Disney

Congrats on your success!

Yes, you will be fine with the water/ice chips, etc. And don't worry, everyone has these questions. Ask all you want! That is what this forum is for. Better to be informed than to be surprised later! Sorry to hear about your sisters and your daughter. I hope you can find someone to watch your children. I understand her fears, but she should support your decision. Good luck to you

Holy Crap is right! You look fantastic. I can't believe the incredible change. Good for you!

chicken is still hard for me and I am 3 months out. Unless it is just smothered in some kind of sauce or gravy or something, then I can eat it. I will second the shrimp idea. They go down super easy. Especially boiled cause they get softer. Grilled are ok, too. I can only eat a couple breaded ones though. Oh, and try your best not to drink at all when you eat. It is sooo hard for me not to, but it is terrible when I do. Comes right back up. I sometimes sip a bit, but that's it.

Not gonna be there, but wishing you an easy surgery and recovery.

They can tax your liver. But you only take them during your losing stage, so it's not a long-time deal. I take them (I forget sometimes). I don't want my gallbladder out if I can help it. I know people who had theirs out without another thought and no problems. My sister had hers out and cannot eat anything with any fat without having an attack or straight diarrhea. She said she can eat something one day and she's fine, then eat the exact same thing the next day and have a terrible time and barely make it to the bathroom. I don't like that uncertainty. Hers has been out for 3 years. I would like to think I would be lucky and have no problems, but who knows? I'll keep my GB if I can!!<img src="http://cdn.verticalsleevetalk.com/public/style_emoticons/default/smile.gif"><br><br>Edited to add: I asked my home doctor for the pills, she didn't suggest them to me first.

Griselda speaks the truth! Sadly for me, the outcome is the drink backs up and I get sick. I just posted about this very thing in another thread. I miss drinking during my meals more than just about anything.

WOW, aint it the truth? Powerful words right there. And Welcome Back!

Ditto about the stomach stretching. The stretchy part is gone for the most part and your sleeve will stretch out a bit, but not much. An example, there was a post here recently about a man who was a year out and was on a cruise and overate and his sleeve burst. And not on the staple line. It was only a year out, but that goes to show you it doesn't stretch much. I am lucky in that I have a very tiny tummy now. It is hard right now for me, (especially the first few weeks) but I will be glad later. I am 3 months out and can only eat between 1/4 to 1/3 of a very tender ribeye steak. Then maybe a few green Beans or couple florets of broccoli. That is IT. At that point I feel very full, but not sick. I still have a problem with eating too fast and that will get you in trouble quick. I also miss drinking with my meals. I think I miss that more than pigging out. It's hard for me, but I am getting used to it. Having said all that, Tiff (that posts here) is 2 years out and she says she enjoys anything and everything she wants to eat. You will be able to go out and eat and go to barbecues, etc. And for special occasions, you can fit more in when you eat slowly, like over an hour or so.

You look good in the before, but you look GREAT in the now pic. Great smile, too. I think it's so sweet that he went on the diet with you.

Yes, thanks for sharing those pics!

Thanks for the update. Glad you are on your way to recovery and also back on track to get your sleeve soon!

You are right, everyone is different, and you won't really know till after your surgery, but I had surgery on a Wednesday and flew 7 hours (with layovers) on a Sunday. I actually went shopping while we stayed in San Diego the day before we flew home. So, that's a 6 hour shopping spree 3 days post-op. I felt fine. Just a little tired by the end of the day, that's it. Good luck to you! You should be fine!

Yep! I would love to see the pics, too!

Thanks for updating us! Hope you are feeling better every day! Take it easy these first few days!

Go Shanny! Shanny Shanny bo banny, banana fanna fo fanny, fee fi mo manny, Shaaaanny! Woohooo! Look at you!!! Great job!

It's already been mentioned, but I agree. You are exercising so much, your body just needs more food!! I know it's hard. I struggle to get my calories in every day, and I am not nearly as dedicated to exercise as you, to say the least. I am impressed with the workouts you are getting in every day. Good for you! Keep it up and you know you will see results in time!

I don't like it either. I like consistency! When I was in high school weighing anywhere from 130-140 I wore a size 10 or 12. Now, I weigh about 205 and I can get into 16's. Now that is crazy. At this rate, I would be in a 12 by the time I weigh 180 or so. Also, if you ever look at vintage stores or even on ebay, the sizes back in the 60's and 70's and probably even 80's were wayyyy smaller than today. I mean, if it says size 10, it is probably a size 4 nowadays. I bought a vintage rock concert tshirt on there and it was size XL and it was about the size of an XS in today's clothes. I knew this beforehand as I read the measurements. Just crazy that we need that perfect "number" to make ourselves feel good.

Yes, you are doing very well. Keep it up! and Welcome!

Well, it might take a while, but try some gluteal exercises, like stairmaster, lunges, etc. They will build up your booty in a good way!!!

I am lucky to have great support from my whole family but the one thing I can say to you is, early out, (not sure how far out you are) it is VERY hard to smell those fast food or any other good food smells and not eat them. So, if you are very early out, I think it would not be out of the question to ask him to give you a break and not eat that stuff in front of you. Soon enough, you will be able to eat more and y'all can eat some of those good things together. It did not bother me that much, but the smells can sometimes overwhelm you. So, I see where you are coming from. It might be helpful if you could cook something he likes and he might not eat the fast food so much. Good luck. It is ROUGH in the beginning.

WOW, that sucks! And I agree, what if you would not have had the money? Heck, if I wouldn't have had it, I would have written a check that would have bounced all the way to the bank. What are they gonna do? Put your tummy back in? You can worry about that later. Please try not to stress over it. I know it's easier said than done, but really, there is nothing you can do. It just stinks that insurance companies can get away with this madness. Try to focus on your brand new life you are going to be enjoying. Believe me when I say, it will be worth every penny and I'm not even half way to goal yet! Don't let this bad news ruin your big day for you. And it's true, just think about all us poor sleevers who had to pay for the whole thing because our insurance wouldn't pay a red cent. But I do understand that the problem is that they pulled this on you at the last minute. It is just wrong, yet typical. Sorry about that!

Fantastic! You look great! I lost in my face so fast, too! It really makes people notice. Congrats

Sounds like your labs were ok, but be careful about the viactiv calcium (if that's what you are taking) as it is calcium carbonate not citrate. Here is Tiff's post about the difference: "Calcium carbonate is only absorbable if taken with food and needs an acidic environment, and the calorie/carb/sugar count on those lovely little chocolate/caramel chewables are kind of high. But apart from needing food to be absorbed, it's the cheapest, and lowest form of calcium available. You can take the carbonate, but my PCM won't even recommend it for his patients with normal anatomy because he thinks it's just junk. Blood levels that check calcium will not detect bone issues. That is a blood plasma level for calcium and the concern with us needing Calcium citrate is for most of us, we're on a PPI which neutralizes acid, and calciumcarbonate needs an acidic environment and/or food to be absorbed. Well, when we're on a PPI, it impedes the calcium absorption. So, if we're in that lovely age to boost calcium intake to prevent osteoporosis, it's vital to take citrate. With some vitamins, it's a "some if better than none" but it usually isn't the case with calcium." There are some other posts about acid and carbonate, but Tiff's got right down to it. I was sad to learn this as I used to look forward to my little "dessert" calcium.Maybe you won't have any issues with it, especially if you're not on a PPI. But it might take a while for a deficiency to show up.

Congrats! I hope you get a quick date!