DesertRat

I haven't had sleeve surgery yet but have a long history of weight problems and weight successes. I was obese as a child but when I was 15 my appendix ruptured and I gained control of my weight. I had 16 very good years. There were occasional slip ups but for the most part I stayed at or near 181 pounds which is about perfect for my height . . . but only about perfect. I wanted to be somewhere around 160 - 170, aat times I wanted to weigh much less than that, but I couldn't get there and stay there. A lot of it was loose skin, some of it was adipose tissue on the flanks. In retrospect, I should have been happy with what I had accomplished. I had gone from an obese kid that was teased and pick on to being quite average . . . not perfect . . . average. When I got into my thirties something changed and I started to gain weight. I got as high as the 260s and was very unhappy with myself. In the years since I've bounced around from the low 200s to 250 or so and hated it. I knew I had done better but I just couldn't make it work any more. My surgeon felt that with effort I could get down to 170 and that's music to my ears. The point, IMHO, is getting healthy. At 180 pounds I don't look like Michaelangelo's statue of David but I look OK. Much more importantly, my blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol will be better. I'll be geared up to be healthy and that's what counts. The beauty of it is that if you are healthy you are postured to make the best of things. You may not ever be petite but you can be a healthy person and be treated with respect. In a dream world I'd look like George Clooney and everyone would have the physique of a swimsuit model but this is the real world and things aren't that way. Over the years I've come to appreciate that people come in varieties and that's just fine. Healthy is where it's at for me.

That's really an inspiration.

I wonder how much of this nausea is just a digestive system in shock. When I was 15 my appendix burst and in the weeks following the surgery even the thought of food, almost any kind of food, was sickening. I lived on broth, pretty much by choice. A few weeks out from the appendectomy I was able to eat normally but my appetite was substantially reduced for quite a while. I lost 40 pounds (keep in mind that I was still a growing boy) and became athletic for the first time in my life. All this without any surgery on my stomach itself. Of course two weeks of hospital food when I was in isolation probably didn't hurt either.

Music to my ears. I can live without a lot of carbs, been there, done that, but I hope that I'll always be able to add some liquid fire to my diet in the form of salsas, etc.

I've told a few relatives, several co-workers and friends with mostly positive results. I am a singer and guitarist in a band so I had to tell them that I wouldn't be able to do any live performances for the first month or so. Everyone has been relatively supportive. Several people have advised caution and I assured them than no one was coming after me with a scalpel unless I was completely certain about it all. One thing that seems to help is to mention the co-morbidities and the fact that this surgery is a way to keep these from progressing.

I really don't have a problem with it now. It's just that I've heard that some people develop it after a sleeve and I'm curious about the experiences of others. At this point in time I basically have a cast-Iron stomach that will absorb the spiciest foods I throw at it. Last night I had Kung Pao chicken with no worries.

In my case GERD not a problem currently. I've had it happen a few times, but certainly no more than a handful of times in my lifetime. If I have had it there was either a very large meal or some incredible stress levels involved.

I've been reading anything I can find about the sleeve and have seen some concerns about GERD, possibly getting worse after a few years. I asked my prospective surgeon about it and he suggested that it probably is a result of overeating. Any thoughts or experiences?

Some great suggestions. Thanks!

I hadn't thought about Jerky but that makes sense too.

Another good call on Chipotle's. Likewise the beef and broccoli. I love that dish and I would imagine that sans rice it's pretty healthy. Carbs have always been my downfall do I'm planning to be pretty aggressive in avoiding them. I did a low-carb regimen for a year with no lasting losses.

Good call, I had forgotten about that. I imagine that it will take a while to get back to the point that an animal style burger, even without a bun, would be doable but it would be something to look forward to. I'd forgotten all about Wendy's chili but that sounds reasonable. Thanks. I've found that Mexican foods can be pretty decent for low-carb. I'm not talking about tacos with deep fried shells, more like chile verde. One of my biggest challenges is that I love spicy foods. Italian and Mexican dishes especially. There are some good, authentic BBQ places round that deal in meat and sauce. I would imagine that this could be a good low-carb meal if the sauce was limited.

I'm anticipating sleeve surgery in about 2 months and working towards being prepared for a proper diet. Because I spend much of my time on the move I'm trying to figure out ways to eat high protein meals in restaurants. I know that Chili's uses fresh ingredients and will cook a hamburger without a bun if you ask, etc. Any other thoughts on places to get quality, low-carb foods on the fly?

Thanks. I'll keep an eye out for them.

I just installed it this morning myself. This is my first day with a new iPad 3 which has voice recognition software so I'm actually dictating with my voice. It's not perfect but it's a lot better than trying to type, in my humble opinion. I was happy with the iPad 2 and hadn't planned on buying an iPad 3, but I won one in a drawing.

The surgeon I spoke with is Dr. Burpee. He's been doing these for about two years and seems to know his stuff. I still go through my moments of doubt but I feel fairly good and I think it's going to be a positive choice. I do exercise regularly even now and intend to continue which, hopefully, will minimize complications. Mainly, I think about the long-term implications and the positive benefits to my health. I've always enjoyed walking, bike riding, and being active. The times that I've weighed less it's been a lot easier to do so I'm looking forward greatly to losing some pounds, getting more exercise and feeling better when I'm doing it.

The idea of re-plumbing my insides doesn't sound very appealing. The VSG seems more straightforward. I've been talking to a surgeon on the NW side of town but nothing is carved in stone.

Hello Everyone, I am in the information gathering phase but tentatively planning surgery for mid summer this year. I've been searching for red flags but finding mostly enthusiasm from people that have had the procedure. Overall I am pretty healthy but pre-diabetic and have no desire to go there. A year of low carb eating netted no weight loss and my HA1C actually was higher. That got my attention and I spoke to my physician about WLS. He strongly recommended the VSG so I went to a seminar put on by a surgeon and concluded that the VSG made the most sense. So the journey starts. I've been told to expect about 8 - 10 weeks for approval and probably another few weeks to schedule surgery. I am feeling positive but keeping my mind open for as long as possible, I'm not looking for miracles but hope to level the playing field a bit and regain weight control for the first time in a long time.