ChaosUnlimited

I have a large cup of coffee every morning, and hearing that I would have to give up coffee for a while was more disturbing to me than giving up most everything else. I had to have kidney surgery a couple years ago, and had to do Clear liquids the day before, so the caffeine withdrawal headache hit me postoperatively. The headache was worse than my post op pain, nothing made it stop until I was finally able to have some coffee. That was a rough time. I make my coffee with a keurig in the morning, and my one cup holds two servings, so I started using one regular and one decaf k-cup. Currently, I'm brewing the regular first and pouring out a bit before brewing the decaf, and I will continue to decrease the regular until I'm using all decaf. I don't want to face that headache again! For anyone who uses a keurig I have found "Gorilla Decaf" by the Organic Coffee Company (Amazon) has a nice bold flavor, it's better than any other decaf I've tried. It might come in Beans or grounds too, but I have never looked.

I have been making my own soap for years now. It started as a hobby and turned into a part time home business. Beer soaps are pretty amazing! They lather very well. When I make a soap out of beer or wine I heat the alcoholic beverage and let it simmer down to a sort of syrup to evaporate the alcohol out of it, otherwise the soap might smell like "the morning after"! I understand feeling bad that you won't be using the gifts others gave you, but my guess is they also want what's best for you and will understand. The steins sound like great display pieces!

I'm glad you got more information about the surgery. I would still be worried about doing it outpatient, I wonder if your insurance company approval had anything to do with it? My guess is that while in recovery if you are having too much pain or are not feeling comfortable enough to go home they will keep you. My surgeon discussed the bypass, the sleeve, and the DS procedure, drew pictures, and discussed dietary and Vitamin requirements after all three. He encouraged me to research the DS procedure and we can talk further at our next visit. I'm worried about bowel problems after the DS surgery, and I've seen the sips procedure mentioned here, can anyone explain what that is and how it helps? I don't know if my surgeon does that, but I can ask about it.

My weight has yo-yo'ed all my life. I have been somewhat thin and also very heavy. There were definitely differences in how others treated me when I was smaller versus being heavy. The most hurtful things happened while I was overweight, like comments made by people I considered my friends, and even my own family. Some things will stick in your head and you beat yourself up over and over remembering them. I won't miss that. I haven't had surgery yet, but I did lose almost 90 lbs several years ago by doing weight watchers, high impact exercise, and occasionally taking Phentermine. People at work always wanted to know what I was doing to lose weight and they were generally supportive. But there were times when there would be cake or donuts brought in, and when I said no thanks, there were certain people who would say things like "Oh, come on, you can have one little piece of cake, it won't kill you." As long as I had my own snacks and food I prepared I didn't have any issues, but if I was hungry and without my own snacks it was easier to feel deprived and give in under pressure.

This made me laugh, thanks for the mans perspective! @elliekay Sorry you were so disappointed on Valentines Day. Going by your post, it sounds like there may be more issues than just the chocolates. You went all out for him, planning and buying gifts, and he didn't put much thought into it for you. You said that wasn't the point, but you mentioned it, so it is bothering you. Really think about why you are holding on to these chocolates to spare his feelings instead of taking the opportunity to let him know this is not an acceptable/healthful gift for you. What is worrying you about being honest with him? Also, this sets you up for more gifts like this in the future because if you accepted it for Valentines Day and seemed ok with it, why not do it again? You are worthy of being with someone who respects you, loves you, and makes you feel special. Be honest with him and give him the opportunity to be that person, but don't accept any less.

My surgeon also discussed the stats with me, which is what gave me pause about just doing the sleeve. This is hard work, for any of the surgeries, and I want it to be a one and done kind of thing. I lost a lot of weight by doing weight watchers and high impact exercise several years ago. I thought I would never let myself backslide like I have, but I did. So I don't rule it out with the surgery either, but the DS gives a little more security against weight regain. I do realize that any of the surgeries will require a high level of compliance with the diet and exercise to be successful long term. I'm leaning toward the DS, but the thought of changing the way my gut works by moving my intestines around is terrifying to me. My husband is worried about it too and is hoping I choose the sleeve only. I still have time to research and decide, but for right now, I waffle back and forth as to what to choose.

Hi @amazon_gets_fit! It appears we are going to the same surgery center, I recently had my first appointment with Dr Sharp. Like you, I thought I knew I wanted the gastric sleeve until my surgeon explained the DS. Now I'm not sure. I want this to be a permanent solution, but my main goal is to feel healthy and fit again, so the malabsorption issues scare me too, as well as possibly having bowel issues after surgery. I've been doing lots of research and found this site today, I'm glad to see there is a community here to get firsthand information from. Best of luck on your journey!

Thank you for sharing, and glad you are doing well now. It's good to have all the information on what can happen, both good results and bad.

I found this board when I was looking for information on the DS surgery, then I saw @jessgnc and @Kaylamh go to the same surgery center I chose! Nice to meet you both, and I hope to some day Celebrate my success here! I thought I knew what I wanted to do, the gastric sleeve, until I met with Dr Sharp and he explained the DS. Now I'm not sure. Hoping to learn more info from people who have had the surgery already before I make my decision.