Kris

I only told my boss I was having surgery and would be off about 10 days. He didn't press for details, which was a relief. He is a beanpole and very strict with his own diet and exercise, and I really don't think he would understand why anyone would have WLS. I am also going to Mexico and didn't tell him that either. He'll find out everything when I get back to work as it's required to have a dr note for any sick leave over 3 days. He can freak out then but at least the surgery will already be over by then. I have only told a handful of people in the office that I am having WLS but I know word will spread eventually.

Hi, I almost chose dr. Alvarez for my VSG. Susan, his patient coordinator, is fantastic. I ended up choosing Dr. Aceves instead because I live on the west coast and the travel from my home is longer and more expensive to get to TX than CA. I also think Dr. Aceves is a great choice, but I would have been very comfortable with Dr. Alvarez as my surgeon. Obesityhelp.com has a lot of his patients if you want more info. Good luck with your decision!

Hooray for you!!!! I am being sleeved on January 7th and was thinking yesterday, holy cow that is only 3 weeks away! Here's hoping the time flies by for us until we get our new sleeves!

Hello fellow sleevers & sleevers-to-be! Based on recommendations here at VSG Talk and a few other online sites, I ordered powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury Chcolate Splendor Protein powder and received it in the mail this week. I put off having it until today. I only had one other chcolate flavored Protein Drink before -- Muscle Milk chocolate (already premixed in the bottle) and it was horrible -- so I was a little apprehensive about trying the Unjury. I put soy milk, a little crushed ice, and the unjury in my Magic Bullet (bought for the occasion of being sleeved, since I will be on liquids for quite a while), and gave it a whirl. Well, the verdict is, I like the Unjury! It does taste like chocolate milk and is really drinkable. No slimy feeling in my mouth, either, like I've had with other protein beverages. So, thanks for the recommendations! Protein Powder is quite pricey so I am glad I will be happy with this product and use it all.

That is amazing!!

I'm looking forward yo meeting you in person! Kris

Hi! First, congrats on making 2011 your breakthrough year! I decided the same thing and am really excited and motivated, too! I arranged to have my sleeve as close to the new year as possible (1/7). Although my preop diet doesn't officially begin until 12/30 I went ahead and started Atkins last week. The first day was misery but every day gets better, and I truly have found my carb cravings have nearly disappeared. So, if you're a carboholic like me Atkins is a good, fast start to weight loss. I've lost about 6 lbs and did cheat a couple of times (not horribly but enough to interrupt the weight loss). It also is good practice to get in the mindset of Protein first, veg second, and carbs last, which seems to be the most effective weight loss method for sleevers. Also, if you haven't tried crystal light, give it a whirl to replace sweet tea. I was a diet coke junkie but know I need to give up pop and have been pleasantly surprised to find crystal light a great replacement. I have nearly weaned myself off the diet cokes in less than two weeks. I had one for dinner tonight and couldn't even finish it because it tasted too sweet. So anyway, if you're being sleeved in Feb but start Atkins on 1/1 you could easily lose 15 lbs or more before surgery, and hopefully have an easier transition after surgery. I definitely would like to know what other sleevers recommend!

Hi Priscilla, My husband Greg is coming with me. Are you going alone?

Sorry too to all if I got the thread sidetracked ... MommyTawnie it sounds like your MIL is coming around, so that is good. Just stick to your guns and you will be fine.

This has been a really interesting topic so far! When I created my WL ticker I had to pick a goal so I picked in the mid-high range for my height on a BMI table. I haven't been that weight for a sustained period of time since jr. high school so it is almost certainly too low ... in my 20s the lowest I ever was able to maintain was low-mid 130s. I looked and felt really good at that weight so I would be perfectly ecstatic if I never hit the goal I set but got within that range. I've seen several posters here who have gone way BELOW goal so I figured what the heck, be bold, you never know what will happen with the sleeve! While I was searching for BMI tables online I found a site that had a different slant on BMI -- it apparently was based on surveys of what people my age and height think is the ideal weight for the height, and according to that table my "ideal" weight was over 20 lbs. heavier than my goal (but according to a BMI table it would put me in the 'overweight' category). I will try to find it again if anyone is interested. I think having a goal to work for is important, but there is no law saying you can't change it as circumstances develop, now is there? My goal right now is to get below 100 lbs. to lose by surgery day, and I'm pretty sure I will get there (I only need to lose 1.5 lbs., and even though 'tis the season to overeat, I am doing pretty good on a high Protein diet right now.

Hi ladies, I am just behind you ... my surgery is on January 7th with Dr. Aceves. What day are you leaving? Hopefully our paths will cross at the hospital!

Yep! I find it to be true more often than not. My mom is an extrovert and I am an introvert (as are my siblings) and we have had some terrible quarrels in the past. My mom has said some terribly cruel things to me & my siblings over the years because she verbalized the first thoughts that came into her head without stopping to think how we would take them. Example: When my sister was a teeneager, my mom saw my sister had a hickey on her neck and her reaction was, "Hickey! You SLUT! What else did you let that boy do to you, you shameless hussy?!" You know, an introvert would probably think the same thing, but end up actually saying, "Dear, did you have a fun date last night?" or something to try to start the conversation out on a better foot. Only as adults did we realize my mom just "processing" her thoughts aloud and she didn't realize we could actually hear her (LOL). Admittedly I have cruel thoughts, but most of the time I am able to process everything in my head and give a more measured response ... not to say I'm never cruel -- I can give as good as I get when I'm in the wrong mood. It's not such a great thing for extroverts and introverts to live together unless everyone understands how the thought processing works. It helped me A LOT in dealing with my mom and other extroverts in my life (now I mostly either try to drop bad news and get out of the room/off the phone fast, or tune out the initial verbal vomit until the logic starts coming through).

You go girl!!!!! Your positive attitude will carry you far!!! Best wishes to you and your sleeve buddies!

Thanks, that helps!

Hi all, OK, this is a very silly question, but I haven't seen it addressed anywhere and I am really curious. It's about underwear. I know there will be multiple incisions, and I was curious if that means you're not supposed to wear underwear (bras and panties) for at least the first day after surgery. Or is it OK to do so as long as it's not tight? It will help me to know how many pairs of underwear I should pack for my trip. Thanks for answering this -- I feel like a ninny for even asking!

TexasT had good advice. I went through that with my family, when I decided to have the surgery done in Mexico ... at first they were against it or questioning the decision, and saying things like "why can't you just try REALLY HARD to lose weight on your own instead of having surgery?" (grrrr) but eventually they came around, once they realized my mind was made up. My husband is going to Mexico with me and that seemed to ease everyone's concerns. If your mother in law is an extrovert, she doesn't think before she speaks -- speaking is her way of processing her thoughts and feelings. If you ever have to dump news on an extrovert, try to not be around while they are processing the thoughts -- it can be very upsetting. Easier said than done but good for your mental & emotional health. Good luck on your surgery!

lisabug, I just have to ask, has your husband always been a jackass but is even more of an ass now than usual, or is this a big change in his behavior towards you? I'm really sorry you are having to go through this. Best wishes for a really speedy recovery and congrats on your surgery!

How exciting, and how exciting to have the surgery when you are young! When I was your age I was over 200 lbs. and managed to lose over 70 lbs. on my own (low cal diet, lots of exercise). I kept the weight off for a couple of years and then got engaged and then married, and started eating like a "normal person" again, and poof I started gaining weight like crazy. So now it's nearly 20 years later, and I have been back over 200 lbs. for the past 15 years or so, and every year I have told myself "THIS is the year I lose that 100 lbs again!" Every year I tried to lose weight and some years I would lose 20 lbs. But it's a LOT harder to lose weight in your 30s and 40s than in your 20s and I never was able to keep any weight loss off for more than a year. So now I've decided 2011 really IS the year I lose the extra weight, but this time I will have a powerful tool to help me and that is my VSG procedure. I'm so happy for you that you won't have the yo-yo diet & weight gain hell that I've had for 15 years. Yay for you!!!!!

OMG you only had surgery a couple of months ago and already down over 70 lbs! That is INCREDIBLE! Yay for you and yay for denying those temptation demons!!!! You are doing an awesome job!!!!

Tiffykins, you are an AMAZING example of WLS success! My fondest wish is that in 18 months post-op I'll be able to post pics of me that look as good as your post-op picture looks. I know you worked hard and ate smart to get to where you are and those are great words of wisdom for me as I embark on my VSG journey. My preop stats are pretty close to yours though I can't imagine ever being your new bra size (for the past 15 years I've been lugging around a couple of boulders -- or should I say huge saggy water balloonish ta-tas -- that completely fill a 46DDD bra and enter a room about 2 seconds before the rest of my body ... girl, would I love to be a 32 bra size!) Thanks for the inspiration!

Hi all, I have a tentative surgery date of January 7th with Dr. Aceves. I submitted my preop paperwork, and am just waiting to hear back if I am a "go" for surgery. I am really excited! After 10+ years of losing and regaining the same 20 lbs., and spending $$$$$ on weight loss pills & supplements, exercise videos & equipment, gym memberships, etc. and never getting below 200 lbs., I finally concluded I will never get back to a healthy size without surgery. I had never heard of VSG until I started researching lap band (which is the procedure I initially thought I'd go for), and quickly decided after seeing a lot of horror stories about lap band that VSG is the better surgery for me. My family still has some misgivings about me having the procedure in Mexico, but I can't find anyone who has had anything but a positive experience with Dr. Aceves. My husband is coming with me so he can see for himself what good care I'm going to get.

Tiffykins, thanks so much for that very thorough response! I will check to see if I should switch over to a PPI prior to the surgery to minimize any problems during and post-surgery. I already have a couple of packets of Prilosec so could switch over tomorrow if needed. Thanks again!

Hi all, This is my first post after having lurked here for while. After a lot of research, attending a WLS seminar, and doing some serious soul-searching I have applied to have VSG with Dr. Aceves in January. Yay for me -- I'm so excited! But I do have a question about something that is bothering me. I have regular problems with acid reflux, meaning I take an over the counter Pepcid AC pill about 5 nights a week (anytime I've eaten or drunk something at dinner that might be a problem later, like diet coke with lemon, or tomato based sauces, or fried food -- unfortunately most of my favorite foods and beverages are problem foods for me!). The acid reflux is easily managed with a daily pill and if I don't eat any problem foods I usually don't need a pill (however, if I eat a problem food and skip the pill, most likely I will wake in the night with that horrible acid shooting up my esophagus). I haven't asked my primary care physician for any prescription strength acid reducing meds because the over the counter meds work just fine for me, but as a result of not talking to my PCP I haven't had an official diagnosis of GERD or acid reflux disease. I know that VSG can actually make acid reflux worse and maybe Dr. Aceves will not recommend this surgery for me. I also understand that a lot of people who need/get VSG surgery also get a hiatal hernia repair while the dr. is doing the surgery (and I expect if I am cleared for surgery Dr. Aceves will likely find I have a hiatal hernia). I guess I am just looking for some reassurance on this point and benefit from fellow VSGer experience. I will definitely be cutting back on the problem foods now that I have applied for surgery, and hopefully that will significantly reduce my problem. I have not really tried to do much about it since I feel that I control it pretty well with the Pepcid AC, but now that I have applied for surgery I'm having worries that the VSG could turn a currently manageable issue into an unmanageable one. I definitely do not want any other type of WLS -- especially not gastric bypass, which in my understanding is the recommended WLS for people with acid reflux (however, I don't want the side effects of gastric bypass). I've read/seen that lap band can exacerbate acid reflux too, so that is not really an option especially due to so many problems that can occur with lap band. Any insight you can share is wonderful, thank you!