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Yes, that's it exactly! A new (happy) normal. And also as was said above, what you are going through is normal for now. I remember wishing I was 6 months in the future, with all of that worry and discomfort behind me. Well, now I am in the future, and it IS all behind me. Yes, it was much tougher than I imagined, but REALLY worth it! Now, it's a breeze. You'll get there! :-)

Hmm. I vomited nearly every day for 8 months. Only just managing to keep all of my meals down in the past few weeks. Some days were good, others terrible. Some foods I definitely can't handle (chicken) and some foods my stomach simply rejects! So I tried to stick to the foods that stayed down (ground beef, ground lamb), no salad (can eat salads now), potatoes (no rice). If I don't pay attention and swallow even a mouthful too much, up it all comes again! Still, very pleased with my weight loss, have most of my hair and full of energy!

I had very little pain except for one incision on the left hand side. Sharp, stinging, stabbing pain for about 10 days. But all good now. Definitely stay off those Oxynorms, Oxycontin, and Hydrocondone. They are all seriously addictive and seriously difficult to get off. I speak from experience :-)

I love Brussels Sprouts! Unfortunately, they won't stay down yet!!

19 days feels like eternity when you are feeling unwell :-( The first thing to do is take a deep breath and try to let go of the stress you are feeling. And the guilt. It just makes the situation feel worse. Not being able to keep things down in the first weeks is relatively normal. I found I could drink ice cold milk, but not much else. One of the ladies who had her op the same day as me was able to eat toast 2 weeks out! Toast!!! When I could not keep down Water. So, our recovery rates are all different. Take little tiny sips. This took me ages to master! In fact, I broke the dreaded "straw" rule, and found that if I sucked through a straw I was able to take much smaller sips and thus did not puke as much. Check with your doctor first, but that might help. There is light at the end of the tunnel :-) And if it were possible for us to lose weight without the sleeve, we all would have done it. Big hug to you! You will feel better every day.

Yeah, people have started telling me I look skinny. What they mean is I look "skinnier" than I used to. I am still only half way.

Don't give up! You have already done great - over 70 lbs - wow! I can appreciate you are disappointed that they couldn't do the surgery. Did they say why? Are they going to try again?

Laura ven you crack me up! Love the eyes. I can no longer drink, which is probably a good thing for me. The wine (with which I had such a problem!) tastes like medicine, and burns on the way down. Last night (NYE) I did manage 2 glasses of bubbles over the whole evening. But I'd say drinking is a thing of the past for me, which is no bad thing!

I once shared a cab with Tom Cruise's lunch - that's my only claim to fame! As for menopause, I have no clue. Had a hysterectomy (but still have one ovary) about 15 years ago. Now THAT was brilliant! Have told my daughter, as soon as she has finished having babies - GET RID OF HER UTERUS!! Had a couple of hot flashes once - honestly can't remember when, and since then nothing, nada, zilch. I'm 57.

Yep, I drink instant coffee. A couple of cups a day from about 5 weeks. Odd thing is, I used not to be able to drink coffee (hated the taste!) and I drank copious amounts of tea. Now I don't like the taste of tea. My body is a very strange thing!

1st and second days i had terrible regrets. Vomiting, pain, more vomiting! Couldn't believe I had done this to myself. But every day gets better and better and now, 10 weeks out I am loving my sleeve. I just needed more patience (and faith!)

Yep, each week is an improvement on the last. Hunger was a problem for me - I thought my sleeve had "failed". Hunger is not a problem now. I have to remember to eat!

Happy New Year Misty!

My NUT told me I would be able to eat a steak at three months out. She is dreaming! There's no way I would be able to eat a steak. I can manage a little ground meat - maybe a desert spoon full. Actually, the further out from surgery I get, the LESS I am able to eat. Have resumed a daily Protein shake to get the calories and protein in. (Not complaining - very happy with the weight loss!) SOOO happy with the restriction. Was out for New Year's drinks tonight (we are ahead of you guys in the States by several hours). My 2 glasses of wine lasted all night - couldn't drink them any faster. We had a bowl of French fries and I only wanted 4. FOUR!!!! That was it. Satisfied. Really satisfied. It is like a miracle. So, my advice to newbies - it has gotten WAAAY easier for me the further from surgery I get. First few weeks uncomfortable and hungry. Wanted to eat, but it hurt. No longer hurts now, but i also don't have the hunger. Easier every day. :-)

It's hard to have patience when you feel like crap! But trust me - every day it gets better

My first few weeks I felt hungry all the time. For the past couple of weeks I have to remind myself to eat because the hunger has gone.

ny first few weeks i felt hungry all

Without giving TMI, not only did I spew, but I was trapped in the bathroom for an HOUR. I ate a meringue with cream and the effect was immediate!!! Never again.

It was a most unpleasant experience, but also a great lesson. I will NEVER touch meringue and cream again!!!

Yup, I can relate. Even as i was lying on the operating table, I was thinking "nooo!". But the next minute i was asleep, and the minute after that I woke up sleeved, and 2 months later I am in onederland! Do it! You will not regret it. It is truly like starting a new life :-)

I can't tolerate wine at all now. I have tried!!! But even a small mouthful burns my new stomach, which I take as a bad sign. Besides, it's kind of a good thing for ME not to be able to drink wine :-) Love your outfit Butter!

I'm better already, but I have learnt my lesson!

I can eat ground beef OK. chicken (even pureed chicken) sits like a rock in my stomach. Had a little bit of ham yesterday (pureed). Can't do roast pork yet. But I'm over 2 months out now and still need to puree everything, can't tolerate vegetables, and still vomit at least a couple of times a week when I put something in my stomach it rejects (like vegetables!)

My surgeon was so casual and relaxed even though I thought I was dying! I thought he just didn't understand what I was feeling. Now I realise he had seen it all before, and he knew I would start to feel better in no time, and he was right. One thing that did help me was drinking milk. For some reason, milk went down more easily than anything else, and it stayed down.

It will get better! I couldn't drink or eat for days. Sipping Water was really difficult. Couldn't even eat Soup without throwing up. Even a month out it was taking me about 3 hours to drink a Protein shake. I was devastated that I had done this to myself, and I thought i would never feel normal again. 2 months out, I can drink easily - even gulp back a glass of water with ease. I can eat more (unfortunately!!), but I still can't eat "chunky" food and need to puree most meals. But I'm not panicked now. I'm delighted that i made the decision. I feel more "normal" every day. When you're still only days out, and struggling, every day can seem like a lifetime. But the days will go past quickly, and you will soon start to feel much better :-) And thinner!!!!