dreamscometrue

Well, since it's the day after Christmas, and I was surrounded by delicious food yesterday (to which I did not have a single bite of...), it got me thinking... What if I would have had a bite of shrimp or salad or rice, etc...what would have happened? I've heard several people on here say never to try a new food away from home for fear of dry heaving, throwing up, diarrhea. I'm curious and want to hear everybody's "cocky" moment where they thought just a bite of something would be fine and... It wasn't fine. I haven't had any issues or felt sick with any foods so far, which makes me think I've just gotten lucky. Sooo... What was the food, how far post-op were you, were you with a group of people, etc... that made you wish you wouldn't have eaten?!

Nothing new today, but I just wanted to get on here to wish everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!! Tomorrow, we will head back to our home town in the morning and we are going to have our first Christmas shrimp boil. I'm also making an avocado/bean/corn type of a salad. This is all giving me a bit of anxiety seeing that I'm only a week post-op and this will be the first time I've seen any of my family since surgery (other than my mom who knows). I won't be drinking, which I'm sure will trigger the "are you pregnant" card. Annnnddd I have no clue what I'm going to eat, which I'm curious if anyone will question me. Luckily, I'm good at BS-ing and I think very well on my feet. It will be fine, they've all seen my crazy fad diets over the years and I've been planting the seed for about a month now that I've been eating healthy and exercising. Anyway, wish me luck tomorrow! You guys all stay strong on the food front, also! I'm sure there will be a lot of sugar Cookies, fudge, pies, etc.. that will be causing more people than just I a bit of anxiety. Just remember why we chose to have this surgery!

Well, today has been another great day! No pain meds at all. I worked for the first half of the day and then my husband and I ran a bunch of errands and I got a lot of walking in. I've been thinking of random things that have crossed my mind today that others might find helpful. I went back to the Vitamin Shoppe today because I needed more Protein Powder (ran out of my old kind from months ago) and I decided on the Isopure Dutch chocolate. I highly recommend it and the LOW carbs/HIGH Protein is perfect. Also, if anyone is looking for a shaker, check out the Smart Shaker (I think that's what it is called). It's awesome because two separate parts unscrew from the bottom so you could store Vitamins in one layer and more protein powder in the other. Also, I'm sure that most do this, but if you are prepping for what to buy, the 4 oz. Rubbermaid containers are awesome. I have a week's worth of those filled to the 2 oz. line with French onion Soup broth, Jello, pudding, and refried Beans. Ahhh, refried beans have now been 3 lunches of mine and there are two more baby cups in the fridge. I still cannot even get over that I will have gotten 5 full lunches out of ONE CAN of fat free refried beans. Unbelievably awesome! Oh, and I weighed today... Down 19lbs total. Loving my sleeve! I know there are a lot of negative posts and some people even regret it, but I seriously feel like myself again, am full from small amounts of food, exercising daily, and am losing weight... Seems like a pretty good deal to me. Hope everyone is having a good day with their sleeve!

I am one week post op, and unlike most people that are posting..I AM hungry. Any good ideas for creamy Soups that are low calorie??

I'm one week post-op too and I've noticed two out of those days, I've been hungry still. Not head hunger, stomach growling serious hunger. I made up a huge batch of French onion Soup and then strained out the broth into 2oz. cups and have been eating on those, Jello, pudding, and refried Beans (Yummo!) Oh, and I bought the that ProtiDiet oatmeal and chicken noodle soup that has a TON of Protein. The hunger was much less on the day I had that oatmeal for Breakfast. I noticed one guy said he had been doing Tomato Soup but my surgeon and NUT said no Tomato soup due to the high acid. They said it was too much acid too soon on the new pouch. Everybody is different though. I'm down 12 pounds since the morning of surgery (19 lbs total including the 8 pounds I lost beforehand.)

I seam to have been over looked....sniff sniff

What do you mean you were overlooked??

Oh, this is so exciting!!! I'M IN TOO!! I just put a calendar reminder in my phone for Friday the 3rd. We are all going to look hot by Valentine's Day! (Or well on our way at least...)!

Mine is in two weeks too I can't wait we will survive and live to tell our success story xoxo

Yes!!! And I will follow your journey if you choose to journal as well! Can't wait for your surgeries to be here... That feeling of anxiousness will soon be over.

This is so encouraging. My surgery is in two weeks. I'm scared sh*tless. I'm afraid I'm gonna die.

Don't worry! You will not die!!! Seriously, not sure if you read the recent article that was just posted on here yesterday??? The death rate for WLS surgery has gone from .8% all the way down now to .03%. It has safer fatality rates than plain old gall bladder surgeries! I believe the clinical studies had over 160,000 patients in there. Long story short, you will not die. You will be over with the surgery so fast you won't even think they actually performed it! Ha! And I highly recommend journaling each day, whether it's on here or not! Again, I took the advice of @luminouslife and it has been very therapeutic to sit down at my computer and reflect on the minor "Wins" I have each day (like drinking Water normally!).

Thank you Dreamscome true...congratulations your story is truly inspiring!! I love that you can drink...I'm a big Water drinker too...so you give me hope lol! Continued success on your journey!!

Oh my gosh, thank you so much for the kind words! Yes, I am so excited about the water situation. When is your surgery date?!

I've seen quite a few people around these parts talking about people they know who have lost weight "on their own" while they personally had WLS and I must say, this mindset makes me a bit pissy. Before having VSG, I tried every freaking diet out there. I exercised like a maniac. I tried drugs I knew were potentially harmful to my long term health. I resigned myself to being fat every single time I failed before slapping myself around and trying something new or trying something old again and again. I saw nutritionists, I saw gastro specialists. I considered a hypnotist, but I waved that off as hogwash. (No offense to anyone who tried it, just not my cup of tea.) I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost weight, I gained weight, I lost, I gained, I yo-yo'd myself right into a flucked up metabolism and mass frustration for myself and my family. I finally decided that I had no other options and settled on the Vertical Sleeve after researching my WLS options for almost a year. I went through 4 months with one surgeon before realizing there was no way in H E double hockey sticks could I let him cut me open before starting the process over with another surgeon that I felt comfortable with. I did all the pre-op work with a nutritionist (whack job!!) figuring that if I could concentrate on losing for those 6 months, maybe I wouldn't need surgery after all. I saw the counselor (WHACK JOB!!!) and never got to the root of my troubles other than the fact that I am a greedy piglet. (She swears I am repressing sexual abuse in a past life -- no REALLY, a PAST life, not just in my past. Uhmmm...) I did my pre-op diet for a month instead of the required two weeks because I wanted to. I exercised my fanny off (literally) over the last 7 months. I weigh, measure and log my food. I read labels. I make good choices putting my Protein needs first. I make sure to get in my 10k steps every single day even if that means running in place for an hour at 10pm when I know I have to be up, bright eyed and bushy tailed in 7 hours. I look for recipes that are healthier for my family that I can eat as well but I often cook two meals so they can eat what they like and I can eat what I need to eat. I put the fork down before I want to so that I don't spend the next 30 minutes bent over the toilet even when it took me an hour to prepare a meal and I've only had two or three bites because ,my tiny tummy isn't tolerating more than an ounce instead of it's usual 3 or 4. I read menus days in advance if I know I am going out so that I can order seamlessly with everyone else. I attend parties and conferences and work functions and eat mindfully so I can enjoy the event without calling attention to myself. I suffer through stalls in my head so that my family doesn't have to hear my incessant whining because I know they've suffered enough of my nonsense over the years. I appreciate everything my changing body has allowed me to do over the years despite the abuse I put it through and I appreciate how much it's thanking me as I am relieving it of all the excess weight. I went to kickboxing even when I don't feel like it and now I teach it so I don't have a choice but to go. I joined a high dollar gym and hired a high dollar trainer, not because I am a high dollar girl but because I am now forced to go. I look at my saggy skin and my floppy boobs and my melty thighs and my squishy bum and my hangy arms and while I regret that I didn't do this 5, 10, 15 years ago, I smile that I did do it seven months ago. I am losing this weight ON MY OWN. If you honestly think I'm not, please tell me who is doing it for me. They owe me a whole bunch of money, time and heartache for all the things I've put myself through over the last year+ and I owe them a HUGE amount of thanks for getting me where I am today.

I can relate SO MUCH to everything you have written! THANK YOU for literally taking the words right out of my mouth. Although you are much further along post op, the years of dieting/frustration/anxiety/yo-yo dieting for 3 months only to gain it all back (plus some)... I've never read anyone on here address the issue of the bitching and complaining our friends and family has had to hear over the years of us talking about our weight, but that is one reason I chose not to tell people. For once, I want to live my life and have the things I do and say not have to revolve around my weight! I'm sick of talking about it to people and I'm SURE they are sick of me saying for the thousandth time, "I'm going to lose this weight and keep it off this time!" Instead of talking the talk, it's time for me to walk the walk!

Today is Day 6 Post Op, and it has been my first day without any pain meds! I only used half of one of my hydrocodon pills yesterday, but honestly could have gotten by just fine. As many others have stated, the only pain at this point is on that one larger incision where they had to suture to my muscle (lower right part of the abdomen). Not that I'm worried about the exact amount of weight coming off right now, but for those who are curious, I weighed this morning and am down 14.6 pounds. Of that, 6-7lbs since surgery. I feel like that's pretty good though since I was up 5 lbs. from all the fluids at the hospital on day 2. Anyway, I have been getting all of my Water in for the past two days and I just made myself my first Protein shake since surgery (I used to drink them all the time). Yesterday, I noticed that I was still kinda hungry after lunch and at bedtime, but today I've been really full. I think yesterday, I just walked for so many hours that I had burned significantly more than what I had taken it, therefore it made me HUNGRY! Also, i'm sure once I become more "regular" (ahem..), things will continue to progress nicely. As a person who is very organized in their career, home, calendar,social life, etc… I find this time fun challenge making an exact schedule of when I should take each Vitamin at what time and with/without food, etc… Each day, I've tweaked details and am really getting this down! I bought a month's worth of the Celebrate Multi-Vitamin capsule with Iron and I seriously cannot stand them. I tried pouring my 1st one this morning into applesauce hoping to tolerate it better and had to throw it out because of the taste. I have come to realize that I MUST take my multi-vitamin halfway between each meal so that I can keep it down. Okay, for all you people out there that loved Water before surgery and are sad thinking about baby sips… today I noticed that I can drink water just like I used to. I don't get any pain or gas from it! Maybe I'm odd, but I am taking substantial drinks and getting through multiple bottles of water. That was a big concern to me pre-op, because I used to seriously drink over 200 ounces of water a day (seriously. I've measured.) and going to a life of "sipping" didn't sound too fun. Just a random thought- I've become obsessed with my little abdomen brace they sent me home with… It's kind of like my security blanket (and a surgical edition of spanx!) Well, I can't think of anything else too exciting today, just much more low key than yesterday. Oh, and I've decided I'm going to work tomorrow! I technically don't have to be back at work until the 2nd, (my company closes the last week of the year YAY!) but I feel good, so I may as well save a PTO day and roll it over into 2014! I'll be back tomorrow Not sure if anyone really reads this or not, but if you do, I hope you are all doing well in your recovery and enjoying the Loser's bench! For those who haven't had surgery yet, your date is just around the corner and I hope this gives you a good look into what your immediate days will be like after surgery!

My surgery for gastric sleeve bypass is still 3 months away. My question is: how long before I can go back to work? I work in a dental office.

Hi there. I just had surgery on Tuesday (6 days post op if you count Tuesday as day 1) and I would feel completely fine working by Monday. I started a thread on this about two weeks ago because I kept noticing that people were taking 2-4 WEEKS off of work after surgery and I didn't have that kind of time. I'm in outside sales and drive a lot, and the only thing I can now say is that getting out of the car is a little uncomfortable, but not undo-able. I walked ALL DAY shopping yesterday with my mom and I felt FANTASTIC! Didn't get tired, hadn't even started Protein Shakes yet. Obviously, each person is different, but assuming no complications, I think 7 days is more than enough. Just my opinion!

Well, just like every other sleeved patient has said... Every day gets WAY better! Today is day 5 post op and I cannot get over how great I feel. I spent the ENTIRE day Christmas shopping with my mom, walked a TON, had multiple bottles of Water, and didn't feel tired at all. If somebody would have told me 2 days ago that I would spend 8 hours at a mall shopping in just a few days, I would have told them they were CRAZY! I also had my first restaurant experience today, which I was very nervous about! I ordered a bowl of Soup and asked for a to-go container and poured the majority of that to take home and I ate my bites while my mom had a large salad, cookie, and a large diet coke. It didn't even bother me! I noticed that the food court at the mall smelled DELICIOUS. One thing I am noticing is that at lunch, I limited myself to roughly 2 oz. but I didn't feel super full. Anyone else noticed it? If so, any strategy that may help? I read on here that people feel stuffed after only a few bites and I didn't get that feeling today. It could have been because we walked a ton. Anyway, just wanted to be consistent and journal today! Any comments/suggestions/questions are welcomed!!

One year ago I gave myself the best Christmas present ever. I was sleeved on 12/24/12, and even though I spent xmas eve, and xmas day in the hospital, it was SO WORTH IT. I had my one year checkup with my surgeon yesterday. When I signed up for the program, I was 288 lbs. I was 277 day of surgery, and I was 149 in the office yesterday, clothes on THAT MAKES 139LBS lost!!!! I lost almost 50% of my body weight. HOLY **** that sounds crazy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I lost 100% of my excess weight. Haven't taken a Vitamin since surgery, all my levels were great! (Do not do this, take your Vitamins, I suck for not) The only thing I was moderately low on was Vitamins D and B12. He scolded me for not taking them, but was very pleased to see how balanced I was just from diet alone. My surgeon referred to me as petite, and they asked me to come speak at the seminars for people who are thinking about surgery. I'm sorry if this all sounds quite braggy, but honestly I don't care!!! This has been LIFE CHANGING and I (and all of you) deserve to celebrate!!!! My surgeon gave me such a big hug when I left that my feet actually left the ground a little lol!! Merry Christmas to you all, thanks for all of the support and wisdom provided over the past year

Wow!!! Congratulations on your achievement! You look beautiful! I was just sleeved 4 days ago and we seem to be about the same age and I was at your surgery day weight on the day of my surgery. My question is that I'm wondering how your skin elasticity was throughout the past year? Any excess skin in the stomach/arms? I know that everyone is different, however I do think that age and lifting weights definitely helps! Any advice or suggestions are welcomed!

Okay, I need some advice!! It's day 4 now post op and I still have not gone #2. Anyone have this issue too? I have been getting my 64oz of Water in (and boy is it time consuming!), and peeing just fine... however I'm assuming since I've been living on Jello, broth, pudding, and crystal light, that may be the issue with #2? I don't feel constipated, but need to know at what point is this concerning?

Congtats! Welcome to the sleeved side! I knew you'd do great! I hope that nausea subsides for you.

Today is day 3 post op and I have been in a lot of pain today and through the night. The pain medicine in the hospital made me feel like I was Superman... I got a reality check when we left last night! I still am not hungry at all and have been forcing myself to eat 2 oz of Jello for my meals. In theory, I should be starting up my Protein Shakes on day 5 and I can't even imagine being able to get all that Protein down! I have noticed that as the day has gone on, Water has become a bit easier to take down. The best way I can describe the feeling of water going down is pretty much equivalent to having pop rocks in my throat. Ha! Not sure if anyone else feels like that??? Oh and ps- getting Vitamins to go down has been less than appealing. ugh!

Well... On day 2 post op and I was released home tonight. I'm not going to lie...today was a little bit more painful than yesterday. I was able to walk 2 miles around the bariatric floor mostly today. I feel so exhausted! I haven't slept for more than 2 hrs at a time in days due to everyone coming in and checking vitals, spirometer checks, etc... I was able to be on full liquids for all three meals today in the hospital, but I wasn't even hungry. That part is still surreal to me! Looking forward to sleep tonight! Fingers crossed! I hope everyone else who was sleeved this week is doing well!

Ok, all set with insurance. I decided to stay with Horizon for 3 more months. I switched to a new 2014 plan that cost more but it would approve me for the surgery (no exclusion of pre-existing conditions). I didn't want to switch companies altogether and risk possibly not being approved. I will apply for a healthcare subsidy before the 3/31/14 deadline and hopefully get my premium reduced. In the meantime, as of 1/4/14 I'll be all done with my pre-op appointments. Money will be tight but it's all so worth it:)

Ahh... Just now saw your response! That is GREAT NEWS that you can keep your insurance for the next three months. You are right, it will totally be worth it! I know that even if I was ready to go with surgery, and then I couldn't get a date until after January 1st, I would have had to start from scratch with all new requirements of the new insurance. I definitely think you made the right decision!

I'm gal you are having such a easy go. I was sleeved Friday morning gas was so bad didn't sleep at all Friday night. Discharged Sat afternoon, fighting to keep nausea at bay. I normally bounce back fast after surgeries for this one though seems not so much. I hope you do well after discharge and have no issues.

Oh no!! Yeah, I'm nervous that I won't be so lucky with the nausea and pain once I head home. This is my first surgery ever so I honestly have no clue what to expect! I pray that your nausea subsides soon so that you can relax a bit!!!

Good evening, all! I thought I would take the advice of @@LuminousLife and journal my story for therapeutic reasons. I have chosen to only tell my husband, mom, and 2 best friends (from different states) and I figured since I've been getting support for months here from all of you, I could maybe assist others!

I will first give a little bit of my background. I am 27 years old, married with no children (yet)! I am not on any medications, blood pressure and cholesterol, etc are all great... I just need to lose weight! (About 125 lbs to be exact.) I officially started this journey back in August, however had been researching my options for about a year before that.

I was sleeved this morning at 9am and my surgeon said everything went perfectly! Honestly, I had been expecting the worst... Gas pains, stomach soreness, not being able to pee, etc... I have had NONE of that. Knock on wood, other than a dry mouth, I feel so blessed to have today go as well as it did. I got to my room at about 11am (I believe) and I felt sick to my stomach for about an hour and kept falling asleep. At about 2pm, I noticed I already felt way better. I've been taking advantage of sleeping when I want (I literally did not sleep all last night bc I got sick from this stupid tofu Soup I ate for lunch. Gross.) I've been using my spirometer when I can and been taking laps around the Bariatric unit every two hours, each time feeling better and better! Any questions/comments are greatly welcomed!

Good evening, all! Well... My sleeve surgery is tomorrow morning and I am not feeling great. My broth I ate for lunch today did not sit well with my stomach tonight... And I've gotten sick twice now and didn't eat dinner because of feeling so sick. Not good for the night before surgery, I'm sure. Anyway, many prayers are needed for me tomorrow!! Good luck to all of those fellow 17th sleevers! I'll post on here when I can!

Oh, and I meant to tell you that with UHC, there were no hoops to jump through. No 6-month supervised diet, no 3 years of records from primary care physician, etc... That would obviously vary depending on which plan you choose, but if it were me, I would opt for the most coverage as possible to get the best coverage for your surgery. You don't want to end up with a $15,000 bill because you opted for a cheaper monthly bill. You could always drop down to a lower plan in another year!

Hi there! So, I'm not sure if this will help you or not.... But I'm kind of in the opposite position you are in... I currently have UnitedHealthCare and they have been AMAZING! I have it through my company, and they approved the sleeve within 2 days of it being submitted and covered 100% cost for the surgery. As of January 1st, I will be switching to Horizon of NJ and they seem to be very specific and more challenging on coverage for this surgery... Basically, more hoops to jump through. If you have a choice of what insurance to look into, I would highly suggest taking a look at UHC. Any insurance will be very up front with you about what they will/will not cover before you sign up with them. Good luck to you! Insurance can definitely be frustrating... That's for sure!

Ahhhh.... Dealing with the same issue right now! I have not been sick in YEARS ... Until now. Coughing like crazy, pretty much no voice (it's the worst in the morning) ANNNDD surgery is first thing Tuesday morning. I've been rocking Mucinex, bought a vaporizer, cough drops, and have been getting plenty of fluids and sleep. Pray for me people! New insurance won't cover surgery as of January 1st so there's no time to push this back! What are the odds? Seriously!!

@Mcbutterpants- THANK YOU for sharing your story!!! Okay, I feel much better knowing that not everybody took such long periods of time off of work! Worst case scenario, I'll just work a half day that Monday, then I would have another full week off to give me a solid two weeks before I start back up to full days out in the field. The good thing is that since I'm by myself in the car, I can take breaks, cat nap, etc... if it gets to be too exhausting!