Izuri

All my weight sat in my hips and butt so I was always jealous of all you who could be 260+ still in 20's! I think I was in 24's at 260. I was in 22's around 230's. Now at 320's I am in 28's, can't waitttt to get back to 20's but I know it's still pretty far =p

I haven't been banded. Never had reflux per-surgery, haven't had any post-surgery so far either. My doctor does have me on Prevacid solutabs for at least a month as precaution. I've heard both ways about reflux.

Welcome to VST! I'm sorry to hear that you've shared so many of the difficult experiences many of us have had, but I'm glad to hear that it sounds like things are working out for you now =) Keep us updated on your progress. And good job sticking in there even through insurance pulling a fast one on you - that must have been incredibly frustrating!

What a trial! I'm so sorry that this happened to you, but I'm glad you made it through the procedure. Hang in there, it will get better. Praying for a quick recovery for ya.

What a deal! Now I wanna try one..haha

It sounds like gas possibly to me. I would probably mention it to my doctor. I know sometimes I'll get gas pain under my shoulder blades. I use gas-x, get up and move a lot, and sometimes raising my hands above my head (A suggestion I got from another sleever here) helps the gas move up and out.

Finally here yay! Sending good healing vibes your way =) Let us know how it goes

You could tell your boss that you are having surgery, but you do not feel comfortable talking about the type of surgery that you're going to be having. Or that when you're ready to tell her you will. Or just tell her you have a medical procedure scheduled and need time off. Or just put in for the paid time off. There are a lot of options. You don't have to feel like you're backed into a corner and have to tell her. If you want to though, that works too =)

I assume it's all the gas/not having much food intake. I sure hope it stops or at least decreases a little before I go back to work =p

Hello =) Had my sleeve done the same day as you. How are you feelin?

The only bowel prep my surgeon made me do was 2 dulcolax tablets at 10am the day before surgery. I went quite a few times, but it wasn't bad or anything.

I feel your pain! I'm on full liquids and still having the same issue. My intestines are grumbling at me a lot too. Can't wait to get to the next phase and over this!

Hey startingover, have you hit the other side of that stall yet? Hope it's finally caved in and given you some pounds =)

Thanks for posting this. I'm on full liquids still and although I have to eat slow and feel satisfied, there hasn't been a distinct 'full' feeling I've heard others talking about. I'm glad to hear I will have it when I move on to other foods.

It's neat that they can do it through 1 incision now. My surgeon didn't offer that to me. I have six incisions (had a hernia repaired at the same time as vsg) and they're all small enough that there is only one (The one they pulled the stomach out through) that I think will be much of a scar. It doesn't bug me at all. I have quite a few stretch marks on my stomach anyway. A couple tiny scars are nothin compared to those =p

Your dad is a very strong person to have gone through that and come out on the other side still standing. I'm sure it was beyond difficult. I'm so glad to hear that he's doing better now. I bet he can't wait to start some soft foods! =)

Thanks for the resources! I know I am completely guilty of eating at both the television and the computer. Hard habits to break!

I had my surgery early in the morning. I arrived at 6am and we turned in the durable power of attorney they'd given us and then waited for a bit. After about 15 minutes they called me back for blood work (My surgeon does pregnancy tests on all females of childbearing age on the day of surgery), which took maybe 5 minutes. Then they called me up for pre-op prepping and there they made me change into the gown with surgical cap and booties. I then laid down and they took my vitals, gave me a shot of Lovenox (Blood thinner), and asked me some more questions, basically just reaffirming that I had followed the pre-op diet the day before, that I hadn't been smoking or drinking or anything that would change whether they were ok doing surgery. Then they let my family come up to sit with me and answered any questions they had. The surgeon then came in and talked with me, had me sign a couple consent forms, made sure I understood the risks. The anesthesiologist then came in, asked about any family history with anesthesia reactions, and asked if we had any questions. Once that was done they gave me something to 'calm me down' so probably just a sedative and took me off to the operating room. When I arrived in the operating room they had me help get myself on to the table and get situated and asked if I was comfortable. I needed a roll for under my back and that's the last thing I really remember because they put the gas on my face and I was out. When I came to I was in the recovery room with two nurses talking about my vitals and I felt like it was difficult to breathe. They tried to explain to me that my oxygen saturation was at 100% and I was breathing fine, that it was just the CO2 from the surgery that was making it feel difficult. Apparently, I didn't believe them and kept trying to move myself up/kind of sit myself up in bed, but thankfully after a few minutes of them trying to get me to lay back and me telling them how nice they were, a person came to move me to my room. Once I was in my hospital room my family was able to come see me. They let me sit up and explained the pain pump to me. I am pretty sure I fell asleep pretty quick. During the first four hours or so they got me up walking and had me do breathing exercises every hour or two. A lot of the time was spent sleeping. Overall, it was much less stressful than I thought it was going to be. I'd spent the whole week on high anxiety and it was really over in a flash.

You're down 14 pounds! That's awesome =) I doubt your surgeon will have any issue, it does sound like you've lost quite a bit already. I just realized too as I was typing this that today is the 30th, so today is surgery! Yay! Let us know how things go.

((((((HUG))))) I just wanted to send some support your way. I'm sorry you're in pain =( Got you in my thoughts/prayers. I hope they figure it out quick!

It will go by so fast! You'll blink and it will be here =p I found it helpful to keep busy. When I wasn't busy with work I was either posting on here or keeping myself doing projects around home. Cleaned the entire house. Did all the laundry. Got in some light exercise, caught up on some tv shows. Anything I could do to keep my mind off the surgery. By the time it was the night before surgery I was so beat from everything and just having clear liquids that I about passed out and it was surgery day before I knew it.

Thank you for making this thread! I have always struggled with getting in protein. I will definitely be coming back to this when I move to puree/regular foods =)

Insurance: It really depends on which BCBS plan you have. BCBS federal does not have a high BMI override for the requirements. BCBS of MI will override the months of supervised dieting if your BMI is above 50. Some plans require comorbidities depending on your BMI, some require numerous health tests/visits. The best thing to do in this aspect would be to call the number on the back of your insurance card and have them read out for your requirement by requirement what they need for you BMI (You can calculate your BMI here: http://www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi/ ). I found it helpful to write down who I talked to and repeat the requirements back to them to make sure I had both documentation and a clear understanding. Boobs: Unfortunately on this one anyone's guess would be about as accurate as one of those magic 8 balls. Some people are lucky and retain their figure, some aren't. I'm worried about this same thing, but I suppose worst case scenario in a couple years I can save up and have a boob job. I'd still rather have loose skin/boobs than wear a size 28 pants. You'll still be able to get a good guy with your slammin figure after! Time from start to surgery: There is no specific amount of time from start to finish. For me the whole process took about a month and a half or so, but I have heard of people having to take up to 9 months or a year. I was on a clock because my insurance was changing at the end of the month. Because of my BMI the required months of supervised dieting was waived. So this depends mostly on your insurance company and what requirements your surgeon has. You may need additional NUT visits, psych visits, or tests like cardiac stress test, etc. Finding a surgeon: I found my surgeon on Google too. I looked up bariatric surgeons in Michigan. Then once I found some I looked up a bunch of patient reviews. I know there's a way to look up doctors on here, but I can't remember how. Another option is you could call your insurance company and ask them to tell you which doctors are 'in network' for the surgery in your area. That way you know you're picking one your insurance accepts (Although making sure that they accept/bill insurance is another matter) and you'll find one in your area. Taking time off: I've seen a lot of variation on this. I told my work I was going to need 4 weeks post-op off and that I would call them if I felt good enough to come in any sooner. I was lucky enough that they would do this (I only work part time) plus I'm a full time student and I wanted to make sure I would have adequate recovery time before school starts in september. My doctor's office told me that they recommend 4-6 weeks off, but have heard of people taking 8 weeks (I think at that point I'd be going stir crazy!). However, I have read posts from people on here saying they have gone back in 1-2 weeks. I think it really depends on how well your body recovers, which is individual, and how difficult your job is (Standing vs Sitting, etc). One thing that cannot be compromised is you need to allow yourself whatever number of weeks your doctor recommends before lifting. You do not want to give yourself a hernia or cause any issues. This is usually 4-6 weeks, or longer if the procedure is open vs laproscopic. Goal Weight: I know what you mean about your goal weight being much lower than you can see yourself. This is between you and your physician. Usually a goal is picked in the area of normal BMI. For my height that's about 150lbs. I haven't been that low since I was probably in middle school. So for me, my long term goal is set at 180, and somewhere along the way when I am closer, I will reassess what I think is a reasonable goal weight for me. 150 might seem too low now, but once I get to 180 I might feel differently. No one says your goal weight is set in stone. Lastly, welcome =) I hope that everything goes well for you. Keep us updated as you continue your journey!

Good luck today, hope everything is going well!

Woohoo! Good luck! I'm sure it will go awesome =)