OCMICHELLE714

Babigirl, you will be surprised, the pain is really very minimal with this surgery. For myself, I didn't even take any of the pain medication at all.

My surgery is in 3 days and i couldnt be more excited! I've had many surgeries before so the surgery itself doesnt scare me a bit. Its the pain afterward that is a little un-nerving. Oh well, im sure we're all going to do great! Good luck on your surgery!

Um... wow.
Some people actually, seriously have no business opening their mouths. Ever.
I don't even know what to say. What has not already been said that's left? I know this, I've been reading this board for 2 years now, and you are one of the top losers I've seen. 95 Lbs. in 5 months... that is INCREDIBLE. Then to have someone you entrust with their opinion tell you its not, is such a tragedy. I think this nurse needs to be reported. That is my honest opinion. She has no empathy, sympathy, whatever for the emotionally delicate situation bariatric patients are in. That IMO is doing a great disservice to everyone that walks through your surgeons doors.
Listen to me and everyone else here, this nurse has no clue what she's talking about. YOU my dear are really sincerely doing a most fantastic job with your weight loss. DO NOT ever... EVER.. let anyone tell you otherwise, because that simply is untrue.
Regarding the whole honeymoon phase argument - I can't tell you how much I really hate this. Yes it is true you will lose the most and the fastest in the very beginning. Yes, its because your sleeve is super small and you can only ingest so much. Yes, your sleeve will let up and you will begin to be able to eat more, meaning you will be able to up your calories. The only thing you have to do to remedy this is just keep ensuring you are burning much more calories than you are taking in.
I am 15 months out. My sleeve is still extremely restrictive. I'm not even really trying all that hard and I'm STILL losing weight!
THE SLEEVE DOES NOT COME WITH AN EXPIRATION DATE ATTACHED!! It is a PERMANENT restrictive procedure. You will have your banana tummy forever. How you use it is up to you... just don't allow others to control your actions. She does NOT deserve your attention to the point where you'd sabotage all your incredible efforts. She's just a miserable, mean lady who has zero compassion... Don't let her take this away from you, please.

Are you in San Antonio? If you are, so am I! We should meet sometime over water...lol. There are some mean people in the world and I have one right here at my work. She said to me that she was shocked that I had not passed her up in weightloss yet, seeing as I had surgery and she didnt. Keeps offering me her fat clothes. She is just downright evil. I was upset like you are about it at first, but then I thought... I have to consider the source...and remember that "he who angers you, controls you". I wont be controlled by my weight or some stupid Bit$# who for whatever reason they have that day, has no cooth or empathy. The nurse was clearly unproffessional and i think it deserves being reported to your surgeon. How many people is she going to insult and hurt with her callous ignorance? 94 pounds in 5 months is miraculous. Its a really good job and I am not just saying that. I think that is about average for someone with your same stats... We all loose at different rates but overall I think if you took a poll of people whos stats match yours, you would find that you are right in the range with everyone else. I started with a BMI of 40 and I have lost 49. I have had two plateaus and my dr told me that my honeymoon was about to be over But... he also said to keep doing what I am doing and although it may slow down some, it wont stop for a long time out. He has every faith that I will loose all the weight I want to. I have all the faith that you will too. You cant let someone in your head. You have to be stronger now and take charge of this situation. What the hell does she know anyway! Not much by the sound of it. Good luck on your journey and just keep doing what you are doing. Take your anger out on a treadmill! That is what I did with mine after being mistreated by my coworker.

I would have told her that I have some mistletoe in my back pocket and she could find something to kiss under it. You're averaging over 18lbs a month, which is fantastic. Its true that your weight loss will slow down and stop at some point, but you are far from that time. For me, it was closer to 9 months out when I noticed an increase in eating, but I'm still losing (albeit slowly now). Don't let one ignorant person's comment take away from what you have acomplished. You're doing great and no doctor or nurse can ever take away yur acheivement thusfar.

94 pounds! You lost an entire 10 year old child! seriously! that nurse doesnt know jack. everyone is different. there is no square box that we all can fit into. the basic rule here is if we burn more calories then we eat we are going to continue to lose, it may take more time, but we will get there. you have done terrific! keep it up!

This is one of those times when you just nod, let the other person spew their mindless, meaningless mess and you tell yourself, I'M DOING A DARN GOOD JOB!!
You don't have to respond to that now or EVER... Look at where you started and the amount of amazing work you've done!!! That's her opinion, a bad one.. but hers... She should not have spoken to you that way, no matter how much weight you lost!!! Just unprofessional!!!
Keep up the amazing work!!! Be sure to give a written complaint about Nurse "I Don't Know Jack"!!!

I totally agree with Lissa...Eggface is awesome!!!
I recycle stuff. Any type of meat (steak, hamburger, fish, etc.) can become my eggbites (simple eggface recipe, take 5 eggs, saute up any leftover meats/veggies, toss in some cheese and bake @350 for 30mins. Makes 24 mini muffins...they resemble crustless quiche.)
Shredded taco chicken becomes chicken tortilla Soup the next day. We take left over meat and put it on a tortilla with some Tomato sauce and make tortilla pizzas (eggface does this too, but that isn't where we got the idea.) Left over baked salmon becomes salmon cakes (mix egg beaters, salmon, and coat with bread crumbs and lightly fry in olive oil.) Even our left over steamed veggies get a light coating of Italian dressing and overnight in the fridge they become almost like a pastaless Pasta salad.< /p>
It takes time to learn how to recycle...but I was getting bored eating the same meal day after day. So my advice is to just start experimenting and you will find a way to recycle your leftovers into a whole new delicious meal!

Wow, what a change! You are doing so well, keep on keeping on girl!

I was sleeved on Nov. 3rd. I lost 14 pounds on my pre-op, but along with a lot of muscle. : ( I've lost 17 pounds since my surgery and I'm back at the gym now exercising regularly and lifting wieghts again, but VERY weak, so I'm easing back into it. I've tried the powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury unflavored and seems to be worth using. As far as what I'm now eating, I'm back to regular foods and this Thursday will be 5 weeks since surgery. Seems like I'm eating more than I thought I would. I'm eating close to 3/4 cup of food. I still haven't felt really full yet, but I do stop when I think I may be getting close. Makes me wonder if the Dr left me a bigger stomach than most patients. But I'm still losing weight slowly now and my family says I eat a lot less than I used to, which was my main goal. No problem getting my Protein in the past 2 weeks.

yes you can choose your own surgery...i also have kaiser so cal and had my vsg last friday with Dr.Suh at www.suhbariatric.com ...15 lbs lost so far in one week and still losing...!!!

Finally lost my first lb in a month today, which felt Good, then updated my ticker and realised I am now just 5lb from goal, which felt GREAT, and that my BMI is now in the low 24's which felt REALLY GREAT, and then it hit me, I'm in the 150's, which sounds like a normal, and really reasonable weight, and that felt AMAZING!!!!
So so pleased and I still LOVE MY SLEEVE!!!!!!

I had my surgery on Sept. 15, 2010.
So far I have lost:
Well over 100 Lbs and well over 150 Lbs total.
About 80" over my entire body (probably more).
About 26 Clothing Sizes.
My insanity.
My feelings of failure.
Being unhealthy.
Not being able to keep up with everyone else.
Feelings of self loathing.
:smile1:

I am always freezing too and prior to surgery I was the one at the office with my fan running when everyone else was running their heaters. But, I wouldn't trade my sleeve for anything. I've lost 43 lbs in 11 weeks and already left diabetes and high blood pressure far behind me.

Just got the call for my sleeve surgery. It will be on December 21st. Pre-op appointment on December 14th!! So excited!! Merry Christmas to me!! So nervous and excited at the same time.

I personally will not eat or drink anything with aspertame in it . I think it's poison in my book!

I would recommend pulling up your big girl panties and go be social with your friends. Visit, laugh, talk to them like normal - just don't eat. If someone asks why you aren't eating, another good lie to tell them is that you are fasting today due to medical tests the next day (everyone understands prepping for certain tests - colonoscopies, for example). Deflect the questions about you with questions about how they are going to Celebrate their holdiay. People love to talk about themselves more than wonder why you are doing or not doing something.
Have a clear image in mind of something you want to do or wear when you are at your goal weight before you go be around the food. If you indulge in the food, you will be that much further from what it is you desire. Nothing you can put in your mouth will make you feel as good as being thin will. A moment of fleeting pleasure from food is nowhere near as satisfying as knocking down the barriers that stand between you and being at your goal weight.
Try to enjoy the holiday - as I few days where we focus on being thankful for the blessings we have received. There are many things I am thankful for besides being able (or not able) to eat a huge meal. You have a wonderful thing to be thankful for - you have been approved for surgery! YEA!! You have been given the key to join the "skinny" people - it just requires you to perform certain tasks - like your preop prep diet.
Hope this doesn't seem harsh - I don't mean to be. Preop is not easy - the "head" part of the preop is much harder than what you aren't eating. The "head" part after surgery is much harder than the eating part, too. Try to get a handle on being around food and not letting it bother you. The sooner you can master this, the better for your success.
Good luck.
Sharon

found this video very informative... just thought i would share... i would forward it to about the 2:25 mark for the demonstration..
great explanation Hope this helps

I'm sure I'm not the only sleever who's ever done this, but I'm going to come clean and fess up to what I did tonight....
So I had some chicken thighs in the refrigerator seasoned with rosemary, fresh minced garlic, onions, Badia complete seasoning, a dash of cayenne, a smidge of paprika, and a lil EVOO sittin in a ziploc bag since Monday night. I decided to bake it tonight with some biscuits and bacon wrapped asparagus for my family, while I would dine on some chicken broth made from one of the thighs. I ended up dropping some frozen okra in my broth to end it off and pureed it to enjoy for dinner. Delish!
So I fed everyone, and then proceeded to the kitchen to tidy up. The dishes didnt take long because I use paper plates alot, especially since I dont have a dishwasher and there are 7 of us in my home. So I get to the stove and its' time to put the leftovers away. When I'm done, I notice there's some hunks of ckn stuck to the bottom of the pyrex dish...you know, along with all the other delicious bits that are left that you could use to turn in to gravy? Yeah, the good stuff! So I'm in a dilemma at that moment...the carnivore in me is DYING to devour those scant pieces of well seasoned, crispy bits of ckn, while the sleeved part of me is saying, Ha! you aint ready to eat that yet! (I'm still in the pureed stage)....angel on one shoulder, devil on the other coaxin me to put the ckn in my mouth....and I did! I chewed and savored and chewed and savored that delicious ckn scrap like it was filet mignon...then I got to the point where it was either spit, or swallow...and after weighin out the chances that I might really regret it, I spit that sucker out (besides, I had gotten all the good flavor from it anyway!). Craving satisfied. No harm done! So the greedy devil in me decided to scrape the rest of those goody bits in the pyrex dish and continue my chew/dont swallow/spit game. I feel kinda bad about it, but at the same time, I was really happy to taste the chicken and remember how much I enjoy eating real food.< /span>
Anybody else able to relate? I KNOW someone else out there has played the chew/dont swallow/spit game!

I have been following this site for a couple of months now and just needed the courage to jump in. Today I just received my approval for my sleeve surgery. I have not scheduled a surgery date as of yet but am very excited to do so. Everyone on this sight has been an inspiration to me. I really feel stronger just knowing I am not alone. I am excited to start my new life and enjoy sharing my journey with all of you. I am from Indiana and will be having my surgery in Indianapolis. I am 42 years old. Go SLEEVERS!!!!

Friday, 11/18/11, I was sleeved at 8:45am and was home by 3:00 on the same day. No nausea, came home and slept on my side and can turn in bed just fine, no pain - feel like I've done too many sit-ups that's all, no drain, no pain meds at all, and plenty of energy.
This morning, Sunday, forgetting I should take it easy, I actually plopped myself down in the recliner. Not so lady like, but it didn't hurt one bit. Today, I'm just slightly sore. I drank 3 Protein Drinks that I got from costco (30g each) and then drank a large mug of yummy Tomato Soup made with Water, not to mention the 2 bottles of water I emptied - all of them consumed today. I haven't felt restriction, but just drink in sips - well, to be honest I drank more than sipped a couple of times today out of habit.
I could have easily gone to work today. Tomorrow I will begin Christmas decorating, albeit slowly because I don't want to over due it. I'm going to call my surgeon tomorrow and ask how large my stomach is now. I hope he took more than a pinch out! LOL!
How has your experience been and what do you think accounts for the differences? It's weird to feel odd because this has been so easy.
I'm so glad to have had the encouragement from people on this forum!

OMG! GET SOME REST FIRST OF ALL. BUT BLESS YOU FOR THIS POST. AND CONGRATULATIONS!! I AM SO EXCITED FOR YOU, FOR EVERY ONE OF US, THAT HAS OR IS GOING TO HAVE THE SLEEVE. I WON'T GET MINE PROBABLY TIL MARCH OF 2012, BUT I LOVE HEARING FROM EVERYBODY ON HERE. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU ON A SPEEDY RECOVERY. AND, HAVE YOU HAD TROUBLE DRINKING Water?
THANKS FOR THE INFO.
MICHELLE

I started my journey toward my VSG over a year ago. One of my best friends, who happens to be an Ob/Gyn, pulled me aside to talk to me about my weight. She cautioned me that I was heading for diabetes, a heart attack or a stroke. She encouraged me to look into bariatric surgery "before it's too late."
That was in June of 2010. At 240 pounds, I was at my heaviest ever. My job doesn't help. I run my own law firm,with all the long hours and high stress that entails. I didn't exercise much, and my husband (who thinks bacon is a lean meat) did most of the cooking. I had just turned 43, and I had packed on most of the excess weight since starting law school in 2003.
But then I got news that my mom had lung cancer and that her oncologist recommended removing part of her lung. I dropped everything and went to be with my mom after her surgery. Meanwhile, my business partner and I started to have problems. By the end of the year, Mom was doing OK, but the business had fallen apart and I had to start over. By December I had relaunched my firm as a solo practice. And gained another four pounds.
I finally made it to a bariatric weight loss seminar in January and learned about my options. I settled on a VSG because it has fewer complications than either the RNY bypass or the gastric band. I submitted my insurance info to the practice manager, and crossed my fingers!
About a month later, I got word that my oldest sister had thrown a blood clot to her lungs (a saddle pulmonary embolus). Thank God she is a pediatrician! She knew what was happening when it started, took the right precautions, and the "widow maker" embolus didn't kill her. Once again I dropped everything, this time to help my sister when she came home from the hospital. Boy was THAT a wakeup call! My sister, who is only four years older than me, nearly died of something that is weight-related.
A few weeks after I got back, I got word that my insurance would indeed cover a sleeve gastrectomy. I met with my surgeon shortly thereafter, and started the six-month long process of physician-supervised dieting, lab tests, barium swallows, pulmonary and cardiology stress testing... the works. Finally, in August 2011, I got a surgery date: September 26th.
Along the way my mom's cancer had returned, metastasizing to her liver. It was terminal, I knew, but Mom made me swear that I would have my surgery on September 26th, no matter what. But on September 10, 2011, my mother passed way, just two days before I was to start my 2-week pre-op liquid diet. I called my surgeon's office and postponed the surgery indefinitely.
I was heartened to learn that my slot was given to a good friend who I met through this BBS: Hirskborn. Karma can be a wonderful thing!
My surgery has been rescheduled to November 28th. I am three days into my liquid diet (which sucks, by the way) and down 6 pounds. Hopefully I'll lose enough before my pre-op consult on Tuesday that my surgeon will give me the green-light for surgery.
And that's my story. I've been around here a while, lurking and reading everyone else's stories, questions and advice. This is the first time I've really felt up to sharing what I've been through in the last year and a half.

I lost 13 pounds pre-op, then started dropping weight like it was a game. I really noticed about a week and a half out when my undies fell off of me.
Take pre-op pics and measurements. You will see the difference VERY quickly once you have the surgery. My AHA moment came when I took a pic of my face and compared it to my pre-op face pic. What a difference!

I'm sleeved! I am still in the hospital. I arrived at 6:15am this morning the nurses for me ready spoke with the dr and anesthesiologist. Then got wheeled back at 7:30 for surgery. Woke up about 930 real groggy but no real pain. So far just some discomfort but not too bad. I did have a loratab a few hours ago and I think it's wearing off but will probably wait till visiting hours are over and take another then so I can hopefully sleep tonight. I go home tomorrow around noon so they say. Right now I can get up and walk around, use the restroom etc. and just in case this is kinda all over the place I did mention I was on pain medication right. :-) will update again after I get home.