kccat3594

A lose is a lose eclectick.. Geez.. Thus is a support group no?

Almost hard to believe it's been a little more than a year now. 95 lbs gone forever and I'm healthy!! No more HBP, no more diabetes, no more gout, no more chest paint or shortness of breath, no more knee and back pain, my heart rate at rest is now in the 60's (formerly around 100). Most importantly I have the energy to play with my kids!!
So happy I got my sleeve!!

Hello there! I am 4 1/2 months post-op and to date I have lost about 86 pounds! Getting the Gastric Sleeve was the best decision I ever made. I documented this journey from days after I made the decision to get the surgery, until just a couple weeks ago! I would love for you to come on an adventure with me as I make my way to Onederland....
www.journeyofonederland.com

I'm only a week out of surgery so I am going to be totally honest. Yes. In some ways I do regret it. There is that piece of me that feels like my best friend is just GONE. I can't turn to food anymore. I know that with every day that goes by I will be more at peace with it. Which is why people years out can say that they don't regret it. But Carl's Jr came out with the Mile High Burger right before my surgery and I feel like I was cheated because I never got to have one. That's the part of me that regrets it. But I'm down 53 lbs from my starting weight. And in that aspect I feel great. The surgery was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. It was actually pretty easy. I think you have to just know in your head and in your heart that you are going to lose your best friend. And if you are like me, you will have family members push you away. It turns out that other super morbidly obese people don't like to watch you get healthier. Because it means you can no longer support or enable thier habits. If you can get it together within yourself to do it, do it. But before you start your liquid diet, go have a Mile High Burger and tell me if they are any good! Eat the food you love most and say goodbye to it. Some of it you'll eat again in small portions. Some you'll never eat again. I'll never be able to eat a Whopper in 4 bites again. I'll never be the life of the birthday party and shove an entire cupcake in my mouth again. But hopefully in time I will not also be the biggest girl in the room. That's the thought that gets me through. I'm a girl and at 5'11" and 352 I was bigger than a lot of NFL players. But today I got on the scale and for the first time in probably 5 years I am under 300lbs. When you have that feeling, it makes the regret go away for awhile.
You will regret it. It's normal. But you won't regret it forever. It is worth it.
Cryssie

Hi Guys,

Just joined and looking forward to next steps. I've been contemplating and researching Bariatric surgery for years. Finally "pulled the trigger" and thought I'd have to wait for a drawn out approval process. It was approximately five weeks from initial consult with surgeon to the pre-op appointment when I set my surgery date. Full insurance approval happened within two weeks.

I'm feeling really blessed and nervous. Excited is a better description. I'm 43 yrs old and have ALWAYS been the big guy. Looking forward to turning the page to a better, healthier, longer life!

Awesome!! Hope I can do that next year!!

Grocery shopping and grandkids both wear me out quickly . Ready to be strong and begin working out. I want this weight off so bad. I want to be able to play with my grandbabies and not get so tired :-/.

62 lbs down, super happy, feeling amazingly healthy and blessed.

Yes! I still get twinges of pain and have a little bruising. But getting better everyday!

In my obsession of finding WLS friendly recipes I came across a great website called BariatricFoodie.Blogspot.Com I found really good recipes and tips and the women who writes it is funny. Can't wait to try the recipes when I can eat "normal". It really gave me hope that I'll eat a good meal again! Oh and there's a Facebook page too.. Bariatric Foodie. She wrote a book on surviving the holidays after WLS which I think I need to read!

I like ricotta with a little sauce. My Dr said we can have a very flaky fish like tilapia or swai. Just need to mush with fork. Haven't tried yet.

Thanks for the tip !!!

theworldaccordingtoeggface.com is amazing too! So many recipes! And Michelle is so nice and a great inspiration

In my obsession of finding WLS friendly recipes I came across a great website called BariatricFoodie.Blogspot.Com I found really good recipes and tips and the women who writes it is funny. Can't wait to try the recipes when I can eat "normal". It really gave me hope that I'll eat a good meal again! Oh and there's a Facebook page too.. Bariatric Foodie. She wrote a book on surviving the holidays after WLS which I think I need to read!

A lose is a lose eclectick.. Geez.. Thus is a support group no?

Down 28kgs and feeling great. Still about 12 kgs to go.

I am officially sleeved as of Thursday! The hospital overnight sucked because they woke me up every two hours to walk around the unit, take vitals and blood work. But it's a necessary evil! Yesterday I was drowsy and sore and slept most of the day when I got home. Today, I took a nice shower and feel the soreness decreasing!! Trying to get my Protein Shake in but kinda feels weird going down plus I'm still gassy from the surgery. Taking little sips non stop! Happy it's over with and looking forward to a healthy happy me in the near future!

I am officially sleeved as of Thursday! The hospital overnight sucked because they woke me up every two hours to walk around the unit, take vitals and blood work. But it's a necessary evil! Yesterday I was drowsy and sore and slept most of the day when I got home. Today, I took a nice shower and feel the soreness decreasing!! Trying to get my Protein Shake in but kinda feels weird going down plus I'm still gassy from the surgery. Taking little sips non stop! Happy it's over with and looking forward to a healthy happy me in the near future!

So I am 5 1/2 months out. Lost 50 pounds. I'm very happy with that. I have been tracking my food with MyFitnessPal and quickly realized how easy it is for the calories to add up.
I just started exercising a few weeks ago because I have been injured and have to take it fairly easy plus I deal with chronic pain from another condition. I've been walking 4 miles and alternating with 70-80 minutes (hard) on my recumbent bike.
My initial thought was that I would workout so I would be able to have that piece of cake if I want (and I know that is still true) but I am finding myself thinking instead, "I am not 'undoing' the 70 minutes I just worked out on that piece of cake." Wow! I am just flabbergasted at how my attitude and relationship with food is changing! That tells me I'll be better equipped to keep it off.
This journey really requires work (for me at least) and being mindful of my habits and actions. It isn't easy but sure is rewarding!
I am so thankful for this awesome tool....
(Thank you Jesus!) <3

Hoping these pics show up!
Still have about 25-30 pounds to go, why are they the hardest!
Love my life now, cannot believe all this change happened in one
year!
Any more Sept 2014 sleevers out there?
Good luck to everyone
and to all you newbies...........it's worth it, it's worth it, it's worth it!

I think the only appropriate response to questions like that is total silence, long enough to make that person feel really uncomfortable, then turn and walk away. Some people really are idiots.

when, without thinking about it, you casually throw a leg over into a crossed legs sitting position while watching tv... and after freaking out with delight about it, find its actually very comfortable and you stay that way for over two hours comfortably and with good blood supply.

Hello Everyone!!! I just loss 2 lbs. And I feel great. Took a morning walk with each dog separately. I can't risk my stomach being pulled open by 2 dogs. I'm now walking 2X per day instead of just 1 time each day. So that's 4 walks. I just love it, the morning air and the evening breeze. I didn't even have the energy for 1 walk per day. The food portions are so small, but they r filling. You have to forget who you were before this weight loss surgery. Those big plates of food and drink will haunt you in the beginning, but a nice tiny bowel of tuna fish with mayo and Smoked Turkey sliced so small, pureed green Beans and delicious instant mashed potatoes is so good, though the portions are only as big as a small walnut each. I have yogurt, cottage cheese and sugar free popsicles and Jello. The portion sizes are very small, but like I said filling. When I walk the dogs in my village, people love to barbecue. It smells so good and you know that someday, you'll be able to have a bite, when you are eating solid food. You need to eat small portions or you will vomit or worse, you will stretch your stomach eating the wrong food and portions and your surgery will have been for naught. I have 220 lbs. When I was 240 lbs. I had reached a plateau and I could not lose weight. But, with this operation and small portions & Snacks, the weight just melt off. I am constantly drinking Water and the generic Crystal Light which are so delightful. So if you r thinking of having The Gastric Sleeve, do it
Do it for you. Leave the Haters in your dust. If I can do it, anyone can. Afterwords, I was in pain from my back, not the surgery. The surgery took about 1 hour, laying on a flat steel table. My Anklyosis Spondalytis can't lay flat. So, I had a Morphine Pump, which Was so addictive and I was hallucinated. By the 3rd day I was ready to go home to liquid Vicodin. Overall, it was a great experience. It's been easy to rest and recuperate at home with no job and no worries. I am my best nurse and 19 days later, I feel great!!! No lifting or pulling/pushing. But, I need to vacuum so, soon I will try to incorporate light housework into my routine. I rest a lot in bed, but I don't sleep and I am busy with correspondence and magazines. 2 Dogs and a beautiful Smoky Gray cat keep me grounded and focused. Well, I'm hoping that at least 1 of you will be Enlightened with this post. The Gastric Sleeve is an amazing operation and I should have done it sooner, but all good things are graced in Gods sweet time and not Sooner or Later. Love and hugs I send to you. God Bless Us Everyone.

I haven't read every response so I'm sorry if I'm duplicating. And I thought I read you were going for a cosolidated list, so I'm putting it all in here. If that's not the case, ignore as appropriate. My sleeve next month will be my 4th abdominal lap procedure and 2nd bariatric procedure, and based on my lessons learned here's what I suggest:
For hospital:
Wear somethong with no waistband, preferred. Like a house dress. Inevitably I've had an incision EXACTLY where my waistbands fall. And I'ev also had a few incisions that were intentionally left unclosed. Those hurt the worst, even though they're the smallest, and also tend to be right where my pants hit. If you must have a waistband, try to find one without elastic (e.g. drawstring) so you can fully adjust the tightness. When I had my band out I wore one of those velvety track suit things, mine has a drawstring waist. Perfect.
Wear slip-on shoes if you have them. Socks are hard to get on when you can't bend comfortably, and I don't like other people putting socks on me. Flip flops, or those fugly plastic clog shoes (forgetting the name), or a ballet flat or something like that. If youdon't have or can't get, then when you take off your sneakers pre-op, leave the laces all loose so you can just slip them on later.
Nook or Kindle or book or whatever. My sleeve will be the first procedure that requires me to stay overnight, and post-op I've een either asleep or prepping to go home, but pre-op? I played Boggle on my iphone for almost 2 hours pre-op. Was glad to have it. DH was there but is always more nervous than I am and wasn't a great talker.
I always bring a small hair clip. You can't do anything but wash/rinse your hair the day of, and you're probably (technically) not allowed to shower the night of. I have curly hair that gets bushy if I can't put some kind of product on it while it's still wet. So I always bring a clip to at least pull the hair back from my eyes.
I prefer to bring my own slippers (they have memory foam soles).
I bring my own robe. I haven't been able to wear it (IV lines, etc.) but hospital blankets are cold. Even the warm ones get cold too quickly. My robe is warm. And it can double as an extra pillow, because those flat jokes in the hospital aren't cutting it.
Chapstick, deodorant, my own toothbrush, skin lotion and hand sanitzier. (I put all of the above in my purse). If my face or hands are dry, I will not be able to focus on much else.
Pillow, for supporting your stomach. Especially if you have a large pannus, this will help. When I had my lapband put in, it took me about 3 days of walking completely hunched over like an ancient lady until I realized that the majority of the pain was coming from my pannus "pulling" down on my incisions. As soon as I started to support my pannus with my arm, it was like night and day. LIttle nicer doing it with a pillow than your forearm, but hey, I was desperate. I will also help to apply steadying pressure when you go over potholes on the ride home. (About 4 days post-op DH drove me to visit my parents. He took a route that goes over a train crossing. He had a "theory" that the faster he went, the less I would feel the bumps so he gunned his truck and his them going about 45. Our marriage almost didn't make it to the next block.)
When I had my lapband out, I had the most horrible sore throat from all the gear using my mouth as enter/exit. Truly it was far worse than strep, and easily the single worst pain I had after surgery. I didn't have any eating/drinking restrictions so I used Chloraseptic. If you can have some type of analgesic lozenge or something, go for it.
Electric razor. Let's just say I'm 1/4 Greek and would be a good candidate for laser facial hair removal if everyone hadn't told me it feels like exacto knives slicing your face repeatedly. This isn't required, but I need it for comfort level.
For drive home:
I haven't yet had anesthetic make me nauseous, but it can make a lot of people sick for a while. I drove my mother home from a bariatric surgery she had and we kept having to stop on the interstae so she could chuck on the side of the road. So the REAL suggestion here is get a driver who doesn't get queasy when she hears others chuck. Second suggestion is to bring some type of a barf bag (those blue emi-sleeves the hospitals have are great) if you know or suspect the anesthesia will affect you. There's something about car rides that seems to make it worse, even if you've been "fine" for a while.
Keep said pillow with you. Either to support your abdomen, or to nap, or both. (If your procedure is outpatient, you'll probably still be nap ready by the time you're released)
Keep a blanket in your car. I'm always freezing cold after surgery, for a day or two. And DH is not, so it's nice to able to limit the use of the heater - for his sake. (BTW, when people lose weight, especially quickly, they tend to discover they're perpetually cold - you might want to just keep a blanket in your car long term).
At home:
I have DH bring one of the recliners up from his theater room and station it in the living room. From there I have same-floor access to the door, kitchen, a half bathroom, etc. This recliner becomes my docking station for at least 3 days until I can comfortably lay in bed. And on that note, I'd suggest getting some extra pillows. When I CAN lay in bed, I do best if I'm VERY propped up. I suspect this will be true with sleeve surgery, especially until my acid production drops off.
Don't wait until you're out of surgery to try and find supplements you like. Have them selected before hand, and have a few options. Things will probably start tasting different. Have cold & room temp Water ready. Not all bariatric stomachs tolerate all temperatures. When I had by AGB surgery DH bought a little apartment fridge to keep in the LR so I didn't have to walk into the kitchen. That was overkill. But if somehow being able to stay on the same floor as the fridge weren't possible, it would've been awful handy.
I'm queuing up movies & shows to watch on Netflix. Daytime tv sucks monkey butts. Also holding off on getting a few books I really want to read, so that I can have something to do until I can comforably move around.
If you have someone who can help you around the house for a few days, do it. Think about kids if you have 'em, pets... and how may up/downs it is just for an hour or two.
I don't like to take my hydrocodone any longer than I have to, so I use liquid Tylenol and try to have a few bottles on hand. Gas-X never did a thing for me other than taste bad. The gas that Gas-X works on (I say "works"lightly) is not surgical gas, i.e. the piercing ache you might feel around your collarbone/shoulder area... so don't buy it thinking it will bring relief. Surgical gas, and intenstinal gas, are two wholly different things. As an addendum to what I just said - I just remembered that an RNY friend dumped on liquid tylenol. For VSG it might be better to wait and see if you can tolerate it, unless your surgeon gives you the OK ahead of time.
If your shower hyas a stationery head, I suggest getting one of the kind of tubing that you can move around. Especially for ladies out there. Bending and twisting is gonna smart, and let's face it. Some things in life require us to bend and twist, or be able to hit it with some Water. I'm just sayin'...
When I had my AGB and the graduated diet, I made sure to buy everything a few days prior to my surgery so that I didn't have to go to the store if I didn't want to. Ends up I wanted to, the next day, just to walk around a bit. But having the option is nice.
Since my AGB both of my parents have had bariatric procedures. I've made each of them a large gift basket and brought it to the hospital. Here's what I try to include:
small plates (cocktail size)
toddler utensils
refillable water bottle that will fit into a car drink holder, and has ounces hashed so they could track water intake
liquid Tylenol
Wet wipes/hand sanitizer
Snap-up robe (belt can be uncomfortable)
SF Jello
Mio or Crystal Light (was allowed with their surgeon)
liquid breath freshener
Sudafed dissolvable strips
corn bags (cloth bags filled with field corn, I think they're far superior to heating pads, and caln also be frozen)
Book, crossword puzzles, Sudoku, etc.

April 2013
April 2014
372lbs to 191lbs