10.5 months into it! Gastric bypass! Pics* and went in deep with these emotions

[Vickie23 53]

First off I want to thank all the people on here who have been supportive!! I was going to post when I hit the one year mark, this surgery has been life changing and I couldn't wait!!

This process is life changing. My step dad showed me a video of myself in July 2015 when a man placed an anaconda on my neck and wow, my weight. I was a huge woman, and my family of about 30 (very close) never told me anything. That is not typical in my family; but I guess since I was fat all my life they just didn't say anything. My sister who is a year younger has always been thin and in within the last maybe 8 to 10 years had weight issues, nothing major (as in health issues or obese), but my family was always telling her in a nice way, but maybe she wouldn't agree, because I don't think women want to hear about their weight. I know I didn't. I mean I knew I had a problem; but I didn't want to be told.

I want to thank my family because I think being told about your weight must be devastating. I know when I went out I was treated a certain way, I never noticed before because I was always a big girl. I think I was around 9 years old when I went into a big size in juniors. Today people open doors, talk to you randomly (sometimes I am still like, wait your taking to me, lol) they are nice, in the store the girls want to assist you. It's just like wow!!

Now 10.5 months into this surgery the weight coming off a lot slower, I'm not going to lie ladies I miss the weight just coming off lol. My family says how much more do you want to lose you look great!! I love them!! My doctor wants me to weigh 150 because I'm still technically overweight; but I am no longer obese!!! I just did my A1C this month and mine was 4.6-LOW can you believe that!! I was super excited!!

I am anemic, and my Calcium is low. B-12 is within normal limits but on the low side. I got prescribed the injections and Vit D tablets 5,000UI weekly. We will see how it goes. With all the weight loss I was full of energy but I feel recently because of my anemia and Vit.D deficiency have been fatigued. I was approved for an Iron infusion all day from 9-3 because of all the other steps not just the Iron. They do steroids, which I found out today, and saline and of course the iron. lol. My appointment was actually today, and I had an allergic reaction!!!! it was super scary. I came home and slept all day until 4pm because of the Benadryl. I have gone ahead and purchased these patch MD Patches of Vitamins and I am going to give them a try. I will update everyone in November at 1 yr anniversary after I see physician and I have labs to support it!!

Well I know this has been a long story, but I wanted to ask I eat 3 meals, trying to get Protein in the best way I can. I am pretty good about it. I get hungry tho instead of every 5 hours, I get hungry like every 4, and sometimes I crave sweets!! Me!! I was a soda and chips, and a nice sandwich kind of girl. Well I will eat chips here and there, but soda and bread are in the past. But sweets, I want them! lol.

Sometimes I wish people would have told me a couple of things, like I know my MD's told me about the Vitamins, Water, and Protein. Also I did my surgery in November, umm who does that who gives up eating food around the Holidays! LoL. I had such regrets, it's hard, like really hard to not be able to eat when that was your go to, I dislike when I hear oh when I'm sad I eat. Well, I would eat happy, sad, ecstatic, to Celebrate, depressed, any event really. It comforted me, so to not be able to eat was like WHAT?? what do I do know. I hated myself for awhile and if you read my 6 mo story, I was in hell for the first 3 months!! Today I can eat anything. Which at 6 mo I was a scared lil girl who would not eat what made me sick once. Like eggs, bread, meat. I was like who cares, I am done with it, but at the 6 mo my nutritionist said don't be scared, do it!! I was like honey am I dumb? Why would I feel like that again?! LoL. But I listened!! I took only 2 or 3 bites and waited. I can eat a sandwich today. I will have a sandwich here and there but I don't enjoy as much as I use to before. I remember making my sandwiches and I don't know if people will agree with me; but I use to put love into my sandwich the way I spread the Condiments, placed my favorite ham and cheese into it! Knowing I was going to eat both of them. Now I still make it neatly lol, but not with the love. food is food!! Can u believe I just said that!! ME!! THE BEST THING OF THIS SURGERY IS THAT.. FOOD is FOOD!! It isn't life! I'm actually living my life. Going out (I hated to go out), buying clothes (ex online shopper). I went to New York 2 weeks ago, and I saw a pink dress and jean jacket on a mannequin and I wanted it! SO WHAT? Well that has never happened to me before, not me wanting the clothes lol, but thinking it could fit me. SIZE LARGE ladies!! I bought it!! It was expensive, but I am saving money on food lol, I bought it!! GIRLS, what a beautiful reward!

 

That was me in the fitting room, I sent it to my mom, step dad, cousins, and a couple of friends and said: I saw this on a mannequin and IT FITS!! It's a bit pricey, do I buy it? LoL. They said yes!! I am obedient and did so lol.

I wore it out!! and I took another picture and made it my profile picture on this website!!

Also ladies that chest is from Victoria Secrets that add 2 cup sized, because my boobs, which use to be a size I approved of WENT AWAY!! LoL. They gone!! They gone!! I wish I would've been told that. My arms under this jacket; my sleeves This dress has sleeves, so I will take my jacket, but my arms the top part I dislike.

When I had this surgery and if you go back and compare the big person I was, I just wanted to walk in the zoo with out getting shortness of breath, and look at me now. In a dress with make up, dare I say a selfie taker. lol. Now do I want those arms!! NOOOOOO!! I want the time to come and have the operation. I am not going to lie and say I am not scared. I am scared. I am a very anxious person. I was anxious today when I was going to get iron, because I thought what if I am allergic!! I was!!! My body went cold, then numb, I couldn't even feel my face, then I got swollen, My face is still swollen, and broke out in hives!! I was given Benadryl and I am ok now. What I am saying it is a big step!! I want it tho, YOU KNEW YOUR SKIN WOULD GET LOOSE, I mean with clothes I feel nice. But I want to look at myself naked and feel the same way! It's for me! I am not trying to be a model, I just want to look in the mirror and see and feel comfortable, feel happy. DON'T get me wrong I am happy; just not 100% lol.

I saw a youtube video of a woman wearing clothes and feeling beautiful and she took off everything. Not bra and underwear, but I mean she showed all her skin! 200lb I do believe. I myself have lost around 120, and I was like THIS WOMAN IS BRAVE, and she will not be having any operations. I am happy for her. To feel secure, sure of herself. I LOVE THAT.

You know what I notice now, big girls are everywhere; when I was a big girl, I always thought I was the biggest girl in the room and didn't look around. I didn't want to catch someone looking at me and judging me. Now tho I know I am not being judged, and I look around and there are big girls, and they dress cute!! I was never comfortable in my body. I didn't know how to shop and I was always uncomfortable. I didn't know how big I was tho. Now when I watched that video today, my step dad told me that this was the best decision I ever made. He almost got teary eyed. My family today always tells me I look good and I am beautiful, they say you've always been beautiful but right now I can not look away! I LOVE THEM!! I am in high speed trying to catch up with being this girl. ( I know I am a woman, I just speak like this, lol) I wonder if anyone will understand what I mean, I might be this girl in the dress, but inside I'm fat Vickie. When men come and talk to me; I panic!! I am not ready. I just want to enjoy myself. I need my self esteem to come and be where I need it to be. It is hard to be big girl all your life, I mean I remember my MD saying you will lose weight and you will be a sexual being, you will be out there partying it up, not my surgeon, my primary physician. Umm, maybe some ladies and to each their own. I actually miss being big in ONE aspect, well that I can think of right now. When I was big and some guy came and talked to me, or I developed a friendship and the something happened between us, IT WAS HONEST!! Now guys come up and it is a look thing, but do you who I am, what I like, that I am comical, lol. NO they just want to talk and then what invite me over to their place? Umm that is not me. That actually scares me. I hope this feeling will pass.

I am actually thinking of going to see a therapist, because I have issues that I didn't know where there. This is a lot to put up. But I wonder if one person feels like this and reads it, AND COMMENTS and says so, it would be a familiar and hey it might be a common feeling.

Well ladies I think I have made this long enough. I hope all of you are having success and feeling fabulous. It is a very big change and it has so many warm and happy feelings!! For our continued success!! As I say again, I am 10.5 months into it and if anyone has questions, message me. There are a lot of supportive people on this website tho!! I got so many questions answered here!! It's a safe place!!

[Havasumoma 250]

I'm very happy for you and your success!

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[James Marusek 5,244]

Congratulations on your weight loss. After my blood work they found I was deficient in Iron. So they told me to add an Iron supplement, 65 mg of iron. It had to be "ferrous sulfate" chemistry or it would not be absorbed properly. So that is what I have been taking once per day for a couple years now and it seems to work.

All iron supplements must be spaced 2 hours from all Calcium supplements otherwise they interfere chemically with absorption. I take Calcium either in the form or calcium supplements or in dairy products such as milk that contain calcium throughout the day. In the end, the only way I could achieve the time spacing was to take my iron supplements at the end of the day, just before bedtime.

From my perspective an iron transfusion seems a little drastic. Especially since you had a severe reaction to this process. Have you tried the normal iron supplement approach?

[Vickie23 53]

Congratulations on your weight loss. After my blood work they found I was deficient in Iron. So they told me to add an Iron supplement, 65 mg of iron. It had to be "ferrous sulfate" chemistry or it would not be absorbed properly. So that is what I have been taking once per day for a couple years now and it seems to work.

All iron supplements must be spaced 2 hours from all Calcium supplements otherwise they interfere chemically with absorption. I take calcium either in the form or calcium supplements or in dairy products such as milk that contain calcium throughout the day. In the end, the only way I could achieve the time spacing was to take my iron supplements at the end of the day, just before bedtime.

From my perspective an iron transfusion seems a little drastic. Especially since you had a severe reaction to this process. Have you tried the normal iron supplement approach?

I tried iron tablets. I had anemia problems since I was 15. I have been dealing with this issue for 15 years, but I am up and down. Since going into the hospital, I went down to a 6, I have never been so low. I take iron and I was just starting to think that I don't have well absorption. I hate it with orange juice for the Vit. C factor and I take it away from the Vitamin D/calcium problem. Since my level went so low that is why my MD said to go with Iron infusion. I will not be going back tho. I saw on this website that they have the iron patch MD and I am going to try those out. I have my 1 yr post op in November where my levels will be check, so I will just test my results there. Right now after being in the hospital I had 2 200mL iron IV push and from a 6 I went to an 8.3.

The reason i went to such a drastic iron infusion, is because I was so fatigued. I felt like being back in my fat body and I was so tired, that I agreed to this. As I repeat I have been anemic for 15 years and they have wanted me to do it before but my body managed. For the last 2 to 3 months I have been so fatigued that I was just done. I am hoping that these Patches work! Time will tell.

Thank you so much for your advice. I am not quite sure why the tablets of iron didn't work so well for me, and the 45mg didn't tickle my anemia; it might be because this has been a chronic problem before the surgery.

Thank you again

[Dar200 285]

You have been so open and brave with yourself! Congratulations on the weight loss and on processing what is happening emotionally!

[rcr89 7]

Congrats and thank you for your honesty. I feel the same way, just starting my journey, just chose a dr. You inspire me..

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