PdxMan

I told a couple of acquaintances and received negativity back, so I decided to not tell anybody about it (except my wife). About a week before my surgery, I told my family, "Next Friday, I am ..." I let them know what was happening, but not that I was soliciting opinions. Post-op, when going out to lunch/dinner, I would order Soups. I would volunteer no information why, but if asked, I would say that I had a late Breakfast ... I have a lot of work I need to concentrate on and don't want to be sleepy ... I have a special dinner with my wife and don't want to spoil it ... I'm just not that hungry today ... I'm trying to cut portion sizes down ... All of it basically true ... no lies. After each time using one of those, there would always be someone else who would chime in, "Oh, you are so right, I should probably have something light, too." When my weight loss started to be noticable, people asked what my secret was. I told them I had been cutting down my portion sizes and exercising more. Again, a true statement ... no lies I have just recently started to tell people I don't know, if the topic of weight loss comes up, that I had the surgery. For the most part, it has been very positive. I think it is difficult if they wanted to be critical when they see me as a slender person not knowing what I looked like before. After I get a year out, I will probably take the next step and tell everybody else. I will expain that earlier on, I wasn't in a place where I felt comfortable disclosing such a personal decision. If that doesn't work for them, well, then, that tells me a lot about my relationship with that person. This is a personal decision and there is no obligation to tell ANYONE what is going on. Share what and with who you feel comfortable with.

I think for me, I just always avoided mirrors ... and being taken in photos. Part of that is just being a guy. I spend about 3 minutes in front of a mirror everyday and that is just to brush my teeth. I think most (not all) women spend more time getting ready and take critical assessments of themselves more often than men. Now, before I get flamed ... I'm not saying all women take a lot of time getting ready and I am not saying there are not men who spend a lot of time in front of mirrors ... I'm just saying ...

I am almost a year out. I run and do classes at the club. While it does not hurt to drink anymore, I cannot *gulp* like I used to. 4 oz max and I have to do it slowly. When running, I have to come to a complete stop as air will get in and I cannot continue running until I *burp*. I just drink at every break at class and am smart about drinking when I run. It is still cool here in the Pacific NW (noon-59 degrees), so, I haven't had the long runs in any heat, yet. Over an hour, I can drink 32 oz, no problem. I used to be a member of the sub 2 club. I could drink a 12 oz beer in less than 2 seconds. Yeah, not doing that anymore.

It is stickied under the Pre-op sub-forum

You know, I have wondered about this. I see so many posts from people who have either stalled or regained after some time out. One of the consistent things I see in these posts is the confession that they either are eating Cookies or sweets, or not exercising (or a combination of both). I would think if you are gobbling down sugars that your glucose levels would again be thrown out of whack bringing the possiblity of type II diabetes back into the picture. Don't know ... just conjecture.

I'm just the opposite. I never saw myself as being overweight. Which was part of my issues. Call it denial, I'm sure. So, when I look at myself now, it is the person who I always thought I was. I think we all have self-image issues to some degree. I fear mine will again allow me to cheat the sleeve rules and re-gain. I have to keep it in check, for sure. You do look great, BTW ...

One way or the other, you're going to pay. Whether it be in medical bills associated to being overweight, possible wage discrimination or having a WLS surgery. 10 years from now, it will all be the same. Choice is, though, who do you want to be 10 years from now? Someone doing the same old diet battles or someone with a tool helping them lead a healthier lifestyle? I took a loan out for my surgery and it has been paying itself off already. Restaurant bills alone are much smaller when you are sharing your spouse's meal. Grocery bills are lower, too. Not wanting the surgery for monetary reasons is a poor excuse for the spouse of a wanna be sleever. Long term, it just doesn't hold Water ...

Sorry ... I'm sooo jealous ... heat ... don't know what this is here in the NW. It is 59 and raining. Supposed to be all weekend. Oye. The Pacific Northwest can be difficult sometimes.

I would HIGHLY advise NOT just jumping in. This is a major surgery. You are having 85% of your stomach removed. The biggest challenges, IMO, are the mental ones, not physical. To do this right, you have to completely change your relationship with food. For some of us, that means facing some demons in our closets. I can only speak for myself, but this was not a quick fix to my eating issues. It helps me to eat right, yes, but it also points out a lot of my flaws in my relationship with food. Finding new ways to deal with stress which I did not have to tools to deal with before. Take the time you need. Read the forum thoroughly and look at some people's struggles. You can highlight a person's name and view all of their content. This can help you see their path of struggles and (hopefully) resolution.

Bloodwork, EKG, psych exam. My surgeon sent my PCP all the required stuff and my PCP ordered everything and then sent my surgeon the results. It was really a no-brainer for me. I just showed up when they told me to ... bled when poked, beat my heart when monitored and acted sane when questioned ...

Did my pre-op testing in Portland, but the surgery was in Las Vegas (Baby!) ... no problems or delays.

You need to get shoes that match your gait. People fall into one of three categories. Pronate, neutral or suppinate. There are other terms for these, but it basically means the angle at which your feet make contact with the ground. The article I linked to will give you info on it. This is relevant to walkers as well as runners. If you don't have the right shoe, even walking will put undo stress on the knees causing pain. This, of course, will lead to abandoning the excercise completely. How do you find what you are? Every running store I have ever been to will do a gait analysis for free. You can try some shoes on there, but you don't have to buy them. Since you are looking at some "off road" movement, I would then search the internet for a trail shoe for your gait. Zappos is great because they take returns, no problem. Check them out and good luck with your routine.

Link doesn't work ... But I did find THIS article.

Good point. This is true. If you take awhile to drink them, things tend to "settle" to the bottom. If I find I am taking 15-20 minutes to drink one, I have to put my thumb over the top for a quick *shake*, otherwise, I just dump it when there is one drink left. If you drink the whole thing in 5 minutes, which I do post work-out, then its all good. BTW, Wheetsin, I think you're yummy, too.

IMO, these are the best. I have tried dozens and have settled on these. You can get them at Costco or Sam's Club. Do a search on the site (upper right hand corner of web page or under Options on mobile device) for Premier Protein. You will get a lot of threads to read about people's opinions on these. 99% of them are favorable. I happen to be drinking a chocolate one right now. Yum!

If you are feeling irritation further down, I would wonder if you feel you really chew, chew, chewed your food well? Especially meats, I find I get the same sensation unless I really grind it down before it enters the stomach. As far as your quantity, a couple days before a race, I eat a 4 oz filet with some fried potatoes. Again, I have learned I have to pay more attention to chewing this even though it is a tender cut of meat. I think the mechanical aspect of our stomach just takes awhile to get back to full functionality.

Not a dumb question at all. Very good questions to know the answers to. Will life always require a pill box of Vitamins? You will get to the point where you are able to eat anything and everything. I got to that point at about 7/8 months out. If you eat a balanced diet, no, you will not need to supplement with the exception of B12 as that is something which is absorbed in your stomach, which 85% was just removed, so ... Also, depending on where you live, you may need Vitamin D, which is better absorbed when you pair it with Calcium. I am in the NW where the sun comes out twice a year for 15 minutes, so as long as I am here, I will also need these two. Will I ever be able to take the refreshing gulp of Water? Well ... your stomach capacity is going to be about 8 oz after all the swelling has gone down, so, no ... you are not going to be able to chug a 12 ounce glass of water. I was worried about this, too, as I was a HUGE water drinker. Trust me, it isn't a big deal. Will energy always be low (B12)? For the first month my energy was low. My nutritionist suggested I increase my carbs and that did the trick. I take my B12 every few days and all my levels are great. Will I ever be able to get strength back again with such low intake of essential nutrients? You will lose some muscle mass during the first few months. That is where you have to do some work. Ensure you get your Protein in and hit the gym and you'll be fine. There is a whole sub-forum on fitness and exercise. Can I ever do a tough mudder without a supply of protien bars? Yes. I am a competitive runner (just took 1st place in my division two weeks ago at a 5K) There are some challenges, but if we all work together and learn what works, it can be done. No problem.

Congratulations. That is awesome. One of the things I have noticed, which never was a problem for me before, is the whole: For Dockers, I where a size 32 waist, but for columbia, it is a 34. Gap is 33 and Levi's I fit in a 32. Before, I just threw on my 40s/XXXL and went. I never noticed a difference in manufacturers sizing, but now, it is a factor. I guess it was easier for the fat to just squeeze around, but now, I'm down to bone so there is no give.

Thanks rdo, Let me tell you ... I have been able to pay down my loan so much in part due to the savings since being sleeved. My food bill is less, medical expenses are less ... This surgery will pay for itself.

Don't worry ... you are totally normal. Crazy like the rest of us!

I'm really sorry this happened to you. I can understand your frustration when you thought it was covered. But all may not be lost ... When I researched VSG and checked insurance coverage, mine was the same. Covered everything up to the surgery ... nothing post-op, either. Blood tests, EKG, blah, blah, blahs ... covered. So, I had that all done and then went to Las Vegas (Baby!) for self pay surgery. Cost me $10,400 for the procedure and probably another $400 in extraneous expenses, but it is worth it. I took a second on the house to pay for it and just about have it paid off. One consolation to self pay is that you do get add a portion of the expenses to your deductions come tax time. Whole lotta threads on that topic on here. Again, I'm sorry to hear this, but it doesn't mean you can't still have it done. All is not lost ... just more $$ than you thought it would be.

Don't worry about stretching the sleeve at this point. It isn't going to happen. There are lots of great threads on this topic on this board. If you are viewing this on a webpage, go to the upper right corner on a page and there is a box where you can put in a search term. If on a mobile device, the search functionality is under Options. Try using the search term stretch and check out some of the threads. Just keep sipping and walking. You'll do great. Boots may be swollen more or less than you, so it is difficult to gage. I don't think there is a 'normal'. If you can do 8 oz in 30 minutes, great! Keep doing it. Liquids pass through your pyloric valve very quickly and is one of the reasons why, when you are on solids, you don't drink when you eat.

Yes, people can fail with the sleeve, but I really think this is something so much different. This is not like being on the Atkins Diet for 6 months, your spouse yells at you and then you say, "Screw it!" (As I had done a few times) and grab a bag of Doritos. It just doesn't work the same. Hunger isn't the same. The restriction I feel comes so much quicker I couldn't do a binge even if I wanted to. I think it would take a real concerted effort to fail in the manner to which you may be thinking. Even so, you still have a greatly reduced stomach which would make it easier, I think, to get back on track. 85% of the stomach is removed. There is NO WAY you will ever be able to stretch it back to previous size.

You know, everybody is going to have a different level of swelling, so this is a difficult question to answer. I also had a hiatal hernia repair, so swallowing was really difficult early on which just added to the restriction I was feeling. Some folks have little to no swelling of their stomach and they can drink 4 oz of Water straight away. I was drinking 1 oz every 15 minutes or so ... With 85% of your stomach removed, your stomach capacity without swelling is going to be around 8 oz, so you will probably never be able to drink that much at a single sitting. Add to it the post-op swelling and, well ... 1 oz every 15 minutes immediately post-op was all I could do. I just kept on doing it trying to increase it as I went. All we can do it the best we can do. Just keep trying and do what you can.

Nice Brat! Congrats. You look great.