VSGAnn2014

Maybe you just got a little tummy bug / food poisoning / something bizarre -- rather than are suffering from the wine / food combo. ????

I understand your concern for her. But hard truth coming at you here: She's GOT to take responsibility for her own eating. Nobody else (not even you) can actually do that for her. Frankly, she's imagining things she can do now (pureeing pizza?!?!?!) that, had she been paying ANY attention to her post-op instructions she was given before surgery, she would NEVER imagine were appropriate. These are not good signs.

I live in Missouri. I was 68 when I was sleeved. Medicare and my Medicare supplemental insurance (Mutual of Omaha) covered my costs. FYI, my pre-op BMI was 39. I had 3 qualifying comorbidities -- arthritis, lower back pain and stress incontinence. Very best to you.

Lipstick ... thank you for leading this effort and for the very hard work (physical, mental, emotional, financial) you're putting in, which is what that kind of initiative takes to succeed. Life -- it's what can happen when we are able to start living again. Again, thank you.

I'm so sorry to hear of your Daddy's passing, @@Christinamo7 . And yes, one survives and recovers from a loss like this one day at a time. Actually, sometimes it's more like one breath at a time. Since I was sleeved (22.5 months ago) my husband and I have experienced the deaths of an adult child, two elderly parents, and beloved pets, several unexpected surgeries, retirement, two physical relocations, the appearance of cancer in my husband, remission, cancer's reappearance and (last week) remission again. Some things that have helped me stay focused on myself and my health during all of these stresses include: * Meditation and deep breathing * Exercise, including walking and yoga * My husband's and my love for each other * Seeing a therapist -- I can't express how helpful this has been! * (Don't laugh) My Fitness Pal -- this tool reminds me that sometimes the only thing I CAN control is what I eat / drink, which can be quite comforting * sleep - sometimes with the aid of melatonin or ambien * Sunlight time every day * Snuggling with our last surviving pet -- an 18-year-old cat who is equal parts sweetheart and pain in the ass * Staying active on online WLS forums (here and elsewhere) * Keeping daily structure in my life (mealtimes, exercise times, housekeeping chores, errands, etc.) * Doing everything I can to be present in and feeling grateful for THIS moment and stepping away from rumination (obsessing about negative pasts and futures, whether real or imagined)

Last week I took our old cat who's not feeling too well of late in to see our (otherwise great) veterinarian. In the midst of his treatment I had to endure a 45-minute rant by the vet (apropos of I don't know WTF?) about how modern medicine was worthless in curing disease and that all disease is cured by God and God alone, at His discretion. Since my poor sick old cat was held hostage and I was worried the vet wouldn't give him the antibiotic shot he needed if I returned the vet's favor and shared with him some of my own "testimony" on the subject, I pretty much bit my tongue -- including the time during which the vet insisted on clasping my hands and praying with me for "understanding." What. The. F**k. Yes, this is my world. Because Obama, I guess.

I live in a part of the country where fundamentalist, enthusiastic Christians are prevalent. God and Jesus -- and individuals' personal relationships with them -- are commonly referenced in public places, even by strangers. Prayers are offered and requested like Jello shots on Bourbon Street. You all know the scene. God talks to these people every morning. He (never She) agrees 100% with them. According to these people, God / Jesus disapprove of all the things I hold dear. Likewise, God / Jesus endorse all the things I find abhorent in politics, the arts, popular culture, history, science, health care, etc. For me, it's a stressful environment in which to live. BTW, I'm old enough that you'd think I'd have already made my peace with these folks -- but I haven't. At least once a month, I fantasize about shooting one of them with their own beloved guns. (joke) For those of you who live in this kind of stressful environment, do you have any suggestions about how to successfully negotiate this aggravation?

Also LOLing. Not sure WHAT I would've said in that situation and all drugged up to boot. LOL!

And you're one of the nicest creepers I've ever "met."

I LOVE ALL OF THIS, @@Inner Surfer Girl !

OK, I gotta ask (not to be a downer, but out of medical curiosity): Is it dangerous to have an 8-11 hour surgery when you're sedated for that long?

Daisee, your summer this year sounds a lot like mine: lots of physical labor doing stuff like hauling bags of mulch while wearing bikini tops. What a different life, eh?!

My stats: Gender - female Weight - 5'5" Highest weight (age 68) - 235.6 pounds Day of surgery (August 18, 2014): Age - 68 Weight - 216.0 Quarterly weights during first year post-op: Q1 - 184.6 Q2 - 162.4 Q3 - 151.8 Q4 - 143.6 Today: I'm now 70 years old, still 5'5", and this morning at 22.2 months post-op I weighed 135.8 pounds. My lowest weight was 133.0 pounds. My support groups: * www.bariatricpal.com * www. g a s t r i c s l e e v e .com * For the last two years I have seen a psychologist monthly. * My surgeon's practice does offer an in-person monthly support group, but I live more than 100 miles from where the group meets so do not attend that. Warning about non-respondent bias: Respondents who actually collected this kind of information on their own (no bariatric surgeon requires patients to record and store this kind of info) and who will provide it to you are likely to be WLS patients who were more compliant during their weight loss phases and had more success losing weight and maintaining their weight losses than those who didn't collect this information and/or who don't respond to your inquiries.

LMAO! And that, kind gentlemen, is the secret to winning the hearts of the fairer sex. Give more than she asks for.

Like @@jess9395 and @@FrankiesGirl I shopped out of my closet down through size 12s (the smallest size I owned). As I lost weight, I moved the too-big clothes to a spare closet and started inviting friends and family members to shop there for things they wanted. I gave away all the others to our favorite local charity (a hospital second-hand store). This is the first time in my life I gave away all my fat clothes. Doing so was a big commitment that turned out to be both therapeutic and warranted. The big mistake I made: I thought when I hit size 10 that was it and invested funds in some good size 10s. Nope, wasn't the end. Then at size 8 I thought that was it. Wrong again! C'est la vie. I wound up a size 4-6 and 135 pounds. I also have a few size 2s that fit me great. Likewise, some of my size 8s are still good on me.

Just outstanding!

What happened to "Keep paying attention all the time you're operating on someone"? FYI -- my gall bladder went bad 10 days after my sleeve surgery. Eighteen days later my bariatric surgeon removed my GB. It all went easy peasy.

I hear you. A bath is such a pleasure for me. One of my big NSVs post-op was the day I was able to get back down into and back UP OUT OF the bathtub. (My knees / legs were so weak after being heavy for so long it took a while for their increasing post-op strength to match my decreasing post-op weight.)

Ooooh! * Clothes - something pretty special * Massage - a truly great masseuse can change your life * Facial - or even better, a package of facials * Spray tan - a good one, not an orange one * Jewelry - never a wrong choice * New makeup - Sephora is the girl palace * Great bottle of wine - if you're into that and if you're allowing yourself any alcohol yet * Kayaking / canoeing trip - 'tis the season if you live in the northern hemisphere I could go on and on and on. Congratulations, by the way. You're doing great.

Gad! Wiccans and nerds in the same thread. Wait ... are they the same?

@shrinkingqtpi ... thank you. Or you're welcome. One or the other. Like @@swimbikerun said -- your successes and wins will be on this thread sooner than you will imagine. Very best to you as you continue on this path. Ann

LOL! Thanks, @@Alex Brecher .

Good luck to you @@ocgirl15 . Of course, I don't know what will be the resolution for YOUR knees. But a good orthopedist in your corner can only be a good addition to your team. FYI, I got Synvisc (rooster comb) injections for my right knee 4 times. The first two times I had the shot I had a good response, and the SynVisc helped for 6 months (although it didn't eliminate all the pain). The third shot sort of did nothing for me. And then the fourth time I was shot up was ... YOW! My body had a monster allergic reaction to the SynVisc, and I spent the next six months limping around worse than before the injection. My then-orthopedist said, "Yeah, that happens a lot."

If he is mentally ill, as you have said, and he is not being treated way for it, he is unreliable, unpredictable and dangerous. Period. If he wound up in jail for DUI, he will wind up there again. And it won't be so easy to get him out the second time. What will you do then? If he has physically abused you, even if it was the first time, it will happen again. What will you do then? If you haven't replaced the locks on all your doors, what will he have to do before you do so? As you've said several times, he's "not himself." And that's why you must replace those locks.

Please don't misunderstand -- no criticism here at all. But how in the world did you manage not to tell your husband about your WLS? Did he even know you'd been in hospital? Inquiring minds want to know.