Sparkles!!

Like you, I had decided to break my cycle of weight-loss insanity and do something I had never imagined doing: gastric sleeve surgery. It wasn't an easy choice, and the work you put into it isn't easy either, but it's worth it. As of today, I'm three weeks out of surgery, and haven't regretted it. There's still a long way to go, but I finally feel like I have a real chance at doing this. So good luck on your journey, and trust yourself to do it, because you absolutely can!

I will turn 70 this year so I'm not getting any younger. The last 10 years or so have been really difficult physically because of my size. I am an outdoors type person, love to hunt and fish and each year it has just became more difficult. I fished a bass tournament with my grandson who is a teenager and I could barely get in and out of the bass boat. All of my life I've been active, played sports, climbed ladders to work on my house, cut firewood, etc. but my extreme size plus age has pretty much ended all that. Frustrating to say the least. At one time a couple of years ago I thought, "well, I'll just give up and become a couch potato." but the more i thought about it I figure- that was just an early death sentence so here I am, 3 weeks from surgery, one week from beginning the pre surgery diet and realizing if I don't do it properly, this is probably my last chance. Would appreciate your prayers.

Thanks for the input. She is settling down in her new job and staying with me a few weeks during the transition. I can pay for it if she wants to have it. She is kind of surprised by how little I eat. But she knows where I was, and where I am now. I'll keep the ball in her court. I thought that just being a good dad was the best course, but glad to get the insight from others (esp. the ladies).

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Hi! I was in the same place you were: the closest thing to surgery I ever experienced was wisdom teeth removal.
Waking up sucked. A lot. But it was manageable. I was able to walk a bit within a few hours, but it didn't feel good. The first evening was not very pleasant, and I was unable to sleep for some reason - even when they gave me a sedative shot. But once they gave me the shot, for whatever reason it eased my discomfort drastically, and from that point on any pain was pretty minimal. By the next morning my dad and sister were surprised at how much better I looked.
Some of the other ladies that had surgery the same weekend weren't quite as fortunate. My advice would be to make certain you stick to the pre-op diet (if you're given one) pretty religiously and really prep yourself in advance by cutting out all caffeine, carbonation and most sugar long before you go in for surgery. You don't want to be going through withdrawl at the same time you're recovering, and I honestly think that played a big role in why I've healed up so nicely.

Hi! I was in the same place you were: the closest thing to surgery I ever experienced was wisdom teeth removal.
Waking up sucked. A lot. But it was manageable. I was able to walk a bit within a few hours, but it didn't feel good. The first evening was not very pleasant, and I was unable to sleep for some reason - even when they gave me a sedative shot. But once they gave me the shot, for whatever reason it eased my discomfort drastically, and from that point on any pain was pretty minimal. By the next morning my dad and sister were surprised at how much better I looked.
Some of the other ladies that had surgery the same weekend weren't quite as fortunate. My advice would be to make certain you stick to the pre-op diet (if you're given one) pretty religiously and really prep yourself in advance by cutting out all caffeine, carbonation and most sugar long before you go in for surgery. You don't want to be going through withdrawl at the same time you're recovering, and I honestly think that played a big role in why I've healed up so nicely.

Hi! I was in the same place you were: the closest thing to surgery I ever experienced was wisdom teeth removal.
Waking up sucked. A lot. But it was manageable. I was able to walk a bit within a few hours, but it didn't feel good. The first evening was not very pleasant, and I was unable to sleep for some reason - even when they gave me a sedative shot. But once they gave me the shot, for whatever reason it eased my discomfort drastically, and from that point on any pain was pretty minimal. By the next morning my dad and sister were surprised at how much better I looked.
Some of the other ladies that had surgery the same weekend weren't quite as fortunate. My advice would be to make certain you stick to the pre-op diet (if you're given one) pretty religiously and really prep yourself in advance by cutting out all caffeine, carbonation and most sugar long before you go in for surgery. You don't want to be going through withdrawl at the same time you're recovering, and I honestly think that played a big role in why I've healed up so nicely.

Hi! I was in the same place you were: the closest thing to surgery I ever experienced was wisdom teeth removal.
Waking up sucked. A lot. But it was manageable. I was able to walk a bit within a few hours, but it didn't feel good. The first evening was not very pleasant, and I was unable to sleep for some reason - even when they gave me a sedative shot. But once they gave me the shot, for whatever reason it eased my discomfort drastically, and from that point on any pain was pretty minimal. By the next morning my dad and sister were surprised at how much better I looked.
Some of the other ladies that had surgery the same weekend weren't quite as fortunate. My advice would be to make certain you stick to the pre-op diet (if you're given one) pretty religiously and really prep yourself in advance by cutting out all caffeine, carbonation and most sugar long before you go in for surgery. You don't want to be going through withdrawl at the same time you're recovering, and I honestly think that played a big role in why I've healed up so nicely.

Hi! I was in the same place you were: the closest thing to surgery I ever experienced was wisdom teeth removal.
Waking up sucked. A lot. But it was manageable. I was able to walk a bit within a few hours, but it didn't feel good. The first evening was not very pleasant, and I was unable to sleep for some reason - even when they gave me a sedative shot. But once they gave me the shot, for whatever reason it eased my discomfort drastically, and from that point on any pain was pretty minimal. By the next morning my dad and sister were surprised at how much better I looked.
Some of the other ladies that had surgery the same weekend weren't quite as fortunate. My advice would be to make certain you stick to the pre-op diet (if you're given one) pretty religiously and really prep yourself in advance by cutting out all caffeine, carbonation and most sugar long before you go in for surgery. You don't want to be going through withdrawl at the same time you're recovering, and I honestly think that played a big role in why I've healed up so nicely.

You might be able to check-in, etc. by yourself, but I can pretty much guarantee you'll need someone to pick you up from the hospital. Aside from that, you should be okay.

I had my surgery in April of this year... went to the doctor last week to find out how my new lab work came back..
last year my cholesterol was 196, this year is 169
last year my a1c was 6.5, this year is 5.6
not sure what my fasting blood sugar was last year, but this year it was 98! My fasting number was always the hardest for me to get under control...even back years ago when I was on insulin and metformin, I still could never get it in the "normal" range...so seeing that 98 was fantastic... almost as good as seeing on the lab report in black and white "the patient is no longer diabetic"! Woohoo!!
That had to be the best non-scale victory for me to date!
My blood pressure was 106/64. I'm off my prilosec. I've gone from size 22/24w down to 16/18w in pants, shorts and bathingsuits.. shirts I can wear just regular XL and L instead of the 1X & 2X's that I had been in. My shoes are all falling off my feet..even my flipflops are too big lol. And soon I may need to get my wedding and engagement rings resized... that's crazy.. I was in a panic before surgery trying to get them off. I hadn't been able to get them off in at least 3 years. Now they're spinning on my finger all day long. And I went from the large fitbit band to the small one!

The most awkward moment for me is also one of the most joyful moments since my WLS.
It was when me sweatpants fell off while catching a 42" Striped Bass from the surf of the Raritan Bay.
I was the only woman surf fishing during the sunrise when I found myself chest high in the salt Water with only my new blues undies on.
As awkward as it was, the men on the beach were wonderful, jovial, retrieved my extra shorts from my car and were willing to take a solemn oath (the cross your heart and hope to die kind) NOT to take any pictures.
By the way?
I caught the fish!

Like you, I had decided to break my cycle of weight-loss insanity and do something I had never imagined doing: gastric sleeve surgery. It wasn't an easy choice, and the work you put into it isn't easy either, but it's worth it. As of today, I'm three weeks out of surgery, and haven't regretted it. There's still a long way to go, but I finally feel like I have a real chance at doing this. So good luck on your journey, and trust yourself to do it, because you absolutely can!

People are killing police officers. Police officers are scared and some are trigger fast. Terrorists are gunning down people in nightclubs and running families down with trucks. College campuses are under attack, high schools are using metal detectors.
Innocent people are losing their lives around the world because of senseless hate.
Yet here we are, on this forum, worried about who is eating crap, drinking and smoking four days post op? People are fighting about straws, about carbonation, about f'ing popcorn? People are pointing fingers, cyber stalking, name calling, accusing, getting defensive, cursing at, reporting, conspiring against... All because they don't "like" someone they never met?
I'm not crying innocent, I'm certainly no angel, but I am tired. In light of all that is happening in this world, is a post that can easily be skipped, or a poster who can be ignored, really worth all this nonsense?
Personally, I'm done. Have at it, folks. Do what you want to do. Live your life, eat what you want, ask for advice and love it or hate it, take it or leave it. It's your choice.
While you're doing all that? Hug your kids, call your mother, text your best friend, smile at a stranger, give a homeless guy a gift card for a meal, take Cookies to a neighbor, pay the toll of the lady behind you...
Tell your loved ones how much you care about them and take a minute to care about a stranger, too.
Spread a little love. Please.

Like you, I had decided to break my cycle of weight-loss insanity and do something I had never imagined doing: gastric sleeve surgery. It wasn't an easy choice, and the work you put into it isn't easy either, but it's worth it. As of today, I'm three weeks out of surgery, and haven't regretted it. There's still a long way to go, but I finally feel like I have a real chance at doing this. So good luck on your journey, and trust yourself to do it, because you absolutely can!

When you make it through a tiny space without your body touching on either side, and then have to go back and do it a few more times just to relive the moment.
I call this maneuver a "sideways" limbo.

Glue and invisible stitches for me as well, and they're healing quite nicely. My surgery was on the 9th.

Glue and invisible stitches for me as well, and they're healing quite nicely. My surgery was on the 9th.

Do you ever have that moment of clarity where you step back and wonder "what the hell did I just do?". I had that moment and came to rant about it.
I had sleeve surgery on June 1st and since then:
- My clothes don't fit anymore. I went to wear my favorite shirt yesterday and it was TOO BIG!!!
- People keep telling me I'm looking great. The nerve of some people!
- I don't snore anymore. How am I supposed to annoy my wife while I'm asleep??
- I'm wearing size 38 pants now. I wore those in HIGH SCHOOL! I'm basically a high schooler now!!!
- My gentleman's sausage looks twice as big now. That's like twice as much to disappoint my wife!
- I don't sweat anymore. It is the middle of summer and I don't sweat even when I work out.
- My feet never hurt anymore. I used to have terrible foot pain and it is GONE!
I think I need to go sit in a quite place for a while and relax now.

@@hbrhonda - I am 14 months post and I have never stopped eating out with hubby. he likes to eat out a lot. I am just more selective and get to eat a couple of meals out of one. We order a la carte items for me. I occasionally have a drink but that doesn't mean I cannot drink Water, unsweetened tea or coffee.
Maybe you need to get some newer things to do while enjoying getting healthier with hubby. When you go to the concert at the park walk around, sip some SF flavored water (you can be the designated driver) and eat some post VSG friendly type food that BOTH of you would like: sliced cheese, meats, etc.
Why watch him eat when you go out? I found out that my hubby felt guilty that I had so little to eat compared to his plate. Chew you food slowly, put the fork down, don't drink while eating, basically s-t-r-e-t-c-h out your meal to finish closer to the time he is done
Buffets offer a lot to choose from, you don't have to eat ALOT of anything so just get a bite of this or a bite of that.
Food = fuel for the body, think of it that way and re-evaluate this situations and see if you can change not only his view, but yours as well, as what "a good time" can be.
Sharing food is part of socializing, and post WLS as a patient, you adjust and move on...don't expect everyone to want to do a 180 degree change (baby steps).
You got this!

@@Oak Park Lorena, I'm single too. When I have to go it alone on the holidays I use the time to catch up on the books, movies and tv shows that are so ridiculous or awful that I refuse to admit to watching/reading them. This way no one can prove it, short of confiscating my e-reader.

@@Oak Park Lorena, I'm single too. When I have to go it alone on the holidays I use the time to catch up on the books, movies and tv shows that are so ridiculous or awful that I refuse to admit to watching/reading them. This way no one can prove it, short of confiscating my e-reader.

Like James, I never feel alone because I always have myself. And I'm the coolest person I know. I've been single for almost 20 years and wouldn't have it any other way. I never have to compromise on what to do over holidays (or any other day for that matter). No Inlaws, no office parties, no going places I don't particularly want to go to, etc. I get to do whatever I want to do. Tomorrow I'm going kayaking and hanging out on the river with my dog, Sunday I'll go horseback riding, and Monday I may go to the parade and craft show or I may just hang out at home or I may go horseback riding again. Depends on what I Feel like when I wake up that morning.
For me, being single means freedom, flexibility and lots of self indulgence . As for holidays in general, I don't have fond feelings for too many of them. My brother died on the 4th of July, his birthday was the day before Halloween, my first serious boyfriend broke up with me on Valentine's Day, my grandma died on New Years Eve, two good friends died just before Christmas, Easter was the last holiday I spent with my best friend before his suicide, and one of my dogs was killed on Labor Day. So for me, I don't really make a big deal out of any of the holidays.....there's not many left to Celebrate anyways.

@@waterwoman thanks! I've noticed that typing lots of posts makes it harder to eat!

I guess I never feel alone because I have myself. And my self keeps me pretty occupied. I am putting together an off grid solar array system this week. I put all the parts on the table and stare at them, read the instruction manuals, slowly like osmosis all the pieces seem to come together in my mind, and then I put it together and see if it works.