FindingElise

You must be feeling so wonderful right now. Congrats!!!

Tomorrow is a new day, and I hope that whatever triggered such a negative response to what was meant to be a positive post gets better for you, AussieLady. Such bitterness is also a reason to seek professional help. LipstickLady and BayouGal, you're going to ROCK your sleeves! I have a few close friends that have been sleeved, and each seems to have her own food intolerances. One can't eat oatmeal or bread without feeling ill, and the other would get stomach discomfort and diarrhea with too much sugar intake until 5-6 months out. So I've been asking myself, should I have a "Last Supper" of sorts? Should I binge on deep dish pizza, salted caramel cupcakes, french fries, and the other things that got me in this position in the first place? I've decided that my new, healthy lifestyle starts now, so I'm going to pass on pigging out. The surgery is just a tool and won't do the work for us, so why wait to get started? We're all different, and some will pig out, others won't. As long as we get to where we want to be, and pick up the skills along the way to help us keep it off, I won't judge another's thoughts or choices. I want there to come a day where I can eat one small slice of pizza, one cupcake, or a small order of french fries and feel satisfied. I'm not a psychologist, nor will I pretend to play one on the internet, but I think everyone that comes to make the choice to have surgery has food issues on some level. The sleeve isn't going to do the work for us, obviously, but can be used a tool to not only lose weight, but pick up better habits and learn to live a healthier lifestyle. Okay, I'm finished ranting. I just wanted to say thank you for sharing!

That sounds VERY cool!

Have you tried massage? Even if you can't get in to see a massage therapist right as you feel one coming on, my doctor thought that massage could reduce the frequency of my headaches, and gave me a prescription for medical massages through a physical therapist. Not being able to take Excedrin is definitely scary!

Hi, Erikh. Your surgeon should have no problem letting you make an appointment and discussing your concerns with you. You might want to make a list of the things that concern you and bring it to your appointment, and just read the items off one by one. If you have any comorbidies, or have had abdominal surgeries in the past, there are lots of things you'll probably want to ask related to that. Some things I asked were... 1. How long is the actual surgery? 2. How long will I be in the hospital? 3. What are the most common complications you encounter with surgeries you've performed? 4. What can I do now to make my recovery easier? 5. How will the sleeve affect future pregnancies? (And a lot of discussion about pregnancy-related stuff). 6. When can I start doing laundry, grocery shopping, cleaning, and basically living life like a normal person? 7. When do I need to stop taking certain meds, and could I continue taking certain meds after surgery? I hope that helps! Best of luck to you!

Spiritstalker - Congrats on "passing" your psych evaluation! I was SO happy and relieved to have it over and done with. BrittNicole - I hope yours went well! Kelley - My psychologist did most of the talking, but he did ask questions about my family, friends, and what my support system is like; my reasons for wanting bariatric surgery; and whether I had a history of eating disorders or other emotional problems. At the end of our chat, he said that they are mostly looking to make sure that patients fully understand the choice they are making and are capable offering informed consent, and for any history of eating or psychological disorders (a history of mental illness wouldn't rule someone out, he explained, but they would want to be sure that those issues are under control before proceeding). I hope this info helps!