Sleevie WonderLand

I'm curious about bariatric fusion too...are the flavors true to their name? I am not a coffee drinker at all, so I wont be ordering the cappucino. And is there an after taste? Some times these Protein shakes and Vitamin thingys can go down easy at first, but then that after taste kills the deal.

OMG!!! REB is sleeved! I'm so happy for ya lady!

Met with my surgeon last week. Forgot to bring my list of questions, but I did manage to ask him about bougie size. He said he uses a 40, finds that his patients fare better with the 40 versus anything smaller, especially in terms of acid reflux. His success rate is pretty good (I asked him and of course I expected him to say that), hasnt had any sleeve patients die on him and hasnt had any leaks, but he assured me that if there were any complications he and the hospital staff will do their best to accommodate me and make sure i'm well before I walk off their premises. He also told me that i'll need to bring my cpap machine with me to the hospital. I havent gotten it yet, the medical equipment company is supposed to come to my house on Friday to give it to me and show me how to use it. I'm also struggling with these damn vitamins. The gummy ones are no problem, but the vitamin D pills sit on my chest all day no matter how much I drink to wash them down. The worst though is the chewable calcium tablets that I purchased. It's like chewing on sweet sand and baby powder. so gross. I cant believe I have to take this crap. I've been a naughty nellie, though. I have iron pills and I havent taken one yet. I know I need them, but I just hate being constipated and having that metallic taste in my mouth. I know, I know, I gotta man up and do what I gotta do. I'm scheduled to visit the psych dude tomorrow, and once he sends the letter to my doctor's office my paperwork will be submitted to the insurance company. I cant believe I've actually jumped through all these hoops! I guess I shouldnt rejoice just yet, still need to hear what the verdict from the insurance company will be, so I'm trying to play it real cool. I've been having wonderful dreams lately. Cant remember them all in detail, but I do remember that I seem to be pretty slim and sexy. I guess since I've been visualizin my self losing weight (if I can see it, I can be it!) it's carrying over to my dreams. I still havent told anyone other than hubby, but I am thinking of doing a video blog as suggested by my sleeve sister. I think it will be nice to see the transformation for me, and for anyone else out there on this journey. I'm cuttin out right here. until next time sleevers... :tounge_smile:

Keep pushing through. You're almost at the finish line, dont get discouraged and lose focus now! You CAN do this, just keep remembering all that you went through just to get to this point! Take a breather and remember how important this surgery is to you! Your entire VST family is rooting for you! Next stop....Loser's Bench! Good luck tomorrow with your surgery!

I asked my surgeon and he says he uses a size 40 and I asked why he doesnt use a smaller size and he said that his size 40 patients have less reflux and complaints than the ones who used smaller bougies. He's the surgeon, I'm gonna trust what he says and stick with the 40.

Continued bliss in your marriage! You looked stunning, and the video definitely captured your happiness and made me want to get married to my boo all over again! Thanks for sharing!

So, it’s been a while since I’ve visited VST. I felt like I was overdoing it. I needed to rest my brain a bit from all the sleeve business. I guess as I get closer I’m getting a little overwhelmed and nervous about the whole thing. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still 100% ready to do the daggone thing, I just felt like I was letting it consume me, and I needed a bit of a breather. So since I’ve been here last I had an echocardiogram done. I gotta admit, I had no idea what an echocardiogram was, just thought it was a more high tech EKG. In a way it was. The best way I can describe it is to call it a sonogram for your heart. It was painless and very interesting to see the chambers of my heart and also to see it beating. I got nervous cause the tech would take snapshots of my heart from different angles, but she said “hmm” a lot during the process. I asked her if something was wrong and she said “no, I just moan sometimes”. I know that she’s not allowed to give me medical info or diagnoses, so I worried and worried until I heard from the doctor that things looked good. I also did a stress test – had to run on a treadmill that inclined and sped up every three minutes. I did pretty good, lasted about 10 minutes on the stupid thing. I was ready to give up after 5 minutes, but I wanted to prove to my doc that my heart was strong so I pushed through that ten minutes like a champ. It felt like an eternity, but I made it! LOL The nurse who tended to me during the stress test (they strapped a heart and BP monitor to my mid section while I was on the treadmill) asked me why I was doing the tests. I explained that I was trying to get clearance for bariatric surgery. She smiled, and didn’t say anything. I could tell she wanted to say something, and I was ready for her if she was gonna give me the “you don’t have to do surgery to lose weight” speech. Instead she told me that she recently had to have her lapband removed because of the complications it caused. She tried to live with it for 11 months. She lost about 16 pounds total, and dealt with incessant vomiting and acid reflux. It finally slipped, and she decided to have it removed. She said she’s maintained the 16 pounds she’s lost since she removed it, but she would never do any type of WLS again. She wasn’t bitter, she just chalked it up to it not being for her. I told her that I was having the sleeve and she didn’t even know what it was. She said she wished that the sleeve was available when she was pursuing WLS, but wonders if she wouldn’t have had the same problems. She doesn’t regret doing it, but is pissed that she’ll be taking prilosec for the rest of her life. It was a nice conversation. AND she didn’t judge me or try to make me reconsider my own decision. I wished her luck and went on my way. I am finally going to meet with my surgeon today *biting nails*. I’m hoping for a date in early September which is right around the corner so I have to hustle and get this psych eval done. I’ve been taking off from work so much for these appointments that I have to be really careful because my boss is definitely taking notice. The psych eval is the last test I’ll need to submit to my insurance. Gotta hurry up an git er done! I also found a “sleeve sister”! We’ve only known each other for about a month, but this VSG journey is bonding us and is making the process so much easier to go through. We’re working with the same doctors and are able to compare notes. We have many things in common, and had a really heartfelt talk over dinner last week that I appreciated more than she’ll probably ever know.

Inspiring! I too am looking forward to reconnecting with my hubby by doing things I wouldnt have done before being sleeved. Continued success on your journey and with your gall bladder surgery!

This slider topic opened my eyes a bit. I thought that once i got sleeved I would only be able to eat a small portion of anything. So approximately how many ounces of food will one be able to eat once sleeved? I would even think that an entire bag of popcorn (even the 100 calorie bag) would be alot of food for a sleever. This is definitely giving me new insight and worries me a bit because I'm definitely the greedy type.

Loved it!

*doin a happy dance for Wishes* Congrats! Hopefully you dont have to do a 3 week pre-op diet or anything....

Hate the artificial sweetener taste. I'm gonna have to just remain accustomed to drinking pure Water cause I cant stand the taste of artificial sweeteners, and i find that if I force myself to drink "diet" beverages, I'm almost guaranteed to suffer from a headache soon after.

@losetobeme - thank you i am gonna call dobrenski tomorrow. Will keep u posted.

My surgeons office did give me names but i want to find a A psychistrist that takes empire blu cross blu shield so i will only have a copay fee vs $250

I have to get my psych eval done, but I dont think I should pay outta pocket if it's covered under my insurance. If you're in the New York City area, please give me your Psych doc's name. I can check my insurance to see if they're covered and then I can make my appointment and be another step closer to the sleeved me. Thank you kindly!

Thank you for sharing your story. I'm sending positive vibes your way for a speedy recovery and speedy weight loss. Sometimes we have to nudge our doctors even when they try to brush us off. I hate that they treat us all the same. My symptoms arent always the same as your symptoms, and if a patient has a concern or a pain, a doctor should definitely pay attention and not chalk it up to being a "usual" response to surgery.

@G-Diva...glad I could inspire you. I'm realizing more and more that our success is based in our attitude. It's such an obvious thing, but hard to live sometimes, especially when we're judged on our appearance THEN our attitude. You encourage me with your words, and I appreciate that more than you know. @ BigSexy...girl, I cant wait to give ERRYBODY fever! I'm big now, but I still like to think I raise temps a little bit when I walk into some rooms! Again, it's all attitude. If I'm feeling myself on a particular day, you cant tell me nuffin! I cant wait to see your pics...you better be sure to take lots of them, especially of those people who's jaws hit the floor when they see you...PRICELESS! I had an ex boyfriend that used to call me Big Sexy. *fanning myself after having a few flashbacks* Dont tell my hubby! LOL

Fighting with that inner you is always stressful...just glad to hear the faithful you is in control! As long as you know this stall is temporary and that your body is trying to find it's way to the new you, you'll keep winning. Be encouraged my sister! ((((hugs))))

*patting myself on the back* My surgery date hasnt been scheduled yet but im praying for Sept. Still gotta complete my cardioligist clearance, endiscopy, and psych eval. Hopefully i wont run into any more people with diarrhea of the mouth!

I havent been sleeved yet, but I think the most important thing is to make sure that you are really aware of what you're getting into. what I've gathered from all the posts I've read from the people who have been sleeved is that this is a truly life changing experience. You have to modify your eating as well as your thinking. You have to be ready to make conscience and wise decisions about what you are putting into your mouth all the time. All the time. There may be loose skin to deal with later on too, so begin your research on panniculectomys and body lifts. It's early in the game, but it doesnt hurt to educate your self on what your options are if you happen to need them.

I LOVE that. I gotta store it in my "clever comebacks" folder!

I did see Juno...great movie! There was a time in my life when I would've "unleashed" on her too. But with age comes wisdom, and sometimes you have to realize that over exerting yourself over ignorance just isnt worth it. Instead of fighting ignorance you have to cure it with knowlege. That was my approach, and I hope it worked.

I specifically posted this topic in the "Success" section, because I felt victorious in the way I handled the tech. Should I have reported her to her supervisor? Maybe, but I wasnt interested in getting her in trouble or having her lose her job. I wanted her to hear and comprehend what I was saying which probably wouldnt have happened if I got all loud and started cussin at her. I know what I said hit home because she got all apologetic afterward. I made her realize that she sounded like an a-hole. Will she try and talk someone else out of having surgery? It's definitely possible, but I like to think that she's no longer as ignorant after having being "put in her place". Call me delusional. I dont care. I still feel like I scored a major point for our team!

Mememeee, I'm sure by now you've had your gallbladder sono done. Couldnt have been more that 5 to 7 minutes, for anyone else who may be wondering.

Muscle Milk huh? I'll def try it sans the Peanut Butter *YUCK*! lol