BriarRose

The first three weeks - I won't be coy here.... were really really hard. Having bones sawed off, and replaced and drilled into place is really painful; at any weight. However, once I got to being able to move around more - once the 34 staples were removed after just over 2 weeks; I was able to start moving around more. I totally gave up on the narcotics by the end of week two. I couldn't hold them down well, and the only thing I could eat was.... basically toast with a bit of jam. I finally at about the middle of week three could start walking a bit outside instead of around my dining room table - and progressed from taking 300 steps a day to over 1000 in that third week. At week 6 I am now able to walk for about 10 minutes with a cane, twice a day, and am able to take care of myself, the house, a flock of chickens (less any heavy lifting), the dog, parrot and reptiles. I weigh basically almost half of what I did at my heaviest. With this surgery,.... right before it, I was very limited in my ability to walk. I had gained 8 pounds from my lowest. After surgery at week 2 I was up another few pounds - Surgeon told me this is normal from how much IV fluids I was getting to keep me going. I am frankly eating A LOT of healthy foods right now. On dr's and nutritionist suggestion to build back muscle, nerve and bone loss. I am told that in another couple weeks I will start to lose the weight again. I am not worried, and I can hang with the process. I am walking about 4,000 to 5000 steps a day - over what I should be for my age and where I am post op.

A dozen years since my sleeve. Maintaining my weight... I am now 67 years old. I have been bone on bone on both knees for years. I finally had the first knee replacement. Let me tell you.... this is no joke. I am very stoic and don't get crazy about anything. The level of pain in the first few weeks was epic. However the thing that has me totally entranced is that I am now in Physical Therapy doing my rehabilitation. And getting stronger for the second knee replacement that I will get in late Spring... After 4 grueling sessions; I am walking, moving well, and have almost 100% function in my surgical knee. I can't get over the comments from the PT and surgeon - About how my "normal" weight allowed me to do so well. My weight is still high. I know that. But I am comfortable where I am, and this is where I have been for a few years, and is my lowest adult weight ever. HECK. NORMAL WEIGHT ? No one is commenting on me being super obese, or needing to lose weight. Instead the focus is on strength and eating well, and getting stronger . What a huge difference.

I eat rice "backwards" ... Most dishes have the rice as the base of the dish. I put the vegetables, and protein at the bottom or as the majority of my meal, and then sprinkle the rice on top .... I can add as much or as little as I desire, but this way, I see the rice .... and I have some, just not as the majority of my plate/meal. I do this in many different cuisines !

Call your doctor. Like immediately. This should not be happening. Not with the kind of pain you are experiencing. You are very much post surgical and need medical advice.

Maintaining my weight between 160 and 164. Happily so. Will be getting my knee replacements this coming winter !! Newest odd thing that happened ? My weight has been stable for many months - and I am thrilled at being comfortable in my skin ( in all of it's lovely looseness ) - I noted my bras not fitting well. Decided to go in and have a proper fitting. I have been wearing a 40 D - was measured at between a 36 and 38 DD - Huh ? Really ? Tried on said correct sizes depending on brand. And They fit beautifully. Even at 67 years old our bodies change is such strange and unexpected ways, even years after losing the weight !

I hate to say this, but 1800 calories a day is too much unless you are doing really strenuous exercising. I can maintain my 150 plus pound weight loss at about 1000 to 1200 calories a day, and I currently weight about 160, I am 67 years old and have had no skin removal. My doctors feel that if I did, I would be around 145 to 150. But I need new knees and there is no way I am going to have more elective surgery. But If I eat 1800 calories a day, I gain weight. Fast. Like in a couple days. And yes, there IS more restriction in eating chicken, and fish and other meats. I eat more cheese and dairy than I probably should. But it works for me. I also eat eggs. I make sure at least 2 meals a day have a simple protein like eggs, or chicken or fish, and the occasional beef meal. I happen not to eat shellfish or pork. If I have oatmeal for breakfast, I make sure to have a yogurt for a midmorning snack. I eat few processed carbs and keep my pasta, rice or bread to very very low amounts. Protein, vegetables, fresh fruits. This morning I am having my coffee then, fresh watermelon and scrambled eggs with some shredded cheese. Get back to basics and re check with your doctor or nutritionist about calories. Frankly I rarely if ever count calories; but I know what I am eating and what I can eat to maintain my weight loss. Best of luck and healthy eating to you !

Went to Orthopedic surgery consult to start on knee replacements. (I am 67 and bone on bone - both knees...) Had my sleeve a dozen years. Doctor is going through issues ... my asthma, chronic lung issues.... he asks if I have any questions.. I ask about my weight. He looks at me like I have said "my third knee" and says "Your weight is fine for your age...why are you asking?" oops. Old Habits....

The first time I did this; I had NO idea what to do or what to look at or what size I was. I almost walked out feeling too overwhelmed at the choices and having ZERO idea what all the descriptions of jeans were and what size I might wear. I finally asked a sales person. I explained how much weight I had lost and that I was literally LOST in the store. I was in my late 50's and had NO IDEA what to look at. She was so kind and eyed me up and gave me one size 18 jean and a few 16s and told me to try on the 18 first. It was big. I cried. BEST DAY EVER ! I had also worn a 26/28 jean... MORE SUCESS TO FOLLOW !! Best of Everything to you !

I would suggest that looking for very small steps is the answer and expecting much back slide and angst. Depression and anxiety can go hand in hand. An antidepressant medication can be extremely helpful in situations such as these, and there ARE weight neutral meds that can really help. I highly suggest doing both medications for at least 6 months to a year AND counseling. The combination of the two are the MOST helpful. Medication will help her brain chemistry to allow her to see through the fog of depression. Also expect some hard days as her body adjusts to medication - perhaps even up to 6 weeks, but the change will be there.

This is so hard. Please encourage your daughter to go to a doctor. There are many VERY good docs who will accept medi-caid. And there are very good mental health clinics that will do so also. You might try calling the Department of Mental Health in your state/county and getting some referrals for her. My heart goes out to you and to her. Hopefully this is a time and place that will develop into a new time and a new place for her and for you.

These are wonderful wonderful happenings all around !!!

I am a 67 year old woman. I had surgery over a dozen years ago, and quite frankly... I have a lot of sagging, baggy, skin. And I am dammed proud of it. I have had to have enough surgeries in my lifetime that I am not going to put myself through any plastic surgery. I am lucky enough that my belly doesn't really hang, and I am not physically challenged from any hanging skin. Do I look like "saggy baggy the elephant" naked ? Yep. Do i still wear sleeveless shirts that show my hanging skin on my upper arms ? Yes I do. I wear shorts that cover the drooping skin on my thighs. But once, a long time ago, I was visiting a National Park and saw an older woman in hiking shorts, and a tank top. She was tanned and looked so healthy... and I realized that she had saggy skin, and had lost a LOT of weight. I was very obese. I looked at that woman and knew what I wanted to be when I was old (well.... at 30 something, 60 something looked really old !) and you know what ? I AM that woman. Whoever she was/is. She was a silent inspiration to my eventual weight loss. Now, when I am walking a trail in that same National Park, I recall her influence and thank her.

Those are pretty over whelming diagnoses. I would start with one of your doctors and ask for advice, and for an appointment with a nutritionist who is knowledgable about people who have had a gastric sleeve. Your nutritional needs have changed as your diagnoses have caused havoc on your body. The Hashimotos especially. You probably need to have a CBC and have levels taken for vitamins and minerals and keep track of your where your Thyroid levels are at. Then come up with a plan that you feel comfortable with. I am more than a dozen years out and had significant regain, and then have re-lost my gains and more. I too had some medical issues to overcome, and still do. But I made the re-losing at MY OWN pace. Which was comparatively SLOW to losing after surgery. I took a few years to lose the first 45 pounds I had put on, and then look another couple years to get where I am now. But I took long breaks after losing each 10 pounds at first to make sure I could maintain that loss. I purposely stopped losing and did maintenance for a few months. Then made a goal of losing another 10. Then did the same thing. The last year or so my goals were even smaller. Because it WAS harder. But I am at a healthy place and myself and my doctors are very pleased. I have to have blood work done every few months to make sure I am maintaining certain values, so there is that. But I work with my GP who has been wonderfully supportive.

Not worrying about chairs ! Not being the fattest human in the room . Not feeling like people are watching what I put on my plate at a gathering. Being able to sit in the back seat of a car and not worrying about the seatbelt not fitting !!! All absolutely true !!!

Please talk to your family doctor or a mental health professional (licensed therapist, psychologist or psychiatrist) After and during weight loss and after surgery our bodies can take a beating and we think we are doing ourselves such a great and healthy thing... and then we feel like crap. Have I had this ? Not depression, but I had panic attacks start after a year after surgery. NOT FUN. Still have them. Take meds for that. I am also a mental health professional and I think that folks who have WLS or undergo dieting or major life changes should all consult their doctors about mental health changes that can come up with all these changes happening to our bodies. Have you had blood levels drawn ? vitamin and mineral numbers done ? A FULL blood panel including all your thyroid counts and numbers ? Please do that too. Rapid weight loss can throw our hormones and our physiological balance way out of whack. And our brains are part of our bodies. Hence, our brain chemistry can change and BAM - Depression, Bi-Polar and all sorts of stuff can come up. Talk to your doctor, get a referral for Psych consult. IF you feel like you might hurt yourself or start drinking/using drugs get yourself to a mental health professional right away !

My answer is always the same: ( 12 years out ) and I meet people I have not seen in years and I am half of myself ! "thank you for noticing. So kind of you" Then I compliment something about them - " I love your ring !" "what a great outfit !" or " I heard you moved, tell me all about your new house !" People love to talk about themselves. If they come back around, I just comment something like " Yep, whole new me." and change subject. Conversation ender. If they keep coming back to it, I make some lame statement like " I eat less and move more." All true. No one's business.

Wow !!!!! Amazing !

Don't laugh. I am 12 years out. Lost a lot, had stuff happen. Gained about 45 pounds back (out of more than 150 lost) and 3 years ago decided to lose it again..... and I did. And then some. So now at 67 years old.... I have gone from a size 28 a dozen years ago, and this week decided to go shopping again because my size 14 jeans (that I was soooooo proud of just months ago) were not staying up... and I JUST BOUGHT size 12 Jeans and slacks for work. SIZE 12. DID YOU HEAR THAT ? I keep giggling. Healthy (well mostly) Happy, Active, Working, Gardening, Chicken keeping, and a FREAKING SIZE 12. Does it work ? Does it still work ? YEP it does.

Sometimes our bodies just decide to hold onto where we are right now. I am 12 years out. I had a wonderful Birthday week - and then some celebrations .... and a trip to Disneyland and ate meals out. I literally gained 5 pounds in a week. Shrug. I went back to what I do.. high protein, low to no processed carbs, lots of fruit and veggies, yogurt, cheese, nuts.... and for the first week and a half....nothing. the 5 lb weight just sat there. I ignored it. Two weeks, nothing, three weeks.... finally this week... it all came off. I did NOTHING different. It just happens that way (for me, at least) sometimes. It WILL come off. Give your body time. Losing weight quickly as we do in the first year is traumatic to our bodies. If your body shuts down, there may be a reason. I always figure my body is telling me that food is limited and we are having a famine ..... I explain to myself that this is not pre-history. I have a freezer and a stove and food. Eventually it will Happen.

I had a VSG 12 years ago. I have lost 159 Pounds. I did gain some back, and had a couple years when I gained weight following an emotional year or two of huge loss. But I got back on the wagon and lost it all again. I started at 320 pounds and now live between 160 and 163 pounds. I eat well, I feel great at 67 years old, have more energy then I did at 40 !!! Your sleeve will help you to lose the weight.

My only regret was that this surgery was not available years ago. I had my VSG 12 years ago, in my mid 50's. I am now 67 years old ( next week !) and lost and gained back weight my entire life. I weigh less now what I weighed in graduate school, which was in 1980. I have lost half of myself. I started at 320 before my pre surgery weight loss. I am not skinny by any means. But I went from super morbidly obese to now in the (high) but NORMAL range of BMI - but more than that, I have learned how to maintain my weight loss. Can you lose 70 pounds without Weight loss surgery ? I don't know. Will you lose 70 pounds with surgery ? YES. Is it scary to have surgery ? Yes, especially thinking about it ahead of time. But having surgery in your 30's is easier than in your 50's !!! And By the way, having bariatric surgery helps us to lose weight NATURALLY. There is nothing un-natural about surgical intervention for a medical problem. Don't think of yourself as being broken. Think of this surgical intervention as a medical necessity for your future.

Some of my oddest things I have noticed about myself - There is space between my legs.... I mean, like standing in front of a mirror, in a pair of jeans; there is space ! How weird is that ? And I DO weird things. Today someone brought in douhnuts to the office. There were about 4 in the box this afternoon. I had a half of one earlier..... and I did not even consider taking the leftovers home... I found a colleague with kids at home and handed her the box ... later I realized that it wasn't even on my mind to take them home.... MIND BLOWN.

I couldn't drink those protein drinks for anything. To me they tase of metal and processed crap. Sorry. Not sorry. What did I do ? and what do I do now 12 years later ? I tried them pre surgery. Most of them made me horribly ill. I found out I cannot digest any of the sugar replacers or any of the milk replacers. It brings on colitis. Like weeks of the runs with terrible cramping. So.... I pre made myself super strong chicken broth; for post surgery I strained it through doubled cheese cloth. I kept and froze the chicken, and carrots separately. Later I made those into mashed carrots with some broth to thin it. And I basically food processed the chicken and had that as I was able to sip non clear liquids. I also made really strong vegetable broth - not soup, broth. With mushrooms and squash, and things like that. I froze my soups in tiny containers. And I made fish broth too. And beef broth. With the bones, and then super strained at first. I still make this and use it as the base for sauces, as I strain out any fats too. I eat simple proteins. I made and ate early on lots of chicken salad with some added broth, and humus instead of mayo. I still eat it that way. more protein and fiber. tuna mixed with greek yogurt. eggs mixed with yogurt for egg salad. Now, I make myself chicken thighs, and vegetables all the time. I like to use my crock pot to make boneless skinless thighs with carrots or chunks of sweet potato - and whatever vegetable I feel like adding. I am into gardening so I might add seasonal veggies like cabbage or beans or english peas, I use very little salt, lots of fresh herbs. I use the crock pot to make pot roast which comes out so tender and easy to eat, with tomatoes and serve it with cauliflower "rice" - I made all these things early on, and just mashed the heck out of things, adding homemade broth to smooth.

Have you seen your surgical team and maybe had some labs drawn ? It might be helpful.

For me, as someone mentioned above, NOW - food is my friend. I see it as fuel, I feel completely happy and satisfied when I prepare meals that are healthful and delicious, and that food really IS my fuel. I am 12 years out and am in my late 60's. When I get hungry now, I NEED to eat... if I get too busy at work and realize I have a headache....it's because I forgot to eat. I have prepared myself my lunch.... I do it every night, and shop so that I have great choices to put together. My sliced turkey, with humus and avocado and tomato in a low carb 70 calorie wrap is perfect ! I enjoy meals, I enjoy being active and being able to work and garden and take care of my mini-ranch. I also eat a treat every darned day, because I plan it, and I can, and I want to. Small treats ? Yes. But treats. I have learned to see food as what it is. Our fuel. How we get vitamins and minerals and all the things we need to be able to do the things we want and need to do in life.