Paul11011

Yep, they will take care of shaving in pre-op.

Thanks for sharing that. I've been back on the weights for about 3 weeks now and am seeing improvements. I was initially discouraged because my weights were down so far from where I used to be lifting. I then realized it had been a good 4 years since I did any serious lifting and I'm no spring chicken any more, gonna be 40 in October. I look forward to seeing how you progress as you get back to the weights. Good luck!

Uhhhgg, first the jobs, then the people, now even our insurance is leaving this state. Good luck.

I do not have BCBS but I know some of the others in my WLS peer support group do and they have been able to get the sleeve. I believe BCBS started covering the sleeve as a stand alone procedure in Nov 2010. Where are you going for surgery? Good luck.

What!? 25 year olds are not entitled to have everything paid for by Mommy and Daddy? LOL. Yes I see where that could be a difficult situation. It's too bad because I bet you would appreciate the opportunity to be honest with them and tell them how successful you've been.

Curious, if you don't mind sharing or can share, why you have to conceal it at school.

Variety is the spice of life. I'm doing a combination of walking, walking away the pounds videos, recumbent stationary bike and elliptical. The elliptical is new for me and it's going to take some getting used to. The first time I did the elliptical I was only able to do 12 minutes and I paid for it with sore legs for the following 3 days.

I've now found myself twice eating dinner and getting that, "Here comes the fullness feeling" and not wanted to be done eating yet. I suppose this is me trying to hang on to my old way of viewing food as enjoyment and satisfaction instead of realizing that it is simply the body's fuel. Luckily I have this wonderful new tool that prevents me from taking in more than I really need.

I'm an on the road sales rep, so I'm driving to customers all around the West Michigan area. Nothing physically demanding, which contributed to being able to return so quickly. Soooo glad I did not have a drain. It sounds like that would be awful. Not sure what my surgeon does differently that eliminates the need for a drain. Best of luck to your hubby, I'm sure he'll do well.

I was non active before my surgery and everything went according to the textbook. I had surgery on a Monday, was home on Wednesday and back to work the following Monday. Not much pain, only once took the pain medication I was send home with and that was prcautionary before bed the first night home. Gettin up and moving as soon as possible will speed recovery and help the newly sleeved stomach to move material through. Best of luck to your hubby and I hope your ready for the increased "activity" he's going to be having with YOU. PS, what's this drain y'all are talking about? I did not have one.

I had my 6 week post op checkup last Wednesday. I met with the excercise physiologist and he cleared me to start doing some strength training in addition to the cardio I've been doing. Man I was unaware of how weak I had become. I'm not sure if it's related to the surgery or that I've really done no strength training for so long. I'm hoping that it is just getting back into the swing of things and it will come back quickly. Oh well I'm looking at everything as being a fresh start.

I can not testify to the exact items you're experiencing, but definitely an increased libido. Good luck with bothering the wife.

And the truth shall set you free. Do you really want to start out a relationship with deception? Tell the truth about where you are, where you've been and where you believe you will be going. Any potential partner that is not capable of seeing the benefit in being with someone that is doing something to improve themselves is not going to be who you want to be with anyway. And there you have my two cents.

I'm just seeing this....grrrr darn notification system. Looks great! Thanks for posting these pics. Gonna start rocking the big hair again? Ahhhhh all the memories. Thanks.

Thank you for taking the time to read my blog. This is my first attempt at this so please be patient as I figure this thing out. It may be helpful to understand a bit of my history to understand some of the things that I write and emotions that I express. I have been a large person all of my life. I have lost over 100 lbs on 3 separate occasions. The bad side to that is that each time after the loss I gained an equal amount or more back. After examining my options and realizing that I needed some help I concluded that my best chance of living a longer healthier life was to pursue a surgical weight loss procedure. This is my story of how I began my journey to become less than half the man I've been. On October 13, 2010 after the emergence of some joint pain and being tired of being tired all the time, I consulted with my family nurse practitioner (NP) to see if she had any suggestions. I had long known of the surgical weight loss options and had encountered several people who were successful with the process. I had considered it, but really always viewed it as cheating or taking the "easy" way out. I held the opinion that admitting the need for surgery was a sign of weakness and that I should be able to be strong enough to get the weight off on my own. I understood why others had gone through with the surgery, but I was different, I could do it on my own. Not to mention if I admitted to needing the surgery, I would be admitting that I was a failure and would have to face the shame of allowing myself to get to the point where surgical intervention was my only option. My beliefs and opinions met with some harsh reality on that fateful day when I met with my NP. She was very eloquent and concerned as she pointed some facts out to me. I was just about to turn 39, had been diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea and high cholesterol, my blood pressure and blood sugar levels were both at the high ends of normal. She pointed out that thus far I had not had the more serious health issues...but they were unquestionably in my future if I did not get the weight off and keep it off. I gave her my prepped statements that I had lost before and I could do it again. I just needed to be focused and dedicated. She swiftly countered my statements with one simple question, "You've not been able to keep it off for the first 39 years, what are you going to do different to keep it off for the next 39?" Well she had me, and I was there after-all, to get her suggestion. Her suggestion was look into it, find out the details and be informed. Well how hard can that be? I can at least inform myself, that's fair. My NP made a recommendation for me to check with Grand Health Partners (GHP) and specifically Dr. Randy Baker. She gave me the contact information and the insurance paperwork to take with me in the event I decided it was something I wanted to do. This, I believe, is where God had took over. I took the contact information and called after I left the office. I found out that the first step in the process with GHP was to attend an orientation. Now here's the God intervention part, they had an orientation meeting the very next day. Why do I say God stepped in? Well if I would have had to wait a week or so to attend that first meeting, I think my chances of actually going would have been diminished. I really believe I would have talked myself out of it and would have tried to do it on my own again. I attended the meeting and heard about the different procedures. I saw the testimonials and heard how people's lives had truly been changed by the surgical weight loss process. I learned how GHP approached the treatment of the patient not only surgically but completely. Each patient would be treated by a nutritionist, behaviorist, and exercise physiologist in addition to the staff doctors, physician assistants and of coarse the surgeon. They really looked to take care of all aspects of the weight loss journey. I left the orientation excited and for the first time in recent memory optimistic about my ability to have a healthy life moving forward. I filed the required insurance papers with my NP and began setting up the series of appointments required in the process. The days from that orientation to now as I write this have been a blur. I began meeting with doctors, having a cardiac stress test, getting blood drawn for lab work, talking to dietitians and getting started on pre-operation diets. The surgeon and I decided that the best procedure for me would be a vertical sleeve gastrectomy. The short story on the "sleeve" is that it is the physical removal of 85% of ones stomach. It leaves a stomach with the volume of approximately 3.5 ounces, a bit less than a half of a cup. I had done all the insurance and surgical center requirements and was ready to more forward. Then on approximately December 16th, 2010 I received the call from Dr. Bakers scheduler, I had received final insurance approval for surgery and we scheduled the surgery for Jan 10, 2011. As I write this I am now 6 weeks post surgery and it is the best decision I have ever made. I have more energy and feel so much better than I would have ever imagined. I'm fortunate that I have had no complications and really no difficulty to speak of. Would I still think of the surgery as cheating or the "easy" way out? No. The surgery on it's own will only get one so far. It still takes dedication to the diet and exercise programs and, for me, a complete change in my approach to food. There is a huge adjustment in how one eats and drinks. My meals now consist of approximately 4oz of food per meal. Gone are the days of the 23oz prime rib. I don't consider it cheating, I consider it a tool to help me get healthier and increase my chances of prolonging my life. By no means has this process been easy. It is a total and complete life changing experience. Oh and the less than half the man thing....once I get to my goal I will weight 46% of what I did on that Oct 13th day. As I write this I have lost 36lbs on my pre-surgery diet and 52lbs since having my surgery for a total of 88lbs lost since my initial consultation with the surgery center on November 23, 2010. Again, thank you for taking the time to read my blog. Edit: 3-7-2011 I have lost a total of 94lbs, which makes me 80% of the man I used to be. 3-14-2011 (-)103lbs, 78% 3-21-2011 (-)108lbs, 77% 4-11-2011 (-)123lbs, 75% 5-16-2011 (-)150lbs, 69.5% 6-20-2011 (-)180lbs, 63.4% 7-18-2011 (-)204lbs, 58.5% 8-1-2011 (-) 212lbs, 56.9% 8-15-2011 (-) 221lbs, 55.0% 8-22-2011 (-) 229lbs, 53.5% 9-12-2011 (-) 242lbs, 50.8% 9-26-2011 (-) 247lbs, 49.8% It's official, I am less than half the man I used to be!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10-7-2011 (-) 268lbs, 45.5% 4-4-2012 (-)307lbs, 37.6%

Welcome! Congratulations on your loss....great job! Yes it's a definite source of encouragement. I have also had that concern. Thus far I've been doing so well it's like I keep bracing myself for the eventual slow down. I just keep trying to be proactive and do the things I need to do in order to give myself the best possible outcome. For me it's such a strange feeling having come this far to then realize I'm still at a weight that would horrify most people. I keep thinking one day I will be able to look back and say I've lost 250, 260, etc lbs.

LOL...yep, you just summarized another part of my conversation with him. A good by product of being overweight (like that is posssible) is that it does build muscle and bone density.

Outstanding! From you, my new friend, I have to find out more. I am where you have been. Oct 14, 2010 I weighed 496. I was sleeved Jan 10,2011 and am as of today 404. It's a long road to go yet.

Wow talk about perfect timing. I met with my excercise physiologist today and we discussed this very topic. The conclusion: no reason it can't be done. It will involve an extra effort to pay attention to calories burned versus those taken in and an increase in protein, but should be very managable. Let's hit the weights!

You should be fine. You want to avoid ibuprofin and asprin, but acetaminophen (tylenol) is fine for sleevers.

Keep in mind I'm no surgeon, but I have stayed in a Holiday Inn Express. From what I understand there is air inserted into the stomach to test for leakage at the end of the procedure. hair loss is typically the result of not getting enough Protein in your diet. It is tremendously important to get your protein, not only to prevent hair loss, but to also aid in weight loss.

I've had some success in keeping the foam down by using the pulse instead of the low or high settings. A few quick pulses usually mixes well with little foam.

Hi Tracy and welcome to the forum. Nice to see another Michigander in the house. Thank you for sharing your story. I too am one that has always been more reserved and less apt to talk, especially about weight issues. Since my surgery I have been overwhelmed with the desire to share and encourage others as they look at this process. It is very helpful and educational to share your story with others that have been down the path or are looking to begin their journey. You'll find many supportive people here. If you have a peer support group available though your Dr or surgery center I would highly recommend you check it out and get involved. Good luck and take care.

Shouldn't this be a sub topic here: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/12201-any-other-gay-sleevers-out-there/

I picked up some of the unflavored yesterday but have yet to try it. Others I've spoken with say that it blends in really well with soups, puddings, etc.