MidwestGirl

I kind of know how you feel. My brother, sister-in-law, and a few friends are "supportive" but think it's a mistake for me to have surgery. We just don't really talk about it. Luckily I also have people who DO support me and I am scheduled to have my sleeve done 4 hours from now! :thumbup: I agree with Tiffy, it's about YOU and your health and your life & if your friend can't understand that, then she obviously has issues of her own that she needs to work out.

As for her remark about you needing to see a psychiatrist, yes it's an emotional journey as well, but my bariatric clinic provides a psych eval as one of the qualifications for surgery, and though I'm sure that varies, I think any really good program should include that as a part of the program because it's just as important. I am (was) an emotional eater as well so I understand that part! It's just something ya gotta think past. :biggrin0:

Welcome! You can find tons of info here & lots of support as well. Good luck on your journey! :thumbup:

Woot! Congrats on your consultation date! Hope to hear from you soon what you find out! :thumbup:

I know you're really struggling with the pre-op now, but just think! Three more days and then it will have all been worth it! I know you will do just awesome and someday soon when you're down 30 or 40 or 50 pounds, you'll look back on these two weeks as just a little bump in the road on your journey toward a healthier you! You can do it, sister! :crying: Hang in there!

And by the way, those Protein drinks Tiffy suggested (the Gold Standard 100% Whey) are not too bad. The caramel toffee fudge & rocky road have been the best so far, to my tastes anyway.

I'm so excited for you MidwestGirl! January 4 is just a few days away!!! Please...keep us posted.

A good friend and I are going to be sleeved on January 27. Yes...we are traveling together and having surgery the same day. We have a colleague who was sleeved in Feburary 2009 and has been very successful. She is already at goal (I believe she reached goal in September/October) and is absolutely LOVING LIFE!!! She has no regrets and is an awesome support.

Again...I am SO EXCITED for you! YEAH!!!!

:laugh0:

Thanks! I can't believe how quickly it's gone! 3 more days! Congrats on your date as well! I think there are quite a few of us for January. Gonna be a good start to the new year! :thumbup:

Congratulations! And a happy new year to you and your sleeve! :wink0: Can't wait til I can join you in saying that!

Once I get past the 4 weeks of crushing pills I will take calcium citrate, a Multivitamin (haven't picked one yet), an Iron pill, and B12.< /p>

I ordered the sample pack Tiffy suggested & got them today. So far I've tried the caramel toffee fudge. I'm not even a huge fan of caramel, but it's so yummy!

Wow! That is awesome! Congratulations & nice job working your sleeve. :thumbup:

Congrats on getting your date! It will come sooner than you know! :biggrin0:

Good luck, folks! Sending happy thoughts for quick recoveries to you all! I'll join you on the other side next week. :biggrin0:

Congratulations Tiffykins! You are indeed an inspiration! :biggrin0:

Good luck today! Sending happy thoughts and cyber hugs your way! :biggrin0:

January is almost here!!! :biggrin0: Yey! Who else is gettin' sleeved in January? *Raises hand*

Thin, Fab, and Wing, sending good thoughts your way!!! :thumbup: Can't wait to hear about how you're doing!

Ok, so I just found the sheet my dietitian gave me listing some ways to use the Protein mix without making a regular shake including adding unflavored Protein (there's a brand called powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury but I haven't tried it) with instructions for protein pudding, jell-o, Soup, yogurt.

You can also make a "dreamsicle" by mixing a vanilla protein w/ sugar-free tang or dlat diet orange soda. Protein colada by mixing vanilla protein mix w/ 2 drops of imitation pineapple extract + 2 drops imitation coconut extract. Root beer float by mixing vanilla w/ flat diet root beer.

Let me know if you want the "recipes" for the pudding/jell-o/soup/yogurt. I'm too lazy to type them up at the moment but they're pretty straightforward if you'd like them! :biggrin0:

I've been drinking the nectar & some of them are very very sweet. But I think my favorite is the strawberry kiwi - if you mix it with Water it tastes like liquid Jello. It doesn't have the weird smell & texture of some of the other Nectar shakes. Does your bariatric office have any Protein samples you can get? Mine gave me free samples of a variety of different Nectar shakes & a Matrix Cookies & cream shake. That's a good way to go if they're available because then you can try 'em before you buy 'em. :biggrin0: I'm with you, though. I've been doing 3 4oz. shakes a day for almost a week now for my pre-op & that Nectar chocolate Truffle that once tasted like chocolate milk is now getting...bleh . I just ordered the sample pack Tiffy recommended too, so hopefully those will be better! :blushing: Keep plugging away and soon we'll be sleeved, sleeve sister! :thumbup:

Hi Gwyn,

I'm having surgery at Genesis Medical Center in Davenport, Iowa, with Dr. Christophersen. I can't believe it's 9 days away! We're coming up soon. :thumbup:

Thanks all. :biggrin0: Thin, your surgery is in TWO days! Woot! Can't wait to hear back on how you're doing. :thumbup: I'm getting ever closer...it's creeping up.

This is turning out to be the best holiday season EVER! My boyfriend (now fiance hehe) proposed last Thursday, also the last day I met with my surgeon pre-op. My surgery date is Jan. 4th, and now our (tentative) wedding date is August 19th, 2011. Now I have twice as much motivation to get those pounds off. I want to be able to get whichever wedding dress I want & not have to worry about finding the plus size shops. Though I'm not looking forward to leaving my new engagement ring at home during surgery...lol! :thumbup:

Happy holidays to me! :001_tt2: And happy holidays to all of you as well! And good luck to all of my other near surgery date buddies! Our day is coming soon! :lol0:

I hope you get that call soon, girl! You've been doing amazing! :thumbup:

Good luck tomorrow! You'll do great! :thumbup:

I'm not sure on the more leaks thing, but my surgeon told me I needed to quit smoking a least 8 weeks before surgery or they wouldn't operate. I've smoked for 5 years & quit cold turkey on August 23rd of this year. :001_tongue:

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy | VSG | Weight Loss Surgery | Mexico | Ready4Achange

Says smoking following surgery can cause serious complications. Not sure how valid the site is or what the complications would be...

Vertical sleeve gastrectomy - MMCI

This one also says cigarette smoking means a slower recovery & can cause complications. Anyway, his reasoning for me to quit smoking (besides that it's bad lol) is that healing can take longer afterwards for non-smokers. Not sure why this is.

Hi there!

I actually had my EKG quite early in the process because during my visit with the nurse, she noticed I had an irregular heartbeat. So I saw my general physician for my annual appointment & got an EKG as well. She freaked out when she saw the results (and freaked me out too) and got me into the cardiologist for the NEXT day. She also told me there was no way I would get to have the surgery. At this point I was quite upset.

I saw the cardiologist the next day, they did another EKG. After seeing those results, the cardiologist ordered more tests. I did a stress test, a heart sonogram, and a 24 hour holter monitor. Saw the cardiologist a couple weeks later, he told me I had Premature Ventricular Contractions - basically the bottom chamber of my heart pumps too often and so it doesn't always get a chance to completely fill up with blood before it pumps it out. This is actually a quite common heart problem (so they tell me). However, I have about 14,000 PVCs a day, so my heart isn't ALWAYS irregular. My cardiologist said he's seen patients with 70,000 a day - I can only imagine!

He put me on a beta blocker just to protect my heart during surgery, but completely cleared me & wants to see me back in a year. He says it's probably been with me my whole life. Sorry this was a bit long, but I know how frustrated and upset I was when my family doctor told me it was definitely a no-go (though she was never supportive of WLS in the first place...), and I hope I can help so someone else doesn't have to feel that same way! :lol0: So not a deal breaker for me! :party4: Good luck & let us know what you hear back!

Thanks thin,

I appreciate your input. And you are right. The reason I NEED to do this is for my health but really for my children, who I love more than life itself. My daughter is about to hit 2 and my son is 8 months. So at 40 years old I have EVERYTHING to live for. If I stayed the way I am now and died of a heart attack or cancer before I was 50 that would just be selfish on my part; as crazy as that sounds. I need to be here for them. Oh, FYI, at the moment I am 6-2 366 pounds. I always thought I was 6-3 but when I got measured at my surgeon's office they said 6-2, so I must be shrinking!!!!

Funny, I shrunk at my surgeon's office too! :bananajump: I always thought I was 5'7...apparently I'm 5'6. :scared0: