Izuri

I had surgery in the morning and was discharged the afternoon/evening of the next day. Was at the clinic maybe 36 hours or less. I wouldn't have been able to go home the same day, I was up and walking but still pretty out of it.

Look at the difference in those side pics! You have really lost a lot and you're looking great!

So my stall finally broke itself - Those of you who said it would just break on its own - 100% right. I did try stuff to get out of it, and it taught me a good lesson, my body controls itself sometimes - not me. I am glad that I vented on here though. I will be glad when I'm farther along that I can look back (especially when I hit another stall) and prove to myself that even though it was hard and I was upset, I got through it. And my body went through a period of readjusting. You know, it's really easy to say that your body is readjusting to other people - but it can be difficult when it's you that's going through it, even if you keep telling yourself it rationally. Add in hormone fluctuations and you get frustration, upset, etc. I think that's natural. I researched a ton before this procedure and knew I'd stall and it was still hard for me when it hit. So much for being level headed and prepared! With the end of my stall also has come a decrease in my mood fluctuations, which is another clue to me that it's related to hormones. My period started, my weight started dropping again, and I'm finally a little more rational again. My 26s fit okay most days. They're a little tight, but I've been measuring weekly and I'm seeing the numbers come down, so I know it's just a matter of time before I'm fully into them. I'm really looking forward to getting to wear them at school. I pulled a bunch of clothes I'd had packed up in my basement and the majority of them I will be able to wear in the next couple months. It's very exciting. My eating has been going well. I have stayed on plan and the only thing I'm having any trouble with is making sure I'm getting in my water at work. Funny enough it's easier for me to get a snack in at work than water, which is backwards from pre-op. All of my coworkers have been very supportive - They have been volunteering to take out the trash and whatnot when I work the late shift because they know I can't. One of my coworkers I was with my first day back made sure all the night work was done for me, which I was super appreciative of. She's awesome. I am a little anxious about school, but also excited. I can't wait to see my classmates. They all went out on Saturday night but my sleeve and I were having a disagreement, so I decided to stay home. I know a couple of my classmates that I'm closer with are a little bummed, so I'll have to make a point to come up with a group outing sometime soon. I chatting on the webcam with my ex the other day and he told me that he can really tell the difference in my face/upper body now. That felt nice to hear. I have been having quite a few NSVs lately. I think I might open a word document and make myself a list, so I never forget what this life changing event has given me. Mostly I just wanted to make this post because I can tend to write in blogs when I need to rant, but I want to document my happy times too. Through our good and bad times, my sleeve has become my best buddy. Now I just need to think of a name for it....=p

I know you've taken it already, but if it happens again I would just wait until the next day. Some of the vitamins are water soluble, like B12, but some are not, they are fat soluble. Water soluble vitamins will be excreted from your body if you take too much, fat soluble aren't. Fat soluble vitamins: A, D, E, and K can build up in your body and it's possible to overdose on them. It's just one multivitamin so you'll be fine, but just for the future/if you're curious: http://www.medicinen...rticlekey=10736

Woohoo! Tomorrow is the big day finally for you. I was super anxious the week leading up to my surgery. I had a million scenarios running through my head of what could happen, but everything went well. Many sleevers on the board have been at your weight and some even higher and are doing wonderfully. You will do great. I'll keep you in my thoughts and I wish you a swift recovery! =)

Woohoo!!! You have officially joined the century club =) Congratulations!!!

Yay!!! Congrats on hitting onederland =)

Let us know how it goes. I hope you feel better soon.

You look amazing =) It's really incredible how quickly these changes happen. Congratulations on onederland! I can't wait to join you there.

A size healthy, that's a great phrase. I'm excited for you, these three weeks will zip by!

I understand that the doctor's office will contact the insurance, but I would definitely get it from them myself. I have heard stories of office's missing a requirement or not communicating it effectively. By calling the insurance directly, you will be able to ask any questions to clarify exactly what they mean. Some insurances are not picky, but boy there are some that you need the letters sent in to be exact wording that they want. This just avoids any possibility of miscommunication. A couple weeks ago I read a thread where the doctor's office hadn't told a patient that she needed 6 months of supervised diet, but she didn't find out and couple have had a month or two already done when she did. I would be super frustrated if that happened to me.

...You take one bite of something you've been craving and then stop instead of inhaling the rest ...You look for ways to put protein into everything you eat (Molten lava cake with chocolate protein powder =p) ...You want to try on all your clothes every week to see if they suddenly fit ...You feel like you've made the ultimate concoction when you mix two protein filled items into something you can actually get down (A smoothie with yogurt AND protein powder?!) ...You almost pass by the posts labelled TMI and realize you should probably look at it because you're most likely having the same issue ...You can't sleep on your side because it feels like your stomach is hanging and anyone you tell that to looks at you like you just spoke nonsense ...Your stomach is more talkative than you are ...You have suddenly decided you need to name your stomach, despite having it for your whole life =)

I was talking about this with my mom yesterday, she said I should name mine "Tiny" or "Slim" which both kinda made me laugh. I have not decided on a name, but I do kinda like Slim =p I'll think on it some more and look through this thread as it grows.

That's really sweet of her to be trying even though she may not really be sure how to help =)

I love underhunder! I sat here this morning looking at this thread like I wish I could come up with anything?? And you guys came up with a great one! Here's to making internet lingo history =p

I'm about 5 and a half weeks out and I eat a wide variety of things. I'm on soft foods now until 3 month appointment. I have had: meatloaf (ground turkey), sloppy joes (ground beef), caprese salad (cutting off skins/seeds of tomato, leaving off basil), baked salmon, tilapia, cottage cheese, canned chicken (cause it's softer) mixed w/ pizza sauce with ff mozzarella on top to soothe my pizza craving - didn't work but still was tasty, string cheese, mushy/very soft veggies, a lot of soups - usually i add Beans and cook until really soft to add some Protein, still on a lot of Protein shakes, I've tried a couple different types of fruit, like bananas - stuff without any kind of skin, cream of wheat, many types of cheese, cooked chicken in crockpot w/salsa until soft then shredded and added a little guacamole/salsa/cheese, stew w/soft beef - took out potatoes, I think in the next week or so I'll make some spicy lentil dahl which I loved pre-op, tuna fish salad - great if you add just a little tomato and avocado, egg salad, scrambled eggs, yogurt.... That's all I can think of off the top of my head. I try and have something different most days because if I eat the same my body likes to get into a routine. Once it's in that routine it likes to stall, and those can be hard to break. Have had that problem other times trying to lose weight. Hope that helps!

If I could go back to my 21 year old self and tell her to get the sleeve, I would. Absolutely, hands down. BUT I would give myself these tips: 1. Call the insurance company directly. As one person said - different policies under the same insurance company can be very different. Some do not even cover WLS even though UHC in general does. Though people on here are super helpful and you may find that the online guideline is correct, they can be very picky about wording. The best option is hearing it straight from an insurance representative's mouth. Record their name and all the information they give you every time you call. Keep it in a file for if you need to call and reference it later. Follow their directions to a T, your approval will hopefully be much less stressful this way. 2. Find a solid support system. Do you live at home/with a roommate you're comfortable with? Do you have someone able to help you? Even at 25, it had rough days where I really appreciated the help. Not to mention you are young and your hormones are probably going crazy anyway - this is going to make that even worse. Having a shoulder to lean on is irreplaceable. 3. Get used to the diet pre-op. I think this would have been a huge struggle for me when I was younger. I had far less self control than I do now, and I think having a period of time pre-surgery where I was going through the diet to understand the phases would be helpful in creating structure. This includes being able to resist alcohol/other peer pressure stuff. You might have a better backbone than me, but it would have been hard for me to not drink for quite a while when my friends went out. I think if you just make sure you are 100% sure what you're getting yourself into - go for it! Enjoy being young while you're young =) I hope everything works out well for you! Let us know how it goes.

I am 5 weeks post op. First day was around a 7 when pain meds started wearing off. Next few days maybe a 5 or so. It tapered slowly - but it's very easy to irritate your left side by stretching the wrong way or moving too fast - at least it was for me, and believe me I would try my best not to hurt it! Nowadays my side around my incision hurts once in a while, but it's more like a 3. Not too bad!

It's hard for me to see any difference too, despite having people say there is one. BUT I can see the difference in your photos =) You really can tell. I used to have a pair of pictures like the jean cargos that you have and omg they were my favorite pants for like 5 years....so if you have any idea where you got them so I take a look into them I would be forever grateful. Keep up the great work!

Anytime my stomach does something weird, that's when I'm full. Things it's varied between: hiccups, feeling of pressure under/on my diaphragm, burp, feeling like something is stuck in my esophagus, feeling like one more bite will just sit there, stomach starting to make weird gurgly noises, being aware of/feeling my sleeve, or when I get through my measured portion =p I wish it was the same every time, but it isn't. I've gotten much better at recognizing it, and I try not to eat until that point.

Splurge!!!! Have fun and you should post some progress pics - almost 100 pounds, that's really incredible =) I hope I can join you in the century club someday!

Ashlee, I'm glad to hear that you're doing better. You are really incredible and you have an amazing attitude. I feel like I'd be a bumbling mess, but you seem to take it in stride with your head up. It's incredible how strong you are. I think you've done your share of being sick for a lifetime, so hopefully you will have stellar health once you finally get through this. I've got you in my thoughts, and I hope you continue to recover (I've got my fingers crossed for no more surprises unless they're good ones!)

I would suggest a restart. Diva has a great sleeve reset program if you look through her posts (I'm not sure exactly what she called it - but it was pretty much back to basics). - Go back to the beginning, progress through liquids - Log EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth - Myfitnesspal is a great resource for this - Make sure you know what your calorie/carb/protein goal is from your NUT - Get back into exercising - this one it sounds like you're doing already - Give yourself motivation - put up some pictures of the changes you've made before and during to motivate you - Figure out your hardest time of day and make small goals to get healthier foods in at those times - Prepare foods ahead of time and maybe plan meals ahead of time - for me things go better if I know what I'm supposed to be doing rather than figuring it out on the fly You can do it! You have already lost 72 pounds, which is great =) Don't give up.

Depends on what medication you are on. Prevacid and omeprazole are both delayed release capsules that you would not want to open unless you are following the medication insert guidelines (I am pretty sure prevacid capsules can be opened and mixed with things, BUT I would never do that without talking to the pharmacist first). There are not a lot of PPIs that come in liquid form. Prevacid does, however, come in a solutab that dissolves in your mouth, which you might consider talking to your doctor about if you are unsure.

Congratulations!!! The century club...that's amazing! Every WL board I've been on it's been twoterville for the 200s. You should hold your head high - look at that beautiful lady - in BOTH pictures. She is confident and happy and can take whatever life is gonna throw at her. And in your current pictures, look how much you are respecting your body. You should not feel guilty about making mistakes, you should be proud that you have had the strength and courage to take on this incredibly difficult journey and be coming out on top. You are awesome, no doubt about it. =) I can't wait to continue to see your progress.