lunabella007

You can request a sedative before being put under. I had that done when I had surgery in Mexico because I was really freaked out that I was there, not because of anesthesia. I fell asleep before surgery!

I am one of those people that hates that loss of control you have when you faint, get really drunk, etc... But going under anesthesia is nothing like that. I've been put under about five or six times and it's no big deal. The last time, my doctor told me she was putting a margarita in my IV! That's the last I remember. It's not gradual, it's like one minute you're there, the next your dead asleep. It's like taking a nap, and you feel really groggy when you wake up. You don't blackout or slowly fade into it. I usually say "bye!" and I'm gone!

Also, wanted to comment on the calories thing. Just got me a little worried for you. You are unfortunately going to still have to worry about calories for the rest of your life. After surgery, food becomes a much bigger part of your life in a different way. I had lap band surgery thinking the same thing. I am now ten pounds higher than I was when I got the band. You can eat around it. You can cheat and drink with meals and help wash things through. You can get lots of calories into a small amount eating crappy foods. You can eat bits of high calorie food all day long. It's not a panacea, and WLS means something much different to me now than it did before. It's just a tool. I have to change my behaviors in order for it to work!

Best of luck to you!!

Excellent point you just made! No, I don't expect sleeve surgery to be a panacea, and I realize that it will drastically change the way I relate to food and I am actually looking forward to that!

My Nutritionist was impressed by my healthful diet that includes lots of vegetables, fruits, lean Protein, whole grains, and how well I'd integrated all the little "tricks" to help one feel fuller longer, eating more slowly, chewing more, etc. It's funny that my diet is actually much healthier than my mother's, and she's 115lbs and I'm ....um....not lol I also get more physical activity than she does. My father is also morbidly obese, is a vegetarian, and trains in a gym 5 days a week for an hour. I take after him, and my genetics are definitely against me!

I guess this is the long way of saying this surgery is going to give me the boost I need to be able to get me to the point where I can take over the weight loss myself by being able to move my body more comfortably. I was born with deformed knees, and have a broken tailbone, so it is hard for me to move comfortably with all the excess weight and exercise is agony for me at this size. I don't expect my sleeve to be able to force me into a healthier lifestyle. I'm just gonna use it as a crutch until I can walk on my own

Thanks for your marvelous advice, too!

Let me post this photo...before and after...this is where we are at now.

Thinner and healthier, but not thin.

This may be a little off topic, but you look SPLENDID--you're a very pretty woman! You and your husband have accomplished so much, and I can imagine how frustrating it can be to have a surgery and then not have it restrict you in the way you imagined.

Courage! You're doing great (though I completely understand your frustration)!

Oh boy, another anaesthesia moment for me to be escared of! Nah, I'm going to try to be brave and know that this is NO big deal, and that people do this all the time.

I'm so glad it went well for you Dadto2! Next stop: your new body! How exciting!

I had my surgery on the 9th of May, and on the 23rd, I started eating soft foods. I had avacado, and even had a TINY slice of pizza with thin, crackery crust. The next night I had (gasp) liver and mashed potatoes with gravy. I just ate very carefully, and picked out all of the fibrous bits, chewing to an almost liquid pulp. This made me feel SOO much better, physically, as well as emotionally. I had my surgery in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, and the instructions were a little sketchy. I was worried about everything I did until I found a great set of post-op instructions online with EXPLANATIONS about what to do and WHY. Things like the 'no drinking' rule. I was told to NEVER drink with my meals, or for 30 minutes before or after. I read in a few places that this was because I would stretch my stomach out and render my surgery pointless. Harsh. The PDF I downloaded explained that this was not the reason, but the purpose for not drinking before was so your meal would comfortably fit, and not drinking after was to hold the 'full' feeling as long as possible. Makes sense, now. This made my life so much easier, as I stopped feeling guilty about everything I put in my mouth. And if I REALLY need to wash my mouth out with a little Water to clear lingering taste, I can take a sip and swallow without blowing a gasket. I also learned the importance of Protein and fluids, and that (THANK HEAVEN) i don't necessarily have to combine the two. I purchased a Protein Powder that I sprinkle on my food, and can actually enjoy the taste of the 2 liters!! of Fluid a day I need to drink. I LOVE my 1liter smartwater bottle, filled 2x/day with sugar free hawaiian punch! I take 3 Flintstones gummies and 2 Viactive chocolate chews for dessert and skip the nasty liquid Vitamins, Protein drinks/shakes... I am a wild child and eat a scrambled egg for Breakfast with 1/2 slice of 2% American cheese melted wickedly on it. For lunch, I even ate garlic mashed potatoes with protein powder sprinkled on them! When my family had a cookout this weekend, I grilled a portobello mushroom beside their hamburgers and dipped it in (gasp) cheese dip with a few slices of avacado! I have a few basic rules I follow.

1. keep it low/no fat.

2. no more than 1/2 cup

3. drink the 64 oz. of Fluid

4. 60 grams protein powder

5. keep meats tender, and don't eat the kind that swell as you chew. This will continue once you swallow, and that ain't good.

6. move your butt

7. avoid skins, seeds, and fibrous bits... spice is ok in moderation, just no pepper seeds!

8. Don't do it if it hurts! (food) I don't eat lettuce or uncooked veggies, either. But a little cooked spinach is great.

9. ONLY EAT IT IF IT TASTES GOOD!

This pirate attitude toward the rules has helped me achieve a 30lb loss in less than a month, the ability to be happy with my decision and NOT feel deprived when eating with family and friends, the descent from a size 20 to a 14/16 in less than a month, and a perma-grin plastered to my face!

BOTTOM LINE. Don't sweat the small stuff. And don't be miserable. Lose the guilt and find a way to enjoy living your new life.

Thanks for that post! You should be a full time blogger! You're hilarious and SO informative! I love your wickedly melted cheese, especially

Pretty much nothing can keep me away from pizza--I ate pizza two hours after I had all four impacted wisdom teeth taken out! It's fun to know that I may be able to get away with a tiny bit of cheese, or a smidge of Tomato sauce from time to time!

I, too, am interested in finding out what I can expect immediately following surgery! What I've heard so far is that most people aren't in extreme pain, unless they have a leak later on.

You must be pretty excited (if a little nervous), having your surgery on Friday! I wish I could just get it over with! lol

I think Anesthesia is least of my fears....my top fears are: 1. Catheter. 2. Lead, 3. Unable to operate cause of liver size, 4. Lovenol injections for blood clots daily for 2 weeks post op.

Hi Patrick!

As a man, I can see how a catheter would be a scary prospect for you--youch! I'm sorry, but I don't know what #2 refers to (I can be kinda slow sometimes--sorry!) Are you referring to the mineral lead? Or are you referring to something they have to do to you before surgery? Did your surgeon tell you that they may not be able to operate because of your liver size? They will have go to inside before they can tell? I wish they could do some kind of scan for you so they could get an idea of the size and placement of the liver before "going in".

I have personal experience with lovenox injections--they're awful. I'm SO sorry that you'll have to have them for two weeks! I had to give them to my mother in law every day for a month and her stomach was yellow and green and purple. Is this a common thing for people who are going to have VSG, or is this something that is specific to you?

I'm so glad you're going to go for it, though, because reading your list of goals is just so inspirational!

For me, I want to be able to wear a skirt or shorts in the summer and be able to walk for more than five minutes without my thighs rubbing, chafing, bleeding, and scabbing! But I'm a HUGE roller coaster fan too! I will probably be having my surgery around the same time as you--how about we meet up one day at Cedar Point (since you're in Ohio) and ride a coaster together? lol

Congrats again on your Independence Day!

I was put under about 5 hours ago for my endoscopy and it was no problem whatsoever. The anesthesiologist asked me a few questions, put the knock out juice in my IV and I was out within seconds. Woke up about 45 minutes later in recovery.

Downside? Slight headache. Upside? Quick, easy, painless (no new stick or anything like that) and had some of the best dreams I have had in a LONG time!

You'll be fine!

Thanks a lot Dadto2, even if you didn't have it in your username, I can tell you're used to reassuring people in a fatherly way! That really helped--it's always good to hear the cons right along with the pros. I look forward to having beautiful dreams too--I think that would be an excellent side effect, since I have pretty vivid dreams anyway and almost always remember them!

I never made it past the initial agent they injected into my hand. I was out like a lightbulb. (and I'm a big dude - 6'3", 425# at surgery)

It was my first experience with it too. No problems, and I thought the experience would be a little scary. I just remember getting sleepy - but in a good way - kind of like after going swimming in the sunlight and getting out and sitting by the AC. I just dozed off.

It was a good way to get a nap in while the doctor did all the work!

That sounds absolutely marvelous! Hey, if it feels like swimming in sunshine then I've got nothing to worry about, right? Right? No, really, that sounds like it wasn't scary at all for you, and I'm glad! I hope I have an experience like that. All us pre-VSG peeps will be hurtin' after the operation is over and some of us will have a longer recovery than others, it would be great to have one less thing to obsess over!

Most surgeons give a relaxing agent before you go in... Ask and make sure, you won't care if the janitor wheels u into the OR

I would feel so much better if I were sure I could get something like that to relax me!

They drug you before surgery. I don't remember much, except being rolled down the hall and they pumped up a mattress to transfer me to the surgery table. I don't even remember a mask. I woke up to some lady yelling at me for sleeping too long and some an screaming in pain. For me, if you put on some Bob Marley, I would have thought I was back in my college days.

@ Bob Marley, and being back in your college days! That made me laugh, and I needed a good laugh! I don't think that nurses should yell at patients who are waking up from anaesthesia! That's very rude!

When I went under I wasn't even aware that the gas had been turned on. They placed the mask over my nose, then lights out..... I can say I learned one thing, when I came back out I was combative (they said that's not really uncommon) fortunately the surgical team has seen pretty much every possible reaction when comming out so they were prepared. Though I know now what to advise the anestioligist of if I ever get put under again.

Oh wow--yeah, I can't imagine myself becoming combative! Sounds kind of scary--I'm glad that you weren't too upset over the experience (or weren't aware of it). I'm pretty scared of gas--even more so than an IV, because needle pokes I can deal with but the idea of inhaling a gas that will put me to sleep would have me holding my breath! If they use gas, I sure as heck don't tell me when they're turning it on or I'd be so afraid!

I have been under anaesthetic approx 5 times. It's just like having a sleep. What is your fear of? You will wake up? Or you won't wake up?

I'm more frightened of being put to sleep, not so much waking up in the middle of things (nearly impossible), and I'm just about 100% sure I'll wake up at the end of things--although when you consider major surgery like this, it's something you think about in passing.

I think it's the "losing control" part of it. I've never been given anything stronger than a local anaesthetic, really.

I'm really excited to get my surgery date after my consultation on the June 6th! I look forward to the results and being able to not have to think about calories all day long for the rest of my life! But I am absolutely terrified of anaesthesia! Not the procedure itself, oddly enough, just the experience of being put under.

I got my wisdom teeth extracted with a local because I was so frightened of "going under". Obviously this is not an option with bariatric surgery, so I'd like some advice--what should I do?

What was your anaesthesia experience like? Did you have any time to get scared or did you just fall asleep? Can a light sedative be given so I won't panic?

I absolutely WON'T let my fear of anaesthesia stand in the way of my getting a body that I can live in comfortably, so any advice or stories would be a great help to me!