pumpkin07

Great for you!!! I cannot believe how fast you have lost!! WOO HOO!!!!

Wow Donna. What a simple answer! I agree, and also looked at happiness over time. I found so many happy sleevesters. I also found some sicklier bypass friends. I was self pay, 47 years old, and about 220 lbs. And short. Hypothyroid. Doctor said definitely he'd recommend the sleeve b/c he found that people in my age group/weight range had plenty of success with the sleeve and a high satisfaction from the procedure. He felt the bypass would be too much for me - more than what was needed. I agreed. Another friend of mine, heavier by about 80 lbs (but taller) - she is a little older. Maybe 10 years I'm not certain. And her doctor, who is a great doctor here in Houston, really recommended the bypass for her. I wasn't sure why he did that, but wondered if it is because her insurance wouldn't cover the sleeve, because it wouldn't. She questioned it a lot, and he basically told her she'd be fine with the bypass. Her family doctor agreed. And she has been fine so far about 3 mos out. But years out a lot of bypass patients do have problems absorbing the right nutrients. I saw a lot of evidence of it on line. Maybe get some doctors opinions and check with your insurance. But if you are self pay, shoot, I'd definitely go for the sleeve. It is simpler even though it is risky. But with either surgery the doctor, which doctor, is paramount. These are all very dangerous procedures. You can post the doctor's name and people will give you feedback. Find someone great. If you come to Houston I can give you referrals - I know you are in Texas but not sure where that town is. But if you look around on this site you'll find out who the preferred doctors are.

I wish I had a pic. My doctor does a single incision surgery at the belly button and it looks pretty good. He did slice outside of belly button about an inch on each side. I gave permission to do a little knick cut next to the sleeve b/c it helps if they put their camera in there. It looks like nothing. So I'm all for not having the 5 cuts if not needed.

I went on vacation for a week with no scale. I thought of packing it, but on a plane? OK no I'm not that obsessed. So I lived without the scale for a week. It was a relief to me. Thinking now the scale needs to go on vacation. Lost a lb that week though - which was a success considering how much we ate out.

I have a 34, but wanted a 40. It seems fine though. I think the truth is most doctors have also done their research and are quite opinionated. My doctor was, and he said he only does a 32 or 34 b/c that is what research shows the most satisfaction with over time. My friend's doctor did a 40, but says it winds up smaller b/c of the way he sews it - as someone mentioned earlier. Let your surgeon convince you of why he does the size he does - and see if it makes sense to you. I don't think, from what I've heard, that many doctors let the patient decide. I told my doctor I was concerned about getting too thin and so he did the larger of the two and that is as far as he would go.

I am glad you feel better. I have to say my emotions were all over the place - too many to describe. But it levels out eventually...it took me a few months to feel totally myself again. But it gets better each day, week, month. Hang in there.

I have some bad days too. I realize my eating habits have changed in some ways for the good, because I eat more lean Protein and less bread than ever. Less cokes. But I'm not eating enough fruits and veggies and I'm eating too many Snacks which has ALWAYS been a problem...chips, crackers w/PB, stuff like that. Not drinking enough Water. Still too much sugar in my diet, although it is less. Darn! It is slowing down my weight loss, but I'm just being patient with myself. I'm still adjusting. LIke you said, calorie wise I'm fine, but to be truly healthy I still have more work to do. One day I got really uptight and nervous and tried to eat a lot. I felt so sick. It was beef Jerky mostly and then some shrimp. But it was too much. I finally threw up. It was nervous eating, which is so obvious now when it happens. But I still try. I hate the feeling of overeating now, but I guess it will take me a while to not have that tendency. I'm definitely a person that overeats when I have anxiety.

I am 5 mos. out and my weight loss has slowed so much. For me I'm now thinking it won't be a huge issue at this point. I hope not. But my doctor did caution me about this too. I personally think the size might be a factor - size of boughie. I'm a 34 and often wish I could eat more, but the size I have seems to keep me from gaining and I am still slowly losing. But it is down to just 5 lbs a month now. I think I'll have more trouble getting to my goal than I thought.

I think your abdominal area sort of heals in stages and you just have to really be patient. I am 5 mos. out and feel completely healed. But only within the last 30 days or so. Finally I feel normal most times. Cold/hot no problem at all. Not sure I ever had that issue - everyone is different. But someone once said hot relaxes your stomach and I think that is true. When I have trouble eating for whatever reason I drink coffee/tea that is hot. I think I can do whatever I could do before, and more. Except that my stamina is limited b/c of my limited caloric intake. Better if I'm doing good on Vitamins. That has been my struggle getting those suckers all down in a day. No lingering sexual issues in my house...but it takes time. Constantly discovering new bones hahaha. My husband loves that. First it was ribs...OMG I have ribs! Then it was collar bone or shoulder bones or thinner legs or now hips...OMG I forgot I have hip bones! hahahaha So it is like your husband gets a new girlfriend every month or so for a while - lucky him. Be patient. We are all different. But on the same journey. It is a good journey, thank God, for most of us. The thing always always to remember NEWBIES - IS RESEARCH DOCTORS to find the best. Don't go with the cheapest. Check out your doctors HERE guys as well as other places. There are some great docs that make your recovery easy and there are some monsters out there. Here, we've seen some great success stories but also some few really sad stories too...and our doctors skill level is paramount, but also our ability to take care of ourselves and allow our bodies time to heal! Yeah!

If you look you'll find a member/friend named Loser who pray is better, but lastd I heard still in hospital after many months. If I'm not mistaken Alvarez was his doctor. I've honestly lost track of him through email.

Thanks for your responses. Honestly his feedback has made my week hard and it did cause some worry in my head. Because I do trust him somewhat as a doctor, and I'd like to keep getting my thyroid meds from him. What he said exactly was Vitamin D deficiencies, B12 deficienies, Iron deficiencies - similar to what someone just said a couple threads up. He did totally understand the procedure and drew it out for me - like I didn't know the surgery. But he is totally oversimplifying the lap band in my opinion - calling it a temporary surgery. I don't consider it temporary when it grows to your stomach. He made it sound like a hair barrette. I think you can't have any alteration from the body and not expect a downside. So since he is my doctor I'll respect his opinion and be more careful on my Vitamins. I really didn't do well with my vitamins for a long time b/c I kept getting sick on them. But now that I can eat more I seem to be able to tolerate them better. What I would say, however, is that he seems to not understand what it is like to be overweight your whole life, basically, and not be able to find a solution that is workable. I mean, even weight loss drugs that make you leak grease out of your ass? Pleaseeeeeee......no thank you. I gave up a long time ago on weight loss - after trying every diet I could stomach. This has given me hope again. Also, if I should find myself in a situation where I can't stop losing, I think I'm at an advantage b/c my mind and my body are really good at working together to gain weight. In fact, I am losing so slowly now. I would say gaining weight is a strength I have, easier for me than losing. lol Even if it true what he is saying, I don't think those comments alone would have kept me from having the sleeve over the band for many reasons, but certainly because of financial reasons. The band was not workable for me b/c it seemed like a constant expense of maintaining/replacing, etc. No thank you. This was a whopping $14k, but I won't have to keep spending that same money over and over again, or even more for revision surgeries. Also the bypass seemed like something that might have to be operated on again later as well, as I read about people that are having those reversed b/c of nutritional deficiencies. I also don't really understand why vitamin absorbtion is an issue since we didn't alter our intestines. So while I'm confused about that, I'll assume there is some reason I don't quite get. My iron was low on my bloodwork, and my Vitamin D. They were both barely low, but low. But I'm always a little anemic so I was not surprised. What did surprise me is my cholesterol did not go down and my bad cholesterol went up. Perhaps my next bloodwork will make more sense. My diet is getting more varied with more fruits and veggies worked in, so perhaps that will help. My triglycerides went wayyyyy down. And I'm taking my vitamins more faithfully now.

Wow. You are awesome. I am so happy for you!!

I also agree fountain drinks are much easier. Once I drank a whole can of DrP little by little, but other than that I just want a few sips and I'm done. I burp a ton. I can't drink it with food. I have trouble drinking enough liquids, so I stay away from it b/c it sure isn't the same thing - it dehydrates me.

Can you explain why you did this surgery instead of sleeve? My brother wants to do something but is scared...what are the pros and cons between the two in your opinion.

Yes, I do have this problem if I lay down soon after eating. Also if I overate, have reflux, or ate something liquidy like Soup, or even too spicey. It is pretty gross and I avoid doing that. I seem to not have the problem if I avoid spicey food and try to digest before going to bed. Prilosec??? SOunds like you need it.

You have done a great thing for yourself. If your mom is like mine, maybe she did something like tell everyone to not mention it. People just do the weirdest things sometimes. But you have done a great thing for yourself, and I guess people don't know how to react. It is like they are waiting for the regain....I get a lot of those lap band stories b/c people do not know the difference between surgeries. At least we grow up and get to have husbands that appreciate it, heh? I had a funeral to go to yesterday and it was awkward b/c there were a lot of people that haven't seen me in years and they didn't know what to say. They knew I had surgery I'd imagine. But I just said that I'd been fat for 20 years and figured it was time for a change. Or I said I decided to lose my pregnancy weight gain after 12 years - kind of made a joke. The worst part was b/c my clothes are all falling off I had nothing cute in black so had to wear a bright pink suit so I really stuck out at the funeral. Simply b/c I had nothing to wear like a skirt or dress. It was sorta funny b/c I hadn't thought no one else would wear a summer color, and they didn't. I was like a light bulb. I laughed it off. They probably thought I planned that, but I just didn't have any dressy clothes in my size. haha

I was a speaker at an event not long ago. But I was so unusually dressed up that is what people saw. One lady was like "you look so great in colors". And I was thinking I wonder if it 'might' have something to do with losing 40 lbs and not the colors I'm wearing... You know how you know 'something' is different, but you don't know what? Maybe that is what it was. They couldn't figure out if you looked better b/c you might have been more 'primped' or if you lost weight...you don't know what they might have been thinking. Hang in there. I'm sure you had a renewed confidence inside yourself, even if no one commented on it.

Tuna salad is a major tummy filler for me, and chicken and fish. Steak usually is too tough for me. I try not to eat a lot of bread, b/c I need the Protein to fill me up. Maybe a half slice or one slice maybe. Tortillas (corn) generally get stuck so I avoid them b/c then I don't eat enough of other stuff. If sweets are around I try to only eat a bite or two - I don't have much craving for them. Ice cream makes me feel sick. I have had an aversion to cooked veggies since surgery, but I like raw veggies especially carrots and tomatoes. I cannot seem to digest eggs properly now so I've been avoiding them for the most part. We used to eat a LOT of eggs. A grazer food for me this weekend was fried chicken strips, homemade. I could eat one an hour or so haha. I was so glad when they were gone. I love my fried chicken! I wasn't eating a lot of veggies but someone suggested the supplement that is made from fruits and veggies. Is it FiberCon? I can't think of the name. But I bought it at Target and it was 90 pills for $10. It works! Yeah I 'go' now every day. I am so thankful. I think being constipated makes me stall worse - are you 'goin'?

I will tell you I lost a lot at first and now it is 5-6 lbs a month. I'm okay with that though. I think it is possible you are at a stall, b/c how can you not eventually lose weight on 700-800 calories a day. I only lose weight 1 week of the month now. It is kind of in b/t periods. I'd like to know more about the hot chocolate. Why do you call it coffee if its hot chocolate? I drink coffee every day, but of course I'm getting no Protein. Does the hot chocolate taste like protein?

I live in Houston, but I've never heard of your doctor. My OB/GYN referred me to a couple doctors no one ever heard of, and I researched their backgrounds and wasn't comfortable. I did this on vitals.com I think. The most popular bariatric surgeon in Houston is Dr. Robert Davis. His son is Dr. Garth Davis, and they are both extremely popular b/c they are great great great surgeons with a lot of experience and compassion. I didn't know about them earlier or I would have had my surgery there. They are absolutely the best in town from what I hear, and they do the show Big Medicine on TV, which I've not seen. And they have awesome pre and post surgery care. My friend had surgery with them, as well as a relative. My friend had a little complication and was throwing up blood after surgery and Dr. Robert Davis came up to the hospital immediately at 10pm and held her head while she was projectile vomitting, reassured her that she was okay, explained what had happenned, and changed her meds. That sold me! Dr. Davis still teases her, calling her "Bloody Betty", and it is a joke between them now. My other relative had a revision surgery so it was more complicated. He took his time with her extensive scar tissue during surgery and she had no complications which was so great. I went to a smaller "center of excellence" for my sleeve, and it went fine, but to me it was definitely not a big enough practice to give me the care or support I needed before/after surgery. Something to think about. I think it is important to visit a few doctors before making a decision, and seeing how to up to date they are and how active their support groups are.

I think that right after surgery you still have a lot of grehlin in your system and about a week after surgery it goes away. I guess it is already in your blood stream. So don't get discouraged. I kind of panicked after surgery myself and didn't follow the rules a little bit. I was quickly called into line here b/c I was really risking my health. Read about some people with complications and you will quickly understand you don't want to be in the hospital for weeks and weeks with nothing to eat or drink, which is what happens if you get a leak. It is a bit of suffering to get there, but you can do this without moving forward too fast. I always tell people homemade chicken broth got me through this - try it. After a while you can even grind up some of the chicken in the food processor and you'll get a lot of Protein while drinking that and it is very healing. I had a couple small shakes and a lot of chicken broth, Jello, etc. It works. Eventually I dropped the shakes and did other stuff, but it is just a process you have to advance through and some of us do better than others. THe second thing is we all have been on diets that have failed. No question there. That is why we are here. So I think deep down there can be this worry that we are different and this might not work for us. I'm there too, still worrying I will regain everything I lost and look/feel ridiculous. Sometimes I gain a lb or even 2 and I worry, bc I'm at a point when things are moving slowly. But it usually is cyclical and comes right off after my cycle and eventually I start losing again - I have lost at least 5 lbs each month regardless of what I've done, actually an average of 11 lbs a month. And I don't do everything right at all. The fact is your sleeve is small enough that you simply cannot fall into your old eating patterns b/c there is not enough room to stuff in a great amount of food. It will be very uncomfortable when you overdo and it will re-teach you. There are days I definitely eat more than others, mostly when I'm at home and in the kitchen all day cooking and grazing. But then there are days I don't eat much b/c I'm busy and just get the basics in. Be patient with yourself. Perhaps there is a bigger plan that is for good, and it doesn't include a job change yet. Right now would be a very tough time to do something new b/c you are not at your best. In a few months you will be so different. This will work, and you will be so glad you did it. I regretted it for a while, that is normal for some of us. I was sorta sad, depressed. A lot of that can be hormones and I just went with it and cried it out. After a week and a half I started perking up a little bit. After 4 weeks much better. At 6 weeks pretty good. Now at almost 5 mos the time has flown and I am smaller. It isn't perfect, that is for sure, but it is fun to lose the weight. Hang in there.

I am sooooo happy for you. That is absolutely incredible. You ROCK - made my day. Wondering when you started exercising...right away or later on after weight loss.

No way would I want to be in a position to have to use a doctor that talked to me this way. I pray you find a qualified surgeon that has a great track record of being sensitive but also is a good surgeon. You can vote for him with your feet - by walking away. Why would I give a crap if there are a lot of people in line waiting for him to do their surgery. That is absolutely not the point. The point is why do I want someone cutting on me that isn't totally on my team? I'd be thankful for the warning and vote with my feet...walking out of his office and into another. At the end of the day...it matters.

Mine started falling out at 4 mos. I haven't taken anything for it. I do have one spot that I think is a bald spot. It is still falling out a month later. I do see new hairs coming in, but I'm going to my hairdresser this week plus I did have blood work taken.

I would rest and pray and maybe call your doc.