Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

OK I went to Mexico to have my surgery and everything went great on June 5th. And I would not change one thing. But I found myself wanting to eat snacks that are not healthy. I do try to get in 45-6o grams of protein. I need to do better on my water intake. Can someone who went to there regular doctor pass me on some good things to be doing. Or where I should be at or ask me questions so I can answer then to see where I'm going wrong. Please every one help me I'm all ears.. I hear alot of people talking about going to SAM'Sclub getting some healthy snacks... Please help me out.

Scheduled for sleeve surgery in a.m.! IT'S FINALLY HERE! I am excited yet anxious about the post-op pain. Hopefully it's not worse than childbirth w/no pain meds. Anybody else out there goin in tomorrow? I'm from Oklahoma - I need a buddy but they don't necessarily hafta be from Oklahoma. I have 77 lbs to lose for my goal weight of 135 lbs. And can anybody tell me how to attach that ticker thing that shows ur weightloss timeline?

I'm new to VST. I am scheduled to be sleeved on 9/4/12. I am 35 and happy I finally found a tool to help me live my life healthy.

I'm down 15 lbs since my surgery last Monday (Aug 27th). That seems like too much weight to lose in a week. Is this normal?

Any Alabama sleevers out there? Results? Doctors?

Hi Everyone! How much time should a person take off from work? My surgery facilitator told me I would be able to go back to work 3 days after my sleeve surgery. Also, where do Mexico surgery patients go for post-op check-ups?

HI group members~~ It's been kind of quiet so I wanted to try and open the discussion up a bit. Let's introduce ourselves, tell where we are in our process, pre-op diets, etc and use this thread as a motivational tool for our upcoming surgeries I'll start. I'm 4 days into my pre op diet, scheduled 3/6/12 with Dr. Mann at Portsmouth Naval Hospital, Virginia. Right now I'm taking it minute by minute then hour by hour. That is the best I can do right now.

Hi everyone. my name is Alene I had a gastric ban put in 5 years ago. I lost 40 pounds and in the process was throwing up every week and got a horrible case of gastric reflex. I went to my surgeon and said,” take the thing out of me” and he said what you need is the gastric sleeve. I'm willing to try it and I'm doing my research but I'm really getting shy about having another procedure done in case it doesn't work. I guess I'm just really scared.

Just wanted to meet some new people on the twenties section of this forum. Everyone is so supportive. I don't really know how to become buddies on this site so someone buddy me and we can chat! Id love to hear what life is like for people my age lol Thanks

Ok guys just got surgery on june 25th. Still on fluids and am having trouble getting them down but thats not my biggest problem right now. I am FREAKEN OUT!!!! Will i be able to eat a slice of bread again?? Will I be able to eat a baked potatoe again?? Will I be able to drink alcohol again?? Will I be able to ever eat a sub or a sandwich again?? I know this seems stupid but I have all of these fears right now. I'm not looking to eat any of the above anytime soon but I fear I wont be able to have some guilty pleasures ever again. And what about diet cola on ocassion?? I just want to be normal again......

I was wondering if any of you were aware " In fact, African American women's risk factors did not increase until they reached a BMI of 33 or more and a WC of 38 inches or more." I know we always felt that BMI was wrong. So Obese is normally a BMI of 25 but for African-American women it is not until your BMI is 33. It is in large due to the way our body fat is distributed amongst our body. I know we all considered this surgery to get healthy. So for many of us healthy as an African American Women is truly different as it is for other women. If you are using normal BMI standards and not taking into an account that it is like 3 points higher for African American Women you …

Good morning! So, today is my 6 year loc-versary, and yesterday, I started taking them down. This is kind of a big deal, since i have no idea what I'm going to do with loose hair--it's been so long! I guess worst case scenario I can just start a new set of locs--thicker this time. I've been thinking about taking them down for a while, partially because I didn't get the length I was hoping to have by now (I must not be doing a great job taking care of them, or maybe my hair just grows really slowly). The other reason is just that I've been feeling like I'm ready for a change. 6 years is a long time--6 years ago I was still in grad school and a lot has changed since th…

I was sleeved on May 21st. I'm off all food restrictions. However, I am NEVER hungry. I have to force myself to eat. And when I do eat, I can literally eat only an ounce of food..maybe two on a good day. I am not complaining about that, except that I worry I am not getting hardly any nutrition. I don't want to live on Protein shakes to supplement what I can't eat. Does your tolerance for food increase with time? If so, when is that going to happen?

O i was revised to the sleeve on monday the 27th. Thngs have been getting progressivly better with minor setbacks that have left me in the hospital until today, in fact i am going to digning my dc papers. I have been sooooo pleased with vcu health because they really put my health and safety in the forefront. I ahve a couple of issues that maybe some already sleeved can answer. I have been having pain in the center of my chest, kinda like heart pain. It is made worse when i take a deep breath. Thw doctors tested me for pulmonary embolism and heart condition and everything is perfect. I am chalking it up to gas pain but wanted to know if anyone else had experienced this. T…

I thought I would get a jumpstart on smoothing out my soon-to-collapse backside. What are you doing to celebrate the future you?

This morning I got on the scale and arrived at a big milestone weight - or should I say a weight that was a 'setpoint' for a long time. It is the weight that my husband and I both weighed when we met in the late 1990's, and he has never seen me at a lower weight in person, only in photos from loooong ago. It is also what I weighed when I moved to NYC in 1993. It is a weight where the scale tends to want to stick and I have many of those - some of which surgery blasted through 283, 262, and now I am once again 240 - next ones, 233, 211, 202, 198, 155 - wow some of those were a very long time ago and have not seen them in decades. It should be interesting to see if the sc…

in one day? just sayin' Boy I love these suckers, and I'm allowed to eat!! I think I had 4 of the Edy's today (my favorite).

I had been considering the Lap Band for a long time. I did alot of research and finally attended a Weight Loss Seminar. After going to the Seminar, I completely changed my mind. I am now going to have the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Several reasons have actually contributed to this decision. The VSG is MUCH more appealing to me. I do not want to have to worry about slippage, erosion, fills, etc. Nor do I want to have the foreign objects in my body. But what also affected my decision was my insurance company's lack of willingness to pay AND the Surgery Center's lack of compassion. My first choice for WLS (for the Lap Band) was Southwest Medical Center in Lafayette, LA. Wh…

My surgeon is very large. I want to ask him why he hasn't had surgery. Isn't that odd?

Hello I just wanted to know what to expect. I hear gas pains are the worse but what does it feel like? And how did your stomach area feel? Do not sugar coat anything please lol I just want to know ( I think ) and when did all the pain go away? I understand everyone is different so all input would be appreciated. Thank you

Due to hectic work schedules and a new restaurant opening on every corner, Americans are eating out more than ever. According to the National Restaurant Association, Americans are dining out at least 4 times per week and the rate of obesity continues to climb. As a whole, we spend one billion dollars a day eating out, which averages out to be $1,117 per person per year. This is a huge amount of money that would be saved by just eating at home versus out. So what’s the solution to the problem? Refuse to eat out? Americans don’t have to say “no” to eating out all together, but you can start to familiarize yourself with menus and learn to choose healthy items while dining …

So I'm 5'7" with about 100 pounds to lose. Just curious what kind of progress/timeframe I might expect. I know I play a big part in my success and I plan on being a poster child for following directions. I see people losing 100 pounds in a few months, but I'm guessing they probably have more to lose. If you had about 100 pounds to lose, what did your first few months look like in terms of success? Thx!

Hello hoping to get some advice and support. I am 4mo 2 wk out and I am having trouble. I was told I should stick to 800calories a day no more than 20 carbs a meal 4 meals a day, I try my hardest to stick to this an I am also going to gym at least 5 times a week and three of those times I go twice a day, I do cardio and core and weight training but stall on the weight loss up and down a pound, I have also found my self hungrier and snacking on weekends. M-F I do great 10 + cups of water and all. The last two weeks I've only lost 3# I feel I was loosing more before surgery . I also measure myself and waist line has remained the same for the past 3 weeks. Please help

Hi Folks, A brief synopsis of my situation. I was banded in 2007 at 210 pounds (self pay) The band was always problematic for me and I lost a great deal of weight because of the huge amount of discomfort I suffered. My goal weight was 120 pounds and I reached it and actually dipped below that to 115 because my band was too tight. Fills were difficult and expensive to schedule so I suffered. In June of this year (2012) I went to the hospital for a fill because the previous fills seemed to have no effect. It was discovered that the band was cracked at the juncture point and had partially opened and slipped down over the bottom portion of my stomach. Emergency surgery was p…

I have been debating telling my inlaws about my surgery. My family and close friends know but it feels like I'm almost hiding something from them not telling them. DH's family except for him and his brother are all morbidly obese and proud of it, everything about them revolves around food. Anyway, right now they think I'm just been on the liquid diet and having surgery to fix my hiatal hernia which is only half a lie I suppose. It's kind of funny because the 12 days of liquid diet I've been on so far we visited them twice and both times she made a chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream which is my favorite and she NEVER makes when they all knew I was on this diet. I sipp…

One of my best friends from high school just joined this site, she is having her surgery Sept 4th at U.C.Davis in Sacramento and I would like everyone to welcome her and give her support on her upcoming surgery! Love ya Sonya....you will do great!

So I'm almost 3 months out. Down 60 pounds including pre-op, and all along I was told that there would be times when a new food would bother me. I've not yet allowed myself a cheat meaning bread, burgers, anything breaded or fried. But I've not had one moment where I've felt sick or known I couldn't eat anything. 2-3 oz of anything and I'm still fine. Mind you it's all been protein(eggs, nuts, chicken, shrimp). I'm not sure if this is a blessing or a curse. What happens when I want to try something sweet, or fried?

I was so excited getting the band and my family knew how happy I was to get the band....well the first 2 months I lost 30 lbs I was so happy and so were the ones closest to me. Eventually I started getting the urge to eat wrong foods such as pizza pasta fried food etc...I would get stuck but once the feeling went away I would continue to eat even if i threw up. My appetite was crazy. I got pregnant 5 months after being banded but kept my 6 cc in my band. I only gained 20 lbs whole pregnancy. I started gaining weight after pregnancy I can now eat a whole sub like I did post op. I had the band since feb 11. I weighed 229 day of surgery I am now 222. I felt like such a failu…

Need something new in my life to keep me occupied I'm already in the gym 5 days a week and have 2 awesome kids to chase around just need something else not sure what though a hobby of some sort....

Today I am at the hositpal getting all the fluid taken out of my band and all I keep thinking is wow I hope I don't gain back all of the 40lbs I lost while going threw all this stuff for my insurance approval !

Hello I am having my gastric sleeve on Oct 2, I am only taking 11 days of vacation one being the day before to get ready. I can take a medical leave but dont want it to seem suspect because I am choosing to keep my choice private. Therefore, I decided to take a vacation of 11 days to heal. I am a very strong individual and can take pain, am I doing myself an unjust by just taking a vacation verses a leave? I work in a sale phone store which requires no lifting but a lot of standing and some walking.

x

Hi All, I was sleeved just over 6 months ago and I am struggling with the "Perfect" goal weight. Here is the deal...I have a history of failing every diet I have ever tried. (I know this is a lifestyle change not a diet..yada yada) I have a little success then I quit, that has been my life. I chose this surgery so I couldn't fail. Now I am feeling like a failure again. I have lost 80 pounds and feel amazing. I feel thin and beautiful and love wearing new clothes. I am about 20 pounds from my goal of 150 pounds but feel really good where I am at. My doctors still tell me I am overweight, my Nut wants me to increase my calories to lose more weight. I jog the soccer fields …

Have been doing great 9 days out and I just started having horrible pain in my left shoulder. I have a heating pad on it now. ????

:ph34r:

Hi everyone!! Just wanted to say this is a great community that I just had to join I plan on surgery sept 26th in tj Mexico as self pay. I'm nervous but so ready to have a life again. Any advice is very welcome!! God bless!

I'm so upset, frusterated, discouraged, and PISSED. I have lost 73 pounds in 6 months. From 281 pounds to 208 pounds. From a size 26 to a size 18. Not one person has commented on my weightloss. REALLY? This sucks!!!!

I'm having my procedure done locally, so plz forgive me for my ignorance, but where do you all go for follow-up appointments? I would have posted this in the Mexico area, but I figured I'd reach out to my closest buds who are awaiting their procedure!

I am 49, single, live in the NW burbs of Chicago and looking for a special man (or a group of people) to have fun with, go for walks, laugh, and not eat a lot together! This is a new start on life and a little bit of loving and friendship can't hurt! Hope to hear from you! Amy

I need to get my labs work done and do not have a family doctor (just moved recently to Lethbridge). Can anyone recommend a physician in lethbridge that is taking new clients?

Went to get my Surgery Release letter and they would not give it to me due to the fact that my WBC was slightly elevated...DA said very minute...but she wanted to check with my regular MD first before giving me the letter...do you think they will not do the surgery on Tuesday cause of this...I am very upset about it and want this done!!! Just beside myself!!!

I must confess, cake is my weakness. Plain cake, nothing fancy. chocolate with choc or white icing, carrot or spice with cream cheese icing, white cake with chocolate icing. I love cake, oh, and my mom's "Butter" cake, it's the best pound cake ever!! You get the picture. Well, this summer has been horrible for me, I managed to gain between 4 and 5 lbs, depending on the day. Family reunion, vacation and company here at our house has just about killed me. Sweets at every turn, and potato salad....things that are not normally kept at our house. These are things that I DO indulge in occasionally, just like a 'normal' person, but I don't bake a lot here at the house, unl…

I think I had a gallstone attack today. Painful and right spot. It lasted about an hour. I called surgeon and made an appt with my gen phys. If it is my gall bladder must it come out? Not loving the thought of another surgery so soon

I am scheduled for a revision from Lapband to sleeve on September 17th and the closer I get, I am feeling more and more nervous. For two reasons: Reason One: I am AFRAID of suffering a terrible complication. (I have read some real scary stories on here and all I can do is hope and pray that these poor souls will feel better soon.) But if I am doing this surgery to enrich my life, it is complete irony to come out of it suffering with chronic pain or end up on a feeding tube. Reason Two: I am really note sure what to expect by way of restriction. Can anyone describe what Sleeve Restriction feels like after they are fully healed? Is it pain? Is it nausea? If…

So I've spent 10k on this procedure, gone through some discomfort & told far to many lies to people about how I'm losing weight then I get on the scales this morning & I've gained 1kg......WTF????

Plate, utensil, or other kitchen device that helps you stay on your diet? Mine is my Longaberger Pottery coffee cup. Half of the coffee cup is 1/4 to 1/2 cup depending on the food I put in it. It's perfect portion control for me. Anybody else have a favorite they would like to share?

I recently started to take Biotin 5000 mcg a day because my hair is thinning really bad. Has anyone here taken biotin for hair, skin or nails? Does it work? My worry is that once I have surgery the few strands of hair I have left will fall out.

I had my band removed 11 months ago. Was sleeved Dec 12th 2011, just over 8 months ago. I started at 308, and this morning I weighed in at 200.2 pounds! I am so close to leaving the 200s behind me forever!!! It is just so exciting!!! I am still overweight, but i now longer look or move like the huge person I used to be. This photo is from yesterday - life is good!

Hi! I am 3 months out and only 30 lbs down. I need help in what I should eat. I've been eating what I serve my toddler. About same amount However I do skip meals. I feel very discouraged. I do walk and exercise regularly but I'm so worried that I can't do this. I feel like people that know I got the surgery are constantly watching me and just sizing me up wondering why I'm not losing. I'm just having a hard time and need to reset and help.

Am 5 yrs out and eating everything in sight since I had my son....