JessLess

As I'm sure you know, the U.S. is the only developed country without universal healthcare. It's scary sometimes. https://www.economist.com/special-report/2018/04/26/america-is-a-health-care-outlier-in-the-developed-world

@Msmocha, I meant at my job vacation days are separate from sick days and I officially get five a year. It's really more of a guideline, if people are sick more than that, they are generally still paid and not required to come into the office. It's a small company, we don't even have an HR person right now. I believe I could have taken more time off on temporary disability if necessary. Honestly, I have my HR info at home and I don't know the official policy off the top of my head. In the U.S. you may have the ability to collect money when you can't work from your employer, if offered, under state law, and under federal law. Each person's situation is different. In Massachusetts, under state law, starting 1/01/21 workers will be entitled to 20 weeks of paid medical leave in a benefit year if they have a serious health condition that incapacitates them from work. The weekly benefit amount is based on your salary and maxes out at $850 per week.

One of my biggest concerns about my surgery was getting time off. I get 5 sick days a year. Shockingly, when I said I was having minor surgery, my manager and CEO (I work for a small start up) told me to take more if I needed it and were very nice about it. I took 5 days off, then worked from home the next week and returned to the office after two weeks. I was pretty out of it the first month, though, probably adjusting to the very low calorie diet and lack of coffee.

I would hope most people are too caught up in their own little worlds to police other people's groceries. I'm not a big fan of the food police.

Have you tried swallowing a pill in thick liquid like a protein shake or tomato juice?

Is this normal in your culture? I would have poured them each a glass of STFU.

I'm 13 months out and post here almost daily. It helps me keep an eye on the big picture. Also, I don't really like the support group run by my hospital.

My program didn't have specific calorie goals, which I really appreciated. But after I was further along, one of the easiest way to break a stall was to eat 100 or so more calories than usual in one meal.

Oh, for the record, I’m at 13 months, just confused. LOL

I'm at 11 months and losing very slowly. I know I could do IF or KETO or workout more, but as long as I don't gain weight, I'm not really that concerned. I'm kind of looking at it like practice maintenance, which I know is very hard. Stalls, even long ones, are pretty common, and as long as I'm tracking my food, drinking my water, working out, and taking my vitamins, I think I'm doing OK. My doctor and my goal was 175 and I'm at 168. I do want to get to 150 but that's going to require a little more effort than I really feel like extending right now.

I'd try to talk to your surgeon and get your surgery and deal with it later. I've never heard of someone having to wait for it.

I had severe back pain and went to a new PCP. I said I wanted help with the pain and my weight and she recommended it. I, of course, said no way and waited another year. During that time my company started using my picture a lot on social media. When I was actually trying to hide my midsection behind a stuffed animal for a picture, I decided to take action.

Good luck, hope it's something minor.

I had my surgery at Newton Wellesley and was very pleased with the program. They do offer it. https://www.nwh.org/center-for-weight-loss-surgery/treatment-options/duodenal-switch-procedure

Your loss is well above average, great job! But I agree, comparing yourself to other people rarely makes people happy.

The only juice I have had since surgery is tomato juice. The rest are, at least in my opinion and for me, empty calories. The second week I was on protein shakes, bone broth, water, and popsicles.

If you just get regular dip powder you don't get UV exposure. I don't do my own nails, but the technician puts some kind of topcoat on and then they air dry. These have been growing out for two weeks. I'll probably get them done at three weeks.

I was going to recommend (powder) dip nails, and having read the thread, I now HIGHLY recommend it. Everyone around here who does it and is GOOD requires an apt. I get mine redone every 3 weeks. My nails break/peel with no polish and gel damages them.

It's laparoscopic. You can see videos on YouTube. The opening they made is inside my (innie) belly button so I can't see the scar. I wanted to say I think the 5 scars look fine, are hardly visible, and I had planned to go that route myself. But my surgeon mentioned this option and is fantastic so I wanted to try it.

I also had little problem with my size and am a heath at any size advocate. This essay by Roxane Gay made me feel a lot better about being a feminist and wanting WLS. I wrote to her after my surgery and got a nice note back. Good luck, whatever you choose. I had the sleeve a year ago.

My understanding from my surgeon is it works best on people with a relatively low BMI. She cited 35. Mine was 40 so I asked her to try and said I would not be upset if it didn't work out. She's really outstanding.

I think you should get a second option because your doctor is not being very honest with you, IMHO.

My sleeve was a single incision through my belly button. I don't have a scar. My belly button looks the same. This picture is unedited and unfiltered.

@BayougirlMrsS, for me a year out, having the sleeve is like following a fairly strict diet with a lot of help. The diet is easier to follow, but I still need to follow it. I used to live in New Orleans and just spent 5 days in New Orleans and Mississippi. I was trying to be fairly good, but I drank more and ate off my plan more than I ever had before. At several restaurants in rural Mississippi, there was really nothing for me to eat, and I was taking clients out to lunch. I did the best I could and came home 2 lbs. up. Those 2 have already gone, but I can see how making this a habit would make the sleeve not very useful. I don't think the sleeve fails people (unless it gives them GERD) but people fail themselves by not prioritizing their weightloss goals. I also think it's OK if people DON'T want to prioritize their weight loss goals, but I'm not one of those people.

Google black hairy tongue and weight loss surgery. Then go brush your tongue a lot.