mkardh

Empty calories aside.... I find no reason to not enjoy a drink from time to time but 2 weeks out is a bit too early. Your staple line is healig and alcohol acts as a blood thinner and can cause bleeding which isnt good for our healing stomachs, wait a bit longer ..... I am having a drink right now as I type this, I was about 5 months out before trying it

Empty calories aside.... I find no reason to not enjoy a drink from time to time but 2 weeks out is a bit too early. Your staple line is healig and alcohol acts as a blood thinner and can cause bleeding which isnt good for our healing stomachs, wait a bit longer ..... I am having a drink right now as I type this, I was about 5 months out before trying it

Haven't spent alot of time on here lately, I think the further out from surgery we are the fewer questions we have and are more active and spending less time on the computer.
I have decided to finally post some pictures. I had my surgery May 20th 2012 and am down 92 lbs so far and want to lose 30 more.

Haven't spent alot of time on here lately, I think the further out from surgery we are the fewer questions we have and are more active and spending less time on the computer.
I have decided to finally post some pictures. I had my surgery May 20th 2012 and am down 92 lbs so far and want to lose 30 more.

Haven't spent alot of time on here lately, I think the further out from surgery we are the fewer questions we have and are more active and spending less time on the computer.
I have decided to finally post some pictures. I had my surgery May 20th 2012 and am down 92 lbs so far and want to lose 30 more.

Haven't spent alot of time on here lately, I think the further out from surgery we are the fewer questions we have and are more active and spending less time on the computer.
I have decided to finally post some pictures. I had my surgery May 20th 2012 and am down 92 lbs so far and want to lose 30 more.

Haven't spent alot of time on here lately, I think the further out from surgery we are the fewer questions we have and are more active and spending less time on the computer.
I have decided to finally post some pictures. I had my surgery May 20th 2012 and am down 92 lbs so far and want to lose 30 more.

I am 7 moths post op and down 85 lbs. Couldnt be happier with my choice.
I keep seeing posts where people are concered with stretching their sleeve. I was told once that the portion of the remaining stomach is mainly muscular and very difficult to stretch it out, not that it can't happen but not to the degree where our stomachs once were. Has anyone heard this and do you know of any sleevers that have gained a significant amount back and how much?

I researched vsg for almost 6 months before I decided to finally do it. I had run into a friend that had it done in Mexico last year and to date she has lost 130 lbs. She also runs the weightloss travel tourism here. I was very nervous about going down to Tijuana, afterall it is Mexico. I second guessed my decision right up to when they put me under. I went the self pay route because I don't have the patience to go through Alberta health. I used medicard and pay 300$ for five years. I don't think thats too bad considering the money I've wasted on other weight loss schemes.
We flew into San Diego where the clinic had a driver meet us and bring us across the border, 2 of us had our surgery that day, the other 2 had it the next day. We arrived Sunday afternoon and flew home Friday, so 6 days. By the 3rd day recovery we were walking around Revolution Avenue shopping. I have not had any issues so far with recovery and the incisions healed very nicely. I was in a stall for the past 3 weeks but am glad to report it is done and I am losing again.
I haven't told too many people because of some negativity I got from a few I did tell. I definitely never told anyone I was having it done in Mexico until I got back. I just said I was having it done in San Diego. I am at the point where I am eating most everything, except steak and raw veggie. I use myfitnesspal to track my food and can't believe how easy it is to go over your daily allowment of carbs, gotta be careful. I hope Ive answered your questions if you have more just ask

I make this alot and its really good. Instead of store bought sauce I make my own so I know whats in it. Very simple.
1 small can Tomato paste
1 tomato paste can of Water
couple tablespoons chooped onions (food processor)
and your choice of spices, I use garlic, basil and oregano
mix it all in a food processor.
It is low fat and low carb and tastes better then jarred stuff

So I have a tattoo of a small bumble bee on my butt (I call it my bee hind).... once I lose my weight and my butt shrinks will my bee become a "no see em"? lol

So I have a tattoo of a small bumble bee on my butt (I call it my bee hind).... once I lose my weight and my butt shrinks will my bee become a "no see em"? lol

So I have a tattoo of a small bumble bee on my butt (I call it my bee hind).... once I lose my weight and my butt shrinks will my bee become a "no see em"? lol

OMG I can't wait to take my first "skinny' vacation pics. I will go somewhere like Vegas, take like 500 pics and delete 490 pics because I look terrible.

Does anyone find dating weird? One, dates ALWAYS involve food. Two, men always want women to eat their weight on dates or else they have an eating disorder or something. Three, I don't really want to tell people I just met that I had surgery because it's really none of their business, and frankly, people ALWAYS seem to think it's something I want their opinion on. Which it isn't.
What I really need is a sleeved guy, and then we can share food. And war stories. HEY SLEEVED GUYS! SINGLE GIRL HERE.
No, seriously. Does anyone feel weird, or is it just me?

May 20th, 30 lbs

May 20th, 30 lbs

I got extremely bitchy for a while. I think I was having withdrawls from carbohydrates, pop, and everything else I gave up when I started the pre-op diet. I was sleeved May 20th and still have moments of pure bitchiness.

I got extremely bitchy for a while. I think I was having withdrawls from carbohydrates, pop, and everything else I gave up when I started the pre-op diet. I was sleeved May 20th and still have moments of pure bitchiness.

I got extremely bitchy for a while. I think I was having withdrawls from carbohydrates, pop, and everything else I gave up when I started the pre-op diet. I was sleeved May 20th and still have moments of pure bitchiness.

down 23 lbs. Was sleeved May 20th.

Hey everyone on the loser's bench. my name is Amy. I started my Journey in Feb when I got a call from a local Bariatric doctor wanting to see me after recieving a heart wrenching letter from my sister. :wub: So my sister and I went in and he was on board to help even though I was uninsured. He said I was too big to safely perform the procedure here so I needed to lose 75-100 lbs and once I did that we could move forward. He told me to call him and keep him posted to my progress that way he wouldn't have to charge me for an office visit. He hoped to meet with me again in 6 months to maybe have a better idea of when we might be able to schedule a surgery. In the meantime he set me up with the Bariatric coordinator and nutritionist at the hospital to meet with regularly. Well this past year I jumped on the HCG band wagin and had already lost 40lbs gaining 20 back once I stopped. But I learned alot while on the diet and now that I have something so big to look forward to ( a new life) I figured maybe this would give me what I needed to kick it into high gear and lose the weight as soon as possible no matter how drastic it may look to others. Also I am nothig but agrgumentative, andI set my goal forApril and no one was going to tell me different. So with a cal count of 500 cals or less a day and 2hrs 5 days a week in the pool I went from 550 the first of feb to 480 mid apr. When I made the appointment with the dr and he saw my progress he was astonished and shock my hand that day saying he was on board and we were doing this. My surgery was scheduled for the first wednesday in May. I went in for preop the went prior to that and the day before the surgery I get the call saying my ekg came back bad and I would need to cardio. So the next day I was there and was given a all clear by him right away after he gave me an echo, and blood work that came back fine. So my new date was set for May 16th two weeks ago today. Sofar so good. I had no complications in surgeryand have had no set backs since I got home. I am trying to just learn my new tummy. I have just started the soft food stage which from my dr includes (eggs, tuna, deli meats, refried beans) I am excited for this because I was having an awful time wanting the Protein Shakes so now I feel I have better variety. Everything I have tried so far has gone well. I did have an egg white and cheese omelet (part of one anyway) last night that made my tummy get after me a little bit, but I think it was more the speed I was eating no what I was eating. So again just learning my tummy and how to really eat right will be the key I think. Refried Beans and mashed taters do real well I have not been getting out and walking as much as I should (let the verbal assult commence) I know I need to, again this is something I need to just get use to. My start weight was 570 a year ago and well at 570 there is not much activity so I have become use to a seditary lifestyle and it is hard to come to terms that already that is not me. Since as of this morning I weigh in at 450 a full 120lbs since last year. Only 24 of that is post wls. So another thing I need to learn is how to get out and live. I am so use to keeping super busy with as little physical activity as possible because it hurts! Well now it doesn't so I need to just get going! Right now my only concerns are leaks I am so afraid I will do something that will cause me to hurt my new tummy and cause a leak, more time in the hosp, and more $$$ added to my bill. I am also afraid of eating too much or too little, but that where learning my tummy comes in. The first week and half I was scared to drink too much at a time because people kept saying sip sip sip so I did and I NEVER got all my fluids in. So what is a sip what is a gulp??? I discovered that I can drink normally I just can not drink like I am quenching a thirst (cup tilted back sucking down the fluid) that ladies and gentlemen is gulping (atleast in my case). As far as healing goes, I feel good. I have no real pain except muscle soreness, sometimes a sharp pain when I do stupid things like trying to stand unsupported using my tummy muscles or rolling over in bed, but I believe that is muscle too, I hope
My incesions have healed except the spot my drain came out, but Dr just took that out last Thursday. It looks good, but not healed yet. I am super excited about this journey and excited to have a chance in my life to know what normal feels like because never in my whole life (since I was 2 anyway) have I been a "normal" size. But as my fav Author Dr Suess say " Why fit in when you were born to stand out" I don't think I will have any problem standing out no matter what size I am !!!!!

Great post in the linked thread, PDX.
I am still one who obsesses over the potential for the sleeve to stretch, but I am only 4.5 months out.
I think it comes down to previously failed diets....I have done GREAT so far, and now I am waiting on the other shoe to drop...for things to go off track somewhere then wake up right back where I started pre surgery.
Its a fear...and it may be irrational...but its a fear. And, time will hopefully show it to be unfounded, but until its been so long since I've had the sleeve, still enjoying the same size stomach as I have now, I will likely have that fear. For what its worth, my dr also laughed at the idea that the stomach could stretch, though conceeded that it would feel larger until all of the swelling was gone - about 6 months or so on average he said.
Maybe a bit of it is also that it all seems a bit too good to be true at this point??

The way my Dr told me was this..............
"Your sleeve should not stretch, but it will become A LITTLE more accomodating for food over time. Meaning, like an old shoe does after it's been broken in, it doesn't really stretch, but it is a little less rigid and you're able to fit more socks (a little more food) onto your feet and still get into the shoe." It took me a second to catch what he was saying, but it made perfect sense to me. I'm almost 7 months out and I started noticing this around 4-5 months for me, but still far less than I could eat before the sleeve.

Check out this post:
http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28153-protein-shakes-as-meals-to-avoid-the-no-fluids-thing-smart-or-bad-idea/page__p__239465#entry239465
There are many threads about stretching the sleeve. Your sleeve is going to stretch a bit over time, but it is not going back to its previous size.
Search more threads on this topic for more details.