iegal

Contratulations SIMI on your upcoming surgery. I like the Apple Melon Isopure 40grm- think close to a green jolly rancher. Got it at GNC but hard to find as I was told at several locations that this is the first flavor to sell out. . Drink cold because at room tempature it is not as appealing IMO. I still drink these a couple times a week to ensure 60 grm of Protein a day when I am running around unable to preplan my meals. Try sipping half in morning and half in afternoon. Use G2 gatorade in between to get ride of funky aftertaste. Good luck!

Congratulations on such a great story. I am a little confused...you were sleeved 2 months ago and have lost 30+lbs already with a 2 week stall? Are you kidding? Great stats. Thanks for sharing pics. Your smile says it all.

Thanks for sharing and congratulations on accepting the new you!

I had the sleeve as an outpatient surgery and did not recover easily due to excessive nausea....so I am feeling your misery. Good news is your will recover and forget this now. As all have mentioned, keep drinking Water, Isopure as much as you can. Okay, really you need to twatch the clook, timing your self and force a sip as timed intervals. This will help you recover and feel so much better. Your journey may not have any bumps, but the results are undeniable. Rest and recover soon.

I think you would regret doing anything that might imped your weight loss. I hated liquids a lot. After 4 weeks (2 weeks post op also) I thought I was going to just perish from not putting solids in my mouth. Things do get better, I promise. Right now you need to focus on healing properly which is following your NUT post op diet. Better safe than sorry. Good luck!

You broke that dreaded stall a few weeks ago and now are on a roll losing weight like mad. Congratulations and can't wait to see you again soon.

Hello Motley; Single incision surgery for VSG is done with a special tool called a SPIDER. Surgeon goes in through the bellybutton, inserts spider and then open up the three tools. Cost of surgery is higher, so you would probably have to pay the difference. If you want to get an experienced surgeon, since technique has only been out for about a year or more, ask your doctor how many he/she has completed. To watch a video clip of how spider works, go to "The Doctors" TV show to see their clip on - Spider Weight Loss Surgery Explained. Link to this clip is below. No regrets on VSG...loving my sleeve. http://www.thedoctor...re&init_id=2871 PS - notice surgeon in the Doctors clip...he was my surgeon in So Cal.

TODAY...hang on...I am normal. What? Please repeat this outloud because this has not been said about me in ages. I am in the normal weight range according to BMI calulator. food needed at this party.

Just about to brag about my own victory - but I wanted to be sure to stop and congratulate you. WOW - you look fabulous! Congratulations.

Stupid question but did you have your general practioner also write a letter? I understand that some divisions of BCBS do approve the sleeve now. Kaiser approves the sleeve. Post above about paying a fee to lawyers sounds good. Best wishes and keep us in the loop.

Lisabug; Sorry to hear that your husband is being insensitive and selfish. But I am also sorry to see that you are already wondering if you marriage will survive this. Did you have trust issues before surgery which is why you checked his cell phone history (assume you can see # of who he called) and also checked debit card? If yes or no, your first priority is your health. Drink and rest, do not expend energy on things which are unable to correct with one discussion. I worry that if you confront him tomorrow and he is raw, he might react inappropriately. You need to rest and heal. If you need help, call a friend or family member. It is okay for the house to be messy, take care of yourself first. I see your husband as a little boy right now - scared witless and alone turning to food. He lost his eating partner, a common interest you both enjoyed. Now he is out alone eating himself silly. He is out on the town with his other lover...FOOD. Do you believe he needs to be assured that you will not leave him and you are not losing weight to get attention physically from other men but to be healthy? Again, if you already have trust issues this could be a key point. I do not recommend kicking him out - you have other things to deal with right now. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Yeah to Sleeve 4 me advice. Hugs - ocgal

Sassy; You and I are on the same page. Not everyone is entitled to know about why/how/when of the decison to have WLS, When I gained weight over the years, I was responsible so when I made the choice to have VSG, I did so alone. Yes, I discussed with my best girlfriends and fiancée but only after I knew this was what I wanted. No one in my family - neither my parents nor young adult children where told of my surgery. No one at work knows, although they see the results. Slowly I have revealed to those what I have done to help my long term health. My mother was shocked, but she was my worse fear. I just told her after a day before Thanksgiving - 2 months after surgery and she lives less than a mile away. My daughter found my paperwork when I was out of town and confronted me, otherwise I would not have said anything to her. So, how do I handle comments? Well, I tell the partial truthexcluding the fact that I had surgery. I say - I am eating dramatically smaller portions, less calories, minimal amounts of carbs and concentrate on mostly Protein. I am exercising more often. I am going to weight loss support groups weekly. None of these responses are lies I just have not revealed that I also had taken out 85% of my stomach. Why do others feel the right to know every detail of my struggle? Still embarrassed by how I abused my body for years. My goal of being healthy and active is now achievable and I am thrilled. You can weed out who your foes and advocates are over time as they show their true colors. No regrets-ocgal

Wow - you look amazingly different. Your new pic with pose shows the real you - congratulations on your success so far.

Your smile says it all. Congratulations!

You are safe to moan here...where else can you worry out loud? No need to despair, all is well. You might not hit goal when you want but you WILL reach it with a little more determination and grit than maybe some others require. Sounds like you ARE loosing, which is fabulous. Don't compare yourself to others. You had a bad stretch where you were ill and your body was protecting itself to repair. Keep up what you know works and then shake it up a little as you have seen mentioned by others. Try something different every week. Work out with a little resistance, not just aerobic. You can do this with your already great disposition and maybe a little more patience. ocgal

What a blessed woman you are to have been loved by such a wonderful man! He does not sound like a goofy man but a very wise man and I am terribly sorry for such a loss in your life. Do you have someone who will be able to be with you at the hospital and when you come home? sleep well Kimmy. Be careful on the meds, my nut said NO asprin type meds 1 week before surgery due to possible excess bleeding. Call office tomorrow and get some suggestions. ocgal

Hello Rain; Touched by your posts. You will be in my prayers tomorrow and the recovery ahead. Don't force yourself overdo thinking you need to be superwoman. Remember, having a sleeve is a journey and not all days will be sunny. We are here for you so give a "shout out" when you need a word of encouragement or a hug. Keep us posted! ocgal

First of all...WOW, writing from the hospital after getting sleeved. Congratulations, sounds like you are well on the road to a speedy and safe recovery. Wishing you the best of success. Be sure to keep us posted on progress, both highs and lows. Excited for you! ocgal

Thinking of you and wishing you have a speedy recovery.

Hello; I was a self pay. I did the same normal tests the surgeon requires, so your tests might be different. Test to see if I had an ulcer (breath test), EKG, sonogram to see where internal organs were placed for surgery plus within same test my gallbladder was looked at to see if I had stones...I did. Did meet with the physcologist & nutritionist. Plus LOTS of blood was taken to test. I have PPO insurance and it did cover testing part minus copay. No regrets for spending a fortune. Good luck! - ocgal

If I would only scroll down... I am going to try to make it since this is worth the drive. Would love an opprotunity to talk live. Hope to see you! ocgal

Mind games. When you used to say to yourself "I am hungry", now you say "I am going for a walk." Hard rule for me now since I still open refrigerator because I am bored, tired, lonely, or upset I take a quick walk. I keep a pair of slip on shoes right by the door for a quick stroll, sometimes out for only 5 minutes. If weather does not allow, I have searched youtubed for a couple of home excercises to tone my arms and legs, etc. I do at least two clips. Amazing how i am retraining myself. Yes we battle old patterns, but ask yourself what can you replace food with that is positive either mentally or physically? Recognition is good - now take action to change. ocgal

I use the Bariatric Adv chewables. First thing in the morning...and I mean first, is chewing on one of those. Then I start my day by doing all the little chores we must doing like shower, make bed, make Breakfast, feed dog, pick up after others, and get newpaper. That usually gives me the time frame for absorption. Second chewable is a little more difficult to plan but I have used it as a "sweet treat" during the day. Lemon one tastes a little bit dirty. I have no favorite and have tried all three flavors without one sticking out as horrid. Good luck and let us know how you have tackled this topic. I follow closely as you have answered many questions I never even considered. Thanks. ocgal

What will be hardest? Not planting my face in the mashed potatoes while mumbling to all "pour the gravy quickly." Potatoes are my complete weakness in any form. Sliced, diced, fried, baked, boiled, shredded or mashed. I too am the only one in my family with a weight issue. Again, I must be adopted. But really, this is the scariest holiday of all for us right? We all sit down and eat until our pants need to be unbuttoned. Weird, I want to gorge and experience this feeling still. My family is not aware of my surgery, minus my daughter & fiancé so everyone will know something is up when they see my plate. I plan to fill it up anyway with normal size portions unlike my man sized portions before. This year I don't need to compete for seconds. Hopefully I will eat Protein first and eat slowly. Stay the course for success. It is a slippery slope ahead. Thanks for reminding me I need a plan. ocgal

Good for you wanting details. I demanded them from my NUT and his staff. Not in exact order - but bloodwork (a lot of blood - 4 or 5 vials) tests, meetings with physcologist & nutritionist, support group attendance mandated prior to surgery, breath test to see if I had an ulcer, EKG, physical examination by internal MD (who is doing my post exams) and upper body sonogram prior to surg(is this is correct term?) to do two things...look to see if I had gallstones yet (I did) and for surgeon to see my internal organ placements to see if anything was unusual such as a hernia. Next month I take another blood test at 3 months out to make sure I am supplimenting correctly. I was an outpatient, had a tough time for two days after surgery due to bad reaction to anesthic. I did not have a drain, nor a pain pump I see so many writing about, no morphine IV drip & I only took pain liquid twice and that was to sleep at night 3 & 4. As you already know, aftercare is everything. No regrets on decision to have VSG but I will I had better prepared myself for how my new life is today. I have cried over not being able to gorge. I needed to learn to eat more slowing prior to surgery. Today, out of habit I still open the fridge looking for some so called quick happiness. My body functions are different (BM), my taste of food is different as some foods I used to consider a treat now do nothing for me and now taste strange. The amount I eat right now is shockingly low - 1/4 cup or so per meal, which is normal. But to a girl who used to eat like a man...or two, eating a few bites and then feeling full is downright scary. Best of luck to you! - oc gal