Teachamy

Yay! Yay! Yay! It feels great to check off each little accomplishment on your way to surgery. Good luck!

AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME! So happy for you! When do we get to see pictures?

Hello all,
I am on Day 3 of my preop. diet and overall, I am doing well. I am measuring my 3 oz. of meat, drinking my Protein Shakes, loading up on green vegetables, but I think I had forgotten how often I think about food. Every break, every evening, whenever I am tired or bored, and as a means to de-stress and self-soothe, I would eat. Last night I caved and ate a deli-slice of provolone cheese and 3 (Count 'em) potato chips. (Total slider food. Could've killed my husband for bringing them home.) The cave was due to the simple fact that I needed to go to bed. So I guess it's good how aware I am of Why I tend to overeat, and WHY I still want to. Without the sleeve, I will always return to my old ways.
I have found that chomping on a giant cucumber with a teensy bit of salt is pretty satisfying when I feel I need to eat something. I plan on buying some sugar-free Jello and popsicles today. What else is good and calorie free?
Could use some words of encouragement!
Thanks,
Amy

I am on day 3 of my pre-op too! Seeing already that all by bad habits happen at night time too. Once I am done with the day (which is after 9pm each night) I snack and drink wine! No wonder I need to lose 100 pounds! I am focusing on the healthier me to come, trying to read and stay busy later to keep my HEAD from telling me to eat. I bought some Turkey Pepperoni that only has 70 calories per serving and 10 grams of Protein which is the most helpful thing for me right now. Good Luck to you! Let's stay in touch. We are on the same day for surgery it sounds like!

Wow! You look fabulous! Congratulations!

Thankya ma'am. I hope next Thanksgiving I will be runway hot :-P

The way I try to look at it, it's a journey, not a race. There is no finish line, the journey is life-long. So if you fell from the wagon, you just need to get back on and keep on truckin'. Move ahead and don't regret the past. Just think how fabulous you will look and feel next Thanksgiving!

The way I try to look at it, it's a journey, not a race. There is no finish line, the journey is life-long. So if you fell from the wagon, you just need to get back on and keep on truckin'. Move ahead and don't regret the past. Just think how fabulous you will look and feel next Thanksgiving!

My surgery is the 18th, and I too have a little 10 pound dog. I know nothing will keep her off my lap, it's the 48 and 50 pound kiddos I have to worry about!

AWESOME! That's fabulous. great time too!

When my surgeon asked me what I will miss after surgery, I immediately blurted out COFFEE! Joe is my constant morning companion, my anti-depressant, my drug. Hell, he even keeps me regular--that thoughtful Joe. You see, my program dictates no coffee, not even decaf., nada until at least 3 months after surgery. They say it is all too acidic. And I think they are more focused on us staying hydrated, and coffee defeats that. I am in mourning. I started with half-caff. today, and plan to work my way down to Decaf. by the time my pre-surgery diet begins on Dec. 4th.

My daughter has full coverage in the states but is going to MX because of the experience our particular surgeon has plus the excellent care that is receieved.
I couldn't find a surgeon here in WA that I was truly pleased with so I returned to MX for the sleeve. I've had so much success with MX surgeons that I will return for plastics. It's all in the research you do.
Not to say the states doesn't have excellent surgeons.. It's all in your comfort level that counts

Congratulations and good luck!

I've had a lobotomy, which is why my BMI is so low. I wouldn't recommend it. :tongue2:
This post is exactly why I do not own a scale, and I will not purchase one. I will go to my bariatric center once a week to weigh myself, otherwise I will drive myself insane. If weighing myself at the center makes me crazy, at least I'll have some professionals there to refocus me!

Agreed. I think it will be easier for me because I am never ever even the slightest bit tempted to eat donuts at work, or Cookies, or potluck, etc. No way! It wouldn't be worth the agony. I've been diagnosed now for 6 yrs. It's kinda nice to feel tummy-ache free!

I just started my pre-op today. It has been less than 8 hours and I already am going nuts. I am on a pure second stage liquid diet. I am thinking about selling my oldest child for a tortilla chip, as long as it didn't count towards cheating. And keep in mind, I like her. (My youngest, I would sell for half a tortilla chip, but might not get any takers.)
How I admire all of you have successfully gone through this! I don't know if it is the idea I can't have anything or the fact that for the first time, I am actually hungry. I have been on a 1500 calorie diet for six months now, but this is different. Either way, I want to devour the whole pantry. I won't because I am a bleeping grown-up. But I sure as shooting want to.
Also, what is with these stupid headaches that go along with this??! grrr
As I hang here, holding on to the ledge, tell me it gets better? If not, lie to me.

This Friday will be exactly 3 months since my surgery. View my profile to read my story leading up to surgery.
Results have been really good. Before meeting Dr. Volckmann, I weighed around 340 pounds. Through the pre-op diet, I lost about 19 pounds. The morning of the surgery I weighed 321 pounds. I am proud to say that 3 days shy of the 3 month mark, that I now weigh 270 pounds. I will get a Bod Pod assessment this Friday so I can finally have an accurate number to aim towards as my end goal.
I wish that I took body measurements, because that is where the real story is. Before surgery, I was wearing size 3xl and some 4xl shirts. I am now comfortably wearing size 2xl shirts. Before surgery, I was wearing size 44 pants that had adjustable waist bands. I am now comfortably wearing size 40 pants and thinking that size 38 is just around the corner.
Medically, my latest A1C number (taken about 4 weeks ago) is 5.4. My blood sugar is hovering around 100-105. My cholesterol looks good and I am going to ask for permission to go off simvastatin. I am on my last high blood pressure medication and I am hoping to drop that in the next month or so.
I follow my post-op diet rigorously. In fact, I may be a little too strict. I see the results and that keeps me motivated. I work out every morning and night. That includes attending cross fit. I haven't been healthier in the past 20 years.
My work has greatly improved. I am in a job where I have to think on my feet. My confidence has skyrocketed. In fact, I recently ran into a woman that I went to high school with over 20 years ago. Age has been very gentle to her beauty. I took a gamble and asked her out. We have been dating ever since that day. She cannot believe my weight loss, but has been very supportive of my workout and eating manners/schedule.
A couple of pieces. From my original story, I talked about going to the surgery alone. I strongly advise against that. Take a friend or family member. That was a mistake on my part. It appears that all of my insurance details have finally been taken care of. My out of pocket is $5K plus a lot of travel and hotels (Dr. Volckmann is a 5 hour drive from where I live).
Bottom line. I am happy to have had the surgery and I consider myself lucky in finding Dr. Volckmann and his terrific staff for this journey.

No kidding. My shopping has been out of control since the sleeve. And I've adopted 2 more rescue dogs since then, too (that makes 8 dogs and 4 cats total). I need a pet intervention.

I was sleeved on Oct. 1st and did good for the first week. The second week I started to go downhill ...quick. I had extreme pain in my lower back and right side near my ribs. I just assumed it was gas pain combined with my already low pain tolerance. Finally, the pain got so bad, and so constant, I checked myself in to the Emergency Room at the nearest hospital. There, they discovered I had blood in my urine, and ordered a CT Scan. Almost immediately after the CT Scan, the doctor came back and told me they discovered blood clots in a very unusual place: the arteries going from my spleen and my liver, as well as my lungs.
I spent the night in the hospital and the kept me on an anti-clotting drug called Coumadin, and dilaudid for pain. They paged my surgeon who came in first thing the next morning to tell me he had been brainstorming with numerous other doctors on what went wrong and what could be done to save my life.
He told me the hospital I was currently at did not have the team of doctors nor the medical equipment necessary to help me. So I was immediately transported by ambulance to another hospital in Denver.
To say the least, I was TERRIFIED. Immediately upon arrival at the new hospital I went straight to the ICU where my husband and grandmother were waiting. They spared no time in getting me prepped for the first of three surgeries to remove the clots.
I remember only bits and pieces after that. Mostly just the extreme pain, and fear. I remember being so weak, and my husband and grandmother stayed by my side the entire time. (Backstory: my grandma raised me, so she is more like my mom.)
My husband brushed my hair, held my hand while they poked me endlessly with needles, and even brushed my teeth. One memory I have was right after my second surgery, and being so afraid, so I asked my grandma to hold my hand.
Thanks to God and my team of doctors, upon completing the third surgery, all blood clots (with the exception of the one in my lung) were removed. I was then able to get out of the ICU and into a private room.
Then the hardest part began: finding out why this happened. Every day for two weeks they drew blood two, sometimes three, times per day; sending the samples to various places around the country for testing.
Finally, they found the answer. I am part of 2% of the nation that is a carrier for a genetic mutation/blood disorder called Prothrombin 20210a. I'm 31 years old and have never had any symptoms. But the only way of knowing about this genetic mutation would have been for me to have genetic testing done prior to surgery (which is extremely expensive and most health insurance companies do not cover that). Also, six years ago I had surgery to remove my gallbladder and had ZERO issues.
The moral of the story is this: There are risks for any surgery. It's not my surgeon's fault, it's not my own fault. It it what it is. Would I go through the surgery now, even knowing about my blood disorder? I would have to talk to my surgeon to see if, knowing my problem, there would have been any precautions that could have been taken to avoid me almost losing my life, or see if my surgeon would even think I could be a candidate for the sleeve surgery.
Bottom line is, I'm happy to be alive. I'm happy to be blessed with so many people that love and care about me.
Just know that no matter how much planning we do, there are always risks involved.

Dec. 18th for me!
Amy

Hi ladies! We have a big thread already called December 2013 Sleevers Come In. We have over 50 December people so far! Come join us! There is also a secret Facebook group for December 2013 Sleevers too. Info is in the thread noted above.

I just started a new group called December 2013 Sleevers. If you plan to have your surgery in Dec., please join us!

Hi Gem~
I get those fears too. I worry about my kids if...but I know this is the right decision. These fears are often the worst for me the day of any of the surgeries that I have had, so I'm sure I will feel crazier the day of surgery, which btw, is also Dec. 18th! You and I have very similar stats, so feel free to message me!
Amy

Are you eating enough calories for 120 minutes of exercise per day? I would check with my NUT if I were you. And I bet if you cut your exercise in half, you will start to lose again.

Try taking teeny, teeny, tiny sips. Did you try warming up the Water? Or drinking warm herbal tea? I've heard some people say warm water was easier for them. Plus, room temperature or lukewarm water hydrates you faster. I am pre-op, so I have to take it from others that it will get better every day!