Cococat

I am 68 and was sleeved on Sept. 9, 2014. I have lost 60 lbs. so far. I am in a stall at present, but am hopeful that things will work out. I feel tired sometimes, but all in all, my knees feel a LOT better and I am hopeful for the future. Hypertension is a lot lower, too. sleep apnea is being taken care of by my CPAP machine. I am still glad I got the sleeve and would do it all over again in a heartbeat. I have been overweight for a long time and am so grateful that we have the sleeve as a helpful aid to improving our health. Good luck everybody and hang in there!

You may find that an egg based Protein supplement will suffice for you. Check out Whole Foods or a health food store. I bought "Jay Robb Egg White Protein" in chocolate, which I add to my milk based chocolate shakes to boost them a bit. But I think they have it in non-flavored which can be added to clear Soups and such. One little packet has 24 g of egg Protein. I looked on one of my packets just now and it lists a website: Jayrobb.com.

Why does your story sound just like a story? You have to do more research on your supposed condition. You can't be "desleeved." You must have been a brontosaurus to start with. Your entire story sounds wrong. No bucks for F#(*$. Find other victims somewhere else.

I had suspected that I had had sleep apnea for some time before I decided to get the sleeve. When I did decide to go for the sleeve, I took the sleep apnea test and found out I had it big time. Having sleep apnea was one of my qualifiers for getting the sleeve covered. I have had my CPAP machine since July and sleep a lot better. My dreams have returned after not having them for a long while. Finally, I was getting my REM sleep, where dreams originate. Five months after surgery and 60 lbs. later, and still using my CPAP machine, I feel better and rested after waking in the morning. I tell people to Google "Sleep Apnea" and find out the symptoms. If it seems as if you have some symptoms, go for the test(s). The test(s) is (are) annoying, but worth it. CPAP doctor said that breathing in more air will bring oxygen to my tissues and promote better metabolism. I hope he is right. No problem so far.

Jenbaby75:

I think many men have a mild to severe form of Aspergers Syndrome. I am not kidding. Read the symptoms online. They can be great and intelligent people but have problems forming and keeping emotional relationships. They can't "read" people.

I am the queen of a very small country. It is as large as the plot of land my house sits on. I suggest that you proclaim yourself queen of your country. Give it a name. Grand ---- Whatever. Then your husband can be king of that country. It is fun being queen and king and birthdays are a cause for national celebration. My king does not need prompting to remember a national holiday, but if he did I would remind him that one (my birthday) was coming up and that he should not disappoint the people who like to have festivals. It brings the little people such joy.

My husband and I have a teriffic fantasy going ... as if you needed to have that clarified. We enjoy all the trappings of royalty since our country is surrounded by the greatest nation ever. Anyway, it is so nice not to be hounded by the paparazzi like other royalty. People leave us alone. The pesants never pester us for autographs or favors. We walk among them incognito! If you make a fun joke of a national holiday coming up, it is not like you are nagging.

I especially like those diamond commercials on TV, where they zoom in on a diamond ring so close that it looks like a crown. I always tell my husband that I want a "shiny hat" just like Queen Liz (who, incidentally serves the crummiest cucumber sandwiches at her parties) with diamonds just like on the TV - the SAME size! "THAT'S the size I want!"

And then, there is the fantasy about the Naughty Fairy...

I had the same problem. I think the bra band cuts across the liver. I am not sure, but I think that is what I was, and am still to some extent, feeling. I used to feel more pressure and that "too tight" feeling immediately after surgery, but things are slowly getting better four months out. I only wear a bra when going out, not when at home. You are not alone.

I don't know if the Protein drinks count toward your liquids total. Let's presume they don't. I also have a hard time drinking both the Protein Drinks and all of the Water I should, so I know what you are going through. But that Water is so important. Make a great effort. It really helps on the cellular level to move fat and wastes out of cells and out of the body. We do not want gall stones or kidney stones. Keep up with the Vitamins and minerals too. You are in charge.

Dehydration can make you feel weak and give you a back ache as well. Backache is your kidneys way of telling you you need more Water. Drink the amount of Water you are supposed to drink. Take your Vitamins too.

Totally agree. Best idea. You will like Dr. Bass, his assistants and staff. For once, it is all about YOU! You will be the star of your own weightloss program. Do it for yourself and your health first. Get ready to feel beautiful! Good luck!

I would do the sleeve again, without reservation.

Surprises: No gas. Little pain. No vomiting. No "foamies." Adjustment was easier than I thought it would be, but I have a supportive husband and few negative people around me. Follow your doctor's advice to the letter.

Biggest surprise: Post-op, being disgusted when seeing those food commercials on TV! I used to crave those grease-dripping burgers and fries, noodles and doodles, but I was surprised that I now see them entirely differently. Those images are attempts to hypnotize us into thinking eating that way is normal. It isn't. Half of the advertisements try to make us eat and half of them tell us how to lose weight! It's a friggin' racket!

Everything is easier. Walking. Getting up from a seated position.

I didn't find any suggestions. According to what I read antibiotics kill all bacteria including the good bacteria in your digestive system. The article was about how the future may hold a probiotic that targets weight loss. The article referenced how they feed animals antibiotics to help them build fat. The bottom line or better yet, my conclusion from what I read is that antibiotics throw things off. My plan is to take a probiotic asap, drink more Water and stick with it.

I read the same article - in The Wall Street Journal, I think. Very informative. Apparently, skinny people have different gut bacteria than fat people. Our antibiotic use (in the raising of animals for food and in combating human infections) has limited the number and kind of intestinal bacteria we now have. The article also said that the people with the most varities of intestinal bacteria were found deep in the Brazilian jungles. The "benefits" of civilization - antibiotics among them - have not reached them yet. It is good to see that scientists are investigating the things that make us fat, besides our overeating. Also: I was not given any antibiotics after my operation. That surprised me a bit, but it testifies to the clenliness of the surgeon, the procedure and the hospital.

Cry? Not at all. I did my crying way beforehand. You probably have a temporary hormone thingy as hormones are released from your fat cells. Mention it to your doctor. Everyone is different.

You have a very strange doctor. His evaluation and advice goes counter to everything I have read and/or heard. I like the advice someone else said - you know your body better than anyone - or words to that effect. He may be a fabulous surgeon and lose focus afterward. No idea. Good luck.

She looked for the med, or so she said, so she did not remove it and discard it for my own good, as you suggested. She went to great lengths, or so she said, to find the misssing med. You were not there, so you do not know. You choose now to defend another person with whom you share merely an occupation, and on that basis only. Bless your heart for being so loyal to a colleague you have never met, no knothing about and would rather give the benefit of the doubt rather than me, the person who experienced it all. The hospital contacted me several days later to ask about my experiences there and I related both positive and negative incidents (in a message that was also recorded), so it did go to the supervisor. Aside from that incident, every other aspect of the hospital stay was good. As far as paper and pen are concerned, I did not take any as I was advised to do by a friend. But I can see the merit of it now. I sense you take my observations personally. I can't help that. I can only relate that the angel complex that some people have (and want to maintain) apparently can feel threatened by an experience which challenges it. Get over it. Everyone is human and subject to human failings. I suggest you open up another thread and rhapsodize about your profession. I am sure neither you nor any of your colleagues ever gossip, complain, goof off, make mistakes, or even tread less than two inches off the ground. I am sure they all eat healthy food, and are slim because they know so much about human nutrition and health. Wait ... maybe not. Oh, and yes, have a lovely holiday.

"Latisse" is the cosmetic name for "Latanoprost" which is used not for a cosmetic enhancement but for glaucoma. Latanoprost has the side effect of making lashes longer. I take Latanoprost for glaucoma. I was issued a new bottle at the hospital, so I did not take it with me to the hospital. The nurse tried to put the drops into my eyes but could not do it, so I took the bottle from her and did it myself. She had a noticable reaction when I touched my eye with the dispenser - an unusual, "Oh, nuts" reaction, which in retrospect is understandable if she had wanted to keep it sterile for someone else's use. If the med was only for my use, and only for my hospital stay (2 days) there should not be a reaction no matter how I used it, or how much I used, as long as I got it in my eyes.

As far as lashes falling out if Latanoprost is not used continuously: maybe that was the reason she (or someone she knew) needed it! She needed a new supply? Hmmmm? When it went missing, her previous reaction became understandable. She apparently had plans for that med. As I was issued the Latanoprost by the hospital and had paid for it, it was mine. I did include that episode in a report made in a routine hospital questionaire. I found the episode to be an all too human, but significant breach. Do I condemn all nurses because of it? No. Do I totally trust all nurses - I trust all nurses and hospital employees to be human - with all the virtues and vices common to that station.

One writer here said that if one writes everything down that it would have the effect of making nurses attend to the patient even less. How can that be if all nurses are perfect? Wouldn't they remain total professionals no matter what? A pad of paper should not discourage anyone of clear conscience from doing the work expected of them. Even ostensibly sweet people make mistakes. I do not like subterfuge.

Hospitals do have a significant missing medications problem. They know it. You know it. I know it.

RNs: Too bad you do not like my advice. I was not giving it to you. I have quite a few RNs and medical people in my own family and know they are human and as such, can be very kookie humans, too. Get off the "angel" kick. You might try to help people ... or not. How would anyone really know? I am too grown up to trust anyone completely. When I do, I get my medications stolen. That annoys me. Everyone ought to have a little fear of God (or their supervisor) in them, because when they don't they cop your meds.

Bring a pad and pencil and/or pen. Write down every experience, every poop, every meal and drug, and the names of everyone who attended you. Tell them you are a writer and are going to write an article for your small community newsletter. This puts the fear of God into nurses. You will be treated very well.

Someone told me to do this, but of course, I did not listen. The nurses "misplaced" (ran off with) my eyedrops (the same prescription which makes for LONG eyelashes, so I know it was not an innocent mistake). Besides, if all goes perfectly, you might want to write a thank you letter and commend them. If they ask to read the final newsletter, say, "Sure," and then forget.

Are you with Dr. Bass? He is my surgeon. If so, do exactly as he and his staff say. Check on his website for group meetings. All of us are each other's mentors and buddies. We had a meeting at Physician's Reg. on this past Tuesday. Have you met Sharon? She is the nurse/group leader.

I have had problems with Constipation. I can tell you what I have done, but you have to ask Sharon and Dr. Bass' nutritionist, Marcy. They told me, Miralax, Miralax, Miralax. But everyone is different, so you have to ask them yourself. AND what you will need for constipation early after your operation might be different than what you might need later after a few months. I am 4 months out (after a sleeve) and I can eat prunes and prune juice - although it is very sweet! Not everyone can or should take prunes, but that is what works for me.

For me, painkillers slow down my digestive system. While I needed painkillers after surgery, they had the side effect of making me constipated. Might you have a similar problem? Ask Dr. Bass about how to handle that. If you are easily constipated, forget bread, crackers and wheat products, almost forever. I know they halt my digestive processes.

Remember: you seem to be getting the Lap Band, and my choice was the sleeve. So, things might be different on that point, too. I wanted a Lap-band at first, and for a long time, until I found out that many times people have to get them removed and that they can cause scarring or band slippage. I eventually went with the sleeve. Read other people's experiences here on BariatricPal - I think it's under the topic, "Band To Sleeve" where people eventually switch from Lap Band to the sleeve.

At first I did not like the idea of part of my stomach being cut away, but I was told that that part contains the cells which secrete a hormone that makes you hungry. I wanted to be rid of my crazy hunger pangs. I ASSUME that Lap-Band patients still feel hungry but just can't eat food because of the band's restrictive elements.

Dr. Bass checks his patients post op TWICE before he discharges them. Once, he checks them for leakage while they are on the operating table, and then once again, a day later. He knows what he is doing.

I have lost about 50 pounds so far. My knees love it! It is easier for me to move! Any other questions?

(right) I don't mention those balls anywhere around my husband. Just not interested in experimenting with that sort of thing at this point in my life. (blushing)

With all due respect, if one employs those balls, watch out when you sneeze! Bang - zoom!

Poor baby. You sound as if you are a victim - but of whom? You have control of the situation. Can you substitute a Protein drink for your sweet tea and whatever? Get a gallon of Diet Green Tea and try that. You are not allowed to wallow. You are a powerful, spiritual being, temporarily encumbered by FAT. You can release yourself from this jail IF you want to. Make an effort. Don't get depressed, get ANGRY! Screw all the people who try to make you feel bad by choosing to get even by getting strong and directed at a goal. Stay on track. Keep your eyes on the prize as they say. Become the strong spiritual, focused being you truly are.

U are absolutely right! People are really mean and I'm so sorry that happened to you! I always feel like when I go for a second plate at a buffet people are smirking or thinking she really doesn't need that!! No one does understand that most people are obese because of health issue, or just plan of generics! It's really pathetic how people can judge when they don't even know you!! Good luck with your journey!!!

If those mean S.O.Bs. motivated you, maybe seeing them take that picture was your bariatric angel's way of getting you to do something (bariatric surgery) that you should have done. I know that sounds a bit crazy, but if that is what you needed to motivate you, then in the long run that experience wasn't all bad. Remember it when you are tempted to go off your diet or sneak something you know you should not have. Use that memory as a tool to propel you to looking great and feeling sensational. F#(# the b@$+@&*$.

Cococat have you already had your surgery

Hi,Lynziv,

Yes, I had my surgery on Sept.10th. If you go to meetings, there is one tomorrow at Physician's Regional. I have lost 50+- lbs so far. I had an adventure in Constipation, but that has been the only problem I have encountered.

Hi,

I am a young 60 sommething who is planning to have the surgery in late January. I am currently at 345 lbs and 5'6" tall. I am blessed in that I do have controlled hypertension and beginning arthritis of the knees but all else is well,. I definitley am going forward but I have to say I am a bit frightened of the procedure and what I will need in emotional strength to make this successful for me. I want to dance again,....any support will be great. Sunshine 69

Hello, Sunshine,

I am 67 and had my sleeve on Sept. 10. I am 5 ft. 5 inches tall and weighed 286 at the beginning. I now weigh 235. I have hypertension but it went down dramatically - not sure of the exact numbers, but my current ones are

normalish. Lipids are going towards normal too.

The arthritis in my knees has all but disappeared! I can get out of a chair easily. I can walk a distance now. Every pound I lose is great for my knees. I have seen people get knee and hip surgery and sleeve surgery is a snap compared to those. The only thing that has been a bother is Constipation - mainly because we have to eat so much Protein and also because I can't get all my exrcise in. (I am not the gym type) Drink as much Water as you can, according to your doctor's rules. Miralax and prune juice can work. Take your doctor's advice to the letter in all things. Take your Vitamins and supplements.

Everybody goes through some anxiety prior to the operation. It does change your life. If you are like me, you will no longer drool over hamburger ads on TV and will find them gross. You might see how much we viewers have been manipulated by commercials! food will no longer have its fascination for you. You will not see your refrigerator as your friend - it is your enemy and has been for years.

Don't let any relatives or friends frighten or discourage you. Everyone has at least one relative who will try to discourage them from the operation. Ignore them. They are undoubtedly fat and unconsciously do not want to lose an "eating buddy" like you have been. I finally had to tell my sister-in-law to quit bringing up the worst scenarios, that she was undercutting my confidence and making me miserable, even though I was absolutely committed to the sleeve. I told her she could not discourage my decision and that all she could do was to make me miserable. She stopped when I got serious.

The sleeve was almost painless (with hospital and doctor's medications). My doctor gave me prescriptions for stomach acidity and nausea. If you get nausea after surgery (as I do) tell the anesthesiologist before surgery and he will give you meds during the operation which will counteract nausea. Don't expect to feel great just after surgery, but in a week you will be soooo glad you got it. For us 60ish folks, we heal a bit more slowly, but four months after surgery, I feel a lot better than I did prior to surgery!

SW Fla is a great place to have sleeve surgery. Great Support. Professional people. Perfect hospital. Lucky us!