VSGAnn2014

Elode, I know there are plastic surgeons in Springfield where you live. Have you consulted with any of them? As I recall you went through Cox (I went through Mercy). Here's one of the plastic surgeons who consults on Mercy WLS patients' needs: http://www.shahplasticsurgery.com/ Over a year ago I did a "hallway consult" with him (I recognized him in the Mercy Surgical Center hallway when my husband was getting a biopsy there and spent ten minutes talking with him about possible future plastics). FYI, he said he wouldn't operate on anyone who hadn't maintained for a year -- but maybe you could at least take a meeting with him before that. Just sayin'.

Guys, once again ... ... the NSAID drugs have the same potential to hurt your stomach by causing ulcers (not guaranteed result -- just raised odds of doing that) whether you take them orally or intravenously or as a patch. Again, Google is your friend.

Nsaids taken regularly aren't good for your sleeved stomach -- whether taken orally or intravenously or via patch. Google is your friend -- check it out. You don't have a ticker up or show how heavy you are right now. But here's my experience -- I went off NSAIDs several months pre-op. And I also started walking. And a few months post-op (after having lost about 40 pounds) I didn't hurt any worse than I did when I was heavier and on NSAIDs. I would propose you just try to get through surgery and see how you feel after losing some more weight. And now, after losing all my excess weight and maintaining easily, my knees don't hurt unless I wear high heels all day, which I rarely do. I walk 4 miles most days at about 4 mph. I could NEVER have done that pre-op. NEVER! Not even to save my life. Not sure this will work for you. Just reporting my experience.

^^^ That's a lot of "blame" and "character flaw" talk there.

I'm in the same place you are, Elode. I'm almost 16 months out, and maintaining right now is painless. I certainly don't pig out, but I have some occasional 2000 or 2500 calorie days. I also have some 1200 - 1500 calorie days. Normally, it's more like 1700 most days. It "feels" like my body is at a set point (either old or new - not sure which) that it's comfy at. But who the hell knows what's happening. Or what will happen in the future. That's why I'm still tracking (most days) and weighing daily (unless I'm traveling). Ann

I reached my current (final) weight several months ago. And I'm still shrinking in size. In the last few months I've gone from size 8 to size 4 pants. And yes, I'm walking farther and faster than I used to. But I'm just more active, period. I fidget more. I do more housework. I go shopping more often. In other words, I'm slowly losing more fat and building more muscle, even though it doesn't show up on the scales at all. Have you ever looked at how big (in mass) 5 pounds of animal fat is compared to 5 pounds of animal muscle? If not, be my guest: This is one reason that plastic surgeons tell WLS patients to maintain their weights for at least one year after losing all the weight they want to lose -- before having plastic surgery.

Did someone tell you that you should eat only 3 tablespoons at each meal? If so, that's cray. Early on, your new stomach is swollen (while it's healing) that 3 tablespoons could well be all you could eat. But eventually, your stomach will heal, easing the restriction a bit. By 3 months post-op I was eating half a cup of food at each meal. Today (at nearly 16 months post-op) I can usually eat about a cup at each meal. By a few months post-op I was also eating a couple of Snacks a day -- my go-to snacks were (early on) Greek yogurt or cheese. Months later, as restriction continued to ease I added fruit to the yogurt. Just be careful not turn your high-Protein snacks into nibbling on slider foods, e.g., pretzels, crackers, crap, all day long. Those are not snacks! That's what they call "grazing," and it's the road to perdition.

Absolutely! A lawyer will / can help you. And you should seek advice BEFORE announcing to your spouse your intention to divorce (if that is indeed your intention). As @@OKCPirate and others have said, you can make a lot of financial and other mistakes during divorce due to ignorance about your rights, how the timing of your actions can affect outcomes, ALL your options, and how your options compare with each other. The feelings that accompany the realization you shouldn't be with someone who's destructive for you are understandable and are screaming to be communicated. However, in a potential divorce situation you should understand a lot better than you probably do right now how divorce will affect your future life before you release those feelings in a "F**K you and the horse you rode in on" kind of emotional release. Forewarned is forearmed. Don't go before you know. Look before you leap. All those aphorisms ^^^ apply to you right now.

And that's what many WLS patients have to confront and deal with -- that we used food incredibly inappropriately. Having WLS doesn't "fix" this. Many people seek counseling or therapy to address and change how they interact with food. As the saying goes: They operate on our stomachs, not our heads. Good luck to you.

You can't fix stupid. And you can't fix ignorant people who want to remain ignorant either. Onward and upward!

No jerks that I remember. But I never napped as much as I did in the two weeks post-op. It taught me much respect for the value of a deep, short nap.

"Yeah I've snacked here and there." Well, stop doing that.

I think you are one of those folks who should lose their scales. You can control what YOU do. You cannot control what the scale does. And it will do cray-cray stuff sometimes. So now you know what to do.

I'm with @@JamieLogical re the need for lifelong adherence to my surgeon's lifelong instructions. I'm a 70-year-old woman, and at 16 months post-op I'm taking the following supplements and meds daily (the ones in bold font were prescribed by my surgeon; the others are by my choice): Mornings: Centrum chewable multi vitamin/mineral Ranitidine - 150 mg. (antacid) Fish oil capsule (for heart and bone health) Probiotic capsule (for digestion) Biotin - 1000 mcg. (for nails, hair, skin health) Evenings: Caltrate calcium + D3 (chewable) Ranitidine - 150 mg. (antacid) Melatonin (for sleep) - 10 mg Stool softener - 1 capsule

The support of your husband is likely much more valuable to you than your dad's support. My hubby is my greatest supporter. That makes both of us fortunate women.

Having spent so much time at WLS online forums pre-op, I knew (from looking at so many monthly weight loss charts / tables people had posted online) that the 30-pounds-a-month losers tended to be people who were much heavier than me, men, and younger people. The first 4 months I averaged 10 pounds a month. Then the next 4 months closer to 5-6 pounds a month. Then the next 6 months 2 pounds a month. It never mattered to me how fast I lost -- only that I could eventually lose all my excess weight. And I have. And am maintaining easily. And for the rest of your life that is really, truly all that you will care about.

At 70 years old I'm turning into a leather and dog collar kind of girl. Of course, I'd prefer that the leather be Armani and the dog collar be Hermes.

Very good observation. Work is like food -- we can't cold turkey it. So we have to learn balance and moderation and degrees. You'll figure this out.

Actually, there's a special forum for "religious sleevers" at http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/436-religious-sleevers/ Of course, Christians share that forum with Jews, Muslims, agnostics, atheists and other troublemakers. There are probably 50 threads already in that forum.

I'll forgo this marvelous opportunity @@OKCPirate has introduced to detail the gargantuan costs to all citizens of the federal and state tax support for corporate welfare. Instead, I'll stick to the info and support needs we see on our little message board here and acknowledge that my criteria for responding to questions and posts at Bariatric Pal include: 1) Is it a fun topic? 2) Do I like and admire the people who are already responding? 3) Does the OP / questioner sound like they've got enough of the necessary attributes (guts, smarts, humor) to be successful long-term? 4) Do they sound like they are generally positive and resilient about the situation they're in (no matter how awful it might be)? 5) Is the thread about clothes, underwear, or sex? 6) Might there be a chance somewhere in this thread to make fun of Donald Trump?

There are two kinds of people in the world ... in fact, there are about a million sets of "two kinds of people in the world. In the world of WLS there are two kinds of patients who don't know what in the world they should be doing at any given time: (1) people who figure things out go on to maintain their weight loss and (2) those who won't figure things out and won't be successful with WLS. The ones who will be successful long-term are those who ask questions (here and in nutritional classes and in their doctors' offices and on the Internet) and are good learners. And they can do the right things dozens or hundreds of times in succession -- and build new, better habits. And the other folks aren't good students and don't have good learning skills. Even when you tell them what to do, they still don't "get it." They don't read food labels (or understand them) or make good food-purchasing decisions. They also may have more life problems and weaker coping skills to deal with the slings and arrows life throws at all of us. And they can do the right things twice in a row before falling back on the wrong things -- and can't build new, better habits. Of course, there are not just "two kinds of people" -- there are many kinds of WLS patients. Some have WLS complications or post-op medication issues or illnesses. Some are fast losers, some are slow losers. Some have to eat low-carb to lose weight, others can tolerate more carbs and still lose. Some can maintain only on low-calorie diets, others can eat more calories than they could pre-op and still maintain because they're so much more physically active than they were before.

As someone who decades ago went through a "colonics phase," it helps you lose weight like taking Ex-Lax does. It's a temporary cleanout. Honestly, I never saw any beneficial effects of the colonics. Just cost me $30 a pop. Every time. Ex-Lax would've been much more cost-effective.

@@_Kate_ ... obviously, you're doing it "right." Keep it up.

Yes! A common mistake is to take your thyroid medication with food. We must take our thyroid med one hour before eating or two hours after eating for it to be fully metabolized and "work" effectively. Please google that and learn more.

Didn't happen to me (I was perfect on my pre-op diet). But I've read on WLS message boards that it's happened to others.