nmck

Hey! Mine was the 9th too - I am feeling awesome, I posted on page 16 bout it - super long, so I wont write it again lol. Recently I noticed yellow bruising on my incision sites, which means they are healing well, thank goodness! I know that the worst is over, and the best is coming. Pain is like a 2, but I tried driving and it wasnt too bad, defininitely doable! I am still on the full liquids for 1 more wk, but Ive been experimenting with small amts of rice, bread (HUGE mistake, dont eat bread so soon!!), and pudding, and so far so good! I know we will be alright jotate! How are you feeling? How is your pain level? Have you tried driving yet??

Getting sleeved tomorrow 8:45, so excited

Hi July sleevers, my date is also on 22nd if my bank loan is approved in time. Really hope it goes well, have started the diet (low fat in my case and just fluids for last 2 days). So excited and nervous that I can hardly breathe.
I see that there are a few who will also be going on the 22nd.
WOULD LOVE IT IF ALL OF US JULYERS CAN BE FORUM FRIENDS! it will make it easier to navigate through the same issues.

Well Same here, My surgery is scheduled for 11:30am and I cant wait for this new beginning. I will be praying for all those who share the 15th date.

I am getting ready to go to the hospital which is only five minutes away. I feel good, exempt it could really use a cup of starbucks. how bad could it be?

Honestly, I found the preop diet to be liberating. Never was hungry. I could not believe it. But then again, I think I had a pretty liberal preop diet - 1200 cal - high protein/lowfat/lowcarb - 4 shakes a day or you can trade up to 2 shakes for meals of eggs or cottage cheese or 4-6 oz lean Protein and garden salad or 4-6 oz lean protein and 2 c steamed veggies.
Good luck with yours on 7/19!

I think this is normal in weight loss. I lost over a 100 pounds about 10 years ago (and thankfully never gained it all back!) but in the first months when my weight loss was more rapid, I had some weird stuff with my period, like getting it every 2 weeks, then skipping a month, etc. Once I leveled out in loss, it was back to its regular schedule. Fat cells hold estrogen and losing weight affects hormone balance!

I think this is normal in weight loss. I lost over a 100 pounds about 10 years ago (and thankfully never gained it all back!) but in the first months when my weight loss was more rapid, I had some weird stuff with my period, like getting it every 2 weeks, then skipping a month, etc. Once I leveled out in loss, it was back to its regular schedule. Fat cells hold estrogen and losing weight affects hormone balance!

blash67, great to hear you're recovering well!!
My surgery is Friday the 19th, and I am on my 5th day of the pre-op liquid diet. Today was the best day so far. I think I turned a corner on day 4. I really felt fine today, really not hungry and deprived. I still have 1 shake left for the day too.

Hello everyone! I am so happy to actually be posting a date. I really didn't think it would come soon enough.. Let the countdown begin...

Tomorrow is my day!! Nervous and excited!! Hope my liver shrunk and the surgery goes well!! Ready to get the hard part over with!! Feeling determined!!!!!

& lost about 90 pounds so far..... Feeling better than ever

I find your post VERY encouraging, so thank you for sharing your struggles! As for the last 10-15 pounds of baby weight, I think you are doing a GREAT job being so close to your goal when she is only 4 months old. remember quality sleep is a factor in your ability to lose weight and the chances are you're not sleeping as well as you did before. You're really doing great.

Did you log it in mfp? Hahaha I read the average ejaculation has about 20calories lol.

I'm a Grade 4/5 teacher in BC, Canada. I had my surgery the first week of summer holidays, so I'm enjoying a nice long rest before I go back to work. I have Lupus and my energy has been really low, which, as you know, is really not cool for a teacher to admit. I'm so hoping that weight loss will help with my fatigue.
I'm nervous about my colleagues' reactions to my weight loss--they're an athletic, healthy-living bunch and they often comment on what I eat, etc. They're not unkind, but really food-conscious and watchful. I was the only overweight staff member at our school.
As fate would have it, I have been transferred to a a tiny school a half hour drive from my home and I won't see many of my colleagues for several months now. My only colleague there will be a male friend from university who couldn't care less what size I am. I will enjoy the break from the staff room and all the pizza days, birthday cakes and pot luck luncheons.

I teach kindergarten in an urban school district in PA. I had my surgery on January 8, 2013. Tomorrow is six months and I am down 87 pounds from the beginning of my journey last May. I took two weeks off of work. That was enough IMO! Looking forward to hearing about other's journey here and give advice when I can.

I had a 12 day liquid Pre-op. The first couple days were rough, but I took Tylenol to get through the headaches. Those were due to withdrawal from sugar, caffeine, etc. After the first couple days it wasn't too bad. I lost 10 pounds.
The preop is to shrink your liver so the surgeon has better access during surgery. It's not necessarily to lose weight, but I was glad I did because I gained 10 pounds from the IV fluids during my hospital stay.
I was very grateful to have gone through the sugar and caffeine withdrawals preop because it would have been awful to go through that in addition to the surgery recovery at the same time!

Wow!! I'm so excited.. I didn't think there would be many people who would reply! Wahoo!! So, thank you all!! Feel free to post questions, success stories, gripes or your journey here!! Happy supporting!

I wanted to post an update, even though it’s kind of difficult for me to share pictures this year.
I’m three years out from my surgery. My start weight was 242 (I’m 5’1”) and my goal was 135 pounds. I reached my goal about 17 months post op. I was never really able to stay at 135 very easily but maintained almost effortlessly between 137-141 pounds. I was quite happy there and have no problems with that weight, even if it technically puts me in the “overweight” category. The BMI chart is a creation of evil, anyway.
Two years post op I chose to get pregnant. I gained 35 pounds between hormone injections and pregnancy. I delivered my daughter almost four months ago.
Today I weigh 143 pounds. I’ve been working to shed the baby weight. As before, the last 10-15 pounds just don’t want to come off. I know that my body will change a lot in the coming year as I get back to where I was prior to having my daughter. Right now I’m feeling pretty insecure about my hips/thighs and upper arms. I also don’t like that I feel “lumpy” – my smooth hourglass figure isn’t back yet.
But I can't deny that it felt good to climb into my size 20 jeans today to snap a quick picture. The ruffled top I'm wearing doesn't really help show the difference but I'm pretty sure two of me could fit into those pants. Today I wear a solid six and a small in most tops (sometimes a medium) so I really cannot complain.
I don’t want this to be a post about my diet or lifestyle; I’m here enough that you can easily search out what I have to say about those things.
I do want to stress that my third year was harder than the previous years. For starters, going from maintenance into a gain was HARD, even if I did it to have a healthy child. Shifting into loss again has been a real challenge.
I also find that the farther I get from surgery, the more I see that very little of my unhappiness stemmed from my weight. My weight was a symptom of the damage I had going on inside of me. Sure, I had some genetic causes to help me pack on the pounds. But the majority of it was all in my head. The sleeve was not my magic bullet. It doesn’t just work on it’s own. The only thing it does for me is keep me from burying my sorrows or my stresses in a tub full of ice cream (darn lactose intolerance) or from eating a pan of brownies. I can still eat ice cream (and suffer for it) or eat those brownies one by one.
Working on ME and trying to find ways to not rely on food or alcohol in times of stress has become critical and while it's not a daily struggle, it can still be a challenge at times. I still feel no hunger. But I do get hormonal and have the desire to eat. I do get sad and have the desire to eat. I do sit and mindlessly do what other people are doing if I’m not paying attention.
I say this over and over again and I’m going to repeat myself for the umpteenth time: If you do not work on the issues that made you fat in the first place, you are going to have a very difficult time with maintenance. Maintenance is by far the hardest part of this process and it DOES NOT END. There is no finish line, there is no “GOAL!” there is just the need to stay continually vigilant and to avoid slipping into those ingrained, years-old habits and feelings. This is not about food for most of us. This is certainly not about food for me. This is about me using food to self-medicate, to hide, for pleasure, as a cornerstone of socializing – as everything BUT fuel and sustenance. Removing my stomach only gave me portion control; it did not fix anything that caused the issues in the first place.
I’m heading into my fourth year and I’m pleased to say that I would do my surgery again in a heartbeat. I’m happier than I have ever been in my life, even considering the small personal struggles I've had to face since surgery. This surgery didn't just help me lose weight. It gave me a chance to live a better life. I can beat myself up and be unhappy about little, minor things but at the end of the day, I’m 100 pounds lighter and once upon a time I would have given anything to look the way I do now.
~Cheri

I made a deal with my husband today. I don't want to obsess over the scale post-op, sohe is going to keep it among his junk in the basement andretrieve it one day a week for a weigh in!

I am sleeved. I am on day three post-op. I have had more pain from the hiatal hernia repair than the sleeve. The other day, I told my nurse it felt like I had been punched. That's when she asked the doctor to allow me to have oral pain medication. That helped immensely. I have been sleeping off and on today, mostly because of the pain meds. I am not really in pain now, just sore and moving slowly.

Just weighed myself first time post op and let me tell you did a bit of a happy dance! Down 25 lbs!! From weight before liquid pre op diet till right now!! Was so shocked scale stopped so soon.. Motivation to keep going strong ...

Tomorrow is the day! Have to be at the hospital at 930 am. The biggest challenge tomorrow is not to let my son see me cry when I drop him off at daycare. I've never been away from him for more than a day and I am nervous about anesthesia...

Well I am sitting in my Hospital bed as I type!! I had the sleeve at around 10:30 am today with my Dr here in Mexico and I want to just say how truly great of an experience I have had here...
First the trip acroos the boarder was get and the hospital was maybe 10 mins across.
Very clean, they are renovating but it's still very clean.
The lab work went great, I am a Medical laboratory technician and I started out as a Phlebotomist so I know all about drawing blood the lady here gets a A++++!!!! Didn't even feel the needle go in!!
The nurse, gave me the IV and hit it perfect the first try, every time I've had an IV in the states it's been hell and they took 4-5 times poking me, but not this lady!!
The Dr himself.... Wonderful does not even start to describe him, he is amazing and so is his assistant Dr! Great Great Great!!! Still not enough but it'll have to do.
The procedure, must have went great bc I was up and walking ASAP!! I was ready to walk but they wouldn't let me at first, but buddy it didn't take long and I've been making laps around the halls! Dr said I was doing super well and beyond his expectations!!
The assistant we started out with this morning is totally the best!!!! She will be back in the am and I glad bc she has literally been wonderful!!!!
No pain, no hunger, nothing but energy!!!!! This describes my feelings best! Seriously proud and extremely happy!!! I would do this 1000 times over!!!! And nope, I'm not asking for pain mess!!
Can't wait to get home to see my kiddos and start my new wonderful journey in life!!!!!!!!!!!!!