MINI-Me

Funny!!!

Chilo1 - Try not to be angry with yourself. It was 1 piece of cake and some icecream. You are human & this kind of stuff is part of life. Congrats on getting back in the game today. That is SUPER!!!!

Lookin' good!

I had one ... of course I woke up with so I don't know how the pain would have been without it, but it seemed to help. Definitely ask about it.

I had one ... of course I woke up with so I don't know how the pain would have been without it, but it seemed to help. Definitely ask about it.

Not really what you are describing, but I do watch what people eat. I am sometimes appalled by the volume. Then I remember that used to be me. Do you think you may be doing to others what you THOUGHT others were doing to you in the past? Losing weight and seeing how people may treat you now can often be very emotional. I actually still get mad when men notice me now - smiling or holding doors for me. They never did that when I took up twice the space I do now. I don't think you are a b***h ... You are just adjusting to you new norms.

I just wanted to add ... You guys are awesome. Thanks for sticking around and being great sounding boards and supporters.

I am right there with you. We went on a cruise recently and I let myself eat what I wanted, when I wanted. Desserts were soooooooooooooooooooo yummy! I am up to 130 which is 2 pounds above my high for weight fluctuations. I thought it would be easy to get back down, but 2 weeks later & it hasn't gone down at all. Kind of scary! I've been maintaining at 125-128 without any real thoughts or worries. Guess it's a good lesson in not taking this tool for granted. Back to basics for me as well. WE CAN DO THIS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You look adorable ... and who would be looking at the imperfections? They are too busy watching your smile and the light in your eyes. Rock it!!!!

Thanks guys ... I knew I could count on you! Anyone else? I'd like her to have even more real life experiences to take back to her doctor. By-pass might be the right thing for her, but it would be good for her to feel fully informed when making her decision. Thanks again!

Glad to hear the afternoon is going better for you! Yes, adding Protein to your pudding is great. You don't need to be AS FOCUSED on protein the first week or so, but if you can get it in, that's a GREAT PLUS! For those first few weeks, any liquids in count towards your minimum liquid requirements (at least with my plan). As everyone has said, those first few days/weeks are really hard. But, they pass. And once you start seeing that scale moving, you have a whole new set of motivation. Just keep up the great work, follow your plan, and use this board for encouragement, venting, research, etc. We've all been there and we know you can do it too!

Those last pounds are soooooooooooooooo hard. I definitely know what you are talking about. But, time to pull yourself up by your bootstraps. You have done AMAZINGLY well and with a little more effort, planning, and tracking, you can hit the goal. YOU REALLY CAN DO THIS!!! I know you can. You've been an inspiration to many (me included). Now, get 'er done!

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.

My pre-op was 2 weeks of low carb with 1 meal a day replaced w/protein shake. I am sure Holly will give you all the details. Since you have family there and hate hospitals, you may want to ask about outpatient at Seven Hills. That's what I did and liked that option a lot. I wouldn't think you would need a scope. About 2 weeks prior, Dr. U will do a phone consult with you. He will answer a lot of questions then. Holly can also answer a lot or put you throuh to Dr U if she can't answer.

Your fears are TOTALLY normal! No one should take this surgery lightly - Dr U will remind you that you COULD die. My thoughts ... without surgery, you will die earlier or have debilitately medical issues to reduce the quality of your life. Once I talked with Dr. U I knew he was the right surgeon for me. His confidence totally calmed me. My mother in law is an experienced surgical nurse and she seas also impressed with him. Please feel free to PM me if you have specific questions. Best of luck!!!!!!

AWESOME NEWS!

I have small airway obstruction. I still had the surgery, but they needed to know all they could about my condition before putting me under. It helps the anethesiologist with monitoring stats and knowing what "happy meds" to put in your IV. You should be fine ... but better to know before surgery than have an emergency during the surgery! Best of luck.

AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I saw this topic and just had to share ... I just got back from a 3-night cruise to Mexico. We had 1 day in Ensenada to walk around and sightsee. Know what I did? I wore my bathing suit all day! Of course, it was a tankini with little shorts (to cover the extra skin on the upper thighs) and a long halter top. But, I did it!!!!! Never in my life have I felt comfortable parading around in a bathing suit - let alone walking down streets. But, it was so comfortable in the warm sun and I felt good. VSG was the best thing I ever did for myself. I say rock whatever suit you feel comfortable wearing and enjoy!!!

That is great ... congrats!

So very proud of you. Never doubted for a minute that you would get here. CONGRATULATIONS!

Thank you!

Tiff gave you some great guidance. For me, I did not give up carbs. I ate Protein first so there wasn't a lot of room for carbs. But, I at them. I tried ultra low carb, but t didn't seem to have an impact on the speed of my weight loss. For some, they have to go low-carb, but I was lucky. Best of luck to you. I was SURE I would be the one to fail on this surgery. I am happy to say that I was WRONG!

Since you have insurance ... don't forget this is just the hospital's bill - it is not what insurance will pay. They have a negotiated agreement. Your percentage should be off the negotiated rate, not the billed charges. (Assuming this was a participating hospital.) Do you have an itemzed bill? If so, it may be worthwhile to review and make sure you really had all the services they billed you for. Take a deep breath and be glad you have insurance!

So happy for you ... Congratulations Mommy!