GingerDiane

The pix in light blue is me at about 280-something...(not quit sure but 284 is mi highest recorded weight.) The royal blue is me at 11 weeks post op. The pic of me running was taken in 2013 after i had lost 30 pounds i weighed in at 254 the morning after the run (5k). In the pink i am 225(today) and i just finished a jog. I'm training for a 5k in Feb.

Thin-for-kidney.....me to..I have 2 more sleeps then go to the hospital. Im starting to think of slight negative things but I think its just human nature....we all think this way. We are all in good hands. And cant wait to then come home a new person.

I have to do a 4 week pre op liquid diet! Yep four weeks..its been ok..as hunger means its working..but I have slipped but not with anything bad...one evening i felt so sick ..my hunger on 2nd week was enduring so i have small portion of plain porridge..nothing else....and i slept so well. Although i slipped off the diet it was a glitch...but i didnt go mad and eat fatty foods etc. The next day i cut back by drinking 1%milk instead of 2%...to balance it up. I still lost 10lbs in 2 weeks. My op is next week...I just keep focusing that 5 more days wont hurt..i just keep distracted...ive cleared out old clothes...its just the evenings when my stomach moans at me...i just keep Water nearby! GOOD LUCK TO YOU ALL! My op is on 28th too!

...how did it go? How you feeling? So pleased for you.!

I am a very hard poke... I had to have a port put in.. Kinda ugly to look at every day and I have to have it cleaned every week but it's a life saver for me to get iv fluids

I went with the Sleeve because I did not struggle with Reflux or indigestion. I also had less to lose than some and that is also a factor. I am now maintaining and still don't struggle with reflux. I have lost 94 pounds from my highest weight and am no longer on a CPAP machine. So it is very individual. I was up and down my whole life and was capable of losing the weight but unable to keep it off which is not good physically or emotionally. The sleeve was the boost I needed to keep it off. Life is good.

...I hope I can have hot drink after my op....as I do enjoy a good cup tea/coffee...even if its decaf...oh Next week is my op.

2 month pos op went from 413 to 358 now but this pic is before and one month pos op

It is very important to listen to your doctor. They have the knowledge that we lack, even though we have our wishes and our hopes your surgeon is the one who knows what's best for you.
I wanted the sleeve really bad, I was 100% sure that is the perfect surgery for me. He told me that I will lose 60 pounds and I will knock on his door again wanting the bypass. I was self-pay, so he said it is a good business for him if I want 2 surgeries but as a professional and as a doctor he must say that he recommends the bypass for me. I was just sitting there, smiling, and I thought F U, I will find an other surgeon!! So I went in for my endoscopy and turned out I have reflux. After that my surgeon said it would really be the best and beneficial for me to get the bypass. I had to accept his opinion and had to agree, so slowly I started to wrap my head around the bypass...
I still have over 30 pounds to lose till I reach my goal, but wooooooow I do not regret my bypass for a minute, in fact I would go in for the same surgery every year if I had to! Smooth sail, no complication, losing weight with little to no effort and life is good again. Really good!
Please listen to your doctor, they want the best for you.

@ginger--I have my last weigh in/surgery pre-screen on 2/5/15. Then everything gets submitted for approval and then I schedule.
I still haven't told anyone but one friend (who's doing this with me) and my husband. I'm not quite sure how to tell work and HR. I think I might be a sneak about it and just email them and tell them I'm having stomach surgery lol. I just feel like it's no ones business and I don't wanna hear all the negativity.

Welcome Hmv1978.......... yes we can all share our experiences.....what we can and cant eat..and of course before and after pics! Do you have to self inject the night before? I do...aswell as tablets...mainly blood thinbers...anti sickness tablets....once that needle goes into my belly..i will get more excited!

My sleeve is Jan 28th... Only five days away! I would love to be part of the group.

Hi! I'm scheduled for January 28th with Dr. Richard Nguyen in San Jose, CA. I'm so excited and nervous

Ive read all these interesting comments...and thank you all for being so honest and open...as I dont see these as mistakes but pure new education...the brain is the last thing we have to re educate isnt it...the brain has to catch up with our new "plumbing"....I get re plumbed next week..and I like to absorb all the info I can get.

Sandy....Thats exact same resson im going to have the bypass...to educate what i can or cant eat...the dumping..is a warning sign..i dont think any otjer proceedure can give you such a good warning. Yes im prepared it will make me feel do ill..but when that subsides...Ican then take it off my list. And the same as you...it doesnt mean Im not going to try evety "bad" food for the gun of it..but this will help so much to educate my brain....as that kicks in last. I have less than 5 days to go...and Im reading so much....learning from you all..THANK YOU. Please anything you think "oh I never knew that" write it down as it will help us too.

Hey everybody surgery july 1st 78 pounds down soo happy with my results

Hello, all! I feel like I've been through the ringer. This has been 8 years of misery. This is a long post, so I apologize in advance!
I was originally banded in 2007, and had a great success with the band, losing all my excess weight. Unfortunately, I did it by having severe restriction, causing major acid reflux. My surgeon at the time was apparently clueless, since she just prescriped protonix instead of encouraging me to have some fill removed. I eventually got so sick of the reflux that I got a huge unfill. Four years later, and living on the opposite side of the country, I started seeing another surgeon because I regained 40 pounds. Turns out, I'd had a severe slip for several years and didn't know about it. I wanted to revise to VSG at that point, but insurance basically said, "Sorry, you're fat again, but not fat enough! Sucks to be you!" It would only cover a removal/rebanding procedure or just removal, and that wasn't an option (as much as I dislike the band, it's still my security blanket), so band #2 was the only option.
Of course, I've not been able to get to the "sweet spot" with #2. I stopped getting fills because I was at the point where I was often too restricted in the morning and not restricted at all in the evening. I feel like the band has just given me an eating disorder. I'm so scared to eat in groups in public, because the band seems to have a mind of its own. Sometimes, I can eat some foods easily, sometimes I can't. Last week, I had a severe sliming/PB episode when I ate a carrot. Of course, I've continues gaining, since the stuff that I can actually eat easily is usually stuff that's not great for me. (If I had awesome self control and was able to control my eating and lose weight with just diet and exercise, I wouldn't have needed WLS in the first place!)
So now, I've changed insurance companies, and this one covers revisions (and I've gained enough weight that I'm a candidate). I'm ready to get this damned thing out of me, finally! I just don't know which procedure to go with. One surgeon I've consulted with suggested a VSG, since I'm still considered a relative light-weight, but I'm hesitant to have it. I mean, even though the projected long-term results are supposed to be basically comparable to RNY, there aren't any real long-term results available for it. I fell into that mistake once already. When I got the band, it was supposed to replace the RNY, and the projected long-term results were supposed to be comparable, with lower major side effects. Well, we all know how that turned out! Plus, the band has really screwed up my metabolism, especially combined with my PCOS. I'm worried that if I get the VSG, I'm going to be disappointed in the results, since the band has given me a lot of bad habits when it comes to foods.
On the other hand, the RNY scares me a little. I'm not sure about having a surgery where I'd no longer be able to take NSAIDS like advil and aleve, since tylenol really does very little for me. I'm not sure about having mandatory supplements. But, the prospective dumping and the metabolic "kick in the pants" would help keep me honest.
Ugh, I don't know what to do. Of course, this is all in theory, since I still have to choose a surgeon and try to have insurance approve a revision. I'm just so sick of this band. I'm about at the point where I just want it gone, even if I'm not able to get a revision.

I'm not sure if you meant to but you posted in the bypass forum.....with your low bmi the sleeve should be a fine choice. But to you and your doctor will ultimately make the choice. I'm sure ppl have had similar concerns and we have a beautiful search engine....this is an amazing tool....

I eat my cereal dry, milk on it seemed contrary to doctors orders to not drink while eating. Same with Soup, I don't eat it much because of that whole liquids with food thing.
Susan

Cereal I hear is rough...I just bought the Special K Protein kind and I want to try it but I'm scared..should I let it get soggy or should I just not put a lot of milk? Soup goes down fine so why wouldn't soggy cereal lol

I shall use all your tips!!!
Starting to get very nervous now!
I hope your surgeries go well / and or you're losing weight well

Yesterday afternoon, I scheduled my surgery for January 6. It's been more than a year leading up to this, and all of a sudden things are getting very real.
My concerns:
1) Recovery time. The magic google machine says I should expect to go back to work in 2-3 weeks. My surgeon's office says 6-8 weeks. That's a big difference. I am probably starting a new job (at my same company) on January 1 and I hate to leave them for 2 months immediately after accepting the position, but I really want to focus on new habits and getting healthy and I only have one shot to get it right the first time, so I'm worried. You can tell when I'm worried because my sentences run on and on and on.
2) What if I fail? Since I've failed at every other attempt to lose weight over the past 30+ years, why should this be any different? My need to be fat seems to be very persistent across time and space and circumstance. What if I can't beat it?
3) Who do I tell? I tend to be an open book - sometimes a bit too open - so it would be consistent with my personality to tell everyone everywhere what I'm doing. But I feel very fragile about this topic and am trying to be a bit more reserved in general so maybe I should just keep this to myself until I can't anymore.
4) I blame my weight for a lot of things, from petty disappointments to major issues, but what if my live is not magically better when I'm smaller and I have to deal with my actual limitations and not just knee-jerk blame my size? That'll be a good thing in the end, but could make for some rough adjustments.
My excitement is:
1) My health is going to improve! I have no critical issues, but lots of things that could go bad quickly, and this should address all of them.
2) I'm going to be able to travel and be active and move my body the way I want to. I can't wait to have a body that obeys my wishes.
That's enough for me for now. Geez, ramble much?

MisforMimi That's great! I love hot tea, it's been my drink of choice for 20+ years (not a coffee person). I was worried I wouln't be able to tolerate it afterwards. hopefully I'll be like you!! although I'm told that hot or cold beverages arent good for a new stomach. so more like lukewarm???

OMG getting really nervous tomorrow is my big day !!! Where my new journey begins... God I'm in your hands

Thanks, Alex! I hope this really takes off - what a great idea, and done so quickly! What's your secret?