SunnyCox

I can eat a lot of soft foods. I can eat two cups of watermelon in one sitting and probably more if I would let myself. I never get the full feeling with some foods, but if I eat more than 4 slices of turkey, I get an uncomfortable sensation. As soon as I feel it, I stop eating.

When someone makes a comment like your patient about you looking prettier, then try to take it in the spirit of the comment. They are trying to give you a compliment even if it didn't come out right. Personally, I find myself to be prettier after losing 40lbs, and remember that the patient wasn't saying that you were not pretty before! For the other guy, he is just an a*****e.

Being obese can cause a fatty build up in your liver. When you digest food in your small intestine, the first place the blood containing the absorbed nutrients flows is to your liver, so your liver gets the first pick of the nutrients. Fat is deposited in the liver which is related to insulin resistance, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Many obese people have insulin resistance and have fattier livers. The liver also stores extra sugar/glucose for when your body gets low. Most pre-op diets are low calorie and low carbohydrate. When you go on a low carbohydrate diet, you force the liver to release more of the stored glucose, and as you lose weight from the reduction in calories, you also lose some of the fat from your liver. If you know what you are feeling for, you can often feel an enlarged liver just under the rib cage on your right side.

Hot! Hot! Hot!

Congrats! You are (approximately) 200lbs lighter already! You can find many posts on this forum where partners and family didn't agree with the decision to be sleeved. In some ways, it can make you stronger and more determined to be successful. This forum has been my support group. Find one in your area to join. I had surgery in Mexico, and I found a group of sleevers who had lunch once a month in my area. They told me that I can go to the hospital's support groups even if I didn't have my surgery with that hospital.

I've been drinking them nearly every day since surgery. I've never tried the light. I drink the regular Muscle Milk Cookies 'N Cream and mix it with coffee each morning.

I have a tiny band in a smaller size that I slide onto my finger. It keeps my other rings from falling off, but it doesn't keep it from rotating.

I agree. You do not need another visit. Call the cardiologist or pulmonologist office and fill out their release of medical records form. Specifically list the x-ray on the form if you must. If you ask the office staff for help and tell them you had a chest x-ray, they can make sure it is listed on the form to obtain it for you. Your PCP may not send the x-ray films, but at the least, they will send the over-read of your x-ray which could hinder things a bit.

My physician let me do what made me comfortable. My SO even placed my IV, drew my labs and applied my steri strips post op. I was only in the gown from the way to and from the OR. Just tell people up front about your expectations.

I'm glad to know it is possible. I'm 5'1" and started at 279. I want to be between 130-140, and my doctor said 160 was more reasonable.

I sip too. It gets easier. At first, I took several sips all the way through dinner. Within a few weeks, I rarely even noticed that I don't have a drink.

Your post reminded me of the hilarious picture I saw on Facebook about close up / angled photos. Personally, I use a close up picture because the images are so tiny on the forum. It gives me a feeling of knowing someone when I can recall their face when they post.

This is what my clinic does over the two nights. It has to do with insurance billing, and (unfortunately) it ends up being more expensive for the patient. If you don't have any sleep issues, you probably won't have to do a second night. Another option for those with CPAP issues is the APAP (autotitration or automatic positive airway pressure), but it is more expensive.

Welcome to the group that have no / very little problems post op! Hope things continue to go well.

I pondered sex in the hospital, so I don't find it that hard to believe. In Mexico, you have a full size bed in the room in addition to your hospital bed. After the first night, I had no pain, never had a catheter, and I was in bed with my partner. Personally, I didn't want to sleep in the hospital bed away from the person who takes care of me everyday and loves me and comforts me. Plus, one of the things he looks forward to the most is when we crawl into bed together. Dr. Kelly even apologized when he walked in with us in the bed together early one morning when he come to check on us even though we were only sleeping. Seeing as how we both had our PJs on, and the nurses dropping in unexpectedly, I wasn't that adventurous, and my shy side won out. Hahah. I was also told that I could have sex as soon as I felt ready. The only restrictions I was given involved dietary changes, medications, vigorous exercise and lifting weight.

I rarely cook at home even though I know I should do it more often. lunch is often provided at my job, and I have meetings, family and friends to go out most evenings of the week. I have had no problems adjusting. I bring shakes with me to work and eat more solid foods when I am with others. Drinking with meals isn't a big issue. Order Water and no one will notice if you drink it. I will often have one or two small sips with my dinner. It helps things go down easily. If you are talking about drinking alcohol, I don't have much advice. I've never been a big drinker. About being sick after eating too much - I've never had an episode where I run to the bathroom. You can tell when you are eating too much, but it does come on a lot faster than it did pre-sleeve. When you feel it, it can often be too late. For me, it doesn't require a trip to the bathroom. I just know that I am going to be uncomfortably full for a while, and I don't like that feeling which causes me to avoid overeating. Most of the time, I just wait it out. This may be a little gross, but I have stuck my finger down my throat on a couple of occasions because I had too much. I didn't want to be miserable, so I got it over with quickly instead of waiting for it to pass. I've never vomited that I wasn't the one controlling it. I hear people getting what they call 'the slimies,' but this hasn't happened to me.

Great words to describe exactly how I feel. I've based a lot of decisions in all aspects of my life on whether my weight could be accommodated

You don't necessarily have to have your stress test done at a cardiologist's office. Many hospitals will do them on an outpatient basis. I would agree that you should call around and find another doctor who has an opening.

Women are more likely to seek out the connection/social aspect and come to the forum to share than men, but I've seen several before & afters of men. I hope you get some good responses.

3 days = the first night I got out of the hospital. The Hotel Lucerna was too romantic in the evenings for us not to enjoy ourselves.

Obesity alone is a major risk factor for CAD. Did you have an EKG done in the cardiologists office? Was it normal? What is your blood pressure? Have you ever had high blood pressure or high cholesterol?

I was thinking the same thing! You look way too young to have a 13 year old!

Not sure where you live, but you can find several doctors in the US that charge 10-11K. I chose to go to Mexico too. I've heard great things about Dr. Garcia on the forum, and I'm sure you'll be very happy.

Congrats! When you start eating right, exercising and losing weight, your insulin resistance improves which helps soooo many women get pregnant! Keep up the great habits!

Stress tests are ordered for a few major reasons and are very often used to evaluate patients who are at a high risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). You probably have a higher risk of CAD. You're at an increased risk for CAD with increasing age, being male, smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity to name a few. If you've ever experienced angina (chest pains), you are likely to have a stress test to try to determine the cause. Some people can do their stress test on a treadmill. You will have to walk for a certain time to get your heart rate to a certain level. Some people can't do the treadmill stress test either because of physical limitations such as arthritis or knee problems or because they can't exercise adequately enough to really make their heart pump. If you can't do the treadmill stress test, you can have a nuclear stress test where you are given a medication that simulates the effect of exercise. Having your heart rate speed up due to the medication can be uncomfortable / un-nerving, but you'll be able to get through it. They will watch your EKG and take images of your heart while you lay flat. If you have undiagnosed cardiac issues, you would probably want to resolve them before going to surgery. Hopefully, everything will go just fine, your problems will be minimal, and you'll become even healthier after you've lost some weight!