ncturtle

oh wow. I'm going to use them as motivation too. I'm so sad that they had the surgery, and didn't do what they needed to do to lose the weight. I have those same fears. I think I'll stay in this site and keep talking to people like you so I can be reminded, if I ever forget why I had this surgery. So....I'm counting on my BP friends to keep me honest!

Good Morning everyone,
Just wanted to report that operation Sleeve is complete yay!!!!
Sleeved on Wednesday, checked out of hospital evening,,ride home was horrible nausea kicked in..but i made it without puking.
complications are usual, gas and cramping but the meds are holding those issues at bay, providing I take them on time. While recovering the Isopure Protein upset my new stomach causing lots of pain, luckily they had nectar available which agreed more with my new tummy.
Walking the first time hurt pretty bad, this will be day three I can get up with minimal pain, walking around the house is easy...just dealing with stomach gas, hiccups and cramping.. the gas medication takes care of the hiccups and stomach gas..and the cramping meds work but they take about 20min to kick in..
Overall not bad, I can sip Water and my nectar protein I have a home without issue. and i sleep pretty good reclined providing i have taken my cramping and gas meds
I will provide more updates as they come

Really well. I am so glad I went ahead! Thanks to those who shared that they had felt the same. ????

I have one of the top surgeons in my state and I felt the exact same way you do. I felt that way right up until they gave me the shot to knock me out. It is very normal to have jitters or even doubt your decision.
I can tell you that the first few weeks may be hard. If you are like me you may hate yourself after surgery for the first 2 weeks because you made the biggest decision of your life. THEN.... you get to day 9. (or maybe day 6 or day 11) Then you realize that you are so happy with your decision. I am 2 months out and it is the best decision I have ever made in my life. THE BEST!!! I completely forget I even had surgery sometimes. I feel normal. I just don't eat like I used to.
What you are going through is completely normal.

5 min before, 30 min after. For the first 8 months, I ignored because like you I got a nonsensical explanation for the time variance. I was waiting 15 min after because my logic was it takes 6 min in the esophagus and the rest passing through the sleeve (no more storage pouch after surgery).
I didn't seem to have much issue until I realized I was consistently constipated. Did my own research to discover that the after guideline is to prevent maldigestion. I heard of malabsorption, but the former is particular to VSG and basically makes the small intestines do the work of the stomach so food is processed more slowly. So I started waiting the suggested 30 min and have had no more issues.
The 5 min before is to ensure the liquids are passed through the stomach and that stomach juices are acidic enough. However, I don't always abide because food takes some time to travel down the esophagus.

So got a call today from my dr's office saying btw we have had a cancellation and wanted to know if you would like to move your surgery up a week. So I'm having surgery on 11/17 next Tuesday instead of of 11/24. My mood is going between ???????????????????? and ????????

You can take this to the bank:
1. How you feel one day after surgery has nothing to do with how you will feel a week, a month, six months, a year after surgery. Not physically, mentally, emotionally or spiritually.
2. And how you feel a week after surgery has nothing to do with how you will feel a month, six months, a year after surgery.
3. Everyone -- and I mean everyone -- has that WTF HAVE I DONE moment. Everyone. And then they gradually (within hours or days) remember, "Oh, I know why I did it. OK, I can do this." And then they do it. And then they get used to it. And then it becomes normal. Truly normal. Not weird. Normal.
Best to you! Everything you're feeling has been felt by hundreds of thousands of others who've just done what you've just done. And they did fine.

Girl, what you are feeling is so normal! It's a brave new world. You are probably off your meds and the anaesthesia and pain and doing a number on your mind. There is life...a much better life awaiting you. the pain WILL be more bearable in a few days... On day 1 I could barely have an ice-chip and here I am a week latter doing cream Soups with no problem. Also watch out for that gas! Walk walk walk, to get your Seratonin levels up and to get that gas out. I'm going to include below a post I just posted in another chain...that might help make you see how my first week went and hopefully give you an idea of how much progress you can make in a short while if you set your mind to it!
To My dear Bariatric Pals!
I wanted to thank you all for your support during my jitters in the weeks leading up to the OR. Indeed, it was probably one of the most nerve wracking things I’ve ever done! As I close in on a week post opp tomorrow, I have refrained from posting too much about the experience because I think I needed a little bit of time, first of all to recover enough to be lucid enough to write coherently, but also because I needed to regain some of my emotional footing, as I let the enormity, irriversability and life changing capacity that this surgery has afforded me sink in.
I will post several things on how I prepared emotionally for the surgery and also the things I found helpful on surgery day to help those who are close to the date and need support to make it through, at a latter date. But in this post I wanted to update you all on how I’m doing in a synopsis.
First off…my surgery started at approximately 10:30am and lasted almost 3 hours, because along with the Sleeve, Band removal and Gallbladder removal, they found a hiatal hernia to repare (in short, I got the Blue plate special). Anasthesia was my biggest concern. Coming out of it took a long time…I was in pain and naucious but communicating with my caretakers gave them a chance to stabilize me such that by evening I was somewhat coherent.
At first, I was really tight…even taking down an ice-chip was hard. And ofcourse there was the bloated gas to contend with. Knowing this I was armed with my on Gas Ex strips, forget the baby Simithicone they were giving me, but most importantly, as SOON as I could semi wobble, I started walking the hallways…my 2 hour cycles ran like this…sleep, take pain meds, sip liquid, pee, and walk those hallways as much as I could, and very soon, the gas problem was mitigated. Leaving the worse problem my banged up throat (from intubation) which was so raw and bad he surgeon took a pic of it to show the anesthesiologist! It felt like a layer of skin has literally been sloughed off, and so red and raw. And when I swallow…some skin seems loose like I’m swallowing my throat…yeah…bad).
After a nasty Barium swallow on day two I was clearned for liquids and the watered down Apple juice from an ounce cup felt like heaven!
I was release at the end of day 3. Back home I continued to walk. My fitbit registereing 6k steps all week and today I did 10k steps. Now these are veeeery slow put persistent and steady steps throughout the day, and after pain meds, and the only reason I can do this is because in the months leading up, I got a fitbit and worked my way up to about 12k steps, so I highly recommend you start walking now.
I finally was cleared from Clear Liquids to cream Soups today…wooo hooo. First few days I was not as hungry, but now, be it head hunger or what…mama wants some sustainance! And broth ain’t cutting it! The cream of mushroom was devine!
I’m weaning off of Hydrocodine and moving to liquid gel Aleve.
Upon my return home, gained Water weight coming back home from the IV as expected. My stomach feels distended and droopy as expected. And I have 6 incisions to nurse.
The more I drank, the more I started to shed the IV Fluid weight. So keeping hydrated remains key. And now I’m lower than pre-op weight.
I also found a book online. Emotional First Aid Kit Bariatric Surgery Patients to help hone some couping strategies for when I’m back in a world of doenuts.
And that’s where I am folks! Just learning how to live in this Brave new world I’ve been born into. Much like a toddler, taking baby steps, learning what I can and can’t do. It’s still just a week, so I’m looking forward to more healing and the rewards which we all so freverantly seek.
I hope my account is helpful to you.
Sending you peace and love,
Ellie123

I'm glad to hear Walter Reed is still open! We heard it closed down.
Also, I had mine done April 9th at Darnell Army Medical Center in TX. What are you curious about?

Hi everyone. I am a AF veteran and a spouse of a (AF)military retiree. I am in the Bariatrics program at Camp Pendelton. I live about an hour away but tricare sent me there. I don't live near an active base and my pcm is a small private
Dr office. I addressed my weight concerns at my yearly physical (my first with this new Dr. as my hubby only retired about 18 mo.(at that time). I braced myself for the negative comments I had experienced in the past from military Drs. you know the drill.....eat less....exercise more....with the looks of pity. I have definitely had a few "winners". now I admit I am sensitive about the weight issues so some of these things could have been how I perceived them. When I had my physical this past January I carefully broached the subject with my new PCM and he asked me if I had ever thought of surgical options. well.....yeah! of course I had but I honestly didn't know enough about it to make an informed decision. That is what I had told him and I was so grateful that he said he would be happy to start the process for me to get a referral to speak with someone so that I could learn more. He said it in no different way than if I had asked him for a referral to see the dermatologist. I so love him for that! He sent my referral request to the insurance company for me to see a specific Dr that he likes to send his patients to. When the paperwork came it was for Camp Pendleton...an hour away.....I was very upset that I would have to go that far. (later I realized it was a blessing in disguise). The date came for the the info session and the one on one consultations. when I was called into the consultation, the surgeon matter a factly, having reviewed my paperwork and medical history, stated that based on #s I needed to lose 10 lbs and that VSG was the best option for me and that my surgery would be in 6 mo.....any questions?! I was so ready to justify why I felt I needed it and what my medical history was. I thought I would have to convince him I needed it and wait for insurance approval. I walked out stunned and happy. I am about half way thru the process and reading and educating myself as much as possible.

I definitely think I had feelings similar to withdrawal. As with anything, the longer you go without what you crave, the easier it is to say no to it. So we get take advantage of this period of no hunger to help make that easier. I'm not 8 weeks out, and being around the food I can't (well, shouldn't) have doesn't even really bother me anymore.
~*~ Find me on YouTube: Trisha's Sleeve Story ~*~

Thank you for the response, it makes me feel more assured. I desperately want this surgery to work so I am hoping that helps me overcome my food addiction. The good thing is that the thoughts have reduced in the past 24 hrs and have been replaced by planning out my wardrobe in 6 months.

November 9th here, in NC

Hello everyone! My surgery date is November 5th! I had been scheduled for yesterday October 27th but I went in even went through pre-op and everything then the dr found some irregularities with some thyroid tests results in my history from two months before and said it could be very dangerous as the thyroid controls so many things that there was a chance I could even crash in surgery and not recover so we elected to teat it and go on meds and recheck in a month but my test results came back today and they were normal so I am back on the schedule for Nov 5 next Thursday!!! I was disappointed at the time but I am thankful they were looking out for me and it all turned out well! Anyway I just wanted to say hi and good luck to all the other fellow Nov all the fellow Nov sleevers

Well it has finally come. I got my date of Nov 3rd. Can't believe they just called me a week ago stating they have the paperwork and they are ready to go. They scheduled all my tests and appointments but forgot to tell me I need to start my liquid diet TOMORROW. Glad I had this forum to keep me on track.

My3son872, we are same date across the board.
I am 38, 5'4". Highest weight was 265. I'm currently at 250.

Can I buddy up with you both. I am the 16th. 38 yr old female, HW 265, current weight 250, 5'4".

I will not ever be changing the group to private. Anything you post in the group will only be seen by ppl in the group. That is why you have to send me a friend request to be added. It only allows me too add friends because it is a secret group. I am a very private person as well and don't plan on telling many ppl that I'm having vsg. I'm nov 6thHave you guys joined our FB group?

Good morning! Please friend me on FB so I can add you to the secret group it only lets me add friends since its secret. My name is Anna Montagna-Galanos. Can't wait to get to know you and share our experiences through this process!
Good morning! Please friend me on FB so I can add you to the secret group it only lets me add friends since its secret. My name is Anna Montagna-Galanos. Can't wait to get to know you and share our experiences through this process!

Coming out of the shadows
Hi - MojoCAMI here..
So I think I am going to be a November Sleever as I had my final decision appointment with my Surgeon yesterday, who gave me the all clear and stated i should hear from her scheduler in 24-48hrs. She also mentioned they usually schedule 1 month out from final decision.
So for those who choose to read more I shall detail my journey thus far (not my whole life, Just the last 10-12 months)
After finally making the personal decision to seek surgical support for weight loss, I only knew of 2 types Gastric bypass and that fill tube thingy they put around your stomach. I have seen folks at my job go through full gastric bypass and loose weight and some only lost a quarter of there weight and they are grumpy..
I have read far to many lapband forums (fill tube thingy) that ended in multiple trips to the doctor for more saline or 2nd surgery due to the band slipping off the stomach.. (noooo sir not for me)..
so when I heard about the sleeve, saw some videos, did my research, chatted with actual people in person who had the procedure, i am now on the train to be sleeved.
Why has it taken this long since first seeing my surgeon in October 2014? Well due to may weight at the time being 430lbs+ my insurance did not require the 6x medical weight loss visits, they wanted to fast track me, but i opted instead for the visits before going straight under the knife..Strangely all the staff asked why I wanted to do the visits vs jumping to surgery and my response was, surgery is here to help me, but I first must prove I can help myself.
So once a month for 6 months i saw my wonderful Physician Assistant who threw tons of info at me from types of Protein poweders, to nutritional guides, free classes and most all, shared her struggle and connected with me as a person first, patient 2nd..
After the 6th visit I said I was ready for the surgery, i had gotten my weight down to 389lbs. they gave me all these labs to get drawn, i was feeling great about the decision, i proved I can loose weight on my own...and then about 2months later i came back for follow up on the labs and my weight went from 389lbs to 406 (stopped working the food plan).. Surgeon then stated I need to be at 397 to proceeded..I mentally plummeted, and my weight went from 406 to 412lb.. had a few primary care routine visits, weight went from 412 to 419lbs.. i was able to stop the hemorrhaging at 422lbs, but now I needed to loose at least 23lbs before i could move forward.
Geeze...so i cancelled my next 2-3 visits and i told them i would not be back until I dropped this weight..that was in July 2015. I then started a mission- Breakfast and lunch = Protein shake, then dinner and a shot of vodka .. by September 1st I got to 410lb and by end of September I was 399.. visited my surgeon's Physician Assistant Sept 24th, and was cleared to proceed.. I got high-fives and way to go from all the staff who thought I would give up due to the weight gain.
so now i sit at 397, waiting for the schedulers phone call to let me know when the 2 week pre-op will start, I am happy and mentally equipped for the days ahead.
now some praise..This site is awesome, i have visited many different sleeve and general gastric bypass forums, but I find this to be the most active, most accurate and tremendous in its support of its member's. i hope to not only rely on some of that support but also give back where I can.
Thanks for reading all that and I am happy to be here.
~MojoCAMI

I will be starting my pre-op diet 11/3, having my surgery 11/17, and will be discharged from the hospital 11/19 as long as all goes well. My birthday is 11/20 so surgery really is a gift to myself this year. As a teacher and coach I always put others before myself and I have finally decided that this year it is time to put myself first. With all of my ankle issues I am so very thankful for this opportunity and I am not worried about missing Thanksgiving at all. We are actually celebrating my birthday with my dad's this weekend so that I can start to get into the swing of the pre-op diet early. Hoping to hit 210 or below before surgery! Here's to a happy and healthy November!

This year at Thanksgiving, I can be thankful for the surgery! That's good enough of a day for me! =P

@@fabnsab ...I'm making a goal chart with rewards every time I reach a particular weight. When I lose 50 pounds...I'm buying myself some cow girl boots...LOL!
I also made a list of things I'm looking forward to...a weight loss bucket list...if you will! Some things: fitting into my wedding ring again, rock climbing, family photo shoot, being able to cross my legs, horseback riding, being able to wrap myself in a towel, etc etc!
I'm excited!

What I've learned from working with a nutritionist and years (literally) of therapy with an eating disorder therapist is that when we skip meals our body kind of goes a little crazy and the urge to binge (even though a binge post-sleeve looks really different than pre-sleeve) is almost uncontrollable. And it's all our brain can think about. So definitely try to eat even if you're super busy or don't feel hungry. It will keep you from overdoing it later.
Another thing I learned that your situation made me think of is "bolting". I'm very similar to you. I have a pretty busy career, 4 kids, a hubby and lots of other commitments so my mind is always going and it's super easy for me to stress eat. So who knows if this applies to you - well I guess only YOU know...lol - but I have found that I am a "bolter". That terminology comes from Geneen Roth's "Women, food & God" which is an amazing book and is not religious so don't let the title throw you. Anyway, when a situation becomes too ___________ (fill in the blank - stressful, sad, frustrating, etc) I often have used food in that moment as a way to emotionally and mentally "bolt" from what is going on at the moment and focus on the food. At that point my mind fills itself with all of the self-hate that you stated in your original post and there's no room left to think about the stress of the moment I'm in.
SO.....I would lie if I said I never "bolt" anymore. Because I do, and it often leads to weeks on end of little cheats. But, I am mindful of what I am doing now, which is huge. And I try as much as I can to be present in the moment. I've even gone as far as to - when I'm feeling an urge to eat something unhealthy or have a mini binge - to literally out loud say "Ok, right now I'm feeling __________ (angry, exhausted, unappreciated, etc) and this food will not help that." or something similar.
Anyway..... just my experiences that your post made me think of.

Been there done that. As my allergies got worse I realized I needed food options. I keep emergency food in my glove compartment. They are enough to keep me from starving until I can eat properly
Protein bars Single servings of nuts Single servings of Protein powders that can be mixed with Water or milk of choice. Prepacked oatmeal that can be mixed with Water.< /li> Single serving nut butters Other options:
Jerky or dried meat
Single serving tuna packs
I also always keep water bottles with me at ALL times.