Rootman

Been there done that, finally gave in to the fact that I could NOT do it on my own and that I had to have help. I was (not so slowly) killing myself. About 1 3/4 years out and it's by far tge best thing I have ever done for myself healthwise.

A PE is a risk for ANY surgery and in fact a risk from living a sedate lifestyle - that is being overweight and doing nothing but sit around. In fact my guess is you are at a far greater overall risk by remaining obese than having the operation, but that's just a guess. Some docs prescribe blood thinners post op to help avoid it.

They have really started to crack down on security, while you MAY get by with the birth certificate and DL they really recommend that you have a passport or passport card.

Yeah, ice cream is easy to eat after a while, at first sweets is really a turn off. I eat ice cream once in a while, tonight my wife and I split a small piece of cake alamode, I had maybe 3 small bites and she ate the rest. I was satisfied with that, pre-op a few years ago I would of scarfed the whole thing down and wanted more.

That's a good question, and you might very well be awake but you might not recall it if they give you a drug that causes retrograde amnesia. In any case you'll be relaxed with some sort of starter drug and then they intubate and give you the drug and knock you out at the same time. The drug is pretty cool stuff and basically blanks out and prevents the area of the brain responsible for short term memory to erase itself, hence the short term retrograde amnesia.

My story is almost identical to Sleev of Steel's. I also eat whatever, but whatever is typically nutritious and in much, much lower amounts than I used too. There are things I hardly EVER eat, like bread, and things I NEVER eat like donuts.

I'm a long ways out but welcome you to VSGLand. We all wish you the best with a rapid weight loss and want to hear of the many NSV's coming your way soon.

Yes, it is difficult to get rid of one obsession (food) and not replace it with ANYTHING. It's important to replace it with something productive and healthy and knitting or crocheting might just be the ticket. Try exercising too, I would not exercise at ALL pre-op, used to HATE it. Now I swim about 8 miles and bicycle about 100 miles a week. It's hard to deprive yourself, so just SUBSTITUTE something else that is NON DESTRUCTIVE.

I'm fortunate that I don't have one but I've known someone who did - and it can get real nasty and real serious real fast. All it takes is an abrasion or nick from shaving or something and the skin can get swollen and infected in a matter of hours and go down hill from there. If it really bothers you pursue an insurance claim to get it taken care of, otherwise look into seeing a plastic surgeon that can accommodate you or check out medical tourism in Mexico or the like.

Root = administrator of a Linux or Unix operating system, man = well, MAN. Been Rootman for like 20 years from back on the old BBS days and dial up modem access to the burgeoning internet.

It really depends on how your skin reacts, it's a laproscopic procedure so the incisions are very small. I tend to scar very badly and have enough of 'em to impress any chick Mine too are pretty mild looking with the largest one kinda pink and rough and visible if you're looking for it. I would place this near the BOTTOM of any list of concerns you would have about surgery. The benefits sure outweigh ANY scarring by far.

Kewl dude - or dudette - your profile and name give no indication which It only gets better from here!

Naw, it's just you, the rest of us just sailed through surgery, lost the weight and are a picture of mental health. NOT! We all experienced it, confusion, doubt, even regret - but in the end - IT'S WORTH IT! Chances are you'll come through it fine, suffer through all the crap we who are over the hump went through and come out FAR FAR better on the other side in a new thinner, healthier you. We all wish you the BEST no matter what you decision is.

We all have it, it's called Monday morning quarterbacking - that is "What if I'd just . . ." I had along argument with myself about it post-op. Look if you and I COULD of done it then WHY DIDN'T WE? Why didn't we just muster up the willpower to say NO to all that food? Because we lack the willpower that's why, that and everything that conspires against us. We all gripe about the high cost of food, yet food prices (adjusted for inflation) are lower now then EVER before in history (sans resent and upcoming price hikes due to the massive drought). Farming is cheaper, infrastructure to ship and serve food is phenomenal and our appetites just grew because of it. Portions are out of control and we just got fatter and fatter because of it. YES, WLS is a drastic step but it's a step that a majority of us need to take in order to be healthier and happier in our lives. Chances are in a few months, a few years you'll look back at this and think it was one if not THE best thing you ever did for yourself.

Yep, give it time. You'll start to lose soon. ABOUT "Starvation mode" - YES your body can shut down a lot of function and divert energy into vital areas because of the sudden loss of calories and seemingly NOT lose weight as it fights to preserve all the fat that it has so diligently packed away for years. BUT it cannot STAY in "starvation mode". Pretty soon the triggers for "starvation mode" run their course and the body has to begin to use it's fat stores to survive. So it may hold out for a week, even two or more but eventually "starvation mode" cancels out and you MUST lose weight as long as you eat LESS calories that what you use up.

My sleep went from bad to worse, I am not sure how much if any to attribute to the WLS and how much is because of age and stress at work. I lay and toss and turn and typically pass out some tie after midnight and reawaken about 3 to 3:30, get up go to the bathroom and toss and turn some more then it's 6 all of a sudden.

It's common, Mirilax or Chia seeds every day will help.

Yeah boy, I too had a hellavu time with the diet. I was ASKED to do 5 days and voluntarily did about 12 days. man, every freaking' commercial on TV was for something I would of LOVED to scarf down. I nearly broke down the day prior to surgery, they kept playing a commercial for a 3 cheese pizza with 2 different types of bacon on it - man I could just taste it! I held out though and reaped the benefits. The pre-op diet gets a jump start on weight loss, and even we that have dieted and failed so many times before can hold out for a few days or weeks of diet as long as the goal of surgery is in sight. It also shrinks your liver as it's not choked full of fat and Protein , this makes the surgery easier for the surgeon. Your colon will thank you post-op too, as it won't be full of stuff that might not move because of post-op reaction to anesthesia and the trauma of surgery. I was so glad I did it, as the thought of sitting there having to bear down and push post-op was painful as is. Stick with it, you'll be glad you did.

What Barrbdoll said. The body has a wonderful mechanism to make MORE skin when we get fat, it unfortunately has NO real mechanism to reabsorb it once we lose weight.

Exactly the opposite, the day of surgery I was cold and have been pretty much ever since. We had a terrible summer here, over 100 degrees for MONTHS. Yet I was able to go outside and ride my bicycle in the hot weather and not hardly break a sweat. Because I was unsure of it I stayed indoors in the AC when it hit 105+. I was actually worried that it wasn't that I was NOT feeling the heat it was because I COULDN'T feel it and would pass out or die from being overheated and not even realize it. One day I was out and it crept over 105 and I was stuck out about 13 miles from home, I made my way back home and was overheated when I finally made it, drenched in sweat, exhausted and parched. It was 110 degrees. So I CAN feel the heat, it just take a HELL OF A LOT of it. I also recovered in like 1 hour rather than feel crappy all day like I would pre-op. A few liters of Water, a shower and an hour rest and I was fine. That is a remarkable change from the past when I would break out into a sweat while walking to the bathroom in the middle of winter.

I'm not a lady but I have had kidney stones which many ladies say is as bad or worse than child birth and the VSG was definatly easier.

You look at the menu and decide what to order by what is the SMALLEST entree rather than the way you used to looking for the LARGEST entree.

Over 1/2 years hear and while I can't chug like I used to I can drink a good amount pretty fast - I used to chug 1 to 1 1.2 liters in a few minutes. PART of the reason is that I don't sweat so much so there isn't the desperite need to rehydrate rapidly. I can drink 1 liter in half an hour now with a good chug at first and fairly rapid drinking of the rest.

Taco chips, saltine crackers, anything that you can grind up to a dust or paste and swallow that will wash right through your stomach - sleeved or not.

I really depends on your skins reaction to being cut, I've always reacted badly and scarred quite obviously, I've got dozens of scars from accidents, surgeries and just living. As others have stated yours look pretty average. The only tscar solution I've really delt with that worked at all is the silicone sticky bandages that help faltten the scar. You need to apply them daily for weeks or months to get them to work. I've just basically given up and accept them as they are.