pumpkin07

As for the boughie size, I think a 32 may prove over time to be a tad small. You could change doctors. My doctor would only do a 32 or 34, so I insisted on the 34. But some people get a 40 and are very happy with it. I think that makes some sense b/c you might have an easier time getting food to go down. Maybe do some research - I found varying opinions, but in the end I decided to trust my doctor. I have a 34, and I wish I could eat a bit more than I can. But you'll find people with every opinion. If I could have chosen, I would have chosen maybe a 38 or 40.

I think you have gotten some good advice here. I was the real whiner who cried for a week and a half after surgery mourning my food/friend. Then I adjusted. We are all going to adjust differently. The 2 week liquid diet is a good mental preparation for you - I did cheat a few times myself but tried to only cheat with good Protein like boiled chicken or a great beef patty. But I think if you have made no adjustments beforehand for some people afterwards could be a big shock. I think equally important is to go into surgery very hydrated and not dehydrated. I think I might have been a bit dehydrated and I had problems with my IV/veins b/c of this. It is a personal decision. Everyone makes this decision for different reasons, and I think you need to look HARD at WHY you are doing this. Are you doing it for you, or for your husband's happiness/satisfaction. Because I could only do it for me, and if he likes it that is a bonus. B/c this sleeve is actually now a more permanent part of me than any outside person in my life - I may lose a husband but I can't get my tummy out of the trash. I love my husband, but I've learned in life that health decisions are personal decisions only. I made my decision when I was ready for reasons that made complete sense to me. If you are not there yet, don't do it. For me I knew I need to live a life with more caloric restriction to be healthy/lean and I KNEW I could not do this on my own. I have a low metabolism b/c I have no thyroid that works and don't love to exercise - this sleeve was something I could do that would help me eat less and it has accomplished that. I believe if you eat less you do live longer, and ultimately that was my goal. There were also other health reasons like lipids that were creeping out of range, a sleep apnea problem developing. I knew if I did nothing these problems would only get worse. Maybe you need to spend a day really contemplating by yourself and not listen to what all is said by everyone - but to yourself/your own intuition. Because in reality you will have to live with the outcome of this surgery and not anyone else. I am satisfied with what I can eat. The best description I can tell you is what someone told me - you can eat the same as you always did if that is what you decide to do, but you will eat less. I can eat a salad if I want it which is something I missed for a while. Nothing changes a TON except that you cannot eat as much and you can't gulp drinks especially while you are eating or you will fill your tummy with fluids instead of food. I also cannot eat and then go lay down I need a couple hours to pass or it might try to come back up on me.

I think how much you lose totally depends on how much you have to lose. I had lost 27 lbs at 6 weeks I remember, 36 lbs at 8 weeks...and then it has taken me 2 more months to lose 12 more lbs. I didn't lose at the rate your doctor said. PLus, you are exercising so probably gaining muscle which weighs more than fat. Trust your body and be patient. My understanding is that your body will at certain points pull back and not allow weight loss. For me before my period, like a week or two before I lose quite a few lbs and then after my period - when I think I would weigh less - I just stay stable until a week or two before more next period. I've done this for 2 mos straight and it seems like this month is my pattern and I now look forward to losing 5-6 lbs a month. I'm no longer in a huge rush b/c I want a slow steady loss now down to goal. I don't care if it takes me a year. Just ENJOY!!! Hang in there and try not to compare. The hunger may dissipate in time, I know mine has a lot. I didn't feel any overwhelming hunger changes for a long time, but I can say at 4 mos. and I still like food, but not overwhelmingly starving at all. I was the first couple weeks after surgery - I freaked out. But everyone is a little bit different I suppose. I still get hungry, I just eat differently. I really don't want sweets or if I do it is SUCH a small amount that satisfies me. What I want to eat changes but is generally healthy and lean stuff. I have an aversion to cooked veggies for the most part, but love salads, hearty fishes like salmon, chicken, beef sometimes. A little starch occasionally. A little bread and tiny bit of Pasta occasionally. Black Beans, which I loved before. Occasional eggs. Not really cakey stuff anymore. I would say I'm satisfied at 4 mos with what I can eat. I've adapted. You will too....just wait and see. And enjoy your 27 lb weight loss in 5 weeks. It is phenomenal. I remember this...if I didn't have this surgery I would likely weigh at least x lbs more than I do right now. It is so cool to have weight loss like this, which I've never experienced prior to this. Normal sizes...how cool is that!!! You'll get more comfortable in time with the surgery and its results. Keep exercising!!! I haven't done that honestly.

That is such a cool story. God is good.

I've got hair thinning. I'm not happy. What do I do?

I puke vitamins and it is so disgusting. But the Centrum chewables work for me. But I need to take a calcium - which one is the easiest?

I think you shouldn't assume your sadness is due to the weight loss surgery or your diet, because you have been a huge success. Your weight loss in 6 mos. is phenomenal. How much more do you have to lose? I think WLS can change your sleep apnea, your cholesterol, etc. etc. But I don't think it will remake your mental or spiritual life. You might have some issues such as depression that is unrelated to the weight loss is what I'm saying. I say this b/c you've been a huge success and are downing yourself. It makes no sense logically why you would consider 78 lbs in 6 mos. a failure. Maybe you are eating incorrectly, but you've still done great. The one thing is if you are eating empty calories then sometimes you can eat more volume so it might make it seem as if your sleeve stretched. However, if you eat dense Protein how much can you get down?

I know, weight loss IS is a GOOD thing, right? My head has always been the last to catch up with this weight loss train...b/c once you are on board you are REALLY on board for life. If you really ponder this...rarely do you make a decision in life, such as this, that is SUCH a long term decision. Like if you cut off your leg, it is gone forever. That is how this is. This decision to remove 85% of your stomach will forever change your life, your health - and we just pray it is all for the good. I know I only looked at the good side before surgery, now I see some down sides too - like how this alters your health in ways we may not yet know. I feel better physically in the sense that I have less weight to carry around, and that is awesome. But I don't feel as strong, as much stamina, I feel more delicate.....I was hoping to feel more vibrant all day long, but I wouldn't say I'm there yet. Still hopeful though. I feel more delicate physically as far as stamina, I feel less able to cope with stress in general b/c my 'tripas' get very tight and I feel it. But I'm hoping since I'm only 4 mos out of surgery and taking in so little food that eventually I will feel better. And I'm sort of hoping when this process ends I'll still have some tits and ass. lol I don't want to be a skeleton with skin. That has never been my goal. I hope my sleeve understands this is the plan!!!

I know it is a tool, but for me it is a bit self governing - not like a hammer or screwdriver you can choose to pick up or set down. If I eat poorly like sugary stuff or junk stuff, I don't feel good. Most sweets I can just look at them and be like, ummm, no thanks. If I eat dry or course food like too much bread/tortilla which is dry or hard chicken or course beef then the food will sit in my throat instead of going into my sleeve. Then I don't have a satiated feeling just more of an awful feeling until that food goes down which takes a while. If I'm overly stressed it is hard to eat and have things go very well, maybe because when I'm stressed I'm trying to eat too fast, don't chew well, or my stomach is tense, I don't know which yet. So bc I want to feel good and not bad, I wind up behaving. It is a tool that you can't set down - pretty much impossible to pick up all the bad habits. This morning I went to Breakfast and ordered 1 over medium egg, hash browns, dry wheat toast, and ham. I ate 1/2 a piece of toast soaked with the egg so it wasn't too dry, most of the egg, about an ounce of the ham which I chewed well and did not even eat the skin just in case that was an issue, and just no hash browns at all (they came with the plate), and a half cup of coffee......and I was so full. That was at 9:30am. Then at 12:00 I ate a half chicken breast and a little bit of apple. I threw away the bread from the sandwich and didn't eat the tater tots that came with it. Full again. You just wind up eating right b/c you have to with the sleeve. My weight loss has slowed a lot at 4 mos, but I still lose about 1.25-1.50 lbs a week on average. I have not exercised though. I worry more that the sleeve will NOT stretch at all b/c I'm scared I'm going to wind up smaller than I might want. I'd welcome a slight stretch after I lose the weight I want b/c otherwise I am going to be tiny. I could have chosen to eat only the hash browns and the bread of course, but looking at the plate you just have a sense that if you don't eat the egg, ham, and very little bread then you won't feel satiated. The hash browns are not going to give me the energy. With the sleeve you can only eat so much, and you need energy, so you kinda lead yourself in the right direction simply b/c what you need has to come first and usually there is no room for anything else anyway. If you are worried it won't work, don't. I feel like I'm slowly melting away. It is the weirdest weight loss I've ever had. It is like all the fat is dissolving, just melting away like a melting snow man. A little here, a little there. It is good, but it is totally weird as opposed to being totally awesome. I'm not sure what the difference is, but I am truly on caloric restriction with this tool and one thing is for sure - I will not be a fat person by the time I've finished this process. I just hope there is something left. My boobs are dissolving bit by bit. I think my skin is shrinking but not as fast as my fat is dissolving.....I AM MELTING!!!

I have changed sizes a lot and I gave all my clothes away. Crap - then I had so little to wear. I can see now why it takes some self control b/c I can now fit in regular sizes and everything looks cute and I want to at least try it on, but thankfully I usually don't have time to do that anyway. BUT what I've done has worked. I buy 'just enough' clothes at the beginning of the season just to get started, like always. Then I buy as needed after that, a shirt here and there. The key to me is, I pretty much only buy things I can barely squeeze into. I really pay attention to the legs b/c this is where my pants look big after a few weeks. I buy pants with snug fitting legs now that I've learned that trick. Same with shirts - nothing oversized at all. As for casual shirts and shorts, I do buy at costco or Sam's because the prices are so much less. Like half as much as other stores, including Target which I think is getting overpriced for what you get. I only had one big clothing splurg, which I had to have for work for a special event. I do sorta regret it now b/c I overspent at the last minute. I have buyer's remorse but its too late. I gotta plan better. I still have a tendency to want to buy things a little looser fitting, but if I make a mistake I take it back before I wear it as I usually realize it on the way home. It is hard to imagine always being able to wear smaller clothes, so the other day I brought home some jeans that I probably could wear a smaller size in so they are in the car to return today. Shoe sizes have been a surprise as I've gone down a whole size. So that has been a bit of a problem. I need to buy a couple good pair sandals for summer...which I was not anticipating. I'll buy just enough for this summer since it may change again by next summer. I am enjoying this process of shrinking all along the way and I think depriving myself of clothes that fit would not be fun. But I probably haven't bought this many clothes in a long long time. And really I haven't bought much. Just have nothing in the closet to fall back on.

At first it was an issue, but no longer. I figured it had more to do with anesthesia and dehydration issues, but I forgot about it until you mentioned it as it went away a long time ago.

Sounds like a plan! BFF's are the best and will respect your right to privacy.

I respect your right to privacy. I think your approach to just tell him you are watching calories is a good one, perhaps ensure him it is under doctor's care and that you are in good health. You could say your cholesterol was high (if it was) and that you don't want to go on medicine for it you'd rather get the weight off. I don't think you should feel obligated to tell him. I would imagine many people notice your weight loss, but perhaps know you are private and therefore don't say anything. You and I have lost the same amount and people do notice. I am kind of at the point that I will say I have WLS if they ask how I'm doing it, but otherwise I try to just say thanks, I'm trying to get my weight in the normal range. I have been surprised how uninterested most people are with the concept of WLS, honestly. It is a personal choice, but one I've come to realize most people don't think much about or that most people would ever consider doing to lose weight. So even though I tell them, it isn't as interesting to most people as the new fad diet they are hoping to hear about. I didn't hide it at work, but also didn't make a HUGE announcement. I was surprised the word doesn't spread like wildfire, no one really pays much attention to WLS b/c I guess it doesn't concern most people. So for me having people know has been no biggie.

I just wanted to congratulate you...that is an awesome weight loss in 9 mos. I just need to shout out for chiropractors. I had an auto accident with honest ot god whip lash as I was in a stationary position and rear ended at a high speed. I spent a year going to real doctors. Then I started going to a great chiropractor and after a year of pain, after like 2-3 mos of adjustments I no longer had pain. It was much cheaper than all the physical therapy and pills if you know what I mean. The physical therapy he gave me also was designed to give me muscle strength in my neck. I wasn't cured 100%, but so much better. This was like 13 years ago. But then last year I went to a new chiro and when he popped my neck I felt deep relief like I'd never had before and since then zero pain in my neck. Right now I am having a fit with the sciatic nerve, and the chiropractor has told me before this is when my hips are out of alignment. I think it is worse b/c I haven't had an adjustment in so long since I've felt better otherwise. So I'm going today. There are good and bad in every profession, but I believe it depends on what is wrong with you as to who can help you. If your bones are literally out of synch, no real doctor can help you.

I think you always have to factor in the chance of complications too. The what ifs. If you did have complications, where would that leave you? You would need to have a Plan B. Seeing as you will be so far away from home, I dunno, I would think waiting makes some sense. I was self pay, and I rushed. This led me to go with a doctor that was good and my surgery was fine, but not the very best with before/after care. The other problem is I did not go through the classes and therefore really didn't know what to expect. I hadn't heard of the sleeve except when I went to my surgeon's office and asked him what surgery he recommended for me. I had a 1 hr group nutrition consult and a psych evaluation for a few minutes. Whereas friends of mine went through all the grueling nutrition counseling sessions with their doctor and totally understood everything much better than I do, and they still have many classes they can attend whereas my doctor has 1 session a month allotted at a time I can't go. When you are cash pay doctors have a tendency to open that door for you, but if I had it to do over again I would have gone through 3 mos. of classes and kind of gotten a better sense of who the big players were in my town.

I tried the Centrum Orange flavored chewable yesterday and did not throw up. It was not as gross as I thought it might be. More like chewing a Tums. Doesn't have a lot of calcium, but it seems to have enough of everything else.

This was a good thread for me. I have had a lot of trouble not throwing up vitamins. I'm going to have my blood checked out and see if I'm difficient. I have no trouble taking the D vitamins, my thyroid medicine, etc. But multis liquid or not, make me puke.

Hello...am I the only one thinking that your boyfriend is clueless? It sounds kinda insensitive of him, kinda like bringing vodka along when someone just got out of rehab. Maybe that is just me.

I was laughing b/c I had read it through and realized you were kidding. I had a horrible time the first week after surgery perhaps b/c that grehlin (sp?) is still in your system. I could not find a calm state and I was in an all out food panic. But suddenly after all my hormone surges, and a bit of crying which my husband still says was the worst part (I think I was in shock b/c I hadn't taken enough time to prepare my head) - I was able to calm down and take things a bit slower. Now I'm a little over 3 mos out. I honestly can have pizza and cheese dip now. It sounds good still actually, but if I do eat those things, especially the pizza, it usually wouldn't set well with me. I'm not a perfect sleever story, by any means, but with me I feel most content after a meal that is largely lean Protein, although a salad is nice with it, and this meal goes directly into my little sleeve rather than sitting uncomfortably in my esophagus first for too long. That improves little by little, but for me I still have to plan my meal so I choose foods that will pass through my esophagus and into my sleeve readily so I can feel full. Truth is, we can never eat the way we were used to before. It is a physical impossibility now b/c our tummies are literally in the trash bin. I guess for some of us the only way we can live a healthier life. But your mind does adapt, pretty much. I'm not one of those that doesn't get hungry or have cravings still. But what I want is different b/c I want to feel comfortable and I want to have energy and I want to continue to lose weight. And I don't want to throw up or have food sitting in my throat. So in that way, what you want changes over time. Best wishes to you.

Have a big night at my job and I have to dress up. I shopped at Lane Bryant a while back and was in the 16W range. This time I went to Talbots where I always always for years and years and years wear WOMEN's Petite - ALWAYS. I was getting up to 18/20WP before surgery which was a lot of fabric. But just looking at even the 14WP I was like, ummmm, no this won't work they are so big and kinda loose. I mean if it was in my closet I could wear it, but it wasn't flattering. So I had to venture back out to the floor and go into the Petite Dept - the REGULAR Petite Dept, that is, and found some 14P and 16P that fit like a glove, of course buying as snug as possible. It was fun. I haven't been losing a lot of weight lately. But it is okay, I'm still shrinking evidently. I think my body is really re-adjusting b/c I am definitely getting smaller. And I have started swimming pretty regular.

Wow, just read this thread. Bless you and your family........

Isn't the problem that these pouches are made from the stretch part of the stomach, whereas the sleeve is made from the more non-stretch party of the stomach? It makes sense. My friend with a bypass as of 2.5 weeks ago can already easily eat more than me. She also doesn't seem to have a problem getting the food to go down; whereas I do if I am eating dry type foods especially if I haven't drank anything in a while. I don't really struggle a lot with that, because I've accepted and gotten use to it. When I eat a meal that goes directly to my sleeve, I'm extremely thankful. It was 2 mos before I ever felt 'full' b/c I think my sleeve was slowly filling probably lots of swelling in there and it took a while to get the food down. Sometimes I feel like my esophogas was also tightened in my surgery.

Wow girl, that is just awful. I know you are so worried about the medical bills on top of everything else, I can only imagine. I hope you are over the hump and through the worst of it. I had a c-section in 1998 and I had a staple that apparently twisted and oozed and hurt forever. I wonder if this is the issue with these leaks, like a staple gone wrong...I thought they should restaple it and start again, but no. Even with that wound it had to drain and find a way to heal on its own. Our body's are such miracles in themselves....just pray for that little leak line of yours to heal. I'm not far from you, in Houston. Wish I could come see you. Are you lonely or do you have company?

I confess that I am happy with the weight loss I am experiencing. I love that my husband notices the little things, the little changes. The other day he told me he felt like he could play the piano on my ribs, and he finds every reason to give me a big hug where he wraps his arms tightly around my smaller body. I confess that I do not follow every sleeve rule as I should, but that whatever I am doing is really working for me. I confess that I am afraid of not losing all the weight like others have because I am a little bit stuck at this weight it seems. Just praying it will consistently fall off if I do more and more right over time.

Yeah I go to the YMCA and do this class and it seems like a good starter thing for me just to remind me how to move my body. We do some stretching, a lot of leg exercises. My class is an hour. But I think it is something I wouldn't do for a long long time - maybe a month or two because it doesn't seem like quite enough exercise. I think I'll quickly progress to a lap swim class. I know that is tremendous exercise I just don't feel up to it quite yet.