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Anxiety is usual when making such a big step in your life. Trust me this is probably one of the best decisions you will ever have made in your life. GOod luck to you both.

Depending on when your surgery was, it should get better about 3 to 4 months in. At one point I took Prilosec and then graduated to calcium tums. I hardly ever have to take anything if I stay away from spicy foods and I can't lay down to quickly after eating.

Well in the beginning my immediate family knew and a couple of close friends. I was actually in transition with my job so I got new coworkers that didn't really say much about my weight loss. I am really involved in church and I hate to admit it but thats the place where I lied the most about it. I told them I had my gall bladder removed. Well after about 6 months of lieing I decided , none of them had a heaven or hell to put me in and in the end of the day I still looked fabulous!!!! Amazingly enough I began to tell women who are overweight what I did when they would ask and alot of them seemed let down because I didn't have some magic pill or diet to tell them about. I tell them that it is not as easy as day surgery and your whole life changes but It is so worth it. I stand now almost a year out and I don't mind telling anyone what I did and I then say " Now go run and tell that" , cause at the end of the day I still wear a size 2/4 in everything including my underwear. LOL!!!!!!

Thanks guys. Be encouraged LezzieLez.

Last year this time I was just about to start my journey into the long list of Drs appointments, evaluations, testing, and finally waiting. I am so happy to say it is a year later and I am 80lbs lighter. My journey was not just for vanity reasons but it was a new beginning for me. As I began to regain control and focus on the root cause of my weight loss I had to really focus on what else in my life had I just let overrun me. I sometimes felt as if all of the air was being sucked out of the room and it had nothing to do with my weight. Well needless to say I have started to face the pink elephant in the middle of the room. It hasn't been easy but it has been real and as I lost the physical weight I began to look at what other dead weight I was carrying around for other people. My life is not easy, nor has this surgery been a piece of cake but if you ask me would I do it all over again. The answer is yes!!!!!!!!. I sometimes pass by windows and look at myself in disbelief or its really funny when I post pics of my new self on facebook and I get comments back like "When did you take that picture" or the best one is " How old were you when you took this". LOL!!!!! I encourage anyone that is contemplating the surgery. Do it for you and you will never regret it. P.S. My 18 year old daughter did it two months after me and she has lost a whopping 84lbs and you can't tell her nothing!!!!! For the first time in her life she is wearing clothing that concide with her age and she is so excited. I can hardly keep up with all the new guys who are interested in her... It is the best gift that I ever could have given her...

Well wait no more and do what I did and give your insurance company a call. I knew before my doctor did.By the time they called to notify me I had already had a hallelujah party in my workstation. !!!!!

Calm down, we all hit the stall at 3 weeks and then again at 3 months. Its normal trust me the weight will start rolling off once it gets started again. I am almost 9 months out and I stepped on the scale today and I am actually 10lbs under my goal weight, a place I never thought was possible. Keep your head up it will get better.

Like Nike " Just Do it"!!!!!! It will be the best decision of your life....

It so gets better with time. I agree with everyone else. LIQUIDS are so important at this stage. I am eight months out and almost 80lbs lighter and I wouldn't change my decision for the world. It is true that it gets worse before it gets better but when the ball starts rolling the results are phenomenal!!!!!!

In my last blog I was complaining about not having clothes that fit due to my new weight loss, well God heard me and I was sitting in church not even two days later and I get a text that says " Hey got some clothes for you come and get them". I could hear the church bells ringing... LOL . Well I got there as soon as the Preacher said Amen and needless to say, she had a variety of clothing that went from size 14 to size 4. Suits, dresses, jeans, dress pants, shoes, boots. I had hit paydirt. I got home and began to try on the clothes and to my suprise I am a fit size 8. No more double digits for me!!!!!!. I have been strutting my stuff ever since then. I thank God and my girlfriend who has outgrown her clothes... LOL I love my sleeve and all the new sizes that come along with it.

It seems like just yesterday I stumbled upon vertical sleeve talk and I became obsessed. I read all the blogs and looked at all the pics. Finally it was my time to have my surgery and it all became real. I thank those who prayed for me and those who emailed me to checkup on me. I am proud to say after five months that I am now 153lbs and I was 211lbs at the start of my journey. I know 211lbs may not seem like much but I am only 4"11 tall. The sleeve has transformed me from a size 18 to a size 10 and I feel great. Now I won't say it has all been peaches and ice cream cause that would be a lie. I have horrible heart burn after eating spicy food, I still can't drink alot at a time, and I wasn't prepared for the rapid diminishing of clothes in my closet that fit. I literally stood in my closet the other day and wanted to cry cause I couldn't find anything to wear to work. I didn't know if they were tears of joy or frustration. I can say one thing and that is I wouldn't change anything for the world. I often think when I was young I took my weight for granted and I treated my stomach like a trash can but now that i have been given a second chance, I think twice before I eat something. To all of those who are contemplating it Like Nike says "JUST DO IT"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yay for you!!!!!! I too left the pecan carmel chocolate crust cheesecake on the plate. I ate three bites and that was enough. Oh but I dreamed about it later, good thing it was at my brother's house and not with me. Thank God for the Sleeve!!!!!

I too was afraid but I will tell you after much prayer and soul seeking, I had the surgery August 16th and 4 months later, I am down 56lbs and I feel even better than I look!!!!!!! I didn't have any complications and I have only been sick twice and that was only because I ate something that I shouldn't have. Its funny how some of the things that you craved before surgery will not even be a desire after surgery. Good Luck!!!!!

My daughter had her"s on the same day as yours and today she wanted to eat chicken wing popsicles. LOL.... Hang in there, when she weighed herself today she is down 14lbs so she gave up on the chicken wing. It does get better, I did it two months ago and I am down over 40lbs. It does get alot better, hang in there....

Hooray for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATS !!!!! See you on the losers bench!!!!!

Saturday marked my 1 month surgiversary and I am so Happy. I went to my first support group meeting and it was wonderful just to sit with other people who understand me. I wouldn't change a thing!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATS!!!!! I am a month out and I am just starting the " Hey my clothes are a lot looser than before stage"......

I can almost promise you that you will need to be off from work at least a week. I went back in a week and even with my desk job I was completely exhausted and still bloated. I would suggest one week if not two.

I just got over my three week stall and Liz is right, the scale wasn't moving but I was losing inches. I am glad for the stall cause I was a little scared losing two pounds a day. Congrats on your 53lbs. I can't wait to say the same, I am at week 4.

Thanks for sharing!!!!!

I encourage you to have faith in your decision and know that all things will work together for your good. I am almost a month out and I was apprehensive myself but after losing almost 25lbs in three weeks and clothes that hung so faithfully in my closet are now being put to good use, I know I made the right decision. I know it may be scary to venture into the land of the unknown but I promise if I can do it, I know you can to. Just think, when next summer comes we will have a lot to show off on the beach besides our bellys...

Hang in there honey, I promise it will be worth it in the end.

Absolutely Awesome!!!!!! I looked in the mirror and my double chin is almost a single. I am so excited like you it felt better than any bowl of gumbo.