wendy1974

OMG! I am so excited to find this thread! I've been considering the sleeve and go for a couple seminars next week at a couple different hospitals in my area for more information(one is free, the other not.)
Anyway, I am a type 1 diabetic and have been so for the past 28 years. I didn't start having issues with my weight until after I graduated High School and put on a steady stream of weight throughout the years! I also had the same problem when I got my pump in 1999... tooooo easy to eat whatever the hell I wanted too!!! Of course add in the three kids I have had, a husband and tons of stress and now here I sit at a crazy 268 pounds!!! I also have mild diabetic retinopothy in both eyes, but my ophthalmologist assures me that it isn't even bad enough to correct yet. I've got a slew of other health issues: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, and acid reflux. For the past few months my insulin requirements have been going through the roof! I'm using no less than 100 units of Humalog a day!! Closer to 120-130!!! I swear I didn't use that much when I was full term with my pregnancies!!! All of this has added to me putting on a crazy amount of weight and I can't wait until I have this procedure done so that I can get started on serious weight loss! It's just so frustrating right now, nothing seems to work and my dear sweet husband just doesn't understand why I don't just "eat less". Uggghhh, he doesn't understand that I don't really eat that much right now! But when I have to take like 12 units of insulin for ONE Eggo waffle for Breakfast... well that's a TON of 'growth hormone' in the form of insulin!!! I've tried using Symlin also, but I couldn't stand the sick to my stomach feeling... I felt like I had morning sickness whenever I would use it! Not fun, or pretty... other than reducing my insulin requirements by a little, I didn't notice much else....
But anyway, I'm off on a tangent so I'll try to get back on track.... My husband and I am really paranoid about hypoglycemia after surgery when I won't be able to treat my low blood sugars as easily. I am feeling much more optimistic after reading this thread though! ...........MWAHHH..... big thank you kisses to you ladies (two for our Italian friend!) ! LOL
Thank you soooooo much ladies (and gents, if your out there!)
Wendy

Hello Again! Well, I did the seminars and the first hospital (I'll call it hosp. "A") I went to, I didn't really like, although they are a "Center of Excellence" or something or other, I just wasn't feeling 'it' with the Nurse coordinator lady (she gave about 95% of the 6 HOUR seminar), the other 5% was the nutritionist (but she couldn't get her laptop to work, so that was really useless!) I was also dissapointed because the surgeons didn't even show up to introduce themselves...
The following night I went to the other seminar at another hospital (we'll call this hospital "B") (only 2 hours this time ). This hospital is much closer to home & I really liked the format a lot better. Much more 'laid back' and casual, but really informative. Both of the hospital's bariatric surgeons presented the material and I really appreciated that they took the time to show up and do that! Now, this hospital is NOT a 'Center of Excellence' but I felt much more comfortable there.
This is where I start having issues. The nurse lady, who I really like tells me that VSG's don't really work on type 1 diabetics and especially on women. She told me that men have great results but that women usually do not? I was surprised that she said this because of all the success stories I've read on here, and on the web in general... She was really pushing RNY surgery, but I don't know if I really want that...
I haven't made the appointment with the surgeon yet because the office is waiting for my Primary doc to send over my records, but they should get them any day now... I'm going to tell him how I feel and get his opinion. I'll keep you guys updated. Thanks for taking the time to reply!!! It's nice to know that I'm not alone! Sometimes it soooooo feels like it w/ being a type 1 and overweight. When I say I'm diabetic, people AUTOMATICALLY assume type 2, and that really bothers me! I don't know why, it just does...
So Thanks again.
Wendy
Now

OMG! I am so excited to find this thread! I've been considering the sleeve and go for a couple seminars next week at a couple different hospitals in my area for more information(one is free, the other not.)
Anyway, I am a type 1 diabetic and have been so for the past 28 years. I didn't start having issues with my weight until after I graduated High School and put on a steady stream of weight throughout the years! I also had the same problem when I got my pump in 1999... tooooo easy to eat whatever the hell I wanted too!!! Of course add in the three kids I have had, a husband and tons of stress and now here I sit at a crazy 268 pounds!!! I also have mild diabetic retinopothy in both eyes, but my ophthalmologist assures me that it isn't even bad enough to correct yet. I've got a slew of other health issues: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sleep apnea, hypothyroidism, and acid reflux. For the past few months my insulin requirements have been going through the roof! I'm using no less than 100 units of Humalog a day!! Closer to 120-130!!! I swear I didn't use that much when I was full term with my pregnancies!!! All of this has added to me putting on a crazy amount of weight and I can't wait until I have this procedure done so that I can get started on serious weight loss! It's just so frustrating right now, nothing seems to work and my dear sweet husband just doesn't understand why I don't just "eat less". Uggghhh, he doesn't understand that I don't really eat that much right now! But when I have to take like 12 units of insulin for ONE Eggo waffle for Breakfast... well that's a TON of 'growth hormone' in the form of insulin!!! I've tried using Symlin also, but I couldn't stand the sick to my stomach feeling... I felt like I had morning sickness whenever I would use it! Not fun, or pretty... other than reducing my insulin requirements by a little, I didn't notice much else....
But anyway, I'm off on a tangent so I'll try to get back on track.... My husband and I am really paranoid about hypoglycemia after surgery when I won't be able to treat my low blood sugars as easily. I am feeling much more optimistic after reading this thread though! ...........MWAHHH..... big thank you kisses to you ladies (two for our Italian friend!) ! LOL
Thank you soooooo much ladies (and gents, if your out there!)
Wendy

today
B- Protein Shake: CLICK mocha espresso made with 1c. 1% lowfat milk, 4 oz. Water and lots of ice. frappaccino YUM! I am ADDICTED to my Protein drink!
mid-morning snack- 1/2 c. cottage cheese
L- 1/2 c. chicken breast grilled + 1/8 haas avocado. (this was 1/2 of a wrap from our monday catered lunch @ work. tossed the tortilla and ate some of the "insides". grilled zuchinni & summer squash (4 pieces cut round, not long)
afternoon snack- 1 frigo mozzarella string cheese stick
dinner - 1/2 cup of beef with cheese, onions & peppers (the insides of 1/2 of a leftover philly cheese steak sand)
this gave me 845 cals/35 g. carbs/67 grams protein
tomorrow (I preplan whenever possible)
B- click mocha espresso Protein shake made WITHOUT milk this day
mid morning snack- 4 taco Breakfast bites (crustless quiches theworldaccordingtoeggface recipe sort of)
L- small shrimp (3 oz) with 2T cocktail sauce. 4 pc. grilled zuchinni/summer squash (leftovers from yesterday's lunch) I also have a piece of gilled beef rolled up with some spinach left from yesterdays luncheon and am hoping to have a "surf and turf" lunch but doubt I can eat it all....and hate to not eat the veggies cause i LOVE THEM!!!
afternoon snack - 1/2 cup edamame (shelled soybeans, will nibble on for an hour or so)
dinner - 3 oz. grilled tilapia fillet, steamed green Beans (1/4 c)
771 cals/48 g carbs (this would be why I am skipping the milk today, the corn & Beans in the taco breakfast bites are carbing me out)/93 grams protein. See how pre-planning helps?
I feel like I can eat a lot, about 2/3 to 3/4 cup at a time and I am only 1 month out. I vary my days between 700-800 calories, try to stay below 40 g. carbs and aim for a range of 70-90 grams of protein, most from real food, not Protein drinks.
I usually have to eat the mid morning & afternoon Snacks, and always eat all of them. however my actual meals are oftentimes only 3/4 or so consumed. my dog appreciates my new lifestyle at dinner time for sure
I have never hurled or got the foamies, however I have eaten too much 2x and almost hurled not fun
I eat kinda fast I think, compared to how others here describe how they eat. I feel normal now (comparing myself to non-sleevers) in terms of bite size, chewing and total time to eat a meal. however my coworkers think my portions are ridiculously small (i use 4 oz. plastic glad containers for all my food)
oh....and i've lost 23 lbs post op so far. Others might lose faster, my goal is to #1 be/stay healthy by getting my required protein/nutrients THEN #2 lose. Everyone says I GLOW....and I have a lot of energy so I'm thinking I'm doing ok!

food is overrated now. i just don't care about it. i eat because i have too which is way better than sneaking off to eat 1/2 glazed doughnuts from 7 eleven. And really with all the eating I was doing...it wasn't like I was eating a gourmet meal every night. I was just shoving it in...sometimes it was yummy and sometimes it was whatever. I am happier now. Just working on getting that protien in

I had this too. Disappeared after a couple of months. I was convinced it was a divot from where the missing piece of stomach had been!

Every good story starts like this "Well, you see, what had happened was... If only weight loss and gain,and loss and gain, and ..well you get it, was such an easy story to tell! So for me what happened was life. You see, I'm a southern girl. To say that food is a big part of my life is an understatement. I consider myself an eastern North Carolina BBQ expert! I have driven across the state of North Carolina charting my course around the best BBQ restaurants in the state more than once! My mother could out-cook Paula Deen any day (now that's the truth!) My grandmothers probably created every recipe in the Southern Living cookbook collection! Genetically, I am pre-programed to cook (and eat) all that is delicious!!! When we have a pot luck at work everyone wants to know what I made- It's guaranteed to be good. Did I mention I make custom cakes "on the side"? People love my cooking! It's been a blessing and a curse all my life.
I wasn't overweight in high school,but the potential was there! Like most women my weight gain began after having kids. I gained 75 pounds with baby #1, lost most of it fairly easily (I was only 20). Baby #2, I was more careful with that pregnancy, I exercised regularly and only gained 18 lbs! Lost my best friend to breast cancer a year later and ate my weight in "friendship bread" (a delicious cake for those who aren't familiar with friendship bread, make sure you NEVER eat it!!) over the next few months - From September to January I had gained 60 pounds!!! I woke up one morning (literally) and looked at myself in the mirror and didn't know it was me. I was actually startled when I saw myself that day. I decided I had to do something, so I just started walking. Everyday I walked at least a mile or two, slowly I began to jog and then run. I lost 65 pounds over the next year. I ate nothing white- no sugar, no white flour, white Pasta, white rice, white bread. If it was white or prepackaged I didn't touch it. I lived like this for about 4 years. If I would slip off my program, I would quickly catch myself and get back on track. I exercised daily , sometimes twice a day. No cake at birthday parties, no splurging during the holiday's, I stayed on a tight leash. At my smallest I was still overweight by 15-20 pounds. I was happy enough with my fitness level, my size and weight but I had to follow my program to a "T". If I slipped I could gain 5 pounds overnight.
I got pregnant with baby #3 at 29 years old. I gained too much weight (60 lbs), and it was so much harder to lose than it was when I had my first two babies. I had so much pain in my feet I could hardly walk some days. Found out I had plantar fasciitis in both feet- OUCH! I needed to exercise, but my feet hurt so bad I couldn't, so I didn't. I slowly began slipping back into bad eating habits. For me sugar is the devil, so are carbs- love that white stuff!! Once I start I can't quit, it's like crack! lol!! I didn't want to go back "there" again so I once again tried to get back on track.I took almost a year. I went back to my program, started exercising again. I was feeling great again. I went through a few changes in my career over the next few years, finally going to work for the government in 2008. I was excited about the new job, but had no idea how much different sitting a desk would be. I had never worked a desk job before.
Over the last three years my weight has steadily increased. I have gained over 50 lbs. in the last 3 years. I was already overweight when I started there, I've tried to control it but it has gotten so far out of control it's not even funny. In the last three years I have: begun taking two blood pressure pills daily, sleeping pills for my insomnia, prilosec for my reflux, naproxen for my other aches and pains and I can't tie my shoes with out cutting of my oxygen supply! I have to stop in between flights of stairs, I am chapped and chaffed in places I shouldn't be, even my rolls now have rolls. I've taken diet pills, every fad diet there is, spent hundreds (maybe thousands) on pills, supplements, exercise equipment and DVD workouts.
Well, I just can't do it anymore. I can't wake up at 4 am, dirve the van for the van pool, work all day for some arrogant SOB, make dinner for my family when I get home at 5pm. Clean up ,check homework, take care of a house and give my husband and my kids the attention they deserve. Food has become my comfort,even though it is the cause of my misery. I'm sick of having no energy, no drive and no interest. I am tired of being tired and I want to be myself again. I have set a terrible example for my sons and I've finally decided that enough is enough!
So.....on July 29th (just 12 days from today!) I am having VSG! I know it will be hard , but it will be worth it to have my life back. Some people won't understand, some will think I took the easy way out, some may even be jealous. i just don't have time to care about what anyone may think about my decision. Either they will support me or they wont.
Please, wish me luck as I do the rest of you. I need all the support I can get, especially at those family gatherings with my own "Paula" and her fabulous meals! I think her feelings are gonna' be hurt when I can't eat her cookin' any more! She'll just have to get over it now won't she?

So sorry you are having pains from the gas. It took about 3 or 4 days for the gas to totally dissipate for me. Walking and movement really does help to get the gas out. When the pain started to migrate to my left shoulder, I started exercising that shoulder - lifting my left arm up over my head, doing arm rotations, crossing the arm in front of me, etc and it drove the pain back down to the abdomen and I no longer had the pain in the shoulder. Walking is what got rid of the rest of the gas - but as I said, it does take a few days.
I never used the gas-x strips because that will only get rid of the gas in your stomach. The gas from the surgery is OUTSIDE of your stomach and intestines - therefore it won't work on it. The only way to really get rid of it is through exercise and time.
It will clear up for you and you will start to feel better day by day. Hang in there!

No different than the chick that was eating JELLY BELLY Beans and Red Hot candies as she walked through the San Diego airport after surgery in Mexico on her way back to Canada, and then she had a layover and the airport had a Chili's restaurant and she decided to indulge in their chili and chips and salsa, 2 days post-op.
I'm just hoping people like this do not breed ! ! !

I wouldn't suggest doing the band over VSG... in my opinion. I first was going to do the band and changed my mind after seeing how many people decided to do a second surgery to revise from LAP band to VSG. I did tons of research before making my decision, and although I have gone back and forth about whether to go through with it (I am def. going to do it at this point... only 1.5 weeks away!!! so excited), I NEVER veered from what procedure after I decided on VSG.. Remember, it's just my opinion based on my research. I know someone personally who had LAP band with not so good results, but I also see that many have had success with it if they didn't have much to lose. I think it is totally up to the person's preference. One reason I chose VSG is that I wanted really good results (I have a lot to lose), but I didn't want a foreign object in my body (LAP band - my fears = band slipping, body rejecting, band growing into body tissue, going through a procedure and not seeing big results) and I didn't want my body functions altered/re-routed (Bypass - my fears = basically I wanted something a little less invasive and VSG was a good compromise)... The middle road was VSG. VSG, although only recognized as a procedure in and of itself in last several years, was part of the DS since the 80's. Many patients would get the VSG part done as a precursor to the DS, but it was realized that the VSG on it's own was successful for losing weight and became a stand-alone procedure. So, it has been around for awhile. There is not Vitamin malabsorption issues. Your body parts still function as normal - no rerouting. No foreign objects placed. Can tolerate NSAIDS better than some other surgeries (although it is recommended you don't take them at all if you don't have to). Etc... Many things influenced my decisions, and those are some of the reasons. I wish you the best in whatever decision you decide on. Remember, this is your decision - not your sisters' or kids'. Whatever makes you and your hubby feel comfortable doing, do that. If it is LAP, then do that. If not, then don't choose what someone else wants for you. I hope I was able to help some... Best wishes on your decision! I know each procedure has it's pros and cons, and you just have to decide which is right for you. :-)

I still have another week of full liquids, too. My instructions allow for other lower carb type Soups, not just Cream Of Whatever. I just have to blend them so there are no chunks and thin them a little. It's hard to find canned Soups that don't have Pasta or rice. The best one I've found so far has been Progresso chicken Enchilada Soup. I've also tried throwing some extra stuff in the blender with the Cream Of Whatever to spice it up and add a little Protein. Stuff like chopped chicken, canned salmon, & fresh herbs.

I'm feeling better now that I got my pain meds down. It was painful going down, but I feel soooo much better now. I've had about 2/3 of a popsicle, my pain meds, and I've almost finished a sf hot chocolate. I think I'll try some Protein later. I was planning to just focus on liquids and not worry about Protein today, but I may be able to get some down later.
I've been walking to help with the operative gasses and the gas-x strips are helping with the digestive gasses so, although still difficult, it's already looking up slightly.