2goldengirl

Following because a lift is something I wanted even pre-sleeve. It will be my "getting to goal" gift to myself.

I did tell my supervisor and my manager. They can't tell anyone, it's against the law for them to divulge anything. I used FMLA and extended sick leave. I took a month off from work. HR the FMLA paperwork doesn't require that my doctor share why I was on medical leave, only that I was unable to work for the time period. As for everyone else, I told them I "had a little something to take care of". I left it at that. I eat lunch at my desk anyway, that's a longstanding pattern. I don't owe people any explanations.

I'm with @@Cervidae on this. You don't need to focus on punishing her through HR. Instead think about this: You are the one who is feeling great and has taken control of her life and her health. You are not a victim. I wouldn't waste the time to allow her the power to make you feel bad, or make you want to revert to old, unhealthy patterns because you let someone else make you feel bad. You can't control her or what comes out of her mouth. All you can control is what you let that do to you.

Yup, the human journey ain't a straight line for sure. Thanks so much for your authenticity. It's incredibly helpful for those of us who are in our early weeks and months in sleeve-land.

On the weekends, I've been loving egg in tomato sauce. I've just used pasta sauce in a jar, about 1/3 cup in a skillet, heat it up, crack in an egg, cover the pan til the white is set. Yummy!

It feels a lot more real once you have a date, doesn't it? Congratulations!

I had terrible itching, only it wasn't from my incisions. Turns out I had a localized skin reaction to the heparin injections.

The preop diet gets easier after about the third day, so hang in there! I can honestly say that in my 7+ weeks postop, I haven't had a single moment of hunger. There have been times when I've known I ought to eat something, but 99% of the time, I eat because I know I have to.

I've taken Vitamins for years, and every single Vitamin I tried made me nauseous, until I tried the Flintstones Complete chewables. My RD recommended them, and they are sooooooo easy on my stomach. I wish now I'd discovered them years ago.

The suit looks nearly as fabulous as you do. My coloring is so pale I'd never dream of a white suit, but it's wonderful with your coloring!

March 10 for me. I had a rough go at the start, but I'm much, much better now. I'm in the "try it and see" phase with new foods, and fortunately, I haven't tried anything that hasn't worked yet. I really can't handle more than 3 oz max of fish or other dense Protein at a time, or 1/2 cup total per meal. What I'm working on now (in addition to slowly trying new foods) is judging how much is "just enough" in settings where I can't measure or weigh out my portion in advance. It's a really subtle difference, and I find it harder to do when I'm in a social setting with more distractions.

Nope, that wasn't dumping. I would say hold off on the pork, sounds like your stomach wasn't ready for it. I am seven weeks out, I couldn't have handled that volume, myself. I have tried pork (tenderloin, and in meatballs) and didn't have a problem with it. One thing I learned (probably from a poster here) is to take one bite of a new food and wait about ten minutes to see how it sits before proceeding. It was great advice and I wish I knew who to thank.

I'm nowhere near maintenance, but speaking only for myself, I can tell you that sugar alcohols and I are not friends. And I would rather have one lovely bite of premium, full-fat, real sugar ice cream than all the "lite" versions in the world. My personal preference is always for the real deal. Now that I have a sleeve,my restriction means I can limit my portions more easily (just now they're ridiculously small portions, but I expect that to change a bit in the next year or so).

@@betterme38, if there is more than one bariatric support group in your area, find out whether they are open to anyone. I know mine is. If there are, I encourage you to try more than one - one size doesn't fit all, y'know?

I started going to Support Group even before my first consult with my surgeon. A friend of mine (who is at goal and > 1 yr post GBP) recommended it. She was right. It's run by the RD's and therapist who work with the program, and they're excellent. There is always time for people to share and ask questions, and there is always a really interesting and useful program as well. There are veterans (some with > 10 years postop), preops, and everyone in between. It's a great group, and one reason I was so prepared for surgery ahead of time.

Unless you're drinking lots of wine each of those three times a year, I seriously doubt you need an AA meeting. I don't know what your surgeon was thinking when he said that, except that some surgeons are adamant about no alcohol, period. For all either of us know, he had a patient (or more than one) who developed alcohol problems after surgery. I also know at two months out (I was seven weeks yesterday), what messes with our collective heads is that we are still getting used to our new normal. Portions are still so tiny that one-item meals are still the rule rather than the exception, and we're still riding with our training wheels, so to speak. There is a real thirst to know what three-six-nine months out is going to look like, in purely practical terms. Refrain from asking your surgeon about wine again. You'll only get the same answer.

And I'm with you. However, I do understand that there are "all or nothing" people for whom moderation in all things isn't wise - moderation in some things, and abstention in others, works better for them. The truth for us all is that we can't ever return to the kinds of patterns we had preop, those are what got us here in the first place. But I think what we all hope when we sign up for surgery is that choice will replace compulsion. I think we'd all like to get to the place that so many of the veterans here have done - food no longer rules their lives, it's merely incorporated into an overall healthier set of choices. I don't think anyone here wants to be castigated for their choices. We're all here learning how to live with our decision to have WLS, or the reality of our post-WLS lives. Speaking only for myself, I have to take it one choice at a time right now. Will I have a glass of wine someday? I fully expect to. But I don't know yet when that will be. I don't have to decide that right now.

Call your surgeon's office and explain about your ankle. You can also ask your podiatrist or othopedic MD to send his/her note to your surgeon. You can only do what you can do as far as the weight loss requirement. Most often that is set by your surgeon, not your insurance. That's fantastic news about you quitting smoking. It really does hinder your woulnd healing, and should you ultimately decide you don't want surgery, quitting smoking is a huge positive stop for your health. It isn't an easy decision, but then the big, life-changing ones so often aren't, are they?

I've been a bit apprehensive about not just reastaurants, but business meals where lunch is included in a meeting and I never know what the choices will be. This week I had two business lunches to deal with, plus a dinner at friend's home. I found that it's a lot harder to judge how much is "enough" when I'm not measuring out my portions in advance as I have been doing. But I did well enough with that yesterday at lunch (found choices that would work, ate just enough to be comfortable) that we went out to dinner last night. I told the server up front that I eat teeny little portions. I asked that she skip the soup/salad for me, which she was happy to do. I ordered fish, and I ate abut half the fish, one bite of the baked potato (I'm still trying new foods on my sleeve), and two green Beans. They were happy to pack up the rest of the meal for me. Huz will eat the baked potato, and I've got salmon and green beans for tonight. Sweet!

It's a beast, but the only way past it is through it. Your nigher-carb shakes may not be helping you here. You can do this, it's a means to an end. Hang in there!

Don't worry, if your srugeon said "liquids", without mentioning "clear", you'll be fine. The closer many, many, many people get to surgery day, the more nerves, panic, jitters, whater you want to call them, kick in. It makes sense, you're about to do something that's life-changing. Do something nice for yourself today. Get a pedi, buy yourself flowers, serve tonight's bowl of broth on your grandmother's china, something that makes you feel loved and special. You are taking a step that will lead to a better, healthier life for yourself, which will benefit you but all your loved ones. It's a powerful and loving thing you're doing tomorrow. Good luck!

Firstly, I've never seen the midical policy that spitulates "disabling condition", the more common term is "comorbidity", which isn't at all the same thing. Do you have a copy of your health plan's policy concerning WLS? If you don't call and ask for it. That way you know what the requirements are up front. Good luck with your appeal!

Congratulations! I hope you feel twice as good as you look!

How far out are you? This is your surgeon, whose advice is important, but your success is up to you. You are an adult, and you make your own ch . We all know that there are many, many variations on postop guidelines. The farther out from surgery you are, the more your choices are on you.oices yes make your own choices, because we make such GREAT food choices so far . i mean come on, you literally just advised someone to ignore their surgeon and do what they want? WTF? Everybody, listen up, We have to follow Stevehud's instructions to the letter or be doomed to failure. And we'll all get a tongue-lashing for it, too. Because we are all idiots and too stupid to act like adults. You really are rude, and a bully. The poster who called out your rudeness wasn't attacking your point of view, only your particularly hamfisted approach. My point was, the further out we get, the more our choices are on us - and the more responsible we are for them. I suppose the subtlety there was too much for you. I haven't found that insulting people encourages behavior change, BTW.

What a journey. And what a victory! And to be recovering from two additional surgeries and working toward a third. That is some serious effort!