onmywaytoonederland

Patsy, I'm sorry for the delayed response, I just saw this! Well, you had your surgery yesterday!!! Congratulations! I bet today you aren't ready to run a marathon, probably not tomorrow or the next day either. But, you may, one day, feel like it. The first few days were a bit rough for me, but I mostly slept through them. The first month was such a learning experience. I was filled with wonder that I wasn't hungry all the time any more. There was discomfort, but nothing I remember being horrible. I was so busy reading this site and learning more about the questions I didn't know to ask. It was fascinating that I was actually dropping pounds. By the end of that first 2 weeks, I was back to me. I went back to work (where I stand on my feet 8 hours a day), and I learned a routine for healthy eating. The wonderful people on this site educated me more than my surgeon or NUT. I would definitely not have been as successful without everyone here. As soon as the dr. gives you the go ahead, start walking, walk around the block, on the treatmill, in the mall....everywhere. It is an easy, great exercise. I have a bunch of exercise videos (ummmm, don't we all???) and I actually USE them now! Please make sure you do some toning exercises for your arms and crunches for that new tiny tummy you are about to find. The day will come that you actually WANT to exercise, look forward to it even. Haha, that shocked the heck out of me - whodathunk?!?!? This old gal wanting to exercise (heck, maybe they did operate on my brain after all The transformations, both physically and emotionally, are some days quite overwhelming. I look in the mirror and am amazed at this person I see staring back. I never thought I would see her again and boy did I ever miss her! Take lots of pictures of your dwindling self. It takes the mind so long to catch up. The pictures help you to see what is really going on when you only drop one or two pounds in three weeks. You are going to do great! I hope today is not too bad and that as soon as you are able you get up and start walking....especially around the hospital halls (you want to move that gas out of you FAST....just get moving as soon as possible. Do as much as you think you can, then do 5 minutes more. Don't push too hard, but don't be baby yourself either. I truly believe in the power of positive thinking, don't think it is going to be horrible, think that this is going to be a quick, relatively painless recovery! I am so thrilled that I had the opportunity of this surgery and I hope you are too. That 40 minute operation changed my life. Please keep us posted on your progress. I love to read of the happiness people find after years of depression. Such a wonderful thing!!!! Look forward to watching you become a butterfly again!

You sound a little depressed. Get yourself outside in the fresh air, go for a walk, color your hair, buy some new duds and CELEBRATE YOU!!! Don't let yourself fall into another cycle of "self bashing". See yourself for the beauty that you are! Change your attitude, change your LIFE! .........okay, don't mean to sound like a cheerleader, or maybe I do. I feel so lucky to have had the opportunity of this surgery. I am beyond thrilled that I have lost almost 100 pounds and I emphasize the positive every single chance I get. At age 56 I wonder at who this new (old) gal in the mirror is, yes, her, with the saggy boobies and booty, I am thrilled to see her, warts and all. I know by losing this weight I have gained a few more years to see the beauty and joy life has to offer. C'mon, celebrate you! Accentuate the positive and life your best, happy life. Good luck....today is the day to begin! Don't put it off, diets start on Monday.....life doesn't!!!!!

"The truth hurts"........if that is YOUR truth, then the only one it is hurting is you. You have had three years to acclimate and educate yourself and have chosen to do nothing. Stop playing the victim of your own story and start eating the right way and taking care of yourself. It is never too late to live a healthy lifestyle. Get strong - in mind and in body. You were given the gift of life, take care of it. I wish you nothing but happiness and hope you eventually find success.

I think the problem is, and I quote you, "I decided to have the surgery and 2 weeks later, I was in Mexico and sleeved - Stupidest and most stubborn decision I ever made.@" In my humble opinion, NO ONE should go in to this ELECTIVE surgery without properly educating themselves. It is a permanent solution. No going back. I researched for a year before I came to my final decision. Was it scary? Yes, yes it was. But being morbidly obese and dying from the complications were more scary to me. In my life, it was the best decision I ever made for myself. I put me first for the very first time ever. I don't regret a thing. Yes, my portion sizes are smaller (thank God) and yes, I eat Protein first, then veggies, then a bite of something dessert if I am craving it. I don't restrict the types of food I eat. I definitely eat healthier than I ever have in my life and I am not deprived of anything. I just exercise control of choices now, which I never did before surgery. I am thrilled that I made this decision and know, without a doubt, that I extended my life by having this surgery. I'm sorry that you regret it. I wish you would read a little more about the surgery and taken a little more time before you jumped in. A lifetime of regret would be no fun, I hope you come to terms with your tummy and learn to treat it right. I wish you nothing but success but think that without educating yourself (even now, three years later) you are setting yourself for continued failure.

I went shopping for jeans yesterday. I started with a size 16 (2 sizes down from my old size) and worked my way down to a 10 which was still too big. I sat down and cried. I am 56 years old and have not been a 10 since high school. It was a very, very weird feeling to me and I was completely overwhelmed. I actually left the store without buying a thing. So surreal, this new feeling. How does my head not see the amount of weight lost? I mean, I know I have lost weight, but my eyes just don't see how much, I guess.

Kinda hard to explain my thoughts here....my head wants bread...badly! I love the smell of warm bread and the look of it with butter melting all over it....but if you put it in front of me, my tummy scrunches into a little ball and screams....NOOOOO. I don't even get the piece of bread to my mouth. I guess that is the difference between "head hunger" and real hunger. I know, without even attempting it, that my tummy would rebel against that hot piece of buttered bread. But.....my head does miss it!

Thank you everyone, for the kind words. I saw my surgeon's NP yesterday and she said all of my labs are great. Little low on a few things so I need to up some Vitamins and eat more Protein but all in all doing great. New primary doc is on the horizon and I have moved on from old doc's comments. I will not let anyone rain on my parade! I am happy she showed me that side of her. Happy to know that my medical well being will not be in her hands any more, yet a bit sad, I really liked her before her comments. I lost confidence in her as a medical professional after those uneducated statements she made. The weight loss will slow down now and I am fine with that. At this point, I am pretty happy with my weight. I can't imagine how I could gain it all back. My diet and eating habits have done a complete turn around. I no longer crave junk food. Given a choice I would take cucumbers in balsamic vinegar over pie/cake.....so weird to me. I love shrimp and chicken & fish, have a bit of a hard time with red meat/burgers. I do have the occasional bite of my husband's chocolate or ice cream, but it is a bite or two and I am content. My hubby and I go on date nights once or twice a week. We go out to eat and I order an appetizer to be brought out when they bring his dinner. I don't eat the bread or crisps they bring to the table. Rarely I will have a french fry of his but really am just happy with my appetizer (they are more than enough of a meal for me.) I love our date nights and the conversation and intimacy it brings. We have been together 35 years (married 30) and in the "empty nest" part of our lives, getting ready to be grandparents. Life is definitely good! Wishing you all a wonderful journey. This has been such a great experience for me. I have my life back and will be eternally grateful that I was able to have this surgery. I wish every obese person that wants to change their life could have the opportunity to do so. To wake up every day and not have to carry that weight any more is a feeling I never thought I would feel again. I am amazed and so very thankful.

I am still seething mad over this. I am over 7 month post op. Went to my primary dr., labs are great, no more high cholesterol, no more high blood pressure, no more pre diabetic state. She says, "wow, you look great, you have lost almost 100 pounds!" I say, I have. Feel so much better, move so much better. No more hip and knee pain. She then says, "you know, every single patient I have that had this surgery has gained back every pound. You do know that you are going to gain it all back, right?" Oh my gosh!!!! It took every ounce of patience I have to be kind. I told her that I beg to differ with her experience, but I do think gaining it all back is the exception and I have to tell ya, I am absolutely NOT going to be one of her ugly statistics. She said, well, I really didn't want you to have the surgery, I don't agree with it. Mind you, she never said anything of the sort while in the pre op stages. More was said and I ended the appointment saying, maybe you should make an incognito trip to one of the seminars and educate yourself on how obesity changes your body, on a cellular level. Time for me to find a new doctor. Oh, and she wants to get more into the bariatric side of medicine but treat with behavior mod and meds. Seriously?????

The next six months are going to fly by and stand still at the same time. Take advantage of the time and learn everything you can about the life change and dietary requirements you are about to embark on. Read the forums and educate yourself. Do THIS FOR YOU. I have a feeling you are entering an enlightening phase of your life, in many aspects. Get ready for it and be prepared to soar.

I had the sleeve in December, 2014 and I can tell you, without a doubt, that it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. Every single day, I am thankful for this gift, Every. Single. Day.

I've only been here for a few months but I gotta tell you, Kindle's posts are some of the kindest, supportive, tough love posts on this forum. Her response was absolutely not belligerent, it was matter of fact. I think she is just trying to tell you to relax and ENJOY the journey. Don't stress out over it. We all question whether this is going to work for us. Most of us have been on every diet known to man, yet we failed. With this surgery and your determination, you are not going to fail. Be kind to yourself, be patient with yourself and Celebrate every small victory. Today, I was feeling a bit frustrated with my stall. So you know what I did? I cleaned out my closet. Took me hours. I tried on every piece of clothing in there and you would not believe the clothes I have in bags for donation! I feel fabulous right now. I found my waist, my hips are smaller, my legs are smaller. I was looking in the mirror while trying things on and am absolutely amazed at how I have changed. Get in the closet, girl. That'll perk you up!

I told everyone about the surgery and honesly, didn't give a rat's patootie about their opinion. This is MY life and if they want to support me and cheer me on, fine, if not, that's okay too. It has been 3 1/2 months and there has only been one person who said, c'mon, you can do it on your own....look at Sam (made up name, but real person), he did it. Little did he know that "Sam" had gastric bypass and didn't tell anyone! I would never give away his secret so I just said, yes, he is amazing and he did a great job on improving his health! I would never betray Sam's confidence in me and when I told him what was said, we both had a belly laugh about it. My point is, tell, don't tell, it is totally up to you. We only have this one life and the only one we will ever have to answer to is ourselves (in this life, anyway). DO NOT be embarassed. If anyone asks why you didn't tell them, just say, I didn't want to hear any negative comments on a personal decision that I made to prolong my life. And, your sister in law sounds like a jealous witch!

Zane's Mom....are you still getting them? I was on topirimate daily and relpax when they came on. Nothing really touched them once they started. Like you, I was taking excedrin migraine for the daily headaches but using cold packs on my neck. I am so thankful the migraines are gone (knocking on wood right now). The neck pain is still there, but I think that is from these huge breasts I have to lug around! I am hoping to have a reduction mid summer to alleviate that pain. I sure hope the migraines are on their way into your past!

I would get VERY frequent migraines that would last anywhere from 2-5 days (every week of the past 6 years). Horrible and debilitating. My surgery was 12/3 and I am over the moon to report that I have NOT had even one since then. I am almost convinced that the amount of sugar I ate contributed to them, that or hormones. Life is so very good these days. Weight is coming off and no more migraines or migraine meds (topirimate is an evil drug that makes you so spacey that you aren't even sure where you are). The surgery has been a Godsend to me and I am so thankful it was an option. No regrets.

Walgreen's sells a four pack of Premier Protein ready to drink shakes in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. That way you don't have to buy a whole case to try it out. I think the 4 pk is around $6.00. costco sells the case for around $25.00.