amandaRN

As a healthcare provider, I can tell you surgeons in general are notorious for having bad bedside manner, so keep that in mind. That being said, you should use someone you are comfortable with and who will answer your questions and put you at ease when you have concerns. Most WLS offer free seminars. I don't know how far along in the process you are, but maybe you should attend some at other clinics until you find a good match. My insurance would only pay for me to use a surgeon and hospital recognized as a bariatric surgeon/center of excellence. You might check into credentials such as these. The recognition is based on outcomes and patient feedback. Good luck.

If you have a drain, it probably won't come out until your visit one week post-op. The JP drains seem to be a pretty standard thing, so you might consider that when you are planning your time off. I felt good the first week but weeks 2 and 3 were pretty rough but I has some unusual issues. Dragging that drain around everywhere I went kinda sucked, but other than that you will probably be fine! Good luck!

OMG, this is just what I needed to read. So inspiring. I cant wait to get to that point in my weight loss life!

I'm beaming from ear to ear, happy that you're finally LIVING!

Thank you and it means so much to me to be motivational and inspirational to others. I was walking into Wal-Mart today and thinking I wish EVERYONE had the chance to have WLS surgery if they need it. It seems unfair to me that something this life-improving can't be available to everyone. Best of luck to you!

I am the fifrth person in my center to have had WLS. I may have to post this at work!! Thanks.

lol...congratulations! Your mood is infectious! It makes me remember how happy I was and still am. Good luck! And you are doing a good thing by not having a diet blowout. I did binge and only had a 3-day preop diet. I look back and think about where I would be right now if I hadn't gained that extra 10 or 15 before surgery. What's done is done and I have learned from it. Now I can share that knowledge with those who ask. I wish I had looked into this online supprt group prior to my surgery because it has been a such a good resource.

Yes, I am healing. I am healed more and more every day, and it is in no small part to VST and the wonderful supportive people here.

No you are not weird and you are doing a great job! Keep uo the good work. Eating becomes a behavioral pasttime for overwieght people as does smoking for smokers. You assosicate eating with DOING everything. Sounds like you have found a way to cope with these feelings and that is a good thing!

Mixing up the routine always helps me blow through a stall. I tweak my carbs, protein and exercise and it has helped each time so far. You are doing very well, so don't get discouraged and good luck!

Yes, Miralax works GI miracles...lol.

<BR>Amanda that is great and it reinforces my excitement. Friday is my Sleeve Day and I know it will be rough for a while but the very joy of not swooning at the smell of pizza will be a good reminder of why I am here. Did you have sleep apnea? I would be happy if losing the weight gets rid of my CPAP and allergies...and COPD. I really look forward to getting my BMI below 30. Good job --keep on keepin on! Reb_HR <IMG class=bbc_emoticon alt= src="http://cdn.verticalsleevetalk.com/public/style_emoticons/%3C#EMO_DIR#>/laugh.gif"> That's so you know what I do!<BR>

You are weighing too often!!! Put your scale in an inaccessible place and weigh once a week. Period. At least until you break through your plateau. Plateaus are NORMAL for everyone, even us VSGers. Try playing with your diet and caloric/protein intake and increase or change your exercise routine and taht will ususally reset your metabolism and get your scale moving again. But DO"T get discourgaed. 88 pounds in 5 months is HUGE and something to be VERY proud of!!

I, too, have had severe issues with constipation. As the commet above pointed out, MIRALAX is your friend!!! It has worked miracles for me...miracles. I use one capful daily in one of my beverages. Let it sit for about 10 minutes before your drink it afteryou stir it in, an you would never know it was in the drink. My surgeon reccommended it as safe for daily use. My youngest daughter also happens to have renal issues and her nephrologost and urologist both have her taking Miralax daily as well. You buy it over the counter anywhere, and the generic works just as well for us. I would start out using 2 capfuls a day until things get moving so to speak and then maintenance dose of 1 cap daily should suffice.

I think that you're doing FANTASTICLY well.

I'm in to my 4th week post surgery. Down 17,5 pounds so far. I'm type 1 diabetic on the insulin pump. Because I'm type 1, pump and the diabetes will stay with me for ever.

Constipation, yes... It' a sensitive point for me, too. I find that amounts of liquids I'm drinking are directly related. The better I'm with my intake the smaller this problem becomes. Eating lots of fruits- smoothies, helps, too.

How are your levels of energy? Mine are very low. I feel soooo.. tired all the time.

My energy levels are low too. i think it is related to our bodies running on SOOO fewer calories...or at least part of it. they are gradually picking back up, especially with more exercise...go figure. I still have a hard time getting and staying hydrated but getting better all the time. My scale tells me percent hydration and I get just as excited with increases here as I do decreases in weight...lol. Thanks for the encouragement and the tips and good luck to you!

AMANDA,

I CAN SOOO RELATE TO YOU. I FEEL THE EXACT SAME WAY!!! I TOO AM AN RN ( I TOOK 6 WEEKS OFF), I WAS SLEEVED ON 7-11-11 AND WAS STALLED FROM 8 DAYS AFTER SURGERY UNTIL 3 DAYS AGO. I WAS MORTIFIED THAT I HAD DONE THIS TO MY BODY AND I WAS GOING TO BE THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD THAT THIS WAS NOT GONNA WORK FOR!! U JUST HAVE TO TAKE ONE DAY AT A TIME AND KNOW THAT YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION AND WILL LEAD A MUCH HEALTHIER LIFE. WE KNOW THE MEDICAL BENEFITS MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE CAN. MY MIL HAD LAP BAND 4 YEARS AGO AND LOST 114 LBS. SHE IS VERY HELPFUL FOR ME, BUT THIS WEBSITE HELPS ME SEE PEOPLE LIKE YOU, THAT FEEL THE SAME WAY AS ME. KEEP US POSTED ON YOUR PROGRESS. I WISH YOU THE BEST! GOOD LUCK AND GOD BLESS! PS KEEP YOUR HEAD UP WHILE SWIMMING!!!

MELISSA

Thank youfor cheering me up! AND GOOD LUCK TO YOU TOO!

I was sleeved 07/12/2011 and have been struggling with psychological hunger as well. People ask me if I feel hungry anymore and I tell them my head and heart thinks I am, but physiologically--no hunger. I cook meals for my family now and I sit downwih them but I have something I can drink instead. Sometimes, I make them eat what I have, whatever soup of the day it is...lol. My doc gave me a book called Living a Lighter Lifestyle that addressed this type of problem and discussed how improtant it is to recognize that we are going through a grieving prcess right now. Grieving the loss of food and what it meant to us before andaccepting that from now on it is simply a source of energy. Reading that book has helped me cope wth these feelings. Hope we both get through this pretty soon and you are not alon (and thank goodness neither am I...lol)

I laughed about the shaving bit as well. That's what husbands are for BTW-Lord knows we do enough dirty work for them from time to time. Had mine shave my legs so I could weigh in the same clothes for my pre and post-op visits which meant wearing shorts. I was able to shave again after they took my drain out at 1 week though so you won't have to wear pants toooo much longer..lol.