thesuse2000

You look great - congrats on your success! And cute haircut too.

This is an interesting question. I've suffered from depression a fair amount in my life, but not so much in recent years. I'm sure this is something that varies for different people, but I haven't made any assumptions that losing weight will help me avoid depression. I do think it will help with my overall energy, which is sort of related. I've actually heard that some people can get depressed after surgery because they've lost the ability to use food for comfort. I plan to continue with therapy and just work through things as they come up. I think this surgery is overall good for my physical and mental health, but not a cure-all. I wish you well!

I wasn't allowed to drink water until day two. IV fluids will keep you from being dehydrated. Hang in there - it gets better!

Hi there, I'm hypothyroid, but only 1 1/2 weeks out, so too early to see how that will go. But I'm not overly worried about it - I'll just monitor my levels and tweak as needed. I agree with everyone else that it doesn't seem like a good idea for you to rush into this so quickly when you're still just starting to learn about what this will mean for you. I've thought about the sleeve since I first started having trouble with my band back in 2009, but I still needed about 6 months to prepare from the point that I was seriously ready to do it. As far as recovery time goes, everyone is different, but most seem ready to go back to work in 2-3 weeks. I'm planning to go back on Monday, after 2 weeks, and I think it will be okay. I'll probably still be a little tired, but will try to make my first week a little easier than usual. As far as Vitamins go, I'm taking chewable vitamins from Celebrate. It's really not a big deal. If you're taking vitamins regularly, that should help you manage your anemia, but I'm not a doc and not sure about this one... As far as heartburn, I think everyone is advised to take a PPI after surgery, but I think only 15-20% or so have serious heartburn issues and need to continue these meds longterm. About the food you eat. I know there are some vegetarian sleevers, so I imagine you can create a diet plan that works for you, perhaps including more Protein shakes and such. The

Thanks for sharing this! So funny, yet such a sober reminder to not trust any advertising claims about supplements.

Wow - so awesome! You look so beautiful and happy now. Delightful to see. How long did it take you to recover from all the plastics? That seems like a lot to do at once! Thanks so much for sharing - so great to see your transformation.

I'm band to sleeve, but my story is very different from yours (night choking meant I couldn't keep enough fluid in my band for it to help me) and I'm only a week out from sleeve, so can't compare much at this point. But I think the sleeve will be great for you. Keep in mind, that us revisioners do have a higher risk of complications due to the scar tissue and such. But I'm so glad I did it. Good luck to you.

My POV - it's fine and good for someone to share their personal experience with someone who has asked for input from others, but this line feels inappropriate to me - it's a disturbing thing to say, and an overarching statement about the surgery based on one person's experience; not factual or helpful at all: "this surg is like selling your soul to the devil."

That's disturbing indeed! The rate of complications is readily available, and any good surgeon should talk through the possibilities with you. If one is unlucky enough to suffer from very bad complications I can understand feeling negative overall toward the surgery, but the facts are the facts - the vast majority of people don't have major issues and instead experience a range of benefits from the surgery. I'm sad for that person and what they are going through (whatever it is really; I'm not clear) but it's not cool for them to suggest to you that it's overall a bad surgery, because that's just not the truth. For me - I'm only one week out, but already feeling so very happy with it!

feedyoureye - thank you for sharing all these links!! I'm only a week out from sleeve surgery, but sort of a vet, since I had lapband surgery back in 2008. I'm using this time off from work to learn as much as I can and set myself up for longterm success with the sleeve. This 5:2 method is something I will store away for the future - but I've shared that video with my sister who also has the band and would like to lose more - as well as my parents, who I would love to see benefit from the longevity benefits! So very interesting and cool to learn about the science behind intermittent fasting.

Hi there - I just had revision from band to sleeve on the 16th. I was so freaking nervous too. My husband has a disabling neurological condition and is dependent on me and I was terrified that I would die and abandon him. I started seeing various things as "signs" that I was going to die. Two old friends contacted me on facebook the week before and one childhood friend sent a very heartwarming messages about being thankful for having had me in her life... it probably would have made me cry on a normal day, but the day before surgery it felt like an omen - like she knew. Anyway - I am SO thankful to be on the other side of this surgery now and healing more and more each day. I wish I could promise you the same for sure, but the reality is that there are risks. But most likely you will be just fine - and will be posting reassuring messages for others in a couple weeks.

Hi June sleevers! I had my surgery on the 16th. I didn't go in until 4pm, so it was a looooong day... and I was so scared I was gonna die, I spent time looking at the before/after photos which helped calm me down and keep me positive, but I ended up crying quietly when they wheeled me to the OR. The staff were so nice and reassured me until I was out. I'm so glad it's over!! The first 24 hours were pretty uncomfortable, but not horrible. Didn't have terrible pain, just achy felt hurty with every movement. I was told I'd stay till Weds am, and Tues afternoon it was hard for me to imagine feeling okay by Weds. But then Weds morning I felt SO much better. And each day since has been better still! I get tired and nap every day, but I'm walking around a lot and doing errands and such and feel like a normal person. I'm not having any trouble getting plenty of liquids and Protein in, so that's great as well. Looking forward to progressing with food and establishing healthy habits with my new tool. So ready for this journey. Good luck to the rest of the June sleevers still to come!

Happy to hear you're feeling good! I'm four days out too. I went in late Monday. Felt pretty crappy Mon night and Tues (not horrible, but uncomfortable for sure). But by Weds I felt pretty decent and have improved since then. Did a bunch of errands and stuff today and felt pretty normal! And I'm not having trouble getting fluids down like some do. So I feel very lucky! So glad to have all my fears about the surgery behind me! I think as long as I follow the rules in terms of food progression I should be golden.

Is your Protein intake different on the days when you're more or less hungry? Or the solidness of the food you're eating? Or your activity level? That's all I can think of to consider...

Sorry to hear you're feeling so bad - and agree with comment above, I hope you are in the ER now. Fever is not good.

Does your surgeon know about your past hepatomegaly? If not, I would share that with him/her just to be sure that you're taking the right precautions in prep for surgery. If so - then you should be good if you are following the pre-op diet. I wish you well!

There's the chicken broth unjury as well, which most (including me) find pretty yummy. It also might be worth asking your surgeon/nut if you can eat real food pre-op. I asked and was given permission to do that. So I ate a lot of grilled chicken and veggies. I'm on day 4 post-op now and getting most of my protein from various pureed soups mixed with the unflavored unjury or the chicken broth (or a combo of both).

Wishing you well! I was where you are just days ago and now I'm healing. Take care!

I don't have any personal or professional knowledge about this, but I can tell you that I was a band to sleeve conversion... I had a dilated esophagus and reflux that started with the band and continued even after being unfilled. I was concerned that the sleeve wouldn't work for me because of these issues, but my surgeon assured me that it would be fine. I'm only a few days out, so can't really report on the issue yet, but my understanding generally is that the sleeve does not put the same stress on the esophagus that the band does. Your surgeon is the one who will know what's best for you. I wish you the best!

If anyone has the gaul to say that to me I think I'll respond by letting them know I'm not involved in any weight loss competition with rules against WLS. I'm just making the best decisions for my own health, so cheating just doesn't factor in.

Hi all - I didn't go into surgery until about 5pm Monday. Surgery time was about 2 1/2 hours because I was a band to sleeve revision - there was scar tissue to be cleaned up and a hiatus hernia. First 24 hours were a little tough, just sore and out of it, but today I feel human again! I'm home, drinking fluids pretty well, able to walk around. All is good! Hope everyone else has a good recovery as well!

Beautiful photo and story. You're both glowing and the love is palpable.

I don't think you're gonna die. You just need to baby your new sleeve right now and follow your doc's instructions. I'm sure you'll feel better soon, and then be careful from here on out. If pain is really bad seek medical help.

Wishing you the best on Weds!

Thank you all!! Appreciate the tips, suggestions and support! I've been balancing nervous and excited for a while and today became all about nervous! But I'm calming down and feeling more ready. Thanks - and wishing all the others getting sleeved this week the best as well!