iegal

Advice you already know. Sip often. I used a timer so every 15 minutes I slowly dribbled a shot glass full of sugar free gatorade/poweraide down my throat. Difficult. Um, toast already? Bread is often a no no for many sleevers until 6 months out. No matter what, hang in there, things do get better.

Speaking from my experience only...YES they do treat you better on average. More people smile at me, men hold the door open more often, retail people ask me if I need help more often, men of my aqaintance whom would never have considered me anything more than a friend now look at me in a different light. I am not different person. (Or am I putting on more confident airs?) What I want to mention is that I am so much more sympathetic and apathetic to obese strangers now. If you are in the store and see me smiling at you, it is because I understand not because I am staring. This is a journey with many ranges of emotions to deal with along the way. Take the bad with the good for the good FAR outweights the bad. We can not change others opinions, only ourselves. Hugs - I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

Our next meeting will be Saturday, JULY 7th at 10am Send Sleeve 4 me a message for details

Life will be "normal" again. A new normal though. Now you learn the new you and how to adjust. Congrats on being sleeved and welcome to the losers bench!

Here is a study between bypass & VSG gherlin levels. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18376181?ordinalpos=12&itool=EntrezSystem2.PEntrez.Pubmed.Pubmed_ResultsPanel.Pubmed_RVDocSum

LOVE LOVE LOVE Trader Joes. Simply would not move anywhere without it. Personally I love the mid level grade wine selection for my non oenophile friends, but I digress. I assume you are talking food? Almost everything I purchase there is delicious. During soft phase I ate egg salad there with some spice to it. Only 60 calories a serving and it tasted decent. Still eat it today. Just take your diets list with you shopping and you will have a great time. They have pregrilled chicken strips for those of us too busy to cook our own. My excuse is I spent too much time at the gym. Yippee for you. Love from - a TJ addict

Hi - I am part of your gang and had to make sure this procedure would not stress my system. I have not had any issues, just make sure you drink as often post surgery as possible. I'm prone to kidney stones also. Just watch protien and calcium intake. Most importantly stay hydrated. Post surgery this was a big deal. We must be vigilant about proper Fluid intake or complications can occur. That preop diet is torture, but you can survive. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

Okay - slimies. That was my "I am full" response for the first couple of months. Not that bad, just a big old drop of drool (gross) with no control. I don't think you did anything wrong, you are just learning new body responses. I did not overeat or not chew enough (trust me I counted to 20 for every bite) Congrats on your surgery!

Same person? Amazing!

Yippee! Wishing you many more victories.

Much as I hate to disagree with Oregon Daisy - a virtual help to me when I was a newbie, a hospital stay is not "best" care as implied. There are updated practices & procedures that adhere to US surgery standards. Self pay VSG surgery here in the states as outpatient. 18K. Went home same day and slept in my own bed that night, comfortably without all the downfalls of a hospital stay. No drain, no pain pump, no catheter, no morphine, no IV follow up needed & no extra risk of infections that all hospital pose when staying. I only took pain meds once...and that was to sleep. (My surgeon was a guest on Dr. Oz & featured VSG surgery in 2010) Do what is best in your own comfort level. Consider traveling after surgery, not having a surgeon you can follow up with in person and possible complications. This is why I ponied up the extra $ for a US surgeon. Hate to be contrary here - but YES, insurance will cover for complications if you have surgery here is US most of the time. My PPO would but most Health Maint Orgs will not. Check your own insurance out to see what they say. Wishing you the best in your array of choices. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

It is all downhill from here. Congratulations!

Hi Patty; Reposting response from my VSG guru who used to dispense good advice to me as a newbie like a fairy godmother. _____________________________________________________ This is my standard reply when this question pops up every couple of days. I won't try to sway anyone one way or another, but I'll give you my reasons for choosing VSG over RNY (bypass). For me, it was never an option. The cons outweighed the pros. Some factors I considered in deciding on VSG. The pouch that RNY offers is similar to the pouch with the band. Least to say, a pouch sucks, I love having a normal tummy, just less capacity and still fully functioning. 1) No blind stomach left behind that can be difficult to scope yet can still get ulcers and cancer. 2) 2 years max on calorie/carb/sugar malabsorption, but a lifetime of vitamin/nutrient malabsorption. This process is called adaptation, and it happens with intestinal bypass surgeries. 3) I had a pouch with the band, and it sucked. I'm pretty fond of my pyloric valve and the sleeve let me keep it. I love having a normal functioning stomach, just smaller in capacity. 4) Regain stats and #of RNY patients seeking revision truly scared the poop out of me 5) I have too many friends in real life that struggle with Vitamin deficiencies post-RNY, and most of them either never got to goal, or have gained back a significant amount of their weight. 6) The long term complications with RNY were too numerous for my comfort level. Pouch or stoma dilation, strictures, vitamin/nutrient deficiencies, ulcers, 7) I researched gastrectomies that had been performed for stomach cancer and ulcer patients, and found comfort in the long term results and minimal complications of patients that had lost most or all of their stomachs had dealt with over several years. 8) I was a volume eater, and knew a restrictive only procedure would work for me. 9) I did not want to have food or medication restrictions. I chose WLS to have a "normal" life, and I think it's normal to eat a couple of Cookies. With RNY, I wasn't willing to go through the possibility of dumping if I wanted to have a couple of cookies, or a slice of cake on occasion. The big scare for me is medication restrictions for life. NSAIDS and steroids are a NO GO for life with a RNY pouch. I realize that I may never be diagnosed with a condition or disease that requires steroid use, but it is possible. I want the best long term results with the least amount of complications. Malabsorption is not anything to play with in my mind, and I was not willing to take that risk. __________________________________________________ Personally, I have two friends who have had bypass. One great success but two follow up surgies in last 10 years for complications. The other has had success but a lot of issues. I feel so badly when she dumps - we litterally pull over and she craps in a plastic bag. This still happens at over a year out. At a year plus out the only difference in my life is restriction of how much I can eat. I am a lucky girl and have no regrets.

A great step for all your dreams and hopes. Keep on the boards so you know you are not alone in this journey. Bumps happen along with hazards. Knowledge and a postive attitude which you already possess will be your allies. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

Aw, a food funeral. Food is not DEAD after surgery. Food will become a part of your life again. What changes is the quantity only. Surgeons only do physical limiting surgery, not brain surgery. I can eat everything I throw down to my gullut once again. Nothing bothers me. Oh, I am a little more sensitive to spicy (really spicy) foods but all else sits in there just fine. What you need to mourn is your relationship with food. Deal with the fact that food will no longer be your first go to friend when you are celebrating an occasion, bored, lonely, sad, just watching TV, socializing and so on. You need to learn to occupy yourself somewhere else and focus on other things around you rather than eating as much as you want. Choices. Focus on protien. Lest you follow me and have a cry fest in front of a buffet knowing I will never be able to gorge again and eat everything I like, twice. Okay, three times. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

Refreshing that you are so honest about how you feel. Agree with other posters that you have to look how far you have come. Look how close your goal is now. You've been on boards for a while, so you know it has take Coops over two years to hit goal, she was a really slow loser. But she keep, on track and plugging along. Losing is tough business. Pat yourself on the back for all you do and now try shaking things up a little. Take an extra walk every day this week for 1/2 hour, add protien only calories this week or cut your carbs in half for this week only. Does it make a difference? No matter what, don't give in. You are a winner & a real loser, right?

Um, how seriously do you want this surgery? I begged & borrowed for this surgery. Not recommending you follow me but if you want it you can really make it happen. That initial 10% is not easy, I did as previous posted mentioned and when on liquid diet for two weeks - which was pure torture. Desired results happened with initial weight loss. As far as the $3500, that is a chunk of change. Can you take a loan from your 401K? Best wishes in finding solutions that work for you.

How old is your family member? Did the surgeon tell her on the initial consult she was too old for VSG surgery? Sounds like she is scared and is looking for excuses to back out as many people do. Ask her questions like - where will you be in two years (considering past history) if you do not seriously consider any type of WLS? Do everything with love and understanding. Hugs for loving your relative enough to be a support for her.

Most of us remember that moment thinking "what am I doing?" while a few of us can same I never doubted my choice. If you do not have a hernia or if you have not had gallbladder surgery, you can take both of these out of your area of concerns. Take this for your position alone. You and your spouse will not always travel the same path on this journey of VSG. Do this for you and accept your experience may be different...for the better. Best wishes. I have no regrets and love my sleeve.

EXACT same thing happened to me. The breast study came back requiring another exam and reading. Only thing I could think of was "really, after all the tests it is my breast stopping me?" Of course I have dense breast tissue. Mine turned out okay. Either way, these tests have either taken you step forward in WLS or in catching C must sooner. Keep us in the loop. You are in my prayers.

Understand...no one but fat people or previously fat people (me) know what it is to hold onto this weight. We know it is not a choice to be fat. Most all of us have tried every on line diet, fad and support group without long term results. Be encouraged that you will be the one who can be a cheerleader to someone else in the future who needs to lose weight. Forgive those who you can never educate on the battles we face. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

So nice for everyone to hear ups and downs of surgery. I'm over 20 months out and have gained back about 7 lbs from my bottom weight. How? I eat what ever I want, sadly. I know mentally not to do this but unlike dip40so I have the ability to eat anything without restrictions. Rice, bread, Pasta...all of it without any issues. After surgery I have also obtained quite a sweet tooth which I did not possess before. Bad habits have crept back in like eating quickly which allows more food and then an unpleasant full feeling. Yikes. Bad me. So, do not follow me and just continue to say no to bad food items. After that 6 months a newbie sleever keeps trying to see what you can and can not have. Better just to continue to say no to food items you should just steer clear as you should on any healthy eating plan. While I do not feel I will regain all my weight, yes it is possible to pack back on the pounds. My girlfriends think I look better with these few pounds that my lowest weight. Still under surgeons goal weight by quite a bit but above my personal goal weight. Advice? So stick with a healthy diet always after VSG and do not go looking for trouble, because you will find it..

Welcome to no longer lurking - so glad you would post to introduce yourself. Best advice besides reading all you can is jump in often. Also join one of the groups in your local area so you can find other sleevers in Phoenix area. Wish you luck! Only here to cheerlead you on to much success. I have no regrets!

I agree, that pre op diet (mine was for two weeks) was absolute torture. Wish I had a miracle for you, but I don't. The way I survived was simply on will power with the prize of VSG surgery. Each day was one day I lived for, that was it. Didn't look at the 10 days left or food I could not eat. Stay away from the lunch room, go to your car and back during breaks & lunch. Live in the bathtub with a book you always wanted to read. Diet is not only to reduce fatty liver but also to train you for the changes you will face after surgery. I know you can do this because I am the WORST patient ever and made it through. Hugs for encouragement.

Okay - I have a different point of view. Hopefully this does not make me ostracized. You do realize that each person chooses what is best for their own situation and circumstances, right? I didn't tell anyone other than my fiancé and three very close girlfriends. My mom did not know for three months and she lives less than a mile away. My dad still does not know, nor does most of the family. My daughter found out about a month after surgery when she came back from college for a visit and read paperwork I had left out accidentally. Last thing she needed was to worry about her mom while she was out of state and unable to support me. Her focus was to be elsewhere. Emotionally most of my my family & friends could not understand my need for WLS. Mom told me I just needed to "tape my mouth shut", easily said for a woman who has never worn over a size 4 her entire life. Others thought I should give conventional programs another shot. Yeah, like I had not tried repeatedly. How could I explain to them that "trying harder" was not the fix for me? I had VSG for me alone. With a BMI of 33+ I was obese but not obese enough to medically qualify for surgery. So, my weight loss was easily explained away with a initial liquid diet, eating differently with dramatic portion control, exercising more and I stopped eating out. Now my mom knows about. Yes, she was upset I did not tell her but agrees she would have been a barrier in that initial weight loss. Those who do not understand the struggles of being overweight simply could not understand my journey. Glad you all have an audience who accept WLS, I simply did not. I chose my support group wisely. I knew my audience and their levels of tolerance. VSG decision was too personal to share with mere co-workers or acquaintances. Would not change how I handled. It was perfect for me. Listen to your heart so you what is best for you.