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NovaLuna

Duodenal Switch Patients
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  1. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from BayougirlMrsS in Freaking out!! read you barely lose weight from sleeve 2 Bypass   
    I think there are some people on this site who had success with a sleeve to bypass revision. I think it depends on the person. Also, there's also the option of sleeve to duodenal switch... depending on why you're having the revision of course because if it's for GERD then the DS isn't an option. But the sleeve is literally the first part of the DS procedure. It used to be separated into two parts so it's another revision option if your insurance covers it (and you don't have GERD)
  2. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from catwoman7 in Is my weight loss okay or slow?   
    I, personally, think you're doing great. Everyone loses at a different pace and you started out at a much lower weight than many on this site and yet are losing a good amount. I wouldn't worry so much. Also, those weight loss calculators are all about average statistics. That includes the people who don't follow the diet guidelines as well as the people who do. As long as you stick to the dieting guidelines and get your exercise in then I don't see why you wouldn't be able to meet your goal. I wish you the best on your journey!
  3. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from BayougirlMrsS in Freaking out!! read you barely lose weight from sleeve 2 Bypass   
    I think there are some people on this site who had success with a sleeve to bypass revision. I think it depends on the person. Also, there's also the option of sleeve to duodenal switch... depending on why you're having the revision of course because if it's for GERD then the DS isn't an option. But the sleeve is literally the first part of the DS procedure. It used to be separated into two parts so it's another revision option if your insurance covers it (and you don't have GERD)
  4. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from fitgal2021 in Is my weight loss okay or slow?   
    Just get what exercise in that you can. I'm partially disabled due to osteoarthritis and two back injuries so I can only get walking in 2-3x a week and that's it. Just do what you can and I'm sure you'll do great!
  5. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from lizonaplane in What should I aim for in terms of healthy goal weight?   
    When I chose 180 pounds as my goal weight it sounded incredibly unrealistic to me, but that was the weight I knew I would be happy with so that's why I chose it. I was actually surprised when the surgeons office said it was a realistic goal weight and told me I should be able to get there. I'm 16 months post-op now and in a two week stall that has my weight bouncing around 186-189 so once my weight loss picks back up I'm still only less than 10 pounds from my own personal goal weight.
    In my own opinion, your goal weight should be where you think you'll be happy at. Where you'll be happy with your body and your weight.
    I chose my goal weight because that was the weight I saw myself happy at. I was 13 the last time I was in the 180's (I'm 33 now). I'm currently in the 'overweight' BMI at 29 with my goal only being 1 point lower at 28, but I'm no longer obese or morbidly obese or super morbidly obese like I used to be. I used to be 389 pounds and I've lost more than 200 of that which still blows my mind! I used to be a 32-34 in womens jeans (depending on brand and cut) and now I'm a 12. I used to be a 6xl (34-36) in womens tops and now I'm either a medium (8-10) or large (12-14) depending on the shirt. I'm far happier in my body now then I ever was. Yes, I still want to lose those extra few pounds to get to goal and it'd be amazing if I could even lose a couple pounds past that and get into the 170's, but I'm happy with my weight now for the first time in more than 20 years.
  6. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Lexmm in Calorie & carb intake?   
    I would ask your nutritionist. At 4 months out my nutritionist had me on a 600-800 calorie and 60-80 carb diet plan. But every person is different and so is their plan. Also, my weight loss slowed after 3 months. The first three months I lost fast. Then the following three months I averaged 8 pounds a month. The next 5 months following that I averaged 5 pounds a month. My average lately is about 3 pounds a month.
    I'm 16 months out now so my diet plan is 900-1200 calories and 80-150 carbs per day (I try to keep my carb intake around 90 and my calories no higher than 1000 (though some days it HAS gone close to 1200). Also, my daily sodium allowance is 1200mg, but I try and get under 900mg because I retain Water like CRAZY!
  7. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from lizonaplane in My goal outfit is/was . . .   
    Well that's certainly creative lol. I don't actually have a goal outfit. My goal weight is 180 pounds (it'd be nice if I can get smaller, but I set my goal while trying to be realistic) so I was trying to remember what size I was when I WAS 180 pounds (this was 20 years ago... when I was all of 13) and I think I was a 16, so I was originally thinking I'd probably settle in a 16 or MAYBE 14, but I fit into a 14 in jeans NOW and I'm 196 pounds right now so still 16 pounds away from my goal weight, so now I'm thinking my weight will probably settle me in a 12. Unless I somehow lose more weight than I expect. But I don't know... only lost two pounds last month, but this month has made up for it as I've lost 5 pounds this month. It'd be amazing if I could get down to 175 or even 170. But I'd be fine to settle in the 180's too. I used to be 389 pounds just two years ago. I NEVER in my life thought I'd ever see myself get under 300 much less under 200. It's surreal to be in the 100's for the first time in 20 years, but I'm loving it and am so proud of myself!
    Congrats on the beginning of your journey and I wish you the best! You can do it!
  8. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from BeaUTAHful in How long from when you started the process to surgery?   
    My initial consultation was at the end of May 2019 and my surgery was at the end of January 2020 (January 23rd). So 8 months. It took them about three weeks to approve it after it was submitted, but my surgery was delayed a month due to them being over scheduled in December 2019 and so they shoved me into January lol
  9. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from lizonaplane in My goal outfit is/was . . .   
    Well that's certainly creative lol. I don't actually have a goal outfit. My goal weight is 180 pounds (it'd be nice if I can get smaller, but I set my goal while trying to be realistic) so I was trying to remember what size I was when I WAS 180 pounds (this was 20 years ago... when I was all of 13) and I think I was a 16, so I was originally thinking I'd probably settle in a 16 or MAYBE 14, but I fit into a 14 in jeans NOW and I'm 196 pounds right now so still 16 pounds away from my goal weight, so now I'm thinking my weight will probably settle me in a 12. Unless I somehow lose more weight than I expect. But I don't know... only lost two pounds last month, but this month has made up for it as I've lost 5 pounds this month. It'd be amazing if I could get down to 175 or even 170. But I'd be fine to settle in the 180's too. I used to be 389 pounds just two years ago. I NEVER in my life thought I'd ever see myself get under 300 much less under 200. It's surreal to be in the 100's for the first time in 20 years, but I'm loving it and am so proud of myself!
    Congrats on the beginning of your journey and I wish you the best! You can do it!
  10. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Lexmm in Calorie & carb intake?   
    I would ask your nutritionist. At 4 months out my nutritionist had me on a 600-800 calorie and 60-80 carb diet plan. But every person is different and so is their plan. Also, my weight loss slowed after 3 months. The first three months I lost fast. Then the following three months I averaged 8 pounds a month. The next 5 months following that I averaged 5 pounds a month. My average lately is about 3 pounds a month.
    I'm 16 months out now so my diet plan is 900-1200 calories and 80-150 carbs per day (I try to keep my carb intake around 90 and my calories no higher than 1000 (though some days it HAS gone close to 1200). Also, my daily sodium allowance is 1200mg, but I try and get under 900mg because I retain Water like CRAZY!
  11. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Lexmm in Calorie & carb intake?   
    I would ask your nutritionist. At 4 months out my nutritionist had me on a 600-800 calorie and 60-80 carb diet plan. But every person is different and so is their plan. Also, my weight loss slowed after 3 months. The first three months I lost fast. Then the following three months I averaged 8 pounds a month. The next 5 months following that I averaged 5 pounds a month. My average lately is about 3 pounds a month.
    I'm 16 months out now so my diet plan is 900-1200 calories and 80-150 carbs per day (I try to keep my carb intake around 90 and my calories no higher than 1000 (though some days it HAS gone close to 1200). Also, my daily sodium allowance is 1200mg, but I try and get under 900mg because I retain Water like CRAZY!
  12. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Lexmm in Calorie & carb intake?   
    I would ask your nutritionist. At 4 months out my nutritionist had me on a 600-800 calorie and 60-80 carb diet plan. But every person is different and so is their plan. Also, my weight loss slowed after 3 months. The first three months I lost fast. Then the following three months I averaged 8 pounds a month. The next 5 months following that I averaged 5 pounds a month. My average lately is about 3 pounds a month.
    I'm 16 months out now so my diet plan is 900-1200 calories and 80-150 carbs per day (I try to keep my carb intake around 90 and my calories no higher than 1000 (though some days it HAS gone close to 1200). Also, my daily sodium allowance is 1200mg, but I try and get under 900mg because I retain Water like CRAZY!
  13. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Lexmm in Calorie & carb intake?   
    I would ask your nutritionist. At 4 months out my nutritionist had me on a 600-800 calorie and 60-80 carb diet plan. But every person is different and so is their plan. Also, my weight loss slowed after 3 months. The first three months I lost fast. Then the following three months I averaged 8 pounds a month. The next 5 months following that I averaged 5 pounds a month. My average lately is about 3 pounds a month.
    I'm 16 months out now so my diet plan is 900-1200 calories and 80-150 carbs per day (I try to keep my carb intake around 90 and my calories no higher than 1000 (though some days it HAS gone close to 1200). Also, my daily sodium allowance is 1200mg, but I try and get under 900mg because I retain Water like CRAZY!
  14. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from laurenantics in Please help me understand the difference   
    Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch is the original. SIPS/SADI-S/Loop DS is the new version. The new version was created to mitigate some of the issues with the original i.e the diarrhea issue as well as lessen the malnutrition issue (still higher risk compared to Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, etc, but better statistics than original DS). However, the downside is you have slightly less calorie and fat malabsorption, statistically slightly less weight loss, and there isn't enough long term data to tell how patients are doing 10-20 years post-op, but that data is available for the original DS. However, statistically SIPS still has a higher weight loss percentage then Gastric Bypass even if it doesn't beat out the original DS. In the end it comes down to 1. if your surgeon even performs the SIPS version of the surgery (which is actually easier for them to perform then the original) 2. if your insurance even covers the SIPS surgery because some insurances consider it 'experimental' due to the lack of long term data and 3. which surgery you actually want. I chose the SIPS/SADI-S/Loop Duodenal Switch for myself because I didn't fancy having to deal with diarrhea all the time. Didn't expect that I'd have to deal with Constipation issues at times and my system trying to empty itself at others (at least twice a week my stomach is like "ohhh you're going to be in the bathroom for a WHILE" and I literally empty everything out. Diarrhea still happens on those days. TMI, sorry, but I thought you'd want to know all the nitty gritty stuff to help make your choice). Also, there is something like a 3% you will develop either Celiac Disease or a Wheat allergy. That's for any malabsorbative surgery (DS, SIPS, or Gastric Bypass) and they don't TELL you that. I developed a wheat allergy. I was tested for it after I had classic symptoms of dumping syndrome after I was TOLD that wasn't possible. I tested positive for a wheat allergy. Anyway, it's unlikely it'll happen to you, but I tell people because a 3% chance means 3 out of every 100 people so it's worth mentioning and I'm irritated that they DIDN'T mention it! I still would have had the surgery, but I would have like to KNOW! Also, they didn't tell me that it's possible to vomit old blood after the surgery. Again, doesn't happen to everyone, but it happened to me and scared the SH*T out of me! I was still in the hospital and panicked and the nurse came in took one look at the blood in the bag and was like "It's old blood. You're fine." and then walked out. Like WTF?!
    Anyway, I'm almost 16 months post-op with the SIPS so if you do decide to go that route feel free to ask me any questions about my own experience and I'll do my best to answer. Hope things go well for you at your appointment!
  15. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from STLoser in What a year's supply of vitamins looks like for someone who had the Loop Duodenal Switch/SIPS/SADI-S surgery   
    Hello, everyone! I had the Loop Duodenal Switch surgery 14 months ago on January 23, 2020. At my heaviest I was 389 pounds, but was 321 on the day of my surgery. I am currently 191 pounds and only 11 pounds away from my personal goal weight. When I was first looking into this surgery (which was the suggested surgery of my surgeon) I was wondering just how many Vitamins I was going to have to take every day and just how much this was going to cost me. So I decided that since I just ordered a year's supply of vitamins I may as well share that for those of you who are looking into the surgery and want to know those things. And what exactly a years supply of vitamins looks like lol (though do keep in mind that every person is different. I take less Iron then the norm because my iron is naturally high. I take less Calcium for the same reason. And not every one will have just a Vitamin A deficiency. Some have B, or D, or K, or all the above)
    So, for me, personally, I take 2 bariatric Multivitamins WITHOUT iron, 1 bariatric Multivitamin WITH iron, and 2 calcium citrate every day. I also take 5,000IU of Vitamin A every OTHER day. How much does that cost? Well, you will definitely have to shop around and try different vitamins before you find some that you either like or can tolerate. Some people struggle finding vitamins because certain ones make them sick. I never had this problem. However, generally after a month... or three (depending on your surgeon) they tell you that you can go to non-chewable vitamins. I can't. I have something called EoE (Eosinophilic Esophagitis) which is an autoimmune disorder that I was diagnosed with in 2016 that causes narrowing of the esophagus and makes it impossible for me to swallow pills. Thus, chewables are my only option. It's more expensive that way, but nothing I can do about that so telling you how much everything is isn't going to help as you likely won't have a problem with the far cheaper non-chewable option. If you DO have that problem however and NEED chewable vitamins full time like myself, then I spent $565.23 on a years supply of vitamins. That's about $1.55 a day or $10.87 a week or $47.10 a month (it's not as bad as it seems at first glance when put that way, right?). I wanted to make this thread because anyone who has this surgery will have their surgeon's office reminding you repeatedly, so that you understand, that vitamins are something you HAVE to take with this surgery! You cannot just suddenly decide it's too expensive and then land yourself in the hospital or even DIE because you don't want to fork over the money to keep you healthy. If you know the price ahead of time then you can either set money aside such as my own habit of setting $50 aside a month so that I can just order 6 months or a years supply at a time once I have enough to do so (I just wiped out my vitamin savings with this recent order though lol).
    I wanted to make this thread because when I was going through the process I really would have like to SEE what a years supply of vitamins looks like! Also, if you have any questions about the Loop Duodenal Switch/SIPS/SADI-S and my own experiences with it, feel free to ask! Well, here's what a my own years supply of vitamins looks like:



  16. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from laurenantics in Please help me understand the difference   
    Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch is the original. SIPS/SADI-S/Loop DS is the new version. The new version was created to mitigate some of the issues with the original i.e the diarrhea issue as well as lessen the malnutrition issue (still higher risk compared to Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, etc, but better statistics than original DS). However, the downside is you have slightly less calorie and fat malabsorption, statistically slightly less weight loss, and there isn't enough long term data to tell how patients are doing 10-20 years post-op, but that data is available for the original DS. However, statistically SIPS still has a higher weight loss percentage then Gastric Bypass even if it doesn't beat out the original DS. In the end it comes down to 1. if your surgeon even performs the SIPS version of the surgery (which is actually easier for them to perform then the original) 2. if your insurance even covers the SIPS surgery because some insurances consider it 'experimental' due to the lack of long term data and 3. which surgery you actually want. I chose the SIPS/SADI-S/Loop Duodenal Switch for myself because I didn't fancy having to deal with diarrhea all the time. Didn't expect that I'd have to deal with Constipation issues at times and my system trying to empty itself at others (at least twice a week my stomach is like "ohhh you're going to be in the bathroom for a WHILE" and I literally empty everything out. Diarrhea still happens on those days. TMI, sorry, but I thought you'd want to know all the nitty gritty stuff to help make your choice). Also, there is something like a 3% you will develop either Celiac Disease or a Wheat allergy. That's for any malabsorbative surgery (DS, SIPS, or Gastric Bypass) and they don't TELL you that. I developed a wheat allergy. I was tested for it after I had classic symptoms of dumping syndrome after I was TOLD that wasn't possible. I tested positive for a wheat allergy. Anyway, it's unlikely it'll happen to you, but I tell people because a 3% chance means 3 out of every 100 people so it's worth mentioning and I'm irritated that they DIDN'T mention it! I still would have had the surgery, but I would have like to KNOW! Also, they didn't tell me that it's possible to vomit old blood after the surgery. Again, doesn't happen to everyone, but it happened to me and scared the SH*T out of me! I was still in the hospital and panicked and the nurse came in took one look at the blood in the bag and was like "It's old blood. You're fine." and then walked out. Like WTF?!
    Anyway, I'm almost 16 months post-op with the SIPS so if you do decide to go that route feel free to ask me any questions about my own experience and I'll do my best to answer. Hope things go well for you at your appointment!
  17. Congrats!
    NovaLuna reacted to STLoser in 150 Pounds down!   
    I'm so excited! Today I hit 242 pounds which puts me at 150 pounds lost! I still have at least 60 to lose, but I never thought I'd ever be able to lose 150 pounds. I don't even know how I was carrying that much on my 5'3" frame! I feel so much better!
    I just had to share this!
    I can't figure out why my before pictures won't post, but I have some "after" even though I still hope to lose a lot more. These pics are from last month. My weight loss has slowed recently and this week I've been struggling mentally with worrying I won't lose anymore, so I was really happy to hit this milestone!  
    Sent from my Nokia 7.2 using BariatricPal mobile app
  18. Like
    NovaLuna reacted to ANewJourneyAwaits in Lying about not getting surgery is awful   
    I went and put on my medical ID after reading this. Wont take it off now! Thank you for reminding me.
  19. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from ANewJourneyAwaits in Lying about not getting surgery is awful   
    I was excited about my surgery so I told literally everyone lol.
    My sister's grandmother (we have different dads) passed away due to the emergency people not knowing she'd had gastric bypass and when she was intubated they went through her stomach and she was on blood thinners, so she died. Because of this I ALWAYS wear either a medical alert necklace or medical alert Bracelet when I leave the house. I don't wear one at home because everyone I live with knows about my surgery so if something happens they'd be able to tell those who need to know. I, personally, think people have the right to keep quiet about their surgery, but believe they should always have a medical alert necklace or bracelet so that if something happens then at least the medical emergency people would know. I'm paranoid like that because of what happened to my sister's grandma.
  20. Congrats!
    NovaLuna reacted to laurenantics in Please help me understand the difference   
    @novaluna My Consultation was kind of amazing. Mainly because my biggest fear was that I'd have to wait many months - but no, he wants to do late June. He wants me to lose 25 pounds before the surgery in about 5-6 weeks. Immediately my brain went "PROTEIN SHAKES"!! I ran to costco and bought four cases of Protein Shakes. Do you think that I can lose 25 pounds trying to do just a liquid diet of these shakes? I know you're not my doctor, but I was just hoping for your insight.
  21. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Peanut120 in Not Yet Decided: NEED HELP   
    Dumping Syndrome is generally linked to Gastric Bypass. It's from your food going from your stomach to your small intestines too fast. There is also only something like a 25% chance of you even having it. Gastric Sleeve has far less chances of that happening because your intestines aren't messed with but if you eat too fast then yeah, you'll feel like vomiting. Doesn't mean you will, but you may gag a bit. Also, drinking will cause your stomach to empty faster and could 1. make you hungry faster and 2. cause a dumping episode because you sent the food too fast through your system with the drink. If you DO decide to go the surgery route, you have to decide on whether you want the 25% of getting dumping syndrome with Gastric Bypass or the 30% your GERD will get worse with the Sleeve
  22. Like
    NovaLuna reacted to laurenantics in Please help me understand the difference   
    @NovaLuna You're so amazing, thank you for replying to me! I'm all alone this morning and I'm so nervous about my consult. You've really really helped. THANK YOU.
  23. Thanks
    NovaLuna got a reaction from laurenantics in Please help me understand the difference   
    Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch is the original. SIPS/SADI-S/Loop DS is the new version. The new version was created to mitigate some of the issues with the original i.e the diarrhea issue as well as lessen the malnutrition issue (still higher risk compared to Gastric Bypass, Gastric Sleeve, etc, but better statistics than original DS). However, the downside is you have slightly less calorie and fat malabsorption, statistically slightly less weight loss, and there isn't enough long term data to tell how patients are doing 10-20 years post-op, but that data is available for the original DS. However, statistically SIPS still has a higher weight loss percentage then Gastric Bypass even if it doesn't beat out the original DS. In the end it comes down to 1. if your surgeon even performs the SIPS version of the surgery (which is actually easier for them to perform then the original) 2. if your insurance even covers the SIPS surgery because some insurances consider it 'experimental' due to the lack of long term data and 3. which surgery you actually want. I chose the SIPS/SADI-S/Loop Duodenal Switch for myself because I didn't fancy having to deal with diarrhea all the time. Didn't expect that I'd have to deal with Constipation issues at times and my system trying to empty itself at others (at least twice a week my stomach is like "ohhh you're going to be in the bathroom for a WHILE" and I literally empty everything out. Diarrhea still happens on those days. TMI, sorry, but I thought you'd want to know all the nitty gritty stuff to help make your choice). Also, there is something like a 3% you will develop either Celiac Disease or a Wheat allergy. That's for any malabsorbative surgery (DS, SIPS, or Gastric Bypass) and they don't TELL you that. I developed a wheat allergy. I was tested for it after I had classic symptoms of dumping syndrome after I was TOLD that wasn't possible. I tested positive for a wheat allergy. Anyway, it's unlikely it'll happen to you, but I tell people because a 3% chance means 3 out of every 100 people so it's worth mentioning and I'm irritated that they DIDN'T mention it! I still would have had the surgery, but I would have like to KNOW! Also, they didn't tell me that it's possible to vomit old blood after the surgery. Again, doesn't happen to everyone, but it happened to me and scared the SH*T out of me! I was still in the hospital and panicked and the nurse came in took one look at the blood in the bag and was like "It's old blood. You're fine." and then walked out. Like WTF?!
    Anyway, I'm almost 16 months post-op with the SIPS so if you do decide to go that route feel free to ask me any questions about my own experience and I'll do my best to answer. Hope things go well for you at your appointment!
  24. Congrats!
    NovaLuna reacted to Mrb1807 in 100Lbs lost   
    I started my journey Nov. 15 2020 : Preop-diet was for 2-weeks : My surgery date was Dec. 15, 2020.
    So basically six months ago I started my journey- And it's been 5 Months from the actual surgery date .
    As of May 15 2021, I've lost 105lbs !! YES... I only dreamed of losing this much weight...
    I'm not done by far, but what a first six months........
  25. Like
    NovaLuna got a reaction from Crisscat in Potential Gastric Sleeve Poll   
    I've been battling my weight since I was 6 years old. I've been big for as far back as I can remember. I did just about every diet there was and not a single one worked. Eventually I just gave up. I had looked briefly into WLS in my 20's but I didn't think I'd be able to change my eating habits so drastically. I didn't think I had that kind of willpower. Plus, potential complications scared me and the permanence scared me. So I stopped looking into it.
    When I was 21 in May of 2009 my eldest niece was born. I was still in pretty good health despite being over 300 pounds. So I didn't really have the determination to go through with WLS. However, when her sister was born in February 2019 my health was very bad. I was 389 pounds, I have two permanent back injuries (one caused by my osteoarthritis), high blood pressure, tachycardia, hypothyroidism, the aforementioned osteoarthritis, I was pre-diabetic, have EoE (an autoimmune disorder), and I'd had brain surgery in May 2017 for my trigeminal neuralgia. When I held my new niece I was hit with the realization that if something didn't change, if I didn't find a way to get myself healthier and lose weight, then I likely wouldn't be around to watch her grow up. I cried, because watching my eldest niece grow up has been my greatest joy. It broke my heart that I may not be around to watch her sister grow up.
    That made things more real for me, I suppose. It pushed me into making that change and taking it seriously. I was referred to a bariatric surgeon and had to do a 6 months of monitored weigh-in's per my insurance. I didn't actually have to LOSE weight. I was just told not to GAIN weight. But, I took the initiative to try and make myself as successful as possible by using that time to prepare myself for a new way of eating. I used the first month to cut out seconds and cut my portion sizes down. The second month I cut out soda. The third month I cut out rice. The fourth month I cut out Pasta. The fifth month I cut out bread. The six month I cut out potatoes and Beans. The last two months before my surgery (they were overscheduled and pushed me back) I just maintained that diet and on my surgery date I was 321 pounds, meaning I'd lost 68 pounds on my own. I'm still very proud of myself for that.
    For me, the final push was my family. My family is my strength. They are what pulled me through the absolute worst time in my life (August 2016-May2017 when I had a 10 month TN flare that led to my brain surgery) when I KNOW I would have given up without them.
    Since my weight loss surgery? I have a new niece (from my brother and his wife) and my first and only nephew (from my sister and her husband). Now that I've lost over 200 pounds I don't worry so much that I won't be there to watch them grow up. And when I see my 2 year old niece light up when she see's me I know I made the right choice, the best choice, to have this surgery because now I get to watch her and her brother grow up just like I've got to watch her 12 year old sister grow up and just as I'll get to see her cousins grow up.
    Everyone has a different reason for why they do this. Sometimes it's for family, like myself. And sometimes it's personal. Every person who goes through this has a different journey, different experiences, and a different story to tell. And I wish you the very best on your own journey.

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