RJ'S/beginning

I can't believe it! Finally after 10 months I was discharged from nurses care. That was a long 10 months let me tell you..Now I am on my own to do what I please with no time limits...What ever will I do..LOL Seriously though, I was wondering if I was ever going to get better...Feels kinda strange to not be around medical personal.....Hope I can handle it...who am I kidding I can definitely handle the freedom it will give me. For once I really feel like I am finally on my journey.!!!!!

I had a 5 month stay in hospital due to complications with the sleeve...I went septic, in a coma, lost all my hair, did not eat for 51/2 months, had 10 surgeries and had a trackia. Had to learn to walk again. Talk again, eat again. And even speak again....Got a category 5 ulcer on my ass when I was in the coma and just now it has healed enough for me to no longer need a nurse.....my journey has been a night mare... but I would do it all again because of how I feel right now...I can stand for hours used to stand for 10 min. and the pain was so bad I would have to sit down. Migraines every day. Had trouble getting up and down stairs..Etc..you know the drill... I am so much happier with the sleeve..It almost cost me my life but it gave me my life back..... That is the short version...

it will happen for you I promise...I never thought I would ever get this far....It really makes you appreciate the reasons you did this surgery eh! Hang in there, each day is one day closer....Yes I said it...

It is very normal to have second thoughts....This surgery is not for the faint of heart...trust me....but! You must have done a lot of research about it and made a choice to improve your health and make your life better...This is one of the reasons we do it..All other options have been tried. Personally I was chomping at the bit to get the surgery done and I ended up with a lot of complications....You are feeling normal..This is major surgery! Your going to be scared but very happy when it is done and you are on your journey to a healthier and better you!

Dori from finding Nemo----- just keep swimming, just keep swimming!

You need to get yourself some G2 Gatorade and drink it every day for a while until you get better.....Dehydration is a scary thing...I had it happen to me only once....G2 helped...Now I drink some everyday. I mix it 1/2 and 1/2 with water and I am 10 months out and still feel the need to keep my electrolytes up.

This is not a post about my feelings or thoughts about myself...I used this as an example so that this beautiful lady will not feel alone. I am still here and working hard on my issues as well..That is why I can try to encourage her to see herself in a different light because I have to work on it every day like she does....When your not alone or the only one...sometimes it can help you move forward....that is what I hope with telling her how I see myself....It has not stopped me or defeated me...it is something I work on every day.....K

I have no trouble eating tomatoes canned or not...Salsa is one of my favorites...I don't bother making spaghetti anymore because what's the point..But I do like tomatoes in Soup and stews like you said.... I drink orange juice at night to take down my Iron pill...I can now eat and orange without any reflux... That has all changed to me after the surgery...I am 10 months out and don't take Nexium anymore!

Now now...I thought honesty was the right thing to be on here...I was stating a fact..If you don't agree... I appreciate it.....Your a doll to say so!!

It wasn't an endoscopy...BUT...I woke up when they were removing stents from my stomach...I could feel them pulling them out...I made a noise and with in a milla-second I was out again. I was terrified when I woke up again in recovery.....No one talked about it...But I was scared because next they were going to insert clamps to close my leak... I burp all the time and sneeze when I eat and my nose runs as well.....The trade offs we make for weight loss eh! Your probably okay...just keep swimming K

Once again you are allowing your brain to dictate what you think you need to do to feel better...The only way for you to go forward is to push it forward...Jump start your program by Protein drinks 4 a day for a few days..I have read on here that that works.....never tried it myself.... I know when I reach my goal or even close all the old fears and demons will surface again... Right now I look in the mirror and see a horribly obese disgusting person.....I think I always will...I have seen myself like that almost all my life..... The trade off for me is that I feel better and can do so much more now then I used to. I ask my husband almost everyday if I am gaining weight....I am so frightened of that...And yet I am scared of what the future holds with my body image as well... It really doesn't matter because it is all in our heads...Everything we do in life is a crossroad....we go this way or that way...Only we can over power our weaknesses and come out stronger for the choices....What is the worst thing that could happen if you just put your head up and said to hell with it all and went to the gym.....Only good things I believe as this is what you need to do to make yourself feel better.....go to the gym!!!!!!!!!

Yes I lost all my hair..It was long and blond when I went in for the surgery and it came out as 2 thin strands at the top of my head.....I was shocked and cried uncontrollably. My hair dresser came and cut the 2 strands off and I waited for it to grow...I never went anywhere until I had my third cut.... When you go through what I went through you lose many things..I almost lost my life..... One thing I can say is that the new hair has come in curly...when it used to be straight and I have less gray now....Don't know why but it is a pleasant surprise I think!

There are some nut and berry combinations that are great as a snack...I always keep a 1/4 of a cup with me at all times.....

I had Chinese at my daughters a few weeks ago....beef noodles....it was excellent and I had no trouble eating it that day....the next day I threw it up and could not figure why....So I decided to try again 2 nights later...Oh I was so sick..Threw up for 1 hour......Did not read the red flag...dah! And paid for it dearly.... Have not eaten it since......

I eat fish and fish and more fish..Does not matter what kind...I try it...the only fish so far I can't tolerate is canned tuna...Sticks in my throat.. I have lost interest in so many foods...corn for one, beef, pork, even bacon is difficult for me to eat.....I tried olives the other night and spit them out...I used to love olives...green ones...as the black ones always tasted like dirt to me... I have tried a lot of new foods that I would never have eaten before like sardines....clams....etc..

I am 10 months out from my first surgery and still have medical treatment from a nurse daily....But I can not longer see through my hair and I am getting stronger and stronger. This surgery gave me my life back..It did not happen like most of you...slow start....but it is happening...ye haw!

Some very good points Gamergirl! I am a sugar and Pasta addict for sure....now 10 months out I can have a little sugar...A bite, and it never tastes as good as I remember.... Pasta...well I can't eat much of that as I have no room for it....but I still enjoy the taste of it and will eat some if I have it that night.... Maybe moderation is not the word to use....Maybe the word is moderating ourselves as we know our weaknesses more then others.....That is why we had the surgery to learn a new and better way of eating..Healthier and less...much less! I just can't look at it like a diet.....I get a panic attack when someone says the word...So I look at it as a new way of life and I eat a little of everything when it is in a meal.......

I lost all my hair while I was in the hospital recovering from complications with the sleeve... I have short hair now and my family says I look saucy..lol So going to keep it short for a while I think!

Some of the reasons you mentioned are similar to my reasons...except it was my grand daughter that made me make the final choice.. You look wonderful....Keep that smile too....amazing!!!

I always have a snack at night before I go to bed....I will eat a 1/4 C of nuts, or a yogurt, fruit...If I don't eat something at night I wake up in the middle of the night very very hungry....It gets me through the night and it is working.. Sure is better then chips and other junk food.... Seems to be working for me

Scales are for fish! lol

There is a huge difference between head hunger and the real thing. Telling yourself you are still hungry after you have eaten is part of the old you.. Like all of us you have to deal with the reasons why you are a binger and what brought you to this point. I watch my husband eat a lot at meal times and I know that I used to eat more then him....scares me now when I think about it..But! I now know why I did what I did and am working hard to fix my head along with my body.. The sleeve is a tool that you need to use to help you deal with the issues....Stick to the program and if you find it unbearable eat some fruit...It really has become quite sweet to me after 10 months out!

You sure picked some heavy hitters as your hero's. Even though I am quite sure that what you have learned is valuable to all of us.... and stated with vigor. I do not plan to set a record ....I already set a record in my neighborhood for being the heaviest.... I eat a little of everything as well....I am keeping refined sugar to a minimum! This way when I finish healing I plan to get moving more as you said... I have hyped over my diets for so long I appreciate this new tool that has been teaching me that I can live with much less and survive quite well.... I know a lady who does these marathons and she carbo loads too.....She looks like she has no body fat at all....She looks amazing.....I will never be that lady....I am just me!

For me..moderation.....i eat about 1 cup of food at a meal...Sometimes less...depends on how my sleeve is doing that day.. I eat what I want....But Protein is first, veggies second, fruit and then carbs..... I am not going to trade one food addiction for another...The whole point of this was to help me learn to eat to live not live to eat.... If I were to look at it as another diet.....I would never make it.. I also want to be able to eat at friends houses and not worry about what they are serving.... So far so good!!!!!!!!!!

No it doesn't....trust me you have gone through the worst of it already...So don't worry...Just go and get it done....You will feel better when they are removed