Ican'tbeliveIgotitdone

Checking in with my November friends! How's everyone doing? Besides my hair really thinning out' date=' everything has been going great. Wanted to also share w/ everyone that I have been finding awesome work out clothes everywhere! I've found stuff at Old Navy, Victoria Secret and GAP. My new favorite is GAP that has lulu lemon style for more than 1/2 off what lulu charges. Below is a pic of an outfit I just got (30% off this weekend). Also....cut 10 inches of hair off. I figure the people on Biggest Loser get makeovers, why can't I? Happy 4 months all!

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I'm so happy for you, u I also had mine 11/14/12 I'm down to 199 lbs myself so happy.. I'm also having problem with Hair loss as well any help for that.

You are gorgeous!!! What day did you have your surgery? I had mine Nov 6' date=' and am down over 50lbs already---similar to your stats (according to your ticker).

My advice for getting to the gym is to just do it. I know, that doesn't sound like great advice...but that's really what you've got to do. Maybe find a work-out buddy? If that's not an option, maybe you could find someone who also had surgery--whether in real life or online--who can be an "accountability buddy" or something like that?

Have you found activities and exercises that you enjoy? Or does it all feel like a chore?[/quote']

I'm down 55lbs myself an feeling real good to

I am 2 1/2 weeks post-op & looking for ideas for exercise. My exercise before surgery was Aqua Aerobics & Gentle Yoga. The Dr. has said that I can't go in a pool for at least a month & no Yoga until 8 weeks post-op. I am not the biggest fan of walking. I live in upstate NY & it is COLD. I am really getting antsy & want to get moving. Any suggestions?

Hey I'm from up state NY , as well . I hadn't surgery on 11/14/12

Total since 11/2/12 I've lost 36 pounds. But since 11/7 I've only lost 21! :-( super bummed about it. Tomorrow is my post op follow up and I'm hoping to get the clearance to excercise. Has anyone experienced a stall once they went in soft foods? I'm totally bummed right now.

Hey , I wouldn't worry yourself . We all loose differently , I just had my 2nd office visit yesterday , I'm lost 25 lbs since surgery , that was on 11/14/ 12 .. I walk a lot as well it's important . My Doctor also said I could work out , I mean it's already been a month . Like I said dont worry it will come off

That's awesome that you're already down 20! I got excited to see your post because ill be sleeved the 10th and was tryin to gage the weight loss possibility by Christmas (I know everyone looses differently)

Does it hurt to drink the protien or just feel heavy and weird?

How do you feel

So' date=' I am 12 days out of surgery and for me in a week of full liquids which started last Friday. The first week I did great for all my fluids in and by the end of it I could eat a cup of broth, without a problem. Then week 2 started and while I struggled the first day to get my Protein in the next 3 I was able to 60 or above without too much trouble, in fact on day 10 from surgery day I got 600 calories in! Then comes yesterday, day 11 and I can't eat ANYTHING! I tried a Protein shake couldn't finish but a 4th of it and I felt sick, I tried unflavored protein in a smooth Soup got two bits in and felt sick, I tried a greek yogurt bar, which i had been anle to eat all of a few days ago, got a 4th into it and same thing. Everything hurt going down and made me nauseous. End result is after walking yesterday I had a net calories of 28 and only 20 grams of protein. I feel exhausted and frustrated! What am I doing wrong? Do I force it down even though it might make me ill? Is it ok for some days to not be a protein success? I don't want my body to eat my muscle! I just feel like a failure for not doing my one post op job and exhausted from trying so hard to no avail![/quote']

Don't feel bad , I'm 3weeks out an last night just started puréed baby food , I can't seem to finish my shakes as well , an I'm always tired . But as tired I am I still push myself to walk an do things around the house .. Keep doing what you do .so far I lost 25 lbs .. It gets Better

Hope your doing ok! Every day it gets easier . I promise

Hope your doing ok! Every day it gets easier . I promise

I LOVE to cook and am just wrapping up the pureed stage off my diet. Here are some of my favorite concoctions - enjoy!

Egg salad - couple eggs' date=' 1 tsp of mayo, 1/2 tsp of spicy brown mustard, salt & pepper - puree until smooth

Buffalo chicken - can of chicken, 1 tbsp blue cheese crumbles, 2 tbsp ranch dressing, 1 tsp. of buffalo sauce, salt & pepper - puree until smooth - MY PERSONAL FAVORITE!

Squash casserole - 1 can of squash with vidalia onion, 2 tbsp of cream cheese, 1/2 tsp of garlic powder, salt & pepper, 1 tsp margarine/butter, 1 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese - puree until smooth, pour into dish and microwave for 90 seconds or until heated through and bubbly

Pintos and cheese - 1 can of Pintos with onion - puree until smooth, pour into dish and cover with 2 tbsp. of shredded cheddar cheese - microwave for 90 seconds or until heated through and bubbly - stir well to combine the cheese - optional: add a bit of enchilada sauce if you are looking for more flavor.

Lemon Ricotta Creme

Take one 15 oz. container of part skim ricotta cheese, add the zest of one lemon, juice of half the lemon, 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 4 packets of splenda - puree until smooth - AWESOME!!!!

You can do variations on this should you choose - substitue orange zest and 1 tbsp. of orange juice with orange extract or keep vanilla extract for a dreamsicle taste. chocolate ricotta creme is easy too by substituting 2 tbsp. cocoa powder instead of zest and juice, same vanilla extract and splenda to sweeten.

Perfect sweet tooth item instead of the same old pudding and/or jell-o and it has a high concentration of Protein due to the ricotta cheese. Enjoy!

Parmesan Garlic Cauliflower (tastes a lot like mashed potatoes, but very low carb!)

1 bag of frozen cauliflower florets

1 tsp butter/margarine

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp black pepper

1/4 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 cup of parmesan cheese

1/4 cup of milk

Blend until smooth, pour into a casserole dish and top with another 1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese and microwave for 90 seconds - enjoy![/quote']

Thanks for the recipes..

I thought I'ld start a thread asking for recipes for the puree stage that you couldn't have survived without. I started this stage yesterday and spent a good hour scrolling thru posts offering ideas before I went grocery shopping. I thank God for someone suggesting Hormel Chilis. They had turkey' date=' beef and one can left of chicken and white bean. Had the chicken just now-heated about 2/3 cup in microwave. Put in Magic Bullet to puree. It looked weird but boy was it tasty! First thing I've eaten in about 5 weeks that satisfied my taste buds! I could only eat about 1/4 cup, so next time I know to heat up only 1/4 cup at a time until I can get more down.

For dinner, I'm making a ricotta cheese casserole, also an old recipe I found, so I can have Italian as everyone eats pizza after trick-or-treating![/quote']

I'm starting my purée food this week an I'm a little confused , I love Ricotta cheese how do u make the Casserole. An do you have any other recipes to share . Thank you ????

Hello all!

I just scheduled my surgery for November 19th with Dr. Kim of Kaiser West LA.... so excited! Best of luck to everyone on your journies!

Hey , how are you feeling after surgery . I had mine 11/14/12.

Hi Everyone!

Long time lurker' date=' first time poster. I finally felt ready to post about my gastric sleeve journey.

I've been overweight my whole life and at 26 finally realized that I wasn't able to get the situation under control by myself. My sister had the RNY performed several years ago and although she lost a great deal of weight, she's also suffered a bunch from the malabsorptive aspects of her surgery. My sisters experience, along with my knowledge as a nurse of the negative outcomes of that procedure (and don't even get me started on the crapband) pretty much made up my mind that the sleeve was for me.

I knew my insurance specifically excluded wls so I knew I would be self pay from the get go. I began by researching some of the more well known bari surgeons in the central florida area and settled on one that had positive reviews from previous patients and my medically-backgrounded peers. I felt really confident until I attended one of the information sessions. It felt like a cattle call. Line up to get weighed and have your insurance cards ready, no questions until the end. When I requested info re: paying privately, I felt, i don't know, brushed off? The staff was very 'going-through-the-motions' with everyone there. The surgeon didn't even bother to show up, instead we were "treated" to a 15 minute you tube type video where all three surgeys (vsg, band, rny) were explained with a 30 second summary from the surgeon himself. The video was so basic that I'm sure anyone having done even a quick skim of wikipedia could have given a more thorough explaination of the procedures.

Then they handed out the packets containing the self pay price. It would be close to 20k for the vsg. Yikes, but ok I could deal with that, my health is worth it. Then they go on to explain the price included ONE night in the hospital, it included all the pre-op work but not the specialists to read them (cardio, internal med etc), it only included one set of labs and so on. Besides the nickel and diming, the thing that bothered me the most was the one day in the hospital. This is major surgey with so many risks; nausea and vomiting, dehydration etc that can be life threatening in the first couple of days. Plus this was my first. surgery. ever. and I had concerns about reactions to anesthesia. The info session ended and I stayed behind to ask a few questions. The "nurse concierge", supposedly there to answer any questions/concerns and generally act like your new best friend untill the surgery, acted very put off, and actually remarked that she "couldn't stay here all night, you can email us any other questions". This was at approx 7:10p, the session ended at 7p. The whole experience was very disappointing to me and I left feeling very discouraged.

That night I logged on to this site and by chance happened to read a post by someone who had recently be sleeved by Dr. Aceves in mexicali. (I haven't been able to find the post again, but thank you to whoever made it, you have sincerely impacted my life) After working over the initial OMG am I CRAZY? for considering surgery in a foreign country, I began my research into Dr. A. Everything I read, every person I spoke to had nothing but excellent things to say about him and his team. I read all about his qualifications, the hospital where the surgery is performed, the area, the surgery experience itself and I just knew, I felt it in my gut: This was the right choice for me. After a few days I talked to my mom about my decision and after some initial trepidation she was on board. I contacted Nina and after several pleasent exchanges, selected my date and mailed in my deposit. I was on my way

Next thing I did was book plane tickets. Even though it was only my mom and myself traveling, we booked three seats to ensure extra room and comfort on the long flights from Orlando to Texas and on to San Diego and on the way back from San Diego to Las Vegas and on to Orlando.

Our journey began on 2/10/12 at 4am EST. Our flights to Texas/San Diego were FULL so it was wonderful to have that extra seat. We arrived at San Diego International at approx 11:30am PST. Ramon, our driver for the duration of our journey, was there by the baggage claim holding up a sign with my name. Once we spotted him he came right over, shook our hands and welcomed us to California. He took our bags and led us outside where we were able to wait in the gorgeous sunshine while he got the van, a new clean white Honda Odyssey. Ramon loaded our bags and we were off to Mexicali! The trip there took roughly 1 1/2 hours but it honestly didn't feel like it. The scenery, with its mountains and rolling plains, was so incredible, especially coming from Florida where everything is palm trees and subdivisions We crossed the border in no time and Ramon explained its not going into Mexico that takes time, it's coming back thats the killer.

We arrived at the hospital, Hospital Almater, at approx 2pm. We first met with Yolanda, who basically runs the show with Dr. A. She was incredibly nice and there every time I turned around almost First I gave some urine, then had blood drawn, then on to the ekg and finally chest xray. I'll be honest, even though I was confident in Dr. A and my decision, the entire time I was waiting for something to happen that, as a healthcare professional, would have sent me running for the boarder, however, nothing ever did. The hospital was immaculate. As a matter of fact, and it shames me to say this, I have worked in a certain critically acclaimed level 1 trauma center here in orlando that couldn't hold a candle to this place. It seemed like there was always someone from housekeeping spraying something down, washing the floors etc. All the equiptment was in great condition, the staff utilized clean and sterile techniques where appropriate and basically it squashed any lingering apprehension I had about the upcoming event.

After a little bit we got to meet with the gorgeous Dr. Campos. He sat with us for a while just going over the procedure, how we can expect to feel after, how life will change etc. Having been sleeved by Dr. A himself, he was a great source of information. He even went into specifics of the medications that would be used post-op for the nausea (zofran, reglan) for the nerd in me After that, Dr. Aceves came in. He was so warm and passionate it immediately put both my mom and I at ease. He answered all of our questions (surgery would be less than 2 hours, he uses a 36fr bougie) and told us to enjoy our last meal that night lol. We then met with Yolanda where we recieved our paperwork, our single dose prophylactic antibiotic and a 2mg(!) ativan for relaxation. We paid via cashiers check and I have to say this has been the single best purchase of my life and I bought a brand new lexus last year lol Another thing I want to mention because it struck me as being night-and-day from the health care here in the states, notice that they did all my tests and everything without even asking about the check? It was almost like an after thought. Here in the US you can barely get past the receptionist without paying your co-pay. Sad.

Once we finished there, Ramon was waiting to escort us to the hotel. When we arrived everything was all ready for us, we got our room key and the bell hop brought our bags up to our room. The hotel was nice, clean. There was a small fridge in the room along with a microwave which made me wish we had brough a cup-a-Soup or something because we were both exhausted from our long day of travel and hungry because I had been fasting since the night before. The hotel had free wifi and I brought my laptop so I was able to log on Facebook and stuff. We have AT&T and had really good 3G service our entire stay in Mexicali, so that was another blessing because we were able to keep in touch with friends and family back home without having to worry about international charges. That night was surreal. I know I slept because I woke up to the alarm at 4am, but I don't remember sleeping. And for the record I did NOT take the ativan, I would have been a zombie lol

Ramon was in the lobby promptly at 7am to take us to the hospital. I don't remember being nervous, but very excited. Once we arrived at the hospital we were brought to my private room, #23 at the end of the hall. It was so nicely decorated, with a recliner chair and large leather couch on the side where my mom was going to sleep. The bathroom was immaculate and there was a flat screen tv mounted for easy viewing from the bed. I was given a hospital gown to change in to and was told there was only one other person scheduled for that day and Dr. A was going to make the final decision as to who was going first. That anticipation was the worst! I just remember jumping every time someone came to the door because I wasn't sure if they were coming to get me. We met with the internalist and the anesthesiologist, both incredibly sweet. The anesthesiologist spent so much time going over everything with me, answered all my questions and treated me like an equal in regards to the procedure and drugs used etc., it really set me at ease. Finally a nurse came by and took my vitals and explained how to use the incentive spirometer. Then about ten minutes later transport came by to wisk me into surgery. I was going first!! I hugged my mom and told her I loved her. The brief trip to the surgical suite was surreal, I felt like I was dreaming. The anesthesiologist was there along with some nurses prepping the OR. He first started by inserting the IV into my hand (awesome job, one stick) and then prepped me for the spinal block. I didn't feel a thing! After that he started me with a dose of versed and the next thing I remember was waking up in recovery!!

In the recovery room I felt no pain, no nausea, nada. Dr. A came in to check on me and called my mom in my room to tell her I was ok and I got to speak to her for a few minutes. My legs were still a bit numb and the nurse told me once I could move my hips they would send me back to my room. I was in recovery until approximately 1pm when they rolled my bed back into my room. I still had no pain or discomfort. I had to keep checking on the drain to make sure it was really there I slept a bit but when I woke up at about 4pm I went for my first walk. I walked walked walked and used the spirometer like it was my job and I credit that to my great recovery. The first night was a little rougher as I had a few bouts of nausea. I was quick to request the zofran before the nausea resulted in dry heaving. I still had no pain.

Day one post op was an adventure as its when they make you drink the methylene blue to check for leaks. That stuff is vile. VILE. And it will make you pee blue for days. They brough four small 30ml cups full of the stuff but I was only able to choke down 2. My drain bag had no blue in it, so that means I passed! Still being on the IV hydration I wasn't very thirsty but did manage small small sips of Water. The methylene residue made me nauseas through the night so I wasn't shy about asking for the zofran. The nurses was SO nice and came right in whenever we called. There was only a few nurses at night that spoke english really well, but every nurse was able to understand enough english to get me what I needed.

Day two was better. Upon waking up I went for my third leak test, the barium swallow. Its not the best tasting but leaps and bounds more tolerable than the methylene. Plus it was warm which made it easier to gulp. Seeing my new nanner (my name for my sleeve) in action was amazing. Once back to my room dietary had delivered some chicken Soup, Vitamin Water and apple juice. The chicken soup was FANTASTIC. I was only able to have a few spoons but it was rich and definately home made. Later that day Dr Campos came by and removed the drain which has forever changed my view for when I remove the drains of patients. Its a really icky feeling. It didn't hurt, it was just icky haha

Day three was our departure day! It was really bittersweet as I couldn't wait to get home but also was sad to leave. Over the course of the 3 days that I was in the hospital I saw Dr. A & Dr. Campos several times a day. They spent time with me at each visit, answering any questions and providing support and comfort to my mom. Ramon was there to pick us up at 7am and after saying our goodbyes, we were off to cross the border. It took approx an hour to cross back into the US and then another 2 hours to make it to San Diego. When we hit the higher elevations there was actually SNOW on the ground!!, Something this floridian hasn't seen in a long time lol

Once we made it to the airport Ramon dropped us off and unloaded our bags. We thanked him and tipped him for his hospitality. He went to go park the car as he had more patients he was picking up today. He was telling us on the ride to the airport that they have surgeries booked EVERY DAY for at least the next month, with people coming from all over the US and Canada. We had a bit of time to kill until our flight so we browsed some of the shops and took our time going through security. I still had very little pain, but we were provided with Supradol, a sublingual pain killer and pantoprazol (Protonix in the US) for acid control prior to leaving the hospital. (My mom had went to the pharmacy next to the hospital to buy an additional two boxes of the protonix, it cost roughly 40 USD). The flight home was LONG but uneventful, it was also full, so thank god we bought the extra seat. On the layover in vegas we played some of the slots and won four dollars and we joked that at that rate we'd make up what we paid for the surgery in 4 years

I'm now 11 days post-op and just starting on full liquids. I LOVE my sleeve, it has given me no problems whatsoever. It enjoys Fage greek yogurt and minute maid ice pops and I know it goes against everything but I can't bring myself to drink any of the Protein drinks, even the famous powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury. The smell alone is enough to send me running for the hills, so Im working on the yogurt and milk for my Protein fix but honestly I'm no where near the 65g a day but that's ok. I drink water primarily but I take my protonix with a little apple juice. I just started Flinstones chewable Vitamins, one in the morning and one at night to help boost my Vitamin intake. I still have the micropore tape on the four small incisions but its lifting finally. The drain incision is healing great, no pain.

All in all this surgery was the best thing I have ever done for myself and each day is like gift that I've given myself. I'm down 25lbs from my high weight (376lbs) and nearly 20lbs from my surgery date.

Gosh that was a book!! [/quote']

I really enjoyed your story , Good luck to you , I just had it done on11/14/12 my self an one week llater I'm down 20 lbs

Hello' date='

I am relatively new to the site do there may have already been this thread prior so I apologize.

Just wondering of the planned/anticipated novembers?[/quote']

I had surgery in 11/14/12 an had my 1st week ck up with my doctor an already lost 20 lbs . ????

Ok I'm getting my battery for my scale tomorrow. I thought I could wait until my first post opt appointment next Thursday but you guys are getting me excited..I know I lost inches...my cloths don't feel like ruberbands cutting into me...and I've lost one of my chins...hmmmmm

You made me laugh when u said u lost one of ur chins...????I did to ... It feels good now that we're. Loosening the weight an we have a whole lot more to go an I can't wait ...

Down 15 for me!

Oh wow how are you feeling , my doctor said I'm ready to start purree this week . How bout you .

Wow 20 pounds already! that's great!

All of you having surgery during the holiday season are very strong! I would have probably waited til after lol

That's awesome that you're already down 20! I got excited to see your post because ill be sleeved the 10th and was tryin to gage the weight loss possibility by Christmas (I know everyone looses differently)

Does it hurt to drink the protien or just feel heavy and weird?

Im scheduled for Nov. 14th also it's nice to meet ppl with the same date

Yes it it my surgery was the same date.

My surgery is also the 14th! Woohoo! I cannot wait. I am on day 4 of my pre-op diet. It consists of 3 Protein shakes' date=' 2 Protein Bars and 1 tiny meal for dinner. About 1000 calories. It's hard but is going well! I have lost 3lbs so far since starting it. 51lbs down... way too many to go LOL! [/quote']

Hi , I also had surgery on the 14th . Next Thursday will be 2 weeks now that it's done.

Hi , I just had surgery about a week an a half now , I'm a little sceard , noing that theirs staples in my stomach , my belly feels heavy evry time I drink my Protein Shakes or drink Water, why is that? Well I'm just happy to say that after one week after my first ck up I have lost 20 lbs .. ????