karenb4729

Many, prayers for you! I'm so sorry for all the trouble you are having. Hopefully they will be able to fix the issue so you can start getting in some nutrition.

I did a consult at Puget Sound Bariatrics but went with a different Dr. A couple of reasons why I selected a different Dr: 1. I'm a bit of a wimp and just felt that I would be more comfortable in the hospital for a couple of days rather than being released the same day. 2. My insurance gives me the best benefits but going to a designated Center of Excellence which in my area is Evergreen Hospital. 3. Felt more comfortable with the Dr I choose than the Dr I met with at Puget Sound Baritrics. That being said, I do know other people that have gone there and have been very successful.

MinaT - you and I are so much alike! Wish I could stay away from this site but I can't, all I do is read read read and then try to prepare myself for complications. I had to laugh at your charts! I run Excell spreadsheets for my bills and tasks that need doing - probably because I'm a former project manager. I did the same with all my pre-surgery stuff too, in fact I have a spreadsheet that is tracking my carbs since my Dr requires the pre-op diet be 30 days of 30g or less of carbs. I tried to give me a copy at my pre-op and he said he trusted me... LOL.

My surgery is June 4th and my pre-op diet consists of having 30g of carbs or less per day for the 30 days prior to the surgery, the two days before surgery its clear liquids only. I actually started the low carb diet the day I left my Dr's office after our first meeting and have lost 25lbs since March 28th. I did contemplate prior to May 4th having a day full of crackers, Chicken in a Bisquit to be precise.....craving!! But, I realized that I need to change my eating habits and I might as well start before surgery when I'm the one in control. So, while I have had moments standing in the cracker aisle in the grocery store I stuck with my diet. Also, my surgeon is like yours and progresses very slowly after the surgery - I would rather go slow than go to fast and end up with an issue.

HAHAHA - I had to read this to my husband because it sure sounds like my husband and your husband could be brothers!!! I haven't even had my surgery yet.

I'm pretty sure I will also be posting the same thing next Sunday night too. Part of the problem is that we think of this as elective surgery but it really isn't. For most of us we need this surgery to extend our lives because if we continue down the path without this surgery we will surely shorten our lives. I have resigned myself to the fact that I will probably go in and out of the regret stage however, I cannot continue to eat the way I do so anything that changes that will be a good thing. I'm worried about something happening to me because of the surgery - had a good friend who lost her husband after shoulder surgery when he had an embolism, he was 41. I guess things can happen to us at anytime and if I worried about everything that could cause my death then I would never live my life.

I swear cudlyqt - your post could have been written by me. My surgery is 1 week from today and since I got my date I have been on a roller coaster of emotions. I have also realized that if I could have done this on my own we wouldn't be here talking about it because I wouldn't have a weight issue. The one thing I did today was sit down and write out what I hope to gain here is what I wrote: ‎1 week until surgery and I'm going to post some random thoughts: 1. A little pain for long term results is worth it. 2. My weight loss goal is 8lbs a month which means 10 months and I will meet my total goal. 3. My sleeve is only a tool to help keep me on track, I still have to do the work of diet and exercise. 4. I expect to hit plateaus so my 10 months in #2 may become 12 months or 15 months but I will get there. ... 5. Its my choice what I put in my mouth, I don't want to take up room in my stomach with an unhealthy choice. So while there may be bumps in the road I'm going to do my best to accomplish what I have set out to do - become a healthier person who make better choices in what she eats!

TDH80 - I hope things get better for you soon!! You really bring home the point that surgery is surgery and complications can happen - none of us are immune. I'm trying to make sure that I'm very prepared not that you can ever be prepared for this.

My surgery isn't until June 4th but I had laprascopic surgery back in 1987 for endometriosis/ruptured ovarian cyst. Going into the surgery I wasn't sure if I was going to wake up with a hystorectomy or not so was pretty nervous. I remember when they started pushing on the anesthesia and before it was all put in I was asleep. I can't remember waking up in recovery but I do remember waking up in my room, I managed to reach the phone and called my husband and asked him if he knew if I had the hysterectomy or not... he said he hadn't talked to the Dr yet so I looked under the blanket and saw only a small bandage on my belly button and knew that they just did the laser surgery. The one thing I really remember from this surgery is how it was hard to stand fully upright - I wanted to walk hunched over because it was not comfortable to stand up straight. I also wanted to just hold onto my stomach. Oh, and I was bloated for about a week where I looked kind of like I was pregnant. Anyway - I said all that because that's kind of what I expect to feel like when I complete this surgery, maybe a bit sorer.

Wow - TDH80 - I'm so sorry to hear about your complications. I hope you get to feeling better. its a good reminder that complications can happen and sometimes it's the luck of the draw. My brother had bad complications from an appendectomy and ended up with pnemonia too. My surgery isn't until next Monday, to say I'm scared about the possibility complication is an understatement but I also know the weight isn't going to stay off without my doing something permanent and my hiatal hernia will not heal on its own so I'm not looking at the surgery as something that's elective but something that's neccessary.

I like cytosport, Whey Isolate clear drink. I got it at the Vitamin Shoppe - the tropical flavor is good with a slightly tart taste. I actually like these better than Isopure. My surgery isn't until next week but I'm planning on using these to get my protein in for the first few weeks, don't think I can handle the thickness of the shakes until about 3 weeks out.

Do you have any fever? I would probably call the Dr just to check it out

Boy - my Dr is different. My pre-op diet started 30 days before surgery but I actually began it the day I left his office after our initial consult. He puts you on a low carb atkins style diet - no more than 30g of carb a day. This is to put you into ketosis and to shrink the liver. I have lost 23 lbs since late March doing this diet. Two days before surgery I have to do the bowel prep which is pretty much like getting ready for a colonoscopy so no getting away from the house. Is anyone else a bundle of nerves? I feel like I have a split personality where one minute I feel great and then the next I'm terrified. I'm such a researcher but in this care maybe "ignorance is bliss". !

I quit smoking in 2004 - it was my 5th attempt I think but I knew it would be my last because my mind had finally made it to the place where I really didn't want to do it anymore. My tools were Welbutrin and the patch, in fact I went out some additional weeks with the patch to make sure I got over the habit of picking up a cigarete because I had to deal with the full nicotine withdawl. Taking it each and every day on step at a time was key but more than that, realizing that I cannot be a social smoker, can't have a single cigarette or I will be right back to being a smoker has kept me going as a non smoker. The point of all that was to stay that I am finally in the same mindset to lose weight. food, in particular Carbs are not my friend, they have helped to put this weight on my body - I have no self control to stop when eating something that tastes wonderful to me so I have to look at food as a necessary part of life but taking the emotion out of it. I eat because I'm hungry but mostly I have eaten because I'm bored. My focus now is to get in the nutrition I need to keep the body going but I'm divorcing my love affair - I'm truly done - I'm not spending the rest of my life as a fat person!!!

thank you for sharing your story!! I have my surgery scheduled for 6/4 and am nervously questioning my decision. However, I am at your starting weight although a bit taller. For most of my life I weighed in the 130's and then cancer happened when I was 31 and I went through menopause early. and a whole bunch of other stuff that really packed on the pounds. For the last 6 years I have worked to get the weight off but when I would hit those 3 week stalls I would give up - I figure that the sleeve will give me the tool to get through those stalls because I won't be able to gorge myself. My mindset it also differnt - food and carbs are really not my friend and the tool will help to give me the strength to say no. I hope to fine myself where you are in a few years and I can't tell you how much I appreciate you telling me your story! For some reason I seem to be reading a lot of stories of regret but you give me hope. If I made it through a year of chemo I should be able to make it through this change in my life!!!

I know you can do it but, the people I know who are sleeved seem to develope a bit of lactose intolerance right after surgery. I'm planning on waiting until later on to add in the milk. Maybe you can try part skim milk and part water to see how well you tolerate it. I'm not sure if that would make a different but its probably what I will try.

wish I could answer you better. My surgeon requires a 30 day pre-op diet of 30g carbs or less, those are total carbs not net. My surgery is June 4th too and started the diet a while ago, actually have lost 23lbs from the diet but did have a couple of weeks of nothing. I don't know why but I'm so anxious about the surgery, why do I have to be the tupe of person who seeks out the horror stories....

Well, my Dr won't let me travel for 30 days after the surgery. At 7 days you aren't even healed yet. But, I'm kind of a wimp and am having a hard enough time thinking of the pain.

Oh my goodness - I really hope you start turning the corner soon. I haven't had my sleeve done yet but I did do a year of chemo so I understand about vomiting and that's really the worst. Its hard enough to go into the surgery with fears of complications and then when you are the one it happens to you begin to wonder why. You will get through this! Lots of prayers sent your way.

I'm taking 4 weeks off and I have an office job. I want to get use to the new way I have to eat before having to deal with the stress in my job. Beside, I can't tell anyone at work about they kind of surgery I had because they all are very opinionated about WLS and not in a good way. they think I'm having my gall bladder out and hernia fixed.

I'm a fan of Cytosport's Whey Isolate and I think it will be a staple when I get out of surgery. It counts as part of your liquid and it has 32g of Protein. I didn't like the taste of the Isopure but I do like the flavor's I have tried of this = tropical, tangerine and watermelon. I think I will do better on these after surgery than on the shakes only because the thickness of the shakes reminds me of when I had to drink ensure when I was doing chemo... not a good memory.

June 4th is also the date of my surgery. My husband and two of my kids who live locally know what it is I'm doing. Everyone else, those at work and other friends think that I'm having gall bladder surgery. I just don't need the pressure of others on me right now. Unfortunatly - I keep seeking out all the negative stories, I have no idea of why I do this to myself anther than trying o make me more fearful. My primary Dr is happy with my decision, my surgeon is great but I'm terrified. At times i think of backing out but I know this is what I need in the long run. Like you, I need lots of prayers to give me the strength to get through this. Good luck to the both of us!

I'm having my surgery on the 4th of June. I understand your concerns about the lack of long term information about the sleeve but remember, thats long term information on weight loss. The gastrectomy procedure has been around for a very long time, it's used to treat people with stomach ulcers and cancer. Its that thought that has made me more comfortable with my decision. For me, I was more concerned about the bypass because I did not want to reroute my intestines and have to deal with the malabsorbtion issues. Its important to remember that this isn't a magic cure, you have to diet just the same as you would without the surgery only now you have a smaller stomach and generally deal with less hunger. I figure I'm not going through all the pain and being uncomfortable for nothinng.... focus on the plan, diet and exercise with the bottomline result of being more healthy!

I have UHC and needed 5 yrs documented at a BMI of 40 or more. I had that when I got the referral to the outside company they use - Optima. Since then my BMI has dropped while I have been doing the pre-op diet and all my medical appts and I'm under the 40 but I still received approval for my June 4th surgery. I don't know who your insurance company is but usually once you send in your documentation for the BMI they aren't going to ask you to weigh in again.

My Dr requires a pre-op diet that is 30g carbs or less for 30 days and then two days before surgery you do a bowel prep with the magnesium citrate. But, thankfully no liquid diet before because I have two weeks of it afterwards.