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I told a new friend that I had sleeve surgery and he said, "oh, I never thought of you being person who needed weight loss surgery." Really? The extra 80 lbs I was carrying, the size 18-20 clothes that I was bursting out of, the fat face wasn't a clue? I agree, people just don't know what to say. Sometimes I tell people who comment on my weight loss that I had WLS and wait for that completely panicked look on their face. There really is no accepted response. If I told them I had cancer, or someone died, they could show their sympathy. If I told them I lost weight through Weight Watchers or some other traditional method, then they could tell me about their weight loss experience. But what do you say to WLS? It throws people. I actually think it's pretty funny.

5 months post-op and no problems here, except what to do with a wardrobe that is now 3-4 sizes too big. Check out this thread: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/97190-feeling-a-little-guilty-would-love-some-feedback/ A bunch of us who had no problems posted our stories there.

I am 5 months post-op as well. Hunger returned a couple of months ago. But, what a surprise to actually be PHYSICALLY hungry. Before my sleeve I ate so much and so often that "hunger" was actually head hunger, to continue to feed my addiction. I was never physically hungry. Now when physical hunger hits, after getting over the surprise, I eat until I am no longer hungry. It could be a few nuts, or 1/2 cup of food. So different for me, since before I ate like I was never going to be able to eat again, and ate whatever food was in my path. The other difference in hunger for me is my physical reactions. As a type 2 diabetic, my blood sugar was pretty out of control. When I was hungry I was shaky and lightheaded. Now that my blood sugar is under control and I have discontinued my diabetes meds, I no longer have the shakes when I get hungry. It's such a relief!

This is my baby, Frodo. He's was a stray kitten who started living on my back porch until I brought him inside. Now he's my cuddlebug. And this is my insane cat, Mookie. He was a shelter cat. Do you think he looks happy?

I started having nausea at about 4 months post op. No nausea before that. Surgeon is sending me for gall bladder tests. Oh joy. Salt helps with nausea, by the way. Drink salty broth, or add salt to eggs or potatoes. I started eating potato chips and Skinny Pop popcorn, which really helped with the nausea. Problem is that those foods are trigger foods for me, so I have had to give them up. I'd rather put up with the nausea!

Last thing I remembered was saying goodbye to my sister in the preop area. Then I remember waking up in recovery asking for air, and being thirsty. Next thing I knew was I was in my room with oxygen in my nose. No nausea, no pain except when I coughed. This was my very first surgery, so I think I got off lucky!

I had to do the six months also. But I found I really needed the time. It took that long to get all the pre- op tests, the psych eval, the upper GI, a stress test and heart echo. Plus I needed to wrap up things at work so I could take a month of medical leave. And I had to arrange for care after surgery. The six months also gave me the time to read everything i could get my hands on about VSG surgeries. If you like to read, here is a Good reads thread: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/85547-good-books-for-the-emotional-aspects-of-post-surgery/ Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

I like to think that many of us who have had no complications, no pain, no nausea, no vomiting, don't post as often because we're too busy out there living our new lives! While I really feel for VSG'ers who had some rather dramatic complications, statistically the rate of complications is very, very small. I always tell people that I sailed through my procedure and recovery. If I didn't have 5 funny little scars on my tummy and the inability to eat very much, I might think the whole thing never happened. But it did happen. I am 5 months post op, co morbidities gone, 58 lbs gone, and I have my life back! Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

I'm 5 months post op, and I can't eat a whole 5 oz container of Greek yogurt. Stonyfield Farms makes a 4 pack of 4 oz containers. Those work really well for me. I get the 0% fat, plain and mix with a tsp of powdered fiber, tsp of Splenda and tsp of no sugar added Blueberry Preserves. It's my nightly treat and about 1,000 calories less than my former night treat (a pint of Ben & Jerry's).

I am 5 months out and I have been nauseous for a few weeks now. No pain or other symptoms. Surgeon thinks gall bladder but ultrasound showed no stones. So now I am going for a HIDA scan (looking for sludge?). Try eating something salty when nauseous -- it's the only thing that helps me. Salty broth, salt on eggs or potatoes, even cottage cheese. Try to avoid fat. I started eating potato chips, then popcorn -- both trigger foods for me so I had to give those up. Now I just live with the nausea until we figure out the problem.

Then when you go on solid foods you will likely have the opposite problem, because of the lack of fiber. Plan now to add extra powdered fiber to your food (like yogurt, s/f pudding and the like). Also stock up on stool softeners and get Metamucil and Miralax.

When I am losing weight, I have to go to the bathroom all the time. Especially at night -- I was up every hour! Could that be an issue? I also found that if I had some Protein before I went to bed I slept better. Dairy also helps you sleep (that's the reason for warm milk before bed). So I have a 4 oz cup of Greek yogurt before I go to bed. It gives me dairy, protein and is not hard to digest so my tummy is not working all night, like it would be if I ate something like carbs. I am 5 months post op (tomorrow as a matter of fact) and I now sleep like a dead person because of the copious amounts of exercise. But I still have my Greek yogurt at night. It's my nightly treat.

I don't really like to cook, so I eat out most of the time. Boston Market is my go to place. Their turkey or chicken market bowls are easy and the meat is moist so it goes down easy. Get food in a to go container, eat 1/2 at restaurant and the rest at home.

You can also use Unjury's strawberry sorbet flavor and make with sugar-free Jello. I think it's like 20 grams of Protein. Advise you buy the individual packets to try. They can be returned if you don't like them. The big containers are less expensive, but can't be returned. Also, have you tried mixing your Protein shakes with skim milk or non-fat Greek yogurt? Add some ice, mix in a blender and it's like a milkshake!

I can look in a mirror without being horrified.

Yeah, I was the same way for about 3 weeks after surgery. My days consisted of trips from the bed to the couch back to the bed. I think you will find that once you get back onto solid foods, your energy will return. Hang in there. It will get better.

I am a 20+ year Type 2 diabetic. Before my sleeve surgery my A1C was 10.7 (I was having lots of food funerals). It's been 5 months since my surgery, I am down 58 lbs, and my doctor called me a couple of days ago to tell me my A1C was now 6.2! She was so thrilled! I had a bit of GERD before my surgery. But I have none now. Since I don't eat bread or fried foods anymore, and I can't overeat anymore, that helps. I never for one minute considered having a gastric bypass. Too many complications, and too many people gain their weight back. If you are not comfortable with your doctor's opinion, find another doctor. Good luck on your journey. It's going to be amazing!

Day 3 for me. My sister was here, so I let her drive everywhere. I really had no pain, just a little discomfort so I never took the pain meds. But I kept my trips short (drug store, grocery) as I just couldn't handle the stress of Chicago traffic.

I swear by Revita! Started using it several years ago when my hair started thinning (age related). It's been a god-send since my sleeve surgery. My hair is thinning a bit, but my hairdresser pointed out the little baby hairs that are coming back in. Be sure to get the Revita Conditioner. And use lots of it. It encourages hair growth and makes the strands thicker. Revita is expensive, but so worth it. Also, fish oil, Biotin and zinc help prevent hair loss/encourage hair growth.

I'm 5'11" and built like a linebacker (a true apple). My surgeon never set a goal weight. Started at 258, down to 204. Normal BMI is 180. My PCP is happy where I am now, since my diabetes and high blood pressure are under control. But I see another 30 lbs sitting on my abdomen that I would like to see gone. Following my plan, exercising like a fiend -- it will happen!