fotogrphr

Roanoke here and 6 months post op. Lucktong did my sleeve and I did great. No complications. I lost 35lbs on my own then 10lbs pre op on the liver reducing diet and another 45lbs after for a total of 90lbs. I still have 32lbs to goal. I haven't been able to exercise because of my back (awaiting surgery). Once it's stable I plan to hit the gym. :-)

Roanoke here. I'm 6 months post op and doing good. Weight loss from highest weight is 90 lbs. 35 lbs pre op the rest after. I used Dr Lucktong at Carilion Roanoke Memorial. He was great and I only stayed in one night with no drain. No complications!!

Wondering how everyone from January is doing?? I'm down over 55lbs since surgery and 80 altogether. I still have 35-40 to goal. I can't exercise at all because I have back surgery coming up. My loss has been slow because of this.. but still am happy with my progress. I would have never lost and maybe gained while going through this. Especially while dealing with my mom's death. My sleeve has been great!

Good luck with your appointments and pre-surg diet.

I am sorry to hear about your uncle. I lost my mom in Feb so I know what you mean by rough.

Let me know if you want a referral credit at Bariatric Choice. They have all kinds of Protein and food and Snacks as well as Vitamins. You can use the credit on anything. I can't stand the Calcium horse pills so I get the Cake Bites, but their Protein Bars and snack bars are good too.

I know you are getting excited. It will be here and be over before you know it. I can't believe I am 2 1/2 months out now! I am still dropping but hoped it would be more than it is. I have to look at the big picture though. I am only 50 lbs from the goal now. When I say it that way it sounds better. Lol.

Good luck and keep me posted!

Why on earth would you want dumping at this stage. You are no where near healed and could cause a rupture with the strain of dumping. Even normal elimination is hard on you at this stage. Follow the plan and let your body heal. If you need dumping to control your eating you have bulimic tendencies. Go see the shrink that evaluated you for surgery. There is some work to be done there. Good luck.

I have had some of that and they told me to use cocoa butter and firmly massage the area. It went away after a couple of weeks. Also if it hurts to lay on your side try rolling up a small soft throw blanket and tuck it under you tummy to support it. It is pulling against the scar tissue from surgery. These things have helped me. I hope they help you.

Hey Tara. Just wondering how you are doing? Send me an update!

I am ordering my Calcium from Bariatric Choice. It is a cake like bite that is yummy. I can 'refer a friend' and we can each get a $20 credit. If you are interested send me your last name and email and I will refer you. If you haven't been to their website you should check it out. They have everything. Even snack foods, etc.

Take care. Tina Holtzlander

Yay!!!!! Congrats! It will all start feeling like it is happening really fast, now. I'm so excited for you!

I'm doing well. I had a slight stall in losing, but that is normal. It has broken and I'm dropping again now. I am wearing jeans 3 sizes smaller and they are button/zip kind.. not stretch. I had kept them from years ago. I am glad I did because it has been more rewarding getting those on comfortably than any number that the scale can show.

I am eating pretty much what I want but in small amounts. I love my sleeve!!!! I could not have done this without it. It is tough getting through the healing and adjustment period , but now that I am used to it it is great. I am very happy I did this. Now it's YOUR TURN!! WOOHOO!

It is a rediculous method to cheat in weight loss competitions (biggest loser). The contestant uses sodium overload to make their body retain Water so they weigh in heavy at the start of the contest. Then they stop all sodium to lose it so they have a huge weight loss.

It should never be used by anyone seriously trying to lose weight properly.

Did they not put you on something for that?? My doc put me on nexium in the soluable form. No acid problems at all.

Tara, I'm not telling on fb about this. I have too many colleagues and clients on there to share this. I prefer to just use this forum to discuss weight issues. I have always been VERY private about my weight, so even this site is a stretch for me.

I do wanr to be friends though. So don't think the fb thing means I dont!!

I am Tina Holtzlander in Salem. If you want to talk somtime you can call me. 540-537-0453. Evenings are best for me. :-)

I did go to a group meeting with Missy and Kay. They talked about the stages and what to expect. We could ask questions and then took a multiple choice test to see what they need to talk to us about. No big deal. I did have to go for a 'care' meeting too. They did bloodwork and an RN sat down with me and went over my history, meds, and what to expect on the day of surgery. They tell you everything. When the scheduler called she gave me several dates to choose from. It was 2 weeks and 2 days from when she called... just in time to do the liver shrinking diet. It all went pretty quick.

Im glad you reached Missy. She gets things done!!

Oh.... and my date was already set when I had those 2 tests. They wanted to be sure they didnt need to take out my gallbladder during surgery. The echo was just precaution. It was a treadmill test with ultrasound.

He added those tests because of family history. You might have something unexpected pop up.

I went today and did not see Missy there. There was a new nurse. That must be who you talked for. She was ok.. but not as friendly as Missy. They were happy with my progress. I have been released to try any food I want. If it doesnt sit well just wait a bit before trying it again. In 2 weeks I can take my pills without crushing/opening!! Yay!!!!! I go back in 2 months.

Wow... I hate that you had that experience. Mine have all been so positive. I wonder if they have their own teams. Missy may just be Lucktong's nurse. I'm not sure. I hope things turn around. Maybe she was just having a crappy day and you walked into it. I go in the morning for my follow up exam with Samantha Wilkenson. Hopefully it will go ok. I think I'm doing ok, especially under the circumstances. My mom passed away 2 weeks ago, and it has been hard to do everything just right. Especially when people were bringing food over for the family. I didn't do great through that, but thankfully my sleeve couldn't hold much. It should be ok.

Oh, and the tested my sleeve for leaks during surgery. I know Lucktong does this but the others might be different. He did not leave a drain in or catherize me either.

You will be scheduled for any tests you need. I had an ultrasound and echo stress.

Highest wt 325

Presurg wt 288

Day of Surg wt 283

Current wt 265

It has been one month today.

Congrats!! Yay!! I called Missy as soon as I found out and she got the ball rolling. The scheduler got back with me a couple of days later to set the date. It will go smoothly now.

I will probably go to group on themorning 3rd Monday of March. I have a conflict on the evening time.

They didnt test me for nicotine because I have never smoked and am not around it. Dont know if they test smokers. They did give me a pregnancy test even though I had started. I did not get a letter from insurance. I have an online account and it showed up on there.

The day of surgery they took me to a prep room that was just like a private room. A nurse stayed with me the whole time. She gave me the pregnancy test then I changed into a gown that she hooked up warm air to. She had me get in a hospital bed. I had to put on a surgical cap and someone came to scrub my abdomen (even though they had me shower with scrub the night before AND the morning of surgery). She hooked up my iv and gave me a shot of heprin in the stomach. It wasnt as bad as it sounds. She chatted pleasantly to keep me calm. She let my hubby come in withe then. She asked lots of questions. The doc and anesthesiologist both came in to go over things. I watched tv a few minutes and they came in to get me. I kissed my hubby and they wheeled me away. I got into the OR and the team took over. They all started introducing themselves and telling me their part in the surgery. They asked if I was nervous and I said no. They asked if I was ready and gave me something in my iv. That was it. I woke up to a nurses voice telling me to breathe. I got out the word 'husband'. Next thing I knew he was there. He told them to turn me on my side and they did. Next thing I knew I was in my room. I slept a lot but needed to spray my throat. They ordered chloraseptic for me. It was that night before I got ice chips. I had taken biotene spray for dry mouth do I used that too. They came in during the night to check on me and give me meds. I took earplugs and an eyemask so I could sleep. It was the best thing I packed! The next morning I was given some liqiuids to be sure I could keep them down and allowed to walk the halls. They released me about 10:30 or 11am. That was it!!

I have Anthem insurance. They sent it in on Monday of Christmas week and I got my acceptance that Thursday. That was with Christmas between. My surgery was scheduled for 1/20 as soon as I got my notice. I only had to lose 5 lbs. So I had plenty of time. I did the two week liver reducing diet pre-surgery. I drank 2 shakes and had a lean cuisine for dinner. If I really needed more, I could add a boiled egg, or a tossed salad, or a 100 calorie yogurt. The first four days were the toughest. It got easier after that. If you drink coffee or soda, switch to decaf/caff free asap. You might need to do 1/2 caf first to wean yourself off. Once you are on Decaf, work on giving up soda altogether. You need to give up carbonation pre-surgery. Your sleeve won't tolerate it. I admit to drinking decaf coffee, though. It does fine for me, but everyone is different.

I actually gained 8 lbs. in the hospital. IV fluids and TOM just did a number on me. It came back off in a couple of days, though. I went in at 5:15am on Monday, and was in my bed at home by noon on Tuesday. I did really well so they told me I could leave if I wanted. I did because I just couldn't get comfortable in the hospital bed. I am kinda tall, 5'9", and I felt like I was sliding into the footboard. The worst part of it all for me was the sore throat from being intubated. Take chloraseptic spray to help this. The only other problem was Constipation from the pain meds. Don't wait to take something!! The meds WILL cause this. Even with taking something it took me 1 1/2 weeks to go! It was awful. I had slow kidneys but was ok in a few days. The anesthesia can affect organs like this. It takes a little time for them to wake up. Don't freak out if it's hard to pee. I did a bit, but it got a little easier each time I went. They hadn't catherized me during surgery, so I don't know if it had anything to do with it or not.

If you have more questions, feel free to ask.

I considered using her, too. I ended up with Dr Lucktong because 2 of my doctors recommended him. I had my surgery on 1/20 and I'm doing well. Surgery went great and I was home in my own bed by noon the next day. The surgical team was great and I was well cared for.

Have you been to support group yet?

Sorry about feeding the trolls.. but..

Nancy, throw out the soda. Your drama over drinking soda is way overrated and if you can't handle giving up soda, you seriously need to seek out the help of a counselor before, during, and after VSG surgery.

I drank soda every day, and had a serious carb and sugar habit too. In order to use the tool of surgery correctly, I had to follow my surgeon's orders, and cut out all the crap. Almost every single one of us who has been through the surgery has had to go through some kind of withdrawal from a food or drink. We didn't end up here because of healthy habits.

We've all seen and heard of the person who messes up a bit during pre-op, and that's "normal" as they confess, learn, and move forward. You seem to be confessing, but then going right back to the bad habit. I hate even replying as it's giving your soda habit more attention than it deserves. Get help from a professional.

Although this advice is good, the delivery is terrible. We are not here to judge or be rude to each other, but to show love and support. If you don't like the "drama" stop reading and move on to the next post. You don't have to reply. Certainly NEVER call someone names. This is very inappropriate.

I did this. Went up 3 times. It totally freaked me out. I left the scales alone a few days and came back to weigh in at a loss. I think it's the digestive system readjusting. My bathroom habits changed and my body is adjusting... not to mention hormones! Give it some time. It is normal.

Thanks to all. Your words are a comfort. I am trying to take care, but it has been difficult. I stayed nauseated and only got something down AFTER the funeral. I guess it was a relief that the formalities were over. It will get better now. I finally slept some too. Maybe the racoon eyes will go away too.

I really appreciate the support!!

Thank you everyone. It has been the toughest few days of my life. Mom & I had a special bond. The family teased and said we never cut the umbilical cord. She was so very ill, but held on to be sure I was recovering well. She waited for me to tell her it was ok to go. I will love her forever.