PaperBullets

Exactly 7 months ago today I did one of the scariest things in my life and had a good 80% of my stomach removed because I was tired of being morbidly obese and all the health and social troubles that came with it. Through luck finally going my way, it was actually covered by my insurance thanks to those health troubles. I say luck because without the insurance coverage there would have been absolutely no way for me to ever afford this surgery even if I were to save up and go to Mexico (something I didn't know was a viable option until after I got on these boards). So many, many changes have happened since that very scary morning! I started the whole journey at 223lbs and day of surgery I was 215. This morning's scale put me at 134 where I've been hovering for the past few days. 134. That's a smaller weight then I think I was even as a teenager. I wore a 22W and depending on the clothing it was a tight fit and this morning I was almost late to work because I had to unearth my newest smaller pair of pants because my 4s were too big. I look like a completely different person. It hasn't been all sweetness and light. At the beginning I had a big problem with dehydration (had to have IVs several times) and even feared my being prone to developing an eating disorder due to my inability to really see just how much I've lost and how fast I've dropped the weight. And right now I drew the lucky card and developed scurvy because following my particular NUT's post-surgery plan in my case is lunacy. I say all this because I just need to say that it's all be worth it and I'd do it again in a heartbeat if offered the chance although I do wish I'd done it sooner. I've so much more energy it's insane and i just feel better. I don't have any medical issues anymore including symptoms of PCOS and my self-esteem is steadily growing. I'm not afraid to be silly in public with friends and family and I'm no longer the fat friend people want around to make themselves seem smaller. I get better treated in stores and restaurants and randomly flirted with by strangers. It's a sad thing to realize since I thought my life before wasn't all that bad but life as a smaller person is most certainly different. Life is good and getting better every day. Now if only I could figure out how to post pictures here to really show the change!

So I've been sleeved now a day under 7 months and things (for the most part) have gone swimmingly. Went from SW 223 to my CW 134 and dropped from a 22W to a 2/4. I even dealt with the whole hair loss thing that kicked in right on schedule and freaked me out because I have PCOS and super thin hair to begin with. But I thought that now that I'm in the maintaining stage for the most part that things would level out..... APPARENTLY, when I stopped eating all the fruits and veggies I craved after surgery at my NUT's direction and went low carb and Protein only my multi-Vitamin wasn't enough for me to get my needed Vitamins and minerals and I now have scurvy. SCURVY!! I have a pirate disease without the rum and treasure! Not even a boat! So it's back to all the citrus I can physically consume in order to cure it. Life after a sleeve is really weird.....

I went to Universal Studios a couple of weeks back and actually rode some of the rides. While I was able to do that before, the fit was always rather...snug....and therefore made me less likely to want to try it as I was always afraid of getting stuck or having bruises around my hips. But this time? This time I was able to sit in the pre-molded seats with no trouble and was even slung around a bit because there was so much room! A total and complete NSV for me.

Oh yeah, fruits and veggies are important! I have to admit, I'm a pretty bad sleever when it comes to following my NUT in a lot of things. I noticed that I just felt better if I made my own diatary decisions and would lose faster than if I did her regieme of eating almost nothing but chicken thighs and greek yougurt for a special treat! But I'm a slow learner and so it took me a while to get over the guilt of "cheating" on my NUT. lol I have to say, scurvy is surprisingly easy to get over! I can already tell a difference after drinking nothing but orange juice and Emergen-C. Still got a lot of ways to go before actually healed but at least I don't think I'm going to end up needing gum grafts or new teeth. Just my own non-medically trained opinion here but I really do think we need to listen to our NUTs but also to our own common sense. Yes, most of us have bad dietary habits that helped lead us to where we are now but we haven't been able to live as long as we have without having at least a little common sense. I just wish I'd thought of that a bit sooner! But hey, at least I can now say I have the medical records to prove I was totally a pirate but am now currently living in hiding as an accountant. But that could be the same thing, right?

Thanks guys. No, it's really rather hilarious to have such a weird thing! Or rather, it's hilarious because it was caught soon enough and all I have to do is really mainline as much Vitamin C as possible to build back up the reserves. lol My NUT was anti-anything except Protein and freaked when I admitted I'd sneak strawberries and would drink orange juice. Oh my goodness, Laura-Ven, roughage..such an awesome, awesome thing. ~snicker~ Luckily for me, they caught the whole vitamin deficency early enough that I didn't lose any teeth (fingers crossed). What really spurred the testing was the bleeding gums, though. They just started bleeding and not when I was eating something I shouldn't or when I would brush my teeth and would wake up with blood all over my mouth like I'd been reinacting being a vampire bat or something. The paleness, lethargy and mood swings were chalked up to any number of other random stuff that makes up my day to day life. Really thought I was low on Iron, to be honest. I think my gums may have receeded a tiny bit already but I'm not sure - it's not like I ever really paid all that much attention to how much gum I had before. They promised that all I have to do is get in over 1,000mg of Vitamin C for the next week or so and then drop it down to more regular levals and the bad stuff should reverse and go away. Fingers crossed that's true! Because otherwise I'm going to be forced to go full on pirate mode and see about getting a wooden leg and a surly parrot.

Okay, so a month ago I had surgery and had no real complications other than a tendancy to get dehydrated and a MUCH more reduced intake than what seems to be normal based on this forum (my surgeon bosted that he was very agressive with this surgery and he took a good 90% our). My starting weight was 223 and my day of surgery weight was 215. As of two days ago I met my doctor's set goal of 145! So that's all kinds of awesome even though I do have about 25 more to go to meet my own personal wish/goal. But... I can't seem to eat enough or get enough calories. I was one of those that woke up from the sugery that left the hunger feeling on the OR table and that hasn't changed although I have learned when I'm "empty." It's not that it hurts to eat (most things) or even the amount of food as I can almost do a 1/2 a cup now if I really take my time. It's that I just have zero interest in eating. I get the least little bit involved in something and then hours would have passed. My biggest fear is my turning aneorexic. When I do notice my empty feeling it's like I want to see how far I can go if that makes any sense. I can go almost 2 full days with little more than one of those Chobani Greek yogurts and my ever present Crystal Lite before starting to hate myself and forcing myself to eat. Always before I was constantly hungry so for me to not be is facinating. But I know rationally that I can't live off of 300/400 calories a day without serious medical issues forming. I just don't know how to really stop this. Occasionally I can force myself to eat more calories and I do feel better and it ends up with me going from losing a few ounces a day to a pound or two which is always good but I can't keep it up. I'm not in a financial position at the moment to go to therapy although that's on my check list - my psych eval at the time did say that I was at a higher risk of developing an eating disorder which is why I'm freaking out right now. What's something I can do to snap myself out of this? Every day I tell myself that I'm going to do better but I'm just so afraid of sliding back to the way I was before. And it's stupid because I'm not living like I'm on a diet here. My NUT has "forbidden" me to eat things that are sugar or fat free or otherwise "diet." But I'm seriously doubting that she'd be fine with what I did yesterday which was eat 2 cups of watermelon and a 1/4 a cup mashed potatoes. I don't want to be one of those walking skeletons with the hanging skin. I look healthy right now and don't want to be all sallow and have my hair to start to fall out again (it only just now stopped the major shedding!). I had this surgery to become healthy and happy. I don't want to go to the oposite extreme. If anyone has any suggestions I'd greatly, greatly appreciate this. ~sigh~

Oh I'm sorry! I could have sworn I'd proofread my initial post well enough. No, I was sleeved on 3/18 which makes me 5months, 1 day post op. Believe me, I'd be in the ER right now had I lost so much in a single month! o_O It serves me right for looking like an idiot in my first post for starting and stopping several times writing the initial post and not realizing I'd not retyped the beginning properly. I'm aware that I'm starving myself and have started trying to use a timer to remind me to eat every few hours but that only works if I can choke things down - that's how I can occasionally bump up my caloric intake. I'm having some troubles with my Protein - are others having issues with eating things like chicken and turkey? Sometimes I don't have a problem at all but others...ugh. Yogurt is my go-to but I'm typically at about 30g a day. I'm on handfuls (it seams) of Vitamins so I don't think I'm too nutritionally off. It's primarily the low calories and my complete disinterest bordering on apathy towards eating I'm worried about. It's like I don't even like to chew things anymore and there's just no point in eating. Which is stupid, I know. :/ Has using a timer/alarm actually helped anyone with their eating? I feel like such a fool for needing to do this. I may have been hungry all the time and could eat a Water buffalo in one seating before my surgery but at least then I wasn't constantly eating or thinking about having to eat. I don't regret this surgery exactly but I'm certainly not happy with it at the moment!

I never really felt overweight even though I knew rationally when I was. I was always just so very active that I didn't have time to feel it I guess. But I was also horrified at any pictures taken of me and would usually be the person behind the camera. It wasn't really until the night before my surgery when I took a couple random "before" pictures that it hit me. I just cried like a fool for hours when those candid photos showed me just how large I really was. But what's getting me is that now after the surgery and almost 80 pounds lost in total is that I still feel morbidly obese. People do the complementing thing now and I have more energy which was a surprise but it doesn't really matter. I can't see it when I look in the mirror. I still see the me I was the night before my surgery. On the upside, people do say that it takes some time for your brain to catch up to your body since the changes are done so fast. Fingers crossed for that one! So far the only way I can really "get" how much I've lost is if I take the one outfit I kept from before and hold my current clothing up next to it and marvel at how tiny they seem in comparison. lol

My surgeon was Dr Yoo who was pretty great but the nursing staff at the hospital were fantastic! Who's your surgeon? & I've resisted Instagram so far but it's really only a matter of time. Heh

But at the same time ignorance should not be counted as a reason to disregard the rules of the forum itself. Just my own personal opinion of course.

Sleeved March 18th @ 215, now at 159. So 56 pounds so far. 64 if you count the loss I had pre op. ...you know, it doesn't feel like I've lost a lot but putting those numbers out there really surprises me! :0

I took two weeks but that was primarily because I also had a hernia repair and, well, I liked the time off! I work in an office so could have honestly gone back after 3 days.

I had to do the same and the approval was less than 2 days. Obviously policies are different but I do think that bcbsnc as a whole is very easy to work with. Good luck with the whole crazy process!

Three months and two hours ago I was wheeled back into the OR room to have about 85% of my stomach removed. I was nervous, afraid and excited. The entire process working up to that day had gone by in a flash - I went from deciding that I'd look into wls to scheduling the surgery date in less than 3 months as my insurance was shockingly fast. Everyone has their own reasons for undergoing such a big surgery as this and I'm no different. I wanted to be healthy as my weight just kept creeping up and I wanted my co-morbidities to go away. I also wanted to have the realistic chance of beating my pcos enough to have children biologically before it's too late. And, well, I wanted to look cute and to feel my age instead of 30 years older. I knew surgery would work because it's impossible for it not to make at least some sort of impact but I'd no idea how big the changes would be! I started the whole journey weighing 223lbs and wearing a size 20/22w and XXL tops on a short 5'4 frame that isn't built to hold such weight. On the morning of my surgery I clocked in at 215lbs and could squeeze into a size 18w if I didn't want to breathe. And as of this morning I'm at 162lbs and wearing a size 12 and Med tops!! And I can even wear skirts and dresses from the GIRLS section!!! While I personally would like to be smaller, I'm now officially only 17lbs away from my doctor's goal! I have so much more energy now it's rediculous! I ran through my "one day skinny girl" closet within the first month so clothing has been a challenge. Thank you Target and Goodwill! lol The emotional fallout of the rapid weight change was no joke but it's leveling off now. I haven't hit a true stall yet but my weight loss has slowed quite a bit which I'm fine with as I honestly can't tell if I have more loose skin or if I'm just noticing what I had to begin with. I'm still averaging about 1-2lbs a week (I check my scale everyday as I'm masochistic like that!). But one of the coolest things I've discovered since the surgery? I can now be picked up and carried around by my other half without them throwing out their back or anything! NEVER thought I'd be able to say that! I'm so, so very glad for this surgery. I feel like a completely different person now as I'm no longer always hurting and tired. As far as my pcos goes, I'm already effectively "cured" of it and have already ovulated twice. I know I've still quite a ways to go before I meet my own personal goals but the fact that those goals are now something attainable rather than a dream is amazing. 61 pounds gone forever. Just...woah!

Eating is fine - not even lying, there are times I forget that I've been sleeved because I've gotten so used to my new normal. I've been incredibly lucky in that I don't feel hungar but at the same time it's not such a good thing as I can easily get busy and not thnk about it until it's been hours. While I can eat anything I've tried so far, I do stay away from bread, Pasta and rice and only eat potatoes very sparingly. While I don't plan to live like I'm on a diet anymore, it just isn't comfy for me. It very much feels like it quadruples in size in my belly and I need that space for better things! I'm also leary on beef. Not so much because of the sleeve but because I was never a big beef eater before and I just don't care for it. I have heard that beef can sit heavy and be uncomfortable for others. Oh, and at least for now chocolate is still gross to me which I'm hoping lasts as long as it needs to for me to reach goal! But all in all, eating is fine now. I can go out to restaurants with others and not feel like a freak. I can even cook for others again now that a lot of my head hunger has worked its way out of my system! Flavors are now more intense for me which is grand because I love spicy things! I wonder if the flavors are more intense because we have to slow down to eat and therefore actually taste it?

My parents are an interracial couple who decided to give me lots of siblings and we've never once had a problem. Not to say it's not out there but NC is surprisingly progressive for it being in the South. I'm sure you guys would do fine if your paths lead you here!

Which town did you see that? Cary is pretty diverse with a decent sized Indian community as well as an Asian one. Durham is hit or miss depending on where you go (safety is still a very big concern here) And Raleigh is decently diverse depending on the neighborhood. But this is the small town South! Lol

I love this idea!

Thanks everyone! I have BCBS of NC and they've been surprisingly awesome. I only had two true days of prep testing but those were very, very busy days. Got approved in less than 48 hours thanks to the very clearly stated case of co-morbidities!

I wish I could do that! I've found that if I don't keep my carbs around 50/100 then I feel really ill and weak. Knock on wood, I haven't had a true stall yet but my weight loss has definitely slowed down from what it was doing immediately after surgery! I'm averaging about 2/3 pounds a week now. Is anyone finding it really hard to START an exercise program? I've a crap ton more energy now but I can't break my usual habit of heading for the couch after work! sw: 223 dos: 215 (3/18/13) cw: 168!!!!!

I honestly believe you'll have a wonderful experience with Dr. Garcia and the rest of the team! I was sleeved in North Carolina about two and a half months ago and my friend who saw the already dramatic changes to my quality of life decided to have the surgery as well and chose Dr. Garcia. She had the surgery on Wednesday and I came with her as her companion! The difference between the two experiences is astounding. While I felt cared for with my own surgery it is NOTHING like the level of care she's getting! Everyone we've met seems honestly invested in the patient doing well (including the older woman that delivered the Water and chided my friend to be sure to drink it all). The hospital is older but crazy clean and comfy. Basically in my personal opinion had I known how good an experience going to Mexico for the surgery would have been I wouldn't have had mine in the US even if I did have insurance! You'll have a wonderful experience with Dr. Garcia and team.

I'm in Mexico at the moment being the companion for my friend who got sleeved yesterday! But we come back on Monday and I'll take and send pics that evening.

Are you still in need? I have quite a few pieces in that size that are business casual. The only thing I'd ask for would be the shipping. I'd be happy to send you pictures.

I'm curious about this too! I'm going to be a "plus one" for a dear friend of mine who has surgery on the 28th and while I know that I'll be pestering her like crazy to remember to walk, etc. I know that there'll be some downtime when she demands I leave her alone. lol I can't seem to make heads or tails of where the hospital or hotel is in relation to anything. Being a total noob, is the beach actually nearby? Also, are there others (and their plus ones) going to be down there next week? ..so silly - I'm more excited for her surgery and the start of her new life than I was for my own 2 months ago!