Gastric Sleeve Surgery Forums

Well, I made it to my "goal" weight that I had set for when we went to Vegas last month. Yeah!! Plus, this was the first time in MANY years, that I did not need a seat belt extender for the flights! Yeah x 2!!! But, I have not done well since. With Vegas, Christmas, and a convention all last week, I haven't lost anything since then due to all the going and excellent restaurants we have eaten at. I HAVE NOT gained, but haven't lost either. I MUST get back on track, as we have moved up our South Africa trip from next year to this summer....so I desperately need to lose another 50 pounds (minimum) before then...that's my personal goal. So, starting today, I have gon…

I have found that we eat out 2-3 times a week . We both work, so as much as we try not to eat out it just happens. Now with no fast food type food, wow, the food bills are high. So I decided to tackle how to eat out for less today. Today I ordered a bunch of gift certs online for gifts only at restaurants who give you back 20% in a bonus gift card. They seem to only offer this special at Christmas time, and last year I did the same thing but didn't get enough and ran out by March and really missed that 20% discount card. I did it in an organized fashion figuring how many times during the next 12 mos we could eat at that restaurant. I did it for Pappas (usually sea…

anyone done the 5 day pouch test even though we dont have a "pouch"? i'm just curious if it works well for us sleevers... i feel off track over the holidays, so i'm wanting to get back on track and start eating right again.

Before we got the new layout for the board, there were a lot of us who liked chatting in the evenings. Then chat disappeared for ahwile, but it's back again. I am going to leave the window open and hope someone decides to check it out. I can hear the door bell ring when someone comes into the chat room.

Hi, Ive been sleeved since sept 07. Lost over 120lbs but latly been having stomach pains dont know if its an ulcer anybosy else have this,

Hello, Are any of you out there on Youtube? I've been watching a lot of online journeys and I enjoy them and I'd like to see more VSG'ers out there.

Well... I decided to take the plunge and just go for it... I just finished recording and uploading my first EVER YouTube videos!! I decided not to get dolled up or even fix my hair for that matter... I figure I'd go for the "just rolled out of bed look"...So then they can only get better.. Right? In the future I want to be more structured and not jump around so much but hey... I gave it a shot! Hopefully people ask me questions on there (or here).. That will make it so much easier for me to know what to talk about for next time. Just figured I'd throw this out there and see if anyone is interested in watching or subscribing. Pleaseeee leave me feedbac…

I am getting the sleeve done in June of this year (2011)! I am really excited for the prospect surgery seems drastic, but maybe that is what I need to keep it off! I am fairly young (24) and am wondering about what your body will look like after. If I keep up with working out and such, will my boobs be completely deformed, and will I have sagging skin everywhere? That's my biggest fear and only mental holdup at this point. fyi I am 260 at 5'2, pear shaped but with some in the tummy, and I think pretty nicely sized chest.

I accompanied my daughter to Hospital Jerusalem and am now wondered how the rest of the group who we checked in with is doing, now that it's 4 months post op. South Carolina, Ontario, Oklahoma? You guy's out there? Washington state mom is thinking about you and wondering how things went once you got home. How are you adjusting to life with a sleeve? Also, Seattle from the recovery house...you out there?

I'm so cold all the time! How long does this last?

I have a date of 19 Oct 2010 for the sleeve with Dr. Halmi of BluePoint Surgery group in Woodbridge VA...Anyone else out there ??? Connie

I am dreading buying a scale today. I hate them with a passion. If you asked me how much I weighed right now, I could not tell you. When I was pregnant, I made my doctor write on the outside of my file, DO NOT TELL WEIGHT! From visit to visit they would say you gained X punds, but NEVER the weight. When I had my daughter, it moved into you loss X pounds. I never want to know the number, because I don't want to spiral into depression. When I watch the Biggest Loser and I see someone who weigh 260, I think I don't look like that so I know I don't weigh 260. My just hate the numbers. So I will suck it up an buy a scale today...... doesn't mean I will use it.

Monday is my surgery date. I'm nervous, anxious, excited, ready. Please pray that all goes well for me. I'll post again as soon as I'm able. Thanks for your support.

My doctor is at a loss to explain what's going on with my band. I've had it a little over a year now and it is causing me grief, but not in the usual way. I have only ever been stuck once (not complaining about that) but my problem is nausea. When I eat, no mater what I eat, I take a few bites and then this overwhelming nausea comes over me. Sometimes I can manage to keep the food down for up to a half hour, but it generally comes back up again. It's not a problem of eating too fast or too much because it very often happens on the first bite and I have always been the slowest eater on the face of the earth. I don't have to make myself throw up as it comes up all by …

Next week I'll be five months post-op and I feel like I've done pretty well, but I know that I can do better. For the new year, I've decided to blog, at least once a week. So, I thought I'd share the link with you. If anyone has a blog you'd like me to link, feel free to leave it in the comments here or there and I'll be happy to add you. http://transitionalinvariance.wordpress.com/

So I have 3 girls, 12 y,10y and 13 months, and I worry. I worry because even though they're nor fat(they aren't skinny either), the older ones are starting to get consious about the way they look, looking fat in certain clothes, and basically not wanting to be fat,they never try to diet or anything yet thank God. I had a bad experience with this, as a child (at 9 years old I was put on a diet and I wasn't even fat-I had however put on about 8 pounds in a year after moving from the states to S America so my parents thinking it was best for me took me to the doctors who put me on a lowcalorie diet, can you imagine, at 9 ?) and have had weight issues ever since. I do not p…

So, I'm about five weeks out from surgery -- May 6th. For reference, I'm a 39 y.o. male, BMI 42 (6'1, wt. 330). My cardiac scans were good, I'm going for an EGD on Thursday due to concerns about GERD and some upper right quadrant pain that could be gall bladder, but is more likely due to my enlarged liver. I have been diagnosed with fatty liver (without scarring, thankfully), but my liver enzymes are normal. My surgeon suspects that my upper right quadrant pain (it is very mild and intermittent) is the enlarged liver pushing against the "capsule" that it sits in. Hopefully with weight loss, this problem will resolve itself. I'm in generally good health otherwise -…

Ahhhhh! My drain is out! I was having these very sharp pains that I assumed were gas but ended up being the drain poking against lord knows what. So that is gone! YEA!!! I also slept through the night for the first time since I came home from the hospital! I feel fantabulous! I loooooove today!!!!!!!!

Hello everyone...I am getting surgery on Feb 18, 2011. I have done alot of research and chosen my surgeon and clinic well but I am sure as it gets closer to the date and well after I will have moments when I need someone who has been/there done/that to help encourage me on. Anyone??

Greetings, I was sleeved on Monday, January 3, 2011. I was discharged from hospital yesterfay. So far so good. Looking for a buddy to share this exprrience.

When having my sleeve surgery, they repaired a hernia. Now it is difficult to eat and drink. I am having trouble getting in my water and not eating as often as I should because of the pain. I chew my food well (on the soft diet now) but still finding difficulty in eating and drinking. Has anyone else had this problem?

I have been losing since Jan of last year, 50 lbs before surgery and 25 since and tonight my husband says to me : " You are making me look big" I was like excuse me? I am making YOU look big???? No Sir I told him, YOU are making YOU look big by being big! and then I shut up. Then I got pissed! I was said in all this time of losing weight that was the closest thing you have ever said to a compliment and he responds to me with "I have never judged you for your size and I just don't notice your size now." I replied "You had better get to noticing before some other man does!

I have the chat window open. I will hear the door bell ring if someone comes in and wants to talk. I'll read some posts while I wait to see if anyone come into the chat room. come in and chat! There's lots to talk about!

I am new to this site and am anxious to get on with my sleeve surgery, But my insurance says I medically qualify but denied approval for the sleeve. I have an appeal pending but they tell me they have 60 days to answer my appeal. I Have Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance. Has anyone else had this problem

Hi All, I have a few questions about my loose skin. I am older 54 I've lost 50lbs so far 4 months out and would like to lose another 20-25kbs. Anyway one of my questions is how long does it take for whatever may snap back to snap up as much as its going to snap back? Would wearing compression wear help at all? I could live with my bat wings if the skin wasn't so crinkly Even my knees and thighs have wrinkles will that ever even out?

Hi ....I currently have the lap-band and I had it done in the US but now I am having problems with it . I now want to get the Sleeve and cant pay for it in the U.S. I want to go to Mexico but I dont know what doctor to choose or what city is the best or what doctor works out of the best hospital. Also I see that there are price differences from 5000 to 9000 ..............should I go with the one that cost the most ? Does this means because they cost more that they are better ....................PLEASE HELP ME .

I am...July 16th is surgical date. Anyone else doing this in July?

Tomoorow I will finally get my date!! I am so glad and cant wait. I am so ready for a new me. To feel better.be able to move easier,quit being so hot,and be healthier.Plus I want to wear prettier clothes. I hope everything will go ok tomorrow.

I had my AP Large Band placed 01|17|08 at 364lbs after losing 20 pounds on pre-op diet. My first 6 months after placement I was pretty miserable. I experienced several "attacks" that they had difficulty diagnosing. I had numerous tests done: upper GI, fill under fluoroscopy, cat scan, upper endoscopy, ultrasound, and several ER visits due to pain. I switched PCP's in order to get a HIDA scan. Finally determined it WAS my gallbladder and not my lap band. I had a cholecystectomy on 08|12|08 by Dr Monash (love him!) who agreed to take on my aftercare for my lap band. I had several scares with a possible port leak and scheduled two separate port revisions that were both c…

OK ... Maybe this is going to sound really small of me, but people are annoying me. 6 months ago, clerks were not friendly ... they took care of my purchases, etc and sent me on my way. Now, that I am a "normal" weight, I find people trying to strike up conversations, giving me an extra few minutes in line, etc. Take this morning for instance. My car needed gas, so I stopped by the Quik-Mart for gas. I decided to run in for a drink while the car was filling up. I walk in the door and get greeted with a "Good Morning. How are you today?" from the clerk. I respond and go over to pick out my drink. I try to check out (with 3 people behind me) and he starts c…

I am curious what the average hospital stay is in the states? I asked my Doc about it he said one to two days. My surgery is not scheduled till 4 in the afternoon Tuesday so I am wondering what you all think, will I go home late Wed or should I think more like Thursday???

I had a band placed and hate it. What is the cost for a revision? I am selfpay.

Hi everyone i had a gastric sleeve surgery on december 10 , my start weight was 222,6 pounds ,within the first week i lost 15.4 pounds and i was so happy but then the loose rate decreased to 4.6 pounds. i'm scared that the rate will always be this way cause i've over 100pounds to loose. so can you tell me if this rate is ok?

I was talking to a co-worker today who had the lap band done a few months ago. He has done well with weight loss, but men usually lose quicker. He asked if I had pain after eating. Nope not at all. He asked if I had to avoid foods because they get stuck. Nope again. He asked if I was hungry all the time. nope for the third time. He also asked if I had reflux all the time and a few other questions. He said that if he didn't chew every bite to musch he had sever pain. He also said that he only ate at home because it was so difficult to eat at work or out anywhere. I am soooooooooooo happy that I got the sleeve over the band. I am only 4 weeks out and have had no issues d…

Here's my first post. I am going to need all of you beside me! I have had a tough time with my band. I only lost 30 lbs in 2 yrs. I had terrible pain under my rib cage for a month after surgery. Then long story short, the band was too tight and I developed ulcers on my esphogaus. Even with nothing in the port, I still burb up almost everything. You would think I would lose weight, but didn't. So today I find out my insurance will pay for the sleeve. Here's the deal. In 8 wks. my son gets married. If I have the surgery before the wedding, I would only be 6 wks out. I need to know if that is a good move or not, based on what you can tell me for recovery. I want…

Hello everyone, First of all, I am super stoked about my surgery! I am truly, madly and deeply head over heels with my new tummy!!! LOL Sounds weird I know - but dangit, my life has been given back to me. I'm no longer a slave to my brain overindulging and my stomach being able to allow it. Not sure if that makes sense to anyone... Anyway over the weekend my Mom told me she would need a magnifying glass soon just to be able to find me. Haha! I thought that was hilarious. She's so happy for me, and super proud of me in that I had the guts to do something so invasive to take my life back. Well in that same conversation she told me she's thinking about it n…

doing things I can't do/haven't done in a long time. To keep me motivated, I made a list. Here's mine, what's yours? People who have already had surgery, what have you done? I am looking forward to: Saving money on food and buying clothes instead Fitting into my ski pants and parka and going skiing Having a massage without worrying I might break the table Running outdoors Fitting into an airline seat or an amusement park ride with room to spare Eating something in public without feeling like people are looking at me and thinking, "She doesn't need to be eating that." Having smaller boobs Meeting new people because now I am embarassed about how I look Cleani…

I had surgery 6/3. Lost 15lbs pre-op and 5lbs during the 2day clear liquids..I have lost 45 lbs since surgery. I'm a little over 5 months out and I'm afraid I'm not going to lose all I need to. I have only lost 5 lbs in last 2 months. No loss in last 3 weeks. I'm trying dilligently to log and to control my carbs and protein. I recently ordered the zumba dvd's hoping they will arrive today and going to try that. I feel great but also kinda bummed thinking if this is all I can eat I should be smaller if you know what I mean..I'm trying to keep my calories under 1000. I noticed they were up to about 1200 at times when eating too many carbs mainly in the form of trail mix. I'…

Description: http://store.discovery.com/detail.php?p=84842&v=discovery&pa=discoveryxml There are 4 different episodes on the subject. The one however I'm talking about is regarding the Human Brain. It was very fascinating as it mentioned weight loss. It talked out how the brain responds when you go low calorie and it gives good credence to the "starvation mode" so many talk about. It was very interesting. I really was never one to fully understand nor accept this concept until I watched this TV program. If you get the chance, look it up and see if you can catch it....

Hello, I'm new around here, but it has been really exciting reading all the posts so, I decided to join! I hope the "general forum" is okay to post this... Just a little background info: I've tried various diets/exercise plans and have lost some but never maintained it, so it just all came back. The most intense thing I have done was take phentermine, and I just don't like how that makes me feel when I am on it, and I could never keep the weight off. My sister had the VSG this April (2010) and has been doing incredibly well. Because she has done so well, I have decided to pursue having a weight loss surgery. I am ready for this life changing procedure, I just have…

I think I'm the only lapbander who comes to this site regularly. So if you have any questions about lapband, just let me know. I'll give it to you straight, the good the bad, the ugly, the pretty??

Hi, I was "sleeved" in May of 2009 and never really lost alot of weight (approx. 50lbs total) and now less than 2 years later I am eating alot more food and gaining weight like crazy!!! I think alot of my stomach was left and I want to get re-sleeved or continue withthe gastric by-pass. Is this possible even though I only need to lose about 50lbs.?

So, I'm under 2 months from my scheduled surgery date and I opted to quit smoking. I want to scream at EVERYONE. Looking for a mentor who's been through this and lived to tell the tale....I feel like I'm losing it. Definitely turning into a withdrawal monster. Please help...not getting much support from friends at home. Brandy

Not sure if this is the right section for this thread, but it sounded right. Just having a whinge, and I am surrprised its taken me this long. I am 8 weeks out from surgery tomorrow, and I feel shite. I can't eat anything, and if I do its tiny tiny amounts. I hear "read" people talking about eating a saucer of food. I am lucky if I can eat 2 or 3 teaspoons. I am vomitting most days, no reason, just feel sick, and up it comes. I can drink fine, but food is a real issue. Surely my body can't survive on such little food. For example, yesterday I had a couple of sips of a hot choc, 1 cracker with vegimite and a sip of Soup. I can't seem to find any information on why I f…

I am scheduled for the sleeve on Jan. 24, and I currently use a CPAP machine every night at 17mm/hg. The result is that I have a lot of gas (belching and otherwise) especially when I first wake up. I am worried about the CPAP causing gas immediately post-op. I can imagine how painful that would be! Has anyone else dealt with this problem, and how do you use a CPAP until you have lost enough weight to go off of it?

Just a question for those of you who have lost either a lot of weight or at goal, how do you see morbidly obese people now? How do you react in restaurants when you see very obese people eating? How do you look at obese people walking or whatever? Have you noticed it's different, or the same?

Hi! I had a band for almost 4 years and lost 120 pounds. I also had 3 slips and 5 surgeries for lapband related issues. After suffering with nausea for almost the last 1 1/2 years, I finally was willing to give up my fight. When I called my surgeon he had a new option for me. It's called a gastric imbrecation or gastric plication. It is similar to a sleeve, except the stomach is not cut, it is folded in on itself. I would like to participate in this forum because, I'm not a bandster anymore. Here is a link to my surgery on utube: I just got off the liquid diet and I'm trying to figure out how to tell when I've eaten enough. It is very uncomfortable if I eat to…

Hi all! Pretty new to the boards. Getting the plication surgery Feb. 2011. I was thinking about moving the date up to January 2011, but I want time to stock up on all my "must haves" like Protein powders, shakes, and Vitamins. Just wanted to say hello... so HELLO!

I'll be happy come January when everyone else is on a diet. lol! Being around all of the yummy holiday food and being 3 weeks post-op is a bit of a challenge. I'm trying to stay focused on family and other fun holiday activites and obsess less about the food.

Wow I know this is a scary topic to talk about.. I have learned a lot in these couple of months that I have been on the board. I have a question though. Has anyone had or currently have a ulcer on their staple line.. For me this is really scary. I asked my doc about 150 question so far and this is the only question I forgot to ask.. If anyone has had a ulcer. What is the treatment for it and how have you been doing since it was discovered? I don't think this is going to change my mind on the surgery but it is something that I would like to put my mind at peace before going in.