MRhynard11

My husband is thinking about sleeve surgery now that he's seen my success with mine. He's overweight with terrible back problems. His reason mainly to get it done would be to cut down on the back pain. He asked me today if there are many men on this forum. I asked why and he said that he'd like to know if the surgery caused them to lose their hair. His is already thinning and he's super sensitive about it. I told him that as long as he eats his protein he should be alright. I've honestly lost a little bit of hair myself but I have a tough time getting all of my protein in every day. Anyway, are their any men out there that could give me some advice for him?

Yup, I felt kind of down and sad too. I don't want to bum you out, but for me, it didn't go away until several weeks after surgery and I began to feel like I was myself again. I think I felt that way because food was something that I've had a pretty significant relationship with my entire life. Before and right after surgery, I felt like that relationship was over and it literally did feel like a loss. I guess you could say that I was in mourning. Don't worry though. The weight starts melting off and you feel such a euphoria from that. Then, you realize eventually that you don't have to say goodbye to food. You'll be able to eat again and that sense of loss will leave you. You just can't eat much lol but you can still enjoy. Hell, it's actually more fun for me to go out to dinner now than it was before because I know that I'm totally going to get to enjoy whatever I order for the next 3 meals! One of my favorite hobbies now is searching Pinterest for neat bariatric or low carb recipes. IAnyway, hope this helps.

I drink a lot of unsweet tea from fast food places like chick fil a. I'd check out the lemonade first on my fitness pal just to see how much sugar is in there. Personally, sugar is the kicker that makes me really sick if it has too much. With unsweet tea, I can sweeten it myself with equal or something. It does the trick for me because I have a hard time drinking water too.

This drives my husband crazy, but popcorn is something that I have to get when we go to the movies. That's probably why we don't go that often- because getting popcorn, a drink, and movie tickets are so dang expensive. Anyway, I was really worried about how I would do without it. I went to the movies about 1 1/2 months post surgery and as soon as I walked in and sniffed the air I knew I couldn't resist. I ended up getting a small with no extra butter and a water since we can't drink soda. I ate probably about 1/2 of the it and was fine. No nausea, no feeling of food stuck in my throat, and no sweats. My sleeve is so stubborn- most things I used to love make me sick now. Popcorn is something luckily I can still have once in awhile and in moderation. Thank goodness.

Call your insurance company. I actually found out that I was approved from them several days before the doctor's office called to schedule my surgery. The recording at my dr's office specifically says not to call them regarding approval questions- they'll call me. They probably did that so that they wouldn't get daily phone calls from people waiting to hear. You're insurance company shouldn't have a problem checking for you though.

Yes! I rode one coaster last month and was miserable for at least an hour after. My stomach felt horrible. I've always been able to ride them in the past. I just chalked it up to "getting older" at the time, but maybe you're right- maybe it is due to the surgery!

My husband's done a couple. You report there for your first study in the evening and bring your pj's. You then get hooked up to a bunch of cords that monitor you throughout the night. He said that the room at the hospital that did his study actually looked like a hotel room. He watched tv for awhile but fell asleep after an hour or so. They woke him up early in the morning and that was it. His doctor contacted him with his results a few days later. He ended up having to do a second sleep study because his doctor felt that he needed something called a VPap machine permanently due to his results. He was fitted for a VPap for the second study and monitored throughout the night. Hope this helps. Side note- it was recommended to me to do a study also by my doctor but I honestly think the weight loss I've had so far has helped me considerably. My husband says that I barely snore anymore and once in awhile he used to hear me actually stop breathing, which really scared him, but he says I don't do that anymore either. Good luck to you!

You actually want to send out one of those cutesy Christmas postcards where everyone's wearing red sweaters with big smiles...

A few days shy of the 2 month mark and I'm at 32 lbs gone. I like this topic because I'm sure, like myself, so many of us wonder if we're losing at the pace we should.

I get dumping syndrome if I eat something too surgery. That's not to say though that I haven't had a treat every now and then. For example, if my family goes out for ice cream, I may share a scoop of vanilla with my son- share being the operative word. I found out the hard way that more than 3 spoonfuls of ice cream will get me sick. Sorry about the tmi you're about to read, but I suddenly get dizzy, sweaty, and feel like I have diarrhea and need to vomit. I literally almost fell on the floor waiting in line for a bathroom at a busy mall because I ate a little too much ice cream and feeling this way came out of no-where. I'm actually glad that I feel so bad- it keeps me in check. You'll learn your limits too. Probably the hard way like me lol. Try watermelon- it's sweet and mostly Water. It satisfies a sweet craving without making you sick.

This is wonderful!!! You should feel so proud of yourself! I too just hit one-derland and the feeling is so satisfying. One of the best parts of that feeling is knowing that we're never going to see the 2's again!

I find that since surgery, my favorite drink is unsweetened iced tea. I sweeten it myself with a half a pack of equal or splenda for a large size. McDonald's has them for a $1.00. It keeps me from getting a caffeine withdrawal headache and I can drink it with a straw without a problem. It's actually the only way I can get my Water in because regular water doesn't taste all that great to me anymore. I haven't tried any soda since surgery- just the thought isn't appealing at all. I get constant bubbles from my stomach to my throat while drinking anyway and I couldn't imagine adding carbonation to that too! I think you'll find that foods and drinks you loved before surgery suddenly lose their appeal after.

I've been feeling bummed lately because my weight loss feels slower and I'm having trouble finding food that my sleeve actually agrees with and won't make me sick. However, yesterday I went to an amusement park with my family. I was able to walk around all day in the heat with tons of energy! The old me would had throbbing feet and ankles and needed my asthma inhaler all day. Hell, the only time I needed it yesterday was because my brother dragged me on a rollercoaster with four loops lol. I only needed it because I shut my eyes and held my breath the whole time! That's another thing- I haven't ridden a ride in years because I was afraid the attendants would tell me I'm too big- I fit just fine now! One last thing- we had to park at the far end of the parking lot. Walking the distance wasn't a big deal at all! In fact, I walked ahead of my family and had to keep waiting on them! Anyway, yesterday was just what I needed to boost my spirits and remind me why I'm on this journey! It reminded me that success after WLS isn't just about what's reflected on the scale everyday!

I was too- no biggie. Just tell the pre-op nurse when you get there. They made me where one of their maxi's and special underwear. (sorry tmi)

Use My Fitness Pal to track and look up food. You'd be surprised at how much you can eat on 1200 calories! Especially if you limit carbs and go more protein based. Good luck on your journey! I can tell you now that I'm on the other side- whatever hoops you have to go through to get here is so worth it!