Djmohr

I am 53 years old. I have severe osteo arthritis of the spine as well as psoriatic arthritis. I worked until I practically could not walk anymore and ended up getting laid off in April of 2014. In June of 2015 I had my 6th spinal surgery having 3 levels of my cervical spine fused. In November of 2015 another back surgery to remove a non working neurostimulator that they thought was causing mid back and rib pain. (was not the cause and am still in therapy trying to figure out a solution). I had my shoulder rebuilt in Feb of 2016. And am now dealing with the other shoulder and neck pain that still has not resolved. I started the process of disability in April of 2015 and was denied about 8 months later. Then filed an appeal and received word this June that I was denied yet again. I filed another appeal and now have to go in front of a judge which wont get scheduled for a minimum of 18 to 24 months. The reality is, I would be living out of a box if i waited that long. Incidentally I hired a lawyer right from the start so they know what they are doing. I literally went through my entire 401K during this time. So luckily I decided to do some consulting that would allow me to work from home. I started my own LLC and was hired by a previous co worker for this one project that ends at the end of November. The bad news is.....you are not allowed to work while filing for disability unless you make less than 1000.00 per month gross. So, my lawyer told me we are keeping the time in front of the court and trying to go back for the two years I was not doing anything. It is unlikely that I will find another client that will allow me to work from my recliner with heating pads or ice packs taking breaks whenever I want or choosing my own hours so I guess I will have to refile all over again if they cannot get me moving again. Filing for disability these days is not easy. I worked my whole life since I was 14 years old. There has never been a time that I did not work and make great money. I paid my dues and now here I sit without any help. The whole process is an absolute joke. My lawyer told me people are dying waiting for disability to help them and he also told me that nearly every case has to go in front of a judge. It's ridiculous.

@@eajk0709 Go back to the basics as if you had surgery yesterday. Are you following a high Protein, lower carb diet? Drinking a minimum of 48 to 64 oz of Water per day? Getting at least 1 gram of protein for every inch you are tall? Not drinking your calories or drinking with meals? Eating 3 small meals per day? No grazing...... Walking as much as you can. What habits have you allowed back in? I am only two years out and continue to struggle with maintenance. I gain a couple of pounds back and then lose it again over and over but for the most part I follow the rules and that is what helps me get control. I would simply reset myself and see if that gets things moving again.

3 days with no loss is not a stall. You cannot expect to lose weight every single day it just does not work like that. A stall is several weeks with no loss......Your body fluctuates daily so if you get to the point where the up and down drives you crazy then it is best to stay off the scale. Weight once a week or once every two weeks. I was a daily weigher but had to train myself not to get upset when i saw the scale not moving or worse yet going in the wrong direction. Be patient. Your weight did not come on in a couple of weeks or months and it wont come off that way either. I lose 100lbs in the first 9 months and then it took 9 more months to lose my last 52. Those months were excruciating but nothing like maintenance. It takes constant focus.

Very interesting article, thank you for sharing.

I am so glad you reached out. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I definately know how stressful that can be having been at my Mother's side for several years before she finally passed at 67 years old. Unfortunately I was at my heaviest so i am glad you are near or at your goal and still maintains through all of this. Taking care of your parents seems so much harder than taking care of your children. Please take some time for yourself and go to your meetings if they help you. We are always here as well. Take care and keep us posted.

I wish!

It will take some time for you body and mind to heal with any WLS procedure you have. 90% of this is head and if you can get that straight once the physical recovery happens you will be well on your way to a whole new life. Just remember.....this is the short term recovery that has you down. You learn to deal with the other stuff and everyday it will get a little better. It really will and then your buyers remorse will be gone.

I had severe gerd prior to surgery. I saw the surgeon with the idea that I would have the sleeve. After seeing him and then getting a second opinion from my gastroenterologist, we decided the RNY bypass would be the better option for me. Since having my bypass 2 years ago, I have never even had so much as a slight heartburn. Bypass cured my gerd and i take no medication for it whatsoever. I could have had the sleeve, they would have done it but I was told i might be looking at a revision to RNY down the road and I wanted to have one surgery and be done. So here I am two years later at goal with all my comorbitities in remission or cured. Best of luck to you!

The job question @@LipstickLady poses is a good one. I swear my previous job did not help me to maintain a healthy weight. When i started there i was overweight but not obese. 25 years of crazy hours, travel and the most massive stress I have ever experienced but I kept telling myself that it was worth it because the pay was incredible and I like the work itself when it wasn't a bunch of political BS. Well, just a few months before my surgery I got laid off after all of those years. You would think that would have made the stress worse? NO....it was like a great weight was lifted off my shoulders. I will never put myself in the place of dealing with that much stress ever again. I feel like I missed my children growing up because I was always traveling and out of the state and sometimes the country. Now they are both grown and have children of their own. I missed out...... What is worse I believe that job actually made me physically sick and broke my body, mind and even spirit. As much as I miss that level of income I am thrilled that I got the hell out of there and can manage my stress 1000 times better. For me, those crazy hours and political BS just was not worth it. If I had to do it over again, I likely would have quit when things got crazy. The company didnt appreciate it anyway, they looked at those of us who stayed and said, geez....we pay you too much money so you are now laid off. Glad they did though because I could not see it while I was living in it....now I know. Best of luck to you!

There were two things that helped me deal with the gas pains and they were both suggestions by the nurses staff in the bariatric section of the hospital. While sitting or laying a heating pad helps lot Gas X chewables or strips. They both helped deal with the gas pains. Also lots and lots of fluids will help push all those toxins out of your body and will also help with consitpation. I would keep pushing on your surgical team on the stool softener thing especially if you are taking pain medications. Best of luck and hope you feel better soon!

@@bayougirlmrsc Nicely done! I wish I had been there with you. My Halloween was ok....but no parties this year.

My surgeon its an automatic. If you have a gallbladder they will remove it. Unfortunately I lost mine 10 years before in an open gallbladder removal. Left me a nice 5 inch scar right across my belly and 4 days in the hospital. Now having an abdominalplasty and that lovely scar puts me at further risk for healing. Still having the abdominalplasty........cannot live with this huge apron of skin and residual fat.

Congratulations!!!!

I am with @@gowalking on this. It is a constant battle with your brain. I lost 152lbs reaching my goal in March. I have been fighting every single day since with my brain. As my hunger came back, and my body allows me to eat more I am constantly fighting to keep my weight off. I gain 2 or 3lbs freak out and then reset. The good news is, my tool is there to help me reset and I must never forget that. Maintenance is definately the hardest part of this journey and the best thing you can do is learn excellent behaviors now and take full advantage of your honeymoon period because you only get one.

If you are not drinking fluids it can make you feel very very crappy and run down. Are you at least getting 64oz of Water? If not, as bad as you feel it will not get better until you do. Also, if you have pain coming back I would request to see the doctor.

@@jennk1975 YAY! Your new life is right around the corner!

@@Daniel2015 I am so happy for you!!!! You look absolutely fantastic. Congratulations. I hope you are healing well.

I literally followed my Surgeons and Nutritionist plan to the letter. I lost 100lbs in 9 months and then it took another 9 months to lose the last 52. That last 9 months things slowed down but I took total advantage of the honeymoon period. Once you lose all your weight it gets much much harder. I went from a size 26 to a size 14 in the first 6 months, then I dropped to a 12 and then suddenly I dropped to an 8. I have been trying like hell to stay there all this time.

I would ALWAYS follow your doctors orders at this stage. The reality is they are all different and you do not want to rush things. P.S. Raw veggies can be pretty rough this soon post op.

I waited to drink alcohol until i was almost 2 years post op. Since that time, I indulge about once a week in a glass or two of wine. Holy crow, i can take just a couple of sips and feel it. Also, there is NO possible way i could drive a car after one glass of wine. It is easy to take it too far because you get to the feeling no pain state mighty quick and can maintain it for a while. I dont think i could ever become an alcoholic, i just dont have a need to drink regularly. Just when we go out.

Honestly those first few weeks are the hardest but you have to do the best you can. I literally sat with a cup in my hand every hour I was awake and would take sips every few seconds until i finally reached my goal. It is harder than people thing and not doing it can leave you feeling crappy and it can imitate hunger which is not possible in the first few months.

It could be your potassium levels. You need to get checked. I would call the doctor.

@@anywon Just click on my photo and it will take you to my profile. I have had some plastics since the after pic was taken but have more coming so i have not updated and wont until sometime after my tummy tuck and breast lift with augmentation. It has been alot of fun to get to goal. Now i just need to stay there which is much harder than i thought. I swear i keep gaining and losing the same 5 or 6 pounds for 6 months now.

In the beginning I told my family and a few close friends. After surgery I would share with anyone who asked. Honestly there are times when I regretted telling anyone outside of my family but once the toothpaste is out of the tube it is impossible to get it back in. LOL. It really is none of anyone's business. There have been a couple of times when asked and shared that I get a crappy response and so i am a bit more choosy about who i tell. Believe it or not, there is a nurse in my doctors office who is morbidly obese right now. She asked me how I lost my weight and so I told her that i had RNY and have controlled my weight with a higher Protein, lower carb plan. She actually gave me a ridiculously bitchy look and then said she had RNY as well but it didn't work for her. She had her surgery before I had mine 2 years ago. You don't know how bad I wanted to ask why it didn't work for her but she was kind of bitchy about it, almost like she was mad that I lost all of my excess weight and it didn't work for her. So, I didn't ask. I assume deep down that she knows she probably did not follow the diet and exercise plan and was feeling crappy about it.

It sounds like for the most part you are meeting your goal of replacing one meal a day with a Protein shake. Even better when you replace two. Most of us have gone through the supervised diet portion, mine was supposed to be 6 months but turned out to go 9 before I was approved and surgery was scheduled. The goal is to work towards changing behaviors long term because that is what will be required to actually lose the weight even with the surgery. Many folks believe that the surgery will solve everything. For a very short time, you can pretty much do anything after surgery and lose weight. The issue of course is that the "honeymoon" period is literally only a few months long so if you don't change behaviors, down the road the surgery won't matter and you will likely gain weight. I am 2 years post op and I honestly thought the weight loss part of my journey would be the hardest. Well, I was completely WRONG! Maintenance for me is the most difficult because you are at goal and in order to stop losing need to increase your intake slightly. Well, you go back and forth constantly. I got down to 158 from 310, then gained back 5lbs, then lost 3, then gained 5......Maintaining your weight is a constant battle with your brain. I am now trying to lose that 5lbs again. LOL....which when you are at or near goal is not so easy, at least for me. The surgery is your tool but your brain is what is really in control so it is important to take the time early to truly learn new behaviors and make better choices. You are taking the right steps and especially when you fall off.f Just dust yourself off and keep on going. Best of luck to you!