JMarshall

Im 23 and was sleeved on 11/8/11. im down 76 pounds and feeling better each day. Just wanted to say Hello to everyone.

It took me about 2 months to make the decisions to have the sleeve over the lap-band. I finally came to the decision after having a long talk with my surgeon . he fully explained the benefits and short comings of each surgery. the band seems to require more maintenance and was prone to slipping and lower average wight loss. the sleeve had a some minor complications such as drainage bags but for the most part it seems to be less of a chore to deal with. It also has a higher average weight loss which is comparable to the bypass surgery without the absorption problems. the sleeve seemed to be the best of both worlds. i have has the sleeve for a little over 2 months now and have lost 74 pounds. My surgeon is the Chief Surgeon at the hospital and performs all types of surgery including tumor removals and heart surgery. so when he was giving me advise i had to listen.i am pleased with my decision. good luck with your decision

I would say that you need to increase your protein levels to at least 70-80 grams of protein a day. 30-40 grams is pretty low for protein intake. how much water are you getting down ? i am 2 months out and my goal is at least 90 oz a day. Stay positive.

I was sleeved at the Jewish hospital in Cincinati Ohio on 11/8/11. My Surgeon is Dr. Elliot Fegelman.

Well they will probably be scared because your going to have surgery. the best way to let them know that you are going to have the surgery is to give them as much information as you can so you can calm their fears. let them know that you are not going to stand for negative or judgmental comments and let them know that they need to think before they ask there questions. if you don't give them an option to try to talk you out of having surgery the conversation will be a lot smoother. your other option is to not tell them at all until after the surgery.the bottom line is that your making a choice to better your life and you do not need a lot of negativity before or after surgery. Stay strong bro and good luck with the surgery.

Alot of people dont realize that there is a big mental portion of being overwieght. most of us being overwieght is due to compulsive eating. i know when i was growing up that i could not leave the dinner table until i cleaned my plate. growing up poor and in a house with 3 other siblings we tended to stuff ourselves every meal. dont remember to many times when there was left overs. my grandma would ask tell me " boy you know the food aint going anywhere, slow down" . this cumpulsion to clean my plate spilled over into adult hood and made me gain alot of wieght. i now have had to use smaller plates and cook smaller meals so that when i am physically satisfied that i am also mentally satisfied. like mentioned above when you feel the fullness remove the food imediately. the sleeve is nothing but a tool used to assist with weight loss. until the mental aspect of your disorder is handled it wont work as well as you want. Best of luck and remember that you nor your sleeve has failed.

I had the sleeve surgery in November of last year. ever since i have been getting really stiff and muscles have been weak. so i bought some Gatorade just because i was at the store and did not want to get any soda. after drinking the Gatorade it seemed that my muscles were not stiff and that the weakness went away. has anyone else had any issues like this. i'm wondering if there is a bigger issue.

i did have some eye twitching but it was off and on, i didnt think to relate it to my muscle weakness. I guess i might have low potassium levels.

I told everyone about it. My friends and family have seen me struggle with this for a while and when i told them they all were supportive. i told my co-workers and there were supportive also. i have no regrets about my decision and if someone doesn't like it that's there problem. It does help that i work with alot of guys that have the same problem as i do. another co-worker is thinking about the surgery now that he has seen me do it.

I feel your pain, i have an aunt who i would like to have the surgery . we got in an argument over the phone because i suggested that she might want to take the surgery route. she has to be at least 150 pounds over weight . like everyone she has tried multiple diets and programs and have failed. i know how it is to be super morbidly obese, my pre-diet weight before the diet was 540, pre-op weight was 490 and i am now at 420. its heart breaking when you want to help someone so much but cannot because of there fears. It pains me to see family suffer through obesity.I would suggest to try to lead by example and shows them how your life has improved after having the surgery. i am hoping that after my aunt see's my weight loss and realizes how much my life has improved and make the choice to better herself .By the way i am 24.

its kinda funny but ive notice an increase in the package. kinda thought i was alone on this one. ive lost 70 punds since november. wonder why i wasnt told about this in the WLS seminar my doctors office had. as stated above its a great selling point. Weightloss the natural male enhancement. this thread makes me think about those Enzyte commericials. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7vOPPXkqm4

i can understand the feeling of being scared to eat. i am 2 months out and i am on regular foods again. i went out with my co-workers to a Chinese buffet. i did not eat anything at all because i was so scared of not being able to control myself. Mrs.Prisses is 100 % right. we have to start looking at food as a way to fuel our body's and a way to maximize weight loss . i had a meeting with my nutritionist and she asked me what i was eating.when i told her what my intake was she explained that it is not enough. she said the body is like a car and food is like gas, without enough gas a car will not perform and will stall.

Take the word " Only " out of your vocabulary. Only makes your lost sound small when any loss is a victory. 22 pounds is 22 victories. Stay positive and dont let a stall get you down. the stall will pass as all things do.

i have been sleeved for about 2 months and have lost almost 70 pounds and have not had a stall. when i spoke to my nutritionist she said it was fine. she advised me that people with larger amuonts of wieght to loose generally loose more quickly. within 2 months i am off blood pressure medicine, off back pain medication, and walking better. i would not focus on why you are not stalling and keep doing what your doing. remember protien is key so get in as much as you can as often as you can. Congrats on your weight loss. Stay positive, every pound is a tiny victory.

i would not let the 10 % scare you. my insurance has a maximum out of pocker expense of 4500 and my family has already used 3000 so my surgery cost 1500 bucks. do not let the 10 % stop you from changing your life. call your doctors office to see if they have any payment programs that will assist you. most peoples problem with WLS is that it is not covered at all by there insurance. good luck and stay positive.

I am almost 2 months out and im still taking it slow on food. i am cleared for solids but i stick to soft foods. after not eating carbs for about 3 months they no longer interest me. i too was a big carbs fan before surgery, i had carbs with every meal. i would say to take it slow and listen to your new stomach, it will let you know if you are ready or not. stay away from dry meats they dont go down well at all. right now i stick to things like tuna salad, chicken salad,chili, and other soft meats.

If Anyone learns anything from this thread it is that the mental portion of weight loss is powerfull. we have to prepare ourselves mentally for the transition and come to terms with the reason we got big. at first i did not understand why i needed a psych exam before being approved to have the surgery. now it all makes sense.

I had my surgery on November 8th This year. My First 3 days were horrible, The pain, Gas discomfort and lack of energy drove me wild. I had to be re-admitted for Dehydration the 1st week after surgery. After the second week i started to regain energy and i did not have much pain when eating. i am now a month and a week post op and not feeling bad at all. i have lost almost 60 pounds and have been taken off blood pressure medicine. My back and legs are feeling alot better and it seems that as i get smaller i get more energy. I think if you ask anyone on the forums if they regret the surgery , im sure 100 % would reply with the no answer. Be strong and realize that everyday you will start to feel a little better. Follow your doctors instructions and you will be fine.

I had pain/soreness in my calves after surgery also. i went to the ER and they did ultra sounds on my legs to test for clots and they found none. The did re-admitt me because i was severly dehydrated. they were unable to get an IV in after 6 tries on both arms and hands. they has to have a specialist come in and stick me. I would say that your pain/soreness is from dehydration/ low electrolytes like mine was. also walk as much as possible. if gatorade doesnt help go to the ER. MY surgery was on November 8th of this year

thanks for the link Shezug. much appreciated .

I started thinking about WLS in september of this year. First i was set on the lapband but after a frank talk with my surgeon he swayed me towards the sleeve. my surgeon performs the bypass, lap band and VSG surgery. So when he recommended the surgery i had to listen. i was sleeved on Nov 8th, since then ive lost 57 pounds.

I would say that your water intake is based on you body, i am a larger guy so my doctor advised to get at least 100 oz a day. i was getting down around the recommended 60 oz but i had to go back to the hospital for dehydration 3 days after leaving the hospital. i would say get as much as you can. i dont think you can really get " to much" water"

you look great. The first thing that i noticed was that my legs, feet and face got slim quickly. i think most of us can agree that the face and legs are what slim down first.

Really nice video with great information. Thanks