traceyinflorida

Almost six weeks post op and I can finally wear my wedding rings again! Woo hoo! I had to pry them off my finger (no easy task) almost two years ago and I have not been able to wear them since. Thank goodness I am a born procrastinator and never got around to having them resized, because they fit me again! Yay! I always felt like my finger was naked and also felt a little weird about not wearing them. Thankfully my husband never questioned it.

Hmmm, maybe my scale is broken too! Unfortunately I don't think so though. I am definitely in a stall and trying to be patient! Congratulations on your weight loss, that's awesome!!

Hmmm, maybe my scale is broken too! Unfortunately I don't think so though. I am definitely in a stall and trying to be patient! Congratulations on your weight loss, that's awesome!!

I was on a trip during week three post op. This was supposed to be week two of my pureed phase. It was too difficult and I hated my food pureed, so I CAREFULLY bumped things up a bit. I switched to soft fish that I could mash up with a little tartar sauce or other sauce to make it moist. I also ate shrimp and scallops cut into tiny pieces and chewed well (luckily we were traveling along the east coast, so fish was fresh and readily available) For Breakfast I would either have an egg or a Protein Shake. Now that I am in week 4, lowfat string cheese or cheddar cheese as a snack, Protein Shakes, fish, had a slice of turkey cold cut rolled with slice of lowfat cheese that went down very well, tuna salad, egg salad and chicken salad. I have the book "Before and After" by Susan Maria Leach that has a ton of healthy, but tasty recipes for every stage that fit all the bariatric guidelines of low carb, low sugar. I am going to break that book out and start trying those recipes. Just go slow and listen to your body. I overate by a tablespoon a couple of times and seriously regretted it!

I too would be interested in owning an accurate scale. Mine is digital and is always about 6lbs less than the doctor's office scales. Also, if I don't like the weight, I can just get back on and it gives me a different weight, lol!

Ok quick true story , after all pre op requirements were met ,no small task, about a week before surgery date I was getting nervous , wifey's negativity ,my fear ,pride and lots of other neg. emotions were getting the best of me. I sat down in my kitchen with my two therapists Ben and jerry to have a pint of chubby hubby and sort this out.Chair breaks,kinda explodes,in a second I'm on my back like a turtle on his shell , splinters in my back and ice cream everywhere.Pretty clear sign to follow through with surgery.That was 12/7/11 I am down 131 lbs and the only regret is not doing this sooner. Good luck on your journey and god bless you!

I think everyone worries and wonders if this is the right thing to do. I had a BMI of about 38 and was perfectly healthy, so I wondered if I would ruin my good health (and my wallet, since I self paid) with this surgery.
In the end I decided that I wanted to live the rest of my life in a normal sized body, without doctors telling me I should lose weight every time I saw them. And without feeling self conscious every time I went shopping, went swimming, looked in the mirror, etc.
I had surgery a month ago, and I feel great (26 pounds down)! I have had such an easy time. No nausea, no throwing up, no issues with food of any kind since I left the hospital. And I don't care about food - at all. I forget to eat sometimes. I am free.
So for me, this was exactly the right decision. But I did research it, go to seminars and browse this and other forums for two years before I decided to go forward. Just make sure you know everything you can know about the surgery, search your soul and find your answer. I will tell you that you won't miss eating large amountsof food. Food becomes a means to stay healthy, not a crutch or a way to pass the time. And food is certainly not a compulsion anymore - I thought I would NEVER be able to say that.
I will tell you that it's difficult for me to not say "DO IT, DO IT!" to everyone who asks the question you asked. This is the best thing I have ever done for myself. But we are all different and this is a very personal decision. Think long and hard - read these blogs, the good and the bad. You will find the answer that is right for you.

I went to my first info session two years before I finally had the surgery!! While there, I was so ready to do it. But later on, when I had time to really think on it, I started to think, well if I have to make that big of changes in my eating, why not just try it on my own. I ended up gaining more weight!! When I finally decided to go for it, I was so dissapointed that my insurance required 6 months of diet and exercise counseling before being considered. IF I had it to do over, I would have started the process two years ago and gone through with the surgery then.
Take it one step at a time. Go to the info session and see what you think. Investigate your insurance coverage, see what you think. If you have a period of supervised nutrition counseling to go through, do it and see how it goes. At any point you can decide not to do it, but at least get the ball rolling. So far, I haven't met anyone who has regretted doing this....

I went to my first info session two years before I finally had the surgery!! While there, I was so ready to do it. But later on, when I had time to really think on it, I started to think, well if I have to make that big of changes in my eating, why not just try it on my own. I ended up gaining more weight!! When I finally decided to go for it, I was so dissapointed that my insurance required 6 months of diet and exercise counseling before being considered. IF I had it to do over, I would have started the process two years ago and gone through with the surgery then.
Take it one step at a time. Go to the info session and see what you think. Investigate your insurance coverage, see what you think. If you have a period of supervised nutrition counseling to go through, do it and see how it goes. At any point you can decide not to do it, but at least get the ball rolling. So far, I haven't met anyone who has regretted doing this....

Good luck to you! The losers bench is an amazing place to be!! I am one month out and cannot believe that I waited this long to do this. Prayers for a great surgery and quick recovery!
Tracey

Well here is a first EVER for me. I am one month post-op. I have always had a closet full of clothes that do not fit, because they have become too tight on me. I keep them anyway, for the day that I finally lost weight. Of course prior to surgery, I never saw that day. I was down to just a few outfits that fit comfortably. A couple weeks post surgery, I had to put those original clothes that fit into the give away pile and my wardrobe was starting to open up to me again. While on a two week trip, I noticed that the clothes I had brought were getting progressively looser to the point of falling off. Some of those shorts and pants have been added to the give away pile. To my great surprise upon returning home, all of my clothes that had been too tight are now huge on me!! I have been doing a complete closet cleanout ever since! Fortunately a friend had given me some of her 18W pants and tops. I thought I would never see that size again. They now fit me!! Woo hoo! I guess I had better enjoy them while I can because at this rate, they may soon end up in the give away pile as well. Then who knows what I will wear, but it will be a good problem to have!! Woo hoo!!

Good luck to you! The losers bench is an amazing place to be!! I am one month out and cannot believe that I waited this long to do this. Prayers for a great surgery and quick recovery!
Tracey

Well here is a first EVER for me. I am one month post-op. I have always had a closet full of clothes that do not fit, because they have become too tight on me. I keep them anyway, for the day that I finally lost weight. Of course prior to surgery, I never saw that day. I was down to just a few outfits that fit comfortably. A couple weeks post surgery, I had to put those original clothes that fit into the give away pile and my wardrobe was starting to open up to me again. While on a two week trip, I noticed that the clothes I had brought were getting progressively looser to the point of falling off. Some of those shorts and pants have been added to the give away pile. To my great surprise upon returning home, all of my clothes that had been too tight are now huge on me!! I have been doing a complete closet cleanout ever since! Fortunately a friend had given me some of her 18W pants and tops. I thought I would never see that size again. They now fit me!! Woo hoo! I guess I had better enjoy them while I can because at this rate, they may soon end up in the give away pile as well. Then who knows what I will wear, but it will be a good problem to have!! Woo hoo!!

Well here is a first EVER for me. I am one month post-op. I have always had a closet full of clothes that do not fit, because they have become too tight on me. I keep them anyway, for the day that I finally lost weight. Of course prior to surgery, I never saw that day. I was down to just a few outfits that fit comfortably. A couple weeks post surgery, I had to put those original clothes that fit into the give away pile and my wardrobe was starting to open up to me again. While on a two week trip, I noticed that the clothes I had brought were getting progressively looser to the point of falling off. Some of those shorts and pants have been added to the give away pile. To my great surprise upon returning home, all of my clothes that had been too tight are now huge on me!! I have been doing a complete closet cleanout ever since! Fortunately a friend had given me some of her 18W pants and tops. I thought I would never see that size again. They now fit me!! Woo hoo! I guess I had better enjoy them while I can because at this rate, they may soon end up in the give away pile as well. Then who knows what I will wear, but it will be a good problem to have!! Woo hoo!!

Well here is a first EVER for me. I am one month post-op. I have always had a closet full of clothes that do not fit, because they have become too tight on me. I keep them anyway, for the day that I finally lost weight. Of course prior to surgery, I never saw that day. I was down to just a few outfits that fit comfortably. A couple weeks post surgery, I had to put those original clothes that fit into the give away pile and my wardrobe was starting to open up to me again. While on a two week trip, I noticed that the clothes I had brought were getting progressively looser to the point of falling off. Some of those shorts and pants have been added to the give away pile. To my great surprise upon returning home, all of my clothes that had been too tight are now huge on me!! I have been doing a complete closet cleanout ever since! Fortunately a friend had given me some of her 18W pants and tops. I thought I would never see that size again. They now fit me!! Woo hoo! I guess I had better enjoy them while I can because at this rate, they may soon end up in the give away pile as well. Then who knows what I will wear, but it will be a good problem to have!! Woo hoo!!

I am two days away from the pureed stage and I cannot wait to have anything with flavor and texture that is NOT a Protein Shake or broth!! I never thought I would relish the idea of eating eggs, but I do now!

The best thing you can do for yourself today, is keep busy! Every time I thought about it, I got really nervous too. Sometimes I was almost paralized like you are feeling right now. You will not die on the table, I ate a piece of pizza during the first day of the liquid phase and all still went well (yes I spent a night panicing about that too). I later found out from my surgeon's nurse that many people are very bad about the pre-op diet. It's not a good idea, but it's a reality. If the worst you have done was eat and egg, you will be OKAY! Just make sure you are on Clear Liquids only today and NPO at the time they gave you. You will lose weight after surgery. It's a law of numbers. I could never lose weight on a "diet" and feared the same thing. I am two weeks post op and have lost 27 lbs between the pre-op diet and the post op. The day I went into the hospital, I had some serious thoughts of running right back out. I cried when I had to leave my mom to go by myself to the pre-op area. BUT it was all OKAY. The nurses will be super nice. Everyone's job there is to make sure you make it through this safely and without incident. They will give you nice relaxing meds when you get in there. Next thing you know, you are waking up from surgery like nothing happened! People told me this, but I did not believe it until I experienced it. YOU CAN DO THIS!! I will keep you in my prayers for some courage and strenght, a safe surgery and a quick recovery!

The best thing you can do for yourself today, is keep busy! Every time I thought about it, I got really nervous too. Sometimes I was almost paralized like you are feeling right now. You will not die on the table, I ate a piece of pizza during the first day of the liquid phase and all still went well (yes I spent a night panicing about that too). I later found out from my surgeon's nurse that many people are very bad about the pre-op diet. It's not a good idea, but it's a reality. If the worst you have done was eat and egg, you will be OKAY! Just make sure you are on Clear Liquids only today and NPO at the time they gave you. You will lose weight after surgery. It's a law of numbers. I could never lose weight on a "diet" and feared the same thing. I am two weeks post op and have lost 27 lbs between the pre-op diet and the post op. The day I went into the hospital, I had some serious thoughts of running right back out. I cried when I had to leave my mom to go by myself to the pre-op area. BUT it was all OKAY. The nurses will be super nice. Everyone's job there is to make sure you make it through this safely and without incident. They will give you nice relaxing meds when you get in there. Next thing you know, you are waking up from surgery like nothing happened! People told me this, but I did not believe it until I experienced it. YOU CAN DO THIS!! I will keep you in my prayers for some courage and strenght, a safe surgery and a quick recovery!

The best thing you can do for yourself today, is keep busy! Every time I thought about it, I got really nervous too. Sometimes I was almost paralized like you are feeling right now. You will not die on the table, I ate a piece of pizza during the first day of the liquid phase and all still went well (yes I spent a night panicing about that too). I later found out from my surgeon's nurse that many people are very bad about the pre-op diet. It's not a good idea, but it's a reality. If the worst you have done was eat and egg, you will be OKAY! Just make sure you are on Clear Liquids only today and NPO at the time they gave you. You will lose weight after surgery. It's a law of numbers. I could never lose weight on a "diet" and feared the same thing. I am two weeks post op and have lost 27 lbs between the pre-op diet and the post op. The day I went into the hospital, I had some serious thoughts of running right back out. I cried when I had to leave my mom to go by myself to the pre-op area. BUT it was all OKAY. The nurses will be super nice. Everyone's job there is to make sure you make it through this safely and without incident. They will give you nice relaxing meds when you get in there. Next thing you know, you are waking up from surgery like nothing happened! People told me this, but I did not believe it until I experienced it. YOU CAN DO THIS!! I will keep you in my prayers for some courage and strenght, a safe surgery and a quick recovery!

I am two days away from the pureed stage and I cannot wait to have anything with flavor and texture that is NOT a Protein Shake or broth!! I never thought I would relish the idea of eating eggs, but I do now!

I felt exactly as you did when I finally got the call and we set the date for only two weeks later. I was nervous and shaky. All those months of preparation and suddenly I had cold feet. Walking into the hospital on surgery day, I felt so close to bolting. But I made it through with flying colors. All the things I was nervous about turned out to be nothing. I am only two weeks post op and I feel great and am losing weight. Just focus your thoughts on your end goals. When I first made the decision to do this, I had written down all the reasons I wanted to do this just in case I felt scared, or discouraged. It will really help you to focus on your "WHY". Good luck to you and let us know how all turns out!

Hello! I am so happy to have found this forum! I had my gastric sleeve surgery on June 4th after two years of debating whether or not to do it. I made my decision to do this when I was at my highest weight of 272 lbs. It was such a low point in my life. I had no clothes that fit. I had no energy. I was having episodes of sleep apnea which were so scary. I feared for my health and my future, but most of all I felt like life was just passing me by. Then, one of my friends completely inspired me. I saw on Facebook that she had run in the NY Marathon. Normally, one of my physically fit friends doing something like this would not have been an inspiration, because in my mind, they did not have the struggle that I had to face. But this one was different. My friend who ran the marathon used to be my diet buddy. She and I had been on lots of different diets together, each one with some success, but ultimately ended in both of us quitting and gaining more weight. She had always been a little bigger than me. Four years ago, she had gastric bypass. I admit, I felt a little cheated, but I was really happy for her. I watched her transform over the year as she reached her goal weight. She looked wonderful. But more importantly, I watched her come out of her shell. She was suddenly going to parties, getting her picture taken everywhere, hiking with her family and more. I knew she had started running and was running in 5Ks and half marathons. It was amazing. But when I saw her pictures and posts on facebook of successfully completing the NY Marathon, I thought, what am I waiting for?! I got together with her for more information on the surgery and my decision was made. After six months of diet and nutrition counseling required by my insurance and another two months waiting for insurance approval, my surgery was finally scheduled for June 4th ! My surgery went very well. It was the first surgery I had ever had and I was extremely nervous. I was stunned when they woke me up and it was over. The worst part was the nausea as the anesthesia wore off, but I found the more I walked, the better that was. By the time I left the hospital on day 3, I felt pretty good. Now 12 days post op, I don't feel like I even had surgery (other than the change in my eating) I have lost 27 lbs since the day I scheduled surgery! Woo hoo! I am a little daunted by the challenges of learning how to eat post surgery. But I am so excited for the tool and gift that this surgery has given me to become a new and healthy me! I look forward to learning from this forum and sharing with others! Thanks for reading my story!