GataAnime

Hi, I just had a four year surgiversary yesterday. In the first two years I made it down to 185-187 from 252. I did the calculations, and that was only about 25%-26% of my body weight lost. Doing the research, I've found that anything less than a 50% weight loss in the first two is generally considered failure. I maintained around 185-190 for over a year, and then gained 20 pounds seemingly overnight without changing much--we all have our lapses, but this was not enough to explain a 20-pound weight gain. Also, I am approaching The Change, so maybe this is part of that. All I know is I'm frustrated, and I'm not even sure that my initial surgery was successful. I guess I'm asking what other members of The Order Of The Sleeve who got sleeved at late 40s-early 50s have experienced. I plan to talk to my PCP, but what do you think? Should I consider revision based on the initial results? Would it even be worth doing at this point?

Really? I'll have to talk with my provider! Thanx so much!🐾

Hi, thank you all so much for your answers (I'm just seeing them, sorry for the late reply)! I feel a bit better about it. It's just hecka frustrating to not know what you might be doing wrong. That said, the sleeve is still sleeving; my restriction was ridiculous yesterday. My husband and I took our youngest out for Sarku Japan and I swear I didn't even make a dent in my food. I was really shocked. Some days are like that where I feel like I'm back in my 3-4 ounce days. I said to my husband, "Looks like this is gonna be another one of those things that takes me three days to finish!" I'm not exaggerating. We went for ramen last year, and it literally took me three days. I'm going to continue to adjust accordingly, take inventory of any bad habits. I guess I need to fight harder. I'll look into the GLP-1 thing definitely; but that stuff is caro.💀🐾

I'm wearing a locs style now (that I desperately need to refresh). I am hoping that the extra effort I'm putting in will help. I know at some point I may have to cut off the damage, though. For you, I would recommend something that is not too heavy on the hair (don't be risky like me, LOL). Something that will definitely not expose any hair, maybe a crochet locs style. I've never done those, but it might go a long way towards recovering if you take good care of your hair underneath (moisturise, seal with a hair oil, etc). I have a friend who regularly gets lacefronts with no adhesive and her own hair stays protected somehow.

I got a nasty shock after taking down my locs a few days ago. I tried everything to prevent or lessen the inevitability but I wasn't lucky. My natural hair is already fine and thin--NTM it takes FOREVER to grow anyway--so you can imagine how devastated I am. I keep crying whenever the thought creeps up on me. And to think I called myself emotionally prepping for this for months! I still wasn't ready. It's so thin and scalpy. 😿 Part of me is so frustrated I want to shave it off, but I won't. I guess I'll just continue with my usual bariatric vitamins and supplements and try and be hopeful...

I had my sleeve done on August 26th, two days after my birthday. My food funeral was a vanilla cupcake and a fish sandwich. I wasn't as nervous as I should have been. But there were no complications, and I stayed a night in the hospital. Didn't get much sleep. I didn't have a lot of pain, either, but I couldn't keep the Tylenol with codeine down anyway. I had that moment of "WTF DID I DO TO MYSELF?" anytime I vomited up the Tylenol or the potassium stuff they tried to give me. Having to take pills with tiny-assed sips of water was hella frustrating! And I barely ate the broth they brought me-- it didn't taste very good and I just wasn't interested in anything but the water. I had mainly gas discomfort, and when I got home all I really wanted was water and sleep. I didn't need the pain relief or the medicine to prevent nausea. I think I felt like tossing the cookies once at home, but I hadn't eaten anything so that was pointless. They put me on enoxaparin, Prilosec, and the worst-tasting vitamins in creation, but I got through that bit. Moved on to different vitamins, and am much happier. I'm on regular food now, eating maybe 3 oz., but I worry that I may not be eating enough. I still prefer to do my protein and nutritional shakes, because, TBH, sometimes I hate the feeling of my food digesting! Does anyone else get that? The other thing that annoys me is not being able to eat as many veggies as I'd like because "protein first", LOL. For the most part, I had a fast and easy recovery, and I'm grateful. I was working out, but between the incision where the excised stomach was removed hurting at some point and enduring The Crimson Beatdown, I kind of slacked off. I'm still losing, but I need to get back on track very soon. I think I'm a slow loser but some sleevers have said they didn't think so. NSVs make me happy, though! People are noticing I'm changing, and I can walk through a shopping trip without back pain. It's glorious. Did anyone's surgeon go through their navel area? Mine did, so I have four visible scars. I hate that he used staples to close-- the scars are noticeable af. The navel scar was glued. If you're on Instagram, let me know! I'll follow you. Mine is @gata.tale.to.tell .

I am! Two days after my birthday....

Thank you!

I F I N A L L Y got a rescheduled date after feeling ghosted by the surgeon's office after I got my psych eval. I'm supposed to go in on August 26th, two days after my birthday. I have been waiting so long...and now since people in NJ are starting to act up again with these parties and people getting sick, I'm hoping electives aren't on the chopping block again before I can do it. I was so close before and then everything shut down, and of course I totally understood why. The second date was in June but I still couldn't get my psych eval. I found out that anaesthesia needed something on paper from my doctor (I can't believe they didn't do this part) so I ventured out to get that, and I need to redo my labs. I plan to contact the office later today to inform them I got the paperwork. Here we go, I guess. Paws crossed!

Thank you so much! 💜

Hi, everyone, checking in. Since the last time I was here: I got engaged after a long term relationship. I mean, the agreement was always verbal but I got a ring recently... NJ began doing elective surgeries again, so I'm hopeful. Alas, my second surgery date passed three days ago, so... But I did go through with getting my psych eval with the online service and it went great! My doctor should have the report by Monday and the psychiatrist is refunding my money because the telehealth session is covered by Medicaid. I feel really good about it. So I guess now I just have to wait to be rescheduled. I hope everything works out this time.

Wow, who did you use? The one I found was about $175.

Wow...thank you kindly! I will look into it and see what I can find out. 😺

So frustrated. Right before everything went to Corona Hell, I was supposed to get a psych eval. I had been asking about it for months prior to thiat, and the place where I regularly see a doctor kept putting it off and putting it off, citing the fact that I "didn't want to get it too soon". Initially, I was scheduled for April 8th, and my psych eval was scheduled for March 25th. A week before that appt. I get the call from my surgeon's office that everything is on hold until June 10th. Okay, acceptable, considering. Frustrating af, but I completely understood. I got a call a few weeks ago from the surgeon's office asking if I was still interested. I said yes, and they reminded me that they still need my psych eval if I wanted to do it by June, otherwise they'd have to push me back to August. I had a telemed appt with my psych coming up, so I said I'd ask then. Of course, since elective surgery hadn't had a restart date as of then for my state (New Jersey), she balked and basically said "Ain't nobody got time for that." Last week the governor announced that elective surgeries in NJ are scheduled to begin on the 26th of this month. So, naturally, I call to ask about the psych eval, and am again denied--and by the temporary receptionist, no less, who didn't seem to be listening when I told her I wasn't a new patient ("They're not accepting new patients right now"). She checked and said my psych isn't doing any evals by telemed or otherwise. I'm done, yawl. I think what's exacerbating my frustration is the fact that I also recently had a conversation with my PCP and learned that I am pre-diabetic. Lovely. So I'm feeling a bit put out and dismissed by my psych people. I was hoping to avoid something like this; this was the point of going through this process to begin with. I feel alone. I get the sense that they're taking this attitude of it's not important due to it being elective, never mind that it's extremely life-altering and could possibly help me save my health. I think there's this stigma attached to it as if bariatric surgeries are considered frivolous; for instance, the reaction to people who opt for cosmetic surgeries. It's not the same thing. So here I am searching online for someone who might be able to help, perhaps another mental health provider in my area who does these by telemed. Sorry for bxtching. I...I just dunno what to do at this point.

Hi, I suspect mine was postponed due to this...by two. Months. The state I live in is on a proper freak-out so I imagine it's out of an abundance of caution. But two months, though? I'm also not trying to be too bummed about it; I'm just radically accepting it and looking at it as more time to prepare.