JamieLogical

I actually had to get my passport card to ENTER Mexico when I went for my sleeve. I already had an enhanced New York State drivers license that allows for land entry into the US (used it previously to reenter the US from Mexico and have used it LOTS of times to reenter the US from Canada). However, since the last time I'd been to Mexico, they changed their laws to require a US Passport or Passport Card for entry INTO Mexico. I was informed of that change in Mexican law by my patient coordinator for my sleeve surgery. She said the Mexican border agents absolutely would not accept my enhanced driver's license. So I scrambled to get a Passport Card at the last minute (thus my trip to the Buffalo Passport office). Then after all of that, when I actually crossed the Mexican border, they didn't ask me for *any* ID at all!

Good luck!

Stories like this make me so mad. These are supposed to be medical "professionals".... why aren't they conducting themselves in a professional manor? You should definitely report her.

Oh wow. That's a long way out to be dealing with so many issues still. I hope you and your doctors can get things figured out!

Do you live anywhere near any of the passport offices? I was fortunate enough to live near Buffalo and go get a Passport card made somewhat last-minute. But there aren't that many offices in the US so the nearest one could be hundreds of miles away from your parents, which doesn't help at all. PS: It's awesome they are coming with you and I truly hope it all works out! It certainly sucks to be dealing with this extra stress on top of the anxiety you are likely feeling about your surgery. Hang in there!

You have stitches. They are just subdermal.

Definitely if I had to give ONE word of advice to all new and future WLS patients it would be "patience". Everything about the entire journey requires patience. You have to be patient while awaiting insurance approval and all the hoops to jump through pre-op. You have to have patience awaiting your surgery date. You have to have patience to make it through your pre-op diet. You have to have patience about moving between the food stages post-op. You have to have patience with the scale. You have to have patience with your sleeve and how it handles new foods. You have to be patient with YOURSELF at you are relearning how to eat. Your family has to have patience with you..... Patience is definitely the key to long-term success and sanity. You will drive yourself completely crazy without it.

How far out from surgery are you?

I love this article! The problem is the people who NEED to read aren't likely to.

It's perfectly normal for weight to fluctuate from day to day just due to things like Water retention. Remember, one cup of water weighs half a pound. You should be drinking at least 8 cups of water a day. That's 4 pounds. So even retaining a portion of that can cause fluctuations on the scale. It's not like it's actual fat. You aren't gaining 5 pounds of FAT in a week or 4 pounds of FAT in a day! Stick to your plan. Trust in the process. And the scale will trend downward. It's also very important not to compare yourself to others. I have been a "slow loser" through this whole process and I really struggled with the frustration in the early days when I "only" lost 14 pounds my first month while others were dropping 20-30 pounds. You know what? I'm 4 pounds from goal now, 11 months out, and what does it matter whether I lost the weight fast or slow?!?! I lost the weight and I'm now happier and healthier. That's what matters!

I add granola or kashi Cereal to my greek yogurt on the days I work out, since it's my last snack before my workouts and the extra carbs help fuel me. But I just buy those separate, measure them out into little containers, and add them when I eat my yogurt. I agree that the added texture is really nice, plus it's a little more filling, since there are some solids in there.

Meanwhile, the other day someone on here was saying that her surgeon insisted she wouldn't feel any hunger for at least 12 months post-op, so in her case I guess she would just starve to death! I told her her surgeon was a "big fat liar" and she was pretty offended.

The pain seems to vary wildly depending on the patient. I had no pain at all around my incisions and no soreness in my abs. My only pain was cramps caused by my drain and gas pain. Neither was unbearable and I didn't take any pain meds after I left the surgical center the day after my surgery. My cramps went away the moment they pulled my drain out. The gas pain was mostly gone after the first couple of days, but I would still get it once in a while the first week or two. Marching in place seemed to help a lot with that. Some people have pain around their incisions. Some people say their abs feel like they've done 1000 crunches. I didn;t experience any of that.

Because your stomach is now the size of a Sharpie and because you can't eat and drink at the same time. I gave up soda years ago and only drank water and hot beverages (coffee!) prior to my surgery. I could easily get in a gallon or more every day. Even 11 months post-op, I struggle to get in about 10 cups a day now. I am just not as thirsty as I was pre-op. I don't gulp water the way I used to. And I can't eat and drink at the same time, so I'm no longer using water as a way to wash food down so I can cram in more. I used to go through a good 2-3 glasses of water at restaurants when I ate out. Now I can maybe get through half a glass in before they bring me my food and then I can't drink anymore until after I get home.

Wow. That explains a LOT right there. Like you said, it's good that these people are at least getting SOME food, but i have to wonder why so much of it is junk. Where are these food donations coming from that so much of the food is unhealthy garbage?

I still feel weird walking into the "normal" clothing stores at the mall now. I feel like everyone is looking at me and thinks I'm too big to be shopping there. For so many years, I could only shop at Lane Bryant and the plus size sections of the anchor stores (Macy's, Sears, Penney's, etc.). So I never even walked into stores like The Limited, New York & Company, etc. Now I go in there and I feel like I'm doing something wrong and all eyes are on me!

When I have time to eat a "real" breakfast, I do one scrambled egg with Mexican shredded cheese blend and a little taco sauce on top. Sometimes I'll even squeeze in a link or two of frozen Banquet Turkey Breakfast Sausage. Usually my breakfast is at work though and I just have a Quest Protein bar.

My hips/thighs/butt are still huge.I can see my top ribs above my boobs now, but I am just now squeezing into size 12 jeans.

I have chocolate all the time. I have chocolate and dark chocolate calcium supplements. I have chocolate Protein shakes, protein bars, and pudding. I really haven't felt deprived of chocolate at all. Same. I have chocolate in my protein bars every day.

That is fantastic news! So glad he heard you out and hope he understands that this is about your health, not just about your vanity. I really hope he comes to appreciated the 5+ more years with a HEALTHY you. Staying obese for an extra few years could have really taken a heavy tole on your health that could/would cost you MUCH more money and misery in the long run.

@@butterfly23 To be fair, I did mention the artificial sweetener in my first post about Dannon Light & Fit. Some people avoid artificial sweeteners and some people don't. It's a personal choice, but I did point it out, because I don't know what the OP's personal preference is.

My favorite Dannon Light & Fit are the Raspberry and the Key Lime. I started with their strawberry, which was okay, but once I tried the Raspberry, there was no turning back!

What?!?! That seems completely crazy for a sleeve patient. I've never heard of such a thing. Not that I'd advise you to go against your surgeon's plan, that just seems incredibly extreme.

I'm 11 months out and I still have to eat on a schedule. I will get hungry if I go too long without eating, but by the time I feel hunger, it's almost too late. I am what my family calls "hangry" and I'm impossible to be around. I don't even notice it, but it's gotten to the point that when I show the first signs of hangriness, people around me are handing me food and insisting I eat! As early out as you are, you should DEFINITELY be eating on a timer and not relying on hunger as an indicator of when to eat.

I wish you the best of luck convincing him that NOW is the time. I certainly wouldn't have wanted to wait 5 more years. In fact, that's the reason I was self-pay. My insurance required me to have a documented BMI over 40 for 5 years or more. The problem is, I'd lost 90 pounds "on my own" back in 2010/2011 and it took a couple years for me to gain it all back, so my BMI had been well below 40 up until about a year ago. I didn't want to have to stay fat for 4-5 more years just to qualify for my insurance to cover it, so I decided to pay for it myself and I'm SOOOOO glad I did. Because now I'm less than 5 pounds from goal instead of fat and getting fatter!