jenniesue

I'm still in shock! I bought 3 different pairs of pants yesterday in a size 10. All different brands, so it wasn't just a fluke. The first picture is a month before surgery and 2 weeks before my pre-op diet. The second picture is me in my new size 10 jeans. I'm down 102 lbs in 10 1/2 months!

Thanks! I'm 10 1/2 months out.

My advice is that everyone's weight-loss journey is different. What works for some will not work for all. I personally do not count calories or carbs. I still have trouble eating bread, rice, and Pasta... so I don't touch the stuff. I focus on making this a lifestyle change. All the times I've lost weight before, I've done non-fat everything. Or zero-carb everything. Or, fill-in-the-blank gimmick to achieve my results. This time is different. Besides the food my sleeve does not handle, nothing is off-limits for me... just in moderation. Because I have an awesome sleeve, my restriction is still very good. My success is mostly due to the fact I cannot get much food in. And, I stopped supplementing with Protein shakes. I do struggle daily getting my Water in. Though, I have 1-2 small coffees or lattes each day. My weakness is Eggnog Latte from Starbucks. But, I always get the "short" size without whipped topping. Unfortunately, I have let exercise fall by the wayside. I was pretty diligent preparing for my first 5k in June of this year. But, I haven't been back to the gym since I finished the 5k. I have signed up for another 5k for this coming June to hopefully get a fire under my booty. I do have loose skin, but not too bad. If I start kicking booty at the gym, I'm sure that would really help. My motivation is seriously clothes shopping in the "normal" stores. And, many times I just go into stores to only try on clothes. I make a point to buy at least one nice outfit for every size I go down. All my other clothes can be from goodwill or secondhand. But, I want at least one outfit that makes me feel good about myself. Jenn

I was freezing all the time at my top weight. I always slept with an electric blanket even in the hottest summer months. Now, with 89# gone, I have to put a heavy blanket over the electric blanket so I'm not shivering all night. lol ~Jenn

Okay, let me preface this with the fact that I've been to my fair share of specialists since April 6 to explain my sudden loss of vision. All kinds of tests: MRI, CT scan, vision field test, angiogram, eye scan, and a plain old vision test. One of the specialist's wife is some sort of rehabilitation doctor. They were apparently talking about my case at home. This rehabilitation doctor said that she is seeing more and more bariatric patients with vision issues. Has anyone heard of that?? A Google search showed a few articles about vision loss after surgery is rare, but has happened, And it's irreversible. I guess I'm lucky that I've only lost my peripheral vision and will need corrective lenses... as long as it doesn't get worse. But, since the one doctor made a correlation to vision loss and bariatric surgery, I was wondering if anyone else experienced it? ~Jenn

I took diet pills 15 years ago (remember the phen/fen craze?). I was under close doctor supervision because diet pills can increase your risk of heart attacks and malnutrition.... so I was told at least. My gut reaction is to steer clear of diet pills. Believe it or not, there is a major benefit to being a slow loser.... less chance of saggy skin! Take your time, enjoy the journey while you're are on it.

I hate to say it, but everyone is different. A lot of people on the forum were up and about days after VSG. Many other people (myself included) took weeks to heal and be up for any activities. I personally would not schedule a non-refundable event only 2 days after any surgery. You just never know how you will feel. If you have the option to bale out at the last minute without losing any money, then I think that would be okay. As for LASIK, it was the best thing I ever did for myself! I even put that above VSG. I was blind as a bat before LASIK (I couldn't even see the "E" on the vision charts. I knew it was an E... everyone knows it is an E. But, it was just a blob without my contacts or glasses.) I was lucky and had 20/20 after the surgery. Even if I didn't have perfect vision, I would have been satisfied to see the alarm clock each morning. Before LASIK, I could not recognize someone 2 feet in front of my face without corrective lenses. ~Jenn

I've had 160 on my driver's license since I got my DL 20 years ago! At my top weight, that's a difference of over 100lbs. I see nothing wrong with fibbing the weight on your DL. Most people have no concept of what other people weigh to make the listed weight even useful. If it was truly important for the weight to be accurate, the government wouldn't just take the person's word. We can infer the low importance of weight on the DL based on the absence of a scale. ~Jenn

Stronger by Kelly Clarkson... "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" I had a rough start on my sleeve journey, but I'm stronger because if it!

And the armrest easily lays down with no saddle bags overflowing in the next seat!! YAY! I hate flying, but this really really takes some stress off.

Writing. It keeps my hands busy and my head into something other than food. I've wanted to be a writer since I was 9 years old. I started about 3-4 books at a very young age. But, I allowed myself to second-guess writing as a realistic career over the years. So, I eventually gave it up. Just as I was a closet eater pre-op, I am now a closet writer. I'm not comfortable with anyone reading my stories. I'm embarrassed because I usually bear my heart and soul in my writings (in both fiction and non-fiction stories). My goal is to actually finish a story, then eventually share it with someone. ~Jenn

I was very impressed with Hoehn pre-op. He openly answered all my questions and I never felt rushed. While I was a slow healer, I never had any complications. So, I consider the surgery a success. That being said, expect to never see Hoehn again after your surgery. All his follow-up appointments are done by his Physician's Assistant, Tim. Tim has to run everything by Hoehn, so I never feel very confident of Tim's expertise. I've also seen Hamilton for post-op appointments (he's another bariatric surgeon at KC Bariatrics). I was VERY impressed with Hamilton! He was generally interested in figuring out why it took me 6 weeks to heal (I couldn't eat or drink anything during that time, in and out of the ER). Tim just kept telling me to give it time. If I were to do it over again, I'd probably choose Hamilton just for his availability post-op. Though, I am going to start requesting Hamilton for post-op appointments. I believe Hoehn is the most experienced with the sleeve in that facility. So, it's a hard choice to make. Best of luck!! ~Jenn

I try to always have cashews on hand. Love them for the crunch, taste, and a bit of Protein. I tried them around 7 or 8 weeks. They are now a staple snack for me! I do have to get the low salt ones because I have always had a sensitivity to salt and WLS intensified that feeling.

Oh, and I had LASIK in 2006 and have been 20/20 since then... until April 4 when these vision issues started. I knew LASIK wasn't permanent, but I would have preferred more than 7 years of perfect vision. But, man oh man, were they a glorious 7 years! LASIK was one of the best things I ever did for myself! Loved livin the no-contacts and no-glasses life! ~Jenn

Blood work is normal. I've seen numerous doctors: neurologist, ophthalmologist, neuro opthalmologist, and a retina specialist. All have been baffled with the root cause. I'm definitely not dehydrated as I've been there done that got the "3 ER visits" t-shirt from the dehydration. So, I can easily identify dehydration. Though, I hadn't heard about the rapid weight loss theory... I'll ask them about that when they call me back this week. All I can do is trust in the doctors and continue living my life. ~Jenn

Like many overweight folks, I've had plenty of ailments that have kept me down. Besides my weight, I had no issues until I turned 30 (6 years ago)! Then, I went downhill from there: acid reflux, asthma, bad gallbladder, pleurisy, chronic migraines, herniated disk with sciatic pinch that resulted in permanent loss of feeling in my right foot, s-l-o-w healing after WLS, a stroke last month, then most recently unexplained vision loss. But, you know what I say to all those ailments now?? "F you! You hit like a girl. You will NOT keep me down because I am determined to live a happy, healthy life in SPITE of all those things trying to stop me." I know I'm very blessed that (with the exception of the stroke) none of my ailments are life threatening. And, the stroke was very minor... I didn't even know it happened. An MRI to investigate my vision loss showed the stroke. (Incidentally, the stroke and vision loss are unrelated as the MRI showed the stroke actually occurred 2-3 weeks prior to the loss of vision). But, it had been a daily struggle not to let those ailments overpower my willpower. So, I have had enough of them ruling my life! I've started running.... and not just in the movie theater to get the best seat in the house. I'm training for a 5k. I'm very much a novice (can only go one mile alternating wogging and walking.... and it takes 20 minutes). But, I'm moving and that's what counts! And, I will not get discouraged if I'm the slowest one there. I'm doing this for me and no one else there! I've always wanted to be a runner. When I close my eyes and picture myself at goal, I'm running every morning and keeping active with my everyday life. Then, I realized I didn't have to wait for goal to do that! (ah-ha moment!!). :-D ~Jenn

I'm down 58 pounds in 3 1/2 months! I was going to wait until a full 60 lbs down to post a picture collage. But, I had on a nice dress today and thought, WTH. By the way, I don't have a clue why my head is tilted so much in the before picture. LOL

I get angry and ashamed... at myself. It's actually eye opening because I realize that is what I looked like not too long ago. So, I get ashamed of my old self. Though, I rarely ate that much in public. I was more of a secret eater. ~Jenn

You all are so sweet! Thanks for the kind words!! ~Jenn

My surgeon told us in the pre-surgery meetings that the "no straw" rule has since been debunked. So, I've been using a straw since day 1 in the hospital. However, I fully respect those surgeons who don't allow it. I'm just passing on my surgeon's acceptance of the straw. ~Jenn

Weight Watchers is the bomb! I joined 12 years ago and successfully lost 109 lbs and made Lifetime. Unfortunately, I stopped going to meetings and did not keep it off... I gained it all back plus some. I've thought of rejoining for the weekly support (I'm 3 months post-op). I love the atmosphere and energy of the meetings in my area. Though, a LOT of people in the WW community have a negative stigma towards wls. I do not recommend being forthcoming with that info. ~Jenn

If you asked me within the first 6 weeks post-op, I would have told you that I positivity regret the surgery. I took an abnormally long time to heal. My super swollen stomach prevented me from eating or drinking for those 6 weeks. Three ER visits for IV fluids are what basically kept me ticking. Now, woohoo! I'm living up the sleeved life! I'm down 50 lbs so far. My surgery was Jan. 10, pre-op diet the 2 weeks prior to that. I had a 4-week stall that's finally broken. I'm thankful for this site so I knew to expect the stall. I'm about 40% to my goal! When I think of that way, I'm super pumped! ~Jenn