Bandme1

Flintstones Complete chewables are actually on my surgeon's list of recommended Vitamins They taste great and they have Iron in them, so you don't have to take an iron supplement. Just remember to leave at least 2 hours between the Vitamin and the Calcium supplements. You could buy a small bottle of the Flintstones to last you until you can take your tablets again.

I am just so relieved to finally be on the other side!! Woooooot!! Sip sip sippin' away and surprised at the fact that all the food my husband eats smells absolutely divine. lol! I know I can't eat, but daaaang, it smells so good. I enjoy just smelling it.

Day 2 and I'm getting in almost 60 ounces of liquids. That seems like a lot so soon out.

I guess I really lucked out because I did not have any gas pain whatsoever. I had my surgery yesterday afternoon and when I woke up I was slightly nauseous and they gave me some meds right away and I was fine. I was in no pain at all yesterday and this morning I have quite a bit of pain around my incisions because I decided not to take the morphine. I am on liquid vicodin, but am taking a very low dosage. Other than the pain around the incisions I have been just fine. I came home this morning, so I spent less than 24 hours in the hospital.

I am SO happy with this surgery so far and so grateful that I have not had any complications or serious pain. I went in expecting the worst and was very pleasantly surprised. The most pain I have is when I go from sitting/laying to standing up. That hurts quite a bit but once I get to walking it goes away.

Anyways, I know this isn't the norm, but I just thought that I would share that it's not always horrible. Just wanted to give a little hope to those of you out there that have yet to be sleeved.

How are you doing? is the 1st 2 weeks hell? any complications? so freaked out

I was also sleeved at Kaiser Richmond.... yesterday! lol. I was not in any pain yesterday and didn't really have any nausea either. I was home by this morning and have had a lot of pain around the incision sites whenever I get up to go to the bathroom or to take a walk. Other than that, it has been a breeze! When I am laying down relaxing I don't feel anything at all. I've even gotten in 40 ounces of fluids today as well! It probably just depends on you personally. I have had absolutely zero complications and am already feeling pretty darn good and it's technically only day 1. I know my case is pretty unusual, but it can still happen

Just got sleeved yesterday at 3:30 p.m. and I was home today by 11:00 a.m. Doing well. Not nearly as much pain as I was expecting! Now just working on walking and sipping. Thanks so much for all the support from everyone. I am so glad it's over!!

Best of luck to everyone who is getting sleeved with me tomorrow!! valentine, InProgress, Jensharley, Tripletsmomma, Tee23.... we will all do great!! I can't wait to talk with you guys after so we can talk about how it went.

Hi everyone,

I’m Vanessa and am 20 years old. I started this because i want to read and see different journeys so i am excited to see what i'll find. I will be having my surgery in September and ever since i got my date i have been having these nightmares! I wake up in the middle of the night because i can’t stand the pain after surgery and i even dreamt once that i felt everything during surgery! I’m so excited for this but i can't understand why I’m getting so nervous. I knew this is going to be a great new chapter in my life and i can’t wait.

It's just your nerves :-/ My surgery is on Monday and I am getting SOOOO nervous. I had this dream the other night that I was standing over the operating table looking down on my own body watching them do the operation. It was SOO bizarre. I'm just ready for this to be over so I can stop worrying and start SIPPING. lol!!

So for those of you who read my post about possible infection... it was not an issue with my incision being infected. I went in today and he said that one of my stitches did not absorb and sometimes you can have a reaction to it... (or something to that effect) and that is what happen......... he said Im too far out to have incisions infected unless something crazy happens. Anyways.. he prescribed me an antibiotic for 7 days and told me to cut it in 2 and swallow. I think he didnt realize that it is in capsule form :/

Can we swallow capsules? or do i need to open it up and swallow that nasty crap inside... which i did once today and almost gagged to death from the taste... also.. washing it down was not easy. it was stuck on my tongue and roof of my mouth and i had to drink quite a bit of Water to get it down .. which didnt feel good on my tummy.. anyways lol

Can anyone assist?

P.S. Thanks

I've heard some people take the powder from the capsules and dissolve it in a little one ounce shot of Jello then let the Jello set and take it as a jello shot. I don't know if that would work for you or not, but it's one idea. That sucks that it tastes so gross

Oh man, I am going in on the 18th! I have heard from everyone that having a small pillow to press to the tummy when coughing or sitting up is really helpful so I went and bought some really cute fabric and some cotton stuffing and I'm going to make my own! lol. I have my little bag with gas-x strips, loose clothes, and I bought little mini Shampoo and conditioner for myself (I am going to have a friend help me wash my hair. Whenever I feel sick I always have to wash my hair and I feel better. I'm weird, I know!) and I also grabbed a mini shampoo and body wash for my husband

I am getting so nervous. I have butterflies in my stomach and of course the surgery is all I can think about. I feel like the few people that I have told about the surgery are probably sick of me talking about it. lol!! I feel like I've read every post on this forum (even though I am nowhere close to that) lol!

WOW!

I have been here reading and supporting others who have gone before me and had the surgery. I can believe its almost my turn! I leave for San Diego on Sunday and should be going into surgery on Monday morning. I emailed Trish so I can find out more details about when I should go NPO for surgery. My plan was to do the liquid Protein diet up until Sunday and then stop everything around 8 or 9 pm for surgery. I hope that is going to work! I also went shopping for some things for post op...I got my post op outfits which consists of loose cotton knee legnth shorts and capris, loose tank shirts and a zip up cotton sweat shirt for the plane ride. I plan on bringing a small pillow for the post op moving around as well. I got my rob and slippers and two pajama two piece sets for the hotel. I purchased two thermals thanks to Heather T who suggested it for warm broths. I plan on using one for tea and one for broth. I am going to pick up tea for bloating and for healing to assist my body bouce back. Am I missing anything?? I probably am since Im writing this down from the top of my head. I would love any feed back from recent sleevers who can assist with this. Thanks!

I am also on the 18th!! Here's the list of all of us July sleevers http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/20339-july-master-list/

We should keep in touch and keep track of each other's progress! I am getting so nervous!! lol

How exciting. This is a busy week for sleevers!! Good luck everyone! Can't wait to hear how everyone's surgeries go!

Dang, girl! You are gorgeous!

I'm drinking some diluted apple juice and starting to feel a bit human. Hubby has gone to the store to get gatorade. I see my doctor in the morning.

Powerade makes a "Powerade Zero" that has no sugar, no carbs, no calories but is full of electrolytes! And it's delicious!

My gyn said it seemed like I had PCOS even though I didn't have all the identifying symptoms because my period was so irregular. Sometimes it would last for months and months and then other times it would be gone for months and months. I wasn't ovulating, and even with prescription meds I couldn't either. Since my surgery 3 months ago, I have had my period like clockwork and they are not as heavy anymore. Thinking that by the end of this year we will be trying for a baby again!

Oh that is so awesome to hear!! I am having surgery next week and was diagnosed with PCOS about 4 years ago. No ovulating and WHACK periods. My last one lasted 7 months and it was SO heavy.

Thanks for the encouragement!!

I was wondering the same thing because Kaiser Richmond tells all patients not to drink Protein shakes... EVER. They say that they are "empty calories" and do not keep you full. I completely disagree with that and have been substituting one meal a day with a Protein Shake (I am still pre-op until next week) but I am wondering how in the world I am supposed to get all my protein in without protein shakes!

Oh how I wish! Wednesday is actually my first initial appointment with Dr. Fisher. I still have a few hoops to jump through (Psych, labs, etc.). I'm actually hoping for late August or early September. Sorry for the confusion, I am excited to meet with Dr. Fisher though. I'm hoping we can jump start this process and get it moving quickly.

Hugs

Oh poo, I read it wrong. lol! Well good luck with your consult! I've heard great things about Dr. Fisher.

I'm on this site every day and on my scale sometimes three times a day (as if the numbers are going to change in three hours). I meet with my Surgeon next Wednesday, so maybe I will be able to relax a little after that is over. Sometimes I know I am driving my hubby crazy but I can't help myself.

Glad to hear I'm not the only one obsessing.

Hi ShellBear! I just noticed that you are having surgery 5 days before me at Kaiser Richmond Mine is on the 18th with Dr. Im. How exciting!

I added you to our July Master List so that all us July people call follow up with each other and keep in contact. Good luck on Wednesday!!

Here's the link to the master list http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/20339-july-master-list/

Hey we share the same surgery date!! I am so excited and nervous and anxious, just a ball of emotion really! I have already lost about 5 lbs of the weight I am supposed to lose before my surgery and my DR doesn't do the liquid diet before the surgery, he just basically says lose this weight or else the surgery is off until I do. So I have researched several diets and have settled on the cabbage Soup diet. Since I have been dieting on and off for the last couple months and lost, i figure a real strict diet is just what I need to get rid of the last few pounds. I am so ready for this surgery!! Good luck to you and congrats!

Hi Ladies! I went ahead and added you to our July Master List. There are actually several others that have the same date as you! Go check it out! http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/20339-july-master-list/

No one can tell you whether or not it is right for you. The best thing for you to do is check out some of the topics on here and decide if it is something you want to do and a commitment that you want to make. The reason that *I* personally decided to do it is that I am tired of my weight steadily going up. I get disgusted with myself and think "WHY!? Why can't my fat a$ just diet and exercise and get this weight off?" and sometimes I would even do it. I would lose some weight and then I would be right back up again a few months later. I decided to get this surgery because I want a long-term tool to help me get and keep this weight off. It is a big commitment though. You have to really work at forming new eating habits and a new lifestyle. That is the part that I am looking forward to most. I am getting sleeved next Monday and I am SOO excited about. I'm ready to change my life and be IN CONTROL. I feel so out of control. I feel like I'm at the point where I can't exercise as much as I would like to because my fat body just gives out. I want to be able to lose this weight, exercise and eat right and someday get to a point where I eat to live, not live to eat.

So far on my pre-op diet I have lost almost 20 pounds. I have had a few people ask me why I don't just stick with the diet I've been on until I lose the rest of my weight. The thing is... the ONLY thing keeping me accountable on this diet is knowing that I have to meet my goal weight in order to get my surgery. If I show up next Monday and I am over my goal weight, I have to postpone my surgery. If it weren't for that, I would TOTALLY be cheating on this diet. 4th of July BBQ's... oh man. I would have gone crazy and eaten everything. lol.

Take a look around on the website. Check out some of the pre-op and post-op forums. This website has been a FABULOUS resource and I feel like I have learned so much from all the great people here.

It CAN be done. This surgery is not some magic solution. It is a tool that you have to want and utilize and make it work for you. If you aren't at the point yet where you are ready for that kind of a commitment, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. If you are, then that is fabulous too. Good luck in making your decision and doing a little self-searching to really decide what is best for you. Please feel free to message me or anyone on here. Everyone I have talked to is so helpful and willing to help you out or answer any questions.

Mine is July 19th-this is great!

I have added you to the list Congrats!

My date has changed to the 28th. I don't know why except the nurse told me he likes to to vsg on Thursdays.

Khy

Okay, I made the change Congrats!

Hey everyone!! I got an e-mail back from the support team and they used to have it set where a post could only be edited for 7 days, that is why I couldn't make changes to the list anymore. But they changed it to 30 days so we are back up and running

Is it possible for us to get a moderator to pin our list? Just wondering! Thanks so much MLD! What is going on with you....care to share?

No problem. I just feel bad that I can't edit the original post anymore and add people to the list :-/ I thought about maybe starting a new thread? But there's already so much discussion on this one.

I can't believe I'm having surgery in 9 days! That is nuts to me! I have to go on Thursday to an all-day pre-op class about Vitamins and whatnot. lol. I'm so ready for this!

I sent an e-mail in to the support because it is not letting me update the original list anymore. I reposted it and have been editing the repost (on page 4) but I will update the main one as soon as I figure out how.

I wouldn't even be able to consider this if I was self-pay. My insurance will cover it, or so they say.

There are a few things I want to make clear. One is that after four years of Intuitive Eating, I rarely binge or even eat to the point where I feel overly full. I am far from perfect, but if I hadn't had these four years where I've learned to see food as something that is a tool, but also something fun that doesn't have to control me, I'd never even consider this surgery. That said, the idea of a food "addiction" is plain silly to me. I realize that's an unpopular viewpoint, but you cannot be any more addicted to food than you can to oxygen. You NEED both to live. So, if you believe in oxygen addictions, well, that's another story. Nicotine, caffeine, heroin, whatever... these are things we do not NEED to survive, and therefore can be true addictions. Food is a necessary component of life. I definitely used food in the wrong ways, but that doesn't make it an addiction. I guess an argument can be made for a "psychological addiction," but I've been much healthier emotionally since realizing that food is fuel. It can - and should be - fun, pleasant and enjoyable. I love food, and always will. I've just learned to love less of it, to listen to my body. Sometimes, for example, my tastebuds may say "CHOCOLATE" but my body makes it very clear it wants - needs! - Protein. I eat the Protein. These are the things IE has taught me, things that I imagine would be invaluable should I go forward with this procedure.

However, the reality is, fibromyalgia (like IBS) is a testy disease. I might be one of the unlucky ones who does not respond well to such a drastic change in diet. There's a chance that I have this surgery and feel even worse than I already do. There are no sure things, and that is very frightening to me. Yes, I might be lucky and feel fabulous, at least after an initial period of pretty freaking awful... but I might also never feel better, or may be even worse. Being thinner would be nice, but not if it means more pain.

The idea of a lot of vomiting is very off putting to me, too. I already deal with chronic nausea, and that's bad enough. I have to be really careful with what I eat, particularly where raw veggies and fruits are concerned. It sucks because I love them, but they're asking for trouble and feeling miserable, so I've learned to avoid most of them. Always made dieting fun, too...

I am unconvinced that a procedure of this extreme will actually lengthen my life. I've read studies that show that people who do gastric bypass and are diabetic often redevelop diabetes later in life, even when they've kept the weight off. I have concerns on how healthy it is for a heart to be put through such dramatic, rapid weight loss. But even if my life isn't extended, if the quality of it improves, then it's worth it. Problem is, there are just no guarantees, and anyone claiming otherwise is not to be trusted.

I could be MUCH happier and feel much healthier. I might be miserable and feel much worse. There's no way to know, and if I do this and it's the latter... I'm just screwed, because there's no going back. So it's more than a bit scary...

I would have to disagree with you on the food addiction aspect. I think that while one cannot literally be addicted to food since it is necessary to live, I guess a better way of wording it is that people are emotionally addicted to eating bad foods. It's not an actual addiction like you would think of a drug addiction or alcohol, but it's that need to eat bad food and comfort oneself with those comfort foods. The medical dictionary's definition for addiction is "a persistent, compulsive dependence on a behavior or substance." That pretty much sums up the eating habits of a lot of us here.

It's an emotional connection and to me, that's the tricky part about this "addiction". You HAVE to eat food to live. If someone is addicted to heroine, they don't need it to live. They may get withdrawals when they stop taking it, but it's not a necessity of life. They can stop taking it forever and survive. Those of us who are addicted to food can't just stop eating food the rest of our lives. We have to still eat but we have to make better choices. It's like telling an alcoholic "Okay, so you can drink, you're just going to have to make better choices." Well that's really hard! I feel the same way about a food addiction. In a perfect world, we would be able to say "Okay, I have a problem here, I am just going to stop eating forever." But we can't. I think that's why the sleeve is such a perfect option. It helps us to make those better options and to really keep control of our portions. Going back to the alcoholics thing, it's like we have our AA Sponsor with us 24/7