BKLYNgal87

Awesome! Congrats! I have also lost about 6 lbs and have 6 days to surgery.

LOL yes. I lived in Bensonhurst/Borough Park for many years. I'm living in Manhattan now because I work way uptown! But I still go down to my old haunts for ethnic food

There is new study evidence linking carbonation to sleeve distention, but correlation doesn't yet mean causation. I think they need more studies before they can say definitively that carbonated beverage intake stretches out the sleeve, or how much intake puts you at risk of distention. My surgeon advised me no more soda after surgery and I intend to abide by that, not just because of the studies, but because I find even diet soda to be, somehow, addicting. I will go months and months without it and then pick up one can of diet coke, drink it, then march down to the grocery store for a case. It's better to err on the side of caution, especially since I know soda is something I can live without. That being said soda is not the only food/drink item we should be distancing ourselves from after surgery. I am opting to not eat trigger foods at all until I can be sure I have gained enough will power to enjoy in moderation. I agree that this surgery/lifestyle change is something you have to be ready for. This is why I'm glad I didn't do it when I was younger because I wasn't settled in my life. I was in college, then traveling internationally for work, etc. It wouldn't have worked. But that's me. Being "ready" means something different for everyone.

I'm guessing you're on an all liquid diet. I can tell you with my [tenuous] medical knowledge it's probably fine. The main point of this diet is to shrink your liver. Besides, cottage cheese is probably one of the better choices you could have made, if it makes you feel better. Don't dwell on it and just focus on and try to stick to the diet for the rest of the week until surgery. It's coming up soon, good luck!

My mom and I did Medifast. The food was, frankly, gross. But then there is only so much you can do with soy. We stopped after about a month. The only diet plan I was ever able to stick to was the new Weight Watchers. The problem was - I didn't lose any weight! They let you eat too much! I think it works well for people who are already in maintenance, or who want to only lose 5-20 lbs. With every other diet I tried over the years the result was the same as everyone else's. I hit a plateau, got frustrated, ended up gaining back what I lost and then some. It's a vicious cycle. But I'm not giving up. I want to have a better quality of life and be healthy. The way I see WLS is that it was the next thing for me to try since the non-surgical solutions weren't a solution for me. I'm trying not to worry about "Will this work? What if it doesn't?!" because the defeatest attitude is woefully sabotaging. Put one foot in front of the other and say to yourself I am worth all of this effort!! Whichever diet or lifestyle change works for you, stick with it until you get to your goal.

Constipation could be part of it. Are you able to exercise at all? I am one week down, one week to go of pre-op diet. I force myself to go to the gym even though I'm tired and woozy during the day. I guess every surgeon is different. Mine is not so concerned about pre-op weight loss so much as liver shrinkage.

I guess I am lucky because my surgeon allowed me to do the combo liquid / food diet. I still start to get hungry and woozy every 3-4 hours after I have a shake. It's really hard to deal when you're at work all day! I don't know what the criteria are for each individual patient that decides what diet they follow but I know that your priority number one right now is shrinking your liver before surgery. Think about it this way - if your liver is too big and restricts access to your stomach the surgeon will do one of 2 things - patch you up and not go through with the surgery or go ahead with it and run the risk of damaging your liver. I know you don't want either of those things! It's totally fine to vent. I've been doing that myself especially today because a Chipotle just opened up near my work. Bad timing! I'm thinking 3 days down, 11 to go.

If the vomiting hasn't subsided you may need stronger antiemetics. Ask your surgeon's office for a scrip of orally dissolving ondansetron (zofran), granisetron (kytril), or something similar. They will know the dosage. I agree with the others, get as much protein in as you can. It will help you heal up and prevent greater hair loss. It seems for most average patients patients the pain subsides within the week, if not sooner. So I hope you are feeling better soon! In 2 weeks I'll be in your position!

My surgeon explained this to me - the rationale behind the pre-surgery high protein low carb diet is to shrink your liver as much as possible. This makes access to your stomach easier. If you lose some weight then that's great, but if you don't, don't stress about it now. You haven't been sleeved yet, after all. Just stick to the diet as best you can so you can be in the best possible shape for surgery. You don't want your surgeon to get you on the OR table, incise and stick the lap cameras in only to say "patch her up!". Or worse yet, have him continue with the surgery and damage your liver. That would be VERY BAD. Good luck!

I am on day 3. My surgeon's office gave me the 3 shakes / 1 dinner meal option so I'm lucky I guess. I've taken to eating my meal at lunch time so I have enough energy to go to the gym in the afternoon after work. The first day I was really starving and lightheaded. Today I feel pretty good so far and found drinking a lot of Water helps - though it makes me run to the bathroom a dozen times at the office . Newat52 you are so right! I am going to keep that in mind as well.

Hey Ruby, Awesome. We're in good hands! I didn't get the scripts filled yet but probably over the weekend. I am starting the liquid diet with the dinner meal option tomorrow. I bought a smoothie shaker bottle and $250 in Protein powder so I'm ready to go! Wishing you all the best!

Well... I have fluctuated the last 2 years between 38-40 BMI. Aetna approved me because I have obstructive sleep apnea. Not all obese people have sleep apnea but it wouldn't hurt to get a sleep study done to rule it out. Many people have gone to get surgery down in Mexico but you need to be careful which surgery practice [and surgeon] you go for. Make a well informed decision. Wishing you the best, PCOS is awful.

Indeed. I work at a university and we get visiting professors all the time, usually just for a day or two. I did tell my manager and my other boss and they were horrified. He won't be invited back any time soon. And my accountant colleague temporarily "lost" his travel receipts he sent for reimbursement . The funny part which I didn't add above because wasn't sure if it was appropriate for the forum but the construction guy paused for a moment in shock, then uttered "who could have missed that giant turban on your head". Needless to say he's my BFF now :tongue2:.

Aww hun I agree people can be horrible. Even when they're not screaming at you from a moving car. Last month I was at work, walking a visitor to one of his meetings, when we found ourselves locked out of the building. A construction worker let us in and apologized for ignoring us. Then my guest, who is a doctor from India, looked at me and the construction guy, pointed at me, and said "But how could you ignore her? She's impossible to miss." A real comedian, right? That construction worker's eyes were as big as softballs after that comment. And inside my head I was cursing him out. You should be very proud of your accomplishments and be working towards your goal for yourself, not just so you don't get picked on anymore. Living well is the best revenge, because the lives of people like the jerks you encountered are sad and pathetic indeed. Character flaws are a lot harder to shake than excess weight.

Depending on your insurance coverage [which I assume she is a beneficiary on] she may have to go through a couple months of a physician supervised nutrition and exercise program, which may eat up a chunk of those 4 months. For healing time it can take 2-3 weeks. But as others have said it's a physical and emotional journey. See, I was fat in college [and I HATED IT]. Actually, I became huge in college. There are so many opportunities to eat all day long - it's a big part of the social atmosphere. Your daughter will need support to stick to her post-surgery diet, but it's not impossible to eat properly and still make friends [which she should be doing sleeve or no sleeve - 100 lbs overweight is morbidly obese and puts her at risk for major health problems, as I'm sure you are aware]. She will need to understand she cannot eat or drink what everyone else does. Alcohol especially needs to be restricted because after the sleeve a lot of people become intoxicated quickly. You don't want her to get into situations she can't control because of drinking - there are a lot of predators on college campuses. I may not have done well on the dating scene in college, though I had a few boyfriends, but I still had lots of great friends and I really wouldn't change my experiences. I grew a lot as a person because I learned a lot and experienced so many new and interesting things. It's a choice she needs to make as an informed young adult. Best of luck to you and your daughter!

Glad to see a fellow NY Sleever! I get that totally. After signing my consent forms I got this feeling like, oh sh*t, what have I gotten myself into?? But I have built up a lot of inner strength in the last few months and I know in my heart it will be for the best. Wishing you lots of luck!

Got my date today! I'll be sleeved June 12th by Dr. Marc Bessler. I'm excited but very nervous, truth be told. But my family will be there to support me so I'm grateful for that Good luck to all my fellow June sleevers!

WOW thats amazing!! I am a size 22/24 now and my surgery is June 12th! Hoping I have a success story like yours!

Congratulations! I got approved by Aetna this week after 3 months of sweating through the pre-certification process! I am a 41 BMI now but yo-yo'ed between 38-39 the last few years. I have sleep apnea and slightly high blood pressure (the latter they don't consider). Looks like I'll be sleeved in June

She also probably thought it was okay to say it because you are no longer that weight. Which is stupid regardless. Were you somehow not a human being with feelings at 330 lbs? Sigh. Agree 100% with the pig farm analogy. Also, a cross section of internet commentary shows you how rude and mean people can be when they feel a sense of anonymity. Some folks are rude and insensitive enough that they don't care if they are insulting someone they are staring in the face. Since you have concerns about job security, swallow the hurt feelings for now. I guess I am lucky. Of the co-workers, not many - it's no one's business but my boss really, I told the only negative reactions I got weren't "oh you're taking the easy way out" it was more like "are you sure you want to have a risky surgery?", which is a valid question.

I can relate big time. Especially with amusement parks . I can't recall anyone ever specifically telling me I was too big, especially to participate in some form of exercise. But there have been times over the years when I opt out of doing something for fear of being too big or physically challenging activities because I either thought I couldn't do it or I didn't want the people around me to see me struggle. I was in Egypt a few years back and went on a trip to the Sinai. My tour group was scheduled to do the trek up Mount Sinai to visit the famous monastery and watch the sun rise. I didn't want my tour mates, who were all my age, skinny, and in much better shape, see me wheezing and huffing and puffing the whole way up, or worse yet - see me give up. So I pretended to have a bad headache that morning and I didn't go. One of the bigger regrets in my life. I do group class yoga. When I started at the studio I really thought I was making a fool of myself. The studio staff and class members were very supportive, but I hated that all of them had years of experience on me. So I switched from that studio to my gym, and now there are many big ladies in my class and we are all trying to lose weight. We're no yoga masters but we all have a lot more fun. The class is more oriented toward fitness anyway so it's a better fit.

To get to my fiance's country usually requires a 16 hour flight. Very long, I know. I wouldn't be hopping on a plane for at least the first month or two after surgery. But it's tough being so far away and only seeing each other every 6 months or so. Hopefully we won't be waiting for that visa much longer

Thank you all for your input! I'm waiting impatiently for the summer.

Oh hey you got sleeved by one of my surgeon's colleagues. If my insurance doesn't cover me I'll be going over to the hospital over in NJ to self-pay. Were you sleeved in NJ or at NYP? I'd love to know what your experience was like.

Hey all, Because of projects at my work I am slated to have my surgery most likely after June 1st. I am in the 3 month pre-op diet required for my insurance. I was wondering if any of you would mind sharing how long it took you to be well enough to get back to work after sleeving (laparoscopic), absent any major complications of course. I'm just trying to get a general idea. Also, I am in a long distance relationship. My fiance is half a world away and we are waiting for him to get his immigrant visa so he can come live with me in the US. Because he's from a developing country it's impossible for him to get a tourist visa to visit me here so I can only visit him while we wait. Does anyone have any advice about how long [how many months] you should wait before traveling internationally? This is of course also absent any serious complications. Any advice would be greatly appreciated