LilMissDiva Irene

I'm so sorry you are going through this! That's terrible. Have you tried CareCredit.com? I know I was approved in moments and they are pretty well known, I highly doubt they are close to shutting down shop. Good luck in your future endeavors! Please let us know how everything turns out.

***PLEASE NOTE*** Anyone reading this, please always consult your personal Surgeon before taking advice from anyone on this forum... That said... I asked this SPECIFIC question to Dr. Cirangle whom is one of the greatest sleeve surgeons out there right now, IMO. He replied and said, absolutely YES we CAN take NSAIDS once our Sleeves are fully healed, because we still have a completely functioning stomach. It is important to take them with food or milk to help coat our stomach however. BUT, it is NOT recommended for Lap Band or Gastric Bypass patients because of the tiny pouch they are left with. I completely trust him with his advice, again, he's one of the best in the World today. All that said, I completely 100% agree that one should use them with caution. But, that should be true for anyone, normal stomach or not. I certainly do not use them every day, but I have used them, and made sure I took them responsibly. Good luck with your research!

I cannot speak on behalf of any other surgeon except for Dr. Aceves. He IMO is the best!! Of course I'm bias, but whatever, that's ok. Hospital Almater is exceptionally clean, his staff is fabulous from start to finish and he himself is incredibly skilled. He made me a nice small and tight sleeve that I still am thankful for to this day 18 months later. If you have any specific questions please just ask! Good luck on your research!

And it just keeps getting better!!! Glad everything is going smooth for you!

Oh yes, I'm sure you will be able to again someday. It took me at least 6 months! But, I did get there and I can again chug water. Not as much as pre-sleeve but I can still do it if needed. Hang in there!

Hi rdoactv, I'm not 2 years out but I am 18 months post op today in fact. I didn't have either Dr you mentioned rather went to Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. Matter of fact I have 2 dear friends here who also had Dr. Aceves as well, and both are over 2 years out. Both are doing extremely well. You can find them by searching for them, *Susan* and OregonDaisy. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to help. I'm positive either of them would be happy to answer any questions you have too. Good luck!

Great news Helo-Tek! Keep jumping those hurdles, and you are right - having a lot to jump over will only make the time from here until your surgery date go really fast. Don't forget to be prepared for that day as well, since you might be preoccupied with all your appointments. Start looking for Protein supplements that you like too. Of course there's no guarantee you will like them post op but at least it should be tolerable until your taste buds get back to normal. All the best!!!

Prilosec is the only medication that I've found works for me, so here's hoping it will help! Take it as directed, about an hour before you eat/drink anything in the morning to give it some time to absorb. It takes at least a week before you notice any significant changes. *hugs* We'll do our best to try to help you figure this out. If it's not Prilosec then surely something else might help. But you have to at least give it the full 2 weeks to see if it does work. Some folks even need to do 2x per day.

Oh yeah, been there done that! LOL This is a great NSV!! Keep em comin''!!

YAYYYY CHERI!!!!!!!! OMG what a wonderful moment!!! I know you've been waiting on this and IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!!! Congrats my dear friend you sooo deserve this - you're an amazing strong fighter. Whoopp Whoopp - Cha Cha Cha!!! (My new dancing banana since we don't have them anymore... heehee )

4 AM is my normal workout time, its the evenings I struggle with, so we'll see how that goes!!

Once I was able to eat eggs, I've been hooked ever since. I eat them still nearly every single day. Yummyy!! Beans are great as well. Just take your time. If you need to take a time out and have a Protein shake. I know I substituted several meals a day at that stage with Protein shakes and got back to eating real food slowly.

Getting my Thread on because this is where I'm going to journal all my Thoughts and Daily updates as I go through that crazy workout routine AKA Shaun T's Insanity! Scared and Curious at the same time. I've already taken my Befores and I do plan to keep taking weekly photos. Should be fun!!! Not only do I want to see the Afters but the In-Betweens can be just as telling and motivating. It's nice to get an idea on how far you've come as well as how far you need to go. It sure helps when traveling more than a hundred miles, seeing the road signs along the way. 60 Miles to HOME. Looking forward to it all, and it will be nice to have a few of you reading along!!! Especially if any of you have ever given this routine any thought. Well, you will get second hand experience through my journal. So the routine begins Early AM Monday Morning. According to the Workout Calendar that is the day it says to start. It also calls to have Sundays off. Now, I'm used to taking Mondays off, but I really want and NEED to stick to the plan so I'll just go along with Sundays. Who knows, maybe I'll like them better. Anyhow, along with that routine I'm moving my "machines" to the evening hours. THAT'S gonna be tough!! But, I have to do it because I'm re-training for a 5K event in May. So here's how my weekly workout routine will look for the next 8-10 Weeks. Sunday: Off Monday: 4AM - Insanity! 4PM - 50 Minutes on the Treadmill; 30 Mins Light Toning Tuesday: 4AM - Insanity! 4PM - 20 Mins Stationary Bike; 30 Minutes Elliptical Wednesday: 4AM - Insanity! 4PM - 50 Minutes on the Treadmill; 30 Mins Light Toning Thursday: 4AM - Insanity! 4PM - 20 Mins Stationary Bike; 30 Minutes Elliptical Friday: 4AM - Insanity! 4PM - 50 Minutes on the Treadmill; 30 Mins Light Toning Saturday: 4AM - Insanity! 4PM - 20 Mins Stationary Bike; 30 Minutes Elliptical Am I crazy? Probably... but this is what my life's going to look like for the rest of March through May!! Bring it!!

Great! You will hit all these goals and so many more you never even thought about. CONGRATS on your new Sleevie!!

Hi Lyra It's normal to worry that things won't run smoothly up to your surgery. It's ok, and even if it doesn't never lose that excitement you're feeling right now! It will happen and you will be sitting over here on the losers bench with all us skinnies. I'd like to make a suggestion though... *do NOT* get rid of your favorite outfit in your largest size. Save at least that one. You will be completely amazed as you lose weight, and in those times when the scale is being a stubborn mule, you can pull them out and put them on. I cannot tell you how much this makes the scale melt in comparison.

Hello fit, prayers and well wishes for your surgery tomorrow!! I hope all is going well with your liquids today! It's tough... but always remember, you are more tough. *hugs*

Hi Angie! Hey, aren't we human? I'm *still* working on perfecting me, but guess what - that's never going to happen. All I can do is keep chipping away, and getting the VSG is only the first step. And, you are still early out so yes, the weight loss is going to happen no matter what or how much you eat. Just know that it does get harder the longer you're out. I speak from experience, and though I'm not trying to lose weight per-se, keeping it off is not all that easy. It IS easier than before my sleeve, but again it does take a lot of diligence on my part. I can see that if I didn't watch myself I really could gain my weight back. Like you, THANK GOODNESS for workouts!!!

Hey ChaCha! Hang in there! All of this will be so worth it. It sounds to me like you're doing really well and for that I'm so happy for you. *hugs*

Hi Randy, I just wanted to welcome you to VST! I hope you will find a sleeve buddy. Take good care, and cheers on your upcoming surgery!

Good! I honestly don't know how many times I've stressed this to others myself... There is so much more to the journey than that little scale... so very much more.

I would only consider that it is the Ocean and you would need to use your abdominal muscles to balance yourself. Other than that a quick dip shouldn't be a big deal. Just be very careful! Since the Nurse said your incisions are fine.. again just the balancing yourself from the moving currents might be a bit strenuous and you may want to take that into consideration.

Great news Sasicas, I wish you the very very best!! Please be sure to share your photos on here! I'm starting to get really interested in the idea of skin removal. It won't be for a long time, but there's nothing like planning ahead.

Heya Georgia, It took me at least that much time before I started getting my normal energy back post surgery. Some of us get this insane fatigue after surgery, and I was one of them. I think what changed was I bumped up my Water, Protein and started working out longer and more intense. It did help a lot I think, as well as ensuring I was getting all my supplements daily, especially my Iron, Vitamin D3, Multi-Vitamins plus Minerals, and B-12. As far as the gurgling... well I still get it this far out.. 18 months post op. I don't know how to get rid of it, I just live with it now.

Ewweee liquid meat? Gross! Thanks for the inside info. I won't be clearing those out.. ha!

Well what a wonderful Birthday gift for you. Yayy!! Cheers to new beginnings.