KristenVSG2014

I thought I'd pop in here and give a little NSV update. So I'm 2 1/2 months out and I've been struggling with really seeing/feeling my progress. While my pants are hanging off of me, I still feel huge. Well I went to my parent's house for dinner last night. I got down to my bra and panties to show my mom my deflated body and my squishy legs. Of course I was critiquing but she was so impressed with my progress. When I had my clothes back on I was walking to another room and I heard her tell my husband, "Look at her from behind. She looks like a different person!" That made me so happy. Today I went shopping for a new bathing suit and some shorts and pants. I dread shopping. I've left so many times crying and depressed. Most times in the dressing room things wouldn't even go past my thighs or butt and I'd get them halfway up and give up. I'd try on 10-30 items and leave with none or one. It was bizarre shopping in the non-plus size section. I kept gravitating towards the 2X and 18/20 clothes. I grabbed three pairs of pants, a pair of shorts, two shirts and six bathing suits. For the first time in my life every single item fit. And the pants and shorts were all size 14!! I got tears in my eyes because every bathing suit fit and I simply picked the one I liked the most, not just because it fit. Normally I settled for whatever fit and would feel fortunate I found one item. Now I can actually find clothes I think are cute! My bathing suit doesn't have a skirt or shorts. It's a NORMAL bathing suit. I haven't worn one of those since I was....I don't remember. A child? Of course I'm not close to done with losing weight. I still have 50 pounds to go but these pants should last a month or two before they become huge. Here's a pic of me in my shorts! Size 14. ????

Your post brought a tear to my eye. I can understand and relate to a lot of what you said. My biggest fear is failure as well. Thanks for sharing!

Sleeved 11/3 and I'm down 50.6 pounds! I'm doing great with no issues. I love my sleeve! The restriction is perfect. I get enough to feel satisfied but it keeps my portions reasonable. Best thing I ever did. On the other hand, my pants are huge and I need some new ones soon!

I have BCBS FL but there are lots of different plans. My employer chose a plan that doesn't cover it. I understand, there are only 30 employees and we have no monthly premium. Anywho, I had Dr. Alejandro Lopez do my surgery. It cost $4,500. I did not have any other issues like hernia and I wasn't a revision surgery so there weren't any extra costs. While I was happy with the outcome, I believe it is very very important to do your own research and find a surgeon you feel most comfortable with. There are lots of excellent surgeons in Mexico, you just have to find one you are comfortable with. Hospital is also important. There's a brand new gorgeous hospital there, I can't remember what it's called but it is supposed to be a state of the art facility.

My insurance excludes any weight loss surgery as well. It was going to be $15,000 oop locally. No one in my family was thrilled with the idea of me going to Mexico either but I am pretty stubborn once I set my mind to something. I felt perfectly safe in Tijuana. I was on the 4th floor of a fancy Marriott in a big bed surrounded by feather pillows. They delivered broth and hot tea to my room. In the hospital I had a private room for my husband and I. I would do it all over again if I needed to.

Hi! I'm Kristen. I've struggled with depression since I was a young girl. Depression runs in my family and my mother noticed the symptoms. I've had suicidal thoughts on a number of occasions but always acknowledged that "this too shall pass" my mantra was "it always gets better". I was taken to psychologists and psychiatrists, tried on many different medications, but ended up gaining a lot of weight and having really scary side effects from the medications. When I turned 20, I spoke to a doctor who told me depression medication makes losing weight very difficult so I told him I was ready to deal with it on my own. I do not advise anyone to do this unless consulting with your own doctor, obviously. I learned writing, talking or praying about what I'm feeling has been helpful. Also, I'm naturally a negative thinker so I practice focusing on good things, especially the blessings in my life. When I visited Guatemala last year I realized how fortunate I am in my life. BUT, I was not prepared for the depression after surgery. My surgery was Nov 3 and combined with my usual seasonal depression it made my normal way of dealing with it difficult. I would randomly cry over the smallest stressor. I'm still struggling a bit with it but it's getting better. It always gets better!

That's wonderful!! Congrats. I can't wait to hit this goal as well.

I haven't been told I look younger or older, just completely different. Of course I have my dad and grandmother's lovely oily skin so it helps delay wrinkles. They both look 10 years younger than they really are.

You generally aren't allowed to have any liquids until after your leak test is completed but each surgeon is different. Also, when you are allowed to drink it can be difficult because your new sleeve is swollen and/or you have gas causing pressure in your chest when you try to swallow. Every time I tried to swallow the pressure felt like it was a giant bubble stuck behind my breastbone. That went away after 6 or 7 days.

@@Dreamingofhealth I'm the opposite. I barely have any gas and I used to have it a lot before surgery. Are you drinking a lot of dairy? Some become lactose intolerant after surgery.

Oh snap! I forgot to do my monthly update here. Sorry. On 1/1/15 I weighed in at 217.2 for a total of 43.6 lost since I started my pre-op diet. I lost 8 pounds in December. Since my goal is 2 pounds a week I met my goal! Measurements are very impressive. Let's do a comparison! 10/2/14 Neck - 15 Liver - 45 Waist - 45 Hips - 53 Arm - 16 1/2 Thighs - 27 1/2 1/1/15 Neck - 13 1/2 Liver - 39 Waist - 38 Hips - 45 Arm - 14 1/2 Thighs - 25 Total Lost Neck - 1 1/2 Liver - 6 Waist - 7 Hips - 8 Arm - 2 (each) Thighs - 2 1/2 (each) NSV: Everyone has noticed my weight loss this week and told me I look just like my mom which is a major compliment. I'm so thrilled with my progress so far!

My first waking thought was immense pain. My lungs were heavy, my throat hurt, the oxygen mask made me feel claustrophobic and my entire body was in pain. Because no one around me spoke English I just kept saying "PAIN" over and over and ripping my oxygen mask off until they gave me something that knocked me out again. My husband said they brought me back to the room and told me I needed to stand up and move to my bed and I simply said, "No." Eventually I complied with some coaxing. I don't recall anything until the next morning when I felt no pain, just soreness, but I could tell my lungs had a lot of mucous in them so I walked every chance I got. When I had my leak test the day after surgery I had to drink some liquid and I was so nervous to drink anything but surprisingly there was no pain or issue at all. However, drinking became a little more difficult the next few days because of gas. Every sip felt like it was sitting behind my breastbone. So I sipped as well as I could. The gas pains were somewhat painful but were completely gone by day 7. After that the anesthesia completely wore off and I felt how sore my incisions truly were but it wasn't so bad it limited me from doing anything.

However, I am exhausted from explaining how I lost weight. Unless the person is obese and truly needs help I'm not telling every person who asks about my surgery. Most people who ask only have 20-30 pounds to lose and I tell them I eat high protein, low carb and track all my calories. I expect the questions to continue or only get worse from here on...

I'm 5'7. My highest weight was 290 but when I decided to have WLS I was 261. This past week it seems like everyone just started to notice. I weighed in at 214 this morning. So it took 45+ pounds. I carry my weight very proportionally and I lose from all over so I think it takes a little longer for others to notice.

I didn't dare try a salad until I was 8 weeks out. Even now my sleeve isn't thrilled. I eat a tiny bit but it makes a lot of noises. I tried a baby pickle at a month and it caused a lot of pain so I knew I wasn't ready for fibrous foods yet. What do your instructions say?

Oh no, I totally agree. I told my husband, "This woman makes me want to work even harder to follow the guidelines!" That way I know I did everything I possibly could and when I reach my goal weight all those foods I turned down will be worth it.

Seeing my "Ice Bucket Challenge" video at work and knowing it was going on YouTube was the moment I decided I needed WLS. I didn't recognize the person in the video at all. It was like looking at a familiar stranger. I knew I had gotten big, my clothes barely fit anymore. But it was seeing myself in the video that truly opened my eyes and motivated me to make a drastic change.

I think one of the things that made me most angry was at the beginning of the show when she said her family, friends and community helped raise the money for her to get the surgery. Not only did she throw away the gift of this surgery but she threw away other people's money. Also, she's on full disability and her husband "can't" work because he cares for her 24/7. So it looks like they're accustomed to getting everything handed to them and pissing it down the drain.

Many occasionally have a weak moment and may or may not pay for it. The most difficult part of surgery is dealing with what is going on in your head. What activity can you replace eating sugar with to deal with stress or anger? Maybe counting, deep breathing, meditating, distracting yourself, singing a song in your head, etc. If I want to eat something I haven't tracked in my diary I like to come on here or go look at IG #wls or #vsg. Lots of inspirational pics to motivate me on there!

Some days I have more restriction than others but for the most part I can eat 1/4 - 1/2 cup of food. It also depends on what I'm eating. I can only eat one boiled egg. But I went out to eat with friends Thursday and was able to eat 90% of a salmon fillet and two bites of spinach. No one knew about my surgery or questioned why I didn't finish my food. This wasn't my first time eating out. Just eat slowly, talk a lot and take a doggie bag if you can't finish. I have no regrets!

For some reason I got diarrhea the day of surgery (before I even had surgery) and it continued for 7 days. DO NOT TRUST A fart. Thankfully I bought a 10 pack of granny panties to wear while recovering. I ended up throwing 4 pairs away the first two days. I wish I had known it was totally normal to NOT have a problem drinking fluids post op and also it is normal to feel little to no restriction with liquids. I thought my surgery wasn't done correctly. I was also quite emotional the first week post-op. I cried a few times over very very minor disputes or issues. Kind of like a 3 year old having a pity party. My sense of smell was like a bloodhound for the first month post-op. I felt like I had a superpower. However after a cold and sinus infection I'm finally back to regular smelling powers.

Welcome!! Your reasons for surgery had me tearing up. I really empathize with it. While it is helpful to have someone to assist in your recovery, unless they are 100% supportive it will make it more difficult. My husband was supportive but he ate a hamburger next to me while I was still on Clear liquids and I stared daggers at him the entire time. He never offered me something he knew I couldn't have though. And he helped me shower the first few days and made sure I took my medicine so I appreciate that. It's better to be away from any and all temptations the first month when compliance is critical.

I've lost so many inches from my hips, butt and thighs and not much from my waist. My legs and butt are a size 14 but my waist does not agree. Unfortunately I only have one pair of 16's, all my other pants are 18's and I could very well fit a sack of potatoes in the butt area. Lol! I feel your pain. My highest size was a 24 and I had many a nervous breakdown either trying to dressed for a social event or shopping for new clothes.

Beautiful!! Amazing progress. My HW was 290 and my SW was 261. I'm only 20 lbs away from you!! I can't wait to be in Onederland!!