Go Kart Mozart

I never had heartburn before surgery, but now 25 months out I'm resigned to the fact that I'll probably be living with it forever. I take Nexium every 2-3 days, and it takes care of it. If I don't take it, though, I'm in absolute misery.

Eh, it's not a big deal for me. I'm close enough to my goal weight to be satisfied, so it obviously hasn't hurt me in any way. I'm not suggesting others do the same as me, just offering my experience.

25 months, but I've been doing that since probably 2 months out (except for the carbonation, waited 3-4 months).

Also, don't worry about constantly eating too much. It's a little trial and error at first, but once you get used to it, you can literally look at a meal and know exactly where your "sweet spot" is going to be.

I'm 2+ years out now, and restriction for me feels no different than before I was sleeved. It feels like I'm full if I eat a certain amount, just like I used to (of course, with a lot more food back then). I don't get pain or nausea.

More than any of the good things that have come out of my surgery, I take great pride in the fact that now I've inspired three people to have weight loss surgery based on my success (the most recent had hers on Monday). Two of them had VSG (I talked both out of lap-band), and one had bypass. I hope that they inspire others to do the same. It truly feels great to have that kind of impact on the lives of others.

I'm sorry. My surgery was almost delayed, and that was tough. I can't even imagine what an actual cancellation feels like.

I'm now 25 months out from surgery, but ever since I had it I've had something similar to burps that come out of my stomach, but they're not burps - it's more like air escaping from my stomach through my mouth. It happens 3-4 times a day, and I can generally control it. My boyfriend describes it as "it sounds like you're giving birth to aliens through your mouth." It doesn't bother me at all (it's kind of funny), just wondering if I'm alone in this.

I drink carbonated drinks at meals through a straw. That's like a trifecta of no-nos. I think a lot of these rules don't necessarily apply to us.

I was wrong on death rate, best leak fix, and most common location of leak.

17/20. Some interesting stuff.

Oesophagus is the correct UK spelling, but point taken.

Completely normal. Just keep doing what you're doing, and one day you'll weigh yourself and be shocked at the lost weight.

The area around the incisions was really sensitive for a few months after surgery just as was described (burning/cutting), but now almost two years later it's just not an issue at all. I do, however, have some residual numbness near my bellybutton, but I don't notice it unless I'm actively touching the area.

I used to live fairly close to there (an hour away I'd guess?) and might have visited if they had it when I did. I always hate ordering off of the regular menu, because I eat a small amount and invariably the waiter or waitress will ask if the meal is ok/something's wrong. Drives me up a wall.

Sadly I'm stuck in north Florida, the most boring place on earth.

cheese doesn't bother me at all, but milk might send me running to the bathroom a couple of hours later, but if I want to have a milk based drink (say, iced coffee with milk from Wawa) I will. I never had that problem before. Sadly, I absolutely can *not* drink milkshakes at all - they make me nauseous almost immediately. I'd like to be able to have them on a special occassion (say 2-3 times a year), but I can live with it.

Dr. Washington was my surgeon in July of 2010. He was operating out of Central Jersey Bariatrics in Freehold, NJ back then. He and his assistant (Emily Choi) were wonderful, and I'll be eternally grateful that he gently nudged me (but didn't force me) away from lap-band into the sleeve. I've since lost a ton of weight. Anyone with Dr. Washington will be in great hands.

I too became an alcoholic after being sleeved - I used to suppress my anxiety and depression with a big bag of potato chips, and then once that went away due to surgery I turned to alcohol. I'm rebounding from rock bottom (I'm talking 1/2 a liter of vodka a day) quite well, but I'm not honestly where I want to be with it either. That said, I'd still get the sleeve done knowing what would happen.

I'm a gay atheist with a sleeve...which makes me about as rare as a unicorn, I guess.

Sleeved in July 2010 - down 140 pounds. It gave me the courage to get back into dating after 5+ years alone - and just last week I moved in with my boyfriend here in Jacksonville. Best decision I ever made.

I enjoy reading the pre-op forum sometimes. It's funny how we tend to obsess about our "last" meals (Lord knows I was among them), but honestly I'm now 16 months out from surgery and I ate everything I wanted to yesterday and didn't feel left out at all. Don't stress about it.

I avoided alcohol for about 6 weeks post surgery, but have drank like I did pre-op ever since. I'm a bit of a drinker (and don't apologize for it), and despite drinking I'm basically at goal. I will say that it took a while to get back to my old tolerance, but once I got past six months or so it wasn't an issue. I'm glad for those who don't drink, but moralizing teetotalers need not try to sway me.

I wish I had known that I would be dry heaving for 48 hours after surgery (though that's probably uncommon), and how hard it would be to go a month without solid food.

Morris Washington? I used him when he was at Central Jersey Bariatrics.