Pennie

I just saw the previews on the TLC website. It looks like a really cool show... but, really? Do surgeons really cart out the fat and skin they remove for the patients to see after the surgery? That seems like a "made-for-TV" moment that wouldn't happen under normal circumstances.
Does anyone know if this show is available on demand anywhere?

You are very wise to be thinking about this now. Really - serious applause to you for that. So many people go into WLS thinking that it will be some magic bullet that will not only melt away the pounds but also make them happy/successful/insertanythingelsehere. These are the people that end up unhappy (and possibly posting videos about it on youtube!) My support group leader always likes to remind everyone that sleeve surgery is surgeon on your stomach and not your head. Any life issues you have now will not be resolved just because 85% of your stomach is removed.
Most surgeon's offices have a psychologist either on staff or a list of therapists that they refer patients to. You may want to consider meeting with the psych and just discussing your fears and expectations. They are really in a good position to help you work through this because your concerns are VERY common in the bariatric community.
I honestly think the fact that you are aware of these issues, and are thinking about them now, speaks volumes. That, in itself, is seriously half the battle. Now, the other half I don't have any specific advice for you other than talking it through with a professional. Our individual psyches are too complicated and unique for any sort of blanket advice I can think of.
You are going to do well... I can tell. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming sugery!

You are very wise to be thinking about this now. Really - serious applause to you for that. So many people go into WLS thinking that it will be some magic bullet that will not only melt away the pounds but also make them happy/successful/insertanythingelsehere. These are the people that end up unhappy (and possibly posting videos about it on youtube!) My support group leader always likes to remind everyone that sleeve surgery is surgeon on your stomach and not your head. Any life issues you have now will not be resolved just because 85% of your stomach is removed.
Most surgeon's offices have a psychologist either on staff or a list of therapists that they refer patients to. You may want to consider meeting with the psych and just discussing your fears and expectations. They are really in a good position to help you work through this because your concerns are VERY common in the bariatric community.
I honestly think the fact that you are aware of these issues, and are thinking about them now, speaks volumes. That, in itself, is seriously half the battle. Now, the other half I don't have any specific advice for you other than talking it through with a professional. Our individual psyches are too complicated and unique for any sort of blanket advice I can think of.
You are going to do well... I can tell. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming sugery!

You are very wise to be thinking about this now. Really - serious applause to you for that. So many people go into WLS thinking that it will be some magic bullet that will not only melt away the pounds but also make them happy/successful/insertanythingelsehere. These are the people that end up unhappy (and possibly posting videos about it on youtube!) My support group leader always likes to remind everyone that sleeve surgery is surgeon on your stomach and not your head. Any life issues you have now will not be resolved just because 85% of your stomach is removed.
Most surgeon's offices have a psychologist either on staff or a list of therapists that they refer patients to. You may want to consider meeting with the psych and just discussing your fears and expectations. They are really in a good position to help you work through this because your concerns are VERY common in the bariatric community.
I honestly think the fact that you are aware of these issues, and are thinking about them now, speaks volumes. That, in itself, is seriously half the battle. Now, the other half I don't have any specific advice for you other than talking it through with a professional. Our individual psyches are too complicated and unique for any sort of blanket advice I can think of.
You are going to do well... I can tell. Good luck and congrats on your upcoming sugery!

Honestly, the first three days of the pre-op diet were really hard for me. I turned a corner on Day 4 and 5 and it was (relatively) easy from there on out. It's such a huge adjustment - mentally and physically.
Take good care of yourself and know that it WILL get easier. I promise! I always say that the pre-op diet was the hardest part of my entire weight loss experience! It's so much easier after you are sleeved and you have that powerful tool to combat hunger. For now, you gotta tough it out without the sleeve.
Take it a day at a time (or maybe an hour or even minute at a time if you need to). You will get through this and you'll be sleeved before you know it. Congrats on your upcoming surgery! I hope you love your sleeve as much as I love mine!

It gets better. Believe me.
I very much enjoy going out to eat with my family. I usually just ask for a "to go" box at the same time I order my food. When the food arrives, I put a lot of it (ok, most of it!) in the to-go box and eat the sleeve-sized portion on my plate. That way it doesn't look like I'm not eating (if you are self-conscous about that) because your plate is empty when the waiter comes around with the bill. Also, having the small portion on your plate ensure you won't overeat and get a sleeve-ache.
It takes time to adjust to the new way of doing things. You'll find little tricks that make you feel comfortable and confident when eating out at resturants. The great thing about the sleeve is that once you are fully healed, you can really eat anything with fear of dumping or food getting "stuck" (which happens with RNY and lap-band patients). I think most sleevers have a it a bit easier at resturants than folks with the RNY or bands.
You'll feel healthy normal soon... don't worry. Just be patient with yourself and you will find your own way.

It gets better. Believe me.
I very much enjoy going out to eat with my family. I usually just ask for a "to go" box at the same time I order my food. When the food arrives, I put a lot of it (ok, most of it!) in the to-go box and eat the sleeve-sized portion on my plate. That way it doesn't look like I'm not eating (if you are self-conscous about that) because your plate is empty when the waiter comes around with the bill. Also, having the small portion on your plate ensure you won't overeat and get a sleeve-ache.
It takes time to adjust to the new way of doing things. You'll find little tricks that make you feel comfortable and confident when eating out at resturants. The great thing about the sleeve is that once you are fully healed, you can really eat anything with fear of dumping or food getting "stuck" (which happens with RNY and lap-band patients). I think most sleevers have a it a bit easier at resturants than folks with the RNY or bands.
You'll feel healthy normal soon... don't worry. Just be patient with yourself and you will find your own way.

It gets better. Believe me.
I very much enjoy going out to eat with my family. I usually just ask for a "to go" box at the same time I order my food. When the food arrives, I put a lot of it (ok, most of it!) in the to-go box and eat the sleeve-sized portion on my plate. That way it doesn't look like I'm not eating (if you are self-conscous about that) because your plate is empty when the waiter comes around with the bill. Also, having the small portion on your plate ensure you won't overeat and get a sleeve-ache.
It takes time to adjust to the new way of doing things. You'll find little tricks that make you feel comfortable and confident when eating out at resturants. The great thing about the sleeve is that once you are fully healed, you can really eat anything with fear of dumping or food getting "stuck" (which happens with RNY and lap-band patients). I think most sleevers have a it a bit easier at resturants than folks with the RNY or bands.
You'll feel healthy normal soon... don't worry. Just be patient with yourself and you will find your own way.

It gets better. Believe me.
I very much enjoy going out to eat with my family. I usually just ask for a "to go" box at the same time I order my food. When the food arrives, I put a lot of it (ok, most of it!) in the to-go box and eat the sleeve-sized portion on my plate. That way it doesn't look like I'm not eating (if you are self-conscous about that) because your plate is empty when the waiter comes around with the bill. Also, having the small portion on your plate ensure you won't overeat and get a sleeve-ache.
It takes time to adjust to the new way of doing things. You'll find little tricks that make you feel comfortable and confident when eating out at resturants. The great thing about the sleeve is that once you are fully healed, you can really eat anything with fear of dumping or food getting "stuck" (which happens with RNY and lap-band patients). I think most sleevers have a it a bit easier at resturants than folks with the RNY or bands.
You'll feel healthy normal soon... don't worry. Just be patient with yourself and you will find your own way.

It gets better. Believe me.
I very much enjoy going out to eat with my family. I usually just ask for a "to go" box at the same time I order my food. When the food arrives, I put a lot of it (ok, most of it!) in the to-go box and eat the sleeve-sized portion on my plate. That way it doesn't look like I'm not eating (if you are self-conscous about that) because your plate is empty when the waiter comes around with the bill. Also, having the small portion on your plate ensure you won't overeat and get a sleeve-ache.
It takes time to adjust to the new way of doing things. You'll find little tricks that make you feel comfortable and confident when eating out at resturants. The great thing about the sleeve is that once you are fully healed, you can really eat anything with fear of dumping or food getting "stuck" (which happens with RNY and lap-band patients). I think most sleevers have a it a bit easier at resturants than folks with the RNY or bands.
You'll feel healthy normal soon... don't worry. Just be patient with yourself and you will find your own way.

Yeah! Nice work on breaking the stall! You are doing great - you're husband's jaw will drop, I'm sure.

Highly unlikely. The sleeve is made from the least stretchy part of the stomach. It is possible to stretch it out a bit over time, at least theorhetically, but it would be pretty minimal. As swelling goes down from surgery, you will have more and more capacity to eat, but this isn't the same as the stomach stretching.
Many new sleevers over eat at least once or twice when they are still learning the "new way" of life. Be sure to always measure before eating and you won't have to deal with the pain or nausea that can come with overeating.
Lesson learned, I am sure, right?

Oh my goodness!! Saying prayers for you... And lots of hugs too. (((HUGS)))

I had a neck lift along with a face lift. My double chins turned into saggy wrinkles after my weight loss. The incisions for the neck lift are right under my chin, hidden in shadow, and in my hair around the back of my neck. I used to have a mole right under my chin and now it is about 2 inches further back toward my throat, so my surgeon removed a lot of saggy skin. I have a 90 degree angle now and a beautifully defined jawline. It was not painful for me and recovery was pretty short, about a week and I could cover the bruising with scarves or a turtleneck. I am very pleased.

There can be a lot of causes. Two common ones that pop into mind are low blood sugar and low blood pressure - both are pretty common problems as a newish sleever. Oh, and a third issue... dehydration. It can cause a lot of unfun things. So make sure you are hitting your Water goals every day.
I agree that this would be something good to bring up with your doctor. Sorry he has a bad bedside manner... you could also ask your regular doctor instead of your surgeon.

I love it! Yeah, a four-year-old will simply call it as he sees it! You are offically skinny! LOL!

Wow - you have an amazingly physical job. That would be extremely tough for anyone in the BEST of shape. Congratulations on your huge NSV with work!!
I've heard other people say they lost shoe sizes. I only lost width, not length. You might be right that there is something about the arch. If your arch is higher now (due to less weight pressing it down) it would make sense that it would draw the foot up and in a bit, which would result in less length. Very interesting! Congrats on the foot front too!

Your pre-op diet plan sounds very similar to mine. Basically shakes and a short list of veggies.
The first 3 days were the hardest for me. After that, it got much easier. Also, I know I say this often but I think it's worth repeating... the pre-op diet was probably the hardest part of my journey! If you can get through these two weeks (which you will!) and stay true to your plan, you will be golden!
One thing I did to help mix things up a bit... I froze some of my shakes. It gave them a different texture, and I ate them with a spoon like ice cream. (Um, it didn't taste like ice cream, though!) It helped me because it took me longer to eat the shake this way, and also it made me feeling like I was actually "eating" and not just drinking. It was probably more psychological than anything, but it did help me.
Good luck!! You are almost there!

If you want a ready-to-drink kind, EAS was my favorite. It's also the cheapest RTD kind I've ever found - you can get them at wal-mart.
Everything gets cheaper once you can rely on real food for your Protein sources (eggs and cheese are low cost good sources of protein).
Good luck with your upcoming surgery!! And congrats!

Your pre-op diet plan sounds very similar to mine. Basically shakes and a short list of veggies.
The first 3 days were the hardest for me. After that, it got much easier. Also, I know I say this often but I think it's worth repeating... the pre-op diet was probably the hardest part of my journey! If you can get through these two weeks (which you will!) and stay true to your plan, you will be golden!
One thing I did to help mix things up a bit... I froze some of my shakes. It gave them a different texture, and I ate them with a spoon like ice cream. (Um, it didn't taste like ice cream, though!) It helped me because it took me longer to eat the shake this way, and also it made me feeling like I was actually "eating" and not just drinking. It was probably more psychological than anything, but it did help me.
Good luck!! You are almost there!

There may be a stigma attached to weight loss surgery, but I believe there is a worse stigma attached to morbid obesity. Neither stigma is fair or right.
As for "the easy way out".... aside from the fact that weight loss surgery isn't especially "easy", I never understand why it is somehow a bad thing to take the easy way out. When I made hot chocolate, I used the microwave instead of boiling the Water on the stove. That was the easy way out. I use air conditioning to keep myself cool and comfortable in the summer rather than using handheld fans and blocks of ice. Again, easy way out.
There are so many examples of how technology (including modern medicine) allow us to live easier and more efficent lives. How is this wrong? If someone is critical of you for choosing weight loss surgery because it is "the easy way out" -- ask them if they use a computer to send e-mails, or if they still hand deliver their letters and written correspondence. Do they drive a car? Do they take advil when they have a headache?
The sleeve surgery is one of the best (if not THE best) that modern medicine has to offer in terms of fighting morbid obesity. Yes, you could diet and exercise (and no doubt, you have!) but 95% of morbidly obese people will regain weight lost this way. VSG is actually effective at weight loss AND maintenance, the statistics and science are on your side... it's the "smart way out"!
OK... end rant. LOL!

How heartbreaking! I'm so sorry for the loss of your brother. Please be gentle with yourself and give yourself time to process this tragedy. The sleeve will be a wonderful tool for you when you are ready for it - no need to rush.

There may be a stigma attached to weight loss surgery, but I believe there is a worse stigma attached to morbid obesity. Neither stigma is fair or right.
As for "the easy way out".... aside from the fact that weight loss surgery isn't especially "easy", I never understand why it is somehow a bad thing to take the easy way out. When I made hot chocolate, I used the microwave instead of boiling the Water on the stove. That was the easy way out. I use air conditioning to keep myself cool and comfortable in the summer rather than using handheld fans and blocks of ice. Again, easy way out.
There are so many examples of how technology (including modern medicine) allow us to live easier and more efficent lives. How is this wrong? If someone is critical of you for choosing weight loss surgery because it is "the easy way out" -- ask them if they use a computer to send e-mails, or if they still hand deliver their letters and written correspondence. Do they drive a car? Do they take advil when they have a headache?
The sleeve surgery is one of the best (if not THE best) that modern medicine has to offer in terms of fighting morbid obesity. Yes, you could diet and exercise (and no doubt, you have!) but 95% of morbidly obese people will regain weight lost this way. VSG is actually effective at weight loss AND maintenance, the statistics and science are on your side... it's the "smart way out"!
OK... end rant. LOL!

Well said, PDXman!
OP...FWIW, I was on liquids for 3 weeks (clear and then full) and then mushies... so I was about a month out of surgery before I was eating what you've already eaten.

I think people would say I am a risk taker, too. But when it came to post op eating, I was the opposite. Let's take a look at what has been done to us. We had 80-85% of our stomachs removed with a titanium staple line going from the top to bottom of our stomach ... no small scratch, there. This is our stomach. One of the most active organs in our bodies as it is the mechanical part of eating process. It secretes the acids and churns the food to get it into a paste to pass through the pyloric valve and down into your intestines for absorption.
Do I really want to hinder it's healing process? Is jumping ahead a week in my diet progression really worth it? I'm going to have this sleeve for the rest of my life and I want it to heal solid. I was not going to throw it curve balls.
Was I too passive ...? Perhaps. But now I am going on 11 months out and I can confidently eat anything. I am glad I did not try to test my staple line with advancing my diet too quickly. What's the point?