Christinamo7

about 15 years ago my mom lost 150 pounds. She had some health conditions and was told loose weight or you are not going to see your grandchildren grow up. plastics were not in the equation for her as she hates to go to the doctor. so, she did have quite a bit of loose belly skin although the rest of her has always looked pretty age appropriate. She just tucked it into her jeans and went on with her life. went.on.with.her.life. as in, she has seen already most of her grandchildren grow up, with only two more to go...... so. I wish you all the best. I hope your skin bounces back like a brand new rubber band. and that you keep all your hair. but if not, it is ok. because you will feel so much better in your body! and yes, this was a very emotional time for me as well. this whole WLS thing, it's a wild ride. hang on tight and come here for support as you feel the need.

good for you looking that monster straight in the eye!

it will depend on your plan. mine would have allowed previous dr visits if I was trying to loose weight. but don't get discouraged, just get started. a year from now you will be glad you stuck with it!

hey, it's going down not up! so just keep going. and if it is seriously a concern then track your activity and food for a while and see what kind of tweeks you can make to your program. get with your NUT if they are the helpful sort.

was he ever able to have the surgery?

my favorite historic fiction writer is Eugenia Price - the Savannah series has made me long to go on vacation there for my whole adult life. one of these days I will make it. I will also admit to liking Elizabeth Chadwick's novels, although they can't really be called historic fiction, more like fiction set in history. they are fun what if's that flesh out historic people. same with Phillipa Gregory. certainly fiction, but an an enjoyable romp through a historic setting. I also like Jane Austen and the like.

I use coconut oil on my skin. so far things are going pretty well. my favorite thing is to float the jar in my warm bath and then when I dry off to rub the hot oil all over. it is pure bliss, and my skin stays soft for a long time.

a lot of people go through that exact same thing - around the same time and wonder if they will be the one person it doesn't work for. so, just stick with your program, trust your body and it will move again. @@Babbs has posted an excellent explanation of this on other threads, and recently too if you want a more science-y explanation of the "why"

when I was first looking into it he was opposed to the idea. see, when he wants to loose 10 pounds he just eats less potato chips. note I did not say stops eating, he eats less of them. He really couldn't understand my struggle with obesity and the hormonal effect of body fat. it took a while to get him educated, and a couple of health scares on my part and when I was finally able to have the surgery he was more afraid of loosing me to obesity than he was of me having surgery. he still doesn't really understand how it is for me, but he knows he doesn't understand it and that allows him to be more supportive than not. Although we had a conversation the other day about him putting his potato chips AWAY because I don't think it's nice for him to leave them sitting out where I normally sit. it's not like I don't ever want any. I just shouldn't have any, and I don't need the temptation. I don't expect him to stop eating them, but there has to be a little give and take. he took my wild rant to heart, apologized and has been doing better.

you're doing great! my bariatric doctor has a very balanced approach too. how are you feeling with getting some weight off?

the picture shows when you click the link though! so good job!

welcome to this group! my former husband was in the Army, so I know the joys of that sort of single parenting. I have been very pleased with the results of my sleeve, so far. I look forward to seeing your progress! my husband has sleep apnea. I remember well how fatigued he would be after a long night's sleep before he got his cpap machine.

I hate the waiting part! it is so hard when you just want to get going. please keep us posted on how things are going.

that's great news! I have a colonoscopy next week. notlookingforwardtoit. everything was all good with yours?

it depends on your work situation and how they treat employees who ask for time off. I applied for FMLA the day they called me to give me a date. then I faxed the paperwork to HR. Once my FMLA was approved it listed the dates I would be out on continuous leave, and it was as simple as that. my boss asked me to put off my surgery as another non clinical employee was out for knee replacement but I told her I couldn't afford to delay this as I had already waited a year due to my other health concerns. she was pretty mad, but I made the right choice as that employee did not come back and they are just now hiring the replacement.

I am suspecting you want people a year or more out - I am just about 4 months post op, but so far no abnormal hair loss. I'd know it too as I have very fine, thin hair. I take good care of the hair I have, as far as products and treating it well. I make sure I am getting good amounts of Protein and my Vitamins. I eat eggs daily - full of good for your hair nutrients. I try not to stress about this wild ride WLS is. probably I am a slower than average looser, so not sure what effect that would have. I lost a lot of hair and had major stress when my son went into a group home - so I know it's not just that I don't loose hair in stressful situations but at the end of the day I think it is just going to happen or not.

that's great! for me the psych eval was not anything other than this long questionnaire with tricky questions - really the same questions worded differently. nothing to worry about. do keep us posted on your progress

I know a number of people in my local support group who do. one thing I have as a snack is a few dried cherries, about 4 days a week or so (with almonds) and that can help with melatonin. I am actually sleeping better than ever. I hope you can get it worked out, sleep is golden.

a friend of mine is having a robotic sleeve and hysterectomy done next month at the same time. I know a great number of ladies who have had a robotic hysterectomy. It is supposedly an easier surgery and easier recovery. There are real people guiding things. If you are uncomfortable with it then I would discuss with your team, but I've only seen very positive outcomes as examples.

you are stunning example of success! *wild applause* but it does take a while I think, for our minds to catch up with the accomplishment. and if someone else felt the way you are feeling what would you tell them? sometimes we are more kind to others than we are in our self talk. which is unfortunate. what is it you are looking for to 'feel' successful?

at this point I am not eating enough volume of it to worry about the sodium - but if sodium is a concern for you I'd stick with the lower sodium versions. one thing I did last weekend was roll up some leftover asparagus stalks in one slice of deli ham (very thin as it is rolled around) and half a slice of really good swiss cheese. then I cut them in half. 2 stalks of asparagus in each roll. they were FABULOUS as a little snacky treat. I have done the same with baby spinach in the middle, again so good. you could spread the ham thinly with some Dijon mustard if that is too your liking. a little tiny smidge of honey mustard might be just the thing. anyway, you can come up with a satisfying snack that uses deli meat as an ingredient but where the other ingredients are not as sodium heavy if you want.

my doctor's plan had a list of good types of Vitamins - and calcium. anything else is based on how your bloodwork comes back. I bought the chewables from unjury - for right after? turns out I could have swallowed a regular pill just fine but I took them until they were used up. Now I take a regular woman's multi. I have to take the under 40 (with iron) for now, but I am hoping by year two to switch to the ones without Iron due to not having a cycle anymore. right now I am not eating enough volume of iron rich foods. my 3 month bloodwork came back excellent. I don't take b 12, but I do drink Vitamin Water zero daily and so I suppose that counts as a b supplement.

my surgery scars are very small - maybe an inch or so for the longest, the others maybe 1/4 inch? and they will really be nothing by next year. compared to other ways I've scarred up my body over my life, this is nothing. I can try to get a picture later, I am almost 4 months out so they are still slightly red. Family can sometimes be tricky. because they care, and they worry for you. I am considerably older - shoot, I have kids considerably older than you - but my family was worried when I told them my decision. However, they were also worried about my health due to obesity and comorbidities - so at the end of the day they supported my decision. If yours does not turn out to be supportive you will have to decide if the risk/benefit is worth you going through this and finding other areas of support. let us know how you are doing!

yes! I had a hysterectomy last summer, done quite urgently and it is a debate for me which surgery was the most life changing. I am so very happy with the changes following both. the WLS was the easier of the two for me to recover from, by far.

next week! I will be having a colonoscopy that day so that will remind me to think of you! Please let us know how you are doing - do you feel ready?