LindafromFlorida

Like my sister said once, we are all addicted to something, be it food, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, and so forth. I am from a family of many alcoholics, so I have seen what alcohol can do to lives, then drugs affected my family. I never drank until I was almost 50, and I can tell you it was a great mind numbing drug for me when I was dealing with my son's drug addiction problems, and then he died, and I still numbed my pain and sorrow. . When I went for the sleeve, I was not so sure I could quit my nightly 3-4 drinks, but I wanted this sleeve so bad that I did it. I do not know how I did it. I am just thankful that I did. I often felt I could never stop the nightly drinks, that I was an alcoholic too. You have said I have a problem, and I know from things I have heard that that is the first step. Please call a local AA, or find a meeting. I believe they appoint mentors to talk to you. Or talk to a therapist. Or talk to me, to us. God Bless you. We will listen and we will not judge you. Here's a big hug!

Talk to anyone, a parent, best friend, therapist, pastor, a doctor. You are very non-specific but if you have a problem please talk to someone.

The surgery is a little nerve wracking because we are not sure how we are going to be affected. I remember being a little afraid something would happen to me or my husband. Take it easy, rest, make sure you do get the fluids in so you won't get dehydrated (now that is scary). Good luck. The best is yet to be!

I read a lot of posts. I have noticed over the past few months that a lot of people seek help and opinions from others, some asking things such as should I go to the ER for this pain or that vomiting. We all can offer our opinions, and I have done so many times. I always try to put myself in someone's shoes, and say, this is what I "think" I would do. But what struck me a few minutes ago is to say, we know our bodies, we know when we are really scared that something is not right. I hope everyone learns to trust their gut instinct about any problem, and not accept my uneducated opinion or someone elses, because you may be leaving out something in a typed paragraph that could indicate you have a more serious problem that written in the paragraph we are reading. Never be embarrassed or worry about bothering your doctor or his staff. BTW, I had a problem I felt was serious, and my surgeon's staff tried to put me off. I demanded to talk to the surgeon. Lo and behold, his nurse "that isn't here", was immediately on the line with me. This is my life, and my health, and I was scared. I wanted an answer. Trust Your Gut Instinct and Take Charge of Your Health.

Children are dying of cancer. People are losing loved ones. Life is hard for someone today. Please let go of the negativity here and find something meaningful to say today, that might help someone, not hurt them.

Kathleen, it sounds like you have a lot to be thankful for. I am so glad I am living again also, not just existing. I hope you have a wonderful Easter! Linda

Personally I would think I might go back to my pre surgery and immediate post surgery program for awhile. The weather is getting nicer, you can get outdoors and do something, and get the focus off food. I know you can do it!!!!

This was a topic just 2 days ago. Low blood pressure was the cause of my husband passing out. If you have legitimate medical concerns you should call your doctor and not worry about bothering him. There have been many posts here you can research, and get more insight to. Staying hydrated, making sure you are eating right, and in general recovering from surgery can all be reasons for fainting. I have fainted many times in my life, and one thing I have learned is not to get up quickly when I am not feeling well. Take it slow.....

chocolate is the best in Bariatric Advantage. Using Vanilla, you can flavor it with Crystal Light powder, Torani SF syrups, or SF pudding powder. I don't like milk, and I felt Bariatric Advantage was milky, and my husband like it and drank it. I liked EAS whey Protein powder from Walmart, and that is what I used. Even though our NUT recommends that we quit using shakes now at 5 months, I have leftover powder and plan to use them for a few icy meals now that the sunshine has returned to Florida.

I agree. I worried I could eat too much and I seemed to eat more than my big husband. Even 5 months later, I think I eat more than him. Your burps and hiccups seem to be the indicator you are full for the first couple months. Then you get used to using a small plate and preparing smaller meals. I can still eat about a cup of soup, but no more.

My husband and I told my daughter who lives out of town, but not his local 30 year old son. At Thanksgiving, for the first time ever, we said we were dieting and were not cooking. I was l week post op, he was l week pre-op. We survived. His son won't even remember there was no Thanksgiving that day since his wife was cooking, and we relaxed and had a stress free Thanksgiving. If this causes you too much worry, maybe it is an option to relax at home and just say I am not feeling good (truth). It is about you right now, not struggling and worrying about what people think or will say. Have a Blessed Easter, that is what it's about.

Where has the time gone? Almost 5 months post sleeve, and I have had my perfect dinner I wanted to share. A small saucer, about 1/2 cup of tossed salad, and about 1/2 cup of my fabulous chicken salad, eaten and savored very slowly. Yum! This is the new norm. Before you know it, you will be here. Hang in there! This is going to be the best summer, small meals, hardly any cooking, just relaxing by the pool.

My husband and I took care of 4 critically ill parents, lung cancer, COPD, Ovarian Cancer and his Dad, the final, with Dementia, who lived with us 3 years, but then my sister, with ALS. You will need strength, and most important, your children need you. God Bless and I am so happy for you helping yourself like we have done! Seela and Lucky, just keep counting those blessings. I am happy for you, your families, and for me and my dear husband!

I am done here. Goodnight friends. This has been worthless.

We really have a warm and compassionate group of STRONG women here and I would not have it any other day.

Rayanne, lighten up. It is a post, and posts are open for replies. We all get the world is not perfect. Smile, the sun will come out tomorrow. Life will go on.

At 67 I am no longer allowing myself to be kicked in the arse. I think I would have relished growing up a military brat rather than the timid child of an alcoholic who has found my way. But no matter what, I am kind, caring, and have compassion for everyone. I applaud you RJ. Keep up the good leadership and guidance here.

I wonder if there's a difference - green vs yellow boogers? How about just white or clear snot??? Seriously, someone needs to be studying this. If the Government reads this they will appoint a Committee and allot 4 Billion Dollars for research. Shhhhh!

Don't judge by a few posts you see. We are all human, and none of us a perfect. We get sick, frustrated, and we have our moments, hours or days. But you will overwhelmingly find all the support you need here, and wonderful friends. Best of luck.

I also have very fine thin hair and always have a brushfull anyway. I have not had a haircut in 7 months. I trim my bangs and twist my hair up. It is shoulder length. When I heard about hair loss I figured I just would see what happens. I have about six wigs from halloween days if there is a big problem, and the birds need the leftover hair for their nests everyone.

My husband and I researched WLS 10 years. We knew what to expect, what the risks were, and what our risks were if we had not had the surgery. I hope anyone who has not had surgery yet makes sure they can handle this. It is not for everyone. We both had hernias. We both were prepared not to eat pizza and french fries the rest of our lives. We gave up cola and alcohol. We are smiling at each other today, over 4 months later, because the sleeve surgery has exceeded our expectations. I am so sorry for anyone who has had these extreme problems, but I have also seen threads where someone is very sick and in two days they post how much better they are feeling or had an issue resolved by their surgeon. I would do everything in my power to follow strict eating and drinking guidelines, even if it meant eating yogurt 3 times a day because nothing is worse than being ill. WLS is not for everyone. You will still want pizza. If you are depressed you will still be depressed. If you drink and party, you will still want to drink and party. I wish better days for everyone who is feeling sick. Linda

Having had many fainting spells my life and even being hospitalized a week for tests, with no diagnosis, I know sometimes there are no medical reasons you can find for fainting. I always felt it coming on and got to a seat or the floor except once, that put me in the hospital. My husband felt dizzy after the sleeve and got in the shower anyway and blacked out (low blood pressure). He nearly killed himself, somehow cracked in six tiles, blackened his cheek, and hurt his arm. Advice, if you feel dizzy or weak, stay in a chair or bed and don't keep moving! Buy a BP cuff, relatively cheap these days, and keep your BP monitored, drink those fluids, but most of all, be aware weight changes will affect our bodies in a lot of ways.

Good post. Should be required reading before we can post a topic.

The sun is shining in Florida again, and I hope it is peeking out wherever you all are. I think a good dose of summer will help all of us regroup , put a spring in our step, and get off the rants awhile and get outdoors! I can hardly wait!! I for one feel like a new person. Keep up the good work and let's lose more weight!

PLEASE EVERYONE REMEMBER WE ARE NOT HERE TO JUDGE. We are here to support you and encourage. We all wish you the best of luck.