Smoggy

Anyone else finding that the time just won't go FAST enough until July? How are you all preparing?

I am quite private about my personal life so nosey people are the bane of my life, I so hear you, my workplace just seethes with gossip. When my friend was recovering from (successful thank goodness YAY! ) chemo and radio therapy etc and she was back at work looking so radically different, (gaunt and with Marine-style hair) she actually had a T-shirt made that said "I had treatment. I feel better now. 'Nuff said." She would point to the T shirt when she needed space from nosiness and then would have a good laugh at her own expense when sometimes people who didn't know her would think it was referring to a mental illness and would scuttle off in alarm. Not that I'm advocating this but wouldn't it be great if we could get a T-shirt made saying something like "Yes I'm thinner, I feel great, 'Nuff said" :-) I hope they get used to the new you soon!

I'm a very glum as there is a VERY limited variety of protein shakes/soups etc here- and the country shipping rules state that I cannot order and import foodstuffs online either. :-( I'd love to try the unjury chicken soup.... something salty appeals more than sweet, but no luck. I can get something called organiquelle,some isopure stuff including the clear ones in glass bottles, some EAS lite ready-mixed shakes, some Atkins ready-mixed shakes and Nitrotech powders. I just HOPE there will be something I actually LIKE out of these....

Wow Cheri, you look so gorgeous!- thanks for posting these ladies, they are very inspiring.

So many things you say ring true with me, I too have been held hostage in my own body. BRAVO & good luck in your journey.

My brother just sent me a great low-carb Avgolemono Soup recipe.Thought I'd share. It is from this blog chicken stock • 1 cup of cooked chicken, cubed or shredded • 1 cup of leftover roasted vegetables such as turnips, parsnips, celery, onions (you could use raw as well - just increase cooking time in broth) • salt • 1 fresh egg • 1/2 lemon, juiced • pepper Heat stock in medium pot. Add chicken and vegetables. Heat until gently boiling. Add salt to taste. In separate small bowl, beat egg and lemon juice until fluffy. Ladle in about 1 cup of the hot broth, whisking constantly to prevent curdling. This tempers the egg, so it doesn't scramble. Turn off the heat under the soup pot and slowly whisk the egg/lemon/broth mixture into the soup. It should turn the broth a lovely creamy yellow and slightly thicken it. Ladle into a bowl and sprinkle with pepper.

A question that I've been thinking about for all you post-op sleevers. Can you remember when you were able to sleep on your tummy again after surgery? I know everyone's healing process is unique, but I'm a stomach-sleeper and I'm hoping I'll be able to sleep on my back allright, but it would be nice to know approximately how long it will be before being able to lie on my tummy once again. Thanks!

The Enell sports bra is awesome for ladies' with larger girls. Not a cheap bra, but SO worth it. My boyfriend always used to say it was my anti-black eye brigade You can find them online here http://www.enell.com/

I am July 2nd and it seems sooo long to go. At the moment I'm under heaps of pressure at work and my weight is causing me all sorts of aches and pains that are just not helping with stress. I am really looking forward to the surgery but I'm also pretty nervous that I might be that "one" that is the exception with complications etc. I'm in a similar boat to you Justsleeveme23 - the only surgery I've ever had was to remove my appendix when I was about 11- so I'm quite apprehensive too! No idea what it will feel like! .I'm going to be on my own at home and also on my own for quite a while after the surgery while I recover (no family here and most of my friends will go away over the summer) so I'm hoping my few supportive friends will keep in touch. Good luck Kellythestarr- hang in there!

Great news- will be crossing fingers and chanting for you! Best of luck!

I'm self -pay :-( (Which is a fortune but I am trying to feel better about it by telling myself I will take it very much more seriously if I have saved every cent!) Thanks for the advice everyone, I think working on not drinking during meals and chewing heaps are simple but great things to start getting used to. Never would have thought of them myself..

I am July 2nd in Abu Dhabi. I SO hear you re: carbs - this is my downfall too...

Hi nabird77, I'm also scheduled for July - we'll be sleeve sisters! Great question, that is something I've been wondering- my doc recommended I go high-Protein but doesn't request a liquid pre-op diet. I will be weaning myself off caffeine and doing some exercise but I'm not sure yet how I'll go about upping protein or generally preparing. I like your idea about purging the pantry too!

Congratulations JanetF, so glad your surgery went well, and I hope your recovery is all smooth sailing. Nairobi is a really interesting place,and the Kenyans are lovely. I've been there often. I'm sure you'll miss Beirut though!

Hi there- I have a tentative date for July 2nd, to be confirmed. Dr Abdulsalam Al Taie in Abu Dhabi.

Nope- I'm in Abu Dhabi in the Middle East :-O Exp - weight management?

I have a date! 2nd July. Dr Abdulsalam Al Taie.

My surgery is not until July 2nd, and I just had my consult today. My surgeon also said no "set" liquid preop diet would be necessary. He advocated eating high protein in the run-up to the surgery, light meals the week before and liquid the last couple of days. I will try to lose as much as I can between now and then, and get a bit fitter as I think it will just make it an easier surgery both for me and him.

Hope you feel better soon... and your moving news is VERY exciting!

So I decided to start a bit of a blog here as it will hopefully track my progress along the vertical sleeve journey. I'm 42, 5 ft 3" and I live in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. Dubai is my next-door-neighbour and that is where I had my first consultationwith my surgeon - a Dr Abdulsalam Al Taie. However, he will be doing the surgery in the Al Noor hospital in Abu Dhabi which is nice, as I'll be closer to home. I really liked him, he was very open to answering my zillion questions and seemed quite relaxed and confident, and very much on-the-ball. His info session was fairly comprehensive and I will have another meeting with him and a bloodwork and tests session before surgery as there is still a bit of time to go. From here on out I am bursting the bubble- it feels real. Today according to the surgeon's uber-space-agey body composition analyser machine thingy I weigh 115 kg and have all SORTS of ghastly and worrying statistics. I think this is the highest weight I've ever been. Argh! Well thank flipping heaven this is soon to change.... starting with my own version of a pre-op diet right now. My surgery date has been tentatively set for 2nd of July.Yay! I am so excited! Thank-you Tamou you really were a big help holding my hand today and desertmom thanks for the laughs and encouragement. Onwards and downwards!

Just got my surgery date today (to be confirmed) in Abu Dhabi. I will be sleeved if all goes well on July 2nd YAY! Tamou, thanks for all your help you have been such a support - and desertmom too! xoxox Just drinking Jeera Laban Sweetsusie- YUM