deb_fox

When I was doing the pre-op liquid diet I had dropped a lot of weight. My boss begged me to reconsider the surgery because after all, I looked like I lost a bunch of weight and it is evidence that I can lose weight if I try. I had to remind him that I hadn't had a morsel of food in 2 weeks and that nobody can live like that! About a month after I had my 3rd child, my neighbor asked me how much longer until I had the baby. I had my baby in my arms when the jerk asked me! He apologized and thought it may have been my sisters baby. About 20 years ago, my neighbors 3 year old son asked me why I was so fat? I was mortified when his Mother didn't say anything to him for saying it. I was about 180 at the time. I didn't fault the child for saying it, but the Mother should have told him that wasn't very polite.

I used Dr. Collin Brathwaite for my surgery. His office is located in Patchogue and the surgery was done at Winthrop Hospital in Mineola. I could be wrong, but I thought one of his patients in my support group said that she was 16. I will give you their office number. It is 631-475-1900. All of my Doctors said they would recommend Dr. Brathwaite for the surgery. Every time I spoke of wanting the surgery to one of my Doctors, they said Dr. Brathwaite is the one. I know many people that have used him too. My surgery went great! Good luck sweetie.

I had my sleeve on June 11th. Are you taking 1/2 hour to eat your meals? I haven't had any issues at all with food. I was warned to eat very slow.

lol...oh my gosh! You are funny. I had my sleeve on June 11th and am down 45 pounds since my post-op weigh in on June 1st. My main concern was the excess skin. I know my insurance doesn't cover the cost of removing it. I am turning 45 in a few months and have young looking skin with no wrinkles. I am just praying this means my skin is elastic and will hold up well. When I went to a support group meeting, I brought this topic up. A woman in her 60's stood up and said I want to show you something. She took off her blazer, having just a tank top on. She swung those bat wings all over the place and said that she is keeping them and has grown to accept them. She had gone to a plastic surgeon to discuss having the excess skin removed. They told her that it would be about $8,000 and leave a thick scar from her wrists to her armpits. She decided that paying that much money to have an ugly scar left on her arms wasn't worth it. She told us that she now buys tops with Lycra in them because they hold it all in. If the choice was to have the bat wings or the weight, I am sure we would all embrace the bat wings.

I too get frustrated with the rate of my weight loss. I read other people stating that they lost as much as I have within the first month and I am two months post-op. I know in my heart of hearts that everyone is different. I also know that my thyroid problem is going to make my loss slower. My husband tells me to look at the whole picture. I am down 45 pounds since my pre-op weigh in at the Doctor. This is since June 1st. When is the lst time I have been able to say I lost 45 pounds in 2 months...NEVER! I need him to remind me of these things from time to time. FYI...I sometimes go a week or more without dropping a single ounce. As long as we follow the required diet, this has to work!

Protein is such a funny thing. It seems that everyone has preferences as to the brand. I spent a fortune trying to find the right one for me. I read a lot of people's posts and when possible, went and bought brands to try. The one I like the best is Muscle Milk Light in the chocolate flavor. It is thicker than some of the others, but it is called a "shake". To me, they are all sweet. At first, I didn't like Muscle Milk. After trying so many others, I realized that for me, the Muscle Milk worked the best. It has 150 calories and has 20 grams of protein. I tried the unflavored powder and It made my drink taste odd and have a grainy texture which disturbed me. I keep reading people mentioning the unjury. Maybe I just bought a less desirable powder. I think I may try the unflavored unjury. I try my best to get 60 grams of protein a day. There are days I have more and there are days I have less. I know for sure that I wasn't getting enough protein before my sleeve because I am not much of a meat eater.

Sorry, type-o. I am 8 weeks out of surgery.

I have to crush my pills for 4 months.

That is great! Best of luck to you!

My Surgeon orders a routine sonogram as part of the lab work prior to surgery. They told me that a Sonogram would detect a fatty liver. It was explained to me that the liver is a very fragile organ that bleeds easily. It is lifted and manipulated during the procedure and they need to know if it is fatty. Regardless, the liquid diet is to shrink the liver and make it as firm as possible for surgery for the safest procedure possible. This is why all of my Surgeon's patients remain on a 2 week liquid diet before surgery.

When I was at my one week post-op appointment, I got in trouble for having pureed Italian Wedding soup because of the pasta in it (my bad). The nurse suggested I eat tomato soup.

When I was doing the pre-op liquid diet, my boss said to me that I looked great and just proved that I could lose weight and I haven't had the surgery yet. He asked me to reconsider having the surgery. A few other people in my office agreed with him. I brought to their attention that I hadn't had a morsel of food for two weeks, only nutritional drinks, that is why I lost the weight. I obviously cannot continue to live my life without food! Then my boss says to me that I have been able to show such discipline with the liquid diet, I should postpone the surgery and try to apply that same discipline to healthier eating and exercise. I know he and my friends at work meant well, they really did. They just don't get it. If I could have done this, I would have done this over the last 20 years that I have had a weight problem. I feel I made the mistake of being completely open about my intentions to have surgery. At the end of the day, who cares what anyone else has to say. This is my body, my life!

I had terrible issues with the liquid diet before surgery. My stomach was so loud that you could hear it across the room. The sound was not that of hunger growles, but gas. I just apologized to the people around me and laughed with them. I also had the runs the entire two weeks of my pre-op liquid diet. I was actually nervous that I would lose my bowels on the operating table. After surgery, I was completely constipated for about a month. I am in my 6 weeks of post op and am getting less constipated. Sometimes, after I drink a protein shake, I need to make a run for the bathroom. I hate when I am at work and this happens. It is a very small office with the bathroom close to everyone.

I have so many surgery scars on my belly between this surgery, having my gallbladder removed and stretch marks from my pregnanices that I think a bikini is never happening for this gal no matter how skinny I get.

I was completely asleep and remember nothing beyond being wheeled into the room and having the staff welcome me. I would see if you could find another facility to have the procedure that allows you to be asleep.

I was sleeved on 6/11/12. My Doctor gave me a prescription for Prilosec to fill before I went in for the surgery so that it was at home waiting for me. He has all of his patients take it for 6 months after surgery. I never had reflux in my life, but I don't want to take chances, so I open the capsule everyday and add it to my crushed medications and I eat away with my yogurt or applesauce. By the way, my Doctor also says I have to crush pills for 4 months This makes me gag when I eat it.

I posted something about this the other day. The instructions from my Surgeon are that I am not allowed to swallow pills for 3-4 months after having surgery. I have to crush my pills. It seems like different Doctors have different things to say about this, but there has to be a reason my Doctor gave these orders. Maybe this is why. Maybe we can't break them down fast enough?

I had my surgery on June 11, 2012. I have been in a complete stall for over two weeks. Like you, I am doing everything right. I understand your frustration. I am listening to what other people have to say about it and it seems like we shouldn't panic. Just keep doing the right things and it will break. My husband is going to take my scale away from me if I don't stop weighing myself every day! Ask yourself, when is the last time you lost 32 pounds in a month? Your sleeve is fine. I am only down a little over 20 pounds since my surgery...

I attend a lot of support group meetings with my Doctors office. There are people there that have been banded, sleeved and received the bi-pass. There is no right surgery, it is what is best for you. I started out wanting the band. After a year of research and talking to people, I decided that it was too "iffy" for me as to whether or not it was going to work. If I was going to put myself through this, I wanted to be certain that I would get the results I was looking for. That is when I started talking about the other two options with my Surgeon. With the sleeve, you are having 85% of your stomach removed. The digestive system is fully intact and you digest food as you did before surgery. There are far fewer problems with food intolerance with the sleeve vs. the bi-pass. The bi-pass is not removing anything from your body. You are simply bi-passing part of your digestive system and you are only using a small portion of your stomach. The bi-pass usually results in a more rapid weight loss than the sleeve. According to my Surgeon, after a 5 year study, they seem to be equivalent to one another. The idea of having 85% of your stomach removed with the sleeve is a little scary for some. As someone who was sleeved on June 11, 2012, I am grateful that I chose this procedure for myself. When listening to some of the bi-pass patients discuss the hurdles they had to overcome, I am happy I will not have to deal with that. Then, you can find people that had the sleeve that aren't happy. That is why it has to be your decision! Good luck and do what you want, not what someone else thinks you should do. Take your time and read a lot. Go to support groups before you decide, to help you decide. Good luck!

Will I ever be allowed to eat popcorn? It is my favorite snack.

Greats decision to do the sleeve! I went to a support group meeting last night with my Surgeon and it seems like the lap-band patients had so many more issues. I was sleeved on June 11th and have had a very easy recovery. My weight loss has been a bit slower than I had hoped, but everyone sees the inches! Every day people are commenting on how good I look. I am down 20 pounds since my surgery. So, today is actually a month for me and down 20 pounds. When is the last time I was able to say I lost 20 pounds in a month? Best of luck to you and keep us informed. This site is a blessing.

My Surgeon doesn't allow me to swallow any type of pill for 4 months!! I take daily cholesterol, thyroid and reflux pills and have to crush them. I wonder why we are told such different things as far as time goes.

Congratulations! Each day you will feel better and better.

I was there for 2 days. I had a hernia repair and had adhesions removed from a previous surgery. I was looking forward to going home to get some rest!

I had the same problem for a few days. The truth is, we need to stop weighing ourselves everyday. All of a sudden, A pound and a half came off one morning. I wrote just a few days ago that I was upset with my weight loss. Then someone pointed out to me that I have actually lost a lot of weight since I started my journey. It doesn't matter what came off before or after surgery, it all counts. When I realized that I had surgery on June 11, 2012 and I am down 27 pounds since my final weigh in before surgery on June 1, I am thrilled. I am actually down 38 pounds since I signed my papers with the surgeon in November. I cannot tell you the last time I have lost 38 pounds. I needed to look at the whole picture. Now, I am continuing with the same positive attitude. This has to work!! This is why we did this! Good luck!