courtines

Hang in there. I know that I didn't get enough liquid in on my first couple of days. I think it is perfectly normal. Do what you can to get some walking in, and rest when you need to. I found that the pain meds made me so groggy, that it was difficult for me to do what I needed to do. It will be better in a few days. I hope you can get some rest and relaxation for a few days anyway. How long until you have to fly home?

The first day of full liquids is such a glorious day! I have never been so excited to eat cottage cheese in my entire life. I am about 4 days out from pureed foods and I am excited about that, but not nearly as excited as I was about being able to have milk products again. I had an awful time with the isopure drinks too. I ended up buying a bunch of them and was only able to choke 2 or 3 of them down. I have seen it said that the Grape Frost tastes like grape Kool-Aid, but that was definitely not my experience. I think I need to find a pre-op friend to pawn them off on.

My mom and I were having this same conversation the other day. I have heard rumors about Jennifer Hudson, but I don't know. I know Weight Watchers can work for people and I imagine she has more support than the average WW attendee given that she is their spokesperson. . I think Drew Carey definitely did. I also suspect Kirstie Alley, who has just lost over 100lbs. I know she has done it before and put it back on, so only time will tell if she sustains the weight loss.

I think you will definitely be able to do at least some. My mom drug me all over the mall when I was 3 days out and I did fine, but I was really exhausted by the time I got home.

I'm so sorry for all of your complications. Hang in there and have faith that it will get better.

There are always going to be a few people who don't agree with your choices, but ultimately they are your choices. You know that you are doing the best thing that you can for your body and that you are taking control of your situation. She will probably come around eventually. My mother in law has been really weird about it, not really wanting to even acknowledge my surgery, but since I have had it done she has been a lot more open. She is willing to talk about it some. My husband told me that she was just worried for me and afraid of what would happen to our daughter if something were to happen to me. The truth of it all is that something would have inevitably happened to me if I hadn't made a change, it was only a matter of time. I was willing to take the very small risk vs the much larger risk of dying of heart disease or diabetes 5-10 years down the road. I think that people who have negative things to say fall into three categories: 1. People who love you and are worried about you, 2. People who are entirely ignorant of the consequences of ongoing obesity and 3. A mixture of these two things. Do what you know is right and let the bad stuff roll off your back. She will either come around or she won't. It will all be okay either way. ::Hugs::

I am now four days post op and I do think that every day gets easier. It is still tough to get all of my liquids in, and I am going crazy because I have been on clear liquids since surgery. I get to move to full liquids tomorrow and I am very excited about that, because it includes several things that were not included on my pre-op diet. I have never been so excited to eat cottage cheese in my whole life!

I am sleeved and home. Everything was pretty uneventful, although I have been feeling really gassy and bloated this evening. My mom and I took an impromptu trip to WalMart to get the ever important Gas-X strips. My surgery pain is extremely manageable and I have had very little nausea. Everything is so far, so good.

Good luck, and I second the recommendation to come hang out in the October group. Everybody is pretty awesome over there.

I had to tell someone that I wouldn't be having surgery if I could do it on my own. I wouldn't risk going under anesthesia for the first time and I wouldn't ask someone to remove the majority of my stomach if I was capable of doing it on my own. The best thing that I have learned is to not care one way or the other what people think about it. I am doing it for my health and so I can live to see my kid grow up. If other people don't like it, they are entitled to their opinion, but it doesn't really matter to me.

I am so glad to hear that! One less thing to worry about and you are on your way!

Welcome to both of you! There are a bunch of awesome, knowledgeable and supportive people here. It has been incredibly helpful for me.

We have the same date! I have gained about 100lbs in the 9 years that I have been with my husband. I didn't start out skinny, but I was a lot healthier than I am now. He loves me either way, but he has been very supportive of me having the surgery because he wants me to be happier and feel better about myself. I am sure your boyfriend is feeling a lot of things, including being afraid for surgical complications and fear that you might get more attention from men if you lose weight. I think the main thing is to do it because YOU want to do it for yourself. Good luck! You are going to be great!

I am another October 10th sleever. Not too far away!!

Mine was pretty straightforward. She wanted to know that I knew the basics about the surgery and the limitations that I would have food-wise. She checked that I had support at home and that I would be able to take the necessary time off of work. I did have to do an MMPI to make sure that there was no underlying undiagnosed mental illness. Don't stress too much about it. I think that surgeon's offices tend to refer you to people who are more likely to "pass" you on the psych evaluation. They are not going to send you to someone who is nit-picky and unlikely to recommend you for for surgery. Don't stress too much. I am sure you are going to be fine.

I have been very forthcoming about my surgery with all of the important people in my life and also many people who would qualify as acquaintances. I don't see the point in hiding or lying about it. If anyone things that I took the easy way out, that is really their issue. I know that I have to do the work for all of this and that the surgery might help me, but it isn't going to "fix" me. My father and I are not close. Sometimes I hear from him every two weeks, sometimes every two months. This is ok with me, because he is a difficult person. I love him because he is my dad, but I wouldn't be able to tolerate him if he wasn't. He called me this evening and when I told him I was having surgery in two weeks, he asked why. I had mentioned this to him before and he quickly changed the subject. I don't know if he wasn't listening or if he just didn't want to discuss it. I didn't push it, because we aren't really close and he is entitled to his opinion. Today he said, "It makes me sad that you feel like you have to do that." I told him that I am doing it because I want to live, not just exist. I also told him that I am tired of having my weight hold me back from doing the things that I want to do. I think he was coming from a good place, but it was frustrating for me that he just couldn't be happy for me. I don't need his pity, that's for sure. I am proud of myself for taking things into my own hands and I am definitely not going to let him take that away from me.

I think it is completely normal. I wasn't nervous at all before my surgery date was set. When they called and told me the date, it was less than three weeks out and that scared the heck out of me. It seems like it should be a relief, but for me, it was when the fear of failure kicked in. I am a worrier by nature, and I just kept thinking of the negatives. I still struggle with that, but I try to turn it around and think of the positives, like how I will be able to run and play with my daughter and shop for clothes in the "regular" section of the store. I think that keeping my eye on the prize has definitely helped calm my nerves. You will be fine. Heck, you will be better than fine. You can do this.

I had an acquaintance pretty much accuse me of taking the easy way out. I just told her that I wouldn't have someone remove the majority of my stomach just because I was lazy. This person wasn't coming from a place of caring about me, but I am SURE that your sisters are. It may take a while for them to come around, but they will, especially when they see how happy you are once the weight starts melting off. You still have to do the work and it isn't like surgery just removes the excess weight while you are sleeping. I have struggled with telling people and ultimately have pretty much told everyone I know. My knowledge of other people's surgeries helped me make the decision to have mine, especially when I saw results firsthand. I tell people, because I hope that I can be that kind of inspiration to others. The haters can suck it.

I am glad to see all the St. John sleevers here. I was beginning to think I am the only one. I am actually having mine done at the St. John Oakland Hospital in a little more than two weeks. An acquaintance was sleeved by Dr. Hawasli several months ago and has had amazing results. I decided not to go with him, but he is the reason that I even became aware of this option, as I did some pre-surgical testing on one of his patients.

I am from Port Huron and I am due to be sleeved at St John Oakland Hospital on October 10, 2011.

That's my day too! Good luck to you!

A friend of mine had his sleeve done by someone who is a gallbladder guru. He requires an abdominal ultrasound as part of his pre-op testing protocol. He will take them out while performing the sleeve surgery if there is evidence of stones or gallbladder disease. If there isn't anything wrong with them, he leaves them alone. It is common for people to have gallbladder issues after losing a large amount of weight, whether that weight loss was achieved through surgery or not. I don't know of anyone who would take a functional gallbladder out, though. Doctors like to leave your parts where they are, as long as they aren't causing problems.

I was just having this conversation with someone today. My surgery is set for Oct 10th and I am definitely on a roller coaster of emotions. I am scared and nervous and excited all at the same time. Mostly, I just want to get this show on the road!! I feel you on the coffee thing. I have been pretty good about it, but I had a long night last night and needed a pick me up before work. I am not giving up though because I am trying to kick the caffeine habit. Stick to it, you can do it!

Don't worry. Nobody expects you to be perfect. I think I was more nervous before my psych eval than I feel for my actual surgery!

I am pretty emotional in general and I teared up when I was talking about my daughter at my psych eval and it didn't hurt me any. I think that surgeon's offices generally refer you to people who are most likely to approve you. Don't give up hope. I was scared to death that I screwed the whole thing up and mine worked out just fine. Even if they say no, it is more like they are saying "not right now."