4MRB4PHOTO

Congratulations on your WLS and the beginning of a new you!

Maybe they should also market the "bro" or "manzere" (Seinfeld reference) for man-boobs, post WLS.

I started the 3 month "medically supervised diet" and was going through the other processes during it.

I had the VSG procedure, they made 6 small incisions.

Congratulations for all of your hard work.

To summarize: Whether to tell people or not about your WLS is a personal decision. There is no right or wrong answer. To quote Staples: "That was easy!"

Is this necessary, why try guilt-tripping people when it's neither their fault nor something they can fix. Some have, some have not, that's the way of the world. It's not guilt tripping. Instead of people being miserable for what they do not have, they should be thankful for what they have. "That's the way of the world"? Wow, too bad you think that way. Be careful of how you feel about less fortunate people, Karma can be a bitch sometimes.

More important than the medical conditions, aches, pains, low self-esteem and self loathing, what would happen to my family if I could not be there to provide for them (mentally and financially). The wake up call was I realized my father almost died at the same age I was due to a severe heart attack; he was obese too.

As stated, it shrinks your liver which lowers the risk of it being cut during the procedure since it is in the way of the surgical site. It gives the surgeon more room to work in the abdominal cavity. Your reduced weight lowers your risk of a complication. It shows the surgeon that you are capable of adhering to a pre-op diet so you should be able to adhere to the post WLS stages and have a better chance of a long term success post WLS. Count your blessings, millions of people in the world can't even get enough food to eat or Water to drink just to survive.

Handing the plate over, that is a great idea; I'll give that a try. The only problem is it will take me many hours to drive to Tennessee to hand my plate over to your husband.

Huh?

I agree that you should talk to him. Is he afraid you will leave him when you lose the excess body weight because other men will notice you more? Is he concerned that something could happen to you during/after the surgery? Does he think you will want to start over and begin a new, thin-you, life without him once you lose the weight? Let him know you are doing this for him and yourself, so you will live a long healthy life and grow old together.

There are excellent sources of information out there with great statistical data that was collected in a scientifically acceptable and accurate manner. There are also well published documents which are not skewed to support someone's hidden agenda. What I don't get are when people throw out WLS numbers and percentages without accurately verifying them or just make them up because they believe, from their non-researched opinion, that it is accurate . At the very least this could be misleading, at the worst it could affect someone's health or influence their decision on what WLS procedure they should get (or to avoid it all together), scare them into assuming there is a very high risk or a false sense of security that there is no risk from the procedure or influence vitamins/supplements & quantities they should/should not take, to name a few without consulting a physician. If you don't believe me, 90% of the people agree with me, 15% disagree and 5% aren't sure. (I know this adds up to more than 100%)

@@OKCPirate Unfortunately, not everyone may be as savvy and as well informed as you. I started to get occasional muscle cramps, there are many causes, but I read about the benefits of taking magnesium and potassium. I researched and looked up the side effects and assessed my personal medical condition and felt a low dosage supplement of each, every other day would be fine. My PCP recommended that I don't take additional potassium supplements (other than what is in my multi-vitamin), just in case I develop kidney disease; she was fine with the magnesium supplements. So the medical advice, although sound, was not appropriate for me. Imagine someone with a kidney issue taking mega-doses of potassium because someone advised them to do so. As much as Darwin's theory may hold true, people should research, then consult medical professionals AND double check their diagnosis too in case they have made a mistake.

I guess someone could use Billy's excuse of "I did not have sex with that woman" and rephrase it as: "I did not have (insert the name of the WLS you did not have) surgery with that doctor".

I don't want to get in a pissing contest, but I stand by the definition I intended: "...false or inaccurate information". I never said the intent was deliberate. We have all read posts where people, in good intentions, give information that is inaccurate, or at least not well agreed upon by the medical community, but provide that advice to people. I will research the information before I act upon it and consult a medical professional if necessary for advice. Not everyone is that proactive. Some of the advice can have serious potential health risks for some individuals.

I mostly agree with your statement, but I don't think they "deserve" misinformation. Yes, not doing extensive research on the internet through reputable sources (leading hospitals in this field, professional societies and published studies in JAMA, the ASMBS, etc.), going to a WLS seminar in their local hospital, assessing their medical conditions THEN speaking to their PCP & surgeon with their findings to have a well researched Q&A discussion on which approach may be best for their specific medical condition(s) and deciding after that. The people replying back mean well, but most people don't have a medical background, are speaking only for how it relates to themselves and do not know the physical condition and medical history of the person who is asking that question. That is why, with my lack of medical training, when someone asks "Should I get the sleeve or the bypass", I recommend to get the parasite (tapeworm) approach:

Enjoy this simple pleasure on occasion. Congratulations, you worked very hard to lose almost 60lbs! If you really want to stir up some people, say you drank it through a straw.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THOSE POOR LITTLE HAMBURGERS! DOES ANYONE CARE ABOUT WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE HAMBURGERS!

By "took", did you mean leave one in the bowl or pick one up and put it in your pocket? The former would mean your scale's readings are fluctuating, the latter means you picked up a 1 pound poop and put it in your pocket. I am betting on the former.

There is no need to resort to name calling (calling her a "Ho"). Dub, I use to think so highly of you. (Just kidding, I know you didn't press the "w" key hard enough)

You mean those hot models have hamburgers in their hands? I didn't get that far.

Welcome aboard. Even with a 10% stake in WW and being on their board of directors, Oprah is having a tough time making the program work for her. Too bad she couldn't be the spokesperson for the ASMBS.

It would be best if you didn't drive back the day after surgery. It may be a little painful to have to twist your body due to the stitches pulling, as you looked over your shoulder. Also, do not drive if you are taking a prescription pain killer.

It sounds like someone is getting a "D" on that exam.