KathyD49

My surgeon NEVER gave me any narcotic pain medication! He told me in advance that he didn't use narcotics. Only thing he gave was Toradol, which is a powerful anti-inflammatory. (Sort of like Motrin on steroids.) I was mildly uncomfortable, and did wish I had a little bit more powerful pain medication the first two nights. But after that was fairly comfortable and declined even the Toradol.

Thanks Erin92. I am 14 weeks out and food makes me nauseous. Scans for problems negative.My surgeon thinks I'm unique. My GP thinks it's psychological. I too would just like to be able to eat a small piece of something without a stomach reaction. I'm starting to think the medical profession knows less about this operation than they make out. Fats oils Beans smoked salmon are worst. Even that taste of oil can cause nausea. That's why my surgeon thinks it's all in the mind. Liquids are not too bad but I easily become averse to foods but even normal people have strong food preferences. I wish I could avoid eating altogether. They say time cures everything but then, they would say that, wouldn't they?

Was glad to see your post about how some things make you nauseated. (I mean, I'm sorry that you get nauseated, but thanks for sharing!) Some smells REALLY bother me, like scented candles! Weird, Huh? My hubbie keeps lighting a scented candle in the kitchen, and I finally told him I CAN"T STAND THE SMELL OF THAT CANDLE, IT MAKES ME NAUSEATED! He was so sorry, and I felt bad for yelling at him, but right now I need to eat and can't afford to be naueated by certain smells if I can avoid them! If I didn't know better, I would think I was pregnant. With all my pregnancies I had smells that really bothered me (dryer sheets! candles, greasy food, etc.) But at 62 I don't think pregnancy is a concern! HaHa! I do hope that you get over this phase soon! I keep telling myself that Time Heals Everything. (I just hope it is true!) But seriously, will keep you in my prayers!

KathyD49

I packed several of my regular bras, and wore them from the time I woke up in my room till I went home. My incisions were high enough that the top one was right below where the band of my bra hit, but I am almost never comfortable without wearing a bra, so I put it on as soon as I was able, and wore it all the time in the hospital and since I have come home. Even when I did the swallow thing after surgery, to make sure there weren't any leaks, I wore my bra. On the x-ray for leaks, you can see two big "U"s that are my underwires! I think it is exactly what you are comfortable with!

Hey Weightbegone, I am SO happy for you. I see by your weight loss ticker that you have lost 46 pounds! that is Great!!! I have lost 45 pounds, but am still in the 200's. I am SO looking forward to being under 200 lbs! I tried to think of the last time I was under 200, and it was like 35 years ago, when I was pregnant with my youngest son. (He has never seen me under 200 lbs!) I can hardly wait to enter "ONE-derland"!!! And I think your idea of a pair of designer jeans sounds wonderful. About five years ago I bought some really neat jeans that FIT me. I have this problem, I have no butt. Am fat everywhere else, but no butt. So jeans bagged on me and my kids always laughed and called me the "saggy, baggy elephant"! I found a place that said they could fit anyone in a pair of jeans. So I went, and bought two pair (THAT FIT!), to the tune of $96 per pair. And, I loved them. They fit. Then I went on vacation and gained a bunch of weight, and poof, no more well fitting jeans! So I think I too will purchase a pair of designer jeans once I get into "ONE-derland" as a treat to myself. (I gave away the "well fitting" jeans last summer in a clean out my closet fit.)

Keep up the good work! Your're doing great!

KathyD49

Tons of good thoughts coming your way RIGHT NOW! Also mentioning both of you in my prayers at this very minute!!! I know things will go well for you. As has been said above, as soon as you're allowed, WALK, WALK, WALK. It helps that gas to reabsorp, and it helps to get the gas in the bowel moving, so WALK, WALK, WALK! And as soon as liquids are allowed, start sipping that Water. I am in a constant battle to get all my Water in every day. So start early and keep at it!

Can't wait to see you both on the loosers bench! OH Happy Day!

KathyD49

I second TijuanaPlication's advice, stay off the scale. I have lost 44 pounds so far (20 pre-op and 24 post op. I am three weeks and one day from surgery) and NO ONE has noticed that I have lost any weight. And even stranger, my clothes aren't that loose. I noticed that my rings are loose, and my work shoes feel a little loose, and my boobs has DISAPPEARED; but otherwise, nothing has changed! Yet when I do weigh, the scale tells me I have lost. I am going on faith that eventually my body will HAVE to start to contract. I mean, can you loose 44 pounds off your fingers, feet and boobs? (I was not THAT generously endowed!) I hate it that no one has noticed, but keep telling myself that one day people who know me WILL notice. I have sworn off the scale, except for once a week. I found that if I didn't loose a pound every day, I was self restricitng my Fluid and Protein intake, which I know can't be good this soon after surgery. So now I am weighing only once a week. Take Heart, the weight is going to come off!

KathyD49

Have you looked at the huge list of Protein shake recipes that Tiffykins posted in May of 2010? It must have at least 300 Protein Shake recipes on the list. I too was having problems getting my Protein in, and just plain Protein Powder and Water wasn't something I could tolerate. The web address for her list if:

www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/5906-a-huge-list-of-protein-drink-recipes/

Take a look at her list, and see if there are some that sound good to you. I use a lot of the ones with bananas in them for adding potassium to my diet. I too have problems with leg cramps from low potassium. Hope this helps. You are in my prayers!!!!

KathyD 49

I did the DUMBEST thing yesterday! I was in Modesto at the mall, and without even thinking I went into Lane Bryant. I tried on some clothes, and fell in love with this little white cotton shrug sweater. (I didn't try the shrug on though.) I picked out three of them, same style, but in different colors and bought them. When I got home, I cut the tags off and hung them in my closet, as I went to throw the tags away, I happened to look at them, I had purchased size 26-28 out of habit, without even thinking that I have already lost 44 pounds! How dumb is that? I am going to try and take them back. I saved the tags, even though I cut them off, and of course, I have the receipt. I hope they will exchange them for a smaller size! I am so used to buying the largest size available! I need to "reset" my mind!!!! (Or in my husband's opinion, STOP buying clothes!!!)

I have been doing lots of smoothies. I usually start with a scoop of Protein powder, and then go from there. One morning I put in a banana and some vanilla yogurt (Yoplait Lite Very Vanilla), and a little skin milk, and a dash of vanilla. Another morning, I used orange yougurt (again, I use Yoplait Lite Orange), and a scoop of unflavored Protein Powder and a scoop of Orange Sherbert and a little milk. Also have tried some chocolate Protein Powder with chocolate yogurt and milk. The possibilities are endless. I have trouble getting enough Protein into my diet, so I am always looking for something to mix with the protein powder.< /span>

There is a Huge list of Protein Drink recipes somewhere on this site that Tiffykins posted in May of 2010. The web address is:

www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/5906-a-huge-list-of-protein-drink-recipes/

try looking through the recipes and see if some of them don't appeal to you. I found lots of ideas from her list for things that I could shove in the blender and mix up.

I wasn't going to tell my mom about my WLS plans. She is 86 and lives far away from me and my family. I love my mom and she is wonderful but I didn't want to worry her. Then I realized how hurt and angry she would be if I told her after the fact. So last week I told her. She was very easy going and I thought "well, that was easy!" ...nope, not so fast.....she called me back today and wanted to talk to me about my plans. She feels that if I exercise and diet and work hard at it that I will lose the weight. She feels like I haven't tried hard enough. I told her I heard what she was saying and that I appreciated her concern and I know that she was coming from a place of love, but wow I felt like crap after I hung up with her. Intellectually I understood the phone call, but emotionally it was devastating. But I will stay strong with my decision and keep jumping through my hoops and move forward towards the insurance approval and surgery date! Thanks for listening, I really needed to vent! XO

Miss Bliss, I SO know where you are coming from! My Mom is 90 and in pretty near perfect health. Still lives in her own home, does her own meals, laundry, drives, etc. I debated about telling her, and finally decided not to mention it to her. The one thing that has happened to my Mom as she has aged, is that she has developed the habit of worrying about almost everything. I talked it over with my sister, and we decided that it would be best not to tell her, as she would worry it to death! So I haven't told my Mom anything about the surgery. I am now three weeks and one day post op, and she knows nothing about it. I was home for 2 1/2 weeks after the surgery (I make my home in Iowa, but live and work in California most of the year), and took her out to lunch before I left to come back to California. I was sure she would notice that I had lost, cause at that time, I had lost about 34 pounds (20 on pre-op diet and about 14 or 16 after the surgery.) Also I was sure she would notice how little I ate, and that most of it was liquid. She didn't notice a thing! And I am thankful for that. I had decided that if she notced either my weight loss or my lack of eating and questioned me about it, I would tell her. I am not the first one in my family to do this. My cousin not only has had a RNY, but he is a Bariatric surgeon, and has done the RNY for his younger sister. But she didn't notice a thing, so she is still blissfully ignorant of what I have done. She won't see me again till October, when I go home on a short vacation, and I hope by that time I will be down at least 70 pounds. ( I have lost 45 already.) Try not to be devastated by what she said! She loves you and wants the best for you, and if she is like my Mom, fears the unknown for her children. Several years ago I lost like 80 pounds on Weight Watchers (and gained it all back plus some), and she told me then she was so glad that I did it the "natural way" instead of having surgery and "altering my body" She is just worried about long term consequences from surgery. Try to remember that only YOU know what is best for YOUR body! And it is you who has to live with the outcome. I have talked to a LOT of people who have had VGS or RNY and NO ONE has told me that they were sorry, or that they would undo it if they could! Best of luck to you as you walk this new path! You're in my prayers!!!

KathyD49

Dear ChubbyBrittanySpears,

I know how you feel! I lost 20 pounds pre-op, and have lost 24 pounds so far post op, and none of my clothes are even loose yet! You would think with a 44 pound weight loss that SOMETHING would be loose on me. So far I have noticed that my boobs are almost gone (I look in my bra cups and there is nothing there!), my rings are looser, and my shoes are looser. Is it possible to loose 44 pounds from my boobs, fingers and feet? Hardly anyone has noticed that I have lost weight at work. I didn't tell anyone that I was having surgery, I just took a months vacation and had it done while I was off, so it's not like everyone was looking to see if I had lost weight. But it is disappointing that nothing is loose yet. But I figure that EVENTUALLY my body HAS to start contracting somewhere. And as long as my scale continues to reward me with an ever decreasing number (even if it doesn't!), I am going to keep on this new path I am walking.

I have determined not to just loose weight, but to be more healthy. SO I have started swimming for a half hour every morning after I get off work. I started out slow, and am working, adding laps every day so that I get some exercise to help tone my muscles up, and some cardio to help my heart and lungs.

Best wishes as you continue on your journey!

One thing that hasn't been mentioned here is that when you are sleeved, it eliminates most of the ghrelins produced in the lower part of the stomach. Ghrelins are the hormone that causes hunger in humans. (My cousin is a bariatric surgeon, and he gave me a ten minute lecture on ghrelins and what they do and how they are eliminated in VGS, etc.) So many of us who have a VGS don't experience hunger at all, or at least to the degree that we did pre-op.

I for one am happy to not experience the hunger sensation. It makes the whole controling dietary intake so much easier. I am three weeks post-op today, and have lost a total of 44 pounds. (20 pounds on the pre-op diet and 24 pounds post op). I am thrilled not to experience the hunger that I always felt on Weight Watchers, NutriSystem, Optifast, Medifast and all the other systems/diets, etc I used in trying to loose weight.

Of course this doesn't do anything for the "head hunger" that a lot of us experience. But I found out that my pouch will tell me exactly how much I can eat, and if I eat ONE more bite, I am physically uncomfortable for close to an hour. I haven't eaten so much that I have vomited (I HATE to vomit, so I am really careful of noticing the "full" sensation immediately.) I try to eat VERY slowly and be very watchful of the sensations I am experiencing when I eat so that I don't overdo it. So far, I am thrilled to death with my sleeve and the results I am having. I know that my weight loss will start to slow down soon, but right now, I am enjoying my "honeymoon" period with my sleeve!

Anybody using compression garments to help with skin issues post op? Any input? Do they help? Thank you. I want to take every step possible to make sure I can make the most of my new body!

Wish I could give you a "definitive" answer! I bought one, it came yesterday, AND I can't get it on! I ordered a size XXL and thought that would be big enought, BUT, I can't even get it to come together in the middle. Am undecided what to do. Should I send it back for a XXXL, or should I wait till I can get into it? I hate to purchase an XXXL when I am loosing so well, and know that it will be too big shortly, BUT I want to start wearing it soon! Questions, questions, questions!

Well I'm only 13 days out and have had complications, but I wonder everyday what possessed me to do this. I love to eat and cook and I wonder if I will ever enjoy food again. I'm 5'7" and was 239 lbs so I keep thinking I could have gotten under 200 easily if I had just tried. If I could have a do over right now I would not even contemplate this surgery. Not to mention the money, I was self pay so I spent 13,0000 dollars of my families money to be miserable. So far I have lost 25 lbs and maybe when I lose 50 more and can eat and enjoy meals I will feel differently who knows.

I can identify with so much that you have to say. I too love to cook and bake, and of course EAT! I have spent the last few weeks wondering if I did something foolish, but every morning when I step on the scale, I absolutely am THRILLED to see how much I have lost. I have tried every diet, weight loss plan, etc in the world to loose weight, NONE with permanent results! I know this will be permanent and am absolutely THRILLED!!! I am down 44 pounds (20 pre-op and 24 post op) and I love the fact that I will soon enter "one"-derland!

As far as the cooking/baking thing, I am still cooking and baking, just not eating very much of what I fix. I feed my family, my roommate, my co-workers, etc. Also wanted to mention to you to check out www.theworldaccordingtoeggface . She had weight loss surgery 5 years ago last month, and loves to cook and bake. She has TONS of healthy recipes on her blog that make it interesting and fun to cook and bake again! She has been an endless source of encouragement to me.

I was having "buyers remorse" even before the surgery, wondering if I could stand this absolutely life changing thing I was going to do. About 4 days before the surgery it hit me, I would NEVER be able to eat as much as I wanted again. I would never be able to pig out on sweets or breads or whatever. I started writing to an old friend who had WLS about 3 years ago, asking her if she would do it again, and her answer encouraged me! She said it was the most positive thing she had ever done in her life. She said she now knows that she will live longer, be able to enjoy life with her husband, children and grandchildren for many more years, instead of the 5-6 years her personal physician had given her if she didn't do something about her weight and her many co-morbidities (medical conditions that could kill her)! Her diabetes is gone, her high cholesterol is gone, her sleep apnea is gone, her arthritis is better, her chronic fatigue syndrome is almost non-existant, she is active and loving her life. Even though she has gained back about 20-30 pounds of her 130 pound weight loss, she says she has never felt so good in her life. Every time I have some problems (I am only 3 weeks post op today) I think of her and remember that I want what she has!

I live in the Central California Valley, and want/need a buddy desperately! I am 2 1/2 weeks post op, and am struggeling with getting my Water in, getting enough Protein in, and trying to get active. I am a nurse and work night shift, from 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM. but only work 3 shifts per week. Would love to correspond, talk, IM whatever.

Thanks!

KathyD49

Lanette, YOu look SO good. Both your before and afters pics show a beautoiful young woman! But the after pics are REALLY rocking! Congratulations! I want to be like you!

I think you did Great! Red Lobster is one of my favorites, and I know I would do a lot worse than you did. I love their biscuits! And I love their mashed potatoes. Carbs are always my downfall! I think you did great. You just can't do it everyday. BTW---Happy Birthday!

I'm 62, so I guess I fit into the "senior" scenario. I have been sleeved for two weeks. I can't say I had a lot of pain. It was more like soreness. The worst discomfort was getting in and out of bed and coughing. If you have had abdominal surgery before, you know that coughing is necessary to re-expand the lungs and prevent pneumonia. I found it painful the first couple of days, but was able to "splint" my abdomen with a pillow pressed firmly against my tummy, and that helped with the coughing significantly. My surgeon did not use any narcotic pain medication, just a medication called Toredol. It is a powerful anti-inflammatory that can be given either orally, as a shot or as an IV push. I was given it IV push, I really could not tell if I was any better pain wise after the Toredol than before, the discomfort level seemed about the same to me, no matter how long it had been since I had the Toredol. I carried some pain pills with me that I had been prescribed by another physician when I fell and hurt my knee. I did not use these when I was in the hospital, but after discharge we elected to stay in San Diego for a couple of extra days before traveling home, and I did use them once or twice during our stay. I haven't used them in over a week now however, and feel no need for them.

Carrierae,

I SO know how you feel! I am eight days post op from a Verticle Sleeve Gastrectomy (Yeah, 8 whole days) and have lost 32 pounds. (20 I lost on the pre-op diet, twelve in the eight days since surgery). And I feel different inside. And it is not just my stomach that feels different, something else is different! I am so excited to think that I am going to be NORMAL (well at least normal sized, I don't suppose I will ever be "normal" at least my kids tell me I will never be nornal!). This morning when I first got up and went into the bathroom to wash, brush and floss I caught a glimpse of someone in the mirror and thought to myself "Good grief! Waht is that FAT, OLD Broad doing in here again?" before I realised it was ME! I don't feel like that fat old woman anymore!!! And I am SO excited to become the woman I feel like inside. It spurs me on to walk on the treadmill, to eat healthy, to do everything I can to make the most of what I have left to live in this life! I am EXCITED!

Well, I just made them, and they are Yummy! Thanks, great to find another way to get the Protein in, it is something that I was having trouble with.

Came back to hospital after severe weakness and nausea, got up to go to the bathroom and passed out. Now I'm in icu with a possible inernal bleed. Please pray for me. Don't yet if he gonna take me back to the OR or not

Oh Lyndy, am SO sorry to hear you are having problems! You just went to the top of my prayer list, and I am praying for you RIGHT NOW. Keep us posted so we know how you are doing.

Hi Kathy,

Thanks for sharing your story. I am a Cathi too. Can you tell a little more about your Mexico experience? I am scheduled to be sleeved with Dr. Aceves July 13th, am so excited and scared at the same time. My partner is supportive, but adult daughter and family are giong crazy. Making comments like I am either going to be butchered by the surgeon or stuffed with drugs by the drug lords that are going to kidnap me! Now I just respond with either send me postiive support or be quiet! Was your family ok with you going? Hope everything continues to go well for you. Cathi

Cathi, Sorry it took me so long to get back to you. If you look at the thread where someone asks everybody to tell who did their surgery and where it was, look at page 5, and you will see a little bit about my experience. I am a nurse (of 41 years) and I picked up on a lot of things that concerned me where I had my surgery (in Tijuana). I can't remember if it was in the Pre-op GVS or the Post Op VGS section where someone asked the question. But check page five and you will see my concerns. This might help you to evaluate what you are doing. Lots of luck!

KathyD 49

For nearly four years, I've worked on Intuitive Eating. I worked with an eating disorder therapist for a couple of years, and she is the one who directed me on this journey. I stopped dieting. I've - for the most part - never been happier. Dieting made me miserable, insecure and it didn't work. My weight has basically stabilized. I base that on how my rings and clothes fit. I've fluctuated, but probably not more than 10 pounds in either direction.

For the most part, I eat what I like when I'm hungry. food stopped being an enemy. I'm not yo-yo dieting up and down 30 pounds a year (and it was always more up than down).

I'm happily married. I have a husband who loves me for who I am, not what I look like. I was 380 pounds on our wedding day seven years ago, so it's not like he married me thin and then I got fat. I truly know I am loved for who I am as a person, and not the size of my clothes or a number on the scale.

I haven't gotten on a scale in almost four years. I live someplace that is, for the most part, not as superficial as the rest of the world. I lived in NYC for six years and I don't think I could've come to the emotional place I am at now while living there... where a size 8 is too fat, and everyone is judged for how they look.

So, why am I here? A friend had this type of surgery a year ago. I'd never heard of it before I read some of her blog posts about it. I knew about the other types of WLS and I knew - with no doubt - that they were not for me. I knew too many people who had WLS and suffered unpleasant side effects afterwards due to absorption issues and "dumping syndrome..." even sometimes with foods that one day they could eat without problem, but the next day it made them sick! I never wanted to go through that, even when I wanted to lose weight desperately.

I no longer want to lose weight desperately. In fact, there are only a few reasons I *want* to lose weight at all. There's the obvious inconveniences that come with being more than 200 pounds overweight. I need 2 airplane tickets, for example, which pretty much eliminates the potential for air travel. Which usually doesn't matter, as we prefer road trips anyway... but at the same time, it would be nice to have flying be an option. I am also somewhat concerned about the potential health issues. I'm not diabetic, but it is in the family. I don't have any heart issues I wouldn't have anyway (benign palpitations), but I'd also like to keep it that way. My father died of a heart attack in January. He was 58, almost 59. I am 35, and I'm not really fond of the thought of dying young. Granted, he was diabetic and did not control it even slightly for years... which led to kidney failure and dialysis. The point being, he had medical issues I don't currently have. I'd like to keep it that way, though.

I have fibromyalgia. Exercise is extremely painful for me. I don't really know that it would be easier if I lost weight, but it might be... however, I do have some concerns that eating so little - as is required following surgery - might be a problem for me because of the fibro... because I am already so tired and have so little energy.

Here's where things get complicated, though. I don't ever wanna know what I weigh again. I just don't. It's not good for me emotionally. I am so much happier not knowing, and *if* I were to undergo this procedure, I wouldn't want to know what I started out at or where I finish. I'm just pretty sure no doctor is going to work with me on that. I don't want a goal weight. They can assign me one, and weigh me... but I don't want to know about it. I'm not considering this radical procedure because I want to be thin. I'm not dreaming of wearing a bikini, and frankly, given the extra skin I'd likely have to deal with, I might look even worse after surgery than I sometimes feel I do now (though generally, I don't really think of my looks at all - it's been part of my eating disorder recovery process).

If I were to have surgery, I'd only tell my husband and a few very close friends. It's none of anyone's business, but I also think that people are quick to jump on a bandwagon - so to speak... and surgery is an extreme choice to deal with a lifelong problem. I don't want to influence others in a way that might be negative. But mostly, it's just that I'm a fairly private person.

I've accepted my body and my limitations. I love myself the way I am now. But I can't deny that life would be so much easier if I could lose weight. Dieting won't get me there, and it will make me absolutely miserable. I have two medical conditions that make weight loss challenging (polycystic ovarian syndrome and Hashimoto's Disease). However, I know that I can follow a medically necessary change to my diet. Last year I had gallbladder surgery and for 2 months had to eat a very low fat diet. It didn't make me crazy, I didn't really feel any sort of deprivation and I wasn't obsessing about my weight during that time... because it wasn't about that. I get that WLS is about losing weight, but for me it wouldn't be the focus. It would just be a means to an end that makes life less challenging and hopefully makes me feel better than I do now (due to the fibromyalgia).

I'm just curious... I'm doubtful I'll find anyone who doesn't check the scale regularly, but I figured it couldn't hurt to ask...

Karelia,

I think if that is what is right for you, Great! For myself however, I have struggled my entire life with weight issues. I am the heaviest one in my family, and I hate it that everyone else is so active and I am always "too tired" to participate in family activities. I have let my weight limit my life for so long, that I wanted to take charge of my own life and do something positive for myself.

I have a strong history of diabetes in my family. Did you know that if one of your parents is (was) diabetic you have a more than 50 % chance of having diabetes yourself? If both parents are diabetic, you have a 100% chance that you will be diabetic also (assuming you live long enough to develop it)! Pretty grim statistics, huh? My Dad was diabetic, both my grandmothers, and now my Mother is diabetic. She is very good about keeping her weight in control (5'4", 130 lbs). My husband is already a diabetic, has been for 6-8 years, and has had two heart attacks and a stroke. We are both in our early 60's and I feel SO fortunate that I am still basically VERY healthy. BUT, I want to keep it that way, and statistics show that weight control, control of cholesterol and triglyceride levels, not smoking and activity are all part of a healthy life style that promotes long life. All four of my grandparents lived to their late 80's. My Mother just turned 90 this spring and still lives in her own home, does all her own cooking, laundry, drives, teaches Bible study twice a week, plays organ for church three times a week.... well you get the idea, she is ACTIVE! I want to be the same!

I have tried Weight Watchers (would you believe 17 times!?!), Diet Center, Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Weigh Down Workshop, Overeaters Annon, Overeaters Victorious, TOPS, and probably some more programs that I can't remember. So far nothing has made a permanent change, so surgery was the next logical option for me. My 1st cousin is a Bariatric surgeon, who has had bariatric surgery himself. He examined me and recommended a Verticle Gastric Sleeve as a solution. So a week ago I proceeded to have the surgery. I am now working very hard to recover and get myself on a more healthy life plan.

I wish you all the best, but for me, I want to know my weight, and want to do everything I can to control it so I can live a more healthy, active life style.

Whoot! Excuse my messy house

I'm embarrassed for the lady in the photos. Then I remember that it's me

Taken a couple of months before surgery consult

Taken 2wks after surgery

Taken this morning

Wow! Congratulations! What a difference! YOU are doing great!

My surgery is coming up Tuesday. I planned to get a mani/pedi Monday so all looks beautiful at the hospital. A friend told me that you are not allowed to wear polish during surgery. My surgeon did not mention this. Was that true for any of you?? Would be seriously pi$ed if I spent money for the mani/pedi and they took off the polish at the hospital LOL!

My surgeon also said no nail polish, even on my toes! So.... I went and got both a manicure and a pedicure and had them done "French". Nobody said a thing to me at the hospital, and nobody made me take the polish off. My nails are something I take pride in, and I was not about to go to the hospital without anything on them. The reason is that they put a pulse oximetry device on your finger during the surgery to measure the amount of oxygen in your blood (to be sure you are getting enough oxygen!) and it doesn't read as well through colored nail polish. But clear shouldn't interfer with the pulse ox. Take care. Hope your surgery goes well. I am 4 days post op, and finally feeling better. I was pretty sore for the first couple of days, but today I feel good.