thesuse2000

Wow - I'm jealous of you two! My surgeon advised 2 weeks off. That still feels like a long time to me... I'm with you knitlil09 - I was feeling guilty or worried about taking time off - now I feel entitled to take time to take care of myself (for a change). Shelly75 - as a teacher you're probably on your feet and more physically active than most, so I suppose that makes sense to take more time - that seems much longer than most though! Glad you were able to make it work!

My job is so busy right now - I'm finding that I'm looking forward to my surgery time off! Especially because there's so much I want to read and think about in terms of planning for success with the sleeve - I can't wait to have uninterrupted time to do that. Is that crazy? Anyone out there who actually enjoyed the time off? As opposed to just not feeling great and wanting to be back to normal life and eating solids etc...

Thanks for posting this article - I love it! I'm pre op for sleeve (but post op for band, but never got "thin" with the band). The first item on her list - power - is something I think about a lot, and something I worry will lead me to self sabotage if I don't stay conscious of it. I experienced abuse as a child and I yearned to grow up and get big enough so that I could not be physically dominated and hurt. I know I don't need size, especially fat, to protect me anymore, but psychologically I do think that my size gives me a sense of invulnerability. Like the woman who wrote the article I plan to focus on building strength and muscle as a way to combat this issue. I should think about self defense classes too. Not so much that I'll need it, but I think it will help me feel safe and comfortable at a smaller size. I also love her perspective overall - very positive. I think it's important for us to love our fat selves, even while striving to become thinner.

Hi there - my date is June 16th and I just met with my surgeon last week and learned about the same thing. I assume we shouldn't feel too thirsty, as you mentioned, because of the IV fluids. Fingers crossed!

Wishing you the best for a healthy surgery and recovery!

Yes - another thank you for sharing your story! So glad you're doing so well. I can only hope to have an equally smooth recovery!

I wish you a speedy recovery. Thanks for sharing your experience - it's important for people (especially those who haven't yet had sleeve surgery, like me) to hear the negative stories along with the positive ones. This is serious business. So happy that your husband took care of you and that the problem was found!

So sorry to hear this! The good news is that they found the problem and dealt with it. This is one of the risks of surgery unfortunately, but it was caught and you will heal in time and do great. I imagine the worst is behind you now and positive healing and success are ahead

Thanks for posting! Good to hear first-hand accounts. Glad you're feeling okay!

My surgery date is a week after yours - June 16th, so I'm working on the same question! What I've got on my list so far is: protein shakes (of course) - I've been sampling to try to find ones I like broth V8 thermos for taking cold or hot liquids out as needed various chewable vitamins - I ordered a sample pack from celebratevitamins.com - haven't tried them yet.. I'm concerned about having to maybe travel for work while on pre-op or mushies so I also bought a cooler lunch bag and a food canister - like a thermos but for solid food I look forward to seeing other suggestions. I'm sure I'm forgetting a million things! -Susan

So sorry to hear about your experience! I hope you're able to get past all these issues soon. Are things getting better at all over time? I sure hope so...

Wishing you the best! I'm converting from band to sleeve on June 16th - I'm already nervous! So happy for you that you're about to start on your new journey - You'll do great!

What an amazing accomplishment!! As so many others have said - SO inspiring! My surgery is about 6 weeks away. You give me the hope and confidence that I can do it too!

Elfnow - thanks, I know what you mean! Since I went through that with band. I think the trick for me will be to sustain that. In time I'm guessing my taste for sweets will return, and I'll have to bd careful not to let it sneak back into my diet.

Thanks Hatter - yes, I know exactly what you're talking about! I think I do need to go cold turkey - and be vigilant...

Thank you both!! You make me feel more confident that the surgery will help give me the strength to overcome some of the head hunger as well. Right now if I bought a bag of mini reeces (or snickers is the one I'd choose) it's really hard for me to imagine eating a few and putting it away without majorly obsessing about it. Fingers crossed I lose those sweet cravings too!

Hi all, I've got a surgery date of June 16th to revise from band to sleeve. I did well with the band at first, but then started having night choking issues, had a slip, revision surgery, but then was never able to keep the band tight enough to help - I lost 70 pounds the first year, then gained it all back in the last 5 years since problems started. So - while I blame technical failures to some extent I also know that my behavior was not optimal. I REALLY want to set myself up for success with the sleeve. I'm in therapy and I've joined a monthly group with people who've had bariatric surgery. But wondering how else to set myself up for success. My key issues that I'm worried about are 1 - major sweet tooth and 2 - overeating behavior at night. I know that the sleeve won't help entirely with the sweet issue. I've been working on weaning off sweets before surgery. I'd love to know - are there folks out there who struggled with sweets before surgery and found a good way to deal with it after surgery? Did you (should I) just go cold turkey and swear off sweets completely? Are there any other things that work for people? I would generally appreciate hearing any tips for how to set myself up for success - what has worked for those of you who've done well with the sleeve? Thanks so much! Susan

Most surgeons give a pre op diet - two weeks of shakes just prior to surgery. That may be your best bet! Sometimes dieting just leads to regain so may be best to just wait.

I think you should wait until they make you an offer to mention it. At that point you are negotiating - they are making you a specific offer of salary and benefits and you are making a specific request for time off. No reason to give them the chance to rule you out based on that!

I'm planning for a June sleeve as well! That's the earliest I can take the time off from work. I was hoping for sooner but at this point I'm glad to have the time to mentally prepare!

Aunt GG - which one do you have that you hate? Would be good to know what to think about avoiding... thanks!

24 pounds lost in 2 1/2 months sounds great to me! Try to focus on the positive and give yourself credit for every good decision you make through this. Sometimes when we worry about failing we actually bring it on. I have a similar history and have similar worries about failure. I am trying to prepare myself for losing slowly and just focusing on the longterm and establishing and maintaining healthy habits. No one is perfect all the time, the trick is getting back on the horse after falling off. Wishing you well!

MLSisme - thanks so much for sharing your story!! I'm so happy for you that you've had such great success with the sleeve! And so great for me to hear. I appreciate you also sharing the hard parts. It's good for us all to be reminded that the sleeve is far from a quick fix. I'm looking now for a new therapist who specializes in weight issues or even WLS surgery issues. I want to set myself as well as possible for success. My good news is that I actually got insurance approval this week! So I'm in. For work reasons I'm going to wait until June to do the surgery. That also gives me a few months to really prepare and learn as much as I can. I wish you the best with your continued success and getting acclimated to your new body/life! -Susan

Phatkat - I'm so sorry to hear all of that! Just crazy that your insurance won't cover those costs. I wish I had something helpful to say, but I just don't know... I had my original lap band surgery in Mexico and had a very good experience. That's my only thought for you is that you may be able to get revised to sleeve there without paying as much as you would here without insurance coverage. But still not cheap! Wishing you the best in finding a solution! Susan

I have read some of your posts - but I will take a look at more to understand your history. So great to hear that you had similar issues as me and have had such tremendous success with the sleeve! The acid issue is concerning, but a risk I'm willing to live with. Indeed it is far outweighed (no pun intended) by the risks my weight poses... thanks for your comments!