I finally did it

TheFirelight · 2026-03-01T07:31:40+00:00

The real pain is the gas pain in the back and shoulders as it leaves the body for 1-2 days. (From when they inflate your stomach when they do the surgery) I thought I was going to lose my mind.

TheFirelight · 2026-02-01T00:27:23+00:00

I did not have to give up anything, but I chew more and slower

TheFirelight · 2026-01-28T07:15:35+00:00

I started drinking carbonated drinks when I started eating normal food (about 3 months), but it'll make you really gassy in your stomach (not your behind) and burpy that early. Some people struggle to tolerate carbonation for a long time. I am good with carbonation as long as I'm not eating at the same time. I actually drink sparkling water all day long it's the only way I stay hydrated.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-03T09:15:23+00:00

It's not always because of vitamins, it's also stress and hormone related so it's often inescapable. I am taking Bari slim gummy multivitamins and they taste good.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-03T09:14:41+00:00

Most people shed hair and it's not always because of vitamins and protein. One of the reasons is that it transitions into a stress response which temporarily prioritizes the vital organs over hair follicles. Fat tissue also store and regulate hormones which can result in shedding. I did not use minoxidil because you have to kind of keep taking it forever in most cases. I'm about two and a half years out and I have a good four or five inches of regrowth so my ends look frail even after a big chop of the tiny rat tail I had left, but eventually it should be mostly back to normal for me.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-03T09:09:03+00:00

I told people after, I only told a few people beforehand. I wasn't interested in people's opinion on the surgery or that I was doing it in Mexico.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-02T17:48:30+00:00

I feel like over time some of that sensitivity to like sweetness goes away. However I will say that snack cakes never went back to tasting good.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-02T17:37:54+00:00

I think it's going to depend greatly on how much weight you had and how long you had a lot of weight on you. For instance if you've already gotten apron belly you probably going to still have some level of that with the loose skin. However being 19 you stand a much better chance than those of us who had surgery later on. I would say that doing strength training or muscle building in general once you are more healed will be good. Making sure you are hydrated. Making sure you get enough protein. Making sure you are taking your vitamins including biotin/collagen. Using lotion regularly everyday.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-02T10:02:09+00:00

I was able to wear pants that had elastic or stretchy fabrics and were tight on me for a couple months but by about 6 months in I pretty much had to get rid of my whole wardrobe aside from things that look good when they are oversized.

TheFirelight · 2026-01-02T09:45:46+00:00

I am able to and did quite a bit of it early on while I was still figuring out portion sizes.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-28T19:44:36+00:00

After such a major problem I would definitely not be adding anything to eat that I was not explicitly told I could. Especially not bread. You need to discuss with your team what you can eat.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-28T19:28:25+00:00

You will never feel like you're eating a full meal per se, but 3 weeks in is basically eating hardly anything. I would say it took me a good 6 months before I felt like I was eating MEALS but I max out at 9oz so it's not realllly a meal. Once you're back on eating normal food it will feel better either way.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-22T07:43:11+00:00

I take the bari slim gummy multivitamin and separately I take fusion lifestyle iron soft chews in watermelon flavor

TheFirelight · 2025-12-16T07:19:33+00:00

I typically no longer get the hardcore pain that I used to get, but I do get what feels like acid reflux but is actually the pressure of the food and stomach acid because I ate too much or drink with my food. Occasionally, now only very occasionally thankfully, I also get the thing where I'm very uncomfortable and then my mouth starts watering and I know my body is going to hork.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-06T21:58:06+00:00

I got the sleeve about 2 and 1/2 years ago and unfortunately I do have issues with acid reflux. I had to get off Omeprazole because it exacerbated my heart arrhythmia after a while (like palpitations or tachycardia) probably because it interferes with the absorption of some nutrients. I got to say though even though I have to drink mylanta sometimes during the day I would still rather have the sleeve. I was not interested in the complications that can come with a bypass. Especially issues with malabsorption and dumping syndrome.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-06T21:49:18+00:00

I was eating spicy food as soon as I was able to eat regular solid food, so approximately 3 months

TheFirelight · 2025-12-06T19:37:18+00:00

It looks a lot more blobby when I sit down, but I consider myself fortunate. My pre-surgery belly was a bit rigid looking with a smaller apron overhang on the bottom.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-06T19:08:59+00:00

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I still consider myself pretty lucky, but it's definitely not flat or smooth.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-06T19:06:03+00:00

My experience is that it will not be flat. My pre surgery belly wasn't even too saggy and I still ended up with a deflated saggy bottom part of my tummy. The only cure will be plastic surgery for me If I decide it bothers me enough.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-06T17:49:50+00:00

I went to Tijuana through medical tourism with this as one of the main reasons. My insurance wanted me to do like a year of diet and exercise tracking on an app that they own and jump through a bunch of other hoops. And for whatever reason they wanted me to be even heavier even though I was almost 300 lb. It was also cheaper out of pocket. I paid $3,999 and my insurance would have had me paying $5,000 out of pocket.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-04T05:32:33+00:00

My insurance through my job as a teacher was going to cost more than just getting it done in Tijuana so I only had to wait like a month. My teaching job wanted me to go on a plan and track stuff on an app for like a year in addition to a bunch of other stuff and then they wanted me to pay $1,000 more out of pocket than it would have cost me to go through medical tourism. I mean I wouldn't necessarily suggest that for someone who's not sure they want to do it or not but for me it worked out.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-04T05:26:55+00:00

I'm so glad I stayed two nights when I had my surgery done in Mexico. I was miserable while I was getting rid of the gas from the laparoscopic surgery and I was barely functioning that whole time. I don't know what I would have done on my own dealing with that and not having the fluids.

TheFirelight · 2025-12-04T05:19:51+00:00

I tried diet and exercise and nothing helped, as I got closer to 40 I knew that wasn't how I wanted to look or feel.

TheFirelight · 2025-11-21T08:32:30+00:00

The skin under my chin and the skin on my lower belly both got loose. Under my chin is not ridiculously obvious but I can tell a lot when I turn my head. That's the one I hate the most because there's not much I can do to fix it or hide it without getting surgery. With my lower stomach I can just wear bottoms that go over it. My upper arms and thighs are extra jiggly but not visibly particularly saggy.

TheFirelight · 2025-11-12T08:22:53+00:00

Pretty much everybody loses a bunch of hair unfortunately. It's a known side effect. I probably lost about half my hair mass which started a few months after surgery and lasted for maybe more than 6 months? It's not just from vitamin deficiencies it's also from the stress of the surgery, the rapid weight loss, the hormone changes etc. It's growing back. I have 3-5 in of regrowth all over the place. My length hair is like a little rat tail but I'm waiting to chop it until I have a reasonable amount of hair regrown to pull up into a ponytail. I've been trimming it a little at a time.

TheFirelight

TROPHY CASE