Sleevie WonderLand

AM I the only one who has tried to respond to a blog comment and cant? I've also experienced writing a blog on VST and when I hit the "publish" button the whole thing frickin disappears. (&%^&%^%%$)(*(&*&^&^^%$%$$#@! (that's me cussin)

For me, the hardest part about this surgery is having to come face to face with my lifelong addiction to eating for no reason. With the sleeve you can't just eat for the heck of it; you surely can't over eat or drink just because something tastes good. You're forced to pay attention to how you eat, what you eat, and how much you're eating. To be honest, I really resented getting sleeved at first. I was pissed that I had to follow the sleeve rules. But when I came to my senses and realized that the only way I would ever lose this weight and become successful is thru this restrictive procedure, I conceded. The weight is coming off slowly but surely and me and my sleeve are becoming the best of friends. Wishing you a successful surgery, pleasant hospital stay, and speedy recovery. Remember, no matter how hard or bad it seems at first, it does get better with time.

Are you on an acid reducer like omeperazole, prilosec, or nexium? I noticed that I get very nauseated and "gassy"when I forget to take it. Fight with your doctor to prescribe liquid meds if possible. Hang in there, it really does get better.

I had a hard time with the shakes until I found nectar Syntrax chocolate Truffle. I ordered a sample pack of shakes from mybariatricpantry.com and when I tasted the chocolate truffle and the strawberry mousse, I put in an order right away! For me they were the best Protein shakes I had ever tasted. I made my shakes with skim milk, and at times added in some ice and low fat cool whip just to get a thicker, more frozen yogurt type consistency so I could eat it with a spoon. There is also

Take pictures of your self in your old baggy clothes and take some in the new "tighter" ones. Compare them. It may help you see how FABULOUS the new you is! I only hope I can take my own advice if and when the baggy clothes syndrome hits me...

I was feelin a little guilty a while ago, but now I dont! Thanks Indymom!

I was hoping to have the surgery in Mexico as well, but when it came down to it, I just couldnt afford it, so I opted to jump through the hoops required of my insurance company. However, I would be very weary and careful of having the surgery done internationally especially since you cant find any one with a testimony or two about surgery in Costa Rica or DR. Good luck to you! I hope that you find a safe and trustworthy place to get sleeved. I was recently sleeved and feel like its the best thing Ive ever done for Me!

I'm sure I'm not the only sleever who's ever done this, but I'm going to come clean and fess up to what I did tonight.... So I had some chicken thighs in the refrigerator seasoned with rosemary, fresh minced garlic, onions, Badia complete seasoning, a dash of cayenne, a smidge of paprika, and a lil EVOO sittin in a ziploc bag since Monday night. I decided to bake it tonight with some biscuits and bacon wrapped asparagus for my family, while I would dine on some chicken broth made from one of the thighs. I ended up dropping some frozen okra in my broth to end it off and pureed it to enjoy for dinner. Delish! So I fed everyone, and then proceeded to the kitchen to tidy up. The dishes didnt take long because I use paper plates alot, especially since I dont have a dishwasher and there are 7 of us in my home. So I get to the stove and its' time to put the leftovers away. When I'm done, I notice there's some hunks of ckn stuck to the bottom of the pyrex dish...you know, along with all the other delicious bits that are left that you could use to turn in to gravy? Yeah, the good stuff! So I'm in a dilemma at that moment...the carnivore in me is DYING to devour those scant pieces of well seasoned, crispy bits of ckn, while the sleeved part of me is saying, Ha! you aint ready to eat that yet! (I'm still in the pureed stage)....angel on one shoulder, devil on the other coaxin me to put the ckn in my mouth....and I did! I chewed and savored and chewed and savored that delicious ckn scrap like it was filet mignon...then I got to the point where it was either spit, or swallow...and after weighin out the chances that I might really regret it, I spit that sucker out (besides, I had gotten all the good flavor from it anyway!). Craving satisfied. No harm done! So the greedy devil in me decided to scrape the rest of those goody bits in the pyrex dish and continue my chew/dont swallow/spit game. I feel kinda bad about it, but at the same time, I was really happy to taste the chicken and remember how much I enjoy eating real food. Anybody else able to relate? I KNOW someone else out there has played the chew/dont swallow/spit game!

Just wanted to share an article on foods that have more Protein in them than a beef hamburger, as per Yahoo! I guess most of the stuff is obvious, but I was really surprised to read about pumpkin seeds being a good protein source. Enjoy! http://shine.yahoo.com/event/green/8-veggies-nuts-and-grains-with-more-protein-than-a-burger-2596005/#photoViewer=5

Reading your post and seeing your pictures gave me the baby bug again, but then I snapped out of it! God bless you and your family! She's beautiful, you're beautiful, and hubby aint too shabby either! Enjoy this time, it goes by like the wink of an eye!

Just keep in mind that you have to take everything in in smaller and slower quantities. It helped me to use a baby spoon to feed myself liquids in the beginning. I also used the little medicine cups, I asked for a bunch of them in the hospital. Helps you to pace yourself. It really does get better over time. Remain positive and keep reminding yourself of the rewards in the end - health, less weight, and a new lease on life! Oh yeah, I found that my sleeve loves when I drink warm liquids much better than cold ones!

Awesome! Thanx!

I started my Journey on June 24, 2011 at an info seminar. My insurance co didn't require a 6 month supervised diet like many other people have to go through, so I began to make all the appointments necessary for EKG, gallbladder sonogram, endoscopy, sleep apnea, cardiologist clearance, etc. I was sleeved on October 18th, so my process took a little over 3 months from start to finish. Not bad, even though it felt like it took longer than that! Good luck, I hope you decide to do it....its one of the best decisions I've ever made for ME. Everything I do on a daily basis is for everyone else in my life - my boss, my hubby, my kids...this sleeve was all about ME, and I only wish I had researched it years ago!

I haven't been logging my meals the past few days, I keep saying that I'll do it at the end of the day and that just isn't working. I always have my phone with me, and life would be so much easier if I could at least jot it down somewhere in my phone. My girlfriend who is a calorie counter suggested that I snap a pic of what I'm eating with my phone so that if I don't log it right then and there, at least I still have a record of it for later. Thought that was a cute tip to share!

I've used almond milk to make my shakes, just to try and find a different flavor to see if it would be more appetizing. Not!

OMG...chicken chili....I'm drooling and excited!

I'm still not tolerating ANY Protein Shakes or "unflavored" (that's bull in my opinion) Protein powders. I keep attempting to use them, and always come very close to puking when I do. I've been graduated to the mushy/pureed stage and have enjoyed some soft scrambled eggs, and some cottage cheese (that was kinda hard). I am going to the supermarket after work and plan to pick up some creamed spinach, black Beans, broth, and various Soups that I can put in my blender. Anyone have any other high protein mushy food staples I should invest in? I'm sure this isn't the first time someone's requested this info, it was just easier to ask you guys for it again versus sifting through the site while at work. :-) Help a sleeved sista out!

WHAT? I can have creamed spinach? Woo Hoo...this mushy food stage aint so bad after all!

I so agree with what theshwa said. I didn't cry every night, but I did have a breakdown when I got home from the hospital. I was really angry that I decided to do this and got even more angry when I realized that there was no turning back. You are doing the right thing - looking for help and support through this rough time. As cliche as it sounds, it WILL get better and THERE IS light at the end of the tunnel. I'm sorry that you're experiencing pain - your doctor's office should be willing to prescribe some liquid medication that will be easier for you to ingest. Hang in there, Please!

This guide is the same as what i posted. There is also another guide in the link i provided.

Thank you!

www.sleeveguide.com/new-post-op.html I was hoping to find some more suggestions for my liquid diet, because frankly I'm dying of boredom with this Soup and Jello crap, so I googled "what to eat after VSG" and this link came up. At the end of the article (which had great info for pre-op candidates too) there were two links for some resources guides which I thought were pretty good, and I wanted to share them with my VSG family. dietguidevged42006feb.pdf dietary_guidelines_sleeve_gastrectomy.pdf

OMG. You are so in my head right now! I had a meltdown a few days ago and am finally coming to grips with the fact that it will get better, because it actually is as the days go by. What my hubby told me was that I need to stop thinking in the now and keep imagining how great I'm going to feel as the pounds come off in addition to the food restrictions. He reminded me that nothing comes easy but when you work hard and work through the little things, the big pay off in the end is more than worth it. I guess I'm the tough love type, because I cant stop imagining how great I'm going to look and feel at next year's school reunion!

I had a bit of discomfort when walking initially and I realized that it was because the weight of my stomach was too much for my incision sites. My husband gave me his weight lifting support belt thingy that I was able to use to clasp and support my stomach from below, essentially removing all off the weight that was pulling my tummy down. I used it for the first week and it helped me tremendously.

Ladies, dont worry about the size of the tables. They are well equipped to lift or move you if they need to. When I went in for my surgery they sedated me right before I got into the operating room, so I have no idea if or how they moved me. Dont be self-conscious, the surgeons and hospital staff know that they are dealing with "healthier" patients, so they are prepared. Let go, and dont worry about the small stuff like that. You'll be fine once you wake up in your room all comfy and hopefully with access to a morphine pump or some other great pain relieving method!