Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

Hi. After many years of struggling with my weight, I have decided to get worked up for the sleeve surgery. Right now, in order to qualify for my insurance, there are several things I have to do in order to qualify...6 months worth! The longest thing is the work with a nutritionist. Im about half way thru everything....I am looking forward to being approved and changing my life! I am 43 years old, divorced mother of 3, about to be a grandmom this month! I work from home and am an author. My continual weight loss is decreasing my quality of life....and I have little to no support. No family, few friends. I had my endoscopy yesterday and reached out to an asso…

I saw this and had to share, cause I am so feeling this way today. Hit the dreaded 3 week stall....

Just throwing it out there.........wouldn't it be nice NOT to have to buy clothes for a temporary stage? If we could just post what size we needed and someone that has "shrunk" out of that size would mail them to you and then you just pay it forward to the next person? No cash.....just people helping others.

Any advice for eating with people who don't know you have had surgery? Next weekend I am hosting a ladies lunch and I will be expected to eat. The menu is steak, grilled asparagus, scalloped potatoes and a spinach and strawberry salad. As of this Wednesday 1/23 I will be cleared to eat all foods. My question is, how do I "eat" so that they don't notice I'm barely eating? I would prefer to not mention my surgery to these women, as they do love their gossip, and I only see them once a year for this lunch. The lunch is a must-attend, my grandmother hosted them for 20 years before passing the torch to me.

I am recently sleeved-officially 1 week and 1 day today! I know plenty of bypass people but few sleevers. So it is hard to find folks to talk to who share my experience and I have questions. I have run several scenarios through my mind and just wonder if my sleeve is acting 'normally', or at least like someone elses. I have heard of people who say they feel full after 1 or 2 oz of liquid or water. I sip all the time to get in my proteins and liquids. I have noticed that I 'feel' protein drinks more than water or sugar free drinks. I guess it is because the protein drinks are heavier? Anyway, I feel when it passes through my stomach. That's when I know I have taken…

I came across this study researching leaks. Heavy on medical jargon, but good info. http://www.hindawi.com/crim/gm/2012/205979/

Just starting over

This is my first visit here. I had my surgery on Dec 11th and I have lost a total of 31 lbs (including my pre op liquids). I have not lost ANY weight in two weeks. I am stressing out so bad. I keep bouncing between the same two pounds. Is this NORMAL? I am back to exercising. I am logging every thing I eat. I am eating a little over 1000 calories a day. I am getting my protein in. This is quite disheartening.

Hi, my name is Laura. I had the lap band placed 10/09 and lost 60 lbs. I got too tight and had several unfills which resulted in me gaining all the weight back. Besides the fact I can't keep much down. It is a miserable experience and I am ready for a change. I am very curious to hear from others that have had the lap band and revised to the sleeve. My surgery will be in April. Thank you, Laura

Is anyone else out there in the same boat??????? I'm so upset and kinda worried I'm 5 month out lost 60 lbs and the month of November was like a waste of a month no weight loss whatsoever. Just the same. Is this normal? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

I didn't know how to move it! http://www.verticals...band-to-sleeve/

I feel like I am drowning myself!! I am starting to believe that getting in a full 64 ounces of fluid a day will be the end of me. Anyone else having this problem? I have been struggling with this since the begining. I finally bought a jug that is exactly 64 ounces.....I needed a visual aid of exactly what it is because all the cups and water bottles I have were different sizes and it was starting to confuse me. The jug arrived last nigh and OMG is this intimidating!! I know for sure I was not getting this amount of fluid in, not even close! I have been working on this jug now for 8 hours and I am only to half....half....UGH. Please someone HELP.....sincerely, drowning!

The main reason I had the surgery was to try to get rid of my diabetes. Losing weight was a bonus. Prior to surgery, I used to take Metformin as well as insulin 3 times a day. Since my surgery, I'm off Metformin and have not required insulin. However, I wonder if that's because I hardly eat anything (I'm in the soft-food stage). I worry that I'll need insulin once I'm on regular foods. Anyone else out there also a type 2 diabetic? How is your diabetes pot-surgery?

After feeling like I was basically lower than dirt on the bottom of a shoe for regaining all of the weight I lost with the band after it was removed. (Thanks so a not very sympathetic doctor). And then having to change insurance companies in the middle of the process and thus change doctors. I finally got to see a new surgeon yesterday. Dr. Jossart and his entire staff were absolutely great!! So positive and helpful with everything. Never made me feel like the band failure was my fault and made it sound like getting my sleeve is a real possiblilty! They also coordinated everything so yesterday, I was able to get my upper GI, meet with the surgeon, meet with the NUT…

Yep, the title pretty much says it all Brooke

Weighed myself this morning and I'm 199...yay!!! I haven't seen that on the scale in 6 years. I absolutely love my sleeve!!!

Hi, I'm scheduled for my surgery this Monday. Having a terrible time with the protein shakes. I have tried Unjury and GNC I get them down then they come right back up! Tonight I decided to go through my paperwork for day before surgery list of what I am allowed to eat. As I looked I notices that the 2 week liquid diet does not have yogurt or oatmeal on it BUT the day before surgery it's on the list?? Does that make sense to anyone? I would be doing fine with my protein if I could be eating Greek yogurt!!! I called my doctors office but they are closed until tomorrow.

Didn't see a thread for the 10th yet! Our big day is tomorrow! What are we doing? How are we feeling? I've had my "last meal" for a while, will now revert to clear liquids until midnight. Need to do my hibiclens shower and pack my bag. That's all that's left except try to relax and not over think this and get all nervous (well, more nervous). I will be in the hospital for two days, surgery will last for two hours (due to prior band erosion and removal). Let's keep in touch and follow our progress, concerns, achievements, and goals! Karen

Around how much was it to remove the band and then have the sleeve at the same time? Was it an outpatient procedure? I have insurance, but it doesn't cover WLS.

I am 6 days post op and have had the weirdest problem. Every time I take a shower, I feel dizzy, light-headed, confused, short of breath. Its like if I don't lay down, I will pass out. I am usually fine the first 5 minutes or so then all the sudden I feel tired, confused, sometimes my vision even gets blurry. I usually have to just get out of the shower, done or not, and lay down on the bathroom floor. It scares the crap out of me. Has anyone else experienced this or know what this could be?

Hi everyone, I'm going to be scheduling my surgery soon, but I'm not sure when to do it! I'm a full-time student and I also work part time, and the soonest time I could do it is spring break when I'll be off school for a whole week. My fear, however, is that the extreme low calorie diet after surgery and liquids only for several weeks will affect my brain and my ability to learn and focus at school. So, did any of you have any experiences with this? Will I be setting myself up for failure in school if I try to put my body through this mid-semester?

Hi all! I haven't been on here in a while but here is the latest! On 12/28/12 I reached my one year mark. So far the lowest weight I have seen is 154. Right now I am 156, I gained 2lbs over the holidays. I have lost over 46 inches and I wear a small shirt and a size 6/8 pants. According to my family I am tiny and I shouldn't lose anymore. The problem is I don't "see" what they see. When I look at myself in the mirror I still see the heavy me. I would love to have that one moment of clarity where I could see what other people see. When I look at my body I see the same saggy legs. I have seen photos where I think I look pretty good but I still am dealing with the mind gam…

I would love to see photos and brands of other VSG members shakes meals vitamins etc they use and volumes to get my head round what's to come and help train my mind into what's to come.

Hello all ... Brief history of me. Banded in 9/2011. Starting weight 239, current weight 173 (well teeter between 170-174). I'm proud to have almost lost 80 lbs in 14 months. However, the majority of that weight was lost prior to June of this year. I've pretty much been stuck since. I've had alot of issues with my band. Since September, I've thrown up almost daily. I don't bother attempting to eat before 1pm and 3-4 cups of hot liquids. I refuse to be like some banders and resort to pure liquids as a way of life. I am willing to sacrifice, but to me, that's just too much. I went to see my doctor yesterday to have 1/2 CC removed from my band. I was tired of not being ab…

It's only been 17dys since my surgery and I'm so in love with my sleeve already! I started at 346lbs and for the pre-op diet I got down to 330lbs exactly. And today I weight 310.6lbs! 11 more pounds to go and I'll be out of the 300's for good! I'm just so happy I want to scream from the roof tops! Now I know I have a long ways to go until my goal (160lbs), but I'm so happy to get out the 300's. Hopefully I'll meet this goal by the end of the month and then I'll begin to tackle the 200's. I just started walking a mile a day so that should help as well. Guys this is so exciting to lose weight. My skin is better.. I sleep better.. even wake up before the alarm goes…

I am now in deeper depression....I am 3 weeks post op and I am down 25 lbs HOWEVER I hear about dropping sizes of clothes...well I tried a pair of 18 jeans on (which by the way I was an 18 before) and guess what...they dont fit? They wont even go across my belly.....Im sad!?

I just realized that with today's Weight in in total i'm down 104.4. My band was on 1/6/09 and my weight was 339. The band didn't work well for me after the first few months. the sleeve and I are good good friends. I look forward to seeing onederland with my wonderful sleeve

Am I the only Long Island sleever on here? I haven't seen any yet!

So I have been having problems with vomiting over the past week. Everything I try to eat makes me throw up and I just feel nausea throughout the day. I finally called my surgeon to set an appointment. I am 4 months out and have been doing really good for a while after my issues of constant vomiting and nausea the first month and half after surgery. I couldn't eat and could hardly tolerate any liquids and was in the hospital a lot for dehydration. Well now that because its starting back up he wants to do another endoscopy. I did one 1month post op and they found no issues. They said it was the perfect sleeve so I'm wondering what they think they will find with this one? I…

Curious. Are there any MD's or surgeons that are members of this site or contribute to the forums? It would be nice to see responses from medical professionals, but I could also understand legally why they would not provide advise on a message board.

Thought I would start a post for my day. Any others out there? How are y'all doing?

I noticed a lot of January 22nd surgeries and wanted to wish you all well, and would like to friend you all. We can support each other as well.

I just cleaned the apples out the fridge and made a big batch of applesauce in prep for surgery. I'm lucky there's an apple farm up the road and they have a big end of season sale. The plan is to freeze it in qt bags.

Hi guys . I am new to this and still looking into whether the sleeve is for me . is there any advice anyone can give? I go to a seminar Jan 21. Thank you for any help

Hi!! I'm new to the group. Just started my pre-op certification and plan on having the sleeve surgery in Jan 2013. I'm super excited to begin my journey. I'm located in Stamford, CT. Anyone in my are in the group?

I'm being sleeved in 38 days. I'm excited but so nervous at the same time. I'm still looking for a protein drink that I like and that are low in carbs. I can't wait to be healthy again.

I know I dont want to lose the weight fast as it is unhealthy but I feel like more pounds should have come off by now. Here are my numbers: May - 279 lbs June - 284 lbs July - 279 lbs August 31(start of 2 week liquid diet) 279 lbs September 14(surgery day) - 266lbs, 13 lbs lost on liquid diet And now at almost 3 months post op(12/14) I weigh 231 lbs BUT I am down quite a few sizes. I went from a 24 in pants and am now in 18 and a 2/3x in shirts to a 14/16. I am wondering if I am losing more inches than weight? If you add together my weight loss from both surgery and pre op diet, I am down 48 lbs. I feel like it should be more because I am not eating that muc…

I had the sleeve surgery exactly one week ago. I was doing great, no trouble with not eating or with moving around. Then I hurt My foot. I am in pain and having trouble moving around. I am so at the end of my rope! I just want to be done.How do/did you handle this?

Not asking for advice, or ideas. Not even hungry Just venting. I miss eating-some. Like tonight I made taco's for dinner (we soften the tortillas by spraying with Pam rather than frying in oil). I used to have 4-easily. Now I can barely finish 1. But I miss having two. It's like I work hard to fix food. It smells so good, and then tastes so good, that I don't want to stop eating even tho I'm full. I do stop. Otherwise I'm in pain. But it's almost like I'm mourning eating. Any one else feel this way sometimes?

I am trying to decide between the sleeve and the RNY. I know it is just a tool and we have to work at it. I am just afraid that the sleeve will not be enough for me due to my weight. i have more than 200 lbs to lose. More like 250. I am a self pay so I don't want to do something that will not be enough. I am goign to see the surgeon tomorrow to discuss it but would like feedback from those who might be in similar boat. Thanks in advance.

After Dr.'s appointment weighed in and I have lost 21lbs since my surgery two weeks ago. I am so excited I weighed 412. A few more to go and I am out of the 400's! Wow what a difference I feel. I started this at 455. Good luck to anyone starting this process.

Just super duper excited to tell .... I will be sleeved on February 18th!! I cannot wait My mother in law and I are both having it done on the same day! sooo, thats all, just super excited!!

My 3 year old son was attacked by a new dog that we got just over a week ago. The dog is no longer at our house and my son will make a full recovery, but the stress of what "could of" happened is really really hard for me to get past. My 5 year old son was able to come get my husband before too much damage had been done. My 3 year old has a lot of bruising all over his body, mostly to his face, lacerations all over his face, and the worst of it was that his right ear was completely detached from the the back and only connected by the skin on the front. I was not home when this happened, I was at school. I am just having such a hard time dealing with it, and I'm having tr…

I have NEVER owned a scale for OBVIOUS reasons...not even with my lapband did I get one- I would wait and weigh in at my doc's office. Now with the sleeve and the weight loss being what I am hopeing is much more drastic/dramatic I feel like I should consider buying one BUT I dont want to gain another obsession... any suggestions??

Hello All, I had a lap band revision to VSG on Oct 14 2009. As of today I'm down 76lbs. I just was wondering if anyone else has had experiences where you have "fallen" off the wagon so to speak. ie. had sugar and carbs and ever felt like someone was shoving a hot poker from your stomach back up your throat? I am concerened because I keep reading that if you do "fall off the wagon" you can strech your pouch. It also says you're only supposed to eat 2oz at a time. This concerns me greatly as I know I can eat at least 4oz. Anyone else experiencing these things? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks Kasey

I had my surgery back in November so its been a little over 7 months and I am officially down 151 lbs. Things have slowed down the past 4-6 weeks but it is still coming off. I definitely understand what everyone means by the "honeymoon" phase now and it really helps to lose as much as you can during that period. I've got 69 lbs to goal and I will have lost half my initial weight.

I'm so excited, I finally hit my first self goal... is was 4 days short, but I'm actually really good with that! Having so much to lose to begin with, 50 lbs actually hasn't changed much clothing wise (bummer my pants still fit the same even though people swear thats where I've lost it all)... For the most part I'm still wearing the same size... We did family pictures yesterday, I did go out and purchase a new top for that and it was a 26/28 instead of the 30/32 I've been purchasing for the past 5 plus years. Speaking of NSV I also noticed the other day I got into the passanger's seat of my car and buckled up... I told my husband/ driver that the seat belt was in a weird…

Hello everyone! My name is Amanda and this is my first post on VST [after a couple months of lurking daily]. I am 24 years old and started at 447.5 pounds. I have been obese most of my life. I lost 200 lbs in 2005, but gained it all back and some more after the death of my father. After not much success with further dieting I decided to have WLS. I am really nervous! Not nervous about the surgery but nervous about if it will work and if I will be able to keep off the weight. I have lost 36 pounds since the middle of June by sticking to the calorie and Protein intake my dietician recommended. I have my first appt with my surgeon this coming Tuesday!! I am nervous. I am …

After a stall at about 143 I'm finally at my personal goal weight in 19 weeks post-op. It looks like I'm having no trouble keeping my Kcal down so I expect to go lower. I know I'd never have accomplished this without the sleeve! My surgery is a secret so I cannot post photos but believe me.....it's amazing! What kinda of fitness goals do people set? It's nice to be working on something. I have no: fatigue, reflux or complications. My only compliant is hair loss which obviously is considered normal.

Can the band be taken out and the sleeve done in one surgery or are they done separately? I am changing insurance in January and will be scheduling a consult ASAP but the thought crossed my mind tonight so I thought I would ask. Thanks!