Forensikchic

my sister SouthernDonna45 was sleeved today. She is doing great! She is talking on the phone and has already been walking! So proud of her.

She made it through surgery and recovery and is sleeping sound. Doing real well. Everyone here is wonderful. Great experience so far.

Mine went down at the 3 month mark but back up some at the 6 months mark. they said it was still good and my ratio was fine so dont worry about it. I think its the mostly animal protein I eat, limited fiber and veggies.

So happy for you! Hope all goes well. Congrats!

Does he use those leg pumps on your calves to prevent blood clots? Does he give you blood thinner? I'm concerned about getting a clot when asleep and all I saw in the paperwork was instructions to move your feet around. Thanks.

I am touched by your story. Good luck to you!!!!!

Will you add my sister to this list? She is SouthernDonna45 and she is having surgery with Dr. Alvarez June1st, 2012!

I like the monthy check in as well. I am down 87 pounds now and its really slowing down for me too. I lost 4 pounds last month and 4 so far this month too. I will take it. I am 2 pounds from a normal weight and 14 pounds from my personal goal of 100 pounds lost. My goal is to be 135 by my surgiversary so I am hoping to achieve that. The carb monster is after me for sure. I had some rice today in a diet dinner and I was starving on my way home from work! WHAT? I never feel hunger. I heard that if you take your PPI for a few weeks the hunger subsides. just a thought.

They dont actually cut on you. They go in through your ureter like a catheter and use lithotripsy and and extraction. Sometimes they dont need stents put in but sometimes they do. I had a stent placed, my sister did not. Its all done through the tubes, no cutting. Its done in an OR and it is considered a surgical procedure because you are under general anesthesia.

Okay guys, Its challenge time again. Who is with me? Memorial Day is about 7 weeks away and I am going to start this challenge off right with a doable goal of 10 pounds. I am 8 months out today and I know my losses will be continuing to slow. I used to set my goals at 20 pounds, then 15, then 13 and now 10. I want to be realistic and I am only 20 pounds from goal so I think 10 pounds is a good realistic goal for me. How about you? What will be your goal for the next seven weeks?

I have had low blood pressure all my life. Mine runs about 90/50 and that is totally normal for me, always has been. I do get light headed and dizzy upon standing sometimes when I have not drank enough. Its my que that I need to get hydrated! I think its a good idea to see your doctor because you may be a little dehydrated and that is what is actually causing the drop in bp when you stand. At least that is the case for me. I also will have some nausea too at times from dehydration. Its not a terrible thing to have low blood pressure. You just have to stay hydrated to keep the symptoms at bay.

I would do it too and I am sure my sister will as well. Good luck!

Well that is no where near your kidneys. That is pain in the sternum, the middle of your chest. I had some discomfort when I was early sleeved when i was full. It was just an uncomfortable sensation in my tummy right in the middle of my chest. Maybe its just your full signal. I was on liquids and when I would try to drink thicker liquids or eat jello the pain would be a little worse. I would say chances are good that you dont have a kidney stone. Your kidneys are very low in your body around the top of your hips in the back. Kidney pain is intense and in your low back/side area. No where near your chest. I hope you have good test results and they fix your discomfort soon.

My sister and i have both had surgery for kidney stones. When it is a stone, its so incredibly painful that you cannot function. It was worse pain than natural childbirth because at least then it came in waves. My kidney stone pain was almost constant and breathtaking. If you just pull a muscle, its a lot milder pain than an actual kidney stone. My sister had a whopping 9mm stone a few weeks ago and it required surgery, obviously. You usually cannot pass a stone over 5mm. Mine was 5mm and I required surgery as well. Beautifulnewme, I hope you dont have a kidney stone. If it isnt constant pain in your lower back, flank area, its probably not a kidney stone.

Okay, Im in! With ony 5 weeks to do this, I am going to be realistic. I am losing 4-5 pounds a month now so I will make my goal 5 pounds. I am now 146.9 (147) so I will go for 141.9 (142). @jhansen71~ Anybody can start a challenge! I started the last three for the same reason! I am glad you took the initiative to start this one! We are all family here and excited to get going on another challenge! PS. ask strongerdiva to pin it for us and she will. That way it wont get lost in the treads!

SW 155.2 CW 146.9 GW 144.2 I lost another 1.1 pounds for a total weightloss of 8.3 pounds for this challenge. I didnt make my goal of 11 pounds but I got close! In two tenths of a pound, I will be a normal weight for my BMI. I am happy with the result as I knew it would get harder the closer I got to goal. I am a mere 12 pounds from goal now. Congratulations to all those who made goal or got close! On to the next challenge! July 4th... who is with me?

Can you tell me if you had those things on your legs that pumped up and kept the blood flowing in your legs during your hospital stay? My sister is about to have her surgery on Friday and I am concerned. I just learned that he uses them in the OR but I want to know if you get to keep them on while laying in your hospital bed. I am afraid of blood clots forming while she is sleeping. You can be moving your feet around while asleep. Please let me know what your experience was and also, did they continue to give you heparin shots in your tummy to prevent clotting? I would appreciate your feedback. Thanks. Tammi

Great. I had my leg pumps the whole time I was in the hospital and I am hoping she can keep hers even out of the OR. They gave me heparin shots every 6 hours or so the entire time I was in there too. I hope its the same for her. thanks!

Thank you!!!!!!!!

Well I would but its my sister that's the patient not me. I just wanted to know if other patients had that. I will call if no one answers this post. I know there are lots of his patients here. Thanks.

I agree with some of the things on the list I wasnt aware would happen like shoe size etc. but I dont really consider that a downside. I love to shop for new clothes and shoes and its fun now when it didnt use to be. I am thrilled with my sleeve and I will take these downs any day! Like you said, the pros really outweigh the cons in a BIG way!

She has some water pills but has been afraid to take them. I guess it wouldnt hurt for a few days to get some of the fluid off.

Okay. I felt the same way too. I tried every combo imaginable and I just couldnt stomach them. FINALLY, I found what worked for me. I will share and you can try it if you like. I pour 1 cup of Simply Orange OJ in a tupperware shaker cup. I put in one scoop of Unjury unflavored OR Jarrow unflavored protein. I shake the **** out of it. I pour it in a kids cup with lid and a straw (like you get with a kids meal at Chili's). I sip it on the way to work. It tastes like regular OJ. You cannot taste the protein. PS. Jarrow is the best because it has no smell either and it mixes smooth and doesnt separate. You can have the vitamin Shoppe order it for you or you can order it online. its cheaper than unjury too. The unjury one will separate and the foam will go to the top but if you are drinking from a straw, you wont know it, you just get the good juice. It has been a life saver for me. Hope it helps you. PS dont buy cheap OJ. Only get the really good quality juice. Belive me, its worth it. HTH.

Well, I have to disagree here. I am 9.5 months out and I do have a small bite or two of sweets. In fact, I eat a cookie or half a cookie and a half glass of milk about 4 oz at about 3 evenings a week. I said A cookie, not Many Cookies. The way I see it is that I am not on a diet, I am changing my lifestyle. I want my new lifestyle to include goodies in moderation. Depriving yourself totally of every goodie is setting yourself up for failure. When you eat carrots and Water until you lose all your weight, what happens when you start to slowly introduce the treats again? You baloon back up. Realistically, we are not going to NEVER have a treat again as long as we live so why set it up like that? I am not saying we can just eat everything we want. I am saying that if you eat Protein first, snack on high protein foods, you can have a small treat and it wont affect your lifestyle and when you are at goal, it will be super easy to maintain because you already incorperated those treats in, in moderation of course, and you have not felt deprived during your journey and you will just carry on through maintenance and the rest of your life, healthy and happy. So, I say, after you move through your stages into solid food, if you want to taste a bite of a goodie, go ahead and try it. If its bread, you wont eat more than one bite anyway, its too filing and it makes pressure in your chest that is uncomfortable. You will not be overdoing it on bread, I can tell you that. But to deprive yourself totally, I think is a bad idea in the end. People who lead a healthy lifestyle have things in moderation. That is the key. Jmho.

A lot of surgeons dont do a leak test. Mine didnt. I was happy not to have to swallow that crap. Dont worry about it. Surgeons are all different in their diet requirements, the use of bougies, swallow tests, etc. My surgeon does not use a bougie, no drains, no swallow test. I am 9.5 months out and no problems. Its just a difference in surgeons preference. Mine said you are too swollen at that point for a leak to show anyway but I am not knocking those drs who do them by any means.