AvaFern

I was self pay and it cost $18,999...I remember because I thought it was stupid to not just bill me the extra dollar and call it an even 19K. I used Dr. Craig Morgenthal at Jacksonville Baptist Center for Bariatrics. My doctor was a complete and total tool who had absolutely zero bedside manner. He makes you feel like a fat loser who is wasting his time and his front office staff isn't much better (the billing people are friendly). I almost cried the first time I was there because the massive level of rudeness was just astonishing. I paid extra for an insurance policy that would have covered me if I needed to stay an extra day, which given I was sick beyond description and I could barely stand, would have been nice to use. The doctor gave me such an enormous attitude about staying an extra day that I ended up leaving, driving myself home, and being terrified something was wrong with me for the first week. I had one follow-up appt after surgery at 3 weeks and I have not been back to the office since. Partly because there was nothing wrong with me and partly because I have zero tolerance for doctors who treat patients poorly. Also, only three months of follow-up care is provided, then you are fully billed $100 a visit and for any additional treatment you need. My chest x-ray wasn't included in the fee I paid and neither were follow-up blood tests. That being said, he is an excellent surgeon. I had zero complications and I reached goal 1 year and 7 months post-op. I would not recommend going to this practice largely because there are so many capable surgeons in the States and in Mexico that you can easily find someone who will do a good job and who will be nice to you in the process. My plastics surgeon is not only massively talented but possibly the nicest doctor I have ever met, which really proved to me that in the competitive world of surgeons, you can find a person who treats you the way you deserve to be treated AND who is also an excellent surgeon. Also, there are less pricy options that give you far more bang for your buck. So...for your reference, 19K was my cost for surgery in Florida.

At 2 months out I wouldn't call a spoon of icing cheating. I had surgery in September 2013 and I ate a lot of junk food the December following it, then January I was right back on the wagon. It's ok to sometimes have a taste of something that isn't on your diet plan. The whole point of having surgery was so that you could live a happy and healthy life and sometimes that includes something that isn't Protein or veggie. At 8 weeks out you aren't hurting yourself, so don't beat yourself up over a little taste of something good. The trick is to be able to enjoy the little taste and not feel the need to eat anymore after it. Also yes, the sugar could have made you feel badly. I don't have a very high tolerance for sugar at this point either. As an example of how life can be normal, I had plastic surgery a few weeks ago during which time I ate a lot of sweets the first few days afterward. I am now 7 weeks out and I haven't had anything sweet or really all that bad for me since. Yesterday I was at Starbucks and I bought a blueberry muffin and a cakepop. I had a few bites of the muffin and the cake pop is still somewhere in my kitchen. It's ok to occasionally eat a few bites of something that is sweet as long as you enjoy it and then go right back on your diet. Life is for living...not feeling guilty for enjoying a bite of frosting.

Botox!!! I love artificial fillers. Your dermatologist or your plastic surgeon can fix you up. It is far cheaper than surgery, has no downtime, and has a very low complication rate. Depending upon where your wrinkles are, in theory you can also use Juvederm or Voluma. I am personally a fan of all three, lol. I have tried the creams and over the counter products and they just don't work. The artificial stuff you put in your face works quite well...it isn't overly cheap, but it's worth it.

@@snowkitten When I think about giving up on things I remember a shirt that I saw someone wearing once during a road race. It was something along the lines of "No one cares if you succeed or fail- except you. Keep going." I've done a lot of distance road races and around mile 6 on the 15K's and around mile 9 on the half marathons, I am consistently about ready to sob because my feet hurt, I never actually train for the races, and I want the damn thing to be over. Then I think of that shirt and I know that I can go home and quit and no one is going to care or even remember it, but for the rest of my life I will know that I quit and I have one chance to make sure that isn't something I have to keep as a memory forever. Then I suck it up and keep running....which at points has produced a tear or two from an injured knee or a sick stomach, but has every single time been worth the misery. Weight loss is the same thing. The only person you are helping or hurting is you. You deserve to be happy and healthy. Suck it up, put on your big girl pants, and get to work. You can do this.

I also sometimes have fast food. I like the grilled chicken sandwich at PDQ which I usually eat about 1/3 of. The grilled chicken sandwich at Chik Fil A is ok...for some reason it tends to make me sick sometimes, so I don't get it often. I love Panera chili, however they are no longer selling that for the summer. I tried the Wendy's chili and I wasn't super crazy about it. Most places like Panera that are sort of fast food but sit down have salad options, so I get those occasionally without the dressing or crispy parts (bacon, chips, croutons, etc). I'm not super crazy about fast food, but there are options that you can grab that are not that bad for you and taste decent.

@@feedyoureye Can you possibly post the title of the article? The link just directs to a login page. Thanks!

Good for you- go fly like the beautiful butterfly you are!

I found myself doing this too when I was at goal and the few pounds close to it. What works for me is really orienting myself toward Protein on weekdays and saving the weekends for junk food if I want it. I've been doing this for about 6 weeks now and this weekend the only slider I had was a granola bar, once, and the rest of the time I just ate what I do the rest of the week. I was never really big on protein while I was losing weight, but I started feeling like garbage when I got close to goal. Taking an Iron supplement, taking B12 and making sure I get those 60g of protein a day not only makes me feel better so I can workout more, but I actually end up being able to eat more too without gaining (fingers crossed it keeps working like that). As an example I burned 600 calories working out today, but I ate 1,870 (yikes) which consisted of 88g of protein. I hopped on the scale a bit ago to see how much I had gained since this morning since I weigh everyday and I weigh exactly what I weighed last night, so I'm not too worried about a gain in the morning. So...my advice, try adding more protein. You should end up feeling more full, having more energy, and for roughly the same or less calories as eating the sliders you should be able to maintain your weight.

I kept my first procedure (abdominoplasty, breast lift & augment, and lipo) a secret from everyone the first few weeks and then I gradually told a few of my best friends. I have since had two other procedures which I told my best friends about, however I have told no one else as I do not believe it is any of their business. Except for my brachioplasty scars which I have yet to show people but I'm going to have to do soon unless I want to wear long sleeves all summer all of my scars are hidden by a modest bikini so there is no need for anyone who is not seeing me naked or who is not someone who is close to me to know I've had extensive plastics. My arms are the only thing anyone will know about and oh well, that is the cost of not having to wear long sleeves. Only three people know about my sleeve surgery and if I could have kept that a secret, in hindsight I would have. Your health and your surgeries are your business. It is actually far harder for me to not blow the secret of the sleeve and like you I tend to put a lot on my plate and use distraction to take away from the fact that I don't eat much. The fact that a lot of food tends to make me sick doesn't help that much either. At any rate...you are capable of keeping your procedure a secret and if you choose to do so, more power to ya. If anyone questions why you are walking a little stooped over tell them you feel like you pulled something in your back and you're trying to be careful to not aggravate the injury.

I accidentally used a straw a week or two after surgery and was thrilled to find that it didn't cause the pain in my throat like drinking without a straw did and I could consume way more liquids with a straw. I am now a year and 8 months out from surgery and I use a straw with nearly everything I drink. I don't feel like I'm swallowing rocks anymore when I don't use a straw, but being able to use one the first few weeks after surgery was the only way I was able to get in all of my fluids.

Your surgery is only 45 minutes to an hour long and you are conscious and walking around within a few hours afterward. Pop in a tampon before surgery and bring along extras. People have surgeries all the time during their time of the month and the sleeve has nothing to do with any part of your reproductive system, so it won't be an issue.

Sometimes my stomach doesn't like lettuce, although it has become more tolerant as time has passed. My stomach hates salad dressing though and any form of oils, so I have to make sure that I order or make my salads without the dressing on them in most instances.

For anyone who happens to read my posts, you might know that I am not great at getting in Protein and I hate Protein shakes. It has been 1 year and 7 months since my surgery and I have had less than 4 protein shakes in the entirety of that time. They are, in my opinion, so gross tasting and I would rather just eat a few pieces of chicken than slurp down chalky tasting milk. Also, milk and sugar tend to make me sick so that was another part of my rationale. I decided this week that while I am at goal, I would like to drop 10 more pounds, which would put me at the goal I set when I was younger. I keep reading everyone's post about how they always eat protein first, which I don't do, I eat whatever tastes good first, which is usually something with carbs. So, I decided I would make a conscious effort for the next few weeks to put protein first, which started with trying to make a protein shake/ smoothie that didn't make me sick and didn't taste disgusting. Below is what I came up with: 12oz Almond Milk 1 container Yoplait Whips Yogurt Cupcake flavor 1/2 tablespoon raw organic honey 2tbs PB2 1 packet Body Key vanilla Protein powder Total: 465 calories, 31g protein (makes a HUGE cup, so if you try it, you will probably only drink 1/2-2/3 which makes the calories a bit better) I froze half the almond milk the night before and the container of yogurt so I wouldn't need to use ice. I mixed the other half of the milk with the protein powder and PB2 in the blender first, then I blended in the frozen milk and yogurt. I got some organic raw honey the other day for something else so I tossed that in, but in the future it mostly adds calories more than flavor so I would probably leave it out. I also like vanilla almond milk just to drink, but in the future I would probably use the non-flavored version which drops it from 135 calories in almond milk to about 65. A frozen banana would probably also be good to add. In the end, I have a giant cup that tastes like a cake batter flavored milkshake. It is ridiculously good and really filling, so I only ended up drinking about half before I was full. Ideally in the future I can modify it a little so I don't end up with so much leftover. So, since I have read a lot of Protein shake recipes hoping I would find one I like, I thought I'd share. Happy Sunday Everyone!

I get my motivation from remembering how people treat me when I'm fat. I am motivated by the fact that yesterday I asked the sales girl at Express to grab me a size 2, instead of a 4 instead of trying to squeeze myself into the only size 16 anywhere in the store and being upset that it didn't fit me, like used to be the case. I am motivated that yesterday for the first time in my entire life I bought an American Eagle size 0 pair of jeans and they actually fit me. I am motivated by the fact that no one looks at me like I have no business shopping in stores like AE, Express, banana Republic or even places like Louis Vuitton and Tiffany's. I am motivated by walking into anywhere and knowing that not a single person there could call me fat. I am motivated by the fact that between self-pay sleeve surgery and plastics I have spent more on creating the new me than I grossed my entire first two years of having an adult job and holy cow it would be expensive to get fat again. I am motivated by not waking up every morning and feeling like I'm worthless because I can't control my size. I suppose I am most motivated by never again wanting to feel that deep, lonely sadness and constant shame and humiliation that I felt when I was at my highest weight. So the shorter version, I am motivated by the fact that losing weight massively increased my happiness and gaining it back would cause substantial emotional pain, lol.

Like you, I'm at goal, and I tend to find myself being a little obsessive about what I can and can't eat. Outside of drinking my butt off in college, I'm not much of a drinker, so I don't really have a hard time not having alcohol. I could, however, happily eat an entire bakery in one day. I only each chocolate around Christmas, or I will end up eating it way too often otherwise and I generally don't eat sweet stuff on a regular basis. I don't see a problem though with having something sweet and a glass of wine on special occasions. I had cake pops the first few days after my last plastics procedure, I have a few bites of cake when it is ordered at dinner events (a few times a year) and sometimes when I feel like it, I get myself a blueberry muffin from Starbucks. If anything my sleeve has helped limit my all or nothing mindset because I know that in theory I can eat whatever I want but I can only have a little bit of it so I'm no longer in danger of eating the entire pan of brownies. One piece and I am quite content. I think you should enjoy a piece of cake and a glass of adult beverage today. Life is about living and the few extra calories won't hurt you. Maybe add an extra workout into your day today as a way to offset the calories and to assuage any guilt you might feel.

jess9395 is right...the Greek yogurt has a ton more Protein and is way better for you. I personally am not a big fan and didn't eat any of it until recently, well over a year and a half post-op. I have found that as someone who doesn't like that kind of bitter taste of Greek yogurt, the Greek Whipped 100 calorie cups are really good. I think they are made by Yoplait. If you stick one in the freezer before you make a Protein shake, you can mix it with almond milk, Protein powder, and a little PB2 and you get a ton of protein and you don't really taste the yogurt all that much. The frozen yogurt though thickens up the shake and if you get the cupcake flavor, which is my favorite, a vanilla protein shake can taste like a milkshake.

@@MrsRoboto Thanks! I think my eyes were a bit misty myself, lol. I started at a really, really, really tight size 18. I refused to buy any pants that were any bigger than that and about the last 20 pounds of gain or so I mostly wore a lot of stretchy clothing especially skirts, so I was probably closer to a size 20.

To answer your question, I had WLS because I'm shallow and I like being thin. I could diet myself skinny but then I was constantly starving and I would gain weight all over again. The sleeve seemed like a permanent solution to a problem of yo-yo dieting. Fortunately for me, I would gain and lose weight so quickly that I never really developed any major health concerns, so improved health was just a nice byproduct of the procedure. I had surgery because I like having a nice butt. Also, I am so glad that your doctor suggested you have surgery and that as a result it did literally end up saving your life!

I can appreciate this. I miss my old friend food. She (or is food a he?) comforted me when I was sad, gave me company when I felt alone, and occupied me for long nights spent watching TV and avoiding leaving my house. Fortunately, after you've made it through the first few weeks, you can enjoy food again except a few bites is all you'll need to be quite happy and satisfied without having to deal with the portion control problems of the past. Food and I are still tenuous friends- she tends to make me barf a lot and sometimes I really would much rather eat cake than cottage cheese, but in the end I would happily give up my old buddy junk food in exchange for my new pal healthy food every day. You'll feel better soon...trust the process.

@CanyonBaby I am so sorry about your husband's diagnosis- I will keep you guys in my prayers. As for the other situation, maybe I can provide you a bit of insight as a person who worked as a medic when I was younger. I think if I went back to do the same job again I would be a completely different type of person because I have a much deeper well of experience to draw from. I was about 22ish when I first started working with patients and I had never been a patient myself. I was purely clinical with everyone- if they aren't breathing, breathe for them, no heart rate, give them one, leg missing, make sure they don't bleed out...I was a lot more concerned about not killing them and not messing anything up than I was about the actual person underneath the problem. I also learned very quickly that you don't emotionally invest in patients or you get your heart broken, so I kept my distance and in doing so I probably offended some people. As an example, for the rest of my life I will remember a cancer patient that we went to. The woman was at death's door...she had swollen lymph nodes everywhere, she was maybe 100 pounds, her hair was gone, and she was in so much pain that she was howling like a dying cat. I was so completely and totally horrified- not in any way that I would have ever wanted to offend her but I had never seen something like that and I was completely rocked. I responded to that by being cooly professional with her, which in hindsight I could have been a whole lot more compassionate if I wasn't trying so hard to hide my complete terror that I might in some way hurt her or make her feel worse. I also remember the first time I saw what a double masectomy patient looked like, the first time I had a burn patient whose skin was literally peeling off, and the first time I saw a person who had been tortured. In each scenario I was so surprised at what the scars and injuries looked like and that anyone would have to suffer through that and I was so focused on not letting the person know that I hadn't seen people like them a dozen times before that I was probably very distant toward them which they could have easily interpreted as me being judgmental in some way. So...I know you interpreted the woman as being rude to you, but from experience it may not have been intentional or judgmental. I don't know what kind of scars you have, but this may have been the first time she ever saw something like that. She could have tried to keep covering you up because she was trying to protect your modesty or because she wasn't sure how you felt about being there with your scars showing. She lacks the experience of pain like yours to be able to manage it correctly, and by the time the situation was over with, you may have been so upset by her actions that everyone else seemed to be comparable morons. I'm not saying the woman couldn't use a lesson on bedside manner, but as a person who was also once young, and massively inexperienced in life, I likely gave some people a comparable impression that you got and I would never ever have intended to hurt their feelings as much as my actions were designed to hide and protect my own fears and insecurities. I wanted to project confidence and professionalism in a situation where I was in completely unfamiliar territory and I likely overcompensated and was cool or distant as a result. Maybe that was the problem with the woman you dealt with.

Did she say this while she was reading labs or after she put the little clip thing on your finger? If it was the latter of the two, she likely meant your O2 Saturation level, which is the level they determine by putting that little clip thing on your finger. It measures the hemoglobin in your blood which helps determine how saturated your blood is with oxygen. Ideally you want a reading around 98-99. If she just said your reading was low and didn't freak out about it, you were probably above 95. If you had to walk a ways to get to the office visit, if you were out of breath, if you have low Iron, if you were wearing nail polish...all of these things can throw off the reading. Next time she says something you don't understand- ask her. It's her job to speak in a language you understand so you don't have to be worried about your health. In this situation though, you don't need to worry- if it was really that low she wouldn't have let you go home.

I don't think there is a single person who had this procedure who was completely free of being nervous about it. I was moderately terrified about the procedure and for the entire 2 weeks afterward I was convinced I had absolutely ruined my life. It is completely normal to be nervous. If you think about it, there is is a thing called negativity bias where we inherently tend to place more emphasis on bad things than good. As a result, a lot of people post on this site when they are upset, nervous, or sick as opposed to when everything is going well, just because you don't need as much support when life is grand. As a result, reading through all of these posts gives you a skewed perspective on life after the sleeve. Being nervous is normal, you said you're in good health, you're young, and you're doing this to prevent problems in the future. There's this phrase...having courage isn't the absence of fear but the ability to do what needs to be done in the presence of fear. You're doing what needs to be done, so keep going. You're going to be just fine.

It took me 1 year and 7 months exactly to the day to hit my goal. I floated a pound away from it for about 2 months and 4 pounds away from it for 5 months. My goal was to lose 108 pounds (237 to 129). It has been 1 year 8 months and 8 days since surgery and I have lost 110 pounds total.

I think this is great advice, not just for this post for a new-sleever but all of us. It made me chuckle a little bit, but is very true.

Like JamieLogical, I LOVE my fake boobies. After losing weight multiple times over a decade or so and then finally having sleeve surgery a little over a year and a half ago, my girls had also left the building...they just took the elevator down to my waist on the way out. I looked like I had saggy, floppy tube socks on my chest. I decided one day to go see a surgeon about getting new ones, and 8 months later that surgeon has now done pretty much every body contouring procedure possible on me. Of everything, my boobs and my stomach are my favorite and given how they just stay sitting on my chest whether I'm wearing a bra or not is constantly amusing to me. Had I known how much I would love fake breasts, I would have done it years ago. So...if you're thinking about plastics, I'm sure you will love the results you get!