Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

I just thought I would start a December 2010 page! I am having my sleeve on December 20, 2010 in Houston, TX with Dr. Nowzaradan. My surgery is a revision from lapband to the sleeve. Please share your date so we can support each other as our special day approaches. Thanks!

I was sleeved back on 7/22 and even though I haven't had any complications, no nausea, able to get my liquids and protein in and no pain, I had absolutely NO ENERGY. Thank goodness I am retired because there was no way I could have gone to work. Now that I am in week 6 I suddenly feel like a new man. I can walk a mile with no problem. This is miraculous. I have a handicapped placard for my car since I couldn't walk into work from the parking lot without huffing and puffing. I have lost almost 50 pounds and I now know for sure that this was the right decision. I went to the doctor last week and he says no heavy workouts for another 6 weeks, but I am ready now. If …

HEY CHALLENGERS!! Our new challenge thread is here! Go git um y'all!! First day begins July 5th and the Challenge ends on September 5th (Labor Day). That's exactly 2 months... we can do this!!! ____________________________________________ SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal LilMissDiva.....???..................???............172.............???

So, I'm trying to decide what my ultimate goal should be- I can't seem to come to any conclusion. On my ticker it says 130, but honestly I think I'd be ok with 150, maybe even 170. I've never even been as small as I am right now. I'm 5'3 and 19 years old- any ideas for a goal? I had surgery april 6th, and have recently had a slowing weight loss- averaging 1.5 lbs a week, opposed to the 2.5 it was.. What I've just been doing is setting small goals and figuring out how I feel when I get to them. For example, my next small goal is 180- 14 lbs away. But I don't see myself being satisfied there. Hmmm. What did your surgeon give you for your goal weight?

Hi Kids!! I want to start this out by saying CONGRATULATIONS AND WELCOME!! With that out of the way, I would like to offer some advice that I found to be extremely helpful when I was going through all of this back in July! First, as hard as I know it is, try not to get too worked up the days before surgery. Your anxiety gets the best of you, and your hormones go all crazy because of it. This can cause some emotional distress, and make you grumpy, when you don't really have to be. Second, when packing for the hospital, don't go crazy. Chapstick is a MUST, a small firm pillow, clean undies, and a change of clothes. You will be in a hospital gown the entire time and it …

Hi there! Anyone going for surgerie week of Nov. 1st with Dr. Kelly from belite.com???

I am now 23 days out and have not lost a pound in 6 days..... wht is going on? I really only eat 500 or less calories a day. this is crazy! plus I am walking/ running 3 days a week!

Okay, here I am 18lbs away from goal and I have not been holding myself accountable for what I eat or don't eat and what I do or don't do for exercise so that is going to change, NOW! Well actually I made this decision yesterday! LOL I haven't been to the gym for a few weeks (I mean like NO working out at all unless you could moving! LOL) and I have been really bad with food! I am going to try my darnest with food but I will say it's still a little more difficult as I don't know how to cook for one person and I don't usually eat leftovers! LOL My family will be back with me though in about 2 weeks! YAY! I can't wait to start cooking meals again! BUT one thing I ha…

Hi There Sleevers! This will be my first post Your stories are what keep me going, Im barely at the baby steps of my journey. I'm bummed out because every Doctor I have seen so far,thinks I've gone bonkers,because I want gastric sleeve surgery. I am 5'3" and weigh 227, great I lost 3 pounds Normally this would be a good thing right? I'm trying to maintain my "chubby" so I can have this needed tool to help me with long term weight loss and maitenence. My PCP and now the Pulmonary Doc I saw today say I am "too healthy" and not obese enough for WLS? WTH, Since when is my BMI of 40 not chubby enough? LOL To see me in person,I do not look super duper chubby,just big …

had my surgery on sept 1st (yep 4 days ago)... now awaiting a date for my gf Ericka Monae (who's also a member of the site). Cant wait to begin this healthy journey together.

Anyone sleeved thru the va? If so how long does it take from starting the move program to surgery day?

if u cant see the pic, they are on my page.....having hard time with this lol

I'll be getting my sleeve on September 6th! I can't wait! I was hoping for a little sooner, but I've got some personal stuff going on the next couple of weeks that can't be rescheduled. So the 6th it is! Woot!

Hi all- I'm the last of the August Sleevers and I made it home Friday. I stayed an extra night in the hospital b/c I was running a fever. I will say these last few days have been a bit of a challenge. The gas was really getting to me while I was in the hospital. I walked constantly hoping to get rid of it before I went home, but that didn't happen. Yesterday I finally got some relief from the gas, but then my cycle appeared 8 days early. Since I can remember I've had horrible cramps, so on top of having a testy stomach from the surgery I was also dealing with menstrual cramps. Ick. I feel much better today and I can't wait for Tuesday so I can get this drain out! It's s…

I have been apart of this community since December 2010. I don't post much but I read the posts daily. I live in Georgia, my surgeon is Dr. Christopher Hart and my surgery date was August 31, 2011 at 7:30 am. I was sent home the following day. I am currently drinking Protein shakes and unjury chicken Soup and lot's and lot's of Water. I am so happy to be on the losers bench and look forward to the next leg of this journey. My computer limits what I can access so my profile will be updated in a few weeks when I go back to work. My highest weight was over 500 and my pre-surgical weight was 479.

Is it normal to be able to eat more around "that time of the month"? I rarely get in 1000 calories but today I'm at a whopping 1300 cal, 66 carbs, and 85 Protein. I live in the area that is being hit by Tropical Storm Lee and maybe subconsiously I'm stressed about that. Weather is too bad to get out so I've been inside all day and bored.

Hey everyone, I will be getting the sleeve done in October, and I want to plan very far ahead. I am hoping some vsgers can help me make a checklist of things I am going to need post surgery. Thanks everyone!

Just curious if there are any others out there like me. I was sleeved at the end of April. I went thru a couple of stalls but managed to loose 42 lbs. In fact, I was just 6 lbs away from my goal! The last month or so the scale started creeping up. first 1-2 pounds then 3 and then this morning I have now gained 5 lbs. I know it is my fault. I am eating more, still only 3 meals a day and very limited snacks (if any) but I have over indulged occassionally (unfortunately to the point of pain). I certainly don't want to undo the hard work, and especially do not under any circumstances want my stomach to stretch out. I haven't been exercising so I know I need to get back on tra…

Well as of today I am down 30lbs. Still have that awful side stitch feeling and hurts like hell to bend over . Mainly pain on left side. the pain kind of wraps around my left side to back area. Grrrr. Becoming annoying to be honest.LOL. other than that. incisions are healing well. Little itching so I know they are healing. starting to get a little hunger off and on but nothing bad. And it takes very little to satisfy it. So I am happy so far. Once the pains are gone. I will start walking more etc. How is everyone else doing?

I had my surgery on 8/8. went home on 8/9. I went back to work Friday 8/12/11 for a half day. then back full time on Monday 8/15/11. pretty tired, but I walk the stairs at work each day to the 5th floor and walk with my husband or kids each night. when I got my staples out on the 16th. I had lost 14 pounds since 8/4. I have not weighted myself again, though. I removed all the scales from my house years ago. I suppose I will go buy one tonight. I have been tracking all my food and exercising using the my fitness pal app. it yells at me in red telling me I am eating to few calories..... I am averaging 250 a day. protien drinks make me so sick. I try to drink 2 or…

Hello everyone, I'm a newbie to all of this. I'm so glad I found this forum. I just heard of the Sleeve procedure yesterday and I've done nothing but research it for the last 24 hours. I have signed up for a Baylor Hospital Information Class next week but would like to know based on your experiences what questions I should ask? Based on your discussions you all seemed to have utilized Dr. Baker (aka Dr. McHottie) and I'll check into that practice as well but just want to know what things you consider important points to have covered. Thanks in advance.

I am beyond thankful for the success that I've experienced thus far and praise God for this opportunity to have a longer healthier life. The dilemma I have recently discovered is I've begun to question myself about the amount of enjoyment I get in talking about my WLS journey. I have always enjoyed sharing my story with others for a number of reasons. The most predominate reason though is that I have found so much encouragement form others as I was looking into and beginning my journey and I hope to be able to provide that encouragement to others. I really love sharing the adventure with others. With weight as the topic I feel I have been to the near extremes, I…

Good luck to all of those who are getting sleeved on July 20! 2ahealthierme singand_dance LeahG jennifer6791 PollyPoo Dee Dee I hope all goes smoothly for each of you and a speedy recovery. Please update us when you are able to.

Hi all, I have'nt posted in awhile, but this has been on my mind since before surgery. I had my VSG on july 27th 2011, so i'm a little over a month out. Things have been going good so far i've lost 30 lbs including 9 lbs pre-op. My worry and concern is when i hit my goal of 160 how do i stop losing weight?? I don't want to lose too much. I started out at 241 and now i'm 210. Does anyone else feel this way???

Wishing y'all a safe and smooth surgery and recovery experience. You will have some ups and downs but in the end you will be glad you did it! Good luck and best wishes!

So here I am almost 1 year out from surgery and as of last Friday I weigh 207 pounds, that makes a total of 137 pounds gone since the day of surgery . My surgery was Sept 2 and my birthday is August 31st, so I have a lot to celebrate :-). I'm making this post a little early because I'm going to be off for 13 days and I won't have access to a computer, hopefully when I come back I'll have pictures since I haven't uploaded any in awhile. This hasn't been easy by a long shot and for people that think it is I wish I could make them understand that it isn't. I've heard or had people comment and say "oh you took the easy way out", when they say that I just yell at them or bette…

Hello ladies or spouses of ladies who have experienced this, I am 54, and am on Estrogen replacement. I have read many stories of how people leave the hospital after surgery and are told to abruptly stop many, if not all medications. I am reaching the age of the natural change of life, although went through surgical menopause at 29. If anyone has had the experience of stopping HRT as part of the surgery, I would like to know the effects. I personally think using old, stored calories is enough of a challenge to start with, yet do I take advantage of this time to stop the HRT? I do not want the effects of menopause (lack of libido, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, mood swing…

Hi everyone, I am scheduled to have surgery on Monday, August 29 in Maryland. However, Hurricane Irene is making her approach to the DC Metro Area and will arrive this evening. We are expecting wind gust of up to 40-60 miles an hour later this evening and the electric companies have predictive major outages in the area for several days! I've been on a liquid diet for almost 2 weeks and I'm ready for surgery. At this point, I've lost my taste for food but I am also so very tired of Unjury shakes! I pray that my surgery will go forward on Monday and will be successful with no complication!

countdown to 9/6.. It's almost time.

My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow. I get confused after this. The patient advocate called this morning to tell me that I'm approved for surgery, BUT they only cover band and bypass. Which makes me go HUH? I am on military retired insurance and I know the sleeve is offered on base (where I DO NOT want to have this done) so we are all confused as to why it won't be covered out in town?!? She is a total sweetheart and feels that if all the red tape isn't straightened out by end of today, my surgery can happen this Thursday. Okay...I can live with snags and such...it's how life rolls at times. Thing is, I have to do a 24 liquid diet before the surgery. I know that's like…

Hey Everyone! I just wanted to check in an see how everyone is doing so far! I am on day 8 of me pre-op diet and so far I have lost another 6 pounds. If I can get to 227 which is 3 lbs away in six days, I will be one of the happiest people on the planet! I want to hit that Labor Day goal! I am getting so psyched about this surgery. It has definitely been energy draining and at times extremely difficult, but we are almost in September!

Hello all, This is my first group to join and being 6- (I've dropped the other number) now, I feel I can be a genuine member of this group! I just completed my 6 month program and still need to lose 3 pounds to get my referral for VSG surgery. I am happy with my decision and I am excited so far with my new journey. I will enjoy traveling along with you on yours or will certainly enjoy your company while on mine. Thank you for starting this group!

I'm not sure if this is the right forum for my question, but I am posting here. I am 10 months post op, and have been at the same weight for the last 6 weeks. Can anyone else tell me if this is common, if they have experienced it, and what I can do to remedy this? I have lost 112lbs to date, and have another 50 to reach my goal weight, and I have become very depressed because of the lack of weight loss. HELP!!!

Hi There, I was sleeved on April 19th of this year. At the 3 week mark, I hit a plateau, and lost nothing. It lasted almost 3 weeks. I then began losing again, until the 3 month mark. For the entire third month, I lost almost nothing. As soon as I entered my 4th month, I started losing again. I'm beginning to fear the number 3. Hopefully, I won't have to worry again until year 3!

Hello, I’m having my revision surgery on Sept. 8th (originally scheduled for July 12th but postponed due to dr. suddenly retiring – very long story). Anyway, my one worry, that I just can’t seem to shake, is although I had success on the band (lost 90 lbs originally, have gained 10 back) I realized that I didn’t always follow the rules and I’m afraid that I’ll do the same on the sleeve. I know it’s ultimately up to me, that I need to be committed, BUT having been overweight all my life, it’s really hard to change my ways. On the band, sometimes I find myself eating when I know it will hurt, what kind of crazy is that? Sometimes I feel so guilty, because I think my…

I've been watching vlogs on youtube for those who had the sleeve (or other surgeries). I wondered if there is some kind of official group etc. for this or is it just individuals. A few years ago I was part of a group called Gut2cut which was just a weight loss community on youtube. People would join the group and upload their videos to the group. That way people could find each other. Is there something similar or does everyone just upload and tag their videos with vsg and eventually people find each other? Thanks!

Vote here for the September team name! Only 15 days until September!!

I tried searching, but couldn't figure out the right words to get an answer. I'm almost 3 months out and have had absolutely no issues until this past week. It seems like everything/everytime I eat I'm having much more nausea than I've ever had (really none up to this point). One morning I ate cottage cheese, just like I do almost every day, and immediately threw up. Several times since, I'm getting really gurgly stomach, sweating, and feeling sick to my stomach. This has been going on for about a week. There's no "pain", just nausea. It's making me extremely uninterested in eating or drinking anything. It's just so strange, up to this point, I've really had such…

Hey everybody, I know I am technically not in my twenties yet but I thought I might as well join b/c I will be in a few months! I am brand new to the sleeve. I have done some research and I am still looking into it. It seems like a great alternative to the bypass, but some of my family members are still giving me a hard time about doing any kind of surgery. I have tried every other stinking diet, exercise, and "mojo potion" there is! I am so tired of trying everything there is like that. I recently just switched doctors and that who is the one who recommended to look into is because she has it done for herself. She was also explaining to me how the reason why I haven't b…

Just wandering how to measure my salad?? I put a 1/2 cup or less of lettuce , a serving of chicken, a few slices if cucumbers, a little cheese, almonds , cranberries( just a few) seems like it makes a humongous bowl?? Does this seem like too much????

Need some moral support and feedback from some of the older slivers:-). I'm 18 months out and have put on five lbs (coming out of the holidays). Trying to get my head back in the game; however this is bribing up old junk!!! How many calories a day are folks eating and what is the Quality of food? Alcohol? Just need some reality checks so I can refocus...Thanks

Hi everyone. I was sleeved on Wednesday and the surgeon released me to come home yesterday. He was hesitant about whether to have me stay an extra night, but when I said I'd rather go home, he was cool with that. I feel so much better at home than I did at the hospital, so it was definitely the right decision. I've been keeping up on my pain and nausea medications and that has helped. I did have some nausea problems in the hospital and threw up twice. Not that there was much of anything to throw up, but the heaving was very painful, and I'm still sore in some extra parts because of it. Overall the pain hasn't been bad. Except for the gas pain the first night. …

I just watched a youtube video of a lady who said that she didn't eat very much over the weekend and as a result of that her sleeve tightened up so much that she could barely eat or drink anything at all for a few days until it loosened back up. Anyone ever heard of this? I have found that there are times when I feel like my sleeve is tight and other times where I feel that I can eat a lot.

I am wondering if anyone else ever had to have a tube through your nose because you were dehydrated or not able to eat? I had to have one placed on tuesday because in was so dehydrated and couldnt keep anything down and was just vomitting for 2 weeks. I'm feeling so much better but my dr won't take the tube out until I can eat 800 to 900 calories on my own. Now my problem with eating food is I'm sure I can because I want to eat for the first time in so long but this tube down my throat makes me gag as it is I'm scared to eat food with it in. I don't want to lie and say I can eat and then not tolerate food once I have the tube out and have them put it right back in. Has an…

I am 4 weeks and 4 days post surgery. I was wondering how long it takes for the swelling to go down around your new tiny tummy? I think I am about a week or so behind on the healing process due to having an infection on day 4 post op until day 10. Could this affect my tummy swelling? I respect and appreciate all the VSG veterns, that is why I am posing this question here. I do have a follow up appointment with my surgeon on Sept 6. Just wanted to know before hand. Thanks for your help. Sheila

Good Morning to all! I was sleeved on Aug. 25th. Everything went well. They removed a hiatial hernia also. In recovery one of the nurses pissed me off, telling me I can groan or moan there were other people in there too. I hadnt been so out of it I might have done something to here. I h=kept telling her I felt sick and she took forever to do anything about it so i pucked. So he had to clean my puke up and chage my gown. I was a sleepyhead that whole day practiaclly. I walked later that evening. Friday and Saturday was better. Had the test to make sure there wasnt a leak or snything and all was fine. They took the drain out on Saturday. It felt like they wer…

Ok dumb question.. those of you that had lap band removed and vsg done- after you healed did you ever feel like you still had the band in you or that you could still feel your port?? We are so attached to it that I find it in my mind hard to think of not having it...

I found out today that the Aetna plan my employer uses does not cover WLS. I live in Orange County and would like to ask those of you who are willing to answer this: What did self-pay cost you? AND, did the amount you were quoted cover everything or was the hospital in addition to the cost you were given? I have an appointment with a group in Newport Beach that charges $18K all inclusive. Thank you!

Come join us if you are already sleeved, newly sleeved or considering VSG surgery. Cedar Creek Park 6709 Cedar Creek Road, Corona, CA, US, 92880 OK so let's meet here July 9th at 11am Everyone bring your chair, and pack a lunch

I had band surgery in February... I am a little over 6 mos post op and if it wasn't for my scar and the fluoro machine showing I have something in me - I would bet my paycheck there's nothing there. I've never had stuck issues, pb's, any sort of pain. Literally it's exactly like I was pre-op. Good news is I haven't GAINED any weight... I wish I would of had the $ in the first place to get a Sleeve, but it took all I had to scrape up $ for the bamd... Dr Aceves was my doctor and I LOVE him, he is great. I am more depressed than ever now... I feel like a failure times 10. I have 7.25cc's in my band (I have the big one)... had about 6 fills at $200 a pop.... Going to lo…