free2live

Hi Mary! I am Amy from Ohio. My surgery date is September 30 and I am excited' date=' scared, nervous all in the same breath! However isn't this forum great for support and positive enforcement??[/quote']

How are you doing, I'm from Ohio as well and had my surgery in May.

Look what I found in an airport! Bacon jerky! Bacon! And jerky! Together!

Yes it's a little higher calorie (130 vs 80) for an ounce but people! Bacon jerky!

Nom nom nom

Sent from my iPhone using VST

Just happened to see this post and I just came across this the other day and bought a 3 pack at either SAMs, or BJ's and it was great!

Wanting to follow as well. My hair has thinned out so bad I dont even wear it down anymore

I'm four months out and have been losing a lot of hair since about a month ago. Fortunately I have thick hair, but if this keeps up for too long I don't know what will happen. I just saw my endocronologist a few days ago and she is also a nutritionist and she told me not to waste the time taking the Biotin because it won't really help with the loss. She said it was the bodies response to the trauma of surgery, anesthesia, weight loss, etc. and everyone responds differently. I had been taking it everyday with no results.

I'm a slower loser as well, my surgery was 5/21 and I'm down 35 lbs. I've had a couple of stalls where its been weeks bouncing up and down within the same couple of pounds. Just happy that its going down and since I'm older, early 50's, it might be a blessing so it gives my body time to catch up with the loss. I don't want to deflate to quickly, lol.

At the seminar I was told that the portion of your stomach that tells your brain you're hungry will be removed' date=' and because of this you will never be hungry again. He also said that some of his clients even forget to eat sometimes. From your experience, do you believe this to be true? Do you still get hungry?[/quote']

Yes, I get hungry every day. I'm 3.5 months out. I'm good for a few hours after I eat, then I feel hungry. Sometimes its intense. I think I'll have to be one that eats 5 small meals a day vs. the 3 meals they were encouraging.

Looking for someone that has UHC with Optimum health bariatric resources. I wanna know how long the wait is for approval once paperwork is submitted by surgeon. Not even gonna let the word denial in my head....lol

I have my 4th visit of the 6 month Dr supervised dt. next week. I should be finished up in sept. and already have a tentative surgery date scheduled for late sept. But it all hangs in the balance waiting for approval. Just trying to get some idea how long they take.

Thanks for any and all responses!!!!

I have UHC choice plus and had to go through Bariatric Resource. They basically have everything ready to go. Once my surgeon submitted to them I got the call either the following day or 2 days later. They were very fast, neither the surgeons office or I could believe how quick the approval went. I didn't have to go through a 6 month supervised diet though, they told me my only requirement for surgery is the requirement the surgeon had, of course I had to meet the BMI requirements though.

I have hypo thyroids and I'm trying to figure out would it help me or just be a waste of time?

I have been hypothyroid for 25 years, I take Synthroid .125mg daily, I'm also 53. I had the surgery May 21st and have lost 22 pounds. The last 2 weeks I've been roughly the same weight. I haven't had near the results as others around the time of my surgery. I'm glad I had it done because I wasn't having any success in getting the weight off. My sister said that I may have even kept gaining little by little. I've had two long stalls and I know if I were dieting with as little as I am eating, I would have given up. Even if it comes off slow, I know it's going to come off. As excited as I am to lose, I know it's better for me to lose more slowly, at my age I think it gives your body a chance to catch up with the weight loss so you may not have the issues with as much sagging skin, only time will tell for me. Good luck, I'm sure you won't regret it!

Does anyone know what size bougie their docs used to make their sleeve? my doc is using a 38french and i know from research that some are using 32 fr...Im wondering if I will be able to lose wt. with a sleeve this big? any feedback is welcome...thanks vicki

Mine was a 38 and I also asked

I am three weeks out from surgery' date=' and I've already reached a stall and gained a couple pounds. I don't see how this is since I'm eating so much less. Has anyone else experienced this? I'm getting frustrated!!![/quote']

My surgery was on May 21st, and I lost 13 lbs by June 1st. Since then, I haven't lost a pound and have fluctuated up and down, its been very discouraging because my calories are so low, I haven't weighed today yet, hoping for better results. Still having trouble getting all my fluids in.

They had to straight cath me the day of surgery because I didn't have the urge to pee after that I would go to the bathroom and sit and was able to pee but still didn't feel an urge until the following day

I was concerned about this and the nurse told me it wasn't that uncommon for this to happen

I just had surgery yesterday. Already at home but i am having a really hard time peeing! Has anyone else experienced this? I feel like I need to go get a catheter if it doesn't improve

They had to straight cath me the day of surgery because I didn't have the urge to pee after that I would go to the bathroom and sit and was able to pee but still didn't feel an urge until the following day

I'm 5 days post and feeling great. Hardly no pain' date=' i can drink or sip with hardly any pain. My dilemma is that I'm ready to start the next stage! I am so sick of clear liquids. Do you all think because I'm doing so well, I can start incorporating Soups? Lol or stick to the plan?[/quote']

I was sleeved on the 21st and they started me on full liquids on day 2 in the hospital and I had creamed soups and they brought me cream of wheat which I couldn't eat it was nasty without anything in it.

Sleeved 5/22 am now on full liquids which my do has cottage cheese as one. I ate about two ounces and made sure I broke down the curds in my mouth before I swallowed and it feels like it is stuck.

Cottage cheese isn't on my full liquid diet but on my soft diet list, mine was the 21st and yesterday it seemed like every time I took a drink I had that sensation, today it is much improved I was so relieved.

I was told just to make sure and get out and walk around and not make it straight through.

I had surgery on the 21st and we lived 3hrs away also. Our daughter went with us and drove my husband and I home and the trip took a little over 4.5 hrs. We made several bathroom stops, and we made sure they gave us several bottles of Water for the ride home so we could keep drinking. During the ride home make sure you do ankle twirls and foot pumps you can get some movement even on the ride home

I am having pain that kind of feels like gas pains but happens when I drink the most. But it does happen by itself even if I don't have nothing to drink. I am only 2days post op. if any one could tell me if this is normal.

I'm 4days post op and today I've been having the same trouble after every time I take a drink of something, I was really concerned because it wasn't happening yesterday, I did have a hiatal hernia repair done and didn't know if it was related or not. The pain is right below my sternum and lasts a minute or so. I'm having a hard time getting my fluids in today because of it.

All done.How did you go freetolive?

Surgery was Tuesday, and they sent us ( my husband and I ) home on Thursday. I'm so glad they kept us that extra day. We had to wait in recovery almost 6 hrs because all the beds were full on the bariatric floor. 8hrs after surgery I wasn't able to urinate so they had to straight cath me. After that I was able to go, but didn't have the urge until later that night. I also didn't get much fluids in during the hospital stay but glad we had the IV fluids going. Our surgeon also puts in a JP drain tube on everyone but that was removed the day we came home. Right now I'm dealing with terrible back pain, they think it could have been the way I was positioned in surgery. My incisions are a little sore but nothing unbearable. I made a shake this morning that I'm sipping on, it's one they made for us in the hospital and I really liked it. I have four incisions and a bandage over where the drain was. We slept in recliners at home last night and that was pretty comfortable. How did your surgery go, and how are you feeling?

I am getting my sleeve on Tuesday and I am so worried. What if the surgeon makes a mistake or what if he´s having a bad day? All this is out of my control. Anyone else with feelings like this?

Mine is Tuesday morning too. I have to be at the hospital at 5:15 for surgery at 7:15 and I was thinking, I sure hope my surgeon is a morning person....my husband's surgery is right after mine. Maybe he should go first

My surgery is coming up fast and I was curious how comfortable everyone was with sleeping in bed after the surgery. Was it hard to lay flat or di1d you use a recliner to sleep in the first week or so, would love to get feedback on this. Thanks!

Pray all goes well for all of us! I'm on day four of my preop diet and not doing as bad as I thought.

Hope things are still going well for you!

Day four for me also.Mothers day tomorrow.What a way to spend it' date='can't even eat.Hard to socialise when I haven't told any one.[/quote']

Happy Mothers Day! 9 more days.....the final countdown. Seems like it will never get here. Hopefully this week will go by fast, I have to work Mon, Wed, and then Fri,Sat, Sun, then Mon we go to my sisters house to spend the night prior to our surgery since she lives in the area where we are having it. At least we aren't on a straight liquid diet. It's restricted to around 1100 calories a day. We have to eat two low calorie frozen meals, and 3 Protein drinks a day with 2 cups of optional low cal veggies.

I'm May 21 in Dallas. Will be here soon!!!

Pray all goes well for all of us! I'm on day four of my preop diet and not doing as bad as I thought.

Our month is almost here.... It almost feels like clicking up the track of the roller coaster and you're just getting ready to go over the top, no stopping now, things are going to happen fast. Really exicited and ready to do this. My pre-op appointment is 5/6, then starts the diet!

May 21

Awesome .... Where are you having you're surgery?

This is my first post here. I just sent my deposit for May 27th. I'm getting sleeved in TJ Mexico by Dr Quinones.

It would cost me more and take more time to get the surgery at home and thats if they (insurance) even OK'd me. From all my research I really prefer the way it is handled in Mexico and I could not afford to do it locally.

So' date=' the countdown begins! I am 54 and I have been obese since I was a small child. Its sad that I have to take such drastic measures and that was my biggest hangup in deciding this- getting over feeling like I was a failure to "give up" on doing it alone. I will use this as a fresh start and learn to eat properly and eat healthy. I will even exercise. There are no more excuses, I have to take care of this while I am still healthy.

I've been researching this since last Sept when Lisa Lampanelli (American Comedienne) was telling about her surgery and weightloss. That was the first I ever heard of the Gastric Sleeve procedure. I always knew I could not have my Intestines re-routed and I did not want a band squeezing my stomach and left inside me. I was sure my husband would not approve of this and he did not even know I wanted it until last month when HE saw Lisa Lampanelli and it brought up the subject and I went on and on telling him about it and what they do and dont do and about going to Mexico. I was seriously shocked when he said that if I was sure that I was doing the right thing then his only stipulation was that he had to go with me. I already had my vacation set for the last week in May and I thought he would say that was too soon so I didnt even bring up the date for a week or two and he surprised me again by being ok with that. Its amazing when your husband of 30 years can surprise you, it doesn't happen often.

So who's with me for the 27th?? That's Memorial Day here in the US so probably not too many fellow Americans.[/quote']

That is awesome good luck to you mine is on the 21st. I am 53 and my husband is 56 we are both having ours done on the same day. When you have it in Mexico is it a whole package deal including airfare or do you have to make those arrangements for yourself? I have another family member who is considering the surgery but they don't have insurance and would have to be a self pay is it very expensive?

So exciting! I wish u guys luck! I'm on the 20th so i will try and follow your progress

Wishing you all the best! The big countdown has begun.