Bronxbubbles

None of the above ...
From what I understand:
The pyloric valve sits at the bottom of the stomach. When it opens, it allows the food which has been mechanically digested by the stomach to pass into the large intestines. This is where nutrients, for the most part, get absorbed, not the stomach. (B12 is an exception) The stomach, combined with acids and the moving around of the contents, makes a liquidy paste of the contents. When it is liquidy enough, the pyloric valve opens allowing some of the contents to pass lowering the amount of food remaining in the stomach. Not all will pass at once, depending on what you ate.
Adding liquid to the stomach gives the pyloric valve a *false* signal to open and allow food to pass a bit too early. This allows food to pass out of the stomach sooner which would allow the consumer to eat more. Eat more food, consume more calories ... well, you get the point. Kind of misses the point of having the sleeve in the first place, doesn't it?
I have experimented with this when I was running a lot of races. I couldn't get enough calories in to maintain my exercise efforts, so, a couple days before a race, I would drink with my meals. I could DEFINITELY eat more food at a single sitting and could eat again sooner. Now, I'm not talking about eating like I did in the old days, for sure, but I could get up to 1,600 to 1,800 calories in a day, no problem.

Well Linda, let me be the first to welcome you to the forum!! You'll find a lot of great information here and answers to all of your questions. I'll answer the few I know about, but I'm currently pre-op so I won't have them all. You can use the search function at the top right hand side of the screen (if you're using a PC) to search for different threads that have answers to your questions- and the ones you can't find, just ask!!
Regarding the required tests- my insurance only requires that I see a NUT (nutritionist) for 6 months, but that was the only physical appointment that was required of them. My surgeon, on the other hand, required a sleep study to check for sleep apnea, a psych evaluation, an upper endoscopy to check for h pylori, medical clearance from my PCP and a blood panel- but that's just so far. Once I get cleared by insurance, I'll then need to have pulmonary and cardiology clearance and maybe some other stuff...
As far as risks are concerned, yes- there are risks of a leak. Many surgeons do a leak test AS they are operating to make sure there are none- and then after the surgery you do a swallow test to make sure that there are none. Again- I'm pre-op so any post-op people who want to chime in, please do!!
The reason I'm personally choosing to do the sleeve is because it's actually less invasive than the DS or RNY but i have the option of doing either of those as a two-step surgery should I choose. (Personally, I'd rather not as I've seen many people that are super successful with the sleeve alone). The Bypass and DS actually require more cutting and the re-arrangement of your intestines so it's not really for me.
Regarding your question about the staples, it is my understanding that the staples stay in...
I hope I was at least a little bit helpful with your questions- and again, if there is something you need more clarification on, please ask. Everybody here is really helpful and friendly. Good luck with everything!!

Hmmm. Not as flexible as I used to be, I don't think I will be able to see ms V without a mirror again, i will be able to see her tresses though, lol!

Im definitely not a doctor, as contacting a dr would be my advice to you but i understand about not having insurance... So i suggest getting some butterfly closures at your local pharmacy. Theyre a bit better than band aids cause they hold the wound together a bit tighter. Good alternative to stitches. But like i said at first, if there is any way you can talk to a doctor, please do!

OMG, so do you have a web site or an order form or something like that?? I'd be interested in seeing the rest of your work!! And I think I might want to purchase a "get sleeved" shirt!!!

The idea that female orgasm causes miscarriage is fundamentally untrue and in scholarly sources such as bernds & barash 1979 is only mentioned very tenuosly in regard to other mammals spontaneous abortions. further more this pseudo-scientific concept has been ignorantly misrepresented by male chauvinists such as Todd Akin to suggest that when women are raped the orgasm they recieve from the rape causes them to "shut the whole thing down.”
This is of course incorrect as : "The national rape-related pregnancy rate is 5.0% per rape among victims of reproductive age (aged 12 to 45); among adult women an estimated 32,101 pregnancies result from rape each year" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/8765248/
The female orgasm is still as much a mystery as the male nipple and unless you have been diagnosed with implantation trouble then feel free to enjoy your sexuality.
I use implanon contraceptive implant with my 7-year partner. It has the best contraceptive qualities, although the main reason for removal is troublesome bleeding. I haven personally experienced this...
*peace*

Thank you! I just consider the divorce another 240+ lbs lost.

For me just knowing I was progressing without complications was encouraging and made it easier to not listen to my mind tell me what my new tiny belly knew was a lie. Do you take a ppi?acid reflux mimics hunger to a lot of people! Can we get a new profile pic with a smile?

HEY!! one question. howd you avoid loose skin?!?! i see nothing!!!!!

You look flipping amazing!!! I'm so jealous but in a happy, "I want that too..." kind of way. Keep up the good work- I can't wait till I get my sleeve!!

You look flipping amazing!!! I'm so jealous but in a happy, "I want that too..." kind of way. Keep up the good work- I can't wait till I get my sleeve!!

Just wanted to give everyone an update. I am 35 years old two kids: 3 and 1. I am 5'7. Surgery was July 31st. My starting weight was 306 and after two week liquid diet, I was 289 day of surgery. Today I start my sixth week (exactly 5 weeks post op) and I was 258 this AM. Just got out of a 5 days stall but prior to that I generally watched the scales move about a pound per day. Gee, sure would be nice if that continued...ohhhh, for about the next 130 days , but I'll take what I can get. This weekend was actually my first experience with real food and all I can say is...I LOVE MY SLEEVE!!!!!!!!! I have had ZERO problems at all thus far. I have not had a problem with anything yet I just can't eat much...thank God! The thing is, I crave good foods and honestly, fried or greasy foods just no longer appeal to me. I already have tons more energy, look better, feel better, get TONS of compliments and I can say this was the BEST thing I have ever done for myself. For those who have struggled with their weight and are looking for something to help them refocus their eating habits...do it do it do it! I know not everyone has such a simple experience but for me...no problems at all!!! Geez...two c-sections were worse than the sleeve surgery, even on the worst days. Pics to come soon. Good luck to all of you waiting for surgery and those new in the journey as I am. Not a SINGLE SOLITARY regret!!!!!

Binging for me is a horribly scary, out of control feeling. It was before the sleeve and is more so now. I have binged twice - each time with chips. I liken my reaction to one bite of potato chips and onion dip to Gollum and the Ring. I can see how I might eat around it and go right back to where I started from: A 5'1" woman on her way to 300 pounds and DEATH!
I hate to get all serious on you guys, but I think I was close to death. I couldn't breathe, couldn't sleep and I was starting to feel sick ALL the time. I could not stay awake driving or at work. food wasn't even enjoyable, but I'd still stuff my face. I became a recluse. I would send my husband to get-togethers alone. I would hardly go camping anymore or even for a walk.
I don't know what would have failed first: My marriage or me.
I became diabetic. I had sleep apnea so badly that I literally woke up once every 10 seconds. Doesn't sound possible does it? My doctor was checking for cirrhosis of the liver due to fatty liver disease. My knees were giving out. My blood pressure was through the roof as was my cholesterol.
Well, I got sleeved and withing two weeks my blood sugar was normal. Three months and 58 pounds down my A1C (anther glucose level test) was normal as was everything else including my blood pressure. My sleep apnea disappeared.
Here I am 7 months later. I am 30 pounds from goal. I wear a bathing suit. I hike up mountains and paddle my kayak. I ride my friends horse without killing it. I slide effortlessly into any booth or amusement park ride.
Next year I'm hiking half-dome and around Tuolumne Meadows and the Yosemite Valley, I am going on a raft trip down the Colorado River, I'm taking a mule down to Phantom Ranch (if I can get a reservation that is!) I might even go to Maui this November.
My husband and I are doing wonderfully and will renew our vows in October. I am now two sizes smaller than my wedding dress.
Why would I sacrifice all that for a slab of macaroni and cheese or cake or chips? With me, there is just no control with some things. If I cannot make or find a good substitute then I don't touch it.
Before I got sleeved, I found a website called: The World According to Eggface.
She is my height and was over 300 pounds. Today she is a total knockout. Get her recipes. She taught me that I didn't have to deprive myself. She showed me that I could make healthier versions of pizza, lasagna and snack foods - even doughnuts and ice cream. She can also make a Protein shake that tastes like it came from Starbucks- but with more flavors.
I just thought I'd post my feeling about moderation vs. abstinence from certain foods. This is what works for me. Thank goodness I love meat, seafood, cheese, dairy, vegetables, legumes, fruits and nuts because those are the mainstays of my diet. I'm far from suffering. I had a taste of my daughter's ice cream and cake and the sugar made me sick in a minute.
Again, this is what works for me. I'm not trading all I have now for food. No way!
Thanks for reading and God Bless your journey.

So, I was on a first date yesterday. It was a lot of fun, we met for coffee, talked for a couple of hours, and then parted ways. When the evening wound down, I walked her to her motorcycle which was parked out in front of a skeezy dog park in downtown Seattle. Lots of drunks and sketchy folks hanging out.
When we got to her bike, after a little more small talk, we had a nice good night kiss. A VERY nice good night kiss. In fact, it turned into a bit of a make out session in full public view (prompting, I **** you not, a round of applause from the bums drinking in the park!). As we were drawing apart, ready to go our separate ways, she had her hands on my waist, and she commented "wow, nice abs!"
I have never had ANYONE in my ENTIRE LIFE say "nice abs" to me before.
THANK YOU, SLEEVE!
(edit: realized I was being overly defensive about my life choices... without need. Changed the tone!)

The past two days have been birthday celebrations at the office. The executives were chowing down on mini-cheesecakes, Cookies, cake...you get the idea. I partied with ice Water. And you know what? I didn't crave the food, I didn't feel left out, and I didn't feel like everyone was watching me.
Woo hoo for emotional victories!

I'm still only 5 weeks post-op, but I still am taking my mood stabilizer. I have actually thought about increasing it. My psychiatrist said that we have plenty of room to increase since I'm on a low dose, and she would be willing to add an anti-depressant if needed. She has treated quite a few post-op patients and said she knows hormones go wacky and even if we do need to increase, she thinks eventually I'll level back out.
My mood the first few weeks was pretty stable. Last week it hit a low like I hadn't had in quite a while, and then this week I'm stable again. I think my hormones are going crazy though - I have had at least 2 periods in the last month and had issues in between each (sorry if tmi) so I think this has been the culprit since pre-surgery I was stable on my medication for over a year.
I would not, absolutely not, go off your medications unless you have talked to both your surgeon and your psychiatrist/doctor prescribing them. Some medications have an awful withdrawal, some can have side effects if you stop them abruptly (like rebound depression, etc), and it's never a good plan to immediately stop something without talking to your physician. Maybe you can talk to them about tapering the dose down or something, but immediately before a big surgery is not the time to be screwing with meds imo. I just don't want you to have any problems/increased depression after.
Also - if you are worried about tablets/capsules/etc - many medications come in liquid/chewable/dissolveable form. You can absolutely keep taking them post surgery and don't have to crush up those tablets because they taste horrible, just ask your pharmacist, most times they will be happy to help.

(No pictures this time. I HATE photos; I'm so damned pale and washed out that I always look corpse-like and OLD in my photos, whereas in real life I'm looking pretty damned HOT! )
So I was sleeved in May 2010. It's about two and a quarter years out. I started at 338 lbs.
At that weight, I was miserable. I was sick all the time, everything hurt all the time. No clothes fit properly, unless I just bought everything in tent-like proportions. I had multiple chins, moobs (man-boobs), rolls and rolls of fat around my waist, a fat ass, fat legs, everything. I felt awful. I couldn't walk very far without becoming winded and my feet hurting. I couldn't stand upright for very long without my lower back aching, and my thighs would chafe like I was being scourged by the Furies.
And my self-esteem was just awful. I felt slovenly, ugly, unsexy, unsexual, unmasculine, frumpy, and ashamed all the time. I felt -- fairly realistically -- that no woman would look twice at me, let alone want to take me as a lover. It was okay, though, because I was in a monogamous relationship, so I didn't need to "date." How disrespectful that is to my girlfriend, I can't put into words. But that's a separate issue. That's between us.
Fast forward, past VSG surgery, past two years of steady weight loss, careful eating, ups and downs, plateaus and sharp drops, past fitfully starting and restarting my fitness program, to today.
Now, I work out at the gym almost every day. I like it. I look forward to it. It's how I start my day! It's still challenging, I'm still exhausted, but I look forward to it. I usually lift weights, but some days, like today, are all about stabilizers and athletic performance -- today was focused on speed and agility, on building muscle memory. My trainer agreed with me that I'm still pretty uncoordinated, but also was impressed at how fast I improved; he claimed that maybe, under years of sloth and a sedentary lifestyle, just maybe I was a natural athlete who never developed his abilities! I'm not sure I'd go that far, but I think that I have a lot of potential, and better late than never -- let's leave it at that.
I'm getting ripped. With my shirt off, my chest and shoulders and arms ripple with muscle; they have a lot of that classic bodybuilder look (without that nasty veiny zero body fat/covered in baby oil thing). I realized today, and pointed out to my girlfriend -- that I'm actually developing a six pack. Me! Mr. Fat-ass! Mr. Lazy! A six pack!
I'm down to just a hair over 200 lbs. That means I've lost over 130 pounds, and (more importantly) am maintaining it (and, in fact, am still losing, slowly). At the same time, I'm steadily building muscle mass (contrary to myth, muscle building is slow, but all my measurements show a steady gain). My stamina and energy are the best they've ever been. EVER. Even when I was a kid, and I'm 42 now! My latest testosterone measurement was 611 ng/dL, which is pretty phenomenal. Reference range is 300-800, so this puts me on the high end, about on par with a kid in his 20's; this is just stunning for a man in his 40's, and bodes very well for my continued sexual and physical well being into middle age and old age. It will protect me from injuries, keep me strong and fit, and even boost my mood and libido going forward.
My self-esteem is way up. My girlfriend and I opened our relationship up to other partners (if you want to discuss open relationships/polyamory, I'm available to talk, but please don't post here, that's not the point ), which means I'm dating again. And I'm having FUN! I'm finding that women that I used to consider "out of my league" are now tongue-tied around me. I messaged a woman on my poly-friendly dating site; I thought she was super sexy and probably way too pretty for me, and she responded that she hadn't contacted me because she thought I was out of her league. I mean, holy crap, Batman! Who'da thunk it!
But it's not just vanity. I'm finally, finally, finally coming to accept that I'm a handsome, interesting, attractive, sexy, sexual, masculine man. Along with being wicked smart, with an IQ approaching 200, I'm becoming something of a jock. I'm hiking, bicycling, running, lifting weights, and soon I'm going to start swimming laps at the local pool. I go out to concerts and clubs, I date, kiss, make love, have fun. I'm fit, in shape, and healthy as an ox. Yes, I'm middle aged, so my only regret was that I couldn't have found this when I was 20.
But you know what? I'll take it. I'll take it! This is the life that I think many people wish they could lead. And in a lot of ways, I owe it all to the sleeve!

Don't know how to reply without getting flamed, so I'm just going to pray for you.
I truly wish you the best on your journey.

The stomach is situated right behind the liver. When somebody is overweight, they hold a lot of fat in the liver and it makes the liver larger. In order for the surgeon to safely access the stomach (and not nick the liver or something) it is a good idea to try and shrink it a little bit by losing some weight.... It's not the most scientific of explanations but it's what my NUT told me, LOL.
-Bubbles

Congrats- and thanks for the Muppet imagery! I could totally see the Kermit flail in my head.

The stomach is situated right behind the liver. When somebody is overweight, they hold a lot of fat in the liver and it makes the liver larger. In order for the surgeon to safely access the stomach (and not nick the liver or something) it is a good idea to try and shrink it a little bit by losing some weight.... It's not the most scientific of explanations but it's what my NUT told me, LOL.
-Bubbles

I have been doing Zumba 2 nights a week since June and 2 nights of weight training/cardio. I went to my Zumba class last night and after class my instructor Robyn said to me...in front of the whole class how good I looked. She touched my waist and hips and said how much of a difference she sees. I felt soooo good for the rest of the night...a natural high for sure! Yaaaaay me!!!

I had mine yesterday. They also game me Propofol. Don't remember anything after cursing out the stupid anesthesiologist who did not warn me that he was injecting the drug into the IV and that I should expect my hand to feel like a burning inferno.

Having followed many of your posts since I joined the site, your experience actually means a lot to me. Your journey motivates me as I'm sure it motivates many other people here. I'm so glad you're doing well, I'm so happy that you're happy with the decision you made. Your journey makes me want to continue mine all the more. Congratulations and thank you!!!
-Bubbles