Momonanomo

This is a great thread!!

I love you guys!!!!!!

I would certainly rather be a Darryl Dixon than an Otis :]

he he he you're funny!

I'm a fan of the genre as well.

Always gotta have your zombie contingency plan, right?!?! lol

But yes, I think that being of a healthy weight and more physically fit is a better state to be in -- in ANY case (not just zombie apocalypse). But if there were zombies.... you'd be able to run faster & jump higher.

LOL

And if you're in a group of people, remember you don't have to be the fastest person, you just have to be faster than the slowest person. ha

zoinks! that's quite a difference! Great job!

How much have you lost?

lmao! dats spooooky Jo!

Cat360, nice to meet ya! I too am scared but determined Reading and discussing on VST has been really valuable in learning what to expect. I'm so glad to have found this board and I'm glad you found your way here too!

LOL I love that you took a picture of your tray table down!!!! Love it!

I look forward to doing the same some day!

Best of luck on your continued awesomeness!

For me.... Once I picked my surgeon I discovered that the NUT and the psych (and the exercise specialist) are all part of his team. If your pcp wants you to do the 3 months supervised with him first, perhaps you could at least do a consult with a surgeon in the meantime....choose your surgeon & find out if he/she has a whole team of people that includes a NUT, etc. They in fact may require that you see their people. Find out first, and that way you won't risk doing something twice....

woo hooo!!! that's great!

We are telling her that the doctor is fixing my tummy to make it work like it should.

After months of deep discussion trying to explain my weight struggles to my husband, who has always been naturally fit & athletic, we finally agreed that this was the best way for him to think of my surgery. So it's a good explanation for 3 year olds AND 40 year olds! LOL!

LOL yes, on youtube I carefully searched for vsg ANIMATION

There are some really cool videos on YouTube if you have a strong stomach. (ha- no pun intended)

lmao

i consulted the oracle (aka wikipedia LOL ) and found that short bowel syndrome "is a malabsorption disorder caused by the surgical removal of the small intestine, or rarely due to the complete dysfunction of a large segment of bowel.It usually does not develop unless more than two thirds of the small intestine have been removed. SBS has been designated a rare disease by the EMA,^[1] and is eligible for orphan drug designation according to the USFDA.^[2"

....so it doesn't sound like a sleeve thing. They only take the long side of the stomach out. That's part of the reason why I chose sleeve over bypass. You can google "vertical sleeve gastrectomy image" and find all kinds of pictures (drawings if you're squeamish!). I tried to attach one here but it isn't working. . . .

hanging around VST!!!!!

I like the lines of the dress. Beautiful!

serendipity thanks for clearing up my misunderstanding of the bypass. honestly when i learned they rearrange everything i said "no thank you" ! and the bit about turning your intestine into a stomach...just ewww

OK so here's what Ive read/heard: The part of the stomach that is removed is the really stretchy part (as opposed to gastric bypass, which leaves the real stretchy part so sometimes that will stretch). With the sleeve, you would have to consistently eat excessively, like to the point of being sick to get it to somewhat stretch, and I mean, you'd have to be making yourself absolutely sick almost all the time to accomplish this. So, unlikely it ruly "stretched". HOWEVER, the stomach is swollen and there is a lot of restrictiion in the beginning that will relax over time as the body heals and I suppose some could interpret this as stretching.

Bottom line though is like what laura said -- you can always find a way to eat CRAP and gain weight back. You won't be eating huge volume again but you can find nasty unhealthy dense food that fits just fine, or slides right through, or you can find things that slide through and allow you to graze.

I know that when I get sleeved I will be committing to eating a different way to maximize the sleeve as a tool. It's so cliche but it makes so much sense -- the sleeve is a tool to finally make a lifestyle change that shows good long lasting resullts with my weight problem. Fill up on Protein, then veggies & fruit, and carbs if there's any room left. Once I've got some weight off me, I will become more active, and that in turn will also help me control my weight.

I have read posts of veterans, and those who commit to changing their life style -- eat right and enjoy exercise, have long term success. Those who don't get active and find the junky food again, don't. I think saying the sleeve stretched is a cop out and illustrates that the person looked at getting sleeved as a 'magic bullet' and didn't commit to the lifestyle change.

That's just my opinion. . . .I'll climb off my soap box now . . .

I'm 19 days out and still have sight pain. I just found out I'm having a reaction to the internal sutures used. The last surgery I had this same thing happened and it took 8 weeks for the pain to go away!

Not sure it's the same but perhaps!

Like an allergic reaction? If so, do you know wha they were made of that you're reacting to? I ask because I have some contact allergies & this possibility worries me!

To OP -- I've read that several people have really liked having and abdominal binder post-op, just to give some support to the belly. Maybe that would help?

You are looking gorgeous! Congratulations!

I am so excited for you!

I love your attitude, and I love that you have plans to keep your new, healthy body active and have fun doing it! It's obvious that you're loving life I hope I can be very much like you when my time on the "loser's bench" comes, because you seem to have found the right path to health of the body, mind and soul. You're an inspiration for sure!

Congratulations in your accomplishments!

(OMG they are so good...but not coming up).

that made me lol

I was just like you -- hoping for apnea lol. I was pretty sure I had it. But alas, I do not have it -- just snoring I figured it out when they never woke me up to put a CPAP on me. So I didn't have to wait for the results, but I eventually got them. I had to tell myself that it was actually good news because apnea is not good for you, but gee that would've helped with my "borderline" BMI and insurance approval. Oh well. It is what it is. All in all, it was at least a very interesting experience to do the sleep study. It's bizarre to me that someone's job is to stay up all night watching people sleep!

bronchitis sux! Did the pain start along side the bronchitis? I ask because once when I had it, I actually cracked a rib from coughing so hard!

Otherwise, I dunno what it could be --- lol especially since you don't HAVE a gall bladder!

your #2 question makes me think you might be having some gall bladder symptoms because of where you're describing the pain (right side, under ribs, radiating to the back) It's almost text book of what the top symptoms are for gall bladder attack. Might want to ask the doc before it sucker punches you!

Hope you feel better SOON!

And congrats on your absolutely awesome success

Good on you for knowing her tripe was bs! There are hundreds of really great alternatives! In fact, what I did was went on this forum, under Protein Shakes and nutrition, there is a list of sites that you can order 'samples' of the various shakes from. I did exactly that. I ordered almost 200 samples. Each sample is one shake. I then graphed each shake when I drank it. I graphed flavor, cost, calories, Protein content etc. I loved doing it because if I had a gross one, I was thankful I didn't have a 5 lb tub of gross protein that was a waste of money but I also knew I wouldn't have to drink it again. It definately kept my taste buds from getting bored those dreaded first weeks/month after surgery. After I got through all the samples, I went through and pisked the ones I liked the best. I was lucky and able to avoid being stuck spending $60+ for tubs of stuff I didn't like. I am a little over 3 months post-op, and I don't have a shake everyday, because I don't feel like I have to, some people love the shakes and do them for life. Everyone is different, loses different etc, so keep in mind as you go through this process that you will be your own best bench mark! Congrats and good luck!

Brilliant!

What a great strategy! I'm going to do this too!!!

thanks for sharing

Reading your post, I know I would react the same way! I can't stand pushy sales people in any venue, and I don't think it's appropriate in the dr.'s office! It sounds like you've got a good head on your shoulders though and have learned enough about the surgery to know what your options are. I'm still pre-op, but my understanding is that for most people Protein shakes/drinks ARE a big part of our lives after surgery, tho I don't think they're mandatory. I *think* some people taper off from them completely, and some people continue to drink them years after. I know of course you have to go through a liquid diet phase immediately after surgery while you're healing.

However, so long as the nutrition is comparable, if you find a more cost effective brand elsewhere you shouldn't be bullied into buying from your NUT.