joatsaint

I was hurting like Hell for the 1st 7 or 8 days. But I think my pain was a combination of getting the hiccups (that stretched my staple line) and the 2 hour car ride home. The liquid pain meds made me gag so much I just stopped taking them. I didn't do much of anything other than try to find a comfortable position to relax during that time. But on day 9, I crossed some kind of turning point. The pain receded to a minimum and I was able to get out and drive. I went back to work feeling okay on day 11. No pain meds needed. I kept wearing the elastic belly support for the rest of the month, just to be safe. Here's to a new life. Keep moving forward, one step at a time. Make the right decisions, lean on the right people. Live for the right goal. I believe in you. Your time is now!

Thanks for sharing your channel. I'm sure it's going to be fun watching your adventure. But you should have posted a link to your channel - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCsbwKrQUOvipmDZZ5vU5rpQ/videos It took a bit of searching on Youtube to find the user name "Getting Sleeved?" Do you know how many videos have the word sleeved in them? (just kidding)

I had 5 incisions. The 4 small ones were glued. The largest incision was glued and had 2 stitches. My doc removed the stitches on my first monthly visit.

Just wondering, since you're a New Yorker, if your sleeve will have a Brooklyn accent? My Frankensleeve has a Southern growl when he's angry at me.

I'm 2 years out and I still feel the pain of one bite too many. I learned a long time ago how much I can safely hold at one meal, but there are times when I just want one more bite - and I pay for it! Frankensleeve doesn't like to be pushed to his limits. Live every day with purpose. Live every day according to your mission and your plan. Have a vision for what you want to accomplish, and act in congruence with it. Focus on what matters in YOUR life and never, ever, EVER give up on what is important to you. Stay strong.

I didn't try popcorn again until 6 months post-op. Up till then, I was eating so little that I couldn't justify the empty calories popcorn has. But I had no problem with it. I think the 1st time I ate it, I could only eat about 1/2 of a 100 calorie microwave pack. Now - 2 years later, however, I can eat a whole 100 cal pack, plus a little.

I am open all day Saturday, 8am - till 4pm, then I have an appointment. I'm busy all Sunday - I visit my parents.

For my 1st 6 months, I was limited to about 1/2 cup of food per meal. Almost everything upset Frankensleeve. It would take 30 minutes to finish my 1/2 cup. I tried to make the best of it, thinking of how much weight I was losing. And I tried to get into the habit of picking the most nutritious food I could get per bite - since I felt like I was eating so little. Make the most of this time, and when the Honeymoon period is over, all your good eating habits will be so automatic, you won't even have to think about food choices and how much to eat to stay on track.

It's all been worth it for me. I'd do it all over again in a New York minute (currently clocked at 32 seconds ). Here's my body shot showing off my loose skin - 2 years post-op.

I've never just come right out and told anyone - other than family. During my initial weight loss, when people would ask how I was losing the weight, I told them the truth - I had cut back on my eating and I was walking more. I didn't tell them HOW I managed to cut back on my eating! But anyone that directly asked me if I had WLS, I told them about it.

I think I figured it out. For me, if I feel my sleeve cramping or kinda gurgling, it's real hunger. Every other type of hunger is head hunger, boredom, habit, or just something to kill time.

At 3 weeks, my recommended calorie limit was 800 a day. 75% lean protein and 25% from vegetables.

My doc said to realistically expect to lose 140lbs long term. I was 375 and he expected me to get down to 235. I've lost and kept off 170 lbs for 2 years and don't see any reason I can't maintain this weight effortlessly.

It's only a set back, not a permanent situation. Keep taking small steps, they will all add up. Here's to a new life. Keep moving forward, one step at a time. Make the right decisions, lean on the right people. Live for the right goal. I believe in you. Your time is now!

Congrats on getting off to such a great start, even if it did involve catching the flu. I too am looking to get the flu, maybe I can drop these last 6 lbs. (just kidding ) Things will get better. You can do it. You can change. Move forward today, one small, but significant step at a time.

Good luck on your "adventure". If you have any questions, you can post them on the board or PM me. I'll be happy to share what I've learned these past 2 years post-op.

I had a sleep study. It was pretty simple. I had to stay the night twice. Once to determine if I had sleep apnea. The 2nd was to calibrate the CPAP machine. I had to stay the night at the facility - it was just an office that had 5 or 6 bedrooms. They were like hotel rooms with a bed, tv and shower/bathroom. I had to wear these tiny little sensors they glued to my scalp (no hair cutting involved! ), chest arms and legs. Each sensor had a little wire that ran back to a central box (about the size of a shoe box) that lay next to me on the bed. There was a camera monitoring my movements in my sleep. After they wired me up, I was left alone. I watched TV, read a little and went to sleep like normal. There was a buzzer to call for assistance if I needed help getting out of bed with all the wires. But I didn't have any problems with the wires or the sensors. The 2nd night (a couple of weeks later), I was wired up again and they put the CPAP machine on me. It was the best night of sleep I'd gotten in several years! I felt so good in the morning, I couldn't wait to start using my new CPAP daily. 10 months after VSG, I'd lost 130lbs and no longer needed the CPAP. ****Does Happy Dance****

Upper endoscopy, also known as EGD, is a pre-op test in which a thin scope with a light and camera at its tip is used to look inside the upper digestive tract. The doctor looks at your throat and stomach for anything that might need to be addressed before surgery can be scheduled or anything that might cause problems during surgery.

Hang in there, it will get better. I promise. Once I committed to surgery, I vowed I'd go through whatever it took to be successful. I knew there was no turning back once my stomach was gone. So I might as well make the most of it. I have had people try to encourage me to eat the wrong things. Telling me, "Oh, just this one time won't hurt you." And I tried politely to refuse - 6 times. After the 6th time, I just got up and walked away. They just don't understand. Unfortunately, so much of our family and social life revolves around food. Make the Right Decision, Right Now. Because when you do, you'll discover what I believe... That change IS possible at ANY age and in ALL areas of life and in under EVERY circumstance. No matter how bad you feel it is going today, no matter what obstacles lay before, you CAN overcome these struggles.

Thanks for keeping us up to date. I know stalls can be frustrating. But you are doing the right thing by recommitting to your exercise and diet plan. Hang in there, you can do it. Small steps, doing the right things, all add up. This is your time to shine.

Congrats, you're doing great! Here's to a new life. Keep moving forward, one step at a time. Make the right decisions, lean on the right people. Live for the right goal. I believe in you. Your time is now!

It really depends on the person and how well the surgery goes. Many people report they were up and moving immediately after surgery. I wasn't up to walking more than a few minutes at at time for the 1st 2 weeks. The 3rd week was much better, but I didn't have a lot of energy. How active do you expect to be during the family vacation? Do you plan on a lot of sitting or is it going to be a very active vacation?

Thanks for letting us know. I've not heard of the Jay Robb brand before.

I never told my office. I used my 2 weeks of vacation to slip out and come back without anyone knowing. I was back at work with no problems within that time frame. But I was prepared for the worst as well, and if I needed to, get my doctor to provide a recommendation to stay off work longer. But other than the doctor saying I was out for a medical procedure, he was not required to spell out specifically why I was off work.

One of the things I'm doing to train myself to eat less, is to count how many bites of food I need to feel full. It will vary depending on the food, but in general, 9 to 10 teaspoon size bites will fill me up. Now that I know that, I try to stop after 7 or 8 bites. It's sometimes difficult to not take that 9th bite when I still have food on my plate. But it's getting easier.