dlappjr

Have you ever picked out a piece of clothing or whole outfit that was not your size, but you liked it so much you bought it for when you can finally wear it? I found this ordinary shirt at Dicks Sporting Goods while shopping for a few things. I was going from a 5xl to a 4xl and looking for Under Armor stuff for working out. I ended up not finding anything online, but while in their store, I found a 2XL Reebok 2 snap henley that, for whatever reason, just struck me as a great looking shirt. So I did what anybody would do when they find a shirt they love but don't make in their size. I bought it. It's still folded with its tags on in my dresser, waiting for the day I fit it. so, have you done something similar?

I chose the sleeve also. 4 months out. Down almost 100 pounds, but feel like a new person. I would recommend the sleeve to anyone, but not that I have anything against bypass, just didn't seem like a good fit to me. Some people choose it to lose more weight, but I liked the idea of keeping my intestines intact. here are before and afters from my 4 months.

I am 3.5 months post op. I started the Pre-Op Diet on August 16th, Sleeved on August 26th. Today is 4 months since I was 380lbs. In that 4 months I have lost 95 pounds, about 8 inches off my waist, and gone from a 5xl shirt, to 2-3xl. I could barely walk 2 miles over the course of a day. If I was on my feet too long, I had to sit and elevate them. Now, I run 6mph for 20 minutes on an Elliptical, then 30-35 minutes of Weight Lifting, and that happens before 6am. I am still good to go the rest of the day. Might not look like it yet, but I FEEL like a million bucks!

So is it all worth it in your opinion? It seems like no one really regrets doing it even if they have complications. I think there are very few who ultimately, seriously regret it. I was fortunate enough to not have any negative effects so its easy for me to say it is beyond worth it. I think that we tend to focus on the things that could happen, as if it was maybe easier to talk ourselves out of the surgery if it sounds like there is too much of a risk. Not saying people don't have bad experiences, it is certainly possible, but I think the positive experiences far outweigh the bad. The thing with the bad experiences is that you hear them very loud, very frequently. You hear positive stories too, but how many people who had a wonderful experience don't go online and tell their story? They might not even give it another thought and continue on. so you may only be hearing a lot of the bad stuff. Either way, most only regret waiting so long.

Thanks! I was excited we had 60 degree temps this weekend. Got my new pedals and sadle on and rode 5 miles. Got to get my behind used to it. Slowly but surely!

I waited till I got the all clear for all activity at 4 weeks post op. As for the self gratification, I didnt wait that long.

I found I had a ton of energy less than a week after surgery. It did calm a little about 2 months post op. I have read that as we burn up the fat in our bodies so quickly at first because of the liquid pre and post op diets, the Testosterone stored in that fat gets released and we suddenly have an abundance of it. Makes you feel like your 15 again. I'd give anything to get that back. I still have plenty of energy but that kind of vigor from the first month is a whole other level. I make sure I take in enough protein. If you are not too active, the 60-80g protein range that most plans call for is fine, but once I started working out 3-4 times a week, I upped it to 100-110g protein.

I did not ask them if they were pulling the info out of thin air. My assumption is that they are the pro's so they know. They don't sell me the cal citrate, I buy it online or at a pharmacy, so they have nothing to gain by picking one over the other. I also don't have a need to question their motives. They have a plan in place that makes them a Weight Loss Center of Excellence, so I am fine taking them at their word, even if it is a slight bit more expensive to get citrate over carbonate. The NUT did say that it must be cheaper to produce carbonate, since that is much easier to find than citrate. It just isn't something I feel I need to dig too deep into. Seeing as every plan I have ever researched online or heard from others here on this forum or directly from my surgeons office calls for Citrate, then that is enough confirmation for me. You should check with your nurses or surgeons at the office you go to and see what they say.

Not always true. I have kept it under wraps pretty good. Only because I didn't care to hear everyone sudden expertise on the subject. I don't give 2 sh!ts what someones sisters, neighbors, cousins uncle had and failed at. Oh, and I would say probably best to skip it. you will only have been home for a couple days and not really be ready to interact. I remember needing the bathroom a few times in a pinch and I wouldn't want to do that around everyone.

and talk about all of this with your dr. and surgeon

when my primary care dr. recommended me to the Weight Loss center, he didn't specifically say what procedure he would recommend. Before I met with the surgeon, I attended a seminar at the hospital to learn more about both. I made the decision for sleeve based on the fact that I did not want to mess with having to bypass some of my intestines. For some reason, I felt that I wanted to leave everything else alone, and just aim for getting the smaller stomach. Another thing was that because with the sleeve, they remove the extra part of the stomach, you lose the creation of all or most of the Grehlin, which makes you feel hungry. I liked that option as well. When I finally did meet with the surgeon he said that the sleeve was a good fit for me and that he recommends the sleeve to most patients due to it being less intensive and a better fit for most people. for me, getting rid of the Diabetes was the primary reason I looked into this to begin with. That said, at no point did I feel like I should do bypass because of its ability to relieve the Diabetes or would cause me to lose more weight than the sleeve. I just never felt that the bypass was a good option for me. Edit*- Oh and as for my thoughts on losing the diabetes so quickly with the sleeve. I think the pre-op and immediate post-op diet is so restrictive that it kept my sugar levels low. I was concerned that after I was able to eat more normal foods, I would see an increase in my sugar levels, but I did not. I also never got any of the symptoms of high blood sugar, like vision issues or feeling tired and lethargic. This might not be typical of everyone. Another thing to keep in mind is how much you have to lose. If you are more comfortable with the sleeve, do that first, because it can always be converted into bypass if after a year or so you feel you need a bigger tool to help you.

I was 380lbs, 56+BMI, Diabetic, Hypertension and Sleep Apnea before I had the sleeve. I took Metformin, Glipizide and Januvia to try to control the Diabetes. My sugars were still always high. 120-130 fasting and 160-180 after meals. My lowest A1C pre-op was when I was diagnosed as Diabetic, at 6.8. The day before my sleeve surgery I had my last Diabetes meds. When I left the hospital, I had a follow up within a week with my primary dr. I did not take my Diabetes meds as the pills were pretty large and I didn't want to risk damage to my new smaller stomach. I told him about not taking the meds and he told me to monitor my sugars closely. As long as they were within range 80-90 fasting and no higher than 120 after meals, I could stop taking the meds. I have never taken another Diabetes pill since surgery. I am also almost no longer diabetic. At my last 90 day follow up, my A1C was 6.2, after being at 8.2 a month before surgery. He also cut my Lisinopril for High Blood Pressure in half and my Cholesterol med in half. Hoping next month at my next 90 day follow up that I can maybe lose one or both the Hypertension and Cholesterol meds. The sleeve has been a huge success for me. That said, the bypass is not a bad way to go either. I didn't want to deal with lower absorption you get from the full bypass and knew I would have to work a little harder to lose more weight than with just the sleeve and eating better so I was willing to workout harder for the loss. So far so good. Best of luck on your decision. I am still hoping one day to kick the clap to the curb, but for now, I still need it.

I recently asked my NUT about the Cal Citrate vs. Cal Carbonate for me since I had the sleeve. I was prompted to ask because I see that carbonate is more redly available in store locally. She explained that even though I have no absorption issues because of the sleeve, the carbonate needs more stomach acid to breakdown properly. Because we have less bile in a smaller stomach than we did before, the carbonate won't be broken down properly thus, not absorbed properly even by us with the sleeve. I am still taking cal citrate chews since my labs indicate everything is good, not high or low.

I stubble with this too. I have been trying to get more Fiber. Sometimes all goes well, sometimes not so much. I'm so scared of overdoing it with fiber supplements or laxatives that I have to run to the bathroom. I really should probably take more than I do. Best of luck.

Thanks for the tip. I will check out craigslist and google some local cycle clubs to see if I can find a good deal.

@@catfish87 I did find out about trainers while at the bike store, but after dropping some loot on the bike and some additional accessories, it wasnt in the budget. My wife actually mentioned it too, as a friend at her work told her about them. She may decide to get me one for Christmas. Fingers crossed! With any luck, after riding next spring through fall, I will be able to ride in colder temps. I tried a 2 mile round trip to my gym one morning at 5am and it was 30 degrees out. My lungs hurt for the whole day. I decided below 50, I'm not riding.

Excited to find this thread. I just bought a new, last years model Trek 8.4 DS. So far I have only ridden a little as it is too cold here in Michigan. So looking forward to spring. @@Indieflickers did you ever get a comfortable fit? I hope so. I also got the cheap Amazon padded shorts. Hoping they work ok. I also got a slightly more comfortable saddle and some clip less pedals and shoes. It will be hard to sit inside all winter with the bike in the garage!

The hospital where I went said someone had to be there and stay during the procedure. Check with your hospital to make sure you don't have to have someone there.

Are you referring to Dr. Katz at CCMC hospital ? I don't think so. The Dr. Katz I am referring to is in Madison Heights, MI at St. John Providence Hospital. As it turns out, the original poster of this topic is going to a surgeon that is in the same practice as my surgeon, so will most likely have the same instructions that I had.