Vsg Doll

I bought a recliner but never slept in it. it was not comfortable to me and I would wake up after a couple of hours. I did sleep on the couch alot, and now 1 week out i can lay in the bed on my side with a pillow under my belly.

I am just over a week out from surgery and it was a real struggle in the beginning to get my fluids in. I sorta feel a little dehydrated. I want to gulp soooo badly like i did before the sleeve. I was just wondering how long after surgery were you able to gulp or take a normal sized drink of something without pain? Thanks

congrats on being able to progress o the diet. i have my first post op appt today and am also 5 days out, hopefully i'll progress too

plain Water seems to give me bubbles, and its too hard on my new sleeve. But having it warm works, and smart water seems to be the only one i can truly tolerate. I am loving teabags as a way to make the water more dense. Good Luck!

I am 4 days post op and have been taking pills since day 2, with no problems. the only problem i encounter is when i crush a pill, then i taste it all and get nausea. You should be fine but be sure to call your surgeons office and ask them.

I'm wondering what determines if your incisions are closed with Steri Strips or Staples. My surgeon I believe is going to use steri strips, but i was wondering what factors determine strips over staples. Thanks

I work as a 911 emergency dispatcher and I am hoping for 4-6 weeks off. My job is highly stressful, although it is a sit-down desk type job. I figure this is the time to take care of me, so i'm going to aim for as much time as i can.

I am also a November 18th sleever. ONE more week to go!!!!!!!! :smile1:

Congrats!!! Yes one more week!!! I havent had my "Freak-out/feelings of doubt" yet, so i'm hoping that i dont. I'm just excited as ever. Good luck on your journey, hopefully we can share tips/advice with each other.

hey hun im having surgery nov 18!! im kim how are you?

Yay! I'm Awesome, How are you? Super excited to meet someone who is starting their journey the same day as I am.

just wondering if there is anyone having surgery on November 18th, with me. Or if theres anyone who has Dr Kelvin Higa as their surgeon?

Ladies, dont worry about the size of the tables. They are well equipped to lift or move you if they need to. When I went in for my surgery they sedated me right before I got into the operating room, so I have no idea if or how they moved me. Dont be self-conscious, the surgeons and hospital staff know that they are dealing with "healthier" patients, so they are prepared.

Let go, and dont worry about the small stuff like that. You'll be fine once you wake up in your room all comfy and hopefully with access to a morphine pump or some other great pain relieving method!

thank you for the reassuring words of encourangement. I'm not going to worry about it, i'm going to just sit in perfect peace and love the entire process

I was completely awake when I was brought into the operating room. I still remember the conversation I had with the anesthesiologist beforehand. I shifted myself over and then scooted around until I was in the right place.

I woke up in recovery, in a completely different bed. I figured they moved me somehow, I even laughed at myself imaging a large crane-like thing being used to shift me LOL (i was post anesthesia...). But I didn't have any bruises or marks and I know that they deal with patients of my size or bigger everyday. I didn't dwell on it and at this point I really don't care. I wondered about it, but it was one of those things that i didn't really want to know the answer to just in case I didn't like it!

Hahaha, yeah guess its not something that I NEED to know, i was just curious. I'm 22days away from having surgery and all kinds of wild questions are running through my head so i thought i would just throw it out there. thanks for the reply hopefully i will find out one way or another..lol

So this may be a silly question, but I'm a hefty sized girl so I figured it doesnt hurt to ask. I heard that they wheel you into the operating room and you have to scoot onto a super skinny operating table. Does anyone remember the "waking up" part and having to scoot off of the skinny table back onto the bed, or do they somehow lift you? I dont even know if this question makes sense but in my head it is lol.

UL35,97

I was 460 to start- 410 on April 7, 2011 (day of surgery) and soen 185 pds

WOW!!!!!! that is amazing results for just over 7 months post op. TELL ME EVERYTHING YOU ARE DOING!!! (lol)...185 lost in 7 months? Congrats, you deserve it

@Vsg Doll - There is ZERO doubt you can lose as much weight as needed with this surgery! There's not as many needing to lose 200+ Lbs but they are around and they really are losing the weight. I'm sooo proud of them because this darned thing being obese is a real monster. I struggled with being over 300 Lbs at one point and for probably a decades time. I messed my knees up and cause damage to my body... it was crying out to me!!

Hugs! I KNOW you will be amongst the big losers here someday.

@Sam - that is PHENOMENAL!!! Huge CONGRATS to you!!! You're DEFINITELY going to make goal!

@coffee - that is rule #1 around here... DO NOT compare yourself to others - DO Celebrate every pound lost.

Awwww LilMissDiva your post totally made me smile!!! Thank you so much for the words of encouragement. I cant wait to be on the losers side of the bench. I love these boards and great people like you on them!!!

I started at 417 and I have lost 77 lbs in 4 months. However from the posts above it seems people have lost 100 and more already at this time. Now I'm bummed

Dont be bummed, 77lbs in 4 months is an amazing accomplishment. Celebrate every single pound because you worked for that. Everyones story is differnt. I wish i could lose 77lbs in 4 months. Congrats!!!

I started at 498 and have lost over 200 lbs. I wish I had started at "only" 400 lbs. Would have been close to goal already. Ha Ha.

There are a number of people on this board who started over 400 lbs and have been very successful in losing a lot of weight.

Good luck!

Whoo Hoo!!! 200lbs lost, that is amazing.

My highest was 390 in February and day of surgery was 363 (May) after being on the pro-op diet for like 6 weeks. I am now 292 and just 2 lbs away from losing 100 lbs.

Still a long way to go but definitely the best thing I have ever done. My body feels so much better now even though I still need to lose a lot. My feet don't hurt anymore, I had plantar fasciitis and heal spurs. I no longer wear my orthotics and can wear all of the shoes in my closet (I still don't wear heals). I am not winded walking from my car into the office or trying to tie my shoes. I no longer use my CPAP machine for sleep apnea.

Best of Luck!

Congrats, i cant wait to feel better. I also have heel spurs and only notice my body is getting worse and worse each month. I find inspiration in your words. Thank you!!!

I can relate to the fear of being smaller, my reasons are slightly different from yours. I have identified myself with my weight for as long as i have been heavy. It has become part of why i chose to go where i go, and i have also allowed it to be the crutch for why i dont live my life to the fullest. I am afraid of what might happen if i get rid of this fat and have to face the reality of life. dont get me wrong i'm not hiding from anything but after the fat is gone there are no more excuses. But i dont live by fear...so im ready for the joy, challenges, and full life that i will be able to live.

I dont know if im the only one that feels this way and I would like somebody to talk to plz. Here it goes........I'm 21 about to be 22 and I've been fat a majority of my life. Since I was 8 I've been picked on, taunted and all that jazz. At the age of 13 I lost 60lbs. So when I started HS i was 150lbs and was still made fun of but not as much. Also I had to deal with this new found attention i was getting from boys because I was thinner and had large breast (14 and was a DD). It got to the point that I got punched in the head because I 'thought I was cute." By prom I was 189lbs. Now I'm 239 and I'm on the journey to getting the surgery but I'm SCARED OUTA MY SHORTS!!!!!! I don't know what to expect from ppl. I'm afraid that people are going to try and harm me because they might become eaulous. Don't get me wrong I'm not trying to be cocky or anything but according to what ppl in my life have told me I have the type of personality that people hate me for. And if you add that to me possibly being 130lbs come Sept........I dont know how people are going to act towards me. Jealousy? Hatred? Acceptance........Idk

If you can offer me some words of experience or anything please do Thank You

*raises hand* I was over 400lbs on surgery day, and just under now.

Just four weeks out and already 42lbs down, I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat! My knees are already thanking me.

Also, there is a section here at Verticalsleevetalk for folks who have 200 lbs or more to lose:- http://www.verticals.../39-200-pounds/

Good luck on your journey! *hugs*

Congratulations!! That is a great loss, you rock!!! Thanks so much for mentioning the group for 200+, I’ve seen it before but never clicked on it because I assumed it was for those of us who are 200 plus pounds only, not 200 to lose (silly me lol). I will definitely check it out. Thanks again and I wish you massive luck with your journey!

I have my first meeting with my second surgeon 11/1.

About 10 yrs ago I was 428. I developed pulmonary hypertension and couldn't walk from one room in the house to another. If I was carrying something and I dropped it, it stayed there.

I started on phentermine and over the course of several years I lost 128#. Then I fell a couple times, broke a bone in each instance. Stopped working out doing Water aerobics and walking and started to gain. Also phentermine and zoloft made me sweat and lose bladder control. I stopped. I maintained my weight at just under 300 for acouple years. Now went back up to 320 and panicked. Don't want phen but did restart gym. Looked for surgeon for vsg last year and they strung me along hoping I would switch to band. Finally they said the insurance won't pay (it would have). So now I'm up to 320. Found hospital that will pursue insurance. Lost 6 lbs without phen just exercising 5 or 6 days a week.

Hope pre tests yield no surprises. Hope to get thru this. Wonder who would take the meanest dog in the world if I don't make it thru. Wonder if I can "go with the flow" and learn to live since I have no experience with that. Wonder what it will be like to look human for more than a few weeks at a time and if I will know how to behave similarly. Otherwise, I plan to hide under a bridge and be the troll I was intended to be.

Good luck to you and lemme know how u fare and wht you decide.

Hi REALLYROSY, thanks for the post. I have recently noticed that i have trouble walking an extended amount of time, i have back pain when washing the dishes, i can hear myself breathing louder, and these are all things that make me so sad at how far out of shape i have gotten. I am excited for surgery and i hope that i can also "go with the flow" after it is all said and done. Good luck!!

I started at 444 and lost 40 pounds prior to surgery. I had surgery in May have lost 121 so far and am thrilled with my progress. I would do it again in a heartbeat!

Thank you for posting this, I have been so nervous because i see all the success on t hese boards but havent really found someone that has been as heavy as i am now and lost/is losing the weight. You guys have confirmed that this is the right decision for my life and that it is 100% possible to be a success at it. Good luck on the rest of your journey!!

Hi,

My husband and I were 450 and 440lbs respectively when we started this process....we had to do a 6 month Dr. supervised diet and we chose weight watchers. We lost about 45 or so pounds prior to the surgery. I had mine in July, his in Aug and we have now both lost 100lbs each. Very happy we did this! Tracy and Tony

WOW! that is awesome, That gives me so much hope. Congrats to you and your husband. Hopefully your journey is full of so much more success!!!

So i'm actually 396 lbs but whats 4 pounds lol. i'm looking to see anyones journey who started out close to my starting weight. I know that vsg is the right choice for me but I still have my doubts and want to see that it will work for someone starting where I am starting. SO...are there any people out there that started/had surgery at my weight or close to it? Thanks

I was able to keep my nose piece in. I signed a form saying I knew the risks, which by the way are almost non existent. With surgical stainless steel or titanium piece there is really little risk at all. The excuse of interfering with equipment is like sayiny anyone with a knee of hip replacement or any thing else like that will interfere with all future surgeries. There is a minimal risk the cautery could jump to the metal but very unlikely. My surgical nurse and anestesiologist both rolled their eyes at me having to sign the form. Oh I was also able to keep a couple fresher cartilage piercings when I have my hysterectomy done several years ago.

Awesome! thats great, I actually called my surgeons office and they said it should be fine. They stated like you that there is minimal risk while keeping it in. Thanks again!