Globetrotter

I can't even see the pics embedded in thread responses, oh well. =(

Hey, maybe this hunger is a good sign, maybe it means that you are a fast healer and were ready for the soft food and then hard food stages before the average sleever!

This body temp shift is apparently common in people who have lost large amounts of weight, regardless of method. I read a memoir of a woman who lost a massive amount of weight through diet and she commented that all of the women in her support group including herself were always freezing. I guess the body gets used to having 100+ lbs of insulation and it takes time to readjust. I'm looking forward to it, I'll get to wear layers for the first time and won't break into a sweat if the room temp is more than sub-zero! =)

Thanks everybody! you've helped put things in perspective and calmed my fears. It's one thing to talk about getting WLS, but now that I've set a date and begun the ForReal journey, I'm probably getting a little manic.=)

You can usually get ginger root in the vegetable section of a good grocery store but it's not important that it be the root, I just like it. I've suffered from a delicate stomach all my life; curvy roads, airplanes, cartwheels!! In my job now I have to fly a LOT and do so in really rough conditions so I had to look into all the ways to cure nausea. Typical pills and Patches do zip for me so I looked in the other direction and discovered that ginger has been a cure for nausea for thousands of years. You can get Reed's Ginger Chews, which are an all natural chewy candy, or crystalized ginger pieces, or pure ginger tea bags or the root itself. soak it, make a "concentrate" keep it icy cold and you have a sharp, spicy, refreshing drink that also keeps your tummy happy and nausea a thing o the past! =)

There was about 5 hot minutes in my mid-late teens before I got fat when I had the confidence and authority that comes with knowing you look good. I would like to have that back, along with:

people looking me in the eye instead of staring at my gut,

buying cheap clothes and never darkening the doorstep of LaneBryant again!

Never giving it a second thought when I am ushered to a booth or delicate chair or airplane economy seat.

Not asking for a seatbelt extender on airplanes.

wearing a regular non fancy basic racing swimsuit at a public pool and diving in without anybody giving me any particular kind of look.

Not being the sidekick buddy when the girls go out - being visible to men.

wearing bright colors and patterns without looking like a couch or overgrown toddler.

And so much more!!!!!

Will we ever be able to glug glug Water again? Sometimes there's nothing so satisfying on a hot summer day as chugging an icy water. Never again?

When I have my surgery I will put ginger root in my water, to give it a refreshing sharpness and to take care of nausea.

This is so exciting, only 11 days out and 20 lbs!! It took me four months of intense struggle to lose that much the "old-fashioned" way. What were you eating in those 11 days that helped you so much?

Hi All,

I just had my phone consult with my surgeon and he said that he uses a 32 bougie, he just called it a french which makes sense. I'm a little alarmed at such a small size, he admits that he does what is called, "a tight sleeve", meaning that even a year out you can fit in a single boiled egg. This concerns me, yes of course I want a smaller stomach that's the point of the surgery, but I have lurked on these boards long enough that I know that more problems arise the smaller the stomach is.

Also, were I to get pregnant, I would want to be able to consume enough nutrition without it being a constant scary concern.

Finally, we have no data on WLS patients when they become elderly. If my stomach is that small and oversewn so it won't stretch, what will I do when I am 80 and have difficulty getting enough nutrition anyway? I'd really love to hear what everone has to say before I go and freak out on my surgeon.

Hi, where I live and work hydration is a major issue. In the hottest months of July, August and September I drink about 6 large nalgene-style Water bottles a day. Another concern here is electrolytes, drink too much water and don't eat enough or eat enough salt and you can damage your body even worse, and send yourself into renal failure. So, with that in mind, are sport electrolyte powder packets okay after surgery? They are disgusting but I try to make one of my six daily water bottles an electrolyte bottle. And just so nobody thinks I'm exaggerating the heat, I work in Iraq with the Army and in August/September it gets between

120-130 F. I work indoors thank goodness but it doesn't take a lot of actual exposure to still feel the effects.

It's a given that salt and hot spicey chilies are a no-go in the immediate aftermath of surgery, but what about other herbs and spices? Herbs de Provence, Tarragon, Safron, Sweet Basil. If I'm going to have to live off baby food for a few weeks it would help if I could make it interesting.

Also, there is a tea out there called Kombucha which is supposedly really good for your digestion, bowels, etc. I don't know if I believe that but does anyone know if it's okay to drink?

I'm interested in the exact measuring of food for protein's sake; I'll be keeping a food diary so I can make sure I am taking in the right amounts of Protein etc. and my brain understands stuff better when I have hard numbers and portion sizes to attribute to so many grams of protein.

I haven't had the surgery yet (soon I hope!) but I am trying to cover as many bases as I can before the event. Does anyone know where I could buy - or if one even exists! - an ounces measuring cup/tube/pipette? Short of carrying around a shot glass with me in the first few weeks as I get aclimated to my new ounces-eating, I don't know how I will measure out 2, 4, 6 ounces. I travel a lot and eat in unusual circumstances so having a food scale is not practical. Thoughts?

I'm about to begin my surgery journey and read this site daily. I see how little are portion sizes and issues people have with eating at restaurants or on dates and it hit me - the silver lining to our portion sizes is that now artfully arranged sushi and fancy french cuisine are full meals!:tongue_smilie: A date at a sushi restaurant where two pieces of sashimi are slowly consumed wouldn't raise anyone's curiosity and that overpriced french dish with one sprig of something balanced on one morsel of something is suddenly just right! =) I guess I'm a dork but the image of this just struck me as funny.:001_rolleyes:

Yep, potassium.

Imagine how empty of purpose and desperate and emotionally destroyed a person would have to be to do this, I have nothing but pity for this poor sick woman.

Well, what's worse, explaining to him that you took control of your health and are in no way deprived by the seemingly tiny portions, or ... him thinking you are an anorexic headcase making excuses to not eat? There was another thread on the forum regarding dating and telling and most of the women there agreed that it turns out that men don't have negative reactions to the news - and if they do, it's a yardstick that lets you know they aren't a keeper!

You mentioned that the two of you have a lot of friends in common and that you have chosen to tell only one friend. Are you concerned that if you told him he might tell someone in your circle and "out" you? I can understand that, trusting is just a gamble sometimes.

As my favorite sex advice collumnist-podcaster would say, "DTMFA - Dump the M*** F*** already". :tongue_smilie:

This is a great thread, I've been wondering about olive oil - I've always believed that it is a heathful oil for our bodies, inside and out - so, it's an okay fat?

pumpkin - Thank you, your info got me thinking. I should have specified when I said I wanted to rush, I meant now that I've made the decision I am excited to make it happen. I've actually researched the VSG for quite some time now and feel pretty well versed. My surgeon provides a required nutrition and psych consult prior to surgery and 23 months of aftercare are included in the price. Nobody else seems to have had their work done from LapSF in San Francisco, I put a comment on the surgeons thread but I guess nobody else here has had my surgeon which is odd since he is really well establlished and even has his own string here on sleeve talk - Dr. Jossart.

CraftyChristie - I hadn't thought about the constant need to eat, an oz. of Protein every 2 hours? Well, it's approx. a 16 hr flight in 2 parts, I suppose I could have packets of Protein Powder in my purse to mix on the flight? Do you think the airport would let me have some 2 oz. jars of babyfood to carryon? What about those protein gel shot thingies that cyclists use?

Unless they snap up the front I would think that putting on and taking off a traditional sports bra right after surgery would hurt. Regular sports bras are one piece and you tug them up and over your head, this action stretches muscles that I think would be tender for a while?

Thank you for these great answers, Thinoneday this will be my first ever surgery of any kind, if you don't count wisdom teeth. Tiffykins, I am in an office setting and have pretty good postal service for Amazon, drugstore.com, etc. I'm a little concerned about the difac food though, the only healthy options are boiled chicken, boiled eggs, and steamed broccoli, and even the healthy options are absolutely soaked in salt.

I guess I was concerned that my excitement might be rushing the surgeons decisions and I don't want a rushed surgeon! I'm seriously giving consideration to the August date, and I'm looking forward to the consult.

Hello everyone,

I am a new member and will have surgery at LapSF, most likely with Dr. Jossart. There's so much talk here on VST about the doctors in Mexico but I've never seen posts regarding doctors in the Bay Area of Northern California or about Dr. Jossart.

Is there anyone who has had Dr. Jossart or had their procedure at LapSF?

Hello everybody,

I am a new member though I've lurked for a while now.=) After years of research into every kind of WLS I chose VSG and once I made my decision things moved rapidly. I made the decision 1 week ago, have my consult with Dr. Jossart via phone on June 1st, and could potentially have the surgery the first week in August, I guess the rapiditiy of the process is due to being self-pay.

My unique circumstance is that I work in Iraq as a civilian deployed with the Army. My RnR is for the month of August and I have the option of having the surgery then, but I would be returning to Iraq after only 3 wks recovery time. I knew that VST forum members would understand my excitement and the role it plays in the decision process; I don't want to rush, but I really want to rush! Is 3 weeks enough for recovery time? I'll be back to the states for good after 3 months and we have good docs here so I wouldn't be without care. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thank you everybody.