MichiganChic

I told a few people - close family, couple of friends, and couple of co-workers I knew would be supportive. I didn't want to be the topic of anyone's conversation about my weight, or weight loss success or failure, or anything else for that matter. I've found that this type of information in the wrong hands can make you fodder for gossip. Sadly, some of my confidents felt at liberty to tell others....makes me mad/sad. Moral of the story - if you tell anyone, there is a risk that it will get out. I knew that in the back of my mind, and now I'm living it. Not really a huge deal, but I am irritated about it.

My NUT has me counting both. She says I should be between 500-800 calories a day, but I feel weak at under 650. I'm almost 8 weeks out, but it's been like this for a while.

You know, that takes a lot of nerve. Why even comment? That was the reason I didn't want people to know about the surgery. I didn't want to be the topic of anyone's conversation...however, some people found out, and I am anyway. I guess people are the same everywhere, lol.

I had to do one. For my doc, it depends on BMI. Higher BMI requires the diet.The rationale they gave me was that the diet decreases liver size by 15%, decreasing the chance of injury to the liver. Very obese people can have fattly liver disease. Mine ended up not being diseased, but you never know till they get in there.

You lost almost all your weight in about 3 months? just curious.

Yay, you!! I bet you feel so powerful now! Please send some of those losing vibes my way...I haven't lost in a week and have gained a pound! Our surgeries were 2 days apart - must be the 7 weeks stall.

I have sjoegrens, too (though it's mild). I worried about that too. They gave me ice water with sponges on a stick in it to wet my mouth. I would let a little ice chip melt in mouth now and then, I rinsed my mouth out some too. I got through it, and you will, too. If you are worried, maybe you could get them to order some artificial saliva.

Statistically (nationally), according to my doc, you lose about 80% of excess weight with RNY, and 70% with the sleeve. However, either group can lose all of their weight if they work at it. He also states that in his personal patient population, it seems like the weight loss is pretty equal in both groups. My doc said I was a candidate for either, but that I would lose more with the RNY. I just didn't want malabsorption, so I went this route. I had about 160 to lose, and have lost nearly 50 in 7 weeks.

Once I made my mind up to have the surgery, I made sure to have everything I liked over the course of a couple of months, and I'm not sorry I did. I think I was greiving that part of my life (silly as it sounds), because I would think to myself "this is the last time in a long time I'll have this". Once I had surgery, I was ready to move on, and haven't had to deal with wishing I could eat something else, or more. Also, I knew my insurance didn't have a waiting period for BMI over 50, and I wanted to make sure I kept my BMI up to prevent a 6 month wait. Sounds twisted, I know. Wasn't gaining, just didn't want to drop!

Before surgery, I would go on a diet, and sometimes I would lose weight, sometimes not. Sometimes I would stay with the program for months or longer. Then....inevtably, I would hit a plateau. I remember once it took me a year to lost 50 pounds, then I hit a >6 week plateau. I was doing everything right - super healthy low calorie diet, lots of exercise, good Fluid intake, etc. I told myself I would get through this, afterall, how could I not lose weight? Well, (I know you all know how this story ends), I eventually let the discouragement get the best of me, slowly slipped back into bad habits, and gained the 50 back, plus some. So, since that time, anytime I tried to lose weight, if I didn't lose fast enough, if I hit a stall for a week or two, or if I didn't lose within the first week, I would just QUIT. It wasn't worth the effort for me. I was miserable being so hungry and my body was fighting my efforts every step of the way. Fast forward, now I have a new tool to help me. No longer does my body fight my efforts so strongly. I feel like the gift I've been given is to allow me to use WILLPOWER (had it all along, but couldn't overcome the force fighting me). Here's the thing - I'm at the dreaded STALL. I never planned to post a whine about the stall, there are enough of those threads on here with enough good responses from experienced people to know that it happens to everyone, and eventually the scale moves. And that is my defining, AHA moment. I really do want to whine about this temporary stall because it's my history that teaches me this is where I always fail. I have to remind myself this time is different. I'm not going back to my old ways, I just have to recognize I've changed my life, my habits, and my approach to health, and wait for nature to take it's course. What a releif!

My loss is in my sig line. Right now I'm stuck, so not expecting it to continue at the rate I started at. You will find a range of fast losers and slow losers here. You never know for sure how fast you will lose, but my guess is that we all have a clue. I was on a million diets before, and the weight loss pattern is similar...with one big difference - it's more likely to be a permanent loss this time.

Congratulations! You are an inspiration

My plan prohibits nuts until month 4. My NUT said they are a little over cautious about that, but the fear is that some small particle could get caught in the suture line and cause problems. Sames goes for fruits with seeds, like berries. I'd love some stawberries and pecans about now....

I think it's great that you came back to your orignial post and updated. Congrats on reaching that shoe milestone!

i have to say the first few days are roughest, and it will get better with time. It took me a few weeks, but by about week 6 I started to feel closer to normal. For me, my brain somehow knew my body couldn't handle any food and very little liquid, so I didn't want it, but that's not the case for everyone. It will get better, hang in there!

Great job, congratulations!

I'm Monroe, and was sleeved in Toledo on December 19th!

Personally, I wouldn't want to have this surgery any place but a hospital. My recovery was slow, and I was in for 2 nights, and my doc really would have liked for me to be there three. It is a major surgery and while the vast majority do fine, the potential complications require the skill/services of a hospital. If you are self pay, you might be able to negotiate a better deal with the surgeon. They accept less from insurance providers, so sometimes if you are paying cash up front, they will also work with you. Same goes for the hospital. It would be worth asking.

I didn't tell many people, just a handful of people I'm close to...and my boss. I asked her to keep it confidential, which she agreed to. Just ran into the VP of HR in the elevator, and she said "You look great. Heard you had that surgery". I denied it and asked her who told her that. I'm not sure how she knew, but I didn't tell anyone in HR why I was off. I'm pretty mad, I feel like my privacy has been violated. So inappropriate to ask someone that question!! And this is where people should really understand medical privacy!! Uggh. Sorry for the rant, but if you want to keep it private, don't tell ANYONE but your significant other.

I'm stuck this week, too. Have been at this weight for 5 days, and have a feeling it will be longer. I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing, which is 600-700 calories a day, getting in all required protein and water, as well as all vitamins. I exercise at least 5 days a week. I've made up my mind that it will come off when my body is ready and not before, so I'm not stressing anymore. I realized I can't set goals either because there is nothing else I can do to influence it - I'm doing everything I can and I'm good with it! Have a great day!

Oh, yeah, that was on my iist of worries, probably near the top. So far, I've found the sleeve allows ME to be in control. I always had willpower, but my body had more power to make me eat than my brain had to stop it. Now, I feel like I have some balance. If you learn new habits and follow the rules, the weight does come off. Before surgery I suffered if I ate below 1500 calories a day. Now I eat about 600-700 and I'm fine. And, it's not a ridiculous worry - it's very valid, based on our years of experience. Best of luck to you!

Has anyone tried chocolate PB2? I LOVE it! Great to add to chocolate shakes.

Hi, I'm a nurse with a desk job, and I went back in about 4 weeks. I was too fatigued to go back sooner. If I was a floor nurse, I would have needed 6 weeks. This is a major surgery, and I find it kind of astounding that most docs send people back in 2 weeks!

You have a very good list of reasons to have and not to have the surgery. Only you know your risk tolerance. While the risk is low, the outcome to that 1% of the population who gets the complication is devastating. I'm not saying this to scare you, but to encourage you to listen to your inner self. I think that in all of your post, you identified the issue. You are afraid, and it is related to your comfort level with your surgeon. Whether his approach is right or wrong is not the point - it really boils down to how YOU feel about him. You said he will have your life in his hands, and I agree, meeting him is a good idea. Also, it's been proven that the more a surgeon/hospital performs any procedure, the better the outcomes. So, having said all that, I'm out 7 weeks and I'm happy I did it. I went in confident that I was making the right decision, and that gave me the resolve I needed to get though the first few weeks, which I found were difficult. I also know people my surgeon operated on with good outcomes, he is very forthcoming with his statistics, including patients who had serious compications, and I met him twice before surgery. I even got a post op infection which is still not fully healed, but I beleive I'd still do it again (ask me in 2 years). Our stats are the same, BTW! But I'm way older Good luck and let us know what you decide.

NORCALRN, just checking in to see how it's going. A couple days closer to your j-tube placement, I know you are counting the days! I don't think I would be as good as you....when I got back to my room in the hospital I sat up and took the 02, pulse ox, BP cuff off and threw them like a 2 year old because they were aggravating me (I'm glad I wasn't my nurse at that minute, lol). I was in PACU 5 hours for pain management issues so I was sick of it...so my tolerance is pretty low I was very glad to hear that you have a positive prognosis and that you are feeling it, too! It's funny how we just know, sometimes, isn't it? How is everything else clearing up for you? Keep us posted. Sending well wishes your way!