bobs3rd

maxcimax, I'm on O2 at night and when necessary during the day, so glad to hear you got the clearance. I've been so worried over my breathing, so far my pulmonologist won't sign off till Oct when he sees me again. I have cardio apt Aug 22 and don't know what will happen. I've had CHF and can't pass a regular stress test, I can barely walk a 1/4 mile on treadmill without being sob.
My surgeon seems to believe all will work out fine and losing the weight could help my COPD.
Again I'm happy to read your post and see you have had the surgery and doing good with your breathing.
Thanks Linda

My surgeon requires an echo also. In my case i'm on oxygen 24/7 & I use a CPAP. I also have Afib so it was important to make sure I didn't have any blockages. My cardiologist & pulmonologist both signed off on my surgery. My breathing has already improved. So glad I had this surgery.

Hi everyone! Well, after four months of jumping through hoops, I finally had the surgery this past Tuesday. Before I go on, I should admit that I struggled terribly with that 2 weeks pre-surgery liquid diet and cheated multiple times in a big way. I was far from a perfect candidate. Anyway, surgery was Tuesday and I went home Thursday night. I was up and walking the same night as surgery. My blood pressure and blood sugar sky rocketed after surgery. I am not diabetic so the blood sugar thing was a surprise. They addressed it via drugs in my IV and it resolved. Surgeon said this is not uncommon when your body has been through surgery like this. I felt really hot too, like I had a fever, but I didn't. Weird, hey? Very little stomach pain, more like soreness like if you did a bunch of sit-ups. The gas pain in my chest was the worst. It has faded as of today, thankfully. I haven't needed any pain meds since I left the hospital. Now I am home and on full liquids. I am definitely weak and woozy because my blood pressure is low now, and also due to the lack of food, of course. To be expected.
I am thinking about food a lot, but I figure who wouldn't be if they hadn't eaten substantial in weeks (except the cheat days before surgery)? Drinking as much Water and broth as I can, eating Jello (blech!), and dreaming of Tuesday when I can have refried Beans or cottage cheese, lol. I realized that my life and especially weekends revolved a lot around food so I tried to prepare myself for that but, boy, it's a big reality check now when the food is gone. Time to find a better friend than Popeye's fried chicken. I'm rolling with it and hanging in there.
I weighed in at 326 the month before surgery and as of this morning I saw 295. Out of the 300's! Every day I feel a little bit better, and can't wait to see where I am in a month. I hope everyone is having a good weekend.

Ok, I'm gonna give it to ya straight. You are in the so called "honeymoon stage". That is where you will feel the most benefit of the surgery. Basically.....the most restriction and the least amount of desire to eat. Treasure it. It will not last forever. Adapt to the new eating style "QUICKLY" You will see the most and fastest weight loss during this time. But it will subside eventually and you will be able to eat more and some of those old cravings may return.
You need to have your healthly eating habits and exercises firmly ingrained in a new lifestyle. And the more you lose.....the stronger you will be able to resist any backsliding. When you reach your goal....it will be an accomplishment you never want to give up. You will also then have much more insight into how to control all those past desires and cravings.
So this is time where you need to concentrate on doing the work and taking advantage of the benefits of the sleeve. New is in...... new is now.....old is gone. No mourning necessary. It's done, time to embrace the new you and the effort it will take to maintain it. You can do it.

I too would have loved to be able to do this by myself. Actually I've spent over 25 years yo yo dieting, losing then gaining it all back. Trust me this is not the easy way out, it is a helpful tool. Never thought I'd say that. There were many times during the six months before that I was ready to give up and the week before surgery I was second guessing myself. Everyone kept telling me if you can lose 20 pounds in 6 months why can't you continue. No one understood I was starving to lose that weight, never full always hungry and sad, so sad and embarassed with myself and my looks. This is so not the easy way out, I can tell you with my experience the first two weeks after surgery were the worst, not the pain from the surgery but the pain from the gas in my shoulder, and I was so sick of Protein shakes. My cravings were still there and still are but now I'm FULL for the first time in my life I can't actually say that. It is the best feeling in the world. Sure you'll still want more but your stomach won't and it will let you know. I totally eat better and exercise all the time. I'll be 11 weeks out this Thursday and I feel great. I'm down 35 lbs since surgery and I've gone from a size 20 to 12. Looking forward to getting off more meds too. So, good luck to you in whatever direction you choose. Just make sure you do this for you, no one else. take care

@@cosmogirl2535 I'm about 4.5 weeks post-op bypass -- I had originally wanted sleeve, which my surgeon agreed would be good for me. Honestly, there was a teeny-tiny voice in my head that said "yea; I'll eventually be able to eat some of my fave foods, just smaller amounts!" The other voice in my head said "I'm scared; I'll eventually be able to eat some of my fave foods" (same reason for both). However, I THEN found out my insurance only covers band and bypass. Back to doctor - he said bypass would be good for me too, and honestly, my little voice said "whew - I can never eat some of those foods" - yes, said, like divorcing someone/something you love, but I now feel confident I'll lose the weight I need to and keep it off. I have about 150 lbs to lose, and am losing at the rate of about 1 lb a day since surgery. I know that w/slow down, but so far, I'm very very happy with my bypass. And like the ladies you hear talking, I really haven't had much pain at all. Biggest problems so far have been fatigue, which starting getting significantly better at about week 3 after surgery, and Constipation, which is an on-going battle with either surgery. I don't know if this is helpful, but best of luck w/your decisiion!