I'd love to be in a Zoom meeting with people who had the DS surgery for at least 15 plus years . I think we probably have some suggestions, stories, ideas and hints ( would love to hear other peoples suggestions on smelly gas lol) that have worked and face issues that only people into this journey with 15 plus years would have . Thoughts?

Ira

Wish I could do this !

Thank God housing court went my way and saving my home is back on the calendar ( tomorrow) rather than back to waiting for eviction by the Marshall lol .

Today will be a well deserved ? rest day ? - by this I mean unpacking and assembling a giant glass three part desk I PRAY will allow me to keep my paperwork in order , repotting a bunch of plants which to make them more or less water self sufficient- managing compost ( I generate probably a gallon of food scraps a day which would be a shame to waste when they make such good soil and feed my other pets - the worms ! and looking into formal exercise .

The other day for the first time since we moved in here 11 months ago I walked to Riverside Park ( shameful? it?s LITERALLY half a block from my building!

Discovered a gorgeous volunteer kept large octagonal flower garden and landscaped walkways leading down to the water - a beautiful spot ! And the riverside walkway itself is level and newly paved so ideal for rollerblade speed skating ( except it?s crowded and infested with highly dangerous speeding e-bikes and e-scooters ?. As is all of NYC . )

You literally can?t step off the sidewalk without taking your life in your hands - these speeding maniacs ( mostly food delivery folks ) don?t respect red lights and literally can KILL you in a collision.

I fail to understand why the City allows them in parks when they are outnumbered 100-1 by pedestrians and regular bikers and the occasional rollerblader , and they threaten running around playing kids and dogs off their leashes.

So I guess my mission now is to secure a pair of blades for NYC - and wrist guards lol in case of accident!

I asked what was on offer at the local gym : Pilates and yoga classes and Soul Cycle which sounds good but they charge $319.00 per MONTH!! .

My Medicare plan ( Healthfirst ) supposedly covers gym costs - we?ll find out .

There is also sculling on the East River - which is far better than rowing on a Peloton with the machine occupying half your living room .. but it?s unquestionably dangerous due to wakes from barges and strong whirlpools of current that have famously sunk many large ships over the years ( not to mention jet skis lol) .

I actually found out about this because a Wall Street guy I knew drowned and DIED and he was a FAR better rower than I am .

A scull is essentially a long and extremely narrow pontoon on the water you balance yourself above to row . Very capsizeable .

This sculling opportunity clearly dates back a century.

Having attended college in Cambridge I like everyone else with eyes I spent considerable time admiring the graceful anachronistic scullers on the Charles River and wished for the opportunity to join them.

I have to explore this further- sign up and try it out . I?m not trying to become a casualty after all these of struggle !

I did get a flu shot last Thursday and the latest Covid booster Monday . My arm swelled up and was VERY tender and I had ( BAD) flu symptoms including no energy constant blowing my nose and an ugly embarrassing cough until today . Still worth it for the protection but be warned !

There?s according to my Dad?s brother a Head of Hospital doctor in Budapest ( where they treat Covid not at all - even for medical professionals!)there are 216 strains of Covid worldwide so how could they possibly treat them all ?

The Covid my Parents and I caught in Hungary despite my booster vaccination before I traveled ) was much more severe than here ( my Dad?s brother was actually hospitalized)

. I understand it?s traveled here or at least some much more virulent and dangerous strain may have .

I doubt we?re getting all the information except in little asides in the media and anecdotally so as ? not to alarm the public?

Several people I know were infected with Covid recently that?s why I got the booster.

Food and exercise yesterday - skipped lunch in the Courthouse except for a soup - too exhausted to cook dinner so had lentil/ falafel hot wrap from Pret - excellent! 3.7 miles of walking . Scarfed down a Pain au Chocolat on the way home .

Today - midnite snack - half pear/ apricot tart , tea

B- Yemeni coffee latte , lentil soup w fresh arugula, probably the ginger scallion lobster w yellow rice, and a Chinese long eggplant/ sugar snap pea stir fry .

D - Katsu chicken ( pounded Panko breaded lightly fried Japanese style with Japanese sticky rice , fresh edamame and peas and Japanese golden curry .

S- papaya , grapes maybe bites of salads ( avocado / cucumber arugula, Japanese seaweed salad ( much better than it sounds ) arugula roasted tomato, orzo .

My surgery 16 years ago ( boy does time fly when Ure having fun lol! ) was a proximal RNY , much less serious than a DS and I was a super healthy eater and lifetime daily exerciser going in ?. Yet I, too developed vitamin deficiencies in the last few years .

The most serious was iron - to the point I couldn?t get out of bed essentially for six months last year and was dizzy just walking to the bathroom.

Turns out I had pernicious anemia and desperately needed an iron infusion.

As soon as I got it my head cleared- I became energetic and willing ( and able ) to garden, clean and take care of long neglected business .

I just had another blood draw and doc says I?m still low so I?m trying to address it with daily ferritin.

Im still not perfect with the daily vitamins - this is childish but I sorely miss Flintstones Complete Sour Vitamin gummies ( for kids ) . You can buy the same thing without the sour coating that made them taste like sour gummy bears but without the coating they stick in my teeth and throat . Poor Me lol

Ive resolved to do much better since taking vites makes me LOOK and feel and function dramatically better.

I?ve added chewable acidophilus and other pre biotics and flaxseed or evening primrose oil capsules

. Both help digestion and help curtail excess snacking and DRAMATICALLY improve skin tone and firmness all over !

I haven't posted on here in many years, but I recall enjoying reading posts from those who were quite far out from surgery.

I had the DS in March 2009. My high weight was 304, my surgery weight was 284. I'm 5'4". I was a size 28 at surgery.

Over the next 18 months, I went to 140 pounds and stayed there for a year or two. For me, that was a size 6. In the next couple years after that, I tended to bounce around between 150-155, a size 10. That brought me through 2013.

In 2014, I had my first child. After pregnancy, I was about 165-175. In 2016, I had my second child. I found myself unhappy in my marriage and overwhelmed working and caring for two small kids. I found myself turning to food again and just eating like crap. My weight went up to 195-200 and I was again a size 18/20. That was 2017-2018.

I got divorced and was determined not to be fat anymore. I cut out all junky carbs. I only ate when I was hungry, and if I was hungry, I did eat, but stopped eating two hours before bed. No eating in the middle of the night. I did have carbs in that I had 2 - 3 servings of fruit/day, always paired with a protein. Just no junky carbs. I lost 25 pounds the first month, 15 pounds the second month, and another ten pounds or so in the next month. That was 8 years post-op, so, yes - the DS will always "work!" You'll always have an advantage compared to how hard it was to lose weight before the DS. Over the next six months, I lost another ten pounds, when I got a fairly "physical" job (I deliver the mail). That was five years ago, and I still have that job.

I easily maintain my weight of 140. I fluctuate between 137 - 143. If I find my weight going up towards 143, I jus****ch what I eat more for the next 2 weeks and it comes right off.

I still don't eat a lot of junky carbs but I'm not super strict with it either. Probably 2-3 days/week when I am with my boyfriend, I eat super healthy because I don't want to be gassy, but that also helps to keep the weight off. The other days of the week, I'm more relaxed with what I eat.

I had a fleur-de-lis with a circumferential belt lipectomy in 2023. I chose the fleur-de-lis portion due to the amount of vertical laxity. It cost $18,500.

Unfortunately, the surgeon did not remove sufficient excess skin around my torso. Once laying down, it slid off to the sides so much that it was deceptive in looking flat until I stood up. He waived his fee to revise, though I had to pay $1200 for the at cost fees for anesthesia and the in-house OR room.

Since I was going under again, I also chose to have my "saddle bags" removed so that if I wear leggings or a tight dress, I have a smooth line. That cost another $6,000.

While I wish my torso was a touch flatter, I'm happy enough with the results. Fortunately, my breasts faired really well through my weight journey since I am a naturally small breasted woman and I tended to be the "pair" shape when heavy so they weren't proportionately as big as one might have expected while heavy. I'm now a size 4-6, though usually a six.

I gained a substantial amount of weight by the time I was 15. Had the DS when I was 32, and I'm now 47.

So that's my weight loss, gain, loss, and plastics journey!