lizrox

Thank you for sharing. I wish you all the luck in the world. Congrats on making a good decision! and the very positive attitude

The battle I had with my weight was life long and mine alone. I didn't start by going to my general doc, I started with researching and finding a good surgeon first. The team of folks at my bariatric center helped and supported me with every step. The first step was attending a group info session and then I made a follow up appointment with the surgeon I picked. At that follow up appointment I asked him to refer me to a general doc for follow up. I did that b/c I assumed any doc he would send me to would be supportive of the surgery and worked well with his team. That certainly was the case. The bariatric center did everything insurance wise! I did call my insurance company first to find out the general benefits but nothing else after that. The center just gave me instructions of what to do next - which was see a ton of different doctors and take a bunch of tests but it was all worth it. It really got me in the right mindset to make it all work. TLDR; find a good surgery/bariatric center and they will be all the support you need! Good LUck!

Well, as I approach 12 weeks post op I am struggling with my looks. I have lost about 50 lbs since the surgery and certainly my body is changing. I have been swimming and walking all summer but I haven't really hit the gym. Two theories I have about my displeasure with my current body: 1) When I weighted nearly 300 lbs I had totally given up. I didn't look at myself in the mirror at all and I didn't care that I had to wear tents for clothes. Now I look in the mirror a few times a day. I see my breasts deflating and feel like a melting snowman. But it means that I haven't given up on myself anymore. I actually care. It sucks to feel bad, but it is better than just feeling numb. 2) My body isn't shedding lbs evenly. My waist has nicely decreased but my hips haven't moved so it makes my hips look even larger than before b/c the proportions are so far off. So hopefully if I get more general cardio into my life things will even out. It sucks that I can't celebrate loosing this weight. People keep telling me how great I look, and I just beat myself up for still having to squeeze my fat a$$ into a size 18. Well hopefully I'll keep working on these negative feelings and turn them around quickly.

Congrats on making the decision and for starting the journey! Best of luck.

Yesterday marked 4 weeks post-op and I was thrilled to get on the scale today and see 260 lbs. I am really looking forward to being 235 again...that was how much I weighted when I got pregnant so it would be great to lose all the 'baby weight', even though I gained most of the weight after having the baby. Being on 6 weeks bed rest really deconditioned my body. I have been walking and swimming a lot but I can't start a full exercise regimen until my gp gives the ok. I have some minor arthritis in my lower spine which is causing the outer part of my right leg to be numb and twinges of stabbing nerve pain. I had a more mild case of this before the surgery, but laying on my back recovering for three days really aggravated things. Since oral steroids are very hard on the stomach I decided to go the physical therapy route. (MRIs and steroid shots will be plan I started PT this week and I know I'm on the right track. Losing weight will certainly help. Some big wins of the week: - I am still very strong around food - I am in control, not food; this is so empowering. - I am actually having positive thoughts about the future. I used to think getting old just meant gaining weight and the ticking time bomb of diabetes or a massive stroke (family history of both). But now I'm looking forward to 35, 45 and beyond. This is very new. - Realizing that this new healthy life hasn't been very difficult to embrace. My new "default settings" are healthy choices. I don't want to eat hot dogs or pie right now! I don't have to have the internal fight of "eat bad food x...it will taste so good...you deserve it...everyone else can eat it so can you." In the past I would eat it and beat myself up for being so fat and out of control, and a loser etc... Now I think "Oh fish sounds amazing, with a few bites of steamed broccoli" The end! - Knowing that I am on the right road to a long, happy and healthful life! I really never want to veer off.

I too am in the midst of the three week stall. But so many people have talked about it that I now consider it 'normal' and my weight loss past has never been normal. So I am taking it to mean that I too will continue to lose weight and reach my goals just as every other 'normal' person on here has. I take comfort in that

I was sleeved on the 23rd and have been good on Protein b/c I drink at least two shakes a day. Each has 25 grams of protein from the powder and skim milk adds another 8 grams so I reach 60 easily. Vitamin wise I use the Bariatic fusion chewable. I hated them in the beginning but I knew how important they were so I kept pushing. Now I'm a pro at it. I crush them (the nasty taste just stuck in my teeth if I actually chewed them) and take the powder like a shot and quickly swallow it down with a sip of apple juice. The apple juice helps with the taste and it all goes down easily. I can now down two crushed pills at once with no stomach ache. I do this once in the morning and once at night and all my vitamin needs are met. Good luck, and my the pounds shed quickly

I am a little over a week post-op and I am feeling great. The biggest change I feel is real strength around food. I was hardcore addicted and now my relationship with it feels so much closer to normal. This weekend my father in law baked homemade cookies while I was visiting. He loves baking and in the past I would have obsessed over them. The smell, then my thoughts would be consumed with "Should I eat one? No, I'm too fat I need to stop...but I deserve one...everyone gets the have them why deprive myself?" Then I would go eat 5 or 6 and send the rest of the night feeling guilty and beat myself up. Certainly no way to live! This weekend I smelled them an thought...oh that smells good. The end. No obsessing, no guilt...the cookies just rolled off my back. It is just so empowering. This really needs to stay. It freed my mind to think about life, family, the future etc... I am just thrilled I made this decision and need my strength to last. Things are looking up!

Yes, the only folks who were heavier than me have already died! Not a good sentiment. After I lose the weight everyone will be thin. Hope for the future.

Hi Samantha, I'm Liz. I'm a 33 year old mom from the Chicago area. I was sleeved on May 23rd and would love to connect!

Thank you all for the info. I'm only 6 days post op and I'm battling the worst one of my life. I can't handle this every month!

I am 5 days post op and I was only nauseous for two days. Surgery day and post op day 1. Long bad days but quickly turned around.

Can you please share some of those affirmations?

It is official, 85 percent of my stomach is gone. It's hard to wrap my mind around that. To walk through some some events of my hospital stay. 5/22 I went and got a new haircut and my legs and brows waxed. Then went home and drank the horrible bowel cleaning drink and waited. I felt bad the rest of the day and received a call that my surgery time had moved up, I needed to check in at 5:30 am. I fell asleep easily and my parents drove me to the hospital on time. Checked in, was weighted in, answered some questions and the IV was started. I met a slew of nurses, doctors, my surgeon and quickly enough I was in the operating room. I remember only a sliver of that room then I was waking up. I just said pain and nausea and quickly feel asleep again. I guess my potassium levels were too low and they started potassium through the IV. It still burns just thinking about it. Then I fully woke up and remember everything around 1pm. I got to my room, it was private thank goodness. My parents were in there worrying about the delay. My mom is a nurse and has seen it all, but just the potassium was holding me up. Then quickly the nausea set in. Horrible, listless feeling I wouldn't wish on enemies. I didn't realize the nausea the directly linked to my pain meds. I rarely take any pain meds and just couldn't handle them. My husband visited that night and I remember him just holding my hand while I drifted off to sleep to soothing music. I really love that man! Next day more potassium burning, nausea, a change of pain meds, and swallow test. When my nurse walked in and said I didn't have any leaks I lost it and started balling. I had no clue how worried I was about that. I just felt like I had too much nausea not to have a leak, so to hear I would be taken off of IV pain meds and some of the machines I was so releaved. One more step closer to freedom! That night my IV site was burning that I rang my light at 3am asking for a new one. By 4am and a few tries I had a new far less painful site. They gave me some benedryl to sleep and let me go to 9am! All that was left was the need to pass gas, then I could go home! And I woke up and tooted, again happiness. I told the nurses immediately and they were pumped for me. Unfortunately my blood work came back with low magnesium and potassium. Fortunately I only needed the magnesium through the IV and to drink the horrible potassium. I kept telling myself this was better then a burning vein and powered through. By 3:30 my mom was taking me home. I want to tell others that your pain meds may be linked to the nausea. Walk as soon as possible. I was up and moving as soon as I hit my private room. The gas will come out far more quickly. This is the first time I have had the mind and focus to read, go online, watch tv or even talk. It took a lot out of me, but if it helps me get this damn weight off it will be worth it. The memories of pain are quickly fading. I really hope to see the scale move down fast!

As I lay her struggling with gas pain I'm wondering how my fellow slevers are feeling. I still can't believe 85 percent of my stomach is gone. I weighed myself today and was sad to see the scale hadn't moved at all. I know it's all water weight but I wanted to see something for all my efforts. I have been walking a ton and burping even more. I hope the gas passes soon. I was sleeved on May 23rd.