Glad I Did It. 5 Months Later!

[PonyUp 24]

I am so glad I decided to have the vertical sleeve with Dr. Aceves in Mexico. I have lost 59 pounds and still losing. It's true the first few months are a bit rough when it comes to transition of food stages, but it is all worth it and goes by quickly. Side effects I have experienced; I started hair loss in my third month but it definitely seems to be slowing down and with the Vitamins and good shampoos my hair looks better than what I expected. I was tired before surgery so that is about the same. My eyesight and memory seem to have gotten immediately worse since the surgery. I know memory loss is a common side effect. Moods a bit more up and down too, but I notice injecting myself with a multi Vitamin b injection once to twice a week really helps with mood and energy. I notice in my face a few more wrinkles and my skin is still adjusting but actually not too bad--so in time. I could not expect all the damage I caused my body to just go away, so I have accepted some of these things. Also, being 47 my skin is not a twenty year olds either!

MY immediate upsides to surgery were; my temperature gauge was boiling hot all the time and now I am normal, little to no snoring and sleep wonderfully now. Of course the weightloss--looking and feeling better. Less to no pain in my left knee due to weight. I have another 20-30 pounds to go and when I get there I will post my before and after pics.

Besides all the many changes this transforming surgery causes it can bring out you wanting to clean house in many areas of your life and that is what I have been doing.

Anyhow, I came to this forum daily months prior to my surgery and it was a great resource in research and learning about what to expect. Reading posts from those that had been there and done that really helped. I have not been on much since the surgery and thought I should pay some of it forward.

Good luck to all those considering or that have WLS dates...and to fellow sleevers I hope you are as happy as I am about my choice to be sleeved!

[suepeeps 230]

So nice to hear stories like this! I LOVED hearing that you are not boiling hot anymore. I seem to have my own internal furnace! I am at the age that it gets even worse periodically!! lol

Thanks for sharing your story

[grace331969 11]

Thank you for sharing! I am two months out and so thankful that I went through this process as well. I feel so much better!! This site has been so helpful to me throughout the process of deciding to go through with the surgery and then post op. Thank you everyone!

[mommeof3 58]

I will be sleeved on Sept 17 I am 30. I am nervous as HELLO! Anyway how was your pain level? How long was your recovery post sleeve? How much are you able to get down now? What type of Protein are you drinking?

[PonyUp 24]

Mommeof3

Good for you to have it done at a fairly young age! I and most everyone BEFORE they were sleeved had MAJOR jitters....days and weeks before the surgery...so normal. I almost cancelled, but so glad I did not!

I was so surprised on THE MINIMAL AMOUNT OF PAIN! In fact I had to remind myself and so did the hospital staff to not over do it. With that said everyone is different, but hopefully you too will be surprised considering they are taking out a large portion of an organ! It's amazing the small incision too! (If you have small children do not lift them for a period of time--talk to Dr!).

2-4oz is about all I can get down at one given time and over a much slower pace than before. It also depends on the type of food--trial and error, especially after the liquids stage. I have had many throwing up or foamies during month three and part of month four...so much better now that I am learning what works and does not work for me (amount and kinds of food). .

I tried so many yucky Protein drinks etc but my favorite I bought in bulk at costco called Premier-30 grams of Protein for 11oz of liquid. I liked the vanilla. Again trial and error...and we all have different taste preferences.

I wish you the best! Be brave, be positive and most importantly follow your Dr.'s instructions!

[ooffa511 506]

Im a lil over 4 months and I couldnt agree more. I'm 50lbs from goal but 75 down  every apsprect of my life is slowly getting better!!! Keep on truckin and good up the good work too!!! 

[Stephers65 14]

Ok, im scared now!! I'm done with my 6 months and waiting for approval!

! Your the first person I have heard talk about memory??? That's really scary!!

! After my grandma had open heart surgery it was very noticeable she had memory loss and in her late 70's she went into dementia really quick;( it's the length of open heart and being under anesthesia that long.

So how bad has it been? Has it come back??? Is it noticeable to family and friends???? I will be 47 next week!

[taffycanuck 0]

Yay, "my sleeve sista"! So good to hear that you and I are having such similar experiences at this point, as compared to right after we got our sleeves!

I think it's funny that your fave Protein drink is the premiere from costco - it's mine too. I found muscle milk to be really sweet and slimy in texture...ugh...and there are others that just plain taste like ca-ca.

So we are nearly 5 months out now and I am down 70 lbs, with another 20 - 30 to go. I am a tad freaked out today because for the first time ever in my entire life I could not find anything to wear to work that fit me because everything I own is too BIG. Very strange. Have you had this happen yet?

For anyone following Pony-up's post and who is considering the surgery, all I can say is that everything she says in her post has been my experience so far...although the memory thing is getting better for me. I do have a very mentally challenging job and I went back right away, so maybe being forced to use my memory has helped me to recover/retain it better? Who knows? At any rate, my only regret is that I did not do this sooner, as I feel like the real me is finally, FINALLY emerging as these pounds come off. Yes, it IS a huge step and it is scary, but if you trust your surgeon and you educate yourself, the tough stuff is easier to get through. The added bonus is that the results show very quickly, and so it is easy to remain enthusiastic about keeping up with your nutritional needs!

Good luck to all, and hugs to you, Pony-up! We need to skype soon!

[starsleeve 31]

I can relate also. i will be 5 months post op next friday- and am down 58 lbs so far! i have had a couple throwing up sessions myself. I am still training myself to slow down with the eating, that has been taking some getting use to. I am now at the point that i am happy that i had this surgery, the first 3 months were tough for me, as it was a huge mind game that i needed to learn but with time it gets easier and life gets so much funner as you start to loose weight and gain energy! i can also agree that since the surgery i sleep so much better! i love sleeping and before i seemed to be more of a light sleeper and when woken up i couldnt go back to sleep, well now if i am woken up I can fall right back to sleep! yaay

I love reading posts like this because i love when i can releate to someone else who went through what i did and understands.

good luck to everyone out there planning on having the surgery! in the long run it was a good decision on my part, and i am happy i did it!