mysleeve24

I had my VSG just a little over two years ago (7/13/2010) and I consider myself a success story -- I have maintained a weight loss of about 120 pounds.
I do find that I am still struggling with some head hunger issues. Last night, I took my kids to dinner at a restaurant that specializes in thin crust coal oven baked pizza. It was deliciious. I had one slice and I was absolutely full and knew that if I ate more, I would have trouble and could perhaps get sick. Even though I enjoyed it and was full, I really wanted that second slice and felt cheated because I couldn't have it. Fortunately, I got up from the table to use the restroom which gave me a little time to think of things. If I was full from the first slice and not hungry, why did I want that second slice so badly? The whole experience gave me a little insight into my relationship with food and how things got out of control in terms of my weight.
I also need to realize that I should order only what I can eat comfortably, not what I want to eat. Just the other night, I ordered two tacos for dinner on the way home from work. The first one was great and would have been just enough. Fortunately, as I started to eat the second one, I realized that it would make me feel too full and could possibly make me sick. I promptly spit out what was in my mouth and threw it all out. I felt pretty powerful at that moment.
This has not been an easy journey, but it sure has been interesting.
Brian

The pain will go away, you will be able to eat. Right now a lot of it is the medicine.
Breathe, calm yourself down, realize you are in pain, it's going to happen. If you have a lazy boy or chair set it up with your incentive spirometer, your liquids, a small cup or med cup and sip slowly....slowly. If you have peppermint tea decaff drink some with your favorite artificial sweetener. Sip, Sip Sip, slowly.
Husband, you can't do anything about that right this second. It will come to light when it does. You tune all that bs noise in your head out. Tell yourself, you will get stronger every day, you will feel better soon, you are doing what you need to do to live. Tell yourself you are worth living, you are worth it. Focus on a future, where you are in control. Bide your time, give yourself time to heal, listen to some music you like, take your naps, get up and walk around every once in a while. Take care of yourself, because only you can comfort yourself right now, and realize you are strong enough to get through whatever is thrown your way.
I spent 5 days in the hospital with my husband and son and my parents visiting me. I still felt sad and depressed a little bit inside....but I forced myself to keep looking forward at the positive. It's been 4 days since your surgery!!! Of course, you are going through so much. I took naps every day for 10 days. Once the drain comes out you will feel better.
SIP your Water, get your fluids in. Don't let anyone rule how you treat yourself. You take care of yourself, it's your only real job right now. You made this decision because you thought you were worth it, now prove you are worth it. Get your rest, get your fluids, and bide your time until you are healthy enough to deal with all the rest of the BS that is going on. It will be there when you are better and stronger to deal with it.
For now, smile on the outside and take care of yourself. The rest will sort itself out, and guess what, you will be the one that comes out on top!

Sorry about how you are feeling, but believe me when I tell you it does get better. I'm only 9 days out and have made leaps and bounds of progress in those 9 short days. I too came home in pain but could not tolerate the liquid pain meds, I threw them up so I had to just muscle my way through. My last dose of pain meds was in the hospital at 6:00 am the day I was discharged. Your antidepressant and the lack of you taking it probably has a lot to do with your anxiety and worry. I know that when I was in the hospital the ice chips hurt, every single sip of anything hurt. As the days went on, it still hurt, but got better and better and I was able to tolerate more and more. Sugar free popcicles were my boyfriend and still are. I still have the occasional cramp in the stomach reminding me I drank too fast or ate my pureed soup too fast, but it does get better it really does. Sounds like you are going through a lot right now that has nothing to do with the surgery and frankly it's not fair to have extra "baggage" piled on you at a time like this. YOU ARE NOT GOING TO DIE!!!! Every day you will wake up and feel better and will eat a little more. Get up and move a little, even if for a couple minutes, it helps. Hugs to you on your recovery.

I had the Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy - Laparoscopic in August 2011, performed by Dr. George Merriman in Shreveport, LA. Prior to the surgery I was clinically labled morbidly obese, weighed 248lbs (at 5' 2"), wore sizes 24, and took over 8 different medications for high blood pressure, cholestrol, acid reflux, constant headaches plus medicine in connection to my Multiple Sclerosis.
Now 11 months later the only mediciation I take is the one for my Multiple Sclerosis. I am only clinically labled overweight, weight 160lbs, & wear size 12. I feel better than I have in over 30 years. I find I smile more and am more comfortable in public situations. The surgery was non-eventful and recovery for me was quick without any problems. Dr. Merriman has an extremely supportive staff and is always attentive if needed. There's a private facebook support group of Dr. Merriman's patient that has provided the necessary emotional support after such a life changing undertaking. Although I still have about 20-25 lbs that I wish to lose the aspect of having a more healthy body and upbeat outlook on life is one of the biggest accomplishments that this surgery has give to me. In a sense the VSG & Dr. Merriman has given my life back to me.
I can shop for clothes without being embaressed, fit comfortably in airplane seats, cross my legs again, knees don't hurt, And although I still have slight issues related directly to Mutiple Sclerosis I get around easier and have more energy. My general & neurology doctors are very pleased with my overall health which is great. Personal relationships are better than ever since I am not self-conscious of my weight. Life is good.
<a href='http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com'><img src='http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/tickers/16943-sleepeone/bodyweight.png' /></a>

So glad to have you still here Lissa! I'm a newbie, and your posts have been so helpful and inspirational to me.
Sent from my iPhone using VST

I have been waiting for the day that I could buy myself a sexy little black dress....well my friends, today was the day!! I don't have any pictures (yet) but it's a cute little black halter dress and I couldn't be happier in it!! I walked out of the dressing room and my 14 year old son said, "whoa!". Yep, SOLD!!

Congrats! Welcome to the loser's bench. You can sit beside me. I like watching the men-folk turn into eye candy!

I had my surgery today at 9 am.everything went well it was an awesome experience hospital staff is really great within the first hour I was ready walking around the hospital.

Pip, I was already considering WLS, but that conversation made it something real instead of an abstract idea in my head. There's nothing like knowing you have to save your own life to make you do what you should, hmmm?
It's now 11:53 pm.

Thank the god above for that ! U r such an amazing person who helps tonnes of us all day long!

Lissa you are truly amazing and such an inspiration....i get such a great feeling reading your post.... There is hope! some day i too might go into a gym.... I am in my wheel chair less every day....
Congratulations on such an important NSV !!!!!

All of you here at VST are truly my family and my support system! Who else would I celebrate one of my new birthdays with??? So, I now have 3 birthdays, June 12, August 30 (surgiversary), and September 12 (my date of biological birth). Thank you all for being there for me every single day!!!

Congrats! Man upstairs has better plans for you...

One year ago today, I was given one year to live if I didn't get a lot of my extra weight off me in a hurry. It's only 6:40pm, but I'm hoping I'll live until Midnight.
Just thought I'd share that huge milestone with my family here. I'll Celebrate with an extra long workout tomorrow morning! And a cup of decaf coffee!!

Hooray! I was so excited to star my puree...you would think that I was eating for the first time ever. So some things that i eat are
Egg salad, made by pureeing eggs, a little miracle whip, sweet relish, mustard and salt and pepper
Crab salad, made by pureeing imitation crab, miracle whip, papricka, onion powder
Tuna/chicken salad, made by pureeing the canned tuna or chicken with miracle whip, sweet relish, salt and pepper. Basically any kind of salad you can puree as long as you dont add the Pasta.
Also, a receipe I heard from another member was to mix a can of tuna, 1/2 cup cottage cheese, and a 1/2 cup of refried Beans and blend it all togeher. I did it and it was actually pretty good.
You can try ricotta chees, parmasean and some no/low sugar marinara sause, heated up or baked.
I have also made refried beans with greek yogart as sour cream and then some cheese melted on top.
I have also had some keifer drinkable ygart.
I went to Aldi and i bought some frozen crab cakes and put them in the microwave and then just pureed it wiht some lemon juice. Not sure if you like seafood but it was super yum.
I also have some canned Soup that is high in Protein and lower in fat that i have pureed and sometimes I add unflavored protein power to it to make it higher in protien.
You can get oatmeal, malt o meal or anything like that too and make that in the microwave and add milk or some gree yogart and a bit of cinnamon and that is good too.
Oh and one last thing... you can puree a little bit of fruit or use baby food with the greek yogart and or cottage cheese for a high protein punch too,.
and I almost forgot i bought some laughing cow cheese triangles...they are super creamy and easy to eat along with Peanut Butter but that is only occasionally cuase its high in fat but for a little treat once and while its good.
I have been at this for a week so you can pretty much puree anything as long as its high in protein. Let me know if you have other questions.

I went to NH for my best friend's wedding and I gotta say that I had an AMAZING time! Sleeve wise I was very, very bad... I drank, I smoked (I was drinking, it happens) I ate food smothered in rich creamy sauces, I savored wedding hordevours, tasted a bite of wedding cake, and danced my much smaller a$$ off! I actually did better with the food thing than I thought I would though - I stayed away from the pastas and breads and most of the sweets, and focused mainly on the Proteins and veggies, even if they were prepared in the least healthy way possible, I did the best I could with the options in front of me. Everything in moderation though, right?
The best part of my trip was seeing my ex for the first time in 5 years. He's gained the 80lbs I've lost since pre-op and when he saw me in my LBD (pics to come soon) his jaw dropped. That was all I needed And of course he told me he felt bad for the way things ended, though I'm *pretty* sure it was because his new girlfriend isn't half as attractive as me and has a face only a mother could love. It's mean, I know, but it makes me feel better damnit! LOL
Anyways, great trip! I'll post pics as soon as they're sent to me

you know what? frumpy is only temporary until you can either go to a yard sale/second hand or just go shopping. i'd take frumpy over fat and unhealthy ANY day of the week!

1) Your swelling has subsided.
2) Liquids in, liquids out
3) Acid mimics hunger. However, not all "acid medications" are created equally. If you are on an H2 blocker, you will not get the full effect of acid reduction. An H2 blocker treats the symptoms, H2 blockers are Zantac, Pepcid. Proton Pump Inhibitors/PPIs actually stop the acid from producing in your stomach and those are Dexilant, Prilosec, Nexium, Protonix, or any generic of those drugs. These drugs need to be taken on an empty stomach and some require a full hour wait time before eating, Nexium requires 30 minutes. OR, you can eat and take them 2-3 hours after eating. I choose to take mine first thing in the morning and wait an hour. Sometimes, you need to double up on the dose. Zantac, Pepcid never does anything for me.
broth counts as a liquid. There is absolutely no reason to be alarmed with liquids. It's the sheer mechanics of your pyloric valve opening. Be grateful that you can get in that much liquid. It took me an hour to 8oz at 6 weeks post-op. We do not have pouches like RNY patients, there is no stoma. We have normal functioning stomachs, just smaller in size.
Easy mental picture when you start progressing through the stages and learning about eating post-VSG:
Think of your sleeve like a kitchen sink:
Liquids : Dump liquids in, they slide right on down, empty into the drain. NO stopping
Full liquids/thick liquids: Dump 3ounces of yogurt, cottage cheese, pudding down the drain; It will slide down the drain opening a bit slower, but you don't have to stir it around, or mush it through the sink drain.
Mushy/puree: (this is where your teeth come in extra handy) you can dump some puree chicken salad/chili/egg salad down the drain and it's gonna sit there for a bit, it'll leak through, right? but it's going to take some time. So you might have to get a spoon to stir it around to get it to go down the drain.
Soft Solids: Oh chewing is essential. You can toss some ground beef in the sink and it's not going down without some mushing down/stirring it around with the spoon to get it through the drain opening. . The stomach after surgery still isn't sure what to do with those soft protein/solids, so it's slow to work properly, and all the stomach really does is break down, mush down the food. 85% of Absorption of nutrients/calories etc etc occur in the intestine. Anyways, the meat is going to need some help to get down the drain. Gastric fluids, the mechanical work of the stomach, and chewing helps this process. This is when you really get the restriction.
Measuring your mushy/purees and onto soft solids and Protein will keep you from overeating and puking or being in pain. Once you get to full liquids, still be cautious and measure out. Once you're on mushy/purees, always, always measure. Don't eat until full, eat the measured, prescribed portion and that will help you stay within your caloric intake for the day.
The pyloric valve is what regulates how and when the food dumps into the intestines. That's why liquids don't offer restriction. Sip away, enjoy hydration so many of us struggled with being able to get in fluids.
As time progresses, your stomach works better, transit time speeds up and you can eat a bit more. This is where the "sleeve stretching" posts come up. People think they've stretched something, when it really boils down to the stomach is just working properly.

I think that depends on your will to keep quiet...with me, I didn't want to tell anyone either, or so I thought...but then I felt excited and confident about it...I wanted everyone to know that I wasn't being lazy about my weight, that I was making the hardest decision there was in regards to my weight! So, I told people, and didnt care who was supportive, and who wasn't...it was my body, my health and my life! The only person that mattered in this situation was ME! So, if you are more comfortable staying quiet, then do so, but please realize the only person who matters in this issue is YOU!!!!

Both of your names have been lifted up! I pray that God will touch both of you and give you a sense of peace and assurance, that this to shall pass. Please, keep us posted.

Holy cow, Really? I mean Really? So your friends & family decide to pay you a compliment (keep in mind these are the same people that you probably complain about your weight problems to) & instead of taking it at face value you have to twist it to have some underlying backhanded intent. Really? Sounds more to me like somebody has self esteem issues.
If you tell someone that you are considering/having WLS, and they say "you're not that big" why not respond with something like "It's so nice to have people in my life that accept me the way I am." then maybe mention a few of the things that your weight has caused or maybe what loosing the weight will mean you can do.
Thinner people that have never been big don't understand the damage even 100lbs can cause, and admit it, us big folk don't want to be left behind. But I can say when I've told anybody that I have sleep apnea(which shortens your life), borderline high blood pressure, damage to my right knee, my back hurts after only walking about 100 yards, and my achilies tendons can cause me to be down for days at a time. And all of this can be cured or minimized by losing 150lbs+- all of the sudden they become very supportive. Knowledge creates understanding.

I just baked some tilapia for my whole family..it only needed a bit of seasoning, you can even put lemon slices on while baking..its quick and easy. I made some steamed zucchini slices with it and rice for the hubby and son. I could only fit maybe half a filet and two zucchini slices minus the skin, but it was nice to have something that I could eat with my family.

Good morning all! I just reached my next goal...into the 180's!!! I was 189 this am...yaaay me! Next goal is the 170's! Thanks again for all the support from everyone, it means a lot and has helped me tremendously with my journey.

I had a meeting in a federal building recently that required me to go through an identify verification process--the guard took my driver's license, checked it and me out, and said, "Ma'am, do you have any other identification?" I was surprised but said yes, I had my passport (I carry it all the time since we travel so much). He took that, looked at it and me, and said, completely straight-faced, "Ma'am, you're going to want to get a new picture; looks like you've had your hair cut since this picture was taken." Then he grinned and asked me how I had lost so much weight.
It's pretty fab, but yeah, you might think about a new pic at some point in the near future. :-)

Congrats Glad to hear you are doing Well!!