Helen the Cat

Irene, You are a REAL inspiration to so many of us!!! Your pictures are absolutely AWESOME!!! I wish I looked as good as you do! I am ten pounds below you, and wearing a size 8 which is OK, but no way could I get into a size 2/4/or 6! I am still trying to work out and loose more on top. where I am more of a 12/14. Have always been bigger on top and wish I could get both halves to equalize! A dress is out of the question for me now, as the top is either skin tight (which I just can not stand to wear) or the bottom is so big it looks clownish on me. So I am going with seperates and hope that I look stylist and well dressed. I REALLY appreciate your remark about there being no "expiration date" on how long our sleeves will work. I have been worried since I am now 7 months out and still have 10 pounds to loose. I want to get to goal so badly, but am worried since my rate of loss has slowed down to barely preceptible. I have gained and lost the same 2-3 pounds about 15 times in the last 1-2 months. Today is a good day, but tomorrow I will probably gain a pound or two. It seems that my body "plays around" with the weight for days (or weeks) at a time, and then all of a sudden will drop a pound or two. For ages I teetered on the 168-170 edge. I would weight 168, and rejoice, then the next day 170, then the next 169 then 170 again, and so forth, Then all of a sudden I was 167. And then I started again, 166, 168, 169, 167, etc. I am firmly around 160 now, but the battle continues, up a pound, down a pound or two, up two pounds, etc. DRIVES ME CRAZY!!!!! But I am trying to weigh only every 3-4 days, sometimes every week (I have trouble holding out that long!) so that I don't get crazy and obcess about it. When I was first sleeved, every time I peed or pooped I would strip and weigh myself. Spent half my time dressing and undressing. Finally decided that I had to stop that before I wore my clothes out and got blisters from unfastening and refastening my bra! Anyway, the gist of this message is to thank you for being an inspiration to each and every one of us. Many times after we get sleeved and get a good start on our journey, we sort of "fall away" from being active on this set of boards. We quit reading and posting and just sort of drift away. We forget that we owe a debt to those that encouraged us, helped us, advised us, celerated with us, etc our first few days, weeks, months, etc. So a big THANK YOU to you for keeping us fired up, encouraged, enthused, informed, etc. You are an INSPIRATION! Thanks! And keep posting your comments AND your pictures!!!

Dear JASLEEVE, Am so glad to hear that you are doing better. Although I didn't post or comment, I have been following your saga since you first posted about feeling crappy. I felt really bad the first few weeks too. I went back to work when I was 10 days post op, and believe me, it almost killed me trying to work 12 hour shifts when I was so tired and felt so crappy! (I am a labor and delivery nurse, and work from 7:00 PM till 7:30 AM in a department where we do about 350 deliveries per month, which translates to 6-8 deliveries a shift. BUSY, BUSY place!) I was sleeved on June 18th, I am seven months out yesterday, and I still have an occasional problem. Tuesday night I fixed dinner for myself and my hubbie, and as I was putting stuff on the table I was struck by a bout of nausea! I mean overwhelming nausea! I had to go lay down, and needless to say, I skipped eating dinner that night! I slept most of the night and got up around 4:00 AM feeling normal. Don't have any idea what happened, or even if it was related to my sleeve. Just know that once in a while I feel "off". Usually doesn't last, and usually isn't as intense as it was Tuesday night. But I just wanted to say "hang in there", this too shall pass! I am down 98 pounds now (I know, I need to update my weight loss ticket!) and now wearing a size 8! I NEVER in my wildest dreams thought of myself as a size 8. In fact, it still seems to me to be a dream. But everytime I put those size 8 jeans on I pinch myself and say "Yep, It's true, you're a size 8!" And I still have trouble believing it. My biggest fear is that I will gain weight back and be a size 26/28 again. But I trust my sleeve and intend to keep on keeping on and loose the last few pounds I need to loose to get to goal. Keep on Keeping on, and you wilk get there too. And remember when you feel crappy, "This Too Shall Pass!"

Tiffanye, Here it is Thursday morning (amost noon actually) and your surgery is probably over by now. I got up at 6:00 AM (Iowa time) to pray for you and your surgery this morning. (Actually, I went back to bed after I prayed Hope you don't care.) I hope all went well, and you are back in your room by now, waking up and comtemplating your spot on the "loosers bench"! Remember to get up and walk A LOT! Walking helps to get things moving again internally and helps you to get rid of the gas that they use to inflate you insides when they do the surgery. So walk, Walk, WALK!!! I remember I practically wore a path in the hallway the first night after my surgery, Since I had slept the majority of the day, I couldn't sleep that night, so spent most of the night walking in the hallway. I will continue to pray for you. Be sure and post how you are doing so we will all know. And remember that you are being thought about and prayed for continually. Love and Hugs and Prayers! Kathy

Tiffanye, It is normal to be nervous! I remember feeling the same way. I am seven months post-op today! And I look back on my surgery as the best thing I ever did for myself! And I did it just for myself. I wanted to look better, but my main goal was to improve my health status! I have been overweight since the day I first drew breath! I weighed over 9 lbs when I was born, and just kept getting bigger as I grew up. I can't remember ever wearing kids clothes. I was 12 years old and wearing a size 16! My Mom made most of my clothes cause we couldn't find clothes to fit me when I was a kid! I grew up with all the kidding, being made fun of, etc that goes along with being an overweight child. For years I struggled with going to Weight Watchers, Over Eater Victorious, Over Eaters Annonymous, Jenny Craig, Diet Center, etc., etc., etc. FINALLY. it is over! I eat 6-8 bites and am full. Some days I do better than others. I still struggle with eating sweets. I love to cook and bake and it is hard not to eat what I make. But I am trying. My cholesterol is down to normal, WITHOUT medication! I have been able to quit all my anti-inflammatory medication, my joints don't hurt anymore cause they aren't stressed with extra weight. For some (unknown) reason, my allergies have improved also and I have been able to quit my allergy medication. Also I have been able to stop my blood pressure meds as my blood pressure is totally within normal limits now. But best of all, I look good! I love being able to say that I wear a size 8! (I love it SO much, I'll say it again, I wear a Size 8!) The day of my surgery, I wore a 22/24 pant size and a 26/28 top. Now my pant size is 8 and top size is 12 or 14. I weighed 258 pounds when I went into surgery. Today I weigh 160. My goal is 150. Some days I weigh 158, but today is a "fat day" and I weigh two pounds more than my lowest. Tomorrow it will probably be 159. I wouldn't take anything to change back to where I was pre-op! My life is totally differnt, and I love it. My husband was afraid that I would change in my feelings toward him if I lost weight. It has been a struggle to convince him that I love him, no matter what! But I think he is finally starting to believe me. Back before Christmas I was doing some of my Christmas shopping and a (male) store clerk tired to pick me up! Which has NEVER happened to me before. While I was absolutely NOT interested in "going out for coffee" with him, it did wonders for my ego! In conclusion, try to concentrate on the end outcome, not on what is going to go on in the next few days. All the discomfort, aches, pain, etc will soon be gone and you will begin to live your "new life" on the "loosers bench" ! And try to remember what fun that is going to be! Concentrate on the end outcome. You will get through this! I'll be praying for you tomorrow! Kathy

Libby, I had a Vertical Gastric Sleeve 7 months ago today. I weighed 258 pounds prior to surgery, and today I weight 160 (and struggling to loose the last few pounds!). I love my sleeve. My cousin is a bariatric surgeon, and he was the one who convinced me to do the VSG instead of a Roux N Y procedure. He has had bariatric surgery, he had a Roux N Y about 10 years ago at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. After his surgery, he did a fellowship at Mayo Clinic and then started doing bariatric surgeries himself. He lost over 100 pounds and has maintained it very well. He was my inspiration to do something. I went to see him in consultation, and he convinced me that the VGS has far less complications than RNY, less problems like dumping syndrome that many with a RNY experience, no malabsorption problems, etc. So i went with the sleeve, and wouldn't trade it for anything. The day of surgery, I wore a size 26/28 top and 22 or 24 pant size. Today I am a size 8! (I love saying that, so I'll say it again "I wear a size 8." Gee that makes me feel good!) I don't have words to say how happy I am that I had my VGS. It is a non reversible procedure, so you need to be sure of your decision if you go with a VSG. When we crossed the boarder back into the United States (I had my surgery in Mexico) one of the gals riding in the van responded to the boarder guards question of "do you have anything to declare?" with "No, but I left my stomach in Tijuana!" So funny! No matter what you decide, Best of luck on your surgery!

I can't believe it has been 7 whole months since I was sleeved! It has gone so fast! And yet it seems that right now time is moving SO slowly! I know that you loose most of the weight in the first year, and I am SO anxious to loose the last few pounds I have to go. And I am getting nervous, knowing that I am over half way to the one year mark, when I will stop loosing. I want to get those last few pounds off while I still have time. This past summer (when I was living/working in California) I swam for an hour every morning. Since moving back to (cold and frozen) Iowa, I can't swim on a daily basis. I joined a work out center last week, but am having trouble getting there on a regular basis. I work 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM, so evenings are out, and I sleep during the day. So have had to confine my work out times to my days off. I NEED to get off my rear end and get to the work out center on a more regular basis! The sad fact is that joining and paying your money does NOT do anything for weight loss or toning, IF YOU DON'T GO AND WORK OUT!!! I also am trying to come to terms with what I am eating. To often I figure "will I can only eat a couple of bites of it, so I can't do THAT much harm, so might as well eat it.", instead of trying to eat healthy. I don't want to be one of those individuals who loose dramatically and then gain most (or all) of it back! I have a very good life long friend who had a Roux N Y done 7-8 years ago, and now has gained back almost all of her weight. I don't think she changed her eating habits a lot, and now she is stuck with a weight gain back to her (almost) original size. She is such a good friend, I feel so for her. After all she went through to have the surgery and then to gain most of the weight back! I LOVE to bake and cook, so it is a daily struggle not to eat what I am baking/cooking. I am trying to follow the rule "always get my protein first". But some days the pastry, or cookies, or cake, etc seem to be shouting my name as loudly as they can! I know I have to STOP, but some life long habits are SO hard to change! The good news is that I SO love being a Size 8, and I don't want to endanger it with weight gain! I also love all the compliments I have received on my weight loss since the surgery. I don't ever want to weight 258 pounds again! I am beginning to think that maintenance is harder than weight loss! The loosing period has been a relative breeze, it is the whole maintaining thing that is going to drive me crazy (and believe me, crazy is not a far trip for me!). Anybody have any good tips for maintenance?

Barbara, I am seven months out today, and am struggling with the whole maintenance issue. The weight loss period was a breeze compared to trying to maintain the loss! I have lost 98 pounds, and am 10 pounds from goal, but with my lousy eating habits, I have gained and lost the same 2-3 pounds for over 2 months now. I am also struggling with trying to buckle down and work out on a regular basis. I bought into the theory that WLS was "the easy" way to deal with weight loss. Well maybe the loosing period was easy (it really was!) but maintenance sucks! Seriously though, good to hear from someone who is farther down the line than me! Can't wait to see your post op pictures after your plastic surgery! Kathy

I am almost five months post op from having my Verticle Gastric Sleeve. I had my surgery at the INT hospital in Tijuana, Mexico. Right off the bat, I have to say, it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. I feel SO much better, having lost 90 pounds so far. And I know that I look better! My family has had mixed reactions. But I am thrilled! I have always been heavy, fat, fluffy, large, obese, what ever you want to call it. Once, when I was pregnant with our second child, I was so nauseated, I lost about 30 pounds at the beginning of the pregnancy. My doctor told me to eat more. I told him how nauseated I was, how I just couldn't eat. He said "You have to force yourself to eat!" And I thought "Just my luck! THE ONLY TIME IN MY LIFE I AM SUPPOSED TO FORCE MYSELF TO EAT, AND I AM NAUSEATED!!!" Never before or since has anyone ever told me to force myself to eat!! I had my surgery the middle of June this year, and have lost a total of 90 pounds so far. I now wear a size 12, and am coming up fast on a size 10. (I tried on a pair of size ten slacks this morning, and they fit, but are tight. Didn't buy them. Just wanted to see if I could get them on!) But what a thrill. I know that as a child, I went straight from children's sizes to a women's size 16! Never, ever wore a size smaller than a 16. And gradually since my marriage (40 years ago!) I have gained a few pounds each year, taking me to an all time high of 260 lbs. I am a travel nurse. My specialty is Labor and Delivery. I love to work with laboring women! Don't so much care for delivered women or babies, but I love the laboring women! I have been working as a travel nurse for about 5 years now. A travel nurse contracts out, through an agency, to work for a hospital for a set number of weeks, usually 13 weeks at a time. At first I only worked contracts around Iowa, my home state. Then about three years ago, I took a contract in California, and have been working off and on in California ever since. I have been at my current contract for over a year. At the end of each contract here, they have just kept offering me extensions. So I have stayed here. I love it here in Merced, CA, but my current contract is over in a few weeks, and I have decided to go home,. My husband is lonely living alone, and it is of the highest importance to me is to keep him happy! When I initially started working in California, I thought I would use my time here to get thinner. I had an image of everyone in California being tan and thin and good looking. (The Hollywood Image I guess.) But it didn't work that way. I was lonely, living all by myself with no family or close friends, and I cooked and baked, and ATE! (Did I mention that I LOVE to cook and bake? Wish I had discovered this talent 40 years ago, I would have been a chef instead of a nurse!) I gained almost 40 pounds living in California by myself. So about a year ago, I started considering having bariatric surgery. My first cousin IS a bariatric surgeon, and I even went for a consultation with him. However, our insurance wouldn't cover it at all, and even though he offered to do the surgery free of charge, I would still have to pay the hospital and anesthesia charges out of my pocket. So I opted for going to Mexico and having the surgery there. I have previously expressed on this board my mixed feelings about my surgery in Mexico, so won't repeat it here. But the end result has me thrilled to death! I love the results I have gotten, and am so happy with my outcome. I couldn't ask for better results. No complications other than a persistant fatigue that hounded me for the first 4-6 weeks post op. But now am over that, and loving the way my life is now. I get so many compliments on how I look, and how much I have lost. Everyone has been so nice about it. I can't say enough about how my friends have supported me. It is going to be interesting to go home in a few weeks and see how my friends there react to me. When I first told my four children I was going to have the surgery, they all expressed displeasure and negativity about it. My son's mother-in-law had a Roux-N-Y surgery (another bariatric surgery) about 8 years ago, and she lost a huge amount of weight. But has gained it all back. She drinks quit a bit, and I think her alcohol consumption has contributed to her weight regain significantly. A good friend of mine who also has always been heavy had a Roux-N-Y procedure 9 or 10 years ago, and she too has gained most of her weight back. I look at them, and it re-doubles my determination not to gain my weight back. I want so strongly to maintain the loss I have achieved and continue on till I get to goal. (Also, I have given away ALL my fat clothes, so I HAVE to stay this thin, or go naked which would NOT be a pretty sight!) I told my husband at the outset, when he expressed his concerns about my having surgery, I am not doing this to look better, I am doing this to FEEL better. And I can say without a doubt, I feel SO good now. My joint aches and pains are gone. My chronic fatigue is gone, I have Loads of energy. I have been able to quit my arthritis medicine, my cholesterol medicine, my allergy medicine (who knows about that one!), my blood sugar medicine (I was a Pre-diabetic) and my blood pressure medicine. So I KNOW that my health has improved! What more could I ask for? My only regret is that this procedure wasn't available 30+ years ago!!!

CC, try not to get discouraged! Weight loss happens at a different rate for everybody. Some days I will adhere to my eating plan exactly, and the next day I will have gained a half pound or a pound. Then there are days when I eat like I know I should NOT, and the next day, I have lost a pound and a half! I can not make sense out of it, so I just try very hard to adhere to my eating plan and not come down to hard on myself when I fall off a little bit. I noticed a weight loss immediately after I got home from the surgery, but didn't see my clothes getting bigger on me. In fact, I went almost two months before I noticed that I had to adjust the size of clothing I was wearing! I began to think that all my weight loss was in my fingers (my rings were loose) and feet (my shoes were loose). Then all of a sudden, everything started to look REALLY loose. So, don't get to caught up in numbers or sizes (although I have to admit, I LOVE to say, 'I wear a size 8"), or whatever. Stay on your eating plan (the one you surgeon recommended) and concentrate on walking and increasing your exercise a little. I was living in California immediately after my surgery, and I started swimming laps about three weeks after my surgery. I swam all summer, and in additon to feeling great after my swims, it was an exercise that didn't load my joints (my knees hurt too sometimes, and I had a hop replacement 15 years ago and probably need to have it revised soon), so was pretty painless, but still a good aerobic workout. (If walking bothers your knees, try swimming.) Best of luck to you! Keep us posted!

Thank you so much for posting the details of your experience. It was very interesting and quite similar to my experience. I to opted to have my surgery in Tijuana, since I was paying for it myself. (Our insurance company cover NO type of weight loss procedures/medications, etc.) I am now 6 1/2 months out. I weighed almost 260 when I started and am now firmly in the mid 160s. I have to say, I am THRILLED to death with my results. I went from a 3X or even 4 X in tops to a large. My pants size was 24-26 prior to my surgery. I now wear a size 8! (I love to say that! So I'll say it again; I wear a size 8!) I am in my mid 60s and thought it was to late to have the surgery and lose weight, but so far, so good. Keep going. You will be thrilled you did!

I can hardly believe it, I am only 9 pounds from goal now! I am six months and 13 days post op, and have lost a total of 99 pounds! (I need to update my weight loss ticker!) I almost broke my husband's ear drums this morning when I got on the scale. He was in the shower and I came into the bathroom to step on the scale before I got dressed and fixed breakfast. When I saw that I had lost three pounds this week, I let out a yell that scared him to death and almost broke his eardrums! He told me he thought someone was attacking me! I have been so gratified lately to see that I now fit perfectly into a size 8! My size goal was a 10 or 12, so when I hit Size 8 I almost lost it completely! ANd now my 8s are getting big on me! Hurray!!! I told my sister that I am going to have to find thinner friends and realtives. I have been giving my clothes to her and to one really good friend as they get to big for me. Have given away 9 or 10 pair of jeans that were hardly worn, as I changed sizes so quickly. And now am getting close to being a size 6! WooHoo! How Sweet it is!!!

I am going to have to find skinnier friends! I have been giving away all my clothes that are to big for me, and now I am small enough that I am smaller than all my friends. For a long time my sister took my clothes, but now I am like 45 or 50 pounds small than she is. So now I need to find smaller sized friends and relatives!

Lots of times if I am going out with my hubby, we order one meal and split it. Sometimes we have to pay a split plate charge of a couple dollars, but it is still cheaper than both of us ordering a meal. Sometimes I order just an appetizer, and that works good too. If I order a meal, I have started asking for a to go box WHEN I order my meal. I ask them to bring it when my food is served. I explain to the waitstaff person that I can only eat a very small amount, and know that I won't be able to eat my entire meal by any means. Then when my food comes, I box up 3/4 of it immediately and place the box out of sight. I try to be sure and tell the waitperson how good my food was (when it WAS good!) and leave a nice tip for their assistance in providing me the to go box with my meal. So far, I have never had any wait person be rude or pushy about why I ate so little. And I have tons of left overs to feed my husband.

I am just over 6 months post-op. I started noticing real hair loss at about 3 1/2 to 4 months. It got so bad that I spent hours before I would go to work trying to arrange my remaining hair to cover the really thin spots, where you could see my scalp plain as day! ( I have a LOT more sympathy for those guys who do the comb over thing now!) I finally sucked it up and bought my first wig. I LOVE it! It is SO much easier to get ready for work or to go out! And I think it looks really natural! I now have six wigs, all very similar to what my hair looked like before my surgery, but just a little bit different style from each other, and a little bit different color. A week or so ago, my husband asked if I wanted him to shave my head for me. I kept worrying about strands of my own hair slipping out from under my wig, and was self conscious about it. So he got his clippers out, and the hair is gone! I love my wigs, and think they look very natural (see my profile picture). I have been taking protein supplements since my surgery, getting well over 80 GMs of protein daily. I take two prenatal vitamins twice a day, take Biotin, use Nioxin Shampoo and Minoxidil treatment on my scalp, and still my hair fell out. So I think that some people are going to experience hair loss no matter what!. But I am firmly with Bionicbroad! I would rather be thin and bald than Fat and Hairy!!! I love my new body, and love the looks and compliments I get about how I look! (I had a guy try to pick me up a couple weeks ago when I was Christmas shopping, a First!!!) I will always take Bald and thin over Fat and Hairy!

When you are researching a facility/surgeon to preform your surgery in Mexico, or for that matter any place outside the USA, look for a facility that Is JACHO Internationally certified. The JACHO certification is the Gold Standard for hospitals here in the US, and they also do international certifications. JACHO certification assures you that the hospital conforms to the standards necessary to provide SAFE medical care.

Well, Merry Christmas Sleevers! I am happy to report that I survived the Christmas pressure. If you read my previous blog entry, I was stressed to the max about all I had to do. With the encouragement of several who commented on my entry, I tried to slow down and enjoy the journey and not stress about the destination. I am happy to say that all 25 people showed up, and we had a lovely day. The grandkids were wired (from to much sugar and too many presents,) but still were fun to have here. The food (I did fairly well staying on my high protein, low carb, low, low sugar diet plan) was great, Prime Rib, Cheesy Potato Cakes, Yummy Spiced Green Beans, Homemade Rye bread, Scalloped Corn Casserole, Broccoli, Raisin, Bacon Salad, Tossed Salad, Cinnamon Rolls, all kinds of raw veggies to munch on and of course endless sweets, cheese and crackers, nachos, etc. But my Mom (age 90) was here, along with my brother and sister, all four of our kids, their spouses and the grandchildren, my husband's sister and spouse, his parents, and several good friends. Had such a good time. I am still cleaning up from all the meals (had company for breakfast, lunch and dinner) and enjoyed it to the MAX. And happy to report that this morning I weighed in and I lost another 1.5 lbs. I am so excited, I am only 12 pounds from goal now. It is getting closer and closer, and I am just plain thrilled. Also am going to come clean about my struggle with my hair loss. Around 3 months post op (I am now 6 months post op) I noticed that my hair was getting thinner and thinner. You could see my scalp, and I spent hours before work trying to arrange what was left to cover the bald spots. Finally I bought a wig! And I love it! Everyone at work kept saying "did you style your hair differently? It looks so cute!" For a while I was telling everybody that it was a wig. Finally one of my co-workers said "stop telling everyone it is a wig. It is your hair, bought and paid for, just say 'thank you' when some one tells you they like it." So that is what I do, I just say "thanks, I like it too." So for all you sleevers who are having concerns and/or struggles about thinning hair, or outright hair loss since your surgery, it's not that bad. I think my wig looks very natural, and it cuts down the time I need to get ready for work by 1/2!!! I am taking prenatal vitamins daily, eating well, taking my protein supplements, taking Biotin and B vitamins, using Nioxin shampoo and hair treatment, using Minoxidil solution on my scalp, and trying to think positive about my hair re-growth. But I have to say, I would rather be bald and thin(ner) than hairy and fat! I love my new body, even if it has less hair than I woud like!

How much hair do you think you are loosing? I started losing mine between 3 and 4 months post op. By 5 months post op I was scared, I could see my scalp all over my head. When I showered, there was hair in the tub when I got out, when I slept, there was hair on my pillow when I got up, when I blew my hair dry, there was hair in the sink! There was hair everywhere but on my head! (I have a LOT more sympathy for men with comb overs than I used to have!) I spent hours in front of the mirror, trying to cover the balding spots before I went to work. I finally gave up, and bought a wig. And since the hair loss kept up, I finally decided to shave my head. I now have five wigs, all different styles, but still similar. All are slightly different color, but close to the color my hair has been for the last few years. I love my wigs and I love how I look in them, especially with my new (thinner) body! I think the wigs look very natural, and I don't think anybody that I work with even suspects that I am wearing a wig. So far, my hair has grown out to about a half to 3/4 inch in length, but it is still to short to tell how much is growing back. Am drinking protein supplements, taking multiple vitamins, Biotin. B vitamins, using Nioxin and Minoxidil, and trying to eat as healthy as possible. Am hoping for the best with re-growth of my hair. BUT if worse comes to worse, I will continue to wear my wigs and be happy. I would rather be thin with a wig than fat and hairy!!!

I wasn't even worried about hair loss when I had my surgery, my hair has always been one of my better features, and it just never dawned on me that I might lose a LOT of it. But somewhere between months 3 and 4 post-op, I noticed that it was noticeably thinning. I mean, you could actually see Patches of my scalp. There was hair in the drain after I showered, hair on my pillow in the morning, hair in the sink after I washed my face and brushed my teeth, hair everywhere, EXCEPT my head! I spent hours in front of the mirrow trying to arrange it to cover the bald spots before I would go to work. (I now have LOTS more sympathy for men who do a "comb over"!) Finally I thought "nuts, I am going to get a wig". And that is just what I did. I had SO many compliments on how nice my "hair" looked from co-workers. I would always say "thanks, it's a wig". Finally one of my co-workers said to me "Don't say it's a wig, just say 'thanks!' when someone compliments you on your hair!" So that's what I do now, I just say "thanks, I like the way it looks too." I now own five wigs, each one cost around $100.00. Have bought them slowly, each is a similar color, if not exactly the same as the previous one, and similar styles, just a little different from the others. I don't think anyone realizes they are wigs unless I say something. I finally got Brave, and shaved the remaining hair off my head. I kept worrying about strands of my own hair escaping out from under the wig, so one day, I just shaved it off. My own hair is now about a 1/2 inch long, but it is to short for me to tell how thick it is coming in. But I don't care! I would rather be bald and thin than Fat and Hairy!!!

Well, I have to say, the post op doctor's visit was ...... well, it was different. Since I had my surgery in Mexico, and paid for it myself, there have been NO post op visits with the surgeon. His office did call me once, and I talked with his staff person about my exercising, but haven't seen a doctor since the week after my surgery. (I was running a fever for a few days starting on day 4 after my surgery. So went to see my PCP at home, and get on an antibiotic. He couldn't find the source of the infection, but after $500 worth of lab and x-ray put me on an antibiotic, and the problem was resolved. Then I flew back to California to go back to work, and haven't see any physician since.) My PCP told me when I saw him at four days post op that I should have a cholesterol level done in 2-3 months, to determine if I needed to go back on my anti-cholesterol medication. So I finally found a physician I felt comfortable with and made an appointment. (BTW, WHO KNEW IT WOULD TAKE ME 2 MONTHS TO GET IN TO SEE A DOCTOR FOR A NON EMERGENCY APPOINTMENT?) But this past Tuesday morning I hauled my rear end out of bed at 6:00 AM (I am NOT a morning person!!!), showered, did the hair and makeup thing and took my fasting body to the doctor. I came prepared with a list of my current medications (all two of them!), a copy of my op report for her to put in my chart, a copy of my weight loss chart to show that I have been losing, a list of questions, etc. And guess what I forgot? MY INSURANCE CARD!!! How stupid can I be, I mean, REALLY! Since they wouldn't see me without it, or without my offering to pay for the entire appointment IN CASH, I turned around and drove the 15 miles back to my apartment and rumaged around and found the card. Drive back to the doctor's office, and wait. Finally got past the waiting room, got weighed (OH HAPPY DAY! 170 lbs!) and in to see the doctor. After all the BP and Temperature, pulse, talk about the surgery, etc, she asked me "now what is your plan when you reach your goal, especially if you can't stop losing weght?" Wow! Talk about a profound question!!! I hadn't even thought about that scenario! I mean, I have always, Always, ALWAYS been the fat girl, never the one who was TOO skinny! What do I do if I am at goal and still loosing? I didn't have an answer for her, and thought about it all day after the appointment. I finally came up with the answer. I will switch from Venti SKINNY Iced Carmel Machiatos at Starbucks to Regulars! I know, it's not that funny, but hey, like I said, that has NEVER been the problem before! I simply can't wrap my mind around the problem of what if I lose to much, or can't quit losing. I guess I will have to start eating empty calories again if that happens. No, really, I guess I will add another protein drink to my diet, or something, or something like that. But hey, that would be a wonderful problem in my book! Anyway, after the appointment concluded, I went to the lab and had 9, Yep that's right, NINE tubes of blood drawn, and went on my merry way. Am still mulling over her question. I am 20 pounds from goal, so I guess it is one that I need to give some thought to, and maybe make a plan in case to much weight loss is a problem. (Again, five days after the appointment, I STILL can't wrap my head around loosing to much weight!) For years, whenever my (fat) friends and I would talk about somebody who had an eating disorder (loosing too much, Not to little) we would jokingly say "I just want to be bulimic (or anorexic) till I get down to 20 or 30 pounds BELOW my ideal weight, then I will eat my way back up to perfect!" And we would laugh and laugh, as we sat there eating our calorie laden munchies! But now, comtemplating it as a REAL problem blows my mind. So anyway, that is my post op visit in a nutshell. I am still waiting to get my blood work results. But am thankful every day for my sleeve and the wonderful results I have had so far post op! Thanks to each of you who have posted problems, fears, joys, NSVs etc, as you encourage me daily, help me to continue on this path, and light the way with your experiences for those of us who are right behind you in our journey! Have a GREAT weekend. Later.......

Woozers! Nine days till Christmas and I am SO busy! And of course with all the baking and cooking I am doing, it is SO hard NOT to sample, Not to graze, not to try "just a bite"! It is driving me crazy. We arrived home (in Iowa) from California (where I have been working the last year and a half) on the 7th of December, and I feel like I have been on a treadmill ever since. My new job started on the 12th of December, and tonight I start Five nights in a row of 12 hour shifts. I wish I hadn't been SO agreeable when they asked me if I could work all these shifts. I have baking left to do, Christmas Cards left to address, sign and mail, LOTS of shopping left to do (hadn't done any Christmas shopping before I left California!), my house to clean and a meal for 20 on Christmas Eve to figure out yet! My eldest daughter wants me to come to her house next Wednesday (the next free day I have!) and bake Christmas Cookies with her two boys, stay overnight, come home and get ready for all the overnight company that is coming on Friday. I feel like I am going to explode from the pressure of all I have to do. AND I am still trying to eat healthy, make sure I get enough protein, enough water, take my vitamins, etc. Tomorrow will be my 6 month Surgiversary! I have lost a total of 94 pounds since June 17, gone from a size 26/28 in tops to a 14 or a size large. Gone from size 24 pants to an 8! I have had SO many wonderful comments on how nice I look. It really thrills me! Just wish I could get off the treadmill and enjoy it a little. The down side is that my hair has gotten so thin (never thick to begin with!) that I finally shaved my head the other day. I have purchased a couple of wigs that I think look really natural and love the way they look on me. So yesterday I told my hubby, give me your clippers (he shaves his head!) and I did mine. It looks weird when I take my wig off, but with it on, I think I look pretty good. Oh well, I am going to slow down one of these days and enjoy all the blessings in my life, the biggest to date is my new and improved body!