lulunics

Just a quick update....
I am now 8 months post op and I am down 115lbs! I went from a size 4x top and 26/28 pants down to a large top and size 12 pants! And actually at work I fit into medium scrubs!!! I feel as though I've been given a second chance at life! I'm going through a divorce (and please no I'm sorry's it's the best thing to happen to me since this surgery) and I give all of my newfound self esteem and courage to my sleeve! It helped me find myself! And the best part is...I get to experience dating after my divorce is final!!! Lol
Keep it up everyone!! PM me if you have any questions!!!!

Congratulations these photos are such an inspiration way to go I can’t wait to be 115 down!

In the course of my 54 years, I had to quit smoking and quit drinking. Now, I've had to give up much of the food that I used to self-medicate. I wonder about another replacement, too. Maybe it will be exercise. That would be wonderful.

Here I am just 2-days away from a major life changing event. I'm accutely aware I am not afraid and wonder...it this okay? I realize I have an unusual view of this whole journey. I keep saying to family and co-workers, "check to see if I'm alive on Wed." This is so morbid. I don't know why I'm saying this. Is it because I'm "okay" if this happens or is it because I'm thinking it's the death of the old me?
I keep looking towards the future and teasing my husband that he'll finally have a "hot" wife. Heck, I always thought I was pretty but never hot...go figure.
Like most of you I have struggled with my weight. I never saw myself as fat/overweight or any of the other ugly words associated with my body or life-style choice. This year we different. I had an awakening and really saw the image. I hated what I've become. I did it. I made the choices. I would workout and tone up, but the dieting was never solid for any long amount of time. I would cheat before the end of the week. At that point, WTH, I was back to my old ways of eatting.
So, 2-days and counting and the way I look at it is the death of the old me and the rebirth of the new me.

If someone would have told me a year ago today that I would weigh less than 300 lbs I would have laughed at them and thought they were crazy I mean I weighed in at almost 400 lbs and felt horrible about myself and wasn't going anywhere until that night I went to bed thinking to my self I have my whole life ahead of me what am I doing why am I killing myself with food I realize now how selfish I was being I wasn't caring about anyone not even myself I was denying my family the daughter, sister, niece, aunt, and granddaughter they deserved. I was also denying my future spouse who ever he might be a wife and future children. I couldn't sleep that night wondering if I was going to wake up the next morning I was scared to close my eyes because I didn't want it to be the last time I did. I prayed to God and asked him if he would give me the answer I was looking for something to help me. Weight loss surgery has always been in the back of my mind but I was to embarassed to say something to anyone not my family or friends. I was scared of being judged because for some reason someone was going to think she didn't try hard enough or she is taking the easy way out. The next morning I opened my email at work and the first one I came to was an informational email about Lap Band...and my story to a new life begins there. I registered for a seminar the first I could go to was in Orlando with Dr. Weir...I went to the seminar I met him and his nutritionist Nadia and they were both AMAZING people for the first time I felt like I had a future. I will never forget the first time I met Dr. Weir I immediatley felt at ease with him....That night I filled out all the necesarry paper work to get the process started towards a better life. The next morning I called my primary care physician and made an appointment for what would then be a series of 6 appointments over 6 months. Everything went smooth from there....I had decided to change my procedure to Gastric Sleeve at first my family didn't understand why but once they understood they were behind me 100%!! Most everyone on my team at work was aware of my surgery and to my amazement noone judged me for it they were all so supportive. Once I got my approval from insurance I was scheduled for surgery in 5 weeks August 8th!! I have to admit that when I found out in January that I had to do 6 months of prep I was upset and thought GOD it is going to drag on FOREVER...But then I started counting the weeks days hours and minutes til surgery and my excitement was building I have to admit there was some anxiety but I just absolutely couldn't wait!! My Dad Mom and Grandparents were the only ones I wanted at the hospital and they were all SO supportive....I remember my Papa staying with me until the ABSOLUTE last minute he could and he was the first one there when I woke up. My hospital stay seemed like it took forever but 2 days is nothing compared to a whole lifetime of opportunity! Now here I am a few days shy of 4 months out from my surgery and I weigh 295 lbs, I know I still have a way to go but Damn I think I look AMAZING!! I am getting compliments from people I didn't think knew I existed, and I am not afraid to tell someone I had surgery I am so proud of it. I am now doing things I haven't done since high school I run 3 miles a day I work full time I go to school and I still have energy left!! Its amazing!! I am so excited about what my future holds!! Sorry for any misspelling lol!!

Hi im a uk sleever . After many years struggling with diets some good some bad , slimming pills i finally decided my best option was surgery. Initially i considered the lap band but after much research found many complications with the band and disapointing results . I discovered the sleeve via many usa led forums.after much research i decided the sleeve was the answer to my life long struggle at 44yrs old with a bmi of44 enough was enough. I researched a surgeon mr. Simon dexter leeds uk and booked a consultation in october 2011, he explained all my options for bariatric surgery and we both agreed the sleeve was best option. So 11th november 2011 i had my surgery. Was admited to hospital 7am taken to theatre 830am and woke up in my room by 11am. I had one iv fluid insitu and no pain whatsoever. At 2pm i was allowed to get out off bed and start my first lap of the department absalutly no pain and no nausea. I walked on the hour every hour and it helped shift my gas. Spent a comfortable night slept well no pain and no analgesia required.next morning i was allowed sips of water then at lunch time tomatoe soup (heaven). my drip was discontinued and was allowed clear fluids and soups was discharged from hospital sunday so spent 2 nites there. I am now day 8 and have been able to drink 2 litre fluid plus soup and protien shake. I can honestly say it has been nothing like the horror i thou ght it would be. I can 100% say it is the best thing i have ever done i have lost since pre op diet 1 week before surgery 34 pound i cannot belive the diffrence it has made me feel already. So i just wanted to say to all pre sleevers you will be fine

Hello everyone I've been sleeve since July 20th by Dr. Juarez from Fresno Ca. and I was weighting 366 lbs. that day. But highest weight was 375lbs. Now it has been 17 weeks post-op and I am now weighting 297 lbs., where I am down 78 lbs from highest weight ad 69 lbs since surgery date. For me it has been a good experince not only because I am loosing weight and getting my self esteem up, but also that day of the surgery Dr. Juarez discovered a tumor on my pancreas that is bening and he will be doing a surgery to remove it pretty soon before it turns into cancer. Thank God I had my sleeve done and this tumor discovered on time.

Like MissDiva just after the sleeve we almost always have our doubts, regrets and fears. Now 10+ months out I do not have ANY regrets except for the fact that I didn't do it earlier.
As far as "giving up" and "almost dying" I would say that I most certainly did NOT give up, if anything I gave IN, gave in to common sense and the realization that I was slowly killing myself for sure. I had to do SOMETHING and the surgery was IT for me. I've lost 165+ pounds, lowered my blood pressure, stabilized my blood sugar and eliminated a bunch of other issues.

I have had more then a seed of doubt... a whole garden.
I am frankly not worried about getting too thin. I have met enough people who have had this procedure, they range from trim to normal range, slightly overweight - not a one is too skinny. I figure excess skin is no worse then all this extra fat so I view that as damage I have already done by getting so fat, losing the weight doesn't cause the ugly skin, getting obese caused it. I am not saying that saggy skin is great, I am just saying it is already there, just disguised by all that unhealthy fat puffing it out.
What I have thought about is that feeling like I should able to do this without having part of my stomache removed! I mean, for Pete's sake, that is drastic. I have thought about some of the complications that are possible. What I if i have to miss a whole bunch of work due to a leak or something like that? I have also thought about, what if I only lose "some" of the extra weight and I am still fat? Or maybe worse yet, what if I get to a healthy weight and then can't control myself and regain it??? Those things worried me, but I am moving past it.
First, I got rid of the counselor I saw who was anti Weight Loss Surgery. She has never been an ounce overweight her whole life and i have been battling this crap since I was like 4 years old. I am 47!!! I think 40+ years of trying diets and stuff is enough to prove that I can't make that work permanently, don't you?
Second, I started to really understand obesity as a medical condition, as a metabolic disorder. I am not saying there isn't an emotional, and behaviour component - there is - but at this point, it is a metabolic disorder!!! I had to hear this from 2 different doctors before I started to accept that maybe I need help here, not just a new cookbook. My primary care doc suggest a cookbook, because clearly, if I knew how to use a crockpot I would lose 140 pounds. yeah, right Guess what, I switched primary care doctors too!
Third, I started sharing my struggles, my decision process with people in my life who care about me. These are not obese people, they are thin active people. (I am a horse lover, so i have horse loving friends who tend to be trim and athletic). Their support has been amazing. They WANT me to be healthy, live a long life, be active, and to be happy. I think it is obvious to the people that care about me, diets haven't worked for me and aren't likely to work next time either. I am blessed to have people in my life who are excited for my future after WLS, it is almost like they have more faith then I do, which can bolster me!
Finally, I had my failed gastric band removed. You think you feel skeptical and worried before your first weight loss surgery? Try going through the heartbreak of a failure. I felt like such a failure, just like all those diets. Reality is that the crapband failed me. That is the story for another day, but letting go of that both physically and mentally has made this so clear to me. I have been starving and wanting to eat 24/7 now that the band is out - which is further proof that there is a PHYSICAL component to this struggle.
Don't get me wrong, I accept responsibility for putting the food in my own mouth, but I am now understanding that this is such a complicated situation. Once you are morbidly obese it is so very hard to keep weight off without surgery. Seriously, the stats prove that.
The doc I see for my sleep apnea is my hero - the guy that started me on this journey more then a year ago. I had never heard of the sleeve and he was the one that told me it would extend my life. His frankness, done in a very caring way, really was a wake up call. I am on the road to early death, early disability - and that is just about guanteed unless I get the weight off. Yes, the surgery has risks, yes, it is drastic, but weigh the two paths and ask yourself what is the most likely outcome 5. 10, 15+ years from now. Without the surgery, disable and early death is a high probability. With the surgery, I have a shot of being an active senior, enjoying life, enjoying my horses, really living.
I think your doubts are normal and healthy. Educate yourself, go to a surgery support group and meet some people to find out the real story. Talk to people. If you don't quite trust your surgeon, how about consulting with another? I tell people, I am in this for a lifetime, so I am okay that the process has been slow for me to finally get to a firm decision set in my own mind.
I am scheduled for a December surgery. Yes, i am a little nervous still, but mostly, I want it DONE so I can start down the path to the rest of my life as a healthier, thinner person who can keep doing fun stuff for many more years.

When i read your post i actually wanted to cry because i feel just like you...scared of everything, scared to move forward and scared oto stay as i am, but i really think by what you have said your ready for this, you just need the support and confidance to get though it. i weigh 377 and am female so very near your weight and i want to live and have a healthy future and having this op will give us our life back...so i say embrase it your/our feeling mean we no what were doing and have not made this decion on a whim!!!!!!!!!!
I really do wish you all the luck in the world and im excited you hear your journey...my surgery wont be till early next year.
stay positve

Gosh, please let me be in the skinny 70%.

I totally agree with you. I have effortlessly lost 26lbs in 3 weeks and 2 days. I lost 25lbs in 2008 and it took 6 months and I was at the gym everyday for an hour and paying for personal trainers and buying expensive "diet foods" I can't wait to lose more!

Your welcome, I soooo get where your at! Let me tell you this side is sooo much better than you can imagine! Yes it is drastic and a forever choice. For me, it has been both a life saver and a life giver! Godspeed on your own journey no matter what you decide is best for you.

It has been a little less than 2 years and my loss is over 40 kgs. This is the best gift I gave myself.
Post VSG - Diabetes gone in 2 weeks - no medication since. Sugar levels actually are a bit low ! No hypertension. No medication for hypertension.
Run 5 k almost every day. Participate in marathons. Have gained a little weight for the last 2-3 months due to travel schedules but will lost that too. The before and after are attached.

I am going for surgery next friday. Since past 2 years I know that the surgery will curtail the quantity of food I eat and a general ease of "tick, pick, lick and eat".
I am 35 and since over a decade living with a more guilt of eating than actually I ate.
I thought...... I am already half way through my life. I have been eating for 35 years, now I do not mind eating less for 35 years fearlessly.
About money, I do not mind spending my 3 - 4 month savings on myself. I am more important to my family in good health than my wealth.
I will go through hard one month for a smooth rest of the life...I can see a silver lining.
Keep yourself motivated folks!! We all will live a happy life everafter.
Cheers !!

Having negative thoughts constantly is a terrible thing. People on here have a bad day and then find relief. This seriously pretty girl is trippin and needs some tough love. THERE IS NO GOING BACK. So she needs to saddle up, get off this site which just allows her to be negative all the time and find some happy things to do. This place is the only place where someone who constantly has negative thoughts can have someone feel sorry for them. I am my mother's child and she would tell me to stop wallowing in my negative thoughts. NO ONE ON THIS SITE WOULD DO THAT. Support is one thing, but if my mother ever heard me say what she just said about regretting it every day because I can't eat with my friends...After I cried and cried about being fat...She would slap me. She didn't say she was in pain. She didn't say she was having a compllication. She was saying she regrets it everyday because she can't eat with her friends. Nope sorry. Not gonna let that one go. Well I am certain to be a pariah now, but I just couldn't let another day go by where this...DID YOU SEE HER...SHE IS SO PRETTY...girl wallows in her own self-pity or if it isn't pity possibly maybe needs to seek out some therapy if she could be depressed.

Tamz - You were over 300 pounds and really need a reality check. Everyone has bad days, but you seem to be extrememly negative about the sleeve and that is your right, but in all honesty - there isn't **** you can do about it now. So you have to embrace it and learn to love it. I fear your misery will be forever if you don't punch yourself in the face and start telling yourself that first you needed this because you couldn't do it on your own and second so what if you can't eat. FAT OR EAT? I guess you wanted to be FAT. BUT I know you didn't and you don't. SO PUT ON YOUR BIG GIRL PANTS and tell yourself you made the right choice...Because even if you didn't, again...There is no going back. I am not even 30 days out yet and my incision pain is still seriously bothering me. It feels like SCIATICA in my stomach, but OH WELL. I gotta go to work. I am dizzy everytime I get up, but I gotta push through it and drink more and figure out what I need to do. I was eating like I had lost my damn mind, but finally, no more bad fat girl thoughts...Eater's remorse. GONE. At 30 days. You have to really get it together. Because we are gonna lose our hair, our skin is going to be saggy and who knows what else is gonna happen...You have got to start getting to a positive place because the journey is long and FOREVER. Do you want to be all down forever. You post a lot of negative things on this site, and I think you need to take a break, get your nails and toes done, get a massage and LET THE **** GO. It is ok to have a bad day, but you don't seem to have any good days. Maybe you should also see someone. And I am really sorry to say this, but I have been lerking on this site for awhile and it just seems you are really bad off. Attitude really is everything.

I'm sure some of you read my other threads about my journey to having my sleeve, but I decided to combine it all in one post.
So I started my journey on accident actually... A couple years back, I had some stomach problems.. it required surgery, and 4 weeks in the hospital. It also brought on diabetes due to insult on my pancreas from the whole issue. Fast forward to Christmas time of last year, I was 305lbs, and in an attempt to get myself in shape I started hitting the gym. The day after my first trip I found a hernia the popped up literally overnight in my abdomen to the side of my scar from previous surgery (it ended up being emergency surgery, so I was opened up the hard way, straight down the middle)
I got a referral to go see a surgeon about fixing it, and the surgeon denied me the surgery, because as he put it, overweight people tend to have poor results with hernia repair, and requested I lose 40-50lbs and then come back to see him. That wasn't going to happen, even with diet, I just couldn't do it without being active, and this huge hernia wasn't helping. It was at that time that I started considering bariatric surgery. I had been feeling like total crap for the better part of the last year, and I knew I wasn't in a good spot as far as my health goes.. I have 2 young daughters, and the thought of not being here for them was enough to make me do the surgery.
Originally in Tulsa, Oklahoma where I am currently residing (for another 2 weeks), I found a great surgeon by the name of Luis Gorospe. He has performed thousands upon thousands of baratric procedures. It was at his seminar I was introduced to the sleeve. I followed up with him, and was on my way to doing pre-op insurance stuff I needed to do. I did my two psych evaluations, 2 sleep studies, and a 90 day physician supervised diet and lifestyle program. All went off without a hitch.. and 90 days later, it was time to submit to Aetna.
I got a call from Aetna, saying they were unable to approve me for the surgery, because my surgeon didn't operate out of an Aetna Institute of Quality. There were other surgeons in Tulsa, but no surgeons in Tulsa that operated at that hospital did the sleeve. So, that wasn't going to work out. I turned then to Las Vegas.. I had just moved from Las Vegas, and had researched the surgery in Vegas before the move, so I knew a few surgeons I was interested in.
I decided on Dr. Thomas Umbach, who operates out of Las Vegas, at Desert Springs Hospital. He was an Aetna approved surgeon, who operated out of an Institute of Quality and Bariatric Center of Excellence. In face, he is the head of the Valley Health System Bariatric Department here in Las Vegas, which is a chain of I believe 5-7 hospitals. I called Aetna back and asked to switch everything over to Dr. Umbach, and just like that.. 2 hours later I had a surgery date.
Over the next week I did more research on Dr. Umbach, and I found a rather scary story that I'm sure we've all read, granted it was the only bad incident I found regarding him, it was scary.. but in the end, I found that it was just the same people associated with said person, that were bashing Dr. Umbach everywhere and understandably so. I however also talked to several people that had surgery with Dr. Umbach, all with positive things to say. So I decided to stay on course.
2 weeks before surgery, I went in for my labs and EKG. EKG was ok, borderline, but ok, and labs were just awful. Tryglicerides were over 4000... Cholesterol was 666, and my PCP said he wouldn't clear me for surgery. I started my pre-op diet that same day, and went to Vegas as planned despite not being cleared. 8 days later, after being on my pre-op diet, and working out, I had lost almost 10lbs, and we redid everything.. this time EKG was perfect, and my labs came back Tryglicerides down from over 4000 to 500, and cholesterol down to 215 from 666, in just 8 days. Even with those improvements, my PCP here sent me over to get full cardiac clearance mostly because of my diabetes. I had another EKG, an echo, and stress test. All passed and I got a low risk clearance.
The day before my surgery, I finally met Dr. Umbach, I could tell he knew what he was talking about, even though I got kind of a cocky vibe from him, but I know a lot of surgeons, and some of the best surgeons in the world are also the biggest assholes. Not saying Dr. Umbach is an a*****e by any means, but he was kind of cocky with me, and tried to talk me out of the sleeve briefly in lieu of the band because of my previous surgery, and he was worried about it being difficult due to scar tissue and such. I told him I had no interest in the band, and while I had a little bit of bad taste in my mouth personally regarding him, I trusted in his abilities and his reputation in Vegas (both my PCP and cardiologist recommended him)...
The next morning was my surgery. I checked in at Desert Springs Hospital at 8:30am, for a 10am surgery.. My nurses and other people from the bariatric program there at the hospital came in to cheer me on, a couple of them even operated on by Dr. Umbach... I got on my gown, and took some pain meds, and just like that it was go time. I was in the pre-op area where I was met by the man who would be putting me under, and Dr. Umbach... he seemed a lot nicer and personable that day than he did the day before.
They wheeled me in to the Operating room, and told me they'd slowly be putting me under... I barely remember finishing that conversation and the next thing I knew surgery was over... and I was in recovery. Dr. Umbach was nice enough to come and talk to my wife and mother who were there waiting for me, he came to see me as well, but I was still out of it, and I may have scared him off. My first thought after waking up, was "WTF did I just do!?" I had serious gas pain, as well as overall soreness... and wasn't a happy camper.. after sitting there in recovery for about 2 hours, they wheeled me up, had me get up and walk off some of the gas pain, and then go pee.. then it was time to go home.
My first day home, I won't lie, I felt like ****, and I wasn't so sure about my choice... The gas pain passed with the help of Gas-X and the soreness was helped with the lortab. I woke up the next morning feeling bad but better.. no more gas pain, but was really sore... the next day was better, and by day 4, I was painfree and back to normal.
Today is one week since I got my sleeve. I call him Pedro. I've lost 17lbs in the last week, and 34lbs overall since the start of my pre-op diet. I had my doubts at first, but since the pre-op diet, I haven't had to take any insulin at all.. I've been sleeping better, feel overall like a million bucks, and am just already feeling like a totally new person. It was a hard choice finally admitting that I needed some assistance in losing weight, it's a total lifestyle change, but not really a bad one.. It's one that was needed, and so far has been welcomed.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat, I feel that it's saved my life, I feel like the old me again, and I'm loving every minute.

Yesterday I found out that my sleeve surgery date is Friday, July 29, 2011.....only a week and a half away. I am so excited and SOO nervous!!! I am ready to be on the other side already. If only there were a way to go to sleep then wake up and it's over. OH WAIT......that's called surgery. Well I'll just say this....I'M READY!
I'm most nervous about complications and the what-if's AND the cost of the what if's. I'm a cash patient so if ANYTHING happens as a result of the surgery, I'm up a creek....or might even be 6' under. See, my insurance won't cover the surgery or any medical complications resulting from the surgery. Well that stinks. Looks like my Dr better be on his game that day. No jacking around inside my belly mister! I hope I'm one of the 'good' statistics. I guess I should start praying now.
I'm nervous about throwing up, being nauseous, not losing weight, hair falling out, saggy 'girls', mushy stomach....I could go on but I think you get the picture. I begin my pre-op diet this Friday, one week from my surgery. I've already warned folks that it would be best to not talk to me next week.....I might be SLIGHTLY on edge. Hey, it's fair to warn them. If they cross my threshold, whether at work or at home, it's at their own risk. Heck, they might even get eaten.
I'm trying to decide what I want my 'last meal' to be - I love Mexican, Italian, American, Chinese.....do I need to go on? NO!!!!! That's why I got here! Oh well, whatever it is I KNOW it will be AWESOME!
That leads me to where I am today.......WAITING!!! Excited and Nervous! I am so thankful that my family is supporting me. My confidence is growing with their words of encouragement.
I must go for now...I just wanted to share my thoughts and feelings. Thanks in advance to all of you on this site. It has REALLY helped me - it helped with my decision, learning do's and don't's, what to take to the hospital, what to purchase for after the surgery, etc. I have been a reading-fool on this site. LOVE IT!

Yesterday I was clowning around with my hubby, Joking with him about his height. We have a running joke that he is short (@6ft he's really not). But I kid with him that he is. And when I put on my heels I am taller than him so there for he is short.
I know we are corny newlyweds, we will Celebrate our 1yr anniversary this sunday.
Anywho back to my topic. During my clowning I had my back to him, walking to the shed, laughing the whole time. He proceeded to scoop me up and carry me to the storage house. Can you say I was shocked, estatic, and thrilled all at the same time. I have never been picked up easily let alone carried anywhere. I felt like the girls in the movies who get carried over the threshold right after they get married. I can't believe it, my husband can not only pick me up but he can carry me. Whoo-Hoo!!! This is an amazing accomplishment seeing as I have always been the bigger spouse out of the two of us.

I was in wally world(Wal-Mart) last night and my hubby was going on about how saggy my size 12's looked. He was convinced I was in a smaller size now. I said okay I will try on some 10's he convinced me to try on some 8's as well. I got in the dressing room and the 10's fit great, I was happy with that. After showing him those, I went back in the dressing room to try on the 8's thinking, there is no way in Sam-Hill will I be able to get into these 8's. Well good people of Sleeve-land, not only did I get in them I was able to zip, button, breathe, and walk in them. LOL.
I am truly elated. When I first started this journey, everyone would ask me what did I want to weight. At 298lbs. I really could not pinpoint a pound amount that I wanted to be, so I would say, "All I know is I want to be a single digit size in clothing." I realize that last night I actually accomplished that.
Tears of Joy. Sorry so long but I just had to share.