LizInTexas

I'll be 2 years out Sept. 18th and I still take PPI's every day (or every other...) I was told by my surgeon that I would have to take them always, but especially for the prevention of Barrett's Esophagus (precancerous cells in the esophagus caused by excess acid that usually lead to esophageal cancer). I don't take them every single day anymore but if I don't take one every third day at the most, the heartburn begins and it takes DAYS to get rid of once it gets to that point. Seems like it just does more damage by not taking them. I, too, have not had any physical complications. The weight loss has pretty much come to a screeching halt and those last 10 or 15 pounds are gonna take some hard work I hope your tests show all is well. Keep up the good work !

Not really even sure how to put this because I've never been the whiny type, but while out to dinner on our 16th anniversary (1/17, and he didn't even remember until the day before when I reminded him), from out of the clear blue my spouse tells me that I need to stop talking about my weight loss and when someone asks me how much I've lost I just need to tell them how much better I feel instead of telling them how much I've lost. I've been very open with friends and family, it absolutely was not a secret. Now, he, on the other hand has gained about 30 pounds since my surgery (for which I was blamed... he gained weight because I put too much food on his plate !) I'm wearing HIS jeans now. The ones he can't wear anymore because they're too small. I've gone from a size 26W to a 12 (jeans are 32 inch waist) and now it feels like I'm being told that I should shut my mouth and stop being proud of MY accomplishment because he's tired of hearing it. I've always stated how much better I feel in my conversations with friends, even after the first 20 pounds were gone. Funny, but he's never heard me say it according to him. I was so stunned and hurt I couldn't even eat my "dinner". Not one bite would go down because my stomach was in such a knot and I had such a lump in my throat. He, on the other hand, was steadily tossing back top shelf margaritas and snarfing his food down like usual. I just sat there in stunned silence trying my best not to bust out crying in the restaurant because of what I was hearing. I'm still at a total loss as to how I should feel or respond. He told me for years that he was embarrassed to be seen with me. Now that I'm not huge anymore, he tells me what I should and shouldn't wear, that I shouldn't wear my shirts tucked in, or wear anything tailored because my gut still sticks out and it looks like crap. My friends and other family couldn't be more complimentary about how I look and I think I look great as well. He also told me that I've changed, and not for the better. So, now that I actually have some self esteem and self confidence it's a bad thing ??? I just keep thinking "how is this possible" ? Any CONSTRUCTIVE input, feedback, advice, experience, etc... would be MOST appreciated. I'm just truly devastated and heartbroken. 16 years together and he didn't even get me a card, not even after a gentle reminder, which I shouldn't have to do anyway IMHO.

I felt dizzy dizzy for about 6 weeks. Nothing was wrong thankfully and my surgeon said it's just the body adjusting to so few calories. Just be sure you get in all the fluids you can.

Curvy, I messaged you...

Thank you all so very much for your input and compassion. You'll just never know how much it means to me. The situation is soooo complicated. He talked me into quitting my job several years ago so my finances are totally controlled by him. I used what I had left of my "own" money to pay for my surgery (BEST money ever spent !) so my options are few. I have little family (1 elderly Aunt and 1 brother on full disability who can't pay his own bills half the time). In the state of Texas, women without children don't get any help from anyone unless they've had the living hell beat out of them, which thankfully he has never done. I, too, learned very well growing up how to abuse and think nothing of myself. My mother never wanted a second child, or a girl and she was all too good at letting me know it. To compound the problem, I haven't worked in 7 years and people who haven't worked in 7 months can't find work right now so I'm not exactly on the top of the list for new hires, though my skills are good. I live in a very small town more than 30 miles from "civilization". Nothing is in my name except for my car, which is also titled in his name as well. Now he wants to sell my car so he can go and buy a new truck. That'll be the next big fight cause it IS NOT happening !!! I just know that this stuff has gone on for years and now everything he's doing (and has done) to make me feel worthless and ugly isn't working anymore, and I think he knows it too, hence why he is now attacking what I consider to be MY greatest accomplishment. He definitely isn't worried about losing me. LOL. He's tried to shove me out the door for years (if you don't like it, you know where the door is... yada, yada...) I don't know what the best solution is (yet), but I know it can't be one made in haste. I'm just doing the best I can to keep the damage to my soul at a minimum. Again, thank you all so very much for your support and encouragement. It truly means the world.... You're all just awesome ! P.S. Funny, but I know there are several "vets" that are male and I'd really like to hear from them as well, so please weigh in guys ! The male and female brains work very differently and I'd love to hear the male perspective as well.

My weight loss stalled and crawled for months, started moving again, then stalled and crawled again for months... I found that it was pretty easy to adapt and give in to the mindset of "I can eat anything I want now since I can eat so little" and that's an absolute disaster in the making. Choices are still choices and even with the stomach capacity of a small bird, poor choices are still poor choices. When I stuck to proper (ie. healthy) food choices my weight started moving again, albeit very slowly the majority of the time. I have been, and still am, a very slow loser even making good food choices (I'm not perfect either ) . The quantity of dense Protein I am able to consume is still less than 2 ounces per meal and eating is a chore most of the time. My hair is very slowly, but finally, starting to grow back (more than half of it fell out...) , and the saggy skin just is what it is. The road certainly hasn't been easy, and it will continue on, but never once did the thought of "failing" even enter my mind. I chose the sleeve because it simply cannot fail; by it's own very unique and very permanent design. You must make yourself stick to your guns and make smart, healthy choices about what you put in your mouth. Yes, there are many things I miss about food (I'm a foodie and a pretty decent chef) and even with all the nausea, fatigue, near baldness, etc., I wouldn't go back for all the prime rib and chocolate truffles in the world. Not one bite of it tastes as good or is worth the way I feel now. I've gone from a 26W to a 14 Petite and for the first time in 20 years, I demanded to go out for New Year's Eve this year so I could STRUT, and that's exactly what I told my stick in the mud partner of 16 years who never wants to go anywhere. He threw every excuse in the book at me he could think of. But in the end, he couldn't deny me my well earned strut and the feeling was beyond anything I ever imagined... So... Get back to the basics of healthy eating, get your head back into the game, get some walking in, quit wasting energy feeling sorry for yourself because there has been no failure, and get things moving again. The sleeve is a very proven and reliable tool, but even proven reliability can be sabotaged by poor choices. Attitude is everything. Hang in there because it will happen !!!

I'm almost 14 month out and have lost well over half of my hair (more like two thirds). Good Protein intake, Biotin, zinc... nothing has helped. Still shedding but at least it's slowed down and I do have spikey little short hairs sticking out everywhere, sto at least it's growing very slowly. I'm thrilled with my weight loss, but I WANT MY HAIR BACK !!! It was thick and gorgeous... now it's thin, limp, and stringy.

I'm almost 14 months out and was never cold natured prior to surgery. Now, I'm cold all the time and it seems with each missing pound it gets worse. I sure hope whoever said it "normalizes" after a while is right, cause I'm not feeling it !

I'm a "veteran" as well and yes, I do remember you ! Whew, what a journey you've had Congratulations on both the weight loss AND the baby !!!

My surgery was just a short time before yours and I'm still losing, but very, very slowly now. I can eat a lot more than I could in the beginning as well, however, just because you CAN eat more doesn't mean you SHOULD eat more. I feel sure that if I tried to eat as much as I could (which is the behavior that caused me to become so grossly obese to begin with) my weight loss would completely stop and I'd probably start gaining. I personally don't allow myself to eat things like flour tortillas simply because they're absolutely horrible in the calorie/carbohydrate/fat department and I avoid fast food joints as much as possible because most all of them serve nothing but fried garbage that hides behind slick marketing terms like "low carb". According to nutritiondata.self.com, one low carb breakfast bowl at Hardee's contains 620 CALORIES and 50 GRAMS OF FAT ! There isn't a damn thing "healthy" about it and I wouldn't touch it with a 10 foot pole ! I also drink when I eat, which is a no no, but it works better for me that way. Even after having 80% of your stomach removed, it's still about making healthy, low fat, low calorie, SMALL PORTION, high Protein choices. WLS surgery is not a magic miracle fix that allows you to eat whatever you want or as much as you can possibly cram into your sleeve and still lose weight. You WILL stretch your sleeve if you aren't mindful about your portion sizes and you will NOT lose weight if you aren't mindful about your calorie intake. I know I didn't go through all this or spend all this money just to destroy my own chance of success by stuffing my face with things I know are calorie/carb/fat loaded; things I KNOW I shouldn't be eating. Those things are the exception, not the rule. I hope your stall breaks, and no, I don't think you need revision surgery, BUT... If you're eating burritos and breakfast bowls from fast food joints, it seems, in my humble opinion, that you just need to make better food choices and stop yourself from eating to max capacity at every meal. After all, poor food choices and over eating are two of the biggest reasons we got so fat to begin with ! It's essential to your success that you eliminate the old, bad food habits and bad food choices. I'm definitely not one of the health food only bean sprout eating diet fanatics either. I eat normal, regular food, but if you do what you always did before surgery, you'll continue to get what you always got before surgery: fatter and fatter. Please don't take offense, as none is intended; but given your described food choices and the big stall you're in, I feel a little fact reminder and tough love is in order. STOP eating things you know (or should know) aren't going to help with your weight loss. I've lost 125+ pounds in just under 14 months. Best of luck to you netbigfela Hang in there !

These comments are obviously made by people who have never been morbidly obese or struggled with losing weight and KEEPING it off. Until you've walked in the shoes, you can't possibly understand the journey so don't let anyone discourage you if it's truly what you want. Is it easy ? NO. Is it worth it ? For me personally, yes, absolutely 100% no question about it . I still have a ways to go, but this surgery has already given me my life back in so many ways. Ways that I thought I'd never have again and I couldn't be more thankful. I wish you the very best with YOUR journey !

With the Amazon Prime Membership, you pay one yearly fee (I think it's 79.00) and you get FREE 2 DAY SHIPPING on anything that is Prime Eligible (and it's a ton of stuff !). The fee pays for itself in no time, especially if you are a fan of their "subscribe and save" items (stuff you know you're going to use all the time and you a discount as well). The first year I tried it I was a skeptic ($80 really?), but by the time my membership was about to expire I crunched the numbers and I was hooked. And when they say 2 day shipping, you have your stuff in 2 days (but it depends on the day of the week you order, so factor in weekends). Plus the Prime Membership gives you access to tons of free movies and eBooks as well !

It's out of stock from Amazon at the moment... I'm an Amazon junkie (love my Prime Membership !) so I'll keep checking but thanks for the info !

I was served coffee while I was still in the hospital. The only thing I was told never to touch was gummy vitamins as they can get stuck and cause huge problems. Also told to take a PPI (proton pump inhibitor ie. acid reducer) twice a day. I take plain old generic omeprazole and it works like a charm. I drink 2 or 3 cups of real coffee every day and haven't ever had a problem. Seems surgeons all have different rules and advice so common sense coupled with trial and error is the key to knowing what works for you. Their advice is merely that.... advice. Always a good idea to listen, but ultimately, you have to decide for yourself what works for you.

I was a very slow eater to begin with and after surgery it went from slow to crawl just to get in 2 ounces of protein (what veggies ? what fruit ?) My surgeon doesn't care about the "lingering" thing. He said to get my protein in no matter how long it takes me to eat it (measuring or weighing your food keeps you from over eating so invest in a food scale). I don't know of anything that won't get cold sitting on a plate for more than 10 or 15 minutes. I'll definitely be getting one of those spiffy little plates (even though they are pretty pricey) because I'm sick to death of eating cold, unappetizing food !

I'm also 8 1/2 months out and have lost well over half of my hair. Started about month 3 and didn't let up at all until about month 6. Do not inflict any torture on your hair like color, perms, or other chemicals. Use an all natural conditioner like olive oil, argan oil, heck, even good ol' mayo at least once a week and leave it on for a LONG time (I used some sort of heat and left mine on for a couple hours !) Just stay away from chemicals (which is all commercial conditioners really are: aka chemical soup with some fragrance) Once the hair is gone, it's gone, so concentrate on a healthy scalp (a rinse of apple cider vinegar works great and the smell is gone with a good rinse and 5 minutes). Biotin and a good multi vitamin are a big help for sure, but the only thing that really slows it down and promotes regrowth is good old protein. I still have to drink shakes even at almost 9 months out to get my protein in, and staying hydrated is still VERY hard, but VERY important for everything including hair. I'm so thankful for all the spikey little sprigs of new growth I have (only about an inch long and sticking out everywhere !), but I really HATE looking like a used brillo pad But I'll take it any way I can get it ! It does slow down so don't lose hope. Just concentrate on keeping your scalp and your diet healthy and it will come... Hang in there Now who has the remedy ideas for thighs that are beginning to look like my grandmother's Austrian curtains ????

Are you exercising ? Getting enough liquid ? Eating enough ?

I'm not quite 5 months out (hope that doesn't get me kicked out of the "vets" forum!)and eating 2 ounces of protein like chicken or red meat is hit or miss at best. Some days I can, some days it simply isn't going to happen. My body thinks vegetables have gone extinct. I supplement with vitamins and protein drinks as well to maintain nutrition the best I can, but I'm going to try grazing on veggies in between protein battles. It's gotten easier up to now, so I'm assuming it will hopefully continue to get easier (but not too easy !) And hopefully, my hair will stop coming out by the handful as well !

Do you happen to have a link you can post to the source of this information ? I'd like to see more details, specifically, what states have which limitations and the qualification criteria. My options were self pay, or self pay, but it's been worth every single cent ! I'm trying to persuade my brother to consider VSG. He had his first 3 heart attacks at the age of 36, is now 52 and fully disabled because of the 8 stents in his heart, and is ringing the bell somewhere in the vicinity of 375 - 400 pounds, and getting heavier by the week. To say that I fear for his life is a major understatement.

Okay, so I'll be 3 months out on Dec. 18th and have been experiencing progressive and increasing difficulty eating anything of a solid consistency and getting enough fluid down. Things of a smooth consistency (eg. oatmeal, yogurt, soup) go down much better, but nausea is experienced after every meal no matter what it is. I've been extremely careful not overfill my sleeve, but have also experienced throwing up after eating three times in the last 2 weeks so I'm really beginning to wonder if I haven't had some excessive scar tissue develop and narrowing of the opening to the stomach is what is causing this. I feel like at 3 months, I should be able to consume more than 2-3 bites of chicken, steak, ham, tuna, or fish without feeling sick and in pain with that lovely feeling like the food is stuck. Any thought ? Ideas ? Suggestions ? I am self-pay and my fees included 90 days of follow up care, so the clock on ticking down fast. I can't afford to shell out thousands more if, in fact, a dialation becomes necessary, nor can I continue to go without proper nutrition. Looking forward to your responses ! Thanks

Sleeve. Didn't even consider bypass. Way to many potential future complications.

Boones Farm ?? :o ack.... Reisling ?? :wub: Moet ?? :wub: :wub: and love Dom too but the budget is still recovering from surgery as well... I do so miss beer though... Have some great recipes for brewing too... Used to make some really GOOD stuff

OMG I'd be begging for anesthesia if I had 10 christmas trees to decorate !!!

LOL IGGY CHIC !!! You beat me to hitting the enter button ! .

Some of you may not like this response, but cest la vie... First, let me clarify that I have well over 100 pounds to lose so I am not a low BMI'er and I also didn't have an insurance company footing the bill, so my research and deliberation was extensive and lengthy (over a year). There are MAJOR risks associated with this surgery and it is an EXTREMELY difficult adjustment for not only yourself, but everyone involved in your life. Nothing about it is "easy". Please search for member "Iggy Chic" and read her story. She was low BMI and she openly admits that she had this surgery purely for vanity reasons and "potential/possible future weight issues" based on her personal family history. She went through absolute hell. (She has the inner strenth of Atlas times 10 by the way !) If I had only 50 or 60 pounds to lose, NO WAY would I have had this surgery. Her story, and those of several others, are stories of absolute HORROR, and the potentlal for these types of nightmares to happen is very real. Unless my life was truly threatened by MORBID obesity (not just moderately overweight and catering to vanity), and if I had no other very serious issues, I'd go another route and I'd keep trying other routes until all else had failed. Having 80% of a major organ removed permanently shouldn't be considered as anything other than an absolute last resort. This surgery is in NO WAY an easy fix... It will change your life for sure, but sometimes there are changes that you'd give anything to be able to undo, and this surgery cannot be undone. Just my two cents, so please don't attack or get ugly. I'm just offering food for thought based on my personal experiences and more than a year of extensive research.