Seija

Checking in

Surgery Status: ~4 weeks Post Op VSG (July 27th)
Phase: week 2 soft food (tomorrow I am able to start regular food)
Highest known weight: 241
Surgery weight: 229
Current Weight: 211
NSV: Some of my office slacks are fitting better, and even a bit too loose in some areas. I can also see a big difference in my face, especially when comparing photos side by side.

I have been stalled on 96kg / 211lbs for almost a week now, but I am not too bothered since I fully expected this based on others' experiences. The hardest part for me has been the morning nausea and some lightheadedness. Otherwise, I keep on keeping on.

Checking in

Surgery Status: a bit over 6 weeks Post Op VSG
Phase: regular food (but don't tolerate all of it well)
Highest known weight: 201.5
Surgery weight: 201.5 (didn't need a pre-op diet)
Current Weight: 177.0
I'm getting discouraged because although I'm THRILLED to have lost 24 pounds since surgery, I've been at roughly the same weight for 3 weeks now! I've heard of the 3-week stall . . . could that be what's STILL going on with me, even at 6+ weeks PO? My calorie intake is usually around 600-700/day, and I get close to 60g Protein in every day. I also get nearly the amount of Water I should daily, and stay under 20 carbs/day. Am I doing something wrong? Please tell me I'm just in a (very long...) stall and the scale will start moving (downward!) soon!

I am just shy of a week post op sleeve and everything has gone really well. Drinking 1-1.2L Water daily and eating babyfood/yoghurt/cottage cheese since the day after surgery without any nausea or vomiting at all. I was also nervous about taking pills the very next morning after surgery but they went down just fine. My preop diet energy was wayyyyy lower than now.
It's still early days for me so I have no idea if it will always be this smooth sailing (physiologically speaking) and I find myself still having anxiety about future issues, definitely in large part stemming from the posts on this forum. But at the end of the day, like @Officially Not Fatty Matty pointed out, I imagine that there is a disparity in problematic/ advice posts because there is more value in that in terms of getting help and support in the community.
I wish you all the best with your surgery and my tip is to write a list of your Why's and goals to refer to when you feel the doubt and anxiety kicking in to help keep the right perspective. If you've worked towards the surgery for so long, you obviously know it is right for you, and the anxiety - though totally normal - is probably just nerves about uncertainty and the unknown.

Hi! I had my surgery late July (27th) so I'm 10 days post op. This is how things went for me:
Day of surgery
The surgery took 1.5 hours, and I spent an additional 1 hour in the recovery room. I was only nauseous immediately after waking up but it went away quickly. When I got back to my room, I slept for a while. After about an hour I was able to get up and walk around, use the bathroom, and drink Water. This made me a bit dizzy and nauseous and I felt weak. I tried to walk around every hour or so but all I really wanted to do was sleep. Most of the pain was in my back and chest. Pain level was 7/10 so they gave me more painkillers for the night. I slept on and off throughout the night, waking several times to use the bathroom, have a walk around my room and a few sips of water.
These were definitely the hardest hours of the entire recovery. It took quite a bit of concentration and strength to get myself out of bed each time. I never experienced any nausea or vomiting, just some dizziness when walking or standing up for more than 5 minutes.
1 day post op
The next morning I felt much better, pain level 5/10. Was able to drink a lot more, walk around the entire ward, have a shower and take 2 pills orally (1 for stomach, 1 for pain). Most of the pain was more of an aching in my back and upper chest, and an extremely sore abdomen. My husband said the color in my skin was back to normal and I was generally in good spirits.
I was discharged at 11am and when we got home (to our hotel) is when the shoulder pain and gas pain started to kick in. I noticed that it helped a lot to drink hot peppermint tea and broth, as well as to lie down flat on the bed. Once I would get up and walk around some more, though, the shoulder pain would come back. I walked around as much as I could because I had read that, although painful, it's the quickest way to get the gasses out and recover.
That afternoon I also had my first meal: about 2 tbsp of babyfood puree. Went down fine. It was also the first time that evening that I noticed my belly rumbling a lot and making noise. Slept through the night without waking up just fine.
2 days post op
Pain level was just a 2 or 3 this morning with some gas and shoulder aching. I spent the day taking small walks, napping and alternating ice water with hot broth and tea, and had about 100g of babyfood puree throughout the day.
3 days post op
No real pain on this day, just soreness in the abdomen and some dull ache in the shoulder every once in a while. I had some Greek Yoghurt in addition to the babyfood and that went down well. Could feel a lot of rumbling happening in my belly. Also had my first BM!
4-5 days post op
This is when I finally started to feel some hunger. But after having just 2 or 3 teaspoons of yogurt or puree, my stomach felt very full and this would last for 3-4 hours during which I could focus on getting my water in.
I comfortably traveled home (1.5 hr flight + 1 hr train) on day 5.
Present (10 days post op)
No pain or discomfort, just some soreness around my incisions that I notice a few times a day. Energy levels are fine unless I try to do something physically demanding - then I get wiped out very quickly and need a nap or a rest.
I am continuing to take omeprazole every morning and have 1 more day of blood thinner injections left. Eating around 50g of puree food, 5-6x a day.
Highest weight: 241 lbs
Surgery date weight: 228 lbs
Today's weight: 216 lbs

Hi! I had my surgery late July (27th) so I'm 10 days post op. This is how things went for me:
Day of surgery
The surgery took 1.5 hours, and I spent an additional 1 hour in the recovery room. I was only nauseous immediately after waking up but it went away quickly. When I got back to my room, I slept for a while. After about an hour I was able to get up and walk around, use the bathroom, and drink Water. This made me a bit dizzy and nauseous and I felt weak. I tried to walk around every hour or so but all I really wanted to do was sleep. Most of the pain was in my back and chest. Pain level was 7/10 so they gave me more painkillers for the night. I slept on and off throughout the night, waking several times to use the bathroom, have a walk around my room and a few sips of water.
These were definitely the hardest hours of the entire recovery. It took quite a bit of concentration and strength to get myself out of bed each time. I never experienced any nausea or vomiting, just some dizziness when walking or standing up for more than 5 minutes.
1 day post op
The next morning I felt much better, pain level 5/10. Was able to drink a lot more, walk around the entire ward, have a shower and take 2 pills orally (1 for stomach, 1 for pain). Most of the pain was more of an aching in my back and upper chest, and an extremely sore abdomen. My husband said the color in my skin was back to normal and I was generally in good spirits.
I was discharged at 11am and when we got home (to our hotel) is when the shoulder pain and gas pain started to kick in. I noticed that it helped a lot to drink hot peppermint tea and broth, as well as to lie down flat on the bed. Once I would get up and walk around some more, though, the shoulder pain would come back. I walked around as much as I could because I had read that, although painful, it's the quickest way to get the gasses out and recover.
That afternoon I also had my first meal: about 2 tbsp of babyfood puree. Went down fine. It was also the first time that evening that I noticed my belly rumbling a lot and making noise. Slept through the night without waking up just fine.
2 days post op
Pain level was just a 2 or 3 this morning with some gas and shoulder aching. I spent the day taking small walks, napping and alternating ice water with hot broth and tea, and had about 100g of babyfood puree throughout the day.
3 days post op
No real pain on this day, just soreness in the abdomen and some dull ache in the shoulder every once in a while. I had some Greek Yoghurt in addition to the babyfood and that went down well. Could feel a lot of rumbling happening in my belly. Also had my first BM!
4-5 days post op
This is when I finally started to feel some hunger. But after having just 2 or 3 teaspoons of yogurt or puree, my stomach felt very full and this would last for 3-4 hours during which I could focus on getting my water in.
I comfortably traveled home (1.5 hr flight + 1 hr train) on day 5.
Present (10 days post op)
No pain or discomfort, just some soreness around my incisions that I notice a few times a day. Energy levels are fine unless I try to do something physically demanding - then I get wiped out very quickly and need a nap or a rest.
I am continuing to take omeprazole every morning and have 1 more day of blood thinner injections left. Eating around 50g of puree food, 5-6x a day.
Highest weight: 241 lbs
Surgery date weight: 228 lbs
Today's weight: 216 lbs

Hi! I had my surgery late July (27th) so I'm 10 days post op. This is how things went for me:
Day of surgery
The surgery took 1.5 hours, and I spent an additional 1 hour in the recovery room. I was only nauseous immediately after waking up but it went away quickly. When I got back to my room, I slept for a while. After about an hour I was able to get up and walk around, use the bathroom, and drink Water. This made me a bit dizzy and nauseous and I felt weak. I tried to walk around every hour or so but all I really wanted to do was sleep. Most of the pain was in my back and chest. Pain level was 7/10 so they gave me more painkillers for the night. I slept on and off throughout the night, waking several times to use the bathroom, have a walk around my room and a few sips of water.
These were definitely the hardest hours of the entire recovery. It took quite a bit of concentration and strength to get myself out of bed each time. I never experienced any nausea or vomiting, just some dizziness when walking or standing up for more than 5 minutes.
1 day post op
The next morning I felt much better, pain level 5/10. Was able to drink a lot more, walk around the entire ward, have a shower and take 2 pills orally (1 for stomach, 1 for pain). Most of the pain was more of an aching in my back and upper chest, and an extremely sore abdomen. My husband said the color in my skin was back to normal and I was generally in good spirits.
I was discharged at 11am and when we got home (to our hotel) is when the shoulder pain and gas pain started to kick in. I noticed that it helped a lot to drink hot peppermint tea and broth, as well as to lie down flat on the bed. Once I would get up and walk around some more, though, the shoulder pain would come back. I walked around as much as I could because I had read that, although painful, it's the quickest way to get the gasses out and recover.
That afternoon I also had my first meal: about 2 tbsp of babyfood puree. Went down fine. It was also the first time that evening that I noticed my belly rumbling a lot and making noise. Slept through the night without waking up just fine.
2 days post op
Pain level was just a 2 or 3 this morning with some gas and shoulder aching. I spent the day taking small walks, napping and alternating ice water with hot broth and tea, and had about 100g of babyfood puree throughout the day.
3 days post op
No real pain on this day, just soreness in the abdomen and some dull ache in the shoulder every once in a while. I had some Greek Yoghurt in addition to the babyfood and that went down well. Could feel a lot of rumbling happening in my belly. Also had my first BM!
4-5 days post op
This is when I finally started to feel some hunger. But after having just 2 or 3 teaspoons of yogurt or puree, my stomach felt very full and this would last for 3-4 hours during which I could focus on getting my water in.
I comfortably traveled home (1.5 hr flight + 1 hr train) on day 5.
Present (10 days post op)
No pain or discomfort, just some soreness around my incisions that I notice a few times a day. Energy levels are fine unless I try to do something physically demanding - then I get wiped out very quickly and need a nap or a rest.
I am continuing to take omeprazole every morning and have 1 more day of blood thinner injections left. Eating around 50g of puree food, 5-6x a day.
Highest weight: 241 lbs
Surgery date weight: 228 lbs
Today's weight: 216 lbs

Stats:
Male, 6’4” (193cm for the more enlightened)
46 years old.
All time known high weight 356lbs (161.5kg) (approx June 2013)
Surgery weight 334lbs (151.5kg).
Self pay, Dr Galileo Villarreal - Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, June 12, 2020 $4400 all in, VSG & hiatal hernia repair.
Current weight 194lbs (88kg).

This turned out to be way too long… sorry.

The idea of having surgery wasn’t anything I ever really gave any thought to. I did the lifetime attempts at diet and exercise without success. The lowest weight I ever achieved was 285 when I hiked almost daily in the mountains surround Las Vegas. But like all my other attempts, things changed, I got tired of the same thing, and put it all back on plus some (yet again). Fast forward to 2020 and my wife looks at me and asks “have you ever thought about gastric surgery?”
“Well, not really but I’ll look into it.”
I don’t recall exactly how long I researched, I know it wasn’t long. One day, maybe two? I knew my insurance wouldn’t cover it at all, so self pay was my only option unless I wanted to wait and change to a different plan (I’m impatient so that wasn’t happening). Anyway I live near Houston so I started looking at the border towns in Mexico and came across the website for Dr Galileo Villarreal in Nuevo Laredo. I made a phone call to his assistant who handles US patients and had an appointment set for two weeks later (for the procedure, not just a consultation). The next few days I mostly looked at before and after photos and was really excited about the possibilities. I don’t worry about much in general(why worry about what I can’t control?) so I didn’t bother reading too many horror stories. I understood that people who have problems are far more likely to post, seeking guidance/solutions than people who cruise through easily. I did look up complication statistics and that alone completely eliminated any worries that may have existed. I watched several videos of the procedure (I was interested to see what’s going to happen to me) and that too brought me comfort, seeing how quick and relatively simple the procedure was. Traveling to Mexico also didn’t bother me in the slightest. The way I figure is a doctor either cares or doesn’t, it doesn’t matter which side of the border they happen to be on. The one obvious downside to surgery in another country is “what if something does go wrong?” But again realistically I knew that was unlikely and it’s not like I couldn’t walk into a hospital once back home to get care for anything I might have needed.
I spent the next few days having tons of food funerals. I reveled in the experience and really went crazy with the Cinnamon Toast Crunch, smoked brisket, homemade carbonara Pasta (I even found some real guanciale), more Cinnamon Toast Crunch… you get the idea..
My pre-op diet arrived via email. It was sparse and consisted of things like cream Soup, Protein Drinks, electrolyte drinks etc. I had seven days of this before surgery. This was - by far - the worst part of the whole experience. Day one I was good. Day two I was pacing frantically. Day three I cheated and hated myself for it. Day four was a little better. Days 5 & 6 I had resigned to the lifestyle and at this point I was so giddy with excitement about the surgery I didn’t care anymore about the food as much.
I was fortunate with my timing in regard to COVID. The border was still open and there were no issues about that, I was a little surprised that the Mexican Border Guards didn’t even care to see my passport or ask any questions. I was just waived through, barely given a glance. I arrived at the hospital a few minutes later to begin the pre op blood work and physical.
This is where I had my first moment of “oh shit.” It was late in the day and apparently the normal nurse who handled the blood draw had already left. So this nice young man was assigned to get my blood. He takes me into a small room and I could tell he was really scared. We had an obvious language barrier but I kept pointing to a big thick vein in the crock of my elbow that you really can’t miss. I’ve had enough blood drawn in the past, no one has ever missed it first shot. He was literally shaking and sweating all over my arm. I kept pointing and saying “aqui” but he would get the needle close then pull it back and look around and sweat some more. It was a good ten minutes of this and I was starting (just starting?) to get a little worried. Again, I could tell he either never did this or rarely so I didn’t assume this was a sign of how it was all going to go (it didn’t, it all was fine after this). Eventually someone must have recognized there was an issue. Another nurse came in, looked at the obvious vein, and popped that needle in.
I wouldn’t know if my blood work was ok until the next morning, so they drove us to the hotel (which was included in the price) and we went to bed.
The next morning they picked us up and brought me back to the hospital. I checked in, got word that my blood work was fine and I forked over the cash for the procedure ($4000) plus a $400 deposit in case I had a hernia that needed to be repaired.
The hospital was very nice. Beautifully decorated, polished marble walls and floors. As clean (to the naked eye of course) as any hospital I’ve been in. It was small, but appropriately sized for the area it served. It was not a dedicated Bariatric facility, just a typical public hospital.
I actually enjoy the experience of being put under anesthesia and I wasn’t nervous at all so I declined the sedative and just went for it. The weirdest part was the staff asking me questions through google translate on their phones. Dr. Villarreal and his assistant spoke perfectly fluent English but the pre op staff had a lot of questions to ask. Even though they spoke some English and I spoke some Spanish, when it comes to translating medical related stuff it was definitely better using the app, it was just a little surreal.
I was wheeled into the OR, greeted again by Dr. Villarreal who asked if I wanted any music played (I did) and I went under listening to some classic rock.
I woke up in moderate pain, but nothing too bad. I was brought to my room where my wife was waiting for me. The first few hours I just relaxed in bed. Eventually I was given some ice chips to suck on and allowed to get up with assistance and go to the bathroom. Things were tender but I don’t recall being in a lot of pain. Walking was a slow shuffle and I was given permission to do laps around the hospital. I met a couple other people who had the same procedure the day prior and we nodded and smiled knowing we were on the same journey together. They were nice moments and I hope they’re doing well. Later in the day I did a barium swallow to ensure there were no leaks. It tasted like shit (sorry), and I got to watch it on the monitor. It was pretty interesting to see. Doctor visited me several times, and I asked if he had video or photos of my procedure, and he sent me some cool pics of my removed stomach and of my hernia and repair. I was given an antibiotic pill. I had read enough “no pills after surgery” posts here that this gave me concern. The pill was literally the biggest pill I have ever taken in my life. It was an inch long and thick. I pointed at my stomach and said “esta bien?” and she nodded and so I took it. It went down fine, didn’t hurt or anything. We stayed over that night which was more walking and ice and eventually electrolyte drinks and some Jello. I was given a bag of pills, more of those giant antibiotics, anti nausea meds, and some non-opioid pain pills. They wheeled me out where my car was waiting for me and we started the drive home.
The drive home the next day was about five hours total, we took our time. Getting into the US took an hour or so, but wasn’t an issue. One thing I took particular notice of on the ride home was just how many restaurants there are. I was obviously hyper focused on food and I was dumbstruck at the endless strip centers filled with high calorie options. Just endless.
I’ll speed things up here….
The first week was fine, some pain in my left arm that scared me. Spoke to the doctor and he explained that gas left over in the abdomen can rest on the diaphragm which can translate into left arm pain. He advised the typical “walk it off” prescription and sure enough that fixed it.
Food intake was slow but I didn’t care. This was much easier than the pre op diet even though it was essentially the same. Broths, Gatorade, Protein Shakes. By week two I was feeling great and ready for mushy foods. Cottage cheese was my friend. By week three I felt normal. I starting having a scrambled egg here and there and that’s when I began to feel the restrictions. The first meat I tried was around week three, I had some ground chicken with seasoned salt and it was pretty good and didn’t bother me.
I visited my regular doctor a month or so in and he was happy with my weight loss. My back doctor was also happy and we both were hopeful it would fix my back issues (spoiler it didn’t completely).
One year out I still have zero hunger. I had one spell in December where I thought it returned and it was disappointing and scary. It only lasted a few days and I don’t know what caused it. It really felt like the MORE I ate the hungrier I got and if not for physical restriction I would have eaten myself out of any other normal “diet.” Fortunately that’s gone and I’m back to no hunger, one year out. But im prepared and ready should it return.
There are no significant stories or details for the rest of my journey. I’ve been very fortunate that I’ve had zero problems. No foods have bothered me, I did not get sick, my tastes didn’t change (my eating habits did but not due to bad foods no longer tasting good, Cinnamon Toast Crunch is still awesome but I just don’t eat it any more except a couple pieces here and there). My main drinks are coffee, diet Mountain Dew and Monster Zero Ultra (the white can). I’m not going to pretend that I’m a model citizen of this forum. There are plenty of things I eat and drink that I probably shouldn’t. I’m in maintenance mode now and still losing (very slowly) even though I’m eating garbage like peanut m&ms to try and up my calories without increasing capacity. I know there are better options but I like them and it’s working fine for me. I don’t take Vitamins like I should but I just had my one year blood panel done and all my labs came back in the middle of the normal range so no worries on that front. Somehow my Vitamin D is normal for the first time as an adult. Again, don’t look at me as a guide, but it is what it is and I think it’s important share what is working.

I’ve included two screen shots of some graphs I used in a spreadsheet. The first is simply my weight loss over time. The second is a rolling weekly average using the past seven days. So each point on the graph looks back seven days, takes that weight, subtracts the current day’s weight. “I lost 2.4 lbs the past week” etc. This graph highlights stalls, and recovery from stalls etc. so you can see my weight loss was really fast at first. The big stall during the holidays where I didn’t gain or lose. For me this graph was more useful as sometimes I felt like I was stalled but the graph proved otherwise.

Here is a breakdown of my loss at 30 day intervals. Don’t compare me to you or to anyone else. There are over 7 billion of us and we’re all unique.

Day 30: 29.2lbs
Day 60: 46.0
Day 90: 63.5
Day 120: 74.6
Day 150: 92.1
Day 180: 102
Day 210: 103 (holidays/long stall)
Day 240: 113.6
Day 270: 120
Day 300: 129.5
Day 330: 135
Day 360: 138.8

Conclusion and final thoughts:

For some of us this journey IS the easy way out, and I honest to God don’t care. Im happy and healthy and I’d do it again without hesitation. I want people on the fence about having the procedure to know that. It’s easy to get lost in the problems people post about. Those problems ARE REAL and do happen. But I really think there are a lot of us out there for whom this journey has been easy, you just don’t hear from us as often. People who are having a difficult time need advice or want a solution so it’s natural and helpful to post questions about those problems. But it does skew the impressions towards the negative.
I wish I did this years ago. I don’t know why I never even thought of it. I guess it was one of those things I thought was reserved for medically necessary intervention. But you know what? I had a BMI over 40. It was medically necessary. I’m VERY lucky that at age 45 I was not on a downward spiral health wise, but it could have started any day. My wife’s dad was a “big guy” too, and was active and worked hard. Then one day, diabetes. Another day, bad knees. Another day a stroke. He had the sleeve AFTER these things and did lose weight but he can’t walk, can’t enjoy life, he’s miserable because he waited too long. Don’t wait. If you need to lose weight do it now. Figure out a way that works for you. Surgery is relatively safe, with far fewer complications than doing nothing and assuming you’ll just always be a healthy “big person.” But it’s not the only solution. Whatever it is that works for you, make it happen.
I know I won’t live forever and I know I can regain and I know lots of bad things could be lined up in my future.
But today I feel great.
Today I’m happy.
Today I look at myself and I see the me that I always knew existed. It’s the most wonderful feeling. I hope from the bottom of my heart everyone here will feel it too…..

….But I know not everyone will. My wife for example. Surgery has done nothing for her. 20lbs in a year. And she DOES follow the plan. For those of you in her situation who are probably cursing me and telling me to shut the f up, I get you. And I’m sorry. Don’t give up though. We’re all here for you; this forum is a great asset. We want you to succeed. Vent, cry, scream out, ask a million questions, we hear you. Just don’t give up.

I had mine a few days before you and also struggle with hitting protein and water goals in the day. Seems impossible! Have you tried having broth or warm tea / warm water with lemon for hydration? That went down easier for me than cold water during the cramping stomach days.

No problem at all and thanks!
I think my experience was quite average. You can also have a look at the July 2021 thread for some more surgery stories. Some have had more challenges than others but overall it seems to be a very safe and tolerable experience 😊 It definitely eased my mind to read everyone's experiences here as well.

Huge huge thank you for this, it has really helped, so glad you are doing well xx

Thanks @seija for your input. I think I’ll keep calling weekly and pray that there is a cancellation! I’m glad to hear that I might be ok for clinical since that one is the hardest for me to get out of.

Best of luck to you (and everyone else). I’m so excited to see what the next couple of months have in store for all of us!

I was sleeved 27th July and have had a pretty textbook, easy recovery. Having said that, on day 3 post op I think I would really struggle with a full 8 hour day of studies. It's mostly the gas pain and shoulder pain that made things really uncomfortable and require a lay down every few hours.
It could be done if you are also lucky and your recovery is easy but it will surely be exhausting so you'd probably need a solid nap every day to cope. If at all possible to take the sick days from class, or do it from home and break it up into shorter sessions, I would highly recommend that.
I'm just a little over 1 week post op and would say that your upcoming clinicals in 2 weeks should be no problem (if your recovery is fairly easy, of course). As long as you prepare well with food and are able to stay on top of your Water intake.

Yes, I am flying home today (day 5 after surgery). I booked a bunch of extra days (my bariatric team recommended just 2 nights after surgery) because I was scared of flying while unwell. But honestly I could have comfortably flown on day 3 or even 2.
Right after surgery and on the first day after surgery I was freaking out about how terrible I felt and I couldn't imagine I would recover well enough to travel within a week, but it really does improve exponentially everyday.
Having said that, I had a pretty textbook surgery, no complications, and Water + babyfood was going down without issue for me on the very next day after surgery. My biggest struggle was the gas pain and shoulder pain (from the gas) and overwhelming tiredness.
It is good to let your surgeon know you are traveling so soon so they could provide you with compression stockings, anticoagulant injections, or stronger pain killers just in case.

I also had mine the 27th! And have struggled with small panic attacks the night before and morning of surgery as well as immediately after when I realized oh my God what have I done, I just had my completely normal healthy stomach removed... And I have had feelings of regret often, especially when waking up in pain. But my bariatric team prepared me for these feelings and said it is to be expected and very normal to feel that way. They had me write a list of all the things I look forward to, my goals, and why I am doing this operation in the first place. Consulting that list when I feel bad really really helps and snaps me out of that dark place!
So maybe you can share with us what are the top 3 things you look forward to most?
Mine are:
1. to be able to hike and run and kayak and do all the outdoorsy things I have been or felt too fat to do
2. to buy clothes I actually like, not just what fits or is "slimming"
3. to be healthy for my loved ones

I also had mine the 27th! And have struggled with small panic attacks the night before and morning of surgery as well as immediately after when I realized oh my God what have I done, I just had my completely normal healthy stomach removed... And I have had feelings of regret often, especially when waking up in pain. But my bariatric team prepared me for these feelings and said it is to be expected and very normal to feel that way. They had me write a list of all the things I look forward to, my goals, and why I am doing this operation in the first place. Consulting that list when I feel bad really really helps and snaps me out of that dark place!
So maybe you can share with us what are the top 3 things you look forward to most?
Mine are:
1. to be able to hike and run and kayak and do all the outdoorsy things I have been or felt too fat to do
2. to buy clothes I actually like, not just what fits or is "slimming"
3. to be healthy for my loved ones

Had surgery 27th 14:00 and I am experiencing all those things + serious right shoulder pain. That is actually the worst thing for me now. It is so sharp and makes it difficult to do anything. But I do think it is normal and can't wait to feel better.

Thanks for the reassuring reply ❤️ @eholmes89
Every encouraging reply helps right now.

Had surgery 27th 14:00 and I am experiencing all those things + serious right shoulder pain. That is actually the worst thing for me now. It is so sharp and makes it difficult to do anything. But I do think it is normal and can't wait to feel better.

Thanks for the reassuring reply ❤️ @eholmes89
Every encouraging reply helps right now.

I have my VSG booked for 27th July -- impatiently counting down the days 📆🤩 Meanwhile I am doing all the research I can on how to best prepare myself mentally for this huge change.
What is everyone else up to in these exciting weeks before? @MoreThanWords @Steveo2ray @CzarinaQ @motherofboys @LizzLosingIt @Sammys_VSG_Evolution @laurenantics @Karriekuddles

I think it's so interesting that most of our concerns and prep revolve around What will I eat? and When will I be able to eat normal stuff again? as our primary concern 😅 That is definitely the first place my mind went when I was learning about the process, too. I think it is so telling of the fact that we are indeed food addicts and food takes up so much space in our life.
I have been preparing by taste-testing Protein Drinks (hate em all so far 🙈), organising my schedule to avoid any big commitments right after surgery, and doing all the research I can by reading, finding IG accounts to follow, watching YouTube videos, etc. I am trying to learn from other people's experiences as much as possible for tips, tricks, how to do the right things and how to avoid the pitfalls.
I have also been looking into doing some kind of workbook or something for developing new coping strategies since food won't be there for me anymore. Struggling to find anything for bariatric patients specifically, just general ones on anxiety, depression, etc... But will let you all know if I do find something useful!

I think it's so interesting that most of our concerns and prep revolve around What will I eat? and When will I be able to eat normal stuff again? as our primary concern 😅 That is definitely the first place my mind went when I was learning about the process, too. I think it is so telling of the fact that we are indeed food addicts and food takes up so much space in our life.
I have been preparing by taste-testing Protein Drinks (hate em all so far 🙈), organising my schedule to avoid any big commitments right after surgery, and doing all the research I can by reading, finding IG accounts to follow, watching YouTube videos, etc. I am trying to learn from other people's experiences as much as possible for tips, tricks, how to do the right things and how to avoid the pitfalls.
I have also been looking into doing some kind of workbook or something for developing new coping strategies since food won't be there for me anymore. Struggling to find anything for bariatric patients specifically, just general ones on anxiety, depression, etc... But will let you all know if I do find something useful!

I know what you mean about the tricky balance between loving to do heavy research but trying not to psych yourself out too much. I am the same way! Have scoured every platform online for as much info as I can find, and even watched the full length VSG procedure on YouTube 🙈 I actually added "Will you use reinforced stitching over the stapled sleeve?" to my list of questions to the surgeon before I realised that I need to pull back and chill out 😅

I think it's so interesting that most of our concerns and prep revolve around What will I eat? and When will I be able to eat normal stuff again? as our primary concern 😅 That is definitely the first place my mind went when I was learning about the process, too. I think it is so telling of the fact that we are indeed food addicts and food takes up so much space in our life.
I have been preparing by taste-testing Protein Drinks (hate em all so far 🙈), organising my schedule to avoid any big commitments right after surgery, and doing all the research I can by reading, finding IG accounts to follow, watching YouTube videos, etc. I am trying to learn from other people's experiences as much as possible for tips, tricks, how to do the right things and how to avoid the pitfalls.
I have also been looking into doing some kind of workbook or something for developing new coping strategies since food won't be there for me anymore. Struggling to find anything for bariatric patients specifically, just general ones on anxiety, depression, etc... But will let you all know if I do find something useful!

I think it's so interesting that most of our concerns and prep revolve around What will I eat? and When will I be able to eat normal stuff again? as our primary concern 😅 That is definitely the first place my mind went when I was learning about the process, too. I think it is so telling of the fact that we are indeed food addicts and food takes up so much space in our life.
I have been preparing by taste-testing Protein Drinks (hate em all so far 🙈), organising my schedule to avoid any big commitments right after surgery, and doing all the research I can by reading, finding IG accounts to follow, watching YouTube videos, etc. I am trying to learn from other people's experiences as much as possible for tips, tricks, how to do the right things and how to avoid the pitfalls.
I have also been looking into doing some kind of workbook or something for developing new coping strategies since food won't be there for me anymore. Struggling to find anything for bariatric patients specifically, just general ones on anxiety, depression, etc... But will let you all know if I do find something useful!

I have my VSG booked for 27th July -- impatiently counting down the days 📆🤩 Meanwhile I am doing all the research I can on how to best prepare myself mentally for this huge change.
What is everyone else up to in these exciting weeks before? @MoreThanWords @Steveo2ray @CzarinaQ @motherofboys @LizzLosingIt @Sammys_VSG_Evolution @laurenantics @Karriekuddles

I have my VSG booked for 27th July -- impatiently counting down the days 📆🤩 Meanwhile I am doing all the research I can on how to best prepare myself mentally for this huge change.
What is everyone else up to in these exciting weeks before? @MoreThanWords @Steveo2ray @CzarinaQ @motherofboys @LizzLosingIt @Sammys_VSG_Evolution @laurenantics @Karriekuddles