blondiebabs

As the title says, what do I expect immediately after waking up after surgery? What will I feel in my abdomen? What will it feel like to drink liquids when I wake up? What should I expect? I'm less than a week out now..

Hello everyone. I'm about 1 yr and 5 months post op surgery was August 6 2013 my HW was 350lbs. And I'm currently 165lbs. Still about 20 to 40lbs till my actual goal but this far I'm pretty happy. Well I took my measurements a few months back. I've lost maybe 10 lbs since thing but here's my NSV...
Hips: 38 inches (then)
Hips: 32 inches (now)
Waist: 35 inches (then)
Waist: 29inches(now)
Bust: 36 inches (then)
Bust: 30 inches (now)
Neck: 13 inches (then)
Neck: 12 inches (now)
I've lost 6 inches in hips 6 inches in waist and 6 inches in my bust!! Along with an inch in my neck. :-) now only if I could lose this last 20lbs or so and the excess skin oh how I hate the excess skin!! Anyways this feels great to know 10 lbs and 6 inches from each area that's 19 inches all over lost... :-) hmm anyone else with their NSV... oh also I can wear a size 7 with medium tops :-) from size 24/26 to a 7. And from a 3xl-4xl shirt to mediums! Yay

@@laurenella82 lol!! Yeah, the woman walked into my office this morning and saw me drinking a Protein shake and says "oh new year new diet huh" and I just said "Nope, same thing I've had for Breakfast for two years" and she just said "oh". heh People are gonna be people. =) But thank you, congrats to you too!! We'll be on the other side of it soon.
@@BLERDgirl Thank you!

@@laurenella82 lol!! Yeah, the woman walked into my office this morning and saw me drinking a Protein shake and says "oh new year new diet huh" and I just said "Nope, same thing I've had for Breakfast for two years" and she just said "oh". heh People are gonna be people. =) But thank you, congrats to you too!! We'll be on the other side of it soon.
@@BLERDgirl Thank you!

I started this process in the beginning of June 2014, I had a 6 month pre-op diet.
The only thing that was frustrating for me in the process was actually finding a dr in my area to do the psych eval that took my insurance and didn't charge you an arm and a leg extra for testing. But one interesting thing I found during that process was that psychologists tend to make you take the lengthy testing, and psychiatrists do not (well here anyway). I called the hospital to make sure that was ok and they said no we aren't trying to make you take a test. lol whew! Psychiatrist it was!
The psychiatrist mailed the hospital a letter but I asked him to mail me one too. And when I finished the last weigh-in I had my PCP finish filling in and sign off on my PCP recommendation letter and got a copy of that. I faxed both the PCP and psych eval along with all of my supervised weight loss log sheets to the hospital all together, so that they wouldn't be trying to piece everything together and it could get sent to the insurance company more quickly.
I had been told it could take up to a month for the approval/denial, but one week after faxing everything in my phone rings... I almost didn't want to pick it up, seeing it was the surgeons office thinking such a fast call was a denial. Good news!! A couple of days before Christmas even! She was calling to say they already got the approval and to set my date. She suggested a date earlier in January, but since I have to give my work notice, make plans for my dog, etc I asked for a date in February. So my official DATE is February 9th!! Woot!
How I'm going to handle people has me more anxious than the actual surgery. Like I know one particularly nosey person in my office will not be able to help but be intrusive, and if past history is an indicator, pretty rude about it. I've imagined several different scenarios that may happen after I have the surgery and start losing weight, and how I'm going to handle her, and others, and try to be professional about it. lol
It's been a journey, and a new one is going to start soon. =) I start my preop liver shrink diet on January 26th, that will be interesting.

Lol!!!!

@@laurenella82 Oh you may have wanted to save that "good advice" until AFTER you read what I just put on your "nervous" post lol!!!

Congratulations!!! My date is Feb 10! I have to agree with @@Elode (who gives great advice!) You don't have to explain yourself to anyone!
That rude, nosey lady on your job, I have one at my church and just yesterday she said something about me to someone thinking it wouldn't get back to me...WRONG! Anywho, she will be the one who will try me and when she asks ne what I'm doing (cuz she will) ny reply will simply be "loving myself"....
So Congrats again!! See you on the losers bench soon!!!

Congrats and don't let the office busy body worry you.

Rule number 1 - the scale is not your friend. Stay away! Early in the weight loss journey the body will hold on to every calorie. Do not let that discourage you. Look for non scale victories. Can you move easier? Have you taken your measurements? Are they smaller? How are your eating habits? Have you cut back? Are you eating too much processed food? You can;t exercise away a bad diet.
You make this journey like the rest of us, one day at a time, one meal at a time.
Welcome to the boards.

I started this process in the beginning of June 2014, I had a 6 month pre-op diet.
The only thing that was frustrating for me in the process was actually finding a dr in my area to do the psych eval that took my insurance and didn't charge you an arm and a leg extra for testing. But one interesting thing I found during that process was that psychologists tend to make you take the lengthy testing, and psychiatrists do not (well here anyway). I called the hospital to make sure that was ok and they said no we aren't trying to make you take a test. lol whew! Psychiatrist it was!
The psychiatrist mailed the hospital a letter but I asked him to mail me one too. And when I finished the last weigh-in I had my PCP finish filling in and sign off on my PCP recommendation letter and got a copy of that. I faxed both the PCP and psych eval along with all of my supervised weight loss log sheets to the hospital all together, so that they wouldn't be trying to piece everything together and it could get sent to the insurance company more quickly.
I had been told it could take up to a month for the approval/denial, but one week after faxing everything in my phone rings... I almost didn't want to pick it up, seeing it was the surgeons office thinking such a fast call was a denial. Good news!! A couple of days before Christmas even! She was calling to say they already got the approval and to set my date. She suggested a date earlier in January, but since I have to give my work notice, make plans for my dog, etc I asked for a date in February. So my official DATE is February 9th!! Woot!
How I'm going to handle people has me more anxious than the actual surgery. Like I know one particularly nosey person in my office will not be able to help but be intrusive, and if past history is an indicator, pretty rude about it. I've imagined several different scenarios that may happen after I have the surgery and start losing weight, and how I'm going to handle her, and others, and try to be professional about it. lol
It's been a journey, and a new one is going to start soon. =) I start my preop liver shrink diet on January 26th, that will be interesting.

I found a lot of inspiration and helpful tips on this website. Also there are a TON of vloggers on youtube that document their journeys, the good and the bad. I found those soo helpful. There are a few vloggers that had their surgery years ago and so those are really inspirational to see their journey from the beginning to now. Good luck!! =)

I am going on 5 months out from Surgery and I almost to "Onederland".
Today I am 201lbs from my highest weight of 255lbs, Thats a weight loss of 54lbs since surgery which was on September 8th.
Could not be happier with my life today, I definitely wish I had done this all sooner. But I am so glad I decided to do it now

Thanks ya'll. I'm super excited for what the future holds, and wait to start life after sleeve.

I am going to a holistic center to get these done so they are all natural. Here are the ingredients:
The formula used in the MIC Plus injections specially blends the following important ingredients:
Methionine - The "M" in MIC Plus. This sulfur-containing amino acid helps to break down fat in the liver, lower cholesterol, and could aid in preventing fatigue.
Inositol - The "I" in MIC. Inositol is a B-Vitamin and works to maintain healthy cell structures and nerve impulses. Lecithin is produced when inositol and choline are combined, which serves to protect the cardiovascular system and the liver.
Choline - The "C" in MIC. In addition to helping transport fatty deposits out of the liver, choline can help maintain the nervous system and memory, and is considered an essential nutrient.
Thiamine (B1) - This B Vitamin helps to break down carbohydrates and converts them into energy.Riboflavin (B2) - Riboflavin plays a role in the process of metabolizing fat, Protein, and carbohydrates.
Methylcobalamin (B12) - This form of B12 vitamin is essential for DNA replication, nervous system function, and blood formation.
Ascorbic acid - This sugar acid is commonly known as Vitamin C and has antioxidant properties.
Lidocaine - A frequently used anesthetic, lidocaine also helps prevent abnormal heart rhythms.
L-Carnitine - L-Carnitine is another lipotropic amino acid used in our MIC Plus injections and it helps to transport fatty acids into cells to be metabolized.
There are OTHER shots that 'liquify fat' I've heard can be dangerous because there is no research to show where this fat goes (while still in the body) after its 'liquefied' so I decided to stay away from those. But I was told the MIC Plus shots are the most powerful without chemicals.

@@AlessandraMarie I'm not crazy either, however like @@Inner Surfer Girl said, they can be very helpful. I've found seeing one myself more helpful than I could have ever imagined. When you deal with people bombarding you with negativity and making fun of you and other things you mentioned, it is nice to have a non-judgmental environment and someone who you can use as a bouncing board to talk about those things with and how it makes you feel, as well as your frustrations with trying so hard and not losing weight. I know those frustrations well myself. A psychologist is just talk therapy, they do not try to medicate you and label you.

@@babelfish5 THANK YOU!
@@Elode That is exactly what I plan to do! I can't help but try to think of non-informative snappy quips though. lol
@TEXASLADY52 That is so awesome! I have read so many stories here about people who struggled with the insurance part, so I was determined that I was going to try to not deal with all that. Whew!
THANKS AGAIN!! It's super exciting!

In the UK I don't think you can get gastric surgery without seeing a psychologist at least once, they do it so they can try figure out why you are overweight in the first place and how to stop negative behaviour. Speaking to one doesn't mean your crazy it is literally just a person to air out concerns with and to try and determine why you do the things you don't like, it doesn't mean you are crazy at all.

CONGRATS! Like you I had all of my ducks in a row. My first visit to the surgeon I had all my medical records, my dietician records....etc. They were shocked! Stated they had never had a patient to bring it to them.....they were use to requesting the info. Paperwork was submitted on a Friday afternoon to the insurance company and I was approved the following Tuesday. Everytime before when I had tried to get this surgery...I ran into so many obstacles. This time everything fell into place.....I knew it was my time. I felt so confident and was not worried or scared at all.

@@blondiebabs Girl! Do Not let some offIce chick ruin your excitements! What your going to tell miss joykill is absolutely NOTHING and do you know why?! Because you don't have to! It's as simple as that! Now, you focus on the good and don't give that girl another ponder! Bye-gones!

Congrats!!! Now the fun part starts!!

I have to jump in here.
Seeing a psychologist, psychiatrist, counselor or other mental health professional doesn't mean you are crazy. A recommendation doesn't mean someone thinks you are crazy. It just means that there are trained professionals who can help you navigate many of the issues you have brought up. We all can benefit from outside help at one time or another.

@@AlessandraMarie it sounds like maybe, if you do not already, you should talk to a psychologist, I do not say that viciously, I see one weekly myself.
Everyone here is supportive of your journey.
Perhaps you can start your own thread with your specific issues and needs, state what area you are living in, and others will see your post and be able to give you more feedback specific to you and help you out, everyone who reads the original post of this thread isn't necessarily going to go through and read the entire thread and respond to you. You should give it a try, I know people here have been helpful to me when I've asked questions in my own posts. =)

I started this process in the beginning of June 2014, I had a 6 month pre-op diet.
The only thing that was frustrating for me in the process was actually finding a dr in my area to do the psych eval that took my insurance and didn't charge you an arm and a leg extra for testing. But one interesting thing I found during that process was that psychologists tend to make you take the lengthy testing, and psychiatrists do not (well here anyway). I called the hospital to make sure that was ok and they said no we aren't trying to make you take a test. lol whew! Psychiatrist it was!
The psychiatrist mailed the hospital a letter but I asked him to mail me one too. And when I finished the last weigh-in I had my PCP finish filling in and sign off on my PCP recommendation letter and got a copy of that. I faxed both the PCP and psych eval along with all of my supervised weight loss log sheets to the hospital all together, so that they wouldn't be trying to piece everything together and it could get sent to the insurance company more quickly.
I had been told it could take up to a month for the approval/denial, but one week after faxing everything in my phone rings... I almost didn't want to pick it up, seeing it was the surgeons office thinking such a fast call was a denial. Good news!! A couple of days before Christmas even! She was calling to say they already got the approval and to set my date. She suggested a date earlier in January, but since I have to give my work notice, make plans for my dog, etc I asked for a date in February. So my official DATE is February 9th!! Woot!
How I'm going to handle people has me more anxious than the actual surgery. Like I know one particularly nosey person in my office will not be able to help but be intrusive, and if past history is an indicator, pretty rude about it. I've imagined several different scenarios that may happen after I have the surgery and start losing weight, and how I'm going to handle her, and others, and try to be professional about it. lol
It's been a journey, and a new one is going to start soon. =) I start my preop liver shrink diet on January 26th, that will be interesting.

I'm 20 days from surgery day, and starting to get very nervous. I stumbled on this website looking for tips, and help in what to expect after surgery. Life after surgery is what i'm scared of. Learning how to live again scares me. I've had almost 40 years of not making the right choices, how do i learn to make the right one?
Cheers,
Carrie