bigsoutherngal

When I had my surgery I was slow to the draw. I also had complications. But I stayed at the same weight for almost a month!!! During that time I was eating nothing. No shakes either. My body was rejecting everything. So how could I not eat for 4 wks and survive and not lose weight? Iv fluids first of all and second my body was in starvation mode. Eventually I lost weight about 6-10 lbs a week depending on my participation in exercise. Now almost a year later I am down 129 lbs. You will get there! Each journey is different.

I was in Arkansas and I had my surgery there. Now I live in Idaho.  

Well I am almost at a year and doing fantastic. My original weight was 291 and today I weigh 158! I am a whole new me and so much more confident. Plus people that have never paid attention to me do now. Jobs are even easier to find. It's so sad that weight changed the word perception of me. How vein is our world?? Anyhow I am loving it.  

Dear Black Betty,

My doctor went in and widened that part of my stomach because I had the same symptoms as you and it fixed EVERYTHING. He said it only had only happened to one other patient before me. I also can burp a lot better now too. Not as well as I should, but better. I hope you get better soon as well. I know that feeling of hopelessness and not being able to eat anything.

So I have my story to tell. I started thinking about weight loss surgery in 2008. I finally did it February 25,2014. It was a ROUGH ride. If there is a 1% chance of something going wrong, I am the 1%!. So I kept throwing up and nothing would stay down. Not even fluids. Finally after 10 days they hospitalized me. They released me after fluids and sent me home. I went back to throwing up so 3 days later the doctor asked for further testing and an EGD. Apparently the bottom part of my stomach was too narrow and was not digesting. So he went in and widened it a little. The throwing up finally quit and I was able to burp. I am not totally miserable now. Don't get me wrong, it is not a breeze now, but it is way way better! I was at 291 when I started this process and as of two weeks ago I was 186.5. I can actually cross my legs. (Something I have not done in 15 years) I was a size 24 and pushing a 26. Now I am a size 16. I was in a 3x before and pushing a 4x and now I wear an XL! I have also went from a 42DD to a 36C. (I know personal, but measurements count to me) I cannot believe the changes in my life. Men pay attention to me now, I am more confident, I feel better, and I am working on energy. I am still having problems with dehydration and kidney function, but it is better than it was. All in all I am sooooooo glad I did this. I did not feel that way the first month, but now I do. I recommend that anybody that wants it to weight their options and make sure you know that is not an INSTANT fix, you still have to diet, and know the risks. I was well informed and still found surprises along the way. I still have troubles with fattening food. I still like doughnuts. I just have an easier time saying no now that I have been through what i have been through.

We are all nervous before hand. It is a major surgery! I am two weeks out from my gastric sleeve and sometimes I am still nervous. The surgery is not terribly painful. Probably the first three days is the worst on pain. For me the hard part is that I am soooooo thirsty and before surgery I would just guzzle a bottle or two of Water, that is impossible now unless I want to throw up. You have to take small drinks and sips. Things will get brighter!

So I am a week out from surgery. It has been the roughtest week of my life. I think this might be right up there with taking care of a sick baby! I am not really hungry. Sometimes I smell stuff and want it, but rarely. Most of the time the smells make me nauseus. I really have held down not much of anything since surgery. A couple of glasses of milk here and there, Water here and there, that sort of stuff. I am having trouble with trapped air in my stomach. Since I do not burp really often, it ends up with the hiccups. But if I don't get the hiccups then I puke. Apparently the air everytime you eat or drink is normal. But if I can only take down about 2 sips and the rest is air, then what kind of nutrition am I getting? I have spread all of my meds and Vitamins out to 4 different times to take because I can only take about 2 Vitamins and nothing else will go down. I know this will all ease and I will get better, but it seems awful right now. There is times I question my choice, but then I get on the scale and I rethink that. I have lost 15lbs in a week! I guess I just keep pushing and there will be a light at the end of the tunnel! LOL

Thanks elf for your support.

I'm in Bentonville had surgery in Dallas 12/17/13! Much cheaper for self pay vs dr roller.

Luckily my insurance covered most of it. I had some copays, but not too much considering how much it costs. How is your surgery going so far?

I am from Little Rock. Sleeved on April 23 by Dr Gibbs. Down 75 pounds so far

I was searching for people in Arkansas and found your post. I too am having the sleeve February 26 by Dr. Gibbs. How are you doing now?

February 25!

I go see Dr. Baker at 8:30 tomorrow morning. Someone give me a heads up. What is a consultation with Dr. Baker like? I am so praying he will say I can have the surgery.

How is everyone doing since their surgery?

I am in NWA and in used Roller, but I'd think as long as you're under 450lbs you should be Ok... I only lost 7lbs preop and that was about 8 months total! Just wasn't as motivated I guess... Had too many food funerals! I was 239 the day if surgery

I am Rogers, Ar and I am using Dr. Roller. My surgery date is the 25th! How was your experience with Dr. Roller? (Actually Dr. Kwon is doing it, but he is with Roller Weight Loss too.)

I'm from Rogers AR. Almost 2 years out, sleeved in MX Dec 6th 2010.

I am from Rogers, Ar too! About to be sleeved Feb. 25

How is it going so far? I know you are only 1 day post op, but I hope all is well! Keep us posted!

So I have been thinking about surgery for many years. In february of last year I really jumped on the ban wagon of doing it! So here I am a little over a year later and my surgery date is February 25! I am on my all Protein Shake diet (yuck) and I have known people that have had bariatric surgery, but only one that has had sleeve. I am looking for someone who either has had this journey or is beginning themselves on this journey on or around my surgery date. Any southern state will do. Anybody want to go on this journey with me?

Final stretch before surgery...protein shakes (yuck) but I am excited!

So I am in the final week before my surgery. I am getting very nervous, but very excited at the same time. This is the thinnest I have been in awhile and I have not even done surgery yet! I have lost 6 pounds in the past week and this is only my third day of the Protein shakes. I have tried man, but I find that I only like 2 of the shakes so far. I like the coffee flavored (go figure since I am an avid coffee drinker) and I like the chicken Soup. The rest are gross! But I guess coffee in the morning and chicken in the evening is not too bad for a couple weeks...Anyhow, I am glad to be on this journey and sharing it with all of you who are also beginning the journey or on it now.!!

So I am 36 years old and I have tussled around the idea of surgery for about 10 years. I really only get serious about it a couple of years ago. Finally last year I put it into motion and it has been a LONG LONG LONG journey with a lot of tears and frustrations. BUT, I have a surgery date now! I am having surgery February 25! I am so excited. I currently weigh around 270 and my goal is 165. I was 291 when the journey began. I start my preop diet February 7 and I am a little nervous. But I can't wait to share more and more of my journey as it comes!

I finally have a surgery date. February 25th! WOW! I am soooo excited!

I have been submitted to insurance and I am told my date is in January, but no exact date yet. The doctor is supposed to call me for preop. They say I will know after January 3! I am so impatient. Is tomorrow January 3? LOL.

My doctor (Dr. Roller/Roller Weight Loss in Fayetville, Ar) sells samples. But I found that Bariatric Advantage will send you samples if you ask. I am sure many companies might do this. There is certainly no harm in asking.

I think that maybe you guys could continue being friends as you are changing. One of the problems you do have after a surgery like this (so I have been told by many) is that your emotions ARE all over the place! I am not saying do not have a relationship, but maybe tell him that you want to take it SLOW, maybe the pace of a snail slow. Tell him you are on a journey right now and if he wants you then maybe he can go down this journey with you. I wouldn't say get rid of him though either just because you are emotional. What you have to do is weight the pros and cons to not only him, but a relationship in general at this point. Your success strictly depends on you at this point, so do not make him a crutch to you feeling better about yourself. I guess what I am babbling about is to tell you is not to make him a your next addiction. If he loves you, he will wait for you.

I have a suggestion. We all have to admit that we have an eating problem or they would not have approved our Psychological review for the surgery. But the real problem lies in WHY we have that problem. So I was encouraged by a therapist to not only write down my diet, but maybe my story in general. My life story. We need to get out what is bugging us. Mental preparation is just as important as physical preparation! I have to get down to why I am depressed and eating so much. It is not just that "I like food." It is way more than that. Yes I am a chef and yes I like food, but there are chefs out there that have a passion for what they do and they are not overweight. Why? Because they do not have the desire to keep eating when they are full! So now that I have admitted that I have a problem, I have decided to tackle my life history to get to the root of the problem!

Hope things get better. Keep us informed so that any of us that are about to surgery know what to watch out for.

So I ordered my vitams. The first Vitamins I had were by Celebrate. My doctor gave them for free. So when I went back to order my post op vitamins since I am having surgery I went with Bariatric Advantage. I got the calcium chews from Bariatric advantage and a Multivitamin. The Calcium chews were raspberry flavored. They were terrible. There is no refunds, so it was $20 down the drain. I wrote the company and they sent me samples of their other chews. THey are ALL terrible! I do not recommend them! For the vitamins they were mixed berry and though they are not as terrible as the chews, they are not good either. I like my first vitamins I got through Celebrate. But today after trying the French vanilla multivitamin through Bariatric advantage we DEFINITELY have a winner! So the only thing I have yet to figure out is the calcium. The Iron tablets I have are grape and they are good.

I am new to this. I was part of the old lap band forums and then they changed to here. I have been thinking about surgery for a long time, but last year I finally put it into motion. I was approved for a gastric sleeve since I did not qualify for the other two. I will be having surgery sometime in January. I don't have an exact date yet, just January. I should know soon though. I just wanted to say hi and intruduce myself. My name is Stephanie, I am 36, and I am a single mom of two beautiful kids age 6 and 14. I can't wait till my surgery. I am not blind I know it will not be easy and I have to still exercise and watch what I eat, but I am ready to get that extra edge that the surgery provides.