Nikki Monroe

So I have made the decision to have the gastric sleeve surgery. I also have decided to be very selective on who I share my journey with. A couple of reasons why I decided to keep my sleeve somewhat secret is mainly because I don't want to deal with other peoples opinions on what I have decided to do with my life during the most emotional time in my life. Some people think that losing weight is as easy as just pushing away from the table and have no idea what it means it means to live a life being overweight and unhappy. I'm not saying that I will never tell anyone what I have done to lose such a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. I am just saying that I want to decide when I want to tell people or share my story when I feel that I am emotionally ready and strong enough to do so. People will judge you no matter what you decide to do in your life. That is a true statement. I just choose to have more control over the negativity that I may be subjected to because of people's lack of understanding. I am not ashamed of my decision and I am only doing this because I feel is best for me and my future. I am already a sensitive person by nature and I feel that after surgery, knowing that my hormones will be all over the place, is a time I want to deal with me and my feelings and whatever buyers remorse I may be feeling at that moment without others people input. I may get to a point to where I do want to share my story and perhaps help someone else, but at this point my focus is on making sure that I am healthy physically and mentally. Please share your thoughts with me.

I told one of my very best girlfriends, who was very supportive, she has seen me struggle with my weight over the years. I told her not to tell anyone, then a couple weeks later when we were talking about my surgery she told me that she told her husband and her mother. That is more than no one. So I decided then, the only way I could keep control over who knows is to really limit the people that know, to basically no one.
I had also told a college friend, that was really supportive but lives out of state. That friend doesn't talk to any of my other friends or family. That is the friend I had with me when I had my surgery and is my confidant.
I'm not telling my family because of a lot of deep personal reasons I don't feel comfortable sharing.
It took me a long time to reach this decision. I am not ashamed of it, but I don't want it under a microscope. I don't feel like constantly answering a bunch of random questions. This is something I am still adjusting to and dealing with day by day, I want to do it in peace and private. I do not want added stress from outside people that don't have to live my life.
I told a couple of other friends that live out of state and all the support has been positive. A lot of people have known about my weight struggles. I have worked really hard over the years and not seen the results I should have, this was my final option for success.

Yes, that's true. She is an excellent friend. I think everyone has that one thing that they can't deal with due to a bad past experience. For some it's a bad shopping or restaurant experience. For some, it's being bullied. For some it's getting your hair done or something at a certain place. For many, it's a bad relationship. There are many people who won't touch a drop of alcohol due to watching the downward spiral of an alcoholic. And there are many even smaller things. I won't touch tuna with a 10 foot pole after vomiting it when pregnant over 10 years ago. There are people (I am one of them) who never realized how many people they have had bad experiences or associations with until it's time to name your baby. LOL Point being that everyone (E V E R Y O N E) has an avoidance subject/issue that they can't deal with based on their association with a horrid past experience. This just happens to be hers. I don't judge her for it. I just don't want to put her, myself, and our friendship through the anxiety triggered words and actions that I know would result. I have to do what's necessary for myself.

What size bougie does he use? That will give you an idea of the size of your new stomach.

That sound awesome! Hope my doctor offers the same!

I have an appointment to meet with my surgeon, my nutritionist and my psychologist next Wednesday. What questions should I make sure to ask them? What questions do you wish you would've asked them prior to surgery?????

I have an appointment to meet with my surgeon, my nutritionist and my psychologist next Wednesday. What questions should I make sure to ask them? What questions do you wish you would've asked them prior to surgery?????

Happy to help

What kind of supportive after care do they offer. You don't want a surgeon that just does his work and you never hear from their office again. My doc offers support groups monthly, a gym membership for a year, lots of follow up nutrition and general check up meetings...

I started down this road last year and told two very close friends. And I immediately regretted it. I don't want to be compared to anyone they know who has had WLS and their 2nd hand details and judgements. WLS is a medical treatment for a condition that we all have. To me, keeping it private is no different than not telling people all about your daily meds or discussions with your doctors any other time in your life.
I wasn't released to have my surgery last fall after meeting ALL of my insurance requirements, because my lupus was out of control. One of the two friends, wls never came up in convo between us again. And the other friend, I told her that I don't even know about WLS anymore since "I'll have to jump through all of those insurance hoops again and that'll take 3-4 months" which I did. She just doesn't know that I already have. I told her that I strongly suspect that I have a hiatal (sp?)hernia. And that when I got time, I'd need to get into the pcp and talk to him about that. (we share the same pcp). My surgery date is Aug 24th. As it gets closer to that date (like a couple of weeks from now) I'll play that out. My VSG would be scheduled this far in advance. Having such a problematic hernia that required surgical repair, would be scheduled nearly right away. It's the exact same incisions, same re-coup time in hospital and almost the same post of care/diet afterwards. I actually do wonder if I actually have this hernia. lol. But, my surgeon will take care of it if need be. My friend and I both had our gallbladders out years ago. I also had a complete hysterectomy (incisions are not even close to the same, but regardless.... it'd explain the hospital stay and down time), so that isn't viable. The friend and I are pretty close. She can be VERY nasty when she gets jealous. I don't want her to EVER look at me that way. Wow. Sounds absurd when I read that back to myself. But, she really is a great friend. A great friend who lost her BFF after the BFF lost 250lbs after gastric bypass.

I told my significant other and that's it. My friends and family think the near 40lb weight loss is due to a strict diet and exercise....which is technically the truth

My family and a few co workers know. His family if I told his mom I am sure one of you would have have are about it! Lol. She calls every single person she knows when she has "news" to share and then they call all of their friends who in turn call all of their friends.....you know how it goes. My husband wanted me to tell her I said absolutely NOT!

Only my family and our friends know about my husband and I having the sleeve. We haven't shared with his family at all. He doesn't want his mom to know for at least 6 months. She's the type who if he lost 200 lbs would say, why not 250. Not very supportive. Would do nothing but worry and second guess everything we do. So we have our reasons. We have all the support and encouragement from my family and our church family that we need. We don't need the negativity right now.

I went with Dr Minkin at Des Peres. I don't know about Dr Scott. I believe Dr Minkin is the head of the department. My experience has been awesome.

Yes, it is a nasal spray. I haven't used it yet, you do it once a week so I decided I would do it on Saturday mornings. The melt away Vitamins are great.
I went to the Supplement Superstore on Lindeburgh in Hazelwood? It is in the same strip mall as golds gym, schnucks and wing stop. They don't carry Syntrax though, only the Illinois stores do. So I purchased all my Syntrax at the Edwardsville store.
You honestly don't really need much. As soon as you get there you take off all your clothes and put 2 gowns on, one going towards the back and one going towards the front like a robe. They give you socks to wear, which are super comfy, I think I am going to go put them on now, lol. They tell you not to bring anything valuable in the nutrition class. Bring a lip balm, your lips are going to be dry after surgery. You can't drink anything until after your swallow test. They do give you a bag of mouth swabs like this http://www.amazon.com/Sage-Toothette-Disposable-Flavored-Dentifrice/dp/B0015TK5IW/ref=pd_sim_194_5?ie=UTF8&refRID=10ZNCK4Q6810SN0CXJ1M and a small cup of Water you can dip those swabs in the Water and wipe you mouth out. You will want to do it often.
Once I was in my room all I used was my face wash, toner face moisturizer, lip balm and phone. Don't bring a lot. I wore the same clothes home that I wore there, since I only had them on for about an hour before I took them off for surgery. I brought an extra pair of panties.
The rooms are all private, you have a couple chairs, a reclining chair and a bed. The TV has good cable, I watched HGTV all night.
I was at the hospital about 28 hours. Dr Scott I think keeps his patients 2 days, most people stay 2 days. If you are motivated, walking around, and you pass your swallow test, you can go home as soon as you are tolerating liquids. I had about 2/3 of my cup of Jello and about 1/2 of my Protein shake and maybe 3 oz of water over like a 2 hours time period.

These are the Vitamins you get with the form the doctors office gives you. You can check now if your insurance covers the nasal spray. Basically you are paying for the nasal spray with insurance and the company tosses in the other Vitamins. They come with a nice bag and a booklet. There is an easy number to reorder and they are delivered to your door FedEx.
Also supplement superstore is the same price if not lower than online. They have the cheapest price for syntax. I know there are a lot of places you can order online but I really wanted a place I could walk in and ask questions. I also wanted to know that if I ever run low and can't wait for a shipment, I can just walk in some place and buy what I need.

So I have made the decision to have the gastric sleeve surgery. I also have decided to be very selective on who I share my journey with. A couple of reasons why I decided to keep my sleeve somewhat secret is mainly because I don't want to deal with other peoples opinions on what I have decided to do with my life during the most emotional time in my life. Some people think that losing weight is as easy as just pushing away from the table and have no idea what it means it means to live a life being overweight and unhappy. I'm not saying that I will never tell anyone what I have done to lose such a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. I am just saying that I want to decide when I want to tell people or share my story when I feel that I am emotionally ready and strong enough to do so. People will judge you no matter what you decide to do in your life. That is a true statement. I just choose to have more control over the negativity that I may be subjected to because of people's lack of understanding. I am not ashamed of my decision and I am only doing this because I feel is best for me and my future. I am already a sensitive person by nature and I feel that after surgery, knowing that my hormones will be all over the place, is a time I want to deal with me and my feelings and whatever buyers remorse I may be feeling at that moment without others people input. I may get to a point to where I do want to share my story and perhaps help someone else, but at this point my focus is on making sure that I am healthy physically and mentally. Please share your thoughts with me.

So I have made the decision to have the gastric sleeve surgery. I also have decided to be very selective on who I share my journey with. A couple of reasons why I decided to keep my sleeve somewhat secret is mainly because I don't want to deal with other peoples opinions on what I have decided to do with my life during the most emotional time in my life. Some people think that losing weight is as easy as just pushing away from the table and have no idea what it means it means to live a life being overweight and unhappy. I'm not saying that I will never tell anyone what I have done to lose such a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. I am just saying that I want to decide when I want to tell people or share my story when I feel that I am emotionally ready and strong enough to do so. People will judge you no matter what you decide to do in your life. That is a true statement. I just choose to have more control over the negativity that I may be subjected to because of people's lack of understanding. I am not ashamed of my decision and I am only doing this because I feel is best for me and my future. I am already a sensitive person by nature and I feel that after surgery, knowing that my hormones will be all over the place, is a time I want to deal with me and my feelings and whatever buyers remorse I may be feeling at that moment without others people input. I may get to a point to where I do want to share my story and perhaps help someone else, but at this point my focus is on making sure that I am healthy physically and mentally. Please share your thoughts with me.

I also decided not to tell many people. Immediate family and a few friends. Now that I have lost so much weight it is getting more difficult as many are asking. I have told a few more than I did originally but I am like most by telling them I have changed my Diet and Exercise.

I think that each Dr does their own thing, even though they are in the same department. It also depends on the patient.
I was on a 10 day pre-op diet, most people seem to have 5-3 but I am higher BMI. It was hell I won't lie, and I slipped up a little here and there, but I made sure to follow it to the letter on the last 3 days. Dr said my liver was great.
The hospital staff are really nice, from the nurses and the techs to the residents and the Drs. They are very experienced and they act like it. The radiology staff that did my swallow test were very nice also.
Admissions is slow, they try to claim that they aren't but if you have ever done any admissions at BJC it is slow in comparison, because everything at BJC is electronic and they still make you sign papers at Des Peres. So get there a little earlier for everything to accommodate the slow admission times. The admissions staff are all very nice and friendly though.
The whole experience for me has been very streamlined. I went to my first meeting in late April. Saw the Dr in May, Approved in June, Sleeved in July. They focus on this and they have it down. I met with a nutritionist when I did my Psych eval and she was not that informative, the class you take right before surgery really goes over everything you need to know and you have a handbook that you can refer to. It outlines everything you should and shouldn't eat for 6 months. It also talks about Vitamins and OTC medicines. The book you get at this class is really your gastric sleeve bible. If you pay attention in class and read the book on your own, you will know everything you need to know.
I am only 2 days post op. I had my surgery in the afternoon on the 15th, and I was discharged about 24 hours later. As soon as I left recovery and was assigned a room, I went to the bathroom, then walked a lap around the floor. I rested for a few hours then I walked 5 laps, then 10 laps, then 3 more laps over night. Walk, as soon as possible. Walking pretty much alleviates the pain, at least it did for me. I have 5 incisions and no drain. If I didn't have the bandages over the incisions I wouldn't know they were there. I don't feel them at all. When I touch them, there is no tenderness.
I walked into Walmart yesterday to fill my scripts, and today I got a pedicure and want to walmart again.
I'm just kind of rambling now, if you have more specific questions I didn't answer let me know.
I purchased all my Protein and Supplement Superstore. I walked in and told the guys what I needed and why and they showed me the right stuff to get. They are familiar with sleeve patients. They even sent me a thank you card/note in the mail that arrived today.
Also if your insurance covers it, go with the b-12 nasal and Vitamins (they have a sheet, when you get far enough in the process, this will make more sense). You get every Vitamin you need this way. The vitamins are shipped directly to your house and the vitamins melt in your mouth they are pretty tastey and they don't have an after taste. If you hold them in your mouth and sip Water, they melt faster. The cost going this way is 1/2 or less than what you would spend buying all of these vitamins each month. In my case I met my out of pocket in pre-op testing, so they cost me nothing.

So I have made the decision to have the gastric sleeve surgery. I also have decided to be very selective on who I share my journey with. A couple of reasons why I decided to keep my sleeve somewhat secret is mainly because I don't want to deal with other peoples opinions on what I have decided to do with my life during the most emotional time in my life. Some people think that losing weight is as easy as just pushing away from the table and have no idea what it means it means to live a life being overweight and unhappy. I'm not saying that I will never tell anyone what I have done to lose such a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. I am just saying that I want to decide when I want to tell people or share my story when I feel that I am emotionally ready and strong enough to do so. People will judge you no matter what you decide to do in your life. That is a true statement. I just choose to have more control over the negativity that I may be subjected to because of people's lack of understanding. I am not ashamed of my decision and I am only doing this because I feel is best for me and my future. I am already a sensitive person by nature and I feel that after surgery, knowing that my hormones will be all over the place, is a time I want to deal with me and my feelings and whatever buyers remorse I may be feeling at that moment without others people input. I may get to a point to where I do want to share my story and perhaps help someone else, but at this point my focus is on making sure that I am healthy physically and mentally. Please share your thoughts with me.

DIDN'T TELL ANYONE EXCEPT FIANCEE WHO TOOK CARE OF ME, AS OF RIGHT NOW I WILL PROBABLY NEVER TELL ANOTHER LIVING SOUL. MUCH SIMPLER THAT WAY.

So I have made the decision to have the gastric sleeve surgery. I also have decided to be very selective on who I share my journey with. A couple of reasons why I decided to keep my sleeve somewhat secret is mainly because I don't want to deal with other peoples opinions on what I have decided to do with my life during the most emotional time in my life. Some people think that losing weight is as easy as just pushing away from the table and have no idea what it means it means to live a life being overweight and unhappy. I'm not saying that I will never tell anyone what I have done to lose such a massive amount of weight in a short period of time. I am just saying that I want to decide when I want to tell people or share my story when I feel that I am emotionally ready and strong enough to do so. People will judge you no matter what you decide to do in your life. That is a true statement. I just choose to have more control over the negativity that I may be subjected to because of people's lack of understanding. I am not ashamed of my decision and I am only doing this because I feel is best for me and my future. I am already a sensitive person by nature and I feel that after surgery, knowing that my hormones will be all over the place, is a time I want to deal with me and my feelings and whatever buyers remorse I may be feeling at that moment without others people input. I may get to a point to where I do want to share my story and perhaps help someone else, but at this point my focus is on making sure that I am healthy physically and mentally. Please share your thoughts with me.

I'm one of those organized freaks, love being prepared for everything and have it all in the proper place.
So I just started the Soft food stage and my surgeon wants me to have 4 - 5 small (2 ounce) meals a day. So I've been cooking like a fool.....and bought a ton of those little small plastic containers to perfectly fit my 2 ounces meals.
chicken and broccoli in the crockpot, some taco meat, cauliflower casserole..... then put them into the containers so they're perfectly sized (and weighed) meals, then color coded them in my fridge/freezer. LOL
Then there's my Ready to Drink shakes in their own drawer, so I can grab and go.
Don't believe me, see the pics. LOL

Does anyone recommend any Protein powders /shakes over another and where to get free samples? Thanks!