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Hey all!!!!! OCTOBER 23rd is the date!! Im 39 with a husband, 3 girls, and a busy job as a nurse. So excited about our journey, and cant wait to officially sit on that "Losers Bench".. Dr. Jawad is my surgeon, and I live in Orlando FL....

I just got my surgery date and it's for OCTOBER 2ND!!!! I'm so excited and this has been a very quick journey
7/13- Got the referral from my PC
7/17-Was approved for WLS
7/25-Met with surgeon and got a checklist of appts that I need
8/1- 1st NUT appt
8/2- metabolic testing appt
8/3-metabolic testing results
8/8- 2nd NUT appt.
8/9-wls seminar
8/12-psych appt (1/3 appts)
8/15- 3rd NUT appt (I get to meet with other wls patients)
8/18-2nd psych appt.
8/27-4th and final NUT appt pre surgery, it will be a 1 on 1 meeting.
8/25-3rd and final psych appt.
8/30-Final Clearance appt! I will get my surgery date and then the countdown begins
10/2-MY SURGERY DATE!!!!!! I'm so excited

I'm talking to my surgeon on Thursday and I'm pretty sure my surgery date will be mid-October

I'm talking to my surgeon on Thursday and I'm pretty sure my surgery date will be mid-October

What?? Talk about a therapist i wouldnt want to see! How defeatest is she?

I was worried about being honest until I read this post. I skipped straight to what I thought was the after pic (3rd pic) and I was like huh lol. Then I looke at the 1st pic and realized that more than likely the 1st pic was the after pic and you look FABULOUS! I think you will ultimately have to decide whether or not you want to keep going but you look AMAZING.

I did not have to do this twice, but I can understand your fear because I completely went through that. I was scared to death of surgery!! I almost walked out of the hospital the morning of surgery. I had to literally make myself put one foot in front of the other to go in. The funny thing was that afterward I realized it was so easy! They give you meds to make you calm when you get in there. One minute they are rolling you into the OR, then next they are waking you up to tell you are done and did great! All the things I feared or worried about were for nothing.
Okay, so now you are on day two of pre-op. Your shrink said there is nothing wrong with you mentally, so now it is just time to power through it. Here's what I did to help. I wrote down all the reasons I hated being fat. All the emotional tolls, all the practical things like having nothing that fits, etc., and all the scary health things that go with being overweight. It was a really long list. Then I wrote down all the things I was looking forward to being a healthier weight like keeping up with my kids, climing stairs, shopping in the regular stores, riding rollercoasters, etc. Also a very long list. Whenever I got scared or things got tough. I went back and read the list. It really helped keep me on track. Keep busy with other things during pre-op diet to keep your mind off food and your pending surgery. Go for walks, go do something fun with your husband, read a book, watch the Olympics, go to work etc. The first four days of pre-op diet are the hardest because your body is protesting the lack of sugar and carbs. Once those are out of your system, you stop craving them! Just keep reminding yourself that this is only a finite period of time. Once you have your surgery, you will no longer be hungry!!
It's going to be OKAY. You CAN DO THIS and YOU ARE WORTH IT! Hang in there and I will pray for you to successfully get through this and conquer your fears. Good luck and keep us posted.

Wow, no offense here but that is absolutely obsurd! Why would anyone want to take such a drastic measure (VSG) to get healthy just to start smoking? I have never heard of that, but I am completely shocked anyone would consider that.
Now, I do understand if you were a smoker before surgery and had a hard time breaking the addiction, but to just start smoking is sheer craziness in my opinion.
Just my 2 cents...

I'm sorry to hear that your insurance requires 6 month diet, that would suck so bad. My surgeon doesn't require the supervised diet because he believes that most people who seek wls do so as a last resort and they've mostly tried every single diet out there.

I can understand your concerns and wanting to be fully prepared prior to going in. I will start by saying everyone is different in how things go for them post surgery. Also anyone having problems is more likely to post on here in the early days reaching out for support, so it may seem that there are a lot of problems for people in the first few weeks post op.
My experience was pretty good. I was terrified of having surgery, but my need for getting to a healthy weight overrulled my fears. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy that part went. Roll in to room, asleep before I even realized what was happening, woke up and was surprised to be done. I was off pain meds by the following morning. The effects of anesthesia and the pain meds were ganging up to make me very nauseous so I stopped the meds and felt sore, but manageable. I was miserable, day two in the hospital. Just tired, bored, hated the bed, nauseous. When I got over my pity party and really started walking, I started to feel a lot better. By day three, I felt really good and was sent home. Sipping Water was really hard in the beginning. I just really had to focus on SIPPING and not trying to drink. broth helped, but I would have to reheat it constantly because it took so long to get down that it would get cold. Protein shakes suddenly tasted terrrible to me (but I like them again now) and were really hard for me to get down. I could only drink an ounce the first day and slowly built up to four ounces. I found that each day got a little better. For me, pain and nausea were not an issue, but getting in the liquids was a chore. By the end of two weeks I was really craving texture and flavor of food so was happy to get to pureed. By week four I could drink all eight ounces of a Protein shake, but it still takes me about 30 minutes. I could only eat a few small bites of food before I was full. I am eight weeks out now and feel great. Making sure that I get all my Protein and Water in is still a bit of a chore. It's really just a matter of planning well and executing the plan (both things I need to get better at) But the good news is that I have very few cravings. I have learned the signals of when I am full and when to stop. Sometimes, if something I am eating is really good, I am dissapointed that I had so little of it before I get full, but I get over it when I step on the scale and see the progress that I have made!
I hope this has helped a little. Like I said before, everyone's journey is different, but the common thread that I have seen on this forum from the veterean sleevers who are four months out and beyond is that most have seen incredible weight loss and are really happy they did it, despite some of the bumps and struggles along the way.

I can so relate to your anxiety. I have a 8yo, 5yo, and soon to be 10 month old. Thankfully my 2 oldest will be in full day school and that will allow me to rest but my doc said that he wants me up and moving after surgery. He doesn't want me to lay around because he fears blood clots. I do plan on taking his advice and staying active while listening to my body. My husband works about 12-13 hrs a day, 5 days a week so he wont be that much help but I'm just gonna do my best. Good luck

Looking back, even though I would absolutely HATE to do it again, I would, I gotta get back to living life and not just watching it pass me by...It's not all that bad, It just felt really weird, the nurse told me to move my arms and feet to ease the weirdness, it helped some. Just looking forward to the end result I know I saw a few newly sleeved folks out there, Keeping you in my prayers for a speedy recovery! God is able!

The only time my family knew exactly how much I weighed was on the day of my surgery...my auntie looked at the scale and a tear came down her face...and I just looked at her and asked her, do you now understand why this is important to me?? I need to save my life, and I was actually bigger than this 3 weeks ago....she was speechless...
I told her to tell my cousins to pray that the surgery goes well....when I woke up from surgery I had 25 text messages from friends and family to read...words of inspiration and prayers....I was in alot of pain but while I was reading those text messages I didnt feel any of it...
If you believe your family will support you, let them....you will be amazed how good it will feel...you dont have to go through this jounery alone...

I was wondering:
How many of you have heartburn? Was it only short-term or is it a case of being on a PPI for life? Rarely get heartburn and I take no PPI. Dr prescribed right after surgery, but have not taken any for 6-7 months.
Do any of you have dumping syndrome with the sleeve? (some research says it's possible)
No dumping issues. Sometimes when I eat certain things, it doesn't agree with my new stomach, but doesn't happen very often.
Have any of you had any complications out of the norm/ not easily resolved? No complications and I have lost 93 of my 100 lb goal.
IS anyone aware of any studies with Long-term efficacy of the sleeve (5+ years out?) No info on long term, but at 9 months out, I still can't eat a half a sandwich for lunch. I eat a lettuce, Tomato, and meat sand and throw the bread away. Wouldn't trade this for anything. Hope this helps.

Well buy enough for him too...what's the problem here??? You should want your family to adopt a healthy lifestyle, it will be easier for you to adjust...esspecially after surgery....one of the reasons why I like being single and have no kids, I dont have to worry about no one but myself....
So if someone comes in my house and touch my food, all bets will be off, and you may get cussed out...
One of the many reasons why I like being single....lol

I don't think I understand the problem. :-) He's eating food that's healthy and good for him, right? If he's eating yours instead of "his" regular food, just change over and buy double your stuff and let him eat--no need to waste money buying stuff if nobody's eating it!
At our house, the entire contents of our fridge have changed for the better. Your hubbie may be seeing how much better you're looking and feeling--you may have motivated his change to a healthier diet and lifestyle! Just adjust your shopping to reflect the change. I personally Celebrate every time I see my husband eating great food, healthy food--because I remember the days of gravy, extra piles of spaghetti, and a 330+-pound husband (my DH is a sleever, too!). No more, and I get to keep him with me longer!!

I'm not telling my inlaws. My MIL called me a fat arse a couple of days after I gave birth to her 1st grand child, I weighed about 180 lbs, size 12-14 pants. She has a very explosive temper and she's bipolar. She's been tall and skinny her whole life. I married her only child and I haven't talked to my MIL in years because she's so unpredictable with her temper. If my husband wants to tell his mom that I've had surgery, that's fine but I wont personally be doing that. OP it's up to you what you decide to do in the end but good luck in whatever you decide.

The idea is to find a way to eat like a normal person does. A balanced diet - nothing too high in any one thing.
That said, in the very beginning, lower carb and higher Protein is easier, simply because you do not have room for most of the carbs we normally eat.
This is not a diet. If it was, sticking to a crazy restrictive diet might make more sense because it wouldn't be long term. This is FOREVER. This is the rest of your life, and you have to be able to happily live with your choice.
Every person is different, so what your body can handle won't be the same as everyone else's. I started out super low carb and was still a slower loser. I started adding in more and more carbs and surprise, surprise - I didn't gain weight. I did gain energy and my mood was improved, however. Everyone is different.
Once you're totally healed, I think that 40% Protein, 30% fat and 30% carbs is a nice balance. It works for me. I'm happy, I'm maintaining and I'm satisfied. I do not feel deprived or resent the fact that I had surgery. I'm happy, I'm NORMAL. And my carbs come from a variety of sources - a mix of "good carbs" and "junk carbs" because for me, moderation is key. I eat what I want, in moderation. I'm sure it's part of why I'm happily well adjusted.
In the beginning, though, it's easier to focus on protein first. Don't seriously limit your carbs but don't fret about getting in a ton of them, either. It's hard to eat anything for the first few months.
As for hair loss, I didn't really notice much of a difference either way. Most of us experience it to some extent, regardless of our diets.
~Cheri

To all the comments who
Just say read other posts, I do read them, however sometimes it's easier just to ask my own question and btw if ur just going to put read the posts then feel free not to post on my post.

It seems that some people equate not wanting to tell as being ashamed. I honestly, believe in "NEED TO KNOW", like my husband needs to know, my MIL not so much. I am not ashamed or embarrassed. This has been 15 years in the decision making process. I don't feel like hearing peoples negative banter. I think we all know in our lives who needs to know. I just honestly believe in life not everyone is happy for you. That goes for anything. I don't feel like dealing with haters and/or pessimists.

I haven't had surgery yet I'm in the process but I told family and friends of my intent to have surgery ... When I do have it I think anyone who ask I'll to them because it bother me when ppl say diet and exercising high Protein low carbs is what they would tell some one .. It's misleading to a person we all have tried that and been unsuccessful and to have a person think that the way you loss weight with out extra help is unfair the person that's asking might need help ... But ppl that are just being kinda nosey I might or may not tell I don't kno I just think ppl will look at our result and think they could accomplish the same result on just those facts and it's unfair but it your choice to tell and that's just my opinion .. Good luck everyone

Wow...I was sleeved on July 2nd and this will most definitely make me follow the correct steps/

I have a 122 lb weight loss in a year to back up my claim that the surgery breaks your food addiction!

God I pray your right because I've been having a hard time controlling my food intake ever since they told me that I was approved for surgery.