MichiganChic

I'm just 2 weeks post op and I've been getting chest pains and stomach pains when I try to eat mashed stuff, so I've just been really frusterated. I still crave "normal food." Maybe it's just all mental. I'm thinking maybe it just takes time for my body to get adjusted to this lifestyle but so far I'm feeling a little down. I wonder if I'm making all these complications up in my head or others get them too. I wake up everyday at 4 am almost feeling stressed. Sorry if it sounds like I'm complaining. I didn't tell anyone other than my mom and dad and 2 best friends about the surgery so I feel super bottled up lol I was on liquids for 17 days, and then went to full liquids. Think strained Soups and pudding. And even then, it was an ounce or two at a time. I just accepted that I wasn't going to be eating for a while, and I was OK with it. I doubt you are imagining it. Do weigh and measure your food, and remember, the whole point of the surgery is to provide you with a drastically reduced capacity to eat. I was getting 300-400 calories a day at 2 weeks. Just make sure to stay hydrated! Do a search on this site and you will find plenty of others who have gone before you with similar concerns, and they did fine.

Yes. Any time there is an incision, there is a scar. The placement of the scar depends on procedure done and techniques, and sometimes is affected by healing. The visibility of the scar depends on location and the individual. Time tends to help them fade. So it's been over a year for me, and my scars have really faded. However, the lower portion of the scars on my arms are still a little red and ropey, because there is more tension on them. The upper part is a fine line and barely visible. All very much worth it to me.

I was a very bottom heavy pear or triangle before weight loss. Now after losing 145 pounds and plastics, I like to think I'm an hour glass. I still have thick thighs/calves, though. I guess I don't care what I call it, it's way better than it was!

I do not miss it. I have had one or two times in the past three years where I though to myself "I wish I could eat more" of something, but that was ridiculous and fleeting. Now, I wish I could eat less. As times goes on, your capacity does increase some (never to pre-op capacity) and I miss the days of being full from a couple of bites.

I would not recommend ever having surgery with someone you don't trust. Sounds like they changed the date, so maybe they broke the contract? Either way, no amount of money is worth letting someone you don't trust operate on you.

For me, there was so much to choose from, I couldn't pick just one area that bothered me. It all did! I had lots of plastics, but probably the arms are the most visible because I didn't have any arm spanx. After that, the thighs were most noticeable. In clothing I look way better post plastics. Glad I had it all done. Two undeniable truths: Things will continue to shift and shrink and you may see some improvement in skin tone you don't expect. My neck looked awful at first, and now it's only a little bad (no plastics there). Also, you can't exercise away skin. For that matter, you can't target exercise fat, either. I have found that adding the plastic surgery was beneficial for me, not only in terms of how I look and feel about myself, but it is also additional incentive to maintain my loss. It was a difficult, painful and expensive process that is one more reminder of my commitment to myself that I am worth the work it takes to maintain. Not to mention the skin on my abdomen is so nice and tight there's no room for swelling or bloating from eating too much!

Some things that I see over and over are threads related to hair loss, Vitamins, and stalls. If I were new and I saw something to draw my attention to "everything I ever wanted to know" about some key points, I would go there. People may or may not like or know FAQ, so maybe something a little more creative. Maybe a few topics with some actual facts, followed by a listing of links to the most relevant threads related to that topic.

I think both @@VSGAnn2014 and @@Babbs have summed it up. The sleeve only gets you so far. In the end, it's up to us. I remember feeling like I had been cured of overeating, bingeing, and obesity in the early days. I felt I would never go back to bad habits, and wondered how in the world that could ever happen, and was pretty sure it wouldn't happen to me. After all, I "knew" the secret. Then life happened. Stressful job. Family illness. Death. Rinse and repeat. Add time to that, and my sleeve is no longer so restrictive, so it's all me now. I have NOT gained a significant amount of weight, but I could. I did gain 3-5 pounds, and it took me 2 months to get it off. That should be an eye opener. I have a healthy understanding and fear of regain, and I know the challenge is only going to get more real as time goes on. So, I can't answer your question about why I gained significantly, but I think I can offer insight about how I prevent that very real and present threat. I stay diligent, and I force myself to be honest about what I'm doing/eating, even when I don't want to. The thought of going back to my old life is enough to keep me on track, but it's a daily (sometimes hourly or minute to minute) struggle. Yup, as early out as you are, the sleeve helps control your hunger. That won't always be the case. It's great that you're hard and fast on the rules right now, because that definitely helps someone stay successful, but don't fool yourself. This whole thing gets harder and harder the further out you are as hunger slowly returns and restriction loosens a little. It's very easy to feel so confident as early out from surgery as you are. I know I was. But life happens, tragedy happens, Holidays and celebrations happen, "normalcy" happens. The weight is gone and compliments about your weight loss are less so your original motivation wanes, and it becomes harder and harder to resist the temptation to graze or over eat day in and day out. That, unfortunately, is the cold, hard truth. That's why it's so hard for some to keep it off.

I'm not 5 years out, but I am three years. It took me about 14 months to lose 145 pounds, and I've kept it off for nearly 2. I'm happy with my success. I have to work hard to maintain it, but it is doable. For it me it was the right choice, and I wouldn't have wanted a DS because of the greater malabsorption associated with it. At this point, I am pretty much normal, and can eat pretty much normal food in small but normal quantities. I definitely have to watch it, but so worth it!

To answer your question, in a word, yes. I think we are relevant. We have been through it all, learned all the lessons, and do have answers that can only come from experience. I'm not sure what all you are referring to regarding peoples perception about your intentions, but in the three years I've been here, I've seen the boards take on several different personalities. I've seen pure meanness and genuine kindness. It comes and goes in waves, and the drama escalates and recedes. Most people come and go, and a few of us stay. Seems there are not many who have been here longer than three or four years. I think people just move on in most cases, though sometimes I think they leave because of the drama. I come here to give and receive support. I learn lots of things here, and find answers to things that are on my mind, and things that I never thought of. I like to think that I have something to offer. Sometimes people want to hear it, and sometimes they don't. I am a registered nurse and have spent my life educating people on health issues. While I don't think I have all the answers, I do know a thing or two, and I feel a little obligated to correct misinformation. When I was new, I learned that it was actually possible to lose ALL your weight. That was something that didn't seem feasible to me, since I had so much to lose. Then, once I achieved that, I realized that real people really did have lots of plastic surgery, and that gave me the courage to follow through. So, I attribute much of my success to the experiences of others. If I can help just one person get through a difficult moment, or if I can help stop the spread of misinformation, or if I can play a small part in someone else's success, then I think I'm relevant. BTW - I'm about a year behind you, and your stats were so similar to mine, that YOU were my inspiration. So, yeah, you're relevant.

The only way to know if you are Vitamin deficient or not is via lab work. Sleeve patients are particularly prone to anemia, sometimes even with supplementation. We can also have other deficiencies, such as Vit D. With less stomach surface and less gastric acid, absorption is changed. There is no one size fits all approach to nutritional management. Get your lab work done.

white vinegar is a good option, and for things that won't fade, mule team borax is a miracle. I love that stuff. I use it towels and sheets, and it really gets them clean and fresh.

I had the vertical thigh lift. My legs were awful. Now they are not perfect, but so much better. I don't have to wear shapewear to hide all the wrinkles/puddles/bulges anymore. It was worth the trade-off for the scar, hand down. It's been 10 months, and I think I need a little tweaking, but the scars have faded far better than any of my other plastic surgery scars.

I have a healthy fear of regain. Its a reality. Statistically, it's a truth. I've already beaten statistics by losing nearly all my excess weight. I've kept it off three years, but I know that could all change in a short time. I still track my intake and weight daily. It takes very little calories for me to maintain my weight, so diligence and restriction are required. I've done a few short term experiments of just being careful and not tracking, or a day or two of letting myself "have a break" and every time it results in significant and immediate weight gain. I then have to work a little harder to get that back off. I use that information to know what I have to do to maintain. Every day I feel like I've been given a gift, and I'm not going to squander it. I am cautiously optimistic I can keep it off, but I have no illusions that it does not require a tremendous amount of effort on my part.

Thank you. My spelling sucks and spellcheck software seemed to be toggled off when I typed the above post. I'm not kidding about the local food. South Carolina has it all and they pride themselves in killing you one bite at a time. No offense South Carolinians, please. I only poke at you. I mainly grew up in North Carolina and now live in Georgia. At least I didn't get started on 'nanna puddin'. Kool aid didn't kill me as a kid........all my favorite foods didn't kill me as an adult........I was fortunate. Maybe there's hope for me yet. I made a big ole banana pudding last weekend...to go with chicken and dumplings!! I was born and raised in Michigan, but my grandparents were from the south. My granny had me in the kitchen from the time I was 2, making all those things you describe. There is SO MUCH wrapped in food. I am the one to carry on the tradition of over feeding the family with big southern meals. My grandmother died last weekend at 94, and the family gathered at my house to remember her, which is why I was making all that stuff. I don't do it often, but I'm glad I know how. It is our family's heritage. So, when we have to "go on a diet" and make permanent life style changes, that's why it's so hard. It's not just habit. For most of us, it's wrapped into the core of our beings. I am living proof it can be done. I love to cook and feed people and eat, and I've found a way to still be successful. Funny, both of my grandparents ate like that always, and neither of them was overweight and lived to be old.

That's almost like a beautiful poem It's all true, and exactly how I feel. I wouldn't trade my new thin self and life for food - there's no comparison.

I just had my one year follow up appointment for my lower body lift and brachioplasty. I still have significant numbness that's fairly widespread, and I think it's going to be permanent. I am pretty numb from mid-waist to just below the incision in the front, my lateral thighs are numb half way to my knees, and most of my butt is numb. I have some numbness on my arms, but it's closer to the incision line. She said while it could improve, usually at one year, what you have is what you get. She also said most people don't have it that extreme, but some do. I just wondered what others experienced?

Between all my surgeries (360 body lift, brachioplasty, thigh lift, and breast lift/augment), she removed 10-12 pounds. However, a year later, my weight is the same as pre-op.

I've always had a much smaller waist, and carry my weight in hips and thighs. However, since my 360 body lift, I have very pronounced saddlebags. That makes finding pants challenging. I have found the best success with pants that have some stretch and are a curvy fit. I haven't been to Old Navy, but I'm going to try them, too.

I don't think I lost it only on one side, but I do think I have always been uneven. My plastic surgeon says everyone is. As I lost weight, it became more pronounced. I had plastics, and I'm still uneven. My right leg is bigger than my left, so I'm going to have a little more plastics to even them out. It drives me crazy because my pant leg is always tight on my right leg!

@@My Bariatric Life I totally agree. I'll take the numbness over the dripping skin and fat! My entire abdomen is so tight that if I overeat or gain a couple of pounds, the numbness spreads and gets worse! Talk about a continuous reminder to stay on track I didn't know to expect this, but I had read that people who have plastics statistically do better at keeping weight off. I don't know if things like that contribute, but it does help me.

@@jess9395 I still get intermittent itching! It's due to nerve damage. I always hope it's trying to regenerate when that happens.

@@bellabloom time is a great healer. I was a different person at one year post op than I am now at three years. It took me a while to adjust to the new me. I was (and am) so thrilled with the changes that have occurred that sometimes it felt a little surreal. It takes time to get comfortable in your new skin, and the longer you are the thin you, the less fear you will have that it can be taken from you. I remember being sort of shocked and excited and a little fearful that it was too good to be true when I was finally successful at losing weight. I was not certain I could maintain the loss, so it was a little hard figuring out where/who I was. I had to come to the realization that I'm working for this new body, all day, every day, and I deserve to have it. I have found it actually was a little too good to be true (it's much easier to lose/maintain the first 12-18 months) but I am empowered by the fact that I'm in control now, and I can do this! Now that the newness has worn off, I am comfortable in my skin. I am still thrilled everyday that I get to be normal! But now I've learned that I'm still me, just healthier and better looking. I am more fun, I can do more, and I don't have the ball and chain of obesity holding me back. I think you are right on track with your acceptance and moving forward with your new life. I think the feelings you describe are pretty normal. Once we get a taste of the "good life" it can strike terror thinking it could all go away. You'll figure out how to become the new you while holding onto the real you in due time.

I think it is individual. If you are losing on 1200, then stick with it. I won't lose unless I'm around 900. I'm probably older and have a more sluggish metabolism. I think we each have to figure it out for ourselves.

That is a bummer, sorry to hear that. Unfortunately, it's not that uncommon. I had an area on my backside/hip area that opened a week post op. It took 4 months to heal, and it was fairly superficial. I still have a scaly wide scar there. These things heal from the inside out, and so nutrition and meticulous wound care are critical. I had to increase my calories to get min to heal. It does get old in a hurry, but once healed, I still thought it was worth it!