KartMan

Very real! This will be my first ever surgery in life! Ive never even been admitted to the hospital in my whole 28 years of living! But when I got the call yesterday to schedule my health assessment with the anesthesiologist and the surgery schedule is when it got real. I am very nervous since the only procedure Ive ever had was wisdom teeth extraction but Im definitely ready,
I really just think Im nervous about the pain I may feel after the procedure.

For the entire nine months that I've been doing my program, I kept saying "IF I decide to do the surgery...". And then last week I went in for my pre admission appointment, and had the realization that this is really happening and I am going through with it.
i think it's really good for us to note our fears and concerns, and to write about WHY we are having the surgery. It will really help us in those first few weeks after surgery when we start having regrets.

I am freaking out too !! The whole time I was also like " if " I do it. Well I am doing it , this is happening ! I am excited and also very nervous. The only time I have ever been admitted to the hospital is when I had my son . The thing that is keeping me going is looking at clothes I will be able to wear because I looove clothes and fashion and have been living in leggings and tunics for years. I cannot wait to go shopping. I also have been checking out running groups at the YMCA I go to. I am planning to start running and hopefully start doing marathons .. I am trying to keep it positive by thinking of the new me and not worrying about not being able to eat and the pain. But I totally am freaking out too !!!

I've lost over 40 pounds so far, so I've definitely started to overcome my food addiction, which is huge for me. Since I am starting my pre op liquid diet Monday, I am going to treat myself a little this weekend.

It is normal, it's something new and that can be scary.

I had LapBand in 2009 and I can tell you that you have every reason to expect the surgery will go fine. They are really good at this by now and complications are extremely unlikely. But the best part is, life gets so much better. I lost 110% of of my excess weight with the band and it felt wonderful to be a person of "normal" size. After I had it done, new people I met could not believe I was formally obese. My band recently failed, and I feel the weight creeping back up again. Now I am getting the sleeve to get back to that amazing feeling of "normal size" again.

I've lost 30 lbs so far before my September 18 sleeve. My head's in a place where I tell myself i can eat this or that later, few months after sleeve. Ive heard stories about people who have gained weight before sleeve & they then wouldnt do the sleeve for them. I start my 2 wk preop liquid diet on September 4th. Then i hear they can tell if U cheat. Lol think I'll just lock myself in my room. Im not cooking for anyone hubbys on his own ; )

Being able to take my son to an amusement park and being able to actually go on the rides with him instead of waiting for him to get off them. He is only 7 and is too big for little kid rides and needs a seat partner for the adult rides.

I colored my hair yesterday, and I realized that next year at this time, I will be able to use the plastic gloves that come with the kit! Right now they always tear when I put them on because they are so small.

Good news, liver blood test came back ok so I have a new date of 9/7/2017 set.

I had surgery one week ago today! HW 250? Probably got higher.
Sw 234
Cw 227

Good for you! Weight loss is only part of the story. Reducing or ending those comorbidities is equally important.

ZZgg,c c. Ava A. CC. CVz

Right around the corner. It will all be worth it in the end. Best of luck.


Aka_ET

HW-220
Pre-op 194.3
RNY
SD June 16th 2017
CW-172
GW-140
HT 5' 3"


"You may see me struggle but you will never see me quit"

Good news, liver blood test came back ok so I have a new date of 9/7/2017 set.

Good for you! Weight loss is only part of the story. Reducing or ending those comorbidities is equally important.

I always say extra skin is way better than extra fat. Worry about it later. Depending on your age and body type, it might not even be that bad.

Hey Joonburg,
We (guys) are in the minority on this site and most WLS social media. I think the women outnumber the men in terms of getting the surgery and in posting about it. I haven't gotten my sleeve yet (a little pre-op limbo) but I did great with the LapBand back in 2009. Surgery went great and I lost all my excess weight (went from 282 down to 170, I'm 5'11) in the first year. My sister had it at the same time, and I can tell you it was easier for me to lose than her. I think us guys get a little advantage with muscle mass and not having to deal with monthly hormones.

As for anxiety, all I can say is try to relax. It's a quick procedure and the incisions are actually quite small (same for band and sleeve). I felt little or no pain at the incisions and only had minor gas pains. The gas pains aren't typical stomach gas pains, it's in your upper back. Yes it can be quite uncomfortable - but it isn't excruciating and it will go away in a few days. My best advice is walk early and often to help it to dissipate.

Best of luck to you.

I was sleeved 9 days ago so I'm still checking these forums (fora?) and just hit a blast of prayers and letting god handle everything and needed to get back to some sense of normalcy and rationality.
Somehow I made it this far without prayers or god doing a damned thing (except letting me get this fat to begin with! I totally blame that on him.)

It's not the luck of the draw. Surgery gives you a huge potential. If you use it correctly (I'm not saying its easy), you can succeed. Cheating (eating past the sleeve) and living a sedentary life will hinder success.

I had LapBand in 2009 and went from a BMI of about 39 (about 280lbs) down to a BMI of about 25 (about 180lbs). I looked great with that BMI and was also fine at about 28-29 BMI.

Don't fixate too much an the final weight or BMI till you get there. Everybody is a little different. Also, don't read too much into what they say statistically people will lose. You are an individual and have the potential to lose 100% of the excess weight.

Good for you! Weight loss is only part of the story. Reducing or ending those comorbidities is equally important.

I had my surgery on the 16th, as planned. The 2-week pre-op mostly-liquid diet was brutal for the first 6 days, and then it was like a switch was flipped, and it got far more bearable. I now believe it was absolutely necessary for me to adhere to that not just in order to shrink my liver, but to get my head in the right space for what was to come.
I'm now 4 days post-op and feel cautiously optimistic so far. I was able to leave the hospital after one full day cycle, pain controlled with the help of liquid hydrocodone and acetaminophen. I believe this is called Norco, by name brand. I've only been taking it at night to help with restful sleep. It causes terrible dry mouth but is effective for a few hours in relieving almost all discomfort and pain. My pain and gas pain hasn't been terrible, and I feel quite grateful for that. I'd say the incision from which the excised stomach portion was removed is probably the most tender. All together, I have 7 cuts in my belly.
I've moved from Clear Liquids to full liquids, and I am taking my proton pump inhibitor sprinkled in a small amount of apple sauce. The BariatricPal chicken bouillon has been great for me. In addition, I'm drinking fortified chocolate milk made with skim milk, dry powdered milk, and Carnation Instant Breakfast (no sugar added variety). Premier Protein drinks are also a lifesaver. On the Water front, I keep a bottle by me at all times and try to constantly take tiny sips. Anything more than 2 mid-sized sips in a row results in instant pain.
I stepped on the scale yesterday, curious, and I was already down 5 lbs. Yowza! I'm actually trying really hard to get up to speed on full amounts of Protein, water intake, and eventually general nutrition as quickly as possible, as safely as possible. I don't consider this a race to weight loss, but rather a race to maintain a healthy metabolism throughout this long journey. Weight loss will happen regardless, but I really don't want to end up with an abnormally low resting metabolic rate because of near-starvation levels of nutrition for an extended period of time. I have my RMR tested before going on the pre-op diet, and it was 1740 kcal a day.
The worst part about this early recovery time is the boredom! I'm glad I have two weeks from work to recuperate, but I wish I could go do more, out and about. In time, I know. I just need to be patient. I was worried I'd have regrets too, but so far none. I was ready to let go being slave to my appetite. I look forward to a future where I can still sample delicious foods of many varieties, but only in moderate or small amounts. To me, this surgery is a tool to teach me balance and moderation.
Hope everyone else who had their surgery this month so far is doing great!

Yes!!! Remember that health is your goal!

Honestly most of the research is coming out to say your body will stop on its own and you will transition into maintenance. You will gradually increase your calories all along and there will come a point where it's a struggle to lose... like ANY NORMAL PERSON. The last 10-20 will be vanity pounds not health pounds and you may lose them you may not.

And healthy eating and moderation that fits with your body/genetics/ethics and lifestyle will make maintenance easy too IF you listen to your new set point. If you want to lose the vanity pounds, good on you, but the health pounds are most important. No external validation needed.

Worrying about the future is 'borrowing' trouble, you don't want this to be a 'I have to get to goal ' battle or you might feel like a failure if you struggle long and hard to get to a number. So many factors will influence your end goal - health, heredity, lifestyle, etc. So relax and take the journey, appreciate all the steps, and follow the guidelines and be good to yourself. It's not willpower - that suggests you are deficient and have to correct a defect, it's commitment to yourself which is a positive - like committing to school or marriage....good luck.

I always say extra skin is way better than extra fat. Worry about it later. Depending on your age and body type, it might not even be that bad.