Lakelady

Hand up over here! I've lost almost 60 lbs in 6 months! I've never heard of insurance covering it at that BMI but I don't know much because I was self-pay. My surgeon made it very very clear that it was considered an elective/cosmetic surgery and I was fine with that! I'd rather be a size 8 than have big boobs!

My ticker is public and tells all. Last January I weighed 188.5. Yesterday morning I weighed 120! I reached my doctor's goal of 156 in April (3 months), MY goal of 140 in June (5 months) and I've been maintaining 119-122 (except Christmas when I was 125 for a few days due to Cookies and hard liquor) since September (8 months). I was "low BMI" so I didn't have as much to lose but I don't regret doing this. Sometimes I'm hard on myself and wish I could have done with without surgery but then I remember the monster that is hunger and how I had to starve and jog and starve and jog just be 150, which was a fine weight for me but almost impossible to maintain!

I'm impressed that so many of you are so open. I've only told 2 people. The only hard thing about this whole thing has been all the attention-people want to know how I've done it. I have so many Facebook messages asking me how I lost all the weight. I really don't want to be defensive or deal with their reactiion so I don't tell-I'm pretty private so that is consistant with my personality. I have a new naturally thin friend and we eat about the same and she doesn't ask or bug me or care. Its really nice.

I found an old memory card that had some photos on it. One of them epitomizes the massive human being that I had become. Let's see if I can post this correctlyI
Before 272 Lbs

After 182 Lbs

On this day in 2010, I was revised from Lap Band to Sleeve by Dr. Aceves.

Life's good. I'm happy.

More comments to come later, but for starters, here's some photos detailing the last year of my journey (First 50 Lbs. was pre-op):

         

The video is great for patients with a gastric bypass. They do not have a sphinctor muscle between their pouch and the intestinal connection so fluids will wash food through much more quickly.
Sleeve patients retain the pyloric sphinctor in all of its previous glory. There is no medical evidence that my doctor can finds that indicates that it suddenly quits working after a sleeve. That is, the muscle remains contracted until digestion is completed in the stomach and then opens for slow drainage into the intestine.
I honestly believe that sleevers can drink some liquids with impunity. I drink about a half a cup of liquid with meals and can tell no difference in the length of timebefore I get hungry again when compared to not drinking. I personally do not see any reason to give up drinking with meals. Neither does my doctor.
Each of us should listen carefully to our doctors instructions but doctors are not gods and (heaven forbid!) have been known to be falliable.
Just my 2 cents.

My husband also loves curvy/thick women. But he knows how important this is to me, to be healthly and just feel better about myself. One of my biggest concerns on whether or not to have this surgery was how he would feel about me when I get thinner. We have had long coversations about it. He assures me he won't leave me because I get thinner.
Plus it would be stupid on his part, I'm to damn good to him. LOL I just can't wait until he can pick me up and do wild and crazy things...hehehehe.
My husband is 6'4 and about 280. I'm only 5'1. So its gonna be fun.

If it's worth anything I was pleasantly surprised not to have a catheter a couple weeks ago when I was sleeved. I'm also a nurse and place catheters but have never personally had one. It wasn't a bother to get up and pee. i was pleased.