it's a slow-motion burp.

I'm only 11 days out of surgery and I initially lost a lot of weight, immediately pre- and post-surgery (26 lbs). But after about day 7, I noticed that there were a couple days in which the scale didn't move at all. Today was one of them. I know it's not healthful to lose more than a certain amount per week, but it was like a stab in the heart this morning when I weighed just as much today as I did yesterday. I'm not doing anything different diet- or exercise-wise, so I know it's just a waiting game. But still...ugh. I got used to being two pounds lighter each day.

I've always hated Chinese food in general, but I've been having the strangest cravings since my surgery. pizza being one of them. I was never a big fan. But I've learned to distinguish between "head hunger" and true hunger. I've been able to sort out the difference between gas cramps and stomach hunger, which helped a lot. This website has been an absolute godsend. I just want to hug all of you!

I tried 2 oz of tomato Soup with a teaspoon of Greek yogurt (Fage), and I thought I died and went to heaven! It was so nice consuming something other than broth and those detestable Protein shakes. I'm only 8 days out and I wasn't sure if "full liquids" included soup. Either way, the soup didn't give me any trouble. I'm really wanting hot and sour soup now.

Does your "full liquids" include Soup?

I know I'm a newbie here, but this woman's story is a catalog of everything my surgeon told me not to do. An object lesson for us all, I suppose.

Yes, you're right. I did some research on my last name a few years ago and it turns out that it's an Italianization of a Sephardic Jewish last name. Apparently, my ancestors on my father's side immigrated from Portugal to escape some kind of persecution of the Jews. I don't remember exactly which one now.

Yes, May 29th, 1974. Same birthday as JFK. Gemini

Quite true, Catracks. I know both sides of my family are built the same: we must be descendant from farmer stock. Short bursts of powerful physical strength but not much on endurance, the way short, squat large builds require for such activities. Incidentally, my mother's side is from the north, so they're blonde and light skinned. My father's side was from the south (but not Sicily), so they're all brunette and darker olive skinned. So my sister and I got dark hair and light skin. Usually people guess that I'm Italian though, or if not, they guess Jewish (I'm not).

Thanks guys. I appreciate your responses. The strange thing was that I felt perfectly fine, and had a sex drive, until day 6 post-surgery. I see my surgeon tomorrow so I'll address these concerns and ask him for a testosterone test

Irish, Italian....tomato, tomahto. . I'm sorry to hear that your insurance isn't covering it. My insurance decided not to cover the procedure anymore right after they approved my surgery. They covered it, but apparently I was the last one they approved. Kind of scary, really. I'm glad I helped you with your decision. I didn't find this website until after I had had my surgery. I'm glad I did, because I was having some serious buyer's remorse. The incredibly kind and jaw-droppingly supportive people on here made me feel a lot better about it.

Oh my god, yes! Each commercial break has a food product or restaurant commercial (or WW/Jenny), a car commercial, or a commercial for some type of entertainment: movie, tv show, video game. During the day, they'll throw in a cleaning product too. I know it's mental hunger, or "head hunger" or whatever the term for it is, but I really want some macaroni & cheese.

Thanks for the encouragement! You're exactly right about the 1,000 sit ups. It feels almost exactly the same as the muscle soreness and fatigue you get the day after an intense workout. I'm sure it will go away eventually. The funny thing is that I was never a serious Italian food fan! I very much enjoy most of it, but I always hated lasagna (let's please not get into that...), sausage, and any kind of seafood Pasta combination. But I never went out of my way to eat Italian, especially since I'm allergic to onions.. I think this is because I ate so much of Italian food growing up and I have a very short attention span when it comes to food. But now, all I can think about is Italian food, especially pizza! I subsisted on pizza (and PB&J sandwiches) during college and I vowed never to eat it again. But these strange food cravings are popping up! macaroni and cheese especially. It's literally been decades since I've eaten that. Did anyone also have strange food cravings after the surgery?