possumtrot

I'm sorry I don't have any advice or help for you but I believe pre- and post- surgery counselling/psych support is going to be an important component in my own journey. I am a stress eater and have been known to eat things and not even remember doing it. So for me it is important to have another tool in my weightloss kit to help figure out why I do that and how to make it stop. My job is high stress and since I cannot afford to quit and have no income, I've got to overcome this stress reflex of overeating in order to help get the biggest "bang for my buck" with the surgery. Also, this is a life-altering event (the surgery) and I want to make sure I'm staying true to course and not sabbotaging myself with stress eating. Best wishes on your journey...so glad to talk to others who have so much in common with me now I've made the decision to DO IT. Oh, and I am a wee bit jealous of anyone vacationing in FL, lol!

I will be going to Las Vegas for surgery too. Good to know you felt well enough afterwards to go to Hoover Dam as I would like to see it too. Thank you for the detailed account. It makes me feel even better about my choice. So many positive things are happening along this journey that I can't help but feel it is the RIGHT decision! Your pictures are awesome.

Can't help but think this is "meant to be". I had been dreading telling my dr. and he was enthusiastic. Just got off the phone to tell my mom about the surgery date. She is uber supportive and wants to go with to take care of me. Makes me wonder why I feel such dread telling folks...guess I'm just afraid someone important to me and this journey will be unsupportive and I don't want to hear it? I feel so much better after telling Mom. I'd rather have her with me than my son (sorry boy) so we'll see how this works out. I'm having a major cleaning frenzy digging deep into the corners and am sure I'll be exhausted by this evening. But it will be nice to have a spick and span house! All we'll have to do is maintain it for the next couple of weeks so I can come back to a relatively clean house. Yay!

Great list! Did you find you needed all those things in the day or two after surgery? Did you feel well enough to walk around anywhere for short bits? There is someplace we want to go see and I am hoping that by the 3rd day after surgery I might feel well enough to go. Is this a pipedream? I had an ovary removed a few years ago and I would have felt good enough after that, so I'm wondering how similar things might be.

I'm a few days behind everyone else. Will be sleeved 7/16 in the states. It's coming up fast folks!

I'll be thinking of you...best wishes! My surgery is a couple of weeks away and even that seems so close, so I can only imagine what you're feeling. Hoping you have a safe and uneventful surgery and quick recovery.

You are inspirational. Thanks for sharing your story!

I'm self pay so guess that is why it's all going so quickly. ..no hoops. I have bc/bs too but my policy states there is no way in Hades they will pay for bariatric surgery so I'm not even trying. Luckily I fell into a bit of "extra" money so I can finally afford to take this step forward in life. Tests are sleep test, ekg, blood work, I think that's all. There is a psychiatric test form to fill out and fax but will just fax everything all at the same time. I haven't ridden in quite a long time as I figure it wasn't fair to my horses to sit on their backs. They're currently not minding being out of work but I know they will appreciate the extra attention once I get astride. We have 5 so this is an expensive thing to do and I cannot really justify the expense if all we're going to do is feed and pay vet bills on them. Winston Churchill said "There's something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of man." He was so right! They're part of my personal identity. Just cannot imagine life without them. Good luck with your insurance. :wink0:We pay enough in premiums that they should have to pay when we need it!

Wow...way to go on the pre-op weight loss! You're rocking it already!

Good to know about the not being able to drink after surgery...thanks for the info. Hope you are continuing to feel as good as possible!

PCP visit was a breeze. I went in expecting to have to justify my decision to be sleeved but was pleasantly surprised by his support. whew That just made things a little easier. Got the test orders so will complete them later this week. Now, though, it seems like I'm feeling like a farewell to my favorite foods tour. Had fresh greenbeans w/ham and potatoes, fried corn, Chinese, etc. I'm beginning to see how really attached to food I am mentally. No wonder I'm so large.

My liquid diet starts the 2nd. Good luck! It's nice to "meet" another person going through this at the same time.

Welcome home and thank you for letting us know how things are going. About the fidgety feeling, I haven't been sleeved yet but did have that same feeling after having an ovary removed. I chalked it up to feeling good, having the right amount of pain med, and that nesting feeling...but I couldn't do anything. All of a sudden those dust bunnies that have become household pets were on my top pest list, lol. Oddly enough, as I healed enough to take care of those types of things my concern about them waned to pre-surgery levels.:blushing:

I am...July 16th is surgical date. Anyone else doing this in July?

'Grats! I'm excited about getting a surgical date too. It's almost overwhelming to think of everything that needs to be done first, isn't it?

Just got my surgery date and packet...2 weeks of protein drinks to replace 2 meals and 1 meal daily of lean meat and green veggies. I've already cut carbs to a min. (try to use the formula of converting grams of carbs into tsp. of sugar). Packet states to chew everything at least 20 times before swallowing. I guess it is to get that habit forming before you *have* to do it.

Oh My...this is moving fast. I now have a surgery date...July 16!!! I'm a bit speechless. Now I'm realizing there is so much to do between now and then. Wow. My son is going to go with me. He likes to travel and dh will stay home and take care of the dogs, cats and horses. I already had gotten a 9 a.m. appt. with my PCP to get a Chantix prescription, so now I have the packet the dr. sent to show/give him so we can get the tests done. I just ordered the Protein drinks I'll need for the pre-op diet. Wowzers. My head is spinning!

LOL FabBy50...my name is simply a location. Gotta love Kentucky names!

Golly, I sure DO want to be on the loser's bench, lol! Can't wait to start my losing streak. Thanks for the encouragement all. This is probably the biggest thing I've ever considered doing. Elective surgery that is expensive. But I have high blood pressure, horrible back, leg and foot pain, and a family history of diabetes. So I really feel that this is a life saving measure too. I'm ashamed to admit that I am also a smoker so I have scheduled an appointment to see if I can get a script for Chantix. I know smoking is probably a huge no-no and it definitely needs to be stopped now. Problem is that I have to decide that I want to lose weight more than to keep my horrible nicotine addiction. I'm the person people always look at with a surprised expression and say, "You smoke?". I am as ashamed of my smoking as I am of being morbidly obese. It is not Sophie's Choice but dang it iss a part of my life. sigh The best part of becoming thinner and healthy is going to be the fact I will once again be able to ride my horses! I am sooooo looking forward to that!

I've been considering WLS for years now but lap and bypass didn't seem to be my style. Then I learned about the sleeve and I knew that finally the right tool was finally available for my weightloss toolbox to help give me the most success possible. This past April I started contacting different drs, Medical Tourism companies, etc. to see what my best options are since I have to foot the bill out of pocket (because of blankety blank insurance). Mexico was attractive from a budget point of view, PLUS there seem to be some extremely qualified and competent surgeons there. But my s/o totally freaked out at the thought of me leaving the country for surgery and so I will be having the sleeve done in the USA...which I'm totally good with. Currently I have selected a Dr., spoke with him over the phone last night (which I found to be totally cool...never had a surgeon call me before) and am now waiting for the list of tests I need run, talk to my pcp, etc. Needless to say, I am excited and nervous about the whole process! This dream could become a reality in less than a month!

Wonderful NavyMom! I'm starting my journey too...will be having the VSG. What can you tell us about the super sleeve other than there is no cutting? Is it considered to be reversible?

I didn't know that pills were an option. That has to be better than drinking liters of that stuff that tasted like what I imagine liquid Pledge would taste like!

:smile1:What I'm really wanting to know is how people with such small stomachs can hold the amount of drink required before colonoscopy. Sorry I wasn't more clear in my first attempt.

So glad you asked these questions! I am also considering VSG and have gotten great info from this thread. Thanks!

Hello All, I'm new here. Am considering VSG but am wondering if anyone can tell me about having other procedures after VSG like colonoscopy. We have a family history of colon cancer so routine colonoscopies are not optional...so...how do you drink down all the "stuff" you need to drink in order to have a colonoscopy? The taste is bad enough, but I do have a very full feeling in my stomach with an entire stomach...just trying to imagine how this can be done (drinking 2 liters) with a stomach that holds just a few ounces?