SassySenior

They probably are. LOL. Maybe even on your doc's payroll. ROFL. I assume you picked a good doc. So you'll be fine. Probably never hungry again. While I'll be STARVING ... I think my doc leaves something like 30%. My God, what you Aussies won't do to one-up us humble Americanos! lmao Good luck. Let me know when you're back from the dead ... oh, just a slip of the tongue! HA HA. Best wishes, babe! Now you can go spread rumors on how barbarian Americans are, living in the dark ages ... with HUGE stomachs! tee hee xo Sassy xo :wub:

SS, Yep, fer sure they gotta be meaner to remove 85%. I guess they just want success at any cost. Bad enough you can barely eat much at 25% left, but 15% has got to be horrible torture. Is that what happened to you? Poor babe.

I've never heard of a sleeve that small. What I've heard is that the sleeve will be anywhere from 20 to 30% smaller, depending on what you and your surgeon agree on. Look at what's going on in the lap-band world. A ton of people are switching to the sleeve, where they are having outstanding results. I haven't seen any mention of someone's sleeve stretching and/or regaining the weight. Make a decision and stick with it. That way you can stop worrying and looking for reasons not to do it. You'll love it, I'm sure!

food addiction is probably similar to other addictions like drugs or alcohol, etc. Look at the 12 steps in those programs. 1) I admit I am powerless over my eating and that my life has become unmanageable. 2) I came to believe that only a power greater than myself could restore me to sanity 3) Made a decision to turn my will and my life over to the care of God as I understood Him. When you truly embrace each step, you open yourself up to change -- you are willing to change. Step 2 says you can't do it alone, you need help from a higher power. Step 3 says you accept that you need help and are willing to get it. It seems to me that you need to fix the emotional/ mental problem not just the physical. I've been to 12 step meetings and they really helped me get rid of my addiction. Being around people who have the same issues and are getting better makes all the difference in the world. If you're truly ready to start a new chapter, you must be willing to go to any lengths to stay "sober." But don't try to do it alone.

No, there's no decision to make. I'm gonna get the sleeve, even if it kills me! LOL. Like you, and God knows how many others, I have no quality of life left. I am bedridden - my choice - to prevent falling and because there is no furniture in my place that I can get up from. I appreciate your replying! So, thanks! It helps. My fear of dying on the table or from a deadly complication is real. All doctors tell me this. I had to come to grips as to whether I wanted to live the rest of my life like I am now. And the answer is definitely not. Everything is so difficult because I can't do anything. I am supposed to be getting an electric wheelchair soon, so that will allow me more freedom. But I just don't want the life of an invalid. If I had to live this way for whatever reason, I would accept it and soldier through. But I don't have to live this way. There's is an out. It's called VSG, and I'm gonna take it, come what may. My biggest consolation is the surgeon I have. He is so well known and highly regarded that many of the other surgeons I saw who didn't want to take me on, referred me to him. One Dr. was over the moon with how wonderful my Dr. is. Seems that doc had studied under my guy, Dr. Provost, when he was a professor at a local Medical School. In fact, my surgeon taught (proctored) many other surgeons in this area how to do this surgery. So knowing, I have the absolute best surgeon is at least 60-80% of why I'm going through with it. I went through a similar and even scarier time when I had surgery for the first time. It was 1999, and I had ovarian cancer, which has a 25% survival rate. You can only imagine the terror I felt, not knowing whether the cancer would kill me or if I'd even make it through the operation. I had had a heart attack a year earlier and no one knew how I'd do. My doctor thought I was a goner. Didn't think I'd survive the cancer and wasn't sure how I'd do in surgery. But I came through with flying colors. Health wise, I have always been blessed, no matter what was wrong with me. I've made it out of many dark situations smelling like the orchid that I am. I have a philosophy: There's no point in worrying or getting all worked up about something that may never happen. I'm sure that by the time of my surgery, I will have turned that philosophy button to green. In fact, I think I'll start now. Why wait? I'm pretty chill -- not at all a worrier. Heck, after what I've been through there really isn't anything much worse than what I've already survived. Maybe I'll change my name to SassyChill!

We all have fears, before and after surgery. I have some serious fears -- I'm worried about surviving the surgery. All doctors I've talked to have told me I'm a high-risk patient -- one who could have deadly complications.For example, my PCP wanted me to have a chemical stress test. There is, however, a risk that this test can cause a heart attack to occur. The doc's rationale - this test will indicate what might happen during surgery. She says in the cardiology lab, their better equipped to handle it. My reasoning is I want the surgery very badly. So, I don't want to do anything that might cause my surgery to be postponed indefinitely or not occur at all. I figure if I'm going to have another heart attack, I want it to occur during surgery with the finest surgeon in the Southwest, And in a hospital, there's bound to be someone around to help out if I need it. The complications that could happen are also scary.But the bottom line is ... I can no longer stay like I am. My fear of having to live my life as it is now is substantially worse that taking the rare chance of a complications with surgery. I have waiting a very long time to get the surgery, and I am very close to getting a date.I totally trust my surgeon. I did extensive research prior to choosing him. No matter what other surgeons I visited, they would all recommend him because he is the top doc. He's the surgeon other doctors send their problem patients to. I know of several lives saved by him when their initial surgery with another surgeon was a disaster.Speaking of disaster, I somewhat avoid reading the Horror Stories from people who've had serious complications. But I usually pull my head out of the sand long enough to learn what I should know about what could happen.I know of two people here who have had life-threatening complications. One is called "Horror Stories" and the other is written by paigeelaine, if you want to look them up.Those are my fears. What are yours?

Great title! I'm a professional writer so I always can appreciater "a few good words." Guys are so weird so I can only advise 2 things: 1) Stop playing games and call him, or 2) Ditch the tender immature ego and find a real man who is mature. Course, what do I know. Never been married. I finally feel I know enough now to act like a grown up in a relationship. Maybe after I drop couple hundred pounds and have a makeover, I'll start looking again.

Great story. I wonder what you really weigh. I'm super morbidly obese at nearly 400 lbs. But I remember when I was 30 and weighed 125. Next time I weighed myself I had gained 5 pounds and I thot my life was over. I was so self conscious of how I looked, especially in shorts. Ha! I'd give one of my legs to weigh "that much" now. I'd give money, but I don't have any. ha ha Yes, you'll get that girl figure back. Hopefully, your daughter will have a change of mindset and realize how cute she is now. Good luck!

If you don't get any response here, try some of the other sites like Obesity Help.com and a few other weight loss sites. I'd have it but only if my doctor recommended. It's enough of an experiment having the surgery with all my co-morbidities. I definitely don't want to be a guinea pig or "practice" for doctors just learning the technique. I'd love to know what you find out!

I was intrigued by your mention of It Works body wrap. So, I did a search for reviews. The best place to look is Amazon.com. Type this is the search box: It Works! Body Wraps. (1) Ultimate Body Applicators (Health and Beauty) The reviews were eye opening, everything from 5 stars to 1 star. What was interesting is that 93 people gave it 1 star, but only 49 people gave it 5 stars. The discussion is very interesting, so I recommend reading the comments to get a good feel for it. Some buyers got no results, others got fantastic results. So, I'd probably try it after some more research. How much does it cost if you become a distributor? And do tell us your results, rootie3. Promise?

I always ask who is good at finding veins. There's a term for it, and I can't recall now ... like "good at a hard stick." But I go to a hospital lab, and there is always an expert phlebotomist available. I usually ask and get him. I think he's the supervisor. Last time, he assured me someone else was "probably better than me." Not true, not even close! I'll make sure he does it next time. Otherwise I get a huge hematoma on my arm that can take months to clear up. But of you insist, most of the time you can get a good phlebotomist. It's an inborn talent they have where, they can "feel" a good vein by touch only, even when they can't see it. I've never let anyone do a blood draw from my hand. As a patient in the hospital, IVs are a problem. Most are too busy to care, so a quick stick is their goal. Last time I was in they put the IV in the crook of my arm. I couldn't use that arm for days until a compassionate nurse redid my IV. So stand up for yourself, girls. It's worth it!

That's a good point, Suzee. It helps to know where people are coming from vs. expecting positive vibes & not getting any. In fact, that's something I've had a problem with. Not everyone is on my wavelength, and I'm still surprised when I get a negative feedback, mainly from a close friend. So tell us, Suzee. What's going on with your weight loss journey? And, I'm sure others need to post as well. How can we congratulate you and have your progress inspire us if we don't have the details?

Have you ever noticed that when it comes to weight, the words "winners" and "losers" mean the same thing? We want to give props where props are due. Recently, Cheryl wrote that no one had noticed or commented on her 40 lb. weight loss in just 6 weeks. I think congratulations are in order! Surely some of our members are winners who has losses to cheer about. Post them here! Cheryl - Congratulations!! Keep up the good work!

Cheryl - These are not school projects. I actually get paid! It's just what I call my freelance gigs. I agree with you on the Sassy. After all, isn't that what we all want to be thought of? Oops ... back to work.

Cheryl - 40 pounds?? No way! That is fantastic! There ... let me be the first to congratulate you on that, and say thanks for stepping up. I'm taking a tiny break from my project just to let you know I appreciate your posting. I hope others will do so as well! Be sure to click on "Follow this Topic" on all the threads if you haven't already. That's the best way to be updated when there's a new post. Ciao

We grew up in an era ... women especially ... where we often looked to someone else to do what needed to be done. At that time, men ruled the world. They knew it ... and we let them. So what does this all mean to being a Boomer?Being a Boomer in the 21st century means that we've weathered the war ... of feminism ... of equality ... of being our own source of self esteem. And men have become our partners.I started the group so that Boomers could speak out about what's going on in their life, what our concerns are, how we're feeling whether pre-op or post-op.Since I'm not always around to amp up the interest and activity, I have to trust that the rest of you will run with the ball when I'm not around. I would definitely be here if I could. Lately, however, I'm been submerged in a project that has garnered all of my time. The intensity is going to last for another week. After that, the pressure will be off, and I'll have more time to interact in our group.In the meantime, I ask all of you ... can you pick up the ball and run with it? It's ony a week. I hope that you want to keep this group on top of your pile and will contribute and share with each other. That's why the Chat Room is open.Also, we're ready for our first male member to speak up. Don't worry, we'll stop talking long enough for you to do that.

New Members: DonRodolfo and kckitty Welcome!! to our group. We're very happy you decided to join. We're a new group, so we're still getting our legs under us. There are a lot of nice, interesting, supportive ... and even funny ... members here. I know you'll enjoy the group, but you may have to be a little patient because we're still in the fits and start stage. I've been busy on a project and haven't had much time lately to interact with the group. That will change in a week when the pressures of my project will ease somewhat. I hope some of our members will notice this posting and take the time to say hello to your personally. We'd like to hear your story, if you'd like to post it. We'd like to know what's on your mind. So post a new topic or post in one that's already existing. Either way we'd like to know what's going on with you. Are you pre-op or post-op? We have both here. I'm pre-op and I have a lot of questions. I hope you do too, or have some answers. Jump on in. The water's fine! Note: The best way to keep up with what's going on is to "Follow this thread" option.

Hi Girls, I'm happy that you are supporting each other. I've been out of commission, studying and testing for a project. I don't know if I'll make it on because I was close to the end when I ran out of time. I did pass one test, which is the main requirement to qualify, but didn't get to finish the training. So we'll see how flexible they can be. Searching - Being afraid of the surgery is quite natural, most everyone feels that way, be it patient or family. caspinelli712 - As to being an eating buddy, can you just accompany him and maybe get an egg white omelet and drink decaf? I'm sure he hates the thought of going by himself. If you're feeling sluggish, I'd focus on drinking enough Water and getting at least 60 g or more of Protein. I've read several posts on this site and another site on fb where others have discussed this problem. I'm not sure yet if I'll be busy working or not. I'll let you know. Keep up the chit chat, though. It's a great way to vent and/or ask for advice. Congrats for doing both!

Hi guys, I wrote an update on the party. It's still on for 7:30 pm EST. See UPDATES: What's hot & what's not. SS

PARTIERS: Unless you hear differently, we are going to be using a snail mail approach to our party. Southernsoul is working on a different solution, but hasn't figured it out yet, and may not in time for our party. So, here's how it will go. We'll be posting back and forth in the Boomers Chat Room thread. Yeah, I know. It kinda sux, but best we can do now. TIME: 7:30 pm EST, 6:30 pm CST, 3:30 pm MST (i think, not an MST expert) We'll gather in cyber space in the Boomers Chat Room and talk back and forth. OK? Any questions? I've invited a couple of other sleevers who may come. Both have a lot to offer. Mark is a body builder who knows a lot about supplements, Vitamins and the like. SophiaBubbles heads up a group called Starting out at 300 lbs or more. You'll like them - neat people - like you guys!!

SouthernSoul (Faye) - So far it's 3 with you. If you gotta drop out, we may have to postpone the party unless we get some other partiers. You must have one helluva computer 'cause I donna see no blue boxes on the bottom of my screen. What have you been smokin'? HA HA

Cindy - I'm new, too. I don't have the answer yet. I'm working on it. It's like the "Field of Dreams" - Build it and they will come. ha ha Have a fun weekend. Tell us when you're back. You can post here or in Boomer's Chat Room. Hugs, Sassy

CHERYL - 7:30 PM is a go. WHAT TIME ZONE? SouthernSoul has a great place in mind, but I don't have details. Otherewise, it will be in Boomers Chat Room with back and forth posts.

SouthernSoul and Cheryl - thanks for the RSVP. We can certainly make in Saturday night, Cheryl. What time are you on? I'm CST. SouthernSoul - I love your suggestion but how do we find the WLS Chit Chat? Stay tuned to this thread for the latest info on our party. So glad you gals can make it. Please invite a friend outside our group, if you'd like. I've invited SophiaBubbles who has the Starting Out at over 300 lb. group. More later. ((Hugs)) Sassy (a/k/a Kate)

Cindy - I don't have a date yet. Still hung up in the pre-op paperwork. Glad you're happy in Houston area. That's great that your family moved there, too. You must cook one heck of a Sunday dinner. <smile> Hey ... are you coming to our party Saturday night? Check the Boomer Party thread for details. With you, there will be 3 of us that are post-op. So come join in the fun!!