Macy6

I had to write a paragraph to my surgeon explaining my reasoning for surgery, my paragraph was a full page letter. I did this surgery because I want to live to see my great grandchildren, I want to set a better example for my teenage son and in turn that will set a better example for those grand kids and great grand kids to come.... a long long long time from now. I also did this surgery so I can ride roller coasters with my son, so I can sit an airplane seat without being embarrassed or having to ask for a seat belt extender, so I can run a mile (because even as a kid I never have) so I can play roller derby again, so I can volunteer for the search and rescue, so I can be an inspiration to someone else, so that I can save someones life as a nurse. I also did it so I can feel beautiful, so I can improve my self esteem, wear smaller jeans, wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. I would be lying if I don't look at clothes in my dream sizes, or that I don't dream of the day that I can buy in the regular sizes.

I have not had surgery, but struggle with compliments. I am a baker, and a cook and tend to be on the creative side so I tend to be complimented frequently in those areas. My response is generally a "oh uh hmmm yeah" followed by a spastic look down, up and to the side and a fast get away. I have a friend who told me, you need to realize when people compliment you, they do it because they like something about you, or what you did. It isn't meant to make you uncomfortable, it isn't them being snotty or hurtful. She also said I know you are used to being rejected and hurt, and the idea of a compliment is foreign but you need to own up to that compliment and outright say "Thank you" that is it. Then you need to realize that you deserve the compliment, and you need to be proud of it.
We all have our demons, and have all been rejected and hurt in one way or another. When someone gives you a compliment, just say thank you, and mean it. Maybe try to envision what they are seeing, or complimenting on and understand why they would compliment you. You deserve the compliment, otherwise they wouldn't give it to you.

Paperwork is being submitted today, with an anticipated August date.

First post on here, just thought I would share.

The first thing my husband told me when I told him about the surgery was that I was going to leave him when I got skinny. It mad me so mad. I told him I am not with you cause am I chubby and can't find someone else, I am with you because I love you and our family. Plus when we first starting dating I weight 150 and I still picked you. I think he was just scared and insecure.
We is so supportive now, to the point it gets on my nerves lol.

http://www.wikihow.com/Remove-a-Stuck-Ring
The "Dental Floss Method" Is what they did in the ER.

I had to write a paragraph to my surgeon explaining my reasoning for surgery, my paragraph was a full page letter. I did this surgery because I want to live to see my great grandchildren, I want to set a better example for my teenage son and in turn that will set a better example for those grand kids and great grand kids to come.... a long long long time from now. I also did this surgery so I can ride roller coasters with my son, so I can sit an airplane seat without being embarrassed or having to ask for a seat belt extender, so I can run a mile (because even as a kid I never have) so I can play roller derby again, so I can volunteer for the search and rescue, so I can be an inspiration to someone else, so that I can save someones life as a nurse. I also did it so I can feel beautiful, so I can improve my self esteem, wear smaller jeans, wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. I would be lying if I don't look at clothes in my dream sizes, or that I don't dream of the day that I can buy in the regular sizes.

My wife is going to have VSG on July 2nd, 2013, exactly 1 year after me. My VSG post op has been amazingly awesome and I wish the same for her. Please applaud my beautiful wife Laurie for making this decision (phoenix79). it will definitely be a personal game changer!!!

I'm in Texas.....
It's June.....
It's HOT .....
I'm making hot chocolate so I can put Protein in it and have something different.
ARHG!

I had to write a paragraph to my surgeon explaining my reasoning for surgery, my paragraph was a full page letter. I did this surgery because I want to live to see my great grandchildren, I want to set a better example for my teenage son and in turn that will set a better example for those grand kids and great grand kids to come.... a long long long time from now. I also did this surgery so I can ride roller coasters with my son, so I can sit an airplane seat without being embarrassed or having to ask for a seat belt extender, so I can run a mile (because even as a kid I never have) so I can play roller derby again, so I can volunteer for the search and rescue, so I can be an inspiration to someone else, so that I can save someones life as a nurse. I also did it so I can feel beautiful, so I can improve my self esteem, wear smaller jeans, wear a bathing suit without being embarrassed. I would be lying if I don't look at clothes in my dream sizes, or that I don't dream of the day that I can buy in the regular sizes.

I am sure that is frustrating but luckily it shouldn't last forever..... A few years ago I decided quite quickly that I was going to become a vegetarian, mid summer aka BBQ season. It was absolute torture every time my neighbor would BBQ I would sit and longingly stare out the window at his dogs as they ate the left over rib bones (exaggeration, but you get my point) It was very important to me not to eat meat so I didn't cheat, not once. The first couple months were rough, but then something amazing happened..... It didn't matter anymore, the smell didn't bother me, I didn't start drooling, and what was even more amazing, was around 6 months later I had a cheeseburger for the first time and something I used to love.... tasted like cardboard, wet, greasy, cardboard.

I opened this post and went..... Oh I feel you! First off.... take a breath! I promise, you aren't going to forget! Do you have a patient navigator to work with? My patient navigator has been a God send and has kept me on track. If not it is OK! You know what you have to do, so first things first.... Make a list... a spread sheet.... a chalk board.... whatever you need to do to keep things contained. I had the full six months to get stuff done, so the first month I got 85% of the stuff done, and this past month (my last month) I hurried and got everything else done. You might want to at least call and make as many appointments as possible, I have heard of people being held up by one appointment that took 4 weeks or so to get into, I have never had that issue, however I had to do a sleep study, it took a couple weeks to get into and I had to do a follow up sleep study and both times they had to be read and that took a good 6 weeks start to finish. Everything else has been very quick. I have struggled with the weight loss, I had a 5lb loss requirement and a no gain (per my surgeon) I did gain a tiny amount (2#) which they weren't concerned with, they were watching for a big gain. So as I was coming up to my last appt (which was yesterday) I kind of freaked, I had 7 days to get down 5lbs and I was so worried I wouldn't do it, and then I would have to wait longer. I sucked it up, I knew I had to do it, I went low carb (cut all carbs but fruits and veggies) and lost 7.9# in one week. I am not stopping though, I had one cheat meal last night and started strong again this morning. I want to be down by my surgery day, I figure the less I weigh the less I need to loose and the better prepared I am for my surgery. You will be fine! Overwhelmed!!! yes!!! but you will be fine.

I opened this post and went..... Oh I feel you! First off.... take a breath! I promise, you aren't going to forget! Do you have a patient navigator to work with? My patient navigator has been a God send and has kept me on track. If not it is OK! You know what you have to do, so first things first.... Make a list... a spread sheet.... a chalk board.... whatever you need to do to keep things contained. I had the full six months to get stuff done, so the first month I got 85% of the stuff done, and this past month (my last month) I hurried and got everything else done. You might want to at least call and make as many appointments as possible, I have heard of people being held up by one appointment that took 4 weeks or so to get into, I have never had that issue, however I had to do a sleep study, it took a couple weeks to get into and I had to do a follow up sleep study and both times they had to be read and that took a good 6 weeks start to finish. Everything else has been very quick. I have struggled with the weight loss, I had a 5lb loss requirement and a no gain (per my surgeon) I did gain a tiny amount (2#) which they weren't concerned with, they were watching for a big gain. So as I was coming up to my last appt (which was yesterday) I kind of freaked, I had 7 days to get down 5lbs and I was so worried I wouldn't do it, and then I would have to wait longer. I sucked it up, I knew I had to do it, I went low carb (cut all carbs but fruits and veggies) and lost 7.9# in one week. I am not stopping though, I had one cheat meal last night and started strong again this morning. I want to be down by my surgery day, I figure the less I weigh the less I need to loose and the better prepared I am for my surgery. You will be fine! Overwhelmed!!! yes!!! but you will be fine.

If you think you can do it on your own, and this isn't a good time for you, then just keep doing what you are doing. You can always reschedule at your convenience if you need or want to. I wouldn't have this surgery unless I was certain about it. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Something I use now and I've not had the surgery, just babies...but diaper rash cream works over night for me.

I opened this post and went..... Oh I feel you! First off.... take a breath! I promise, you aren't going to forget! Do you have a patient navigator to work with? My patient navigator has been a God send and has kept me on track. If not it is OK! You know what you have to do, so first things first.... Make a list... a spread sheet.... a chalk board.... whatever you need to do to keep things contained. I had the full six months to get stuff done, so the first month I got 85% of the stuff done, and this past month (my last month) I hurried and got everything else done. You might want to at least call and make as many appointments as possible, I have heard of people being held up by one appointment that took 4 weeks or so to get into, I have never had that issue, however I had to do a sleep study, it took a couple weeks to get into and I had to do a follow up sleep study and both times they had to be read and that took a good 6 weeks start to finish. Everything else has been very quick. I have struggled with the weight loss, I had a 5lb loss requirement and a no gain (per my surgeon) I did gain a tiny amount (2#) which they weren't concerned with, they were watching for a big gain. So as I was coming up to my last appt (which was yesterday) I kind of freaked, I had 7 days to get down 5lbs and I was so worried I wouldn't do it, and then I would have to wait longer. I sucked it up, I knew I had to do it, I went low carb (cut all carbs but fruits and veggies) and lost 7.9# in one week. I am not stopping though, I had one cheat meal last night and started strong again this morning. I want to be down by my surgery day, I figure the less I weigh the less I need to loose and the better prepared I am for my surgery. You will be fine! Overwhelmed!!! yes!!! but you will be fine.

10. Accidently closing the drawer on a boob while putting away clothes.
9. Acid Nausea - the one where you are a little hungry and then all of a sudden need to eat NOW or else you are going to puke
8. American Airline seat suction - the seat is thisbig and you are THIS BIG..you almost need a crowbar to get out. dont get me started on the seat belts!
7. Sounding like an 18th Century house's wood floors when I get up.....crrrreeeeekkkkk...ppppoooooppppp...oh my knee!
6. Walking up a short flight of stairs and feeling like my lungs are going to stage a coup and revolt.
5. Being able to only cross my legs like a dude. Sorry guys but you know what I mean. Women can cross their legs and it looks eligant. Men cross their legs (well most guys anyways) and usually just place their ankle on their knee. I understand, you got "stuff" in the way. I just have fat
4. Only getting the 'partial' hug. You know...the one where they try and go all the way around to give you the bear hug but only end up giving you a cub hug (arms are not long enough to go all the way around).
3. Always asking for a chair at a restaurant because you are afraid you will stick to the booth if you try to slide in. Kind of like doing a slip-and-slide without Water.< /p>
2. Always going straight home and laying down. At the end of the day, being just so tired from carrying around this extra person all day that you just want to get horizontal and not move. Ever. Again. Well till the next day anyways.
AND....
1. Sweating!!!!!! Walking through the grocery store...sweating! Walking into the movie theater....sweating! Walking through security at the airport and you are pouring sweat (because you are hot as hell) and the TSA guy is looking at you suspiciously. No officer..I am not carrying any hidden weapons or have any ill-contempt. I am just sweating cause my fat is crying!

I was 9 months post op as of June 14th. I have lost 134 pounds since the day of surgery. Pics are from day of surgery and this morning.
I still want to lose another 82 pounds or so..but am so ahppy with my results so far. Weight loss has slowed down a lot, but its still coming off.. I am very dedicated to following and tracking my food... I stay within 800-1000 cals a day, at least 60-80 grams of Protein and try to stay under 40 carbs. If i do my work outs which consist of boxing/kickboxing classes at a boxing gym then I up the calories and protein..
I take lots of walks with my husband and dog, the more I lose the more active I become.
I hope this helps people who start out with a large amount to lose like myself and are unsure if this can work for them. It can work for you if you use it as a tool to help you. It comes with hard work and will power, but it can be done...
I can't say it enough, but I LOVE my sleeve and the new outlook I have on life

Funny story about prunes. When my daughter was about 3 she got a little constipated and the doctor told me to give her a few prunes. The bag of prunes said that a serving was 4, and she was little so I gave her 2. Well, she liked them so much she wanted more. So I gave her 2 more. Then she wanted more so I told her no.
A couple of days later she got up early. Went into the kitchen, opened the refrigerator (first time she had ever been able to open it herself), and got out the bag of prunes and sat down to watch TV. She ate about half a bag of prunes before I found her. It wasn't long before she knew why I wouldn't let her eat as many prunes as she wanted.

Three(ish) weeks seems so insignificant, and I am going to try my hardest not to dwell on the time but I am very excited because I had my 6th appointment for my 6 month physician supervised weight loss program. It has been a long six months, and yet and it has flown by! It takes around a week for them to get my paper work submitted, and about a two week turn around. I met my surgeons goals, I have read every book, and watched every documentary that has been thrown at me. I have been actively involved in different forums, and support groups within my community. I don't feel there is anything more I could have done. I hope the insurance company sees my diligence and feels the same way!

Better loose skin than a bad heart, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, bad knees, back pain ...

I am pre-op but I read a book that talks about this very thing with bariatric surgery. It's by Jen Larsen and it is called "Stranger Here: How weight loss surgery transformed my body and messed with my head" http://jenlarsen.net/stranger-here/ Here is her website. I am happy to hear that you are contacting someone, and I do believe it is quite normal. I hope you find clarity in this journey!

Stepped on the scale today and saw the 150 pounds I had set for goal Was sleeved just under 8 months ago on 10/25/12. I'm 5'4" and HW was 230+ and 80 pounds later at 150. Went from 18/20 jeans/xl tops to 8-10 jeans and medium tops. As much of a physical change that you can see there was 10 times the mental and emotional change. I'm no longer afraid to be seen in public, I can put on an outfit without changing 15 times then deciding to not go anyways, I will go places alone and not have to have a pack of people with me to hide behind, and I can find clothes that fit at a regular store, I can be around cute fit skinny people and hold my head high and not feel like crawling under a rock, and I'm out being active and having FUN!!! So thankful for this amazing surgery and for getting my life back.

I am hopefully going to be late July, early August. It will depend on speed of (hopeful) approval and when they can fit me in I suppose. My best friend works for the surgeon and said that surgeries are usually scheduled two weeks out after approval.... Besides approval, my next big thing to work with is my school schedule. I am in nursing school and we go year round. I have a class with clinicals that ends July 23rd and I don't have another class that requires that kind of physical exertion until mid September. So I have about a 7 week window. We shall see....