Joisey01

Try something small, and soft. Go slow. Take 1 bite, chew chew chew, put your fork down, wait a minute. If it goes down well, repeat.
I was very nervous when I got to soft foods, but after a week or so of liquids, my fat free retried Beans were heaven in my mouth.
Good luck

YOu will do just great! I had the same attitude you do and today is my last day of liquid diet. It really did go by fast!
Positive attitude makes all the difference in the world!!
Good luck

I went to the Doctor today and purposely chose not to weigh until that visit. Well, I've lost 22 lbs since surgery on August 20! I've never lost that much weight in such a short time! I'm excited about the future! So... Excited!

So today was the first of my 6 consecutive months of Physician supervised weight loss visits. I have a long way to go, but, I am determined and plan to use this time to prepare myself for the drastic life style change to come....... (once approved of course) #wishmeluck

Yesterday I had my third nutritionist visit and also had my psych consult. This is officially the halfway point. I must admit that I do have one regret - I went to the free (required) seminar in May - but I didn't have my initial consultation until July - which throws me literally in a race against time to make it in by the end of the year to prevent my deductible from resetting or (hopefully not the case) my insurance dropping coverage for the surgery - I have UHC through HCA. If I had only gone to the initial consult right away I'd be slated to get sleeved in October!! Oh well, hopefully I make it in by the end of the year.
Here's to the halfway point! Almost there!

Definitely groggy but, the pain wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and still very sore and the gas hurts quite a bit but I can feel like a champ and I lost 10 pounds morning so that Pre-Op diet this past week really helped with some pre-weight-loss.

When I first told my family my brother got upset. He thinks it is cheating. (he was drunk) He is very opinionated and of course his way is always the RIGHT way. We argued for a while. He said I really need to research this... REALLY??? did he think I would just one day wake up and say WOW I think I will go sign up for surgery without researching anything??
He wanted me to watch Biggest Loser for 1 season. HA. I told him I wanted him to watch Intervention for 1 season too We finally ended the conversation by me saying I would be more than happy to discuss this with him again sometime when he is sober. He has not brought it up again.
Everyone else in my family is very supportive! I have told most of my friends too and they are also supportive. I am a very positive person and presented it in a very positive way to everyone too.
2 days from now I will be sleeved!!! woohoo . I can't wait

I am so glad I decided to have the vertical sleeve with Dr. Aceves in Mexico. I have lost 59 pounds and still losing. It's true the first few months are a bit rough when it comes to transition of food stages, but it is all worth it and goes by quickly. Side effects I have experienced; I started hair loss in my third month but it definitely seems to be slowing down and with the Vitamins and good shampoos my hair looks better than what I expected. I was tired before surgery so that is about the same. My eyesight and memory seem to have gotten immediately worse since the surgery. I know memory loss is a common side effect. Moods a bit more up and down too, but I notice injecting myself with a multi Vitamin b injection once to twice a week really helps with mood and energy. I notice in my face a few more wrinkles and my skin is still adjusting but actually not too bad--so in time. I could not expect all the damage I caused my body to just go away, so I have accepted some of these things. Also, being 47 my skin is not a twenty year olds either!
MY immediate upsides to surgery were; my temperature gauge was boiling hot all the time and now I am normal, little to no snoring and sleep wonderfully now. Of course the weightloss--looking and feeling better. Less to no pain in my left knee due to weight. I have another 20-30 pounds to go and when I get there I will post my before and after pics.
Besides all the many changes this transforming surgery causes it can bring out you wanting to clean house in many areas of your life and that is what I have been doing.
Anyhow, I came to this forum daily months prior to my surgery and it was a great resource in research and learning about what to expect. Reading posts from those that had been there and done that really helped. I have not been on much since the surgery and thought I should pay some of it forward.
Good luck to all those considering or that have WLS dates...and to fellow sleevers I hope you are as happy as I am about my choice to be sleeved!

I really feel like throwing out my tv. It seems like since I started my pre-op diet everything about food has been popping on the screen. Is it just that i want to eat it or am i just seeing things differently?
EMOTIONS

Congratulations! Isn't that encouragement enough to keep it going!?!?!?! Very happy for you!

October 10 is the first day if the rest of my life!!! Super excited!!! Can't wait to be sleeved!!!

You know, when I first started the process, my insurance company (BCBS) required a 6 month waiting period. The Center of Excellence that I am having my procedure at has a program that takes at least 4-6 months to complete. I started this process in November and have my surgery tomorrow. In some ways it feels like it's been for-e-ver but in other ways I feel like going through the process taught me so much about myself as well as made sure I am going into this eyes wide open, as prepared as possible which is a clear difference between some people who didn't have to go through that process.
I feel like I'm on a soapbox (sorry!) but honestly in hindsight I am very glad I wasn't able to get this done quickly. I needed this time to start getting my head together. :-)

After surgery, my tastes changed and I did NOT like sweet things very much. I found the lemonade crystal light packet for Water bottles way too TART/SWEET if that is possible. I could not drink it at all. I learned that if I didnt put the whole packet in the bottle.. . just a little more than half, it was perfect! I like the MIO Water flavors too because you can squeeze in as much you need to get it right for your tastes. Try that for on the go!

Remember, those artificial sweeteners may be 300 to 600 times sweeter than sugar, but you only get a tiny, tiny bit of the sweeteners in a packet (or tube of Crys.lite, for that matter). The rest of the stuff in the splenda/whatever envelope is dextrose and some other non-sweet junk so it will flow smoothly....

My wife is in pre-op getting ready for her sleeve surgery.

Google what 1lb of fat looks like!!! 46lbs is amazing, be proud!!!

Oh Lord! You will be on my prayer list! I am so sorry to hear. Keep us posted, please!

I started this journey at 371 pounds. Two months, two weeks and one day after surgery I have met my second goal of losing 100 pounds! Now on to my third goal: 250 pounds.
I have to say it does feel nice to not be at my former weight.

I have officially lost 100 pounds as of this morning!! This is the most amazing thing EVER!!!!

I am pre-op (9-20-12). I've done some taste-testing and ordering to get ready for when I go to the liquid diet and for post-op. I've found unjury @ www.unjury.com. I got the unflavored and chicken broth. They have bariatric Vitamins as well.
Just this weekend, I went to GNC to get some pre-made Isopure. They have several flavors; grape frost, apple melon, alpine punch, blue raspberry and pineapple orange banana. I have had one just to see how it would go. I tried the pineapple, orange, banana. I found that it wasn't horrible. But like I said, I'm pre-op. Who knows how my tastebuds will change post-op. I also tolerate the Protein shakes very well.
Good luck!

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!! I have purchased Unjury unflavored Protein as well as the chicken broth. I have it ready to go! I even purchased my post-op Vitamins there!

Oh, Joisey, one more thing, yesterday I discovered unjury.com. Check out the WLS section and read about the chicken broth Protein Powder AND unflavored Protein powder. Be sure to click on the links that give ideas how to use those powders. I think the unflavored could be really helpful to you.

WOW! IrishEyes, thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts with me (and us on VST). We all have our stories. We've all had our struggles. I appreciate you and all you have been through.
One day at a time is all we can do at one step at a time. You have come so far! Looking at another Journey in the face has to be ridden with anxiety. My anxiety only lasts a few minutes and then I get my thoughts back on track.
One foot in front of the other. Keep in touch throughout your journey!

Hi Joisey! I feel the EXACT same way. Just really started yesterday. I will be sleeved on 9/21. I actually have my pre-op appointment this Wed 9/5, because my surgeon will be out of town closer to my surgery.
I am a phase I diet which is fine and don't begin full liquids until 9/14. So have not had to deal with the emotions that come along with being hungry, yet, which is good. But find that I have been so busy with appointments and getting clearances and not that it's all completed, the anxiety is setting in. With pre-op in two days, I know this is the trigger for my anxiety.
I also feel the same about why I am going through all of this. I want to feel good in my body again, in my skin. I have so many constant pains it would bea waste of typing to mention. Primarily its my back and joints. It's about health for me too. And practical things, like seats on a plane, etc. I am too young to feel like I am 90 yrs old. I am only 42.
I am surprised at my level of anxiety in a way because it's not like this process is happening over night. I began the process in April 2010 with my first seminar. It was 2 wks after I turned 40 and had decided that it was time to take control of my health. Made all sorts of appointments to check everything out. Physical, pap, bloodwork, etc. That's when I got the nerve to ck out the seminar. I was thinking of LapBand at the time and was excited to get the ball rolling. I received a call from the gyno and they needed to do ultrasound of my ovaries, which happened fairly often for me due to cysts. After the ultrasound the nurse said to get dressed and then I would be speaking with the dr. Seemed odd but not a real red flag. Walking to his office, did feel like a red flag. As I sat down and saw the way he was looking at me, was a red flag. He tells me I have a tumor the size of a large grapefruit on an ovary. Tells me he is sending me for bloodwork right away and referring me to an oncologist. Driving to do the bloodwork I was thinking, oncologist means cancer, right?? Of course I knew this but my head was trying to process it all. May 18th I meet with the oncologist and May 21st had open abdominal surgery. During those 4 days in between I read up on ovarian cancer and prepared for the end of my life. The size of the tumor means it had most likely spread, all over, and the 5 yr survival rate was not good. At the time it was 80% don't make it to 5 yrs. I woke up from the surgery and first thing I asked is "where did it spread to?" I kept getting same answer from nurses then family. Nowhere. It did not spread. I still to this day feel like a walking miracle. Apparently the cancerous part was surrounded by a non cancerous tumor, it it was encased. My surgeon hadnt ever seen that, and he is (I later found out) a world renound surgeon. I never found the right time, right man to have children with. And the dr said I needed a complete hysterectomy. He gave me 5 yrs to get pregnant. I tried to preserve my eggs but no fertility clinic would freeze eggs when a patient had ovarian cancer. Potential of freezing cancer with it. Well, dr said in Nov I had to have the surgery as soon as possible because my risks of cancer coming back were too high. He based it on bloodwork and, my weight. March 2011 had my hysterectomy. Very hard emotional time. Actually hardest in my life.
That surgery was robotic, Da Vinci. SUCH a piece of cake recovery!! I recommend to anyone who has the choice to choose robotic surgery, take it and run with it!! Recovery was amazing. I was apprehensive going in because of the unknown and the surgeon not operating in the operating room but working from a seated position, in another room via robot. I just can't say enough about that experience.
July 2011 went to another seminar for WLS and here I am 22 days from surgery. And I am anxious. I have to remind myself that I have been given another chance at life and want to make the most of it because tomorrow isn't guaranteed, for anyone. All of us going through this are doing so much more than just losing weight. It is literally transforming our futures. Our quality of this God given, precious life. And when our quality of life is better, our loved ones have a better quality of life too. We need to think of the memories yet to be made. Memories we will not be able to create in the current state of our bodies.
Joisey, let's think about the exciting future ahead of us when we get anxious. We know that it's a tough road ahead but haven't we been living a tough road, everyday, anyway?? Yes, we are facing surgery soon and we feel like this is the beginning of something difficult but actually it's the end of a difficult time. It's the end of the hard parts of physical life and the beginning of a wonderful transformation that will make our lives physically easier.
Godspeed my new friend. You and all going through this process will be in my prayers.

When I started this journey, I set in my mind that I would consider the sleeve a success if I got under, and maintained under 200# within the first year of surgery. Well, I am just over 8 months out, and am now seeing "1" as the first number on the scale. I have not been under 200# since the late 1980s!!!!!!!!!!!!! OMG, it is hard to believe I am finally here. I never got under 200# when I was banded - and I had that band for 10 years!!! The sleeve really does work.
I attached a photo from 2 days ago - and one from a month or two preop. When I showed my son the before photo, he was shocked, he didn't remember me being so big. It shocks me too, so I get it.
Before:

Current: