VSGAnn2014

Yes, you can -- in accordance with the IRS rules found at: http://www.irs.gov/uac/Newsroom/Deducting-Medical-and-Dental-Expenses

Hubby has fallen in love with my Protein shakes, which I usually have for Breakfast. So he has a Protein shake, too. For lunch, he does his own thing, and I do my own thing. (Today, my thing was Greek yogurt and sliced mangoes.) For evening, we often (not always) do healthy takeout, so we each order the food we want. Tonight, I'm having broiled salmon, and he's having broiled tilapia with shrimp. I'm having two green side veggies (I can eat only about 1/3 of each side), and he's having a single green veggie and a baked potato. He'll have some bread, but I won't.

Just a quick note that medical expenses of any kind are not "deductible" like many other expenses (subtracted from taxable income). However, deductible medical expenses must exceed a certain percentage of your taxable income. * I am not a CPA.

I've read online in various places that some nutritional supplement businesses drum up WLS customers for their products, mail the items to their customers, and directly bill the patients' Medicare / Medicaid / Insurance accounts for the supplements. It seems iffy to me, but I really don't know if it's an actual scam.

Does it really matter what we say if we don't want to talk about how much we weigh? In which case ... any or all of the following answers would suffice: No. Yes. I don't know -- I weigh only once a month (once a year?) on my doctor's scales. I don't know -- I don't weigh myself anymore. I go by how my clothes are fitting. I no longer discuss my weight with co-workers / relatives / anyone / idiots / f**king idiots.

Wishing the best for your sister, RJ.

I'm not a vet like most of you guys. I still have almost 30 pounds to go until my goal. But to the OP, isn't gaining / losing a few pounds what "real life" is about during maintenance phase? Couldn't you treat this as just one more lesson you need to study and learn and do well at as part of your journey? Maybe it's just a wonderful opportunity for you ... ? (Pollyanna)

Great post. Honesty. It can save us.

My doc said this is the norm. That's been my experience, too.

LOL! Didn't realize one's cell phone was now part of your evening ensemble. Live and learn. BTW, I do love your LBD.

Isn't that the damn truth! And no -- I told only Dear Hubby and two very close friends. I have zero interest in becoming the WLS Poster Child / Ambassador / Educator of my zip code. For those who want to do that, knock yourselves out.

Great comments above. However ... yes, if you've been fat all your life and are "comfy" with it you *will* have to build a new relationship with your slimmer body. That will require effort and accommodation on your part. What you don't know, however, and you *can't* know at age 25 is just how much more unhealthy you're going to get if you already weigh 270 pounds at age 25 and don't use WLS or some other dramatic means to lose and maintain a healthier weight. Spoiler alert: You'll soon weigh over 300 pounds. You'll be physically and mentally miserable. You won't keep going to the gym. And you'll gain weight and become more unhealthy faster and faster. That's the problem with obesity: It doesn't stabilize. It just gets worse and worse and worse. Oh, and sushi ... yes, you can eat sushi after you've been sleeved. Not immediately, but eventually. For some bizarre reason, many WLS patients seem to think that their immediate post-op experience presages what the rest of their life will be like. But of course it won't be like that. You'll heal. You'll learn new behaviors. You'll be fine.

Well, I guess they have heart attacks or strokes or leaks and abcesses that don't respond to antibiotics or that cause other problems. And yes, sometimes (rarely) surgeons make errors. I think you're looking at this the wrong way: Yes, 3 out of 1,000 people who have weight loss surgery of all kinds die within 30 days of surgery. But how many 1,000 morbidly obese (and that's what most of us are at the time of our surgery) are likely to die in the coming 30 days? Of heart attacks and strokes and falls and accidents and cancer and complications from other surgeries or medical treatments? Chances are, it's more than 3 out of 1,000. BTW, did you know that 50% of people who break a hip don't live more than two years after the fracture? None of us gets to live forever. The point here IMHO is to live as well as we can for as long as we can. That's why I had weight loss surgery at age 68.

Judas Priest!

I call bullshit on this article. It's replete with inaccuracies, e.g., "So little food can be eaten at a time that patients are told not to drink Water at mealtime because doing so leaves no room for food." (Nope, that's not why we don't drink water at mealtimes.) And "Post-operatively, patients eat only Protein and supplements to prevent muscle, Vitamin and mineral loss." (Uh, no, that's not true either.) If the writer did any actual research about WLS patients' actual experiences, the article makes it sound like she attended a single WLS support group and assumed the participants' anecdotal experiences are typical of all WLS patients. (No, that's not how research, even qualitative research, should be conducted.) The writer does lots of "wondering" and "surmising" and "figuring" and "what if'ing". The text of the article contains eight questions marks, e.g., "Would giving tryptophan as a supplement help?" (Gee, I don't know -- would it?) It reads like it should be titled "Random, Hairbrained Questions I Had About Weight Loss Surgery Without Bothering to Inform Myself About It at All." This piece is pathetic. It's not fit for a publication like Psychology Today. The author is just flogging her new book, The Antidepressant Diet, not investigating seriously any connections between WLS and depression. Epic fail.

Basic nutritional fact: Carbs = energy. Sugar (in our cases, a little fruit) = quick energy. You are on a (relatively) high-Protein menu, but you're not on a zero-carb diet. Enjoy.

This thread should be renamed: "food That Killed Elvis"

Don't buy chips or allow them in your home. Investigate what feelings trigger you to eat crap like that. And build some healthier responses to those feelings so you don't soothe them with crap--like you did pre-op. Slider foods (google that term) will NEVER make you full. They slide quickly through your stomach, leaving it ready to say, "Feed me!" (Again, google "slider foods" to learn why.)

It won't help.

^^^^ Everything @@LipstickLady said.

To the OP: How much are you eating -- calories, Protein grams, carb grams, etc.? And what kind of foods are you eating? What are some typical days' menus for you?

Mortality rates within 30 days post weight loss surgery are low, compared to other major surgery. A recently published study cited: "The 30-day death rate for gastric bypass patients was 0.30 percent, about the same as total knee replacement and one-tenth that of heart surgery." That means 3 patients out of 1,000 died within 30 days of surgery. You can read about the study at http://www.webmd.com/diet/weight-loss-surgery/news/20141106/weight-loss-surgery-has-low-complication-rates-study-finds P.S. I had VSG surgery at age 68. Did fine.

It's common for people who are newly sleeved to imagine that their current eating situation is permanent. It's not. You just had major surgery. You are learning again to sip and drink and eat. You're in the newly sleeved phases -- going from liquids to purees to soft foods. You're no longer on "automatic" with regard to eating and drinking. You can't eat much. It takes a long time to eat. Eating is different and uncomfortable. This doesn't last forever. By three months out, you'll be so much more comfortable. Go to the Veterans Forum here and read about the lives of people who are one, two, three or more years out. They have different issues. But not the ones you're complaining about.

Hang in there. You're still on liquids, aren't you? Your new tummy's restriction will kick in when you start eating foods of any kind. Even purees. You sound like a champ!

So funny! I, to, have (again) begun to buy Vogue issues. Loving it!