no onions

I was sleeved this morning. Adjusting to the new feelings and some pain. Will post more details later. I think I'm doing ok though!

@@Kushka I can relate about having just a boat-load to do before going on leave.

@@Miss Mac - I bought some of the smooth move tea for just this scenario. I haven't tried it yet. I'm severely disappointed to know that it (possibly) tastes like licorice. I don't suppose it tastes like red licorice instead of that foul black licorice? I'm sure I already know the answer.

@@DreamsComeTrue15 me too (June 17) - best wishes to you!

@@smiranda - in addition to what you've mentioned, I'm bringing qtips (cotton swabs), travel size shampoo, travel size bodywash and biotene mouthwash. I don't know if I will be able to use the mouthwash, but if allowed, it's supposed to help with the dry mouth feeling that we will experience from not being able to drink. At least that's what I read on here somewhere. I may add some moist-towelettes or something to my list to wipe my face.

@@Kushka - I have experienced eye-twitching, but only (as @@Inner Surfer Girl) when I'm terribly stressed out and very tired. Oh - and there's usually a computer monitor involved. I would be interested to know if you find out what is causing it. Hope your twitch resolves!

File this under #yuckity-yuck and #butseriousquestion. I've only a few days until surgery and the question hit me - I will get straight to the point -- When using the bathroom (#2), was anyone limited by the surgery and did you have difficulty, uhm, cleaning yourself? This isn't an issue for me currently, and I'm hoping it isn't during recovery from surgery. If you had this issue, what did you do to help mitigate it? Thanks!

Awesome! Great before and after, very happy for you. This is tough stuff and I like to see and hear from people who help reinforce my own decision.

@@xxjosettexx You can do it! And I'm going to do it too.

@@Bluesea71 The lidocaine cream that @@AngelaWilliamsMD mentioned (right down to the plastic wrapping) was the only thing that made it possible for me to do my back and shoulders. The first time I did it without any analgesic or numbing and thought I might die. It was awful. My fallback option under consideration was to consume copious amount of alcohol (probably not a great idea)!

@@IcanMakeit In addition to hating onions, I hate fried eggs. @@Babbs - yuck, yuck, yuck. The Most American Thickburger. I was watching some documentary/drama on Showtime called 7 Deadly Sins, hosted by Morgan Spurlock and... they did an episode on gluttony. There is some place called The Heart Attack Grill in Las Vegas that specializes in the opposite of healthy food choices. Naturally, they have sexualized the experience with pseudo-nurses* as servers . Here's a link to their menu -- http://www.heartattackgrill.com/heart-attack-grill-menu.html

@@CowgirlJane @@SlimJill - Hypnosis here too. And I bought some expensive set of CDs that I NEVER opened. Ha! As for gross food diets, liver, yuck, yuck! If anyone gave me a diet of any organ meat or boiled eggs and onions (things I hate), I would starve to death.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Good luck to you!

Someone actually brought this topic up today at a pre-operative meeting today. The suggestion was made that you should stick with someone grilled, perhaps chicken or fish (if you had to do fast food at all). I think @@Elode has some good tips above!

Perhaps there are online trainers that you could google, or google that search in your local area. If you're going to any support groups, it might be a good question to pose to the members. I have no idea where you are located, but there do not appear to be any who specialize in my area. Good luck to you!

My surgeon follows the 30/60 drinking rule (before/after meals). They said following this rule allows digestion to occur more normally and also keeps you feeling fuller long. I'm not quite sleeved yet, and am still working this rule into my diet.

Ok - so my rant is - tame and somewhat trivial. #1 Today, we tried a new video conferencing system at work. It's actually very cool technology, but I didn't realize it followed and zoomed on me when I spoke. I caught a glimpse of myself in what I think was a 4k display (think ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION, better than HD) and boy oh boy, not good! Though, Ultra High Defintion was not really kind to anyone in the room. One of my co-workers has bald spot that was zoomed in on for some reason. Ha. #2 Why must my photo be visible in every work email or instant message I send? It's a pretty terrible photo from my first day on the job (about 3 years old). I will certainly take a new one at some point in the not so distant future!

I've lurked on the boards long enough to know that many people choose to keep their surgery entirely private, some are very public and some tell a few people. I recently told my team (@work) that I would be taking a LOA for about 4-weeks. I decided that I wouldn't tell them why, but changed my mind during the conversation. I was very prepared for any negative reactions - they did not come. They were nothing but supportive. I didn't realize just how emotional I am over this entire issue (weight, surgery, etc) until I actually started speaking. Typically, I'm pretty reserved, but during this conversation - I felt like crying. Anyway, good experience, moving on.. I told a friend (who had lap-band) and she was interested and not judgmental. She did explain that she wasn't happy with her lap-band, but understood that my surgery was a different tool. This conversation was pleasant and I wasn't emotional about it. So moving on... I told another good friend (she is overweight) and she was obviously concerned. One of the things she said to me, "I feel like people who have surgery just haven't tried hard enough." I sort-of expected that she might have a judgmental response and was prepared for it. I simply replied, that "20+ years of trying very hard, finding success and weight loss, but not being able to keep the weight off, is very hard work and doesn't indicate any lack of trying on anyone's part." What can one say to that? Not much if they are even slightly thoughtful and self-aware. I went on to explain that she needs to reconsider her mindset - people use the surgery as a tool, not a panacea. WLS is not a quick fix, it's not magic. With all of the above said, I'm glad I told the people I mentioned. It's a personal decision and not for everyone. If you choose to discuss WLS with others, be prepared for a variety of reactions from them and from yourself. Best of luck to everyone!

I have no underwear help for you, but had to comment as I too can relate to the Missouri humidity. If I intend to sweat (like say go for a walk for exercise), that's fine. But tell me WHY, must the heat and humidity be so bad that I sweat and sheen walking from my car to my office. Naturally, when I reach my office, I promptly turn on my fan and blot my forehead with a paper towel. Ha! Good luck to you!

My reply is somewhat tongue-in-cheek as I can relate to many of you. The most effective diet, for me, was the eat nothing diet that I did in high school. I ate saltines occasionally and sometimes sugar free Jello. Then I would exercise like a fiend and weigh constantly, multiple times per day. I lost every pound and then some. It was so effective that my parents almost checked me into a hospital to get help. It became a contest (in my mind) to see how many days I could go without food. It was, admittedly, crazy. As an adult I could never seem to master this diet, which was probably for the best. I honestly don't know how I functioned. The second most effective diet for me was counting calories, lots of exercise and some side-effect from Wellbutrin that gave me tons of energy to spare. That side-effect wore off after a few months and so did my motivation. I did have a good stomach flu during that time that almost brought me to "onderland." HMR was also a very effective diet for me. It was very-low-calorie liquid diet (in my case) with weekly meetings and Dr. appts/monitoring. It wasn't sustainable, but it was very quick weight loss. Possibly the least effective? The time I spent $900 on a personal trainer and only went to about three sessions. To their credit, they called and called to try and get me to come in. I'm hopeful (and fairly certain) that the gastric sleeve will ultimately be the best solution for me. I will use this tool effectively - I'm not going under the knife for fun!

I started my 10 day diet a week early, just to get the kinks out. My surgeon doesn't require a liquid diet prior to surgery, but a maximum of 1400 calories from a recommended "healthy" foods list. It was a drastic calorie reduction and I felt like caca the first few days. I'm feeling better this week. Hope you're feeling well soon too!

So glad for you and best of luck moving forward. I am a bit anxious about my own upcoming surgery and stories like this help.

@@lanipilgreen - I'm not sure about the answer to that and will be discussing it with my Dr. I found an older thread that might have some info (or opinions anyway). http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/187366-sleeping-on-stomach/

2cents here. I am very conscious of "tone" when writing and speaking. I sometimes struggle with what I really want to say, with what is actually going to be productive. And there are times when I lose my patience and don't give a sh** how it sounds. With that said, there is likely some good information in the article, but the tone is abrupt and for those that don't like "the cold hard truth" or more likely, the way a message is delivered, then you just stop reading or discount everything the author writes.