Tiffykins

First off, are you taking b12 via sublingual or injections? ? ? Nerve damage from Vitamin B deficiencies are the #1 deficiency in gastrectomy patients not just those that have VSG for weight loss, other gastrectomy patients suffer b12 deficiencies as well. As for weird numbness, tingling, I have experienced off and on through my journey as my body shape changed, as weight shifted. Kind of like in pregnancy when the baby moves and grows. BUT, if you are not taking good quality Vitamins especially B, sublingual B12 to be exact get some labs pulled, and ask that your B12, folate and B6 are checked.

Totally illegal for them to ask for specifics. Don't feel bad if you do not want them knowing what you are having done.

I'm 34, and still get carded even with my deepened lines, and wrinkles, oh and the lovely crow's feet that have increased in appearance over the last 2 years post-op. I'm often told I look 10 years younger than I did pre-op. Truly, we are our own worse critics. My husband is 29(just turned 29 actually), and I'll be 35 in December. Many people think we are "his' age, and not mine. People are shocked that I have a 13 year old son, and am expecting my 2nd in November. Believe me, as soon as Sprout makes his/her arrival, I will be having botox/juvederm/collagen to fill in my face wrinkles.

Unless you are dealing with some sort of hormonal issues, breastfeeding or post-partum depression, you're far enough out from childbirth to have surgery. The concern would be lifting a small child/toddler soon after surgery. Most surgeons put patients on a 6 week lifting restriction to avoid incisional hernias/hematomas.

Pretty much the first month sucks, and if you happen to one of the few that it doesn't suck, CHERISH it. Sip, walk, repeat is a motto to live by. Your body needs to recover. This is MAJOR surgery, you are opting to remove 85% of your stomach, it's not just a gallbladder or appendix surgery. Do NOT think for one minute that the sleeve is responsible for your success 100%. You have to diligently work on your relationship with food, find other coping mechanisms if you use food to soothe your emotions or fill some other void. Getting skinny, petite, average sized does NOT and will NOT make your life immediately perfect. If you have your self-worth tied to your pant size, sadly being skinny doesn't automatically mean you're gonna love yourself. You might be like me, hate your increased wrinkles on your face, or your deflated boobs. But, I never thought any less of myself at 270lbs than I do at 125lbs. I love myself more than anyone else every could ! ! ! The mental aspect of this journey is one that has many ups and downs. Throw in several physical changes, lifestyle changes, and above all a level of compliance that is required for lifetime success. Stalls happen. Water weight sucks, and we surely didn't get fat overnight, so stop expecting to get skinny overnight.

LOL LOL I'm an advisor, haven been for almost a year.

YAY YAY many congratulations ! ! ! You look fabulous ! ! !

It sounds like you're consuming quite a few carbs with the juice and bread, but without knowing your exact intake it's hard to say what you could tweak to get the scale moving again. I suggest tracking your intake and make sure you are getting enough Protein in every day. Can you switch to a sugar free Fluid like crystal light, or decaf tea with splenda??? If you're on the scale constantly, hide or better yet, have your bf hide it.

Do me a favor chickee. . . Go google pics of celebrities that are our age and similar weights and really look at their necks, okay??? I think you will be amazed at what you see. My neck looks super similar to yours, and it has tightened up some being a lot further out. But, when I turn my head a certain way, or draw my neck back, I look like a sharpei puppy ha ha ha. See what I mean at my neck ? ? ? But, I go and google Renee Zellweger and Sandra Bullock pics with their necks cocked sideways, or looking back and they have those wrinkles too so it makes me feel better about it. I have a bit of turkey neck as well that just appeared over the last few months. Before it was super tight, or drawn taut, but now I have that little bit of skin right at the middle of my throat. I've already decided for my 40th, a mini facelift will be on tap ! ! !

I'm not a beer drinker, but I drink soda. I waited until I was at goal to drink it. My sleeve had relaxed, and I would burp and the liquid would pass. I know there are a couple of the other guys on the forum that enjoy beer now. I'm a rum/coke drinker, and haven't had any issues with having carbonation plus alcohol. I wouldn't do it early out if you have really great restriction still because it can be very uncomfortable. Flat beer sucks so I wouldn't recommend letting it go flat like a lot suggest for soda consumption.

I think every person's definition of "normal" is pretty different. I think I live a very normal life post-op, my mom doesn't, some of my friends don't think it's normal, but then I have other friends that know about my surgery and say things like "wow, I've never seen you eat pizza" because I really do stick to plan most of the time. However, I want to preface that with the fact that I was not an emotional, stress, or comfort eater. food was not this thing I turned to when stressed, sad, or overwhelmed. I just loved food in large quantities, and didn't have a stopping point. So, I do not and have never suffered from the "eat a carb, crave a carb" that I often hear about on forums. I did work on some behaviors that led to my obesity, but I refuse to classify myself as a food addict. I've dealt with addiction in other forms, and my love of food was not driven by compulsion or addiction. Defining what is normal to you, or every other patient might be different. I do have trigger foods that I really do avoid unless it's a special occasion such as cake, or cupcakes. Those things go down way to easy, and I can eat a huge slice of cake so I do not keep those things in my house. But, if I'm at a party, I'm sharing in the celebration with cake, a whole slice of cake ! ! ! My husband eats ice cream, Reese's Ice Cream, 4 nights a week, and not once have I been tempted to eat his ice cream. I keep some 100% whole fruit raspberry or peach sorbet that is no sugar added, no milk fat, in the house in the event I want frozen yumminess, but I can honestly say it's been 2 months since I've touched the container. When I say my life is "normal", I am comparing it to the life I've seen other naturally skinny women living.I eat pretty much the same things and amounts of my skinny girlfriends. I might modify my plate to get in Protein first such as removing the bun, or eating the meat and eggs from the salad first, but I'm still eating somewhat normal amounts. The portions are smaller, but I'm rarely questioned as to why/how/ if my food is okay because I've eaten such a small amount. The only time it really happens is when I go to buffets with friends, and I only make one trip, and even then, that has only happened 2 times in 2 years, and the lady was convinced something was wrong. I can eat 1 slice of pizza and be perfectly content and satisfied. I can eat all foods in smaller portions that I could pre-op, but I have a different mindset on what I put in my mouth. I still go for protein first about 80-90% of the time. But, sometimes I just want a big, fat juicy salad or a veggie plate from a restaurant. For example last night, we went to Sonny's barbque. My husband had a sampler platter of all the meats, my son had ribs, each of them ordered 2 sides with their meals. I opted for the salad bar knowing I would steal meat from their plates. That's exactly how it happened. I ate 3/4 of my salad, sat there and talked with them and then waited about 20 minutes and snacked about 2oz of meat of my husband's plate. I was perfectly content and satisfied. I can fit a lot more junk food in that I can nutrient dense food. I can easily polish off one of those 99cent bag of doritos without issue so I avoid eating chips because those are truly just junk food. I don't believe in "good or bad" or "cheats". I look at what I'm putting in my body as nutrient dense or lacking. I hope that makes sense, and I'm sorry to ramble.

The key to pregnancy after weight loss surgery is to ensure you can consume nutrients and calories so your body does NOT suffer through the pregnancy. The baby will pull everything from you. During the losing stage, most patients are in ketosis from eating low carb/high Protein diets. It's essential to get out of ketosis immediately as it causes fetal brain damage. Many continue to lose weight through the first 2 trimesters and then might see a gain of true baby weight in the 3rd trimester. Muscle wasting, hair loss and teeth/enamel weakening are often common when the mother can not physically consume enough food/nutrients. I'm 19 weeks pregnant, and 2 years post-op. For my normal pregnancy weight of 125-130lbs, I am to eat 1700-1800 calories per day with a minimum of 100gr of protein and 100gr of carbs. I have had a solid 10lb gain with the pregnancy. I have been lucky to have zero nausea, or morning sickness therefore I have had zero issues eating enough to support my body and the baby. Sprout actually weighs 2oz more than most 18 week old babies per my last ultrasound on 3 June. My labs are stellar for vitamin/nutrient levels, and all my metabolic panels are normal. I have an idiopathic clotting disorder that effects my hemoglobin and platelet counts, and they are still trying to figure out how to manage this condition through the pregnancy. My Iron levels are perfect as are my Vitamin A, B(s), folate and Vit D & D3 levels which are all essential for a healthy environment for a developing baby. There are a lot of WLS patients that conceive early out and suffer no ill effects. You just need to be monitored carefully especially your labs as the baby will pull from you everything it needs to thrive and grow. Vitamin deficiencies in pregnancy are very dangerous, and can happen fairly quickly.

Since it's similar to the ROSE procedure for failed RNY patients, you might want to post on the obesityhelp.com Revision forum.

Not all sleeve patients lose their hunger so you can't count on that aspect. But, if you choose the right foods, you will stay satisfied longer. If you eat mushy, carb-laden foods that slide through you can eat more and more often. All the junk food you listed, the cakes the Haribo Snacks will not stay with you long, and will allow to continue to eat well over the suggested caloric intake for optimum weight loss success. You can have all the foods you listed. It's about moderation on what you put on your mouth. Not every person can just eat what they want and lose weight. If you continue to do the same thing you've always done, you will get the same results. The sleeve gives you restriction, 100% correct, but if you eat to just eat, and eat junk food, lots of carbs, then your weight loss might not be what you want. You can eat what you want, but you also can't expect fabulous results by not following a more nutrient dense, balanced, and planned food plan. You do not have to diet, but you can't just eat whatever you want and have fabulous weight loss. If that were the case, you wouldn't be considering surgery. Losing weight is easy in the beginning. I can tell you at 2 years out, that gaining weight is easy as well. There are plenty of us that are further out than 12 months that have seen gains. I saw a gain over the holidays because I ate just whatever I wanted, drank lots of alcoholic beverages, partied for 3 months straight. Well, that behavior gave me about a 7lb gain. So, again, everyone that thinks "Oh I'll never gain the weight back, I can eat whatever I want, and not worry about regain, or I'll never gain again." don't be surprised if/when regain happens when we allow ourselves to forget how we got fat in the first place. It's naive to think that surgery will fix everything, and that just because we're eating smaller amounts, we won't gain weight. It is easier with the sleeve to make the best choice (fruit over chips), but making those choices, and breaking bad habits is the really tough part of this journey. It's a lot easier said than done in my opinion.

I'm sorry it took so long for me to reply. I didn't get a notification that you had quoted a post of mine. All I did was low carb (less then 30-40gr per day), at least 60gr of Protein and pushed clear fluids until I hit goal. I had a lot to lose so it seems like I might have lost more than others, but I lost all of my excess weight (by the BMI chart standards) in around 7-8 months. I was at my and my surgeon's goal in 6.5 months with 115lbs lost. It's just what worked for me. I just didn't mess around with carbs, ate 4 meals a day, no snacking, no b.s. Each meal consisted of a minimum of 15gr of protein. The people that lose less pounds in 6 months might not have as much to lose as I did, or they make have the same post-op guideline. Maybe they're not willing to low carb it. The fastest results I've seen across the board is staying in ketosis by eating low carb, pushing clear fluids. I also have no metabolic issues, or co-morbidities that could effect my weight loss numbers. I never used hormonal birth control. So, I really just pushed protein, and worked out after I hit 4 months post-op. Then I did weight lifting exercises and 1 days of cardio, that only lasted for 4 months until I had to have my gallbladder removed and was put on restricted activity because my surgeon removed hoards of scar tissue and adhesions from my abdominal cavity from all the surgeries I've had.

First off, there are just as many bypass patients that have significant regain because ALL of the weight loss surgery choices can be cheated. The malabsoprtion of calories/carbs/fats only lasts about 2 years, and then intestinal adaptation takes over, and all you'll have is the restriction of a stretchy pouch. So, if you're going to cheat, any of the surgeries will fail. If you do not address the emotional/mental aspect of making better food choices, none of the surgeries will work long term. Hate to be "debbie downer", but there's way too many stories of people getting surgery, and then regaining in 3-5 years out because they never worked on their relationship with food. You can check out the revision forum on obesityhelp.com and see just how many RNY patients are looking for revision because they've gained back hoards of weight, and can't lose it again even with diet and exercise. I removed the word "cheat" from my vocabulary when it comes to what I eat now. I just have to decide if the food I'm choosing to put in my mouth is nutrient dense or junk food. If I want to have junk, have I compensated it by ensuring I've eaten or will eat my Protein that day? Long term results with bypass and sleeve patients are only about 3-5% higher weight loss numbers for bypass patients. So, long term, you're looking at the same issue if you choose to not address your mental tie to food. My recommendation is to not have surgery until you are ready with other coping mechanisms in place to deal with food. Finding a support group, counselor that has experience with weight loss surgery patients are your best bets. They operate on our stomach, the rest of it is up to us because our brains are in control. You have to make the effort and constant choice on what to put in your body. I can still suck down a huge milkshake every day without issue, and so can my dearest friend that had bypass about 4 years ago. The big difference is, I choose to NOT do it, she does, and she's gained back 50 of her 150lb loss.

This is a picture of my sleeve looking straight down into it, like from the esophagus down: Staple line

Yep, skin and scar tissue heal over the staple line. I was scoped at 8 months post-op, and the staples were not visible at all. If you aren't queasy, I have actual pictures I can share.

Check this topic and the links I provided for more replies. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/19277-still-craving-carbonation/page__pid__162550#entry162550

Nope, I was at goal by 6.5 months, and only sipped one on occasion. Ever since I was around 9-12 months, I started drinking soda pretty regularly, well actually I have one 12oz can every day some days I don't, but for the most part I have a soda a day. I nurse it for several hours.

Here's a bunch of topics with a lot of replies to the great soda debate. This is my standard reply: I'll throw out my experience just for s&g's. . . I've been drinking soda for a year, and have zero ill effects from it. I rarely drink diet soda because most are sweetened with aspartame which I hate. I recently found Diet Shasta cream soda which is sweetened with Splenda so this one is doable. I can say without a doubt that drinking soda has not changed my sleeve capacity in the least. Nor has it effected my weight loss in a negative manner. My restriction is the same as it was a year ago unless I cheat (take longer to eat my meal, sip throughout my meal, drink a glass of wine or other alcoholic beverage before my meal, drink hot fluids like coffee or tea before my meal) to get more in. I don't even let it go flat before drinking it. Early out, I would get a gas bubble, burp and it was over. The whole soda leaching Calcium from our bones is obviously a concern, but in my opinion, moderation is key. There is ZERO scientific evidence that soda drinking causes stretching. Even for RNY patients, there is no proof that soda causes the pouch to stretch. We have a normal stomach with a pyloric valve intact. The fluids, be it soda, Water, crystal light, all go in, hit the pyloric valve and dump into our intestines. It isn't like the soda is sitting in there brewing for hours on end. Plus, there is NOT enough tissue left to stretch out our sleeves if the surgery is performed correctly. There is only so much stretch that can occur. It isn't like the stomach tissue regenerates, or can stretch back to pre-op size. It just is not physically possible. Not that I'm advocating going against any particular surgeon's recommendation, but this has been my experience and my opinions on soda drinking post-bariatric surgery. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/15947-the-diet-coke-debate/page__p__134881__hl__soda__fromsearch__1#entry134881 http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/13580-carbonated-beverages/page__p__116756__hl__soda__fromsearch__1#entry116756

I can't say it is anger that I feel, but I definitely hate that I see more wrinkles and lines on my face. My body is shot, but I knew I was going to get pregnant so I didn't worry about it. Fortunately, I should be able to get insurance to cover the majority of my plastic surgery, and I will have some of my issues resolved. However, I do not believe that I will be 100% content even with the physical changes that a plastic surgeon can give me. I'm extremely vain, seriously, the most vain woman you'd probably meet. I nitpick every wrinkles, every line, and my friends think I am absolutely crazy. But, I see flaws that I never acknowledged at 270lbs. I have considered starting some form of counseling just to get to a better place mentally with all the changes that have occurred to my body over the last 2 years. I am sure I have some form of body dysmorphia, and/or a severely skewed perspective of how I look to others. But, at the same time, there are things about my body that I could literally not care about. My stomach literally has 18 very noticeable scars that remind me everyday of what I have endured. My husband affectionately tells me that my stomach reminds him of some freak science project, and he's right, but that part of my body doesn't bother me. It's funny my 11 lines (the wrinkles between my eyebrows) make me cry sometimes, but my flabby thighs, arms and stomach have little effect on me. I hope you find some peace soon. It's a difficult road to travel at any age.

Some people can't tolerate sugar, but the majority of sleeve patients suffer no ill-effects from having occasional indulgences. I'm a very social drinker (well before pregnancy), and I've been drinking since I hit goal without issue. My alcohol tolerance is the same it was pre-op. The first time I drank 1 glass of wine, it hit me hard and fast, but it had been over 8-9 months since I had consumed any alcohol. That's a pretty typical reaction to alcohol when you remove it from your intake. It's the same as fried foods, or carby junk. When I first added in other indulgences, I didn't feel the greatest. I was sick per se, but I didn't feel myself, just a little lethargic and needed to sleep off the carb overload. I have found that a lot of surgeons and nutritionist use scare tactics to keep people from falling off the proverbial diet wagon. BUT, then there are other doctors and nutritionist that promote a life of moderation and better decision-making processes when it come to food choices. I didn't eat just whatever I wanted in small portions until I got into maintenance, and have kept that habit for over a year now.

I avoided cereal/grain products because of carb and sugar counts as well. So, as disgusting as it sounds, I ate leftovers from the day before. It was nothing out of the ordinary for me to eat 4-6oz of chili for breakfast, or ate ground meat with taco seasoning, cheese and greek yogurt. I am not a fan of breakfast food at all. Soft poached eggs worked well, but I couldn't stand eating them all the time. Breakfast was always a challenge for me, but when I just considered it as just any other meal eating became easier.

In my opinion, and this is just my opinion, but a bridal shower is for gift giving. Weddings are for celebrating the actual marriage, and an open announcement of the vow exchange. If I were in your situation, there would not be a gift from myself and my husband especially if you do not know the bride, and were not invited to the bridal shower, and he was not invited to the bachelor party. That's just me though. It's probably not proper etiquette, but neither is expecting gifts from wedding invitees that are not close to the couple.