Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

Hi there, I am 7 mouths post op and feeling GREAT! I am actually meeting with a couple of other sleevers in the area about once a week as our own little support system. Would love to have anyone join us! We usually meet on Mon or Wed and get a shared bite to eat. I figure navigating eating out is something we need to learn and we have great conversation and support each other.

Since this is the very first post, I'd like to formally WELCOME: feedyoureye Foxbins hugsamber kellyw74 lsereno meggiep MLD mnbsleeve (newbie sleever!!!) My Life as Liz Ovalcutie chef neil (joined today!!!) moongirl (joined this week!!!) singand_dance (joined this week!!!) WELCOME WELCOME WELCOME!!!!! I would give everyone doughnuts, but well... that probably wouldn't be a good idea.

For those of you still pre-op and post-op that remember, do you fill like you want or wanted to eat every and anything because you knew after surgery or right before surgery it all stops. I have the 6 months PCP visits (4th one coming up June 13) and all I want to do is eat. I know I can not do this closer to surgery time and after surgery. It is like I know I will have to let go of a lot of different foods and I want to enjoy them for the last time as much as possible. I hope I don't sound crazy! LOL! Did anyone else feel like they were eating a two story house with a farm and animals and the legs off the kitchen table for dessert, prior to surgery? I know I can…

So Dr. O's diet restrictions lighten up at 3 weeks BUT I am too scared to eat. I know it sounds crazy but I take the smallest bites of mashed potato - which is the thickest thing I have had so far. I was living on broth, SF pop and thin cream soups. I moved onto mashed potatoes but that's it. My last visit with the NP I was told to start eating. Imagine that?!?! Me? Not eating and having to be told to eat?!?! There is some comfort in full liquids - they feel good going down. And warm soups feel very good!!! So yeah, there is a bit of fear about trying new foods and testing out my new tiny tummy. Any advice for this big chicken sleever?!?!

Hi everyone,My name is Holly and I'm going to be having my surgery on June 28th. I am very thrilled about this and I am so thankful to God for allowing this to happen. My grandmother has blessed me with the money to pay for this surgery as my insurance would not approve it. I'm 400 pounds plus a few so I'm definitely going to be relying on faith, God, and encouragement from others to get me going in the right direction. My good friend had this surgery 2 years ago ( was bigger than me) and has currently lost 250 lbs. He was cured of lung disease (which is a miracle since they say it's incurable), diabetes, CPAP etc. He has been an inspiration and mentor to me. I real…

So, I'm here! I have 11 pounds to go! Finally broke my 5 month still at 150. thought I was going to have to change my goal weight to be 150 that my body was just going to rebel and stay there forever. But, for some reason, not too sure, I just started losing again. Here is a little back story. I started this journey in 2007, a year after my twins were born at the highest weight of 241. I got my crap band on Feb 8, 2008. I got down to 169 with that and really like it, but hated the constant fill, unfill every other month! Then my son got sick in 2009, cancer, and I'm going to assume that my band was just a bit too tight. throw in the stress of almost losing a kid,…

I am a pediatric Dental Assistant. I am planning to be out of work for 18 days. Is this enough time off? I am up and down from a chair. no lifting ,1 day a week on my feet. Only a four day week. I am just wanting to make sure my time off is adequate! Thanks for any input!

Hi i am aminah i also will be sleeved on 7/12/11 Dr.Alec Beekley @ THOMAS JEFFERSON HOSPITAL IN PHILADELPHIA,P.A

I need help letting go, food has been my escape and friend for my entire life. Now, I am waiting on insurance approval and date for my sleeve procedure and I'm scarde. Fear, I know, is my will trying to predict outcome, control my situation. I am 14 years clean and sober (on March 15), food has taken the place of my drugs and alcohol addiction. Actually, food has probably always been my drug of choice. My weight is about 260, and worse than that I feel awful. My husband is almost 300 lbs, and also going through the process of having a sleeve surgery. We are both active in AA and NA, but have not let go of food addiction. What will my life be like when I can'…

Ok, this is my first blog on the site, and it may be a bit negative, but it is a subject taht breaks my heart, and I can't really share it with my family, so here i go.... I have had a best friend since 1991 almost 20 years now. We were like sisters, and pretty much the typical joined at teh hip and shared a brain kind of thing. Every now and then, we butted heads, but she had such a strong personality,and i just caved a lot. We lost touch after my son was born in 2000 for very dramatic and personal reasons. I thought we would never speak again, but in 2007 we picked back up where we left off like nothing ever happened. Now, since 2007, she has ditched me for one dumb …

Hi all, I'll be at tonight's WLS Support Group at Kaiser Fremont from 6-8 p.m. I'd love to see some fellow VSTers there. The meeting is free and is open to all. It's in the Niles Building on the Kaiser Fremont campus at 39400 Paseo Padre Parkway, Fremont CA 94538. The Support Group meets in a Conference Room in the Niles East building (campus map at http://mydoctor.kaiserpermanente.org/ncal/facilities/region/gsaa/area_master/locations_directions/FRE-CM.jsp) Lynda

I had Gastric Sleeve 6/10 and did very well for the first six months. Down 62 pounds. I also have Rhuematoid Arthritis and was put on some medications with weight gain as side effects. Now I am 1 yr post op and I'm only down 45 pounds from my starting weight. Very depressed and feel like my stomach has stretched. I can eat way more that I should be able too. I have altered some of my meds and hoping that will help, but I feel hungry and crave things I never did! Help!!! What do I do if I am stretched, and how can I get back on track???

I decided a few days ago to have the sleeve done in a very near future, I have been researching the procedure and have found some great information about it. What I would like to know is what to really expect the week after being discharged from the hospital, is your stomach swollen, how long does it hurt for, are you on bed rest, things like that. I know everybody is different, but I would like to have an idea of what to expect. Thank you for taking the time to answer, Paola

Hi All! Jax thanks for the message and checking up on me! I am fine and doing well. I'll be 8 weeks post next Tuesday and have my Dr appointment on June 30. Anxious to see what his scales say. Clothes sure are fitting better and some are falling off!!! Lol I'm actually in the Caribbean this week on a 60th Birthday Bash girlfriend trip! Wow, this has been a tough one! Glad to be heading home to "normalcy"...whatever that is! For me it will be a week if shakes as my new little tummy is feeling the effects of too much everything!!! Love you guys and promise to stay in touch!! Off to take some cipro. Barb

I am officially starting my "Back on Track" plan tomorrow. But wanted to post all my bad habits so that I could remind myself what "not" to be doing. 1) I've been forgetting Breakfast, or grabbing sugary carbs to eat on the run. Fix: Set out Protein Shake and sliced fruit to grab on the go. No more sodas from the gas station. 2) Snacking on carby crap. NO MORE. I will pack and bring my meals to work, errands, etc. Protein first then fresh sliced veggies (I can't stand mushy veggies.) 3) My worst habit of all....Snacking in bed at night while watching tv. I am going back to just sipping herbal "Sleepy Time " Tea while in bed. Or, I will get up and fold clothes while w…

We are looking for fellow, "Jewels of June" AKA: anyone getting sleeved in June '11. My surgery is scheduled for June 6th in Middletown, NY. I had my last consult with my surgeon this morning and set all of my pre-op appointments. I guess this is really going to happen. Wooo Hooo!!!! Everyone who is on "The Losers' Bench", make room. THE JEWELS OF JUNE ARE COMING!!!!!

This was moved to the social group at or near goal.

Ok, I have to vent a little then I am going to get over this. This weekend I went on a river float trip with two of my friends from work. One is a doc in the ER with me and another is a nurse, also from the ER. They both know about my surgery and since it has been almost a year since I had it done, it seems like it should be a non-issue. Maybe it was just me, but all weekend seemed to be full of these little comments from them...."is that all you are going to eat?" "oh, I suppose you are full already", "you pick where we are going to eat, you are the one with restrictions" Mostly, I tried to just ignore them, but it really SUCKED! On the way home, we were talking…

Yesterday I went to get my nails done. My nail tech ( which is my hair dresser too.) had a new customer. She has the lap band. Well it was my turn and I was discussing how two co workers are almost there to be sleeved. And the new lady commented oh you have the sleeve??!!! I said yes I do. And I just love it!!! She proceeded to tell me of all the problems she is having. If she swallows air and she has eaten she has to make herself throw up. I just thought to myself how horrible. I almost got the band. Soooo glad I didn't. Anyway she told me how she wanted the sleeve but BCBS of Florida did not cover it as it was not FDA approved. I just felt bad. Now here is the kicker...…

Doc was kind enough to put me on mushies. As reported, I had an egg (that took over an hour to eat). So I started thinking...what to do? Ah-HA!!! Make egg salad and blend it until it's mushy. Tastes SOOO good! At first, I made deviled eggs, but the whites were a bit much for me. Use a child's spoon to eat with. Even a teaspoon seems to be too much for me. But a child's size (toddler) spoon won't allow me to overeat. It's just enough and forces me to eat at a relative pace. Keep sipping the Water. I know we are not supposed to drink while eating, but my mouth gets really dry sometimes. So I take a true sip every once in awhile...and I mean SMALL sip, just to clear the…

Ugh, here I've lost 150lbs and want to lose about 35 - 40 more. . . of course the going is really slow and I've started literally dieting . . . following a 1000 calorie ADA meal plan but now guess what satan is doing to me. . . HEAD HUNGER This is really bad now, guess cause the diet has me eating carbs or something. . . but i stop everytime it happens and "listen" if my gut is really hungry or not. . .if not good. I used to be able to say "deal with it" but now it's so bad that if i don't get the food i'm craving (usually black licorice) I feel like i'm going to die! Literally! I drink TONS (not ounces) of water to help combat this with no relief. . . I am so blessed…

Hi Everyone!!! A am now sleeved!!!! The first day in the hospital was rough. Yesterday was the second day and wasn't allowed to go home till after 10pm. MD wanted to be sure I was pushing fluids and... sorry.... passing gas. I also had /have quite a bit of Nausea. Got home last night around midnight. Hubby went out to a 24 hour pharmacy to get me pain meds. They could not dispense them at the hospital. I have alegies to morphine and vicoden so they prescribed demerol & percocet. Any way, poped one of those and another med for nausea and to sleep I went around 1pm. Slept well and now sipping, sipping,walking ... :-) Feeling much better. I had a substantial hiatal her…

Hi guys, I'm really freaked out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Surgery is Monday 7am. Tomorrow I start two days of only clear fluides. I've been on combo of liquid shakes and 4oz lean protein and cup of vegies for dinner for the past two and a half weeks. I'm hungry and I'm scared!!!! This board is full of good info and great experiences. TODAY there appeared to be a slew of bad experiences. Someone that maybe dehydrated, someone that can't eat.... Holly Cow!!!! I got in when I got home and read this and called my husband asking him if I should cancel. I don't want to be "sick" guys. I know it's surgery and it has its issues... I am realistic.... but I don't want to screw up my life. …

For all those buddies here who are struggling, lets grab the bull by the horns and get with the program and get this sleeve rocking again. . . . READY, I'm starting my 5 day pouch test (you can type it into the browers and it pops up with the plan) Day Dreamer posted this absolutely beautiful receipe for a protein shake with coffee that is to die for and will definately get me through the first 2 days. . . if we can get through this 5 days guys we can do anything! Come on and follow me. . . lets see how strong we are, WE CAN DO THIS . . . . READY, SET, GOOOOO Good luck

So I thought this would be a great place to put how I am feeling. Be warned it is a little bit of a rant for things that I still wish I could do or miss doing. I am currently about 6 weeks out and just wonder if this was the best decision. I did a lot of preperation mentally for this, but I don't think you can ever be quite ready for what you are in for. I know we are all pretty young on this forum and maybe you can relate. Lately I have had this feeling that I may have done this too early in life. I know that most people on here will say and have said that their only regret is not doing it sooner or they wish it had been avaliable to them at a younger age. However.......…

Been awhile VST..Well had my VSG on May 10th it went well but I had trouble eating and consuming enough Water so I was very dehydrated, I had acid reflux from H*** - found out that the forgot to prescribe my Pantoprazole to help me with that so for my 1st Post OP appt. the day before I had noticed yellow jaudice in my eyes. Went to my appt. spoke with the surgeon and told him what I had been experiencing for the last 13 days and he recommended that I go to ER for a few hours and have them put and IV in me for a few hours and get some fluids back in me so I wouldn't feel so exhausted so I did that and I was feeling alot better however, they started doing ultrasounds and X…

I have been struggling...I am 8days post-op and am struggling to continue with my sipping...and worried that I am not going to get my protein in. I have tried many different proteins and my stomach cannot tolerate any. I am feeling like I want to throw up and was dry heaving this morning. The thought of protein shakes/supplements make my stomach turn. My understanding is that I am suppose to get in 70grams of protein daily. I am lucky if I get in 5grams. I feel like I am failing myself...I am scared of what will happen if I dont follow Dr. Aceves post-op diet. I am losing so much hair..which I knew would happen..but that quickly?....I feel like a crybaby. I just wa…

I recently order some celtrixa lotion. It is said to diminish the appreance of scars and stretch marks. Has anyone used this product or used another product that seemed to help remove or hide stretch marks?

I was diagnosed with sleep apnea during my pre-op testing. Now I'm 10 days from surgery April 18th and I cannot sleep with the mask on! It's making me crazy. I'm told my hospital will not allow me to refuse my mask after surgery, but I can't sleep a wink with it. Either it's so loose it develops a leak every time I move (pssssssssssttttttttt) or so tight it hurts. There's no in-between. I'm on my third mask and severely sleep deprived! Help?

i havent been on here much latly but im just a little over 5 month post op and im down 53 lbs.. from my heavest im down 100 lbs. Feels great to get all this extra weight off!!! Im fitting into a size 16 which i havent worn since before i had my kids. for the last month i have been stalled out stuck at 187, im starting to get discouraged that im not going to lose any more weight. i know that im lower in weight and it will be slower to come off but 4 weeks of nothing! UGH!!! When i think about what i eat and how much, i cant understand why the weights not coming off. Any one have any ideas on how to jump start the weightloss agian? or how long your longest stall was?

So, anyone else heard the compliment "Oh, you're so pretty- even though you're bigger" ? I mean COME ON! 61 lbs gone and those types of bittersweet comments are still being made. I mean, of course- the people that say them ALWAYS mean well, i mean, love them to death.. but it's just something that's hard to hear- since my weight has always been a huge insecurity. I know I'm not the only one that's ever heard something like this right? Anyway, I guess I should be more thankful about it. After all, this compliment wont be a problem for too much longer. Anyway, my question is- I've generally been losing anywhere from 2-4 lbs a week, averaging about 10-12 a month. I'm 10 w…

I'm 6 days post-op and thankfully had an amazing recovery. I was able to walk laps from the first day, and finally got all my water/protein/vitamins in today. ...but I've also been on this liquid diet for about 3 weeks now and I'm ready for a JAILBREAK! I feel like a teenager in heat, I can't stop thinking about fewdz. I'm seriously craving the weirdest things!! I can't have dinner with my family because I keep leering at their food. In their sweet attempt to support me, they're all eating healthily...but right now I want to rip the eggplant off my sister's plate and go scarf it down in a dark corner. I almost ravaged a tomato yesterday even though post-op you'd have to…

Hi all, I received a link to this site from a coworker. Both of us are on the Sleeve journey. I had my seminar 4/23. On 6/6, I had my psych and nutritional evaluations. Got clearance from my PCP on 6/10. All I am waiting for bloodwork results and insurance clearance to get on with the big day. We have great insurance through work, so it is more formality at this point. When I went for my initial consult, I weighed in at 411lbs. Since then, I have lost 10lbs, so I am pretty pumped about that. I am working with Bluegrass Bariatric Associates (Dr. Oldham) in Louisville. I look forward to being part of the gang here. -Pete

I'm in Mexicali with Sarsar. Her surgery is tomorrow so please send out lots of good thoughts and prayers! She had dinner tonight with Lynn and my son, I slept through it...dangit! She is an absolute sweetheart, she even brought me a gift bag that made me smile. I'm so glad I'm here with her and we can do laps around the nurses station together lol Renee`

How did you know as young people that this was going to be the right decision for you? I started looking into it about 2 years ago when I gained 60lbs in a year... i just knew there wasnt going to be another option for me... you?

I am currently about 6 weeks out and just wonder if this was the best decision. I did a lot of preperation mentally for this, but I don't think you can ever be quite ready for what you are in for. I know we are all pretty young on this forum and maybe you can relate. Lately I have had this feeling that I may have done this too early in life. I know that most people on here will say and have said that their only regret is not doing it sooner or they wish it had been avaliable to them at a younger age. However........ I am young. I make mistakes. I still want those silly uncontrollable nights. I want to have a drink or two or three with friends, I want to eat at night when …

http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-he-bmi-20110417,0,6278521.story?track=rss

I have a friend that is researching Bariatric Surgery and very interested in the Sleeve. She has seen several doctors in the Pacific Northwest and has been given various expert opinions on whether by-pass or sleeve is the best. She is on an emotional roller coaster. I would like to give her some advice from actual sleeve patients. Any thoughts on this? (I did not have to have a hernia repair, but I know several of you did.) Any thoughts are welcome!!!! Surgeon A strongly advises against the sleeve for people with a hiatal hernia, even after repair. Since he does more sleeves than the other surgeon, it seems wisest to listen to him.

Hello everyone, Had my surgery on 6/06/2011 so not that far out. I did some research before the surgery and asked my dr. some questions but there is one thing I found out...on here actually lol...that I Wish I would have known before the surgery as I might not have had it or the doc and I would have had a talk about what would happen. What I wanted out of this was to be normal, lose the weight and also have this to some extent to help me after I lost the weight. What is normal, well we will take an upcoming holiday and use that to get to where I can let you know. My wife cooks the best bbq chicken and makes the best mac. salad there is. I usually would eat s…

Anyone else here married to a sleever or RNY? I am- My wife is 6 months out RNY. and she is a ROCK! helping me, reminding me... and not hounding me... been nice not to worry about things all week, she sets me up, drinks, vits, and even calls to make sure I am being mobile. it's like a second honeymoon...(except for the sex part- which needs to be remedied soon) and FTR- she is skinnier than when we married, not that it ever mattered to me.. She is such a kind and caring person, I win! tell me about how wonderful your S/O is to you.

So I got released last evening after having my sleeve portion done. I am finding in my experiece that the sleeve is FAR more painful than getting the band was. I am kind of wishing I could have stayed on IV pain meds a little bit longer. The liquid hydrocodone isn't cutting it for me. Good news is that my surgeon said it was the easiest revision he has ever done. Zero adhesions or scar tissue, all my organs looked good and my stomach looked like it had never had a band on it. He says he thinks I should get the same results as someone who has never been banded, which is great news. Usually revisions don't lose as fast or as well or as much. So that makes me happy. I wo…

I really wish I'd seen this article before having the crapband surgery! Just found this posted on OH... sleep apnea). Data Sources and Study Selection - Electronic literature search of MEDLINE, Current Contents, and the Cochrane Library databases plus manual reference checks of all articles on bariatric surgery published in the English language between 1990 and 2003. Two levels of screening were used on 2738 citations. Data Extraction - A total of 136 fully extracted studies, which inluded 91 overlapping patient populations (kin studies), were included for a total of 22,094 patients. Nineteen percent of the patients were men and 72.6% were women, with a mea…

Just a reminder: Those ups and downs on the scale are often just normal body behavior. Don't let it get you down people! Here is my daily weigh in for the last 6 weeks....As I sometimes have to remind myself daily, the scale is going down monthly!

Ok so, I would like to start by saying I am actually a very nice person, and would never EVER intentionally hurt anyone, however since starting to lose weight my thinking patterns have changed, and I've found that deep down there is a rather smug bit@h lurking! I have spent my entire life looking around every room I entered, convinced I was the fattest, ugliest person there, and always seeing just beautiful people looking back, making me feel like crap! So 51lb down I've started to find myself looking around me, and critiquing everyone, although part of me is glad that I'm less worried about my appearance compared to other peoples, I have truly shocked myself by r…

Hello Everyone. I am scheduled for surgery in about 5 weeks and am working on a list of items I need to get pre and post-op. Does anyone have a list they don't mind sharing with me? Any advice will help.

The Wall Streeet Journal has an interesting article: Does this Sales Trip make me look fat? http://blogs.wsj.com/in-charge/2011/05/06/does-this-sales-trip-make-me-look-fat/?KEYWORDS=make+me+look+fat I know that travelling can definately blow a healthy eating lifestyle. I went from a size 8 who exercised six days a week to taking a job where I travelled 80% of the time continuously for a year. The only workouts I got were at restaurant tables - lifting a knife and fork; airports schlepping a bag; and powershopping in the stores as I started going back up in size. I want some hints from sleevers that travel. Two questions: 1) How do you maintain your post-goal wei…

How do you get titles under name like sleeve guru ect?? Seems I have been here forever and mine has not changed????

Hi everyone, I just got back from my first month check in... it went well. The surgeon was happy with my progress, said that the burping and occasional nausea were quite normal. I'm slowly progressing to more solid foods, my favourite treat was to have cruskits with camembert on them... something crunchy was just bliss!!! How is everyone else going???

Extreme Sports. To say it's fascinating is a gross understatement. But can risking your safety and life in this manner an addiction? I hear the phrase "Healthy Addiction" tossed around. But that in itself is an oxymoron isn't it? I drink but maybe once every two to three months. Never did any illicit drugs. The only vice I see is my cravings for carbs (sugar).

Approximately 2 weeks ago my fiancée had her gastric sleeve operation. The surgeon said to me she has perfect anatomy and the surgery went very well. She got home about 3 days later and felt fantastic and started her home clear liquid diet. a couple days later she started experiencing chest pains, back pains and trouble breathing. after reading issues after the surgery we thought this was normal. She then started to develop a fever of 100 that didn't fluctuate. She became lethargic but this only happened at night. The following morning she felt great. The 3rd day I got home from work with her sitting on the couch. She had a fever of 101, red faced lethargic and was crying…