Sleeve Goddess

I had my VSG done on 5/22, and so far the worst thing about my recovery has been the disappointment of eating. When I start to get hungry, I go back to my old habit of mentally making a list of all the things that sound delicious and crossing them off one by one until I come up with the one food I absolutely must have. Every time, without fail, I will gleefully eat that food and end up disappointed. My tummy starts up it's gurgling symphony and usually I feel a little sick or bloated. I think to myself, "Hmm, well that sort of sucked."

The good thing about this is that hopefully it'll break my habit of looking forward to eating like it's some sort of treat or chance to indulge. Now I need to learn to see eating as a way to fuel my body with the most efficient food that won't make me feel sick. I'm sure someday eating will be somewhat more enjoyable, but for now...it's a generally unpleasant task that just has to be done.

I couldnt agree with you more. It seems like everything I eat does not agree with me or my taste buds. I'm having the hardest time finding food to eat. Prior to getting sleeve the only meat that I ate was poultry and limited seafood however that does even agree with me.

I'm nausiated on and off throughout the day. The only joy I have is the taste of strawberries and cucumbers in my Water which I lace with lemon or either lime. (YUMMY)

That all sounds yummy.

You are such an inspiration. Keep up the good work.

From everything that I've read that sounds normal. You are averaging 12lbs a month which is assume. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing.

Nice.....but where are the before pictures? What was your starting weight? When did you have surgery ?

Gissell26 you look awesome. Have lost so much weight have you had a problem with loose/hanging skin?

It will get better. I experienced a lot of pain the first few days but and the swelling went down it got better.

We're all in this together.

I felt the same way and had to realize getting sleeved does not cure craving.

You should have filed a case with the EEOC. That would teach them a lesson!

I'm with her on this one and used the money to buy all new clothes.

I am afraid on how people will judge me. I am only 6 days in from having been sleeved and this is surely no easy way out.

If ur afraid to tell folks about ur sleeve then you probably shouldn't. Go with your first instinct and limit who u share your personal experience. We live in a extremely judgmental society and only those who love us will accept you and your decision.

I agree with the person on this thread that said " once you tell you can' t un- tell". Also depending who you tell a secret ain't a secret once you tell the wrong person.

I've never been one to swallow but this morning while performing oral on my husband I was gagging and extremely nauseous. I couldn't help thinking how embarrassed I would be if I vomitted on him.

Who knew getting sleeved would affect my life in so many ways.

Your date will be here before you know it. Good luck.

I sort of had this same issue. I started paying attention to how I swallow liquids and I had to change it up a bit. I take a sip of Water. Then before I swallow it, I actually get rid of any extra air in my mouth first, before I swallow. It is a night and day difference. Try it - get the liquid in your mouth, then blow extra air out of your nose first, then swallow. My burping has been reduced like 90% and hardly any gurgling. Took me over 2 weeks to figure it out!

Give it a try - hope it works for you. it's weird at first, but it's become 2nd nature to me now, so I don't even think about it

Thanks kchristian I'm trying it now as I've had a had time with getting my Water in.

I went through BCBS. The coordinator at my dr. Office was awesome. I'm in the DC area and they required a 3 month supervised weight loss. I had been attempting to lose weight through one of the diet program that offer phentremine/hgc prior to considering the sleeve. I contacted them for my records and was approved in less than a week.

I am starting to hate food. Nothing I can eat tastes that great! I made 2 recipes (ricotta bake and buffalo chicken) and they both made me sick. I think I am going back to full liquids for a few days. I can't believe this but the thought of any food right now makes me ill!

I'm with you 100%!!!! Solid foods have caused me so much discomfort that I rather not eat. I've wasted so much food it's ridiculous. I know I'm not getting eating enough Protein as I only eat select poultry and fish. Going back to those Protein shakes is not an option, I gag at the thought. I tried making smoothies and adding Protein powder but drinking through a straw causes air in my stomach which is painful.

Despite all the above I have no regrets just learning to adjust to life with a new stomach.

Good luck

Glad you made it through, are you in any pain?

K8ee thanks for posting the question I'm experiencing the same thing. I'm 4 weeks post op and have been stalled for the past 2 weeks. I'm nauseated all the time and never eat more than two spoonfuls before I'm done. Getting in 64oz of Water each day is hard for me. I recently started adding lemon to my Water as plain water hit the bottom of my stomach like a of bricks.

Just like others have said on this thread f I was on any of the other diets I would have quit by now. Breaking old habits and learning to adjust to my new stomach is a constant battle.

The psych appointment should be a breeze if you are mentally stable person. They want to assess that you can realistically handle the emotional issues that come with such procedure.

congrats thats awesome

Whether or not your insurance will cover your surgery will depend on the type of coverage you have with United Health Care. Give them a call I'm sure they will quickly put your mind at ease. Today is seems like most insurance companies are following the same rules.

Here is a link to one of their booklets about Bariatric Surgery. The key is finding out what type of coverage yo have.

https://www.unitedhealthcareonline.com/ccmcontent/ProviderII/UHC/en-US/Assets/ProviderStaticFiles/ProviderStaticFilesPdf/Tools%20and%20Resources/Policies%20and%20Protocols/Medical%20Policies/Medical%20Policies/Bariatric_Surgery.pdf

It really depends on the maker of the clothes. Some designers cut there close small and some cut them big. I'm definitely with you on this that a lose of 47lbs should net you more than one size down. Are these new clothes your wearing or is it something you already had?

I think its normal to be a little obsessive about a life altering event. I had been thinking about the lap band on and off for some years but since I wasn't morbidly obese I knew my insurance wouldn't cover the cost. By the end of 2012 I had developed several aliments that required constant doctor visit, testing and xray. Some of the medication I was taking caused me to gain weight, which affected me mentally. I start talking to my PCP about my weight and she mentioned that the requirements had changed for insurance to pay for weight loss surgery.

She referred me to Dr. Salamah and he thought I would be a good candidate for surgery because of other preexisting conditions. I saw him on April 1, 2013. His office has lots of experience with my insurance company so they gave me the run down on everything that I would need to get their approval.

The biggest roadblock for me was the 3mo nutritional visit. This sent me in a tailspin. There is no way I could wait until July for the surgery. My obsession was taking a toll on me and I begin to have problems sleeping. My PCP prescribed me some ambien to help me sleep.

Since I didn't meet the general insurance requirement of morbidly obese. I had to complete a 3 month supervised weight loss program and have a bmi of atleast 35 with a comorbidies. As I continued doing my researched I remember the local weight loss clinics that I had to help me lose weight. I spent at least a $1,000 buck over a six month period buying B12 injections HGC, and Phentrimine. I contacted the bariatric nurse and asked if the records from the weight loss center would be acceptable. She indicated it might be acceptable if they documented my weight, provided nutrition counseling, recorded by blood pressure among other things.

Next step was contacting the weight loss clinic and of course they were not happy with me requesting my medication records. They wouldn't accept the request over the phone or by fax. I had to come into the office and complete their form. To top it off I was told that it would take 30 days to receive the copies, which I would have to pay for out of pocket. Although this was a set back I continued on with the other requirement. Like the Psych evaluation and the 1st visit with the nutritionist. I got a call from the Wieght loss clinic about a week later on Friday at about 5:00pm while I was driving home. They informed me that they found my records and it would cost approx. $35 for the copies. I said fine when could I pick them up? I was there before they closed to pick up the records, which had all the information, needed.

First thing Monday morning I faxed them to the bariatric nurse. She call me back a few hours later to tell me that she had everything and she was going to submit to the insurance company and tentatively schedule my surgery for May 8. I was in shock I hadn’t even told my family what I was considering. For the first time in my life my semi- obsessive behavior paid off for me. I was officially sleeved on May 8, 2013. If I had to wait until July I’m sure I would have drove my doctor, his staff my family and friends crazy. My heart goes out everyone going through waiting phase right now. Once it’s done you will have no regrets

Wooohooo.....you are hott. Keep up the good work.

I was sleeved on Weds 5/8 and still have cravings. Since I must remain on the liquid diet for two more weeks than I can do anything about my craving for lobster and spaghetti. To kill my crave for ice cream i just take a Protein Shake and put in in a blender with ice. The sugar free popsicle are the best.