SpaceDust

I've also been told that hiccups can be a sign that you're full enough, so you might want to consider if that's a factor.

Hehe, I'd just thank them for their concern and point out that I see my PCP and my endocrinologist regularly, I've spent six months working with a nutritionist, and had a personal trainer twice a month for a year. I've had plenty of expert advice and support to try and do this non-surgically over the past few years, but my medical team and I have agreed that this surgery is a good idea for me at this point after thoroughly assessing the risks and probable outcomes. End of discussion, generally, I expect. At least among my friends and family, I'm pretty well known for doing a thorough job on research, and enumerating the types of people I've worked with extensively lends credence to my decision.

Outstanding! Good to know a few others will likely be joining me in my idea of summer fun this year Seriously, I'm just happy with the idea that I will hopefully have seen enough progress and established a new way of eating well enough to resist the temptations by the time the holidays roll around! And, with any luck and plenty of hard work we may all be svelte and energetic in time for summer next year!

With regard to Water, if you really can't stand the plain stuff, even filtered, then try it at different temperatures - you may find that you like it better warm or at room temperature rather than cold. If that doesn't work, flavor it. If you like citrus then a little slice of lemon, lime or orange may go a long way to helping you out. You might find a slice of cucumber also offers enough of a flavor change to assist. If you tolerate artificial sweeteners, Mio, Crystal Light and Dasani all offer flavors for your water. Depending on what your doctor allows, try herbal or caffeine-free tea. It doesn't all have to be plain water. sugar-free popcicles count as water. Ultimately, it's about getting liquids in so that you are well hydrated.

I'm more or less the same way about things. I haven't had this surgery yet, but I had nose surgery a few years ago that was phenomenally successful in correcting some breathing and sinus issues. It wasn't a big secret, but I also wasn't telling everyone about it - it simply wasn't necessary for everyone to know my personal healthcare decisions. Most people at work just knew I planned to be off for a few days and working from home for the following week. It was likely guessed that it was health related, but not expressly stated as such to anyone but my boss and his boss. I did, however, talk to a couple of coworkers who were considering options for similar issues to let them know the pros and cons, and talk a bit about my experience if they wanted to know more.

I don't have an official date yet, but it looks like it will be mid-late July if all goes well with the insurance. Anyone else looking at having this summertime fun?

The idea is that it's not a magic bullet, and it won't do the work for you. You'll still have to be mindful of your diet and eat the right things (get that protein, skip the empty calories and be careful about slider foods when you are back to normal foods, for example), exercise, and everything else. What the sleeve DOES, what makes it a tool, is that it will assist you by restricting how much you can put in you at a time. It won't keep you from drinking sugary drinks, or eating something high-calorie, but it will keep you from eating, for example, an entire pizza at one sitting.

It was suggested to me that setting multiple goals along the way would be a good idea, and it's best to be somewhat realistic. If you're 50, it's probably not realistic to think you're going to get back to your weight as a high school junior if you were particularly slim, for example - your body has changed with age. High end of healthy BMI was a suggestion of a reasonable goal. Then once you get there, consider whether you want to continue or maintain and adjust your diet and exercise accordingly. Your surgeon may also have a goal for you. If it's less aggressive than the one you've set for yourself, then by all means think of the surgeon's goal as a major milestone, but not as the end of the journey. And don't forget - this is not a race. Slow and steady can reach a goal, too!

It really seems to vary by doctor, but in general the usual seems to be 4-6 weeks out to start regular foods. For mine, it looks like I'll be able to start a regular diet after 4 weeks, assuming all goes well, of course!

I live about 23 miles from the facility, so I won't have to do the hotel thing. However, I think if I had to do that, in addition to what I plan to bring for the hospital, I'd bring a heating pad, plenty of bottled water, a loose nightgown and a second set of underwear, sweat pants/yoga pants and loose-to-baggy shirt. I'd also tuck in some slippers because I don't think I would feel like putting on socks but I would have cold tootsies (I always do when I have surgery, even though I never seem to any other time!). I'd also make sure I had something to sip my water from that had measurements on it so I would know how much I was taking in. I might also bring something to flavor my water in case I have problems drinking it.

I actually currently use powder for my breakfast shake 5 days a week (I'm not really close to my surgery yet, but I'm starting some changes to try and make things less impactful later). I do like to have some ready-to-drink hanging around, though, for those times when I'm really on the run. While I can and sometimes do use a shaker bottle to mix the powdered stuff, I really prefer to blend it with skim milk and half a banana or a little PB2 if I can.

Hey, did you know you can actually have a blog on this site as well as post in the forums? I'm not at all suggesting you want to stop posting here (please don't stop; I know I read the forums from my phone when I'm on the go!), but you might find it helpful to do more extensive blogging as well. Good luck on your journey!

Who I've told: My husband, my parents, my father in law and his wife, my brother and sister in law, and three good friends whom I trust to be supportive of my decisions will also give me honest opinions and food for thought. I haven't told my three sisters yet, or my mother in law or my husband's brother. They will probably be told when I'm closer to my actual surgery. It isn't some big secret from them and I expect that all of them will be pretty supportive at some level, but I haven't had any reason to discuss it with them yet. My sisters' husbands will likely think it's a bad idea. One will likely try to talk me out of it, the other will express his opinion and may lecture because he lost a bunch of weight without surgery and had managed to keep it off, but he'll ultimately respect my decision. Both of them will act that way because they care about me, so I will accept it, but that doesn't mean I need to voluntarily prolong the experience by telling then too soon! I don't plan to tell people outside of my family and close friends. If I'm asked, I'll stick to the facts of reduced portion, high Protein diet and more exercise. It's no one's business how I'm reducing my portions, and I won't be lying in any fashion.

Based on what you said originally, all that you know was shared was that you will be out having a procedure. Do you know for sure that anything more than that was shared, or are you allowing your imagination to jump into the picture and make it seem worse than it is? I know how easy it is to do that - I've done it to myself before. If the only thing they know is that you had a procedure, then just politely answer that you're fine but you don't discuss details about your health and change the topic. Most people will get the point and leave it at that. If you find that you're being harassed about it, a conversation with HR is in order, but I'm betting that most of what you'll get is a cordial "Welcome back, how are you?" and maybe an occasional question that you'll have to politely not answer once or twice. There have probably been more new things to gossip about while you were out. You're old news now, m' dear. The rumors about Susie being seen talking with that cute married guy in Accounting is probably what the gossips are going on about this week

Nah. That would be "JUST DO IT!"

Hi, Mason As Doxieville said in the quote above, both my surgeon and my NUT were also very clear about that with me, as well. Additionally, several of the people who work at my weight loss clinic have also had some form of bariatric surgery and have been very up front about their experiences - good and bad - with it. I was actually rather surprised when you said that three different surgeons didn't talk about that during your consultations, since my surgeon brought it up without me asking. My NUT and I have talked about the need for this to be a sustainable lifestyle change several times over the last several months. I can't think of one of our monthly meetings where it wasn't some part of the conversation. It was always clearly established when we were talking about short term behaviors for early post surgery vs. long term life changes that would need to carry on into the future. I an going through a "Bariatric Center of Excellence" that also provides a lot of follow-up care and support groups post-surgery. I wonder if that has any impact on the difference in experience.

Good luck, Grace. I would almost rather have a stomach bug than a bad cold - stomach bugs usually end faster!

Based on previous experience with surgeries, I'll pack undies, a really soft sleeping bra (no under-wires!), a large, loose t-shirt and a lightweight robe, a hair brush, gas-x strips, sugar free hard candies, Blistex or Chap-stick and some mouthwash strips. I'll take my phone, phone charger, and my tablet (loaded with magazines or other really lightweight reading material and maybe a few videos, as I'll want to read/be entertained but probably won't be able to concentrate much). Depending on the weather, I *might* tuck in a zip-up hoodie or a cardigan, as I get chilled pretty easily after surgery, even if the temperature is pretty pleasant. I'll wear some slip-on mule-style shoes so I can slide into them without needing to bend over to tie them, and I can wear them without socks if I choose. I'll also wear a pair of either really loose sweatpants or yoga pants which since I will likely only be in them for at most an hour or two, I can then wear home. I'll take my CPAP only if they make me (I'm not dependent on it and my settings are all pretty low, so I may get away without it). I'll bring a pillow with me for two reasons - I hate sleeping on hospital pillows and it will likely be useful in the car on the way home to support my sore tummy. Other than my pillow, everything will fit into one of my travel backpacks (yes, including the CPAP). If I can get away without the CPAP, I can easily get everything but my pillow in a small daypack.

Hot Drinks for sure. If you have some, mint teas are particularly soothing. I also like spicy teas like masala chai, as that seems to loosen things up a bit. If you would normally take milk with your tea, I would suggest not doing so in this case because it tends to make me feel like I've just "gummed up the works" so to speak. Ginger in your tea can also be helpful, better if it's the fresh kind. You might also try a hot shower, as hot as you can stand it, and if your shower head moves direct it away from your body so you don't feel like you're being scalded - it will create a sauna-like effect that seems to loosen up the congestion. You could do something similar with hot Water in a bowl, hang over it with a towel creating a tent over your head. Add menthol or peppermint to the bowl if you have it, but the steam alone is helpful. Deep, slow breathing is called for with either of these methods. I prefer the shower, but if you don't tolerate pretty hot showers you might like the bowl method better. Just some thoughts for you.