deedee

Carolyn, I'm so sorry to hear you had the flu. I didn't get the shot this year either, but think I will this week. Linda, I KNOW you will continue to go down. Well, I am out of town still and have not weighed yet. I will be getting home tomorrow evening and will weigh on Wednesday morning. My hope is that I maintained my weight over this last week, I did pretty well until I came to visit family on Saturday and it's pretty much been a sweet grazing fest. I'll post and let everyone know.

Today when out with family, they stopped at Burger King and I ordered 6 chicken fries. As I was sitting there getting full off of the second one, I looked over at my sister eating a cheese burger and started thinking how good it must taste (remembering the cheeseburgers of my past) and feeling a little sad that I couldn't have it (it just fills me up too much so I only ever eat pieces of the meat). BUT I still would rather be sleeved than have that cheeseburger...it was just a passing thought of sadness and I thought to my self that old saying "nothing tastes as good as thin [and healthy] feels." STILL NO REGRETS!

I had my pre-op appointment following my 3 hour nutrition class in the morning. I couldn't eat or drink all day because of a couple of tests they had to take, so I don't remember everything...just being extremely hungry and thirsty. From what I can remember, they took a few viles of blood, I met with a hospital nurse and she did an ekg and talked about weight loss surgery in general (she was certified in something related to bariatric surgery and had actually had it herself 8 years prior), I had my barium drink and they took pictures of my insides, I registered with the hospital for my stay, and I think that was all (except since I was self pay I also met with the finance lady to go over some things). It was a pretty smooth process and they kept just passing me off from person to person although there was sometimes a slight delay between things. I wish you a smooth easy day!

I had it before surgery pretty bad, at times it would wake me up. During my VSG surgery, the surgeon repaired a hernia and after surgery I began taking a solutab Prevacid each morning. I don't feel any reflux when I am taking it and it's considerably less than before surgery if I run out or forget. I think it's something I will always need. I was also told the RNY was the only one to "cure" it and with the sleeve and lapband, it might cause it or get worse.

Good ideas, I will be recommitting myself fully after I get home late Tuesday night. So Wednesday is my day to begin again. Although I am not home and don't have much say in the available food, I plan to cut out the junk (sweets) because that is something I can control right now. I'm also going to take a long walk this morning. Good luck to all of us...with the help of this great tool, I know we will be successful!

Just wanted to chime in that now at a week shy of 5 months post-op I can drink plenty of water and really crave it again when I'm exercising hard.

Excellent job! I know I'm going to have to bump it up a bit to drop these last pounds. I bought The Biggest Loser Wii game last month and have yet to use it. Hopefully in the new year she can help me out as well.

You've got them!!! I'm so excited your time is here. I can't wait to hear your update after you're on the other side.

Thank you so much! I agree, this is one of the most inspiring forums and keeps me going even when I'm a little down.

My headaches stemmed from not getting enough water that early out (I also wasn't getting in all of my protein, but when I upped my water, the headaches eased). You may want to check in with your surgeon and/or other doctor due to your diabetes and high bp. Keep us posted.

I agree with Tiff. I also used canned tuna and chicken mixed with mayo. I shredded my own chicken in the food processor with a little sugar free teriyaki sauce and shredded cheese.

I'll be sending positive vibes your way on Wednesday.

I was given a lifting restriction of 15 lbs. for the first 4 weeks. As for the weight loss, I've seen (read) that people with more to lose tend to lose faster than "lightweights." My weight loss speed far exceeded anything I ever expected/hoped, but although I was compliant with MY surgeon's post op diet, I did begin adding more carbs back in a lot sooner than others, which probably kept me from losing as fast as I might have.

I too have the skin discoloration in my thighs and always assumed it was from my legs rubbing together like Cajun said. I've been thinking about exfoliating like Tiffykins mentioned, but so far the skin there is still discolored. On a side note, welcome to VST! Everyone here is very nice and supportive so don't worry so much about posting in the right forum, etc. This is the first message board I've ever participated on and I've always felt very welcomed.

I did okay through Christmas, but then came down to North Carolina to visit family and have done horrible ever since. There have been so many temptations that I have not passed by...cake and chips mostly, that I normally do not have at home. I also have not been able to exercise, but plan to walk tomorrow. There is no scale here so not sure of the weight at this point. I figure it is a vacation/holiday and I'll get back to normal soon (which for me always includes some treats/snacks, just not the grazing I've been doing the last couple of days).

That is great news Chandra, CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Shontel, I'm so sorry you are going through this. You are in my prayers, I hope you feel better soon. Vent away and keep us posted.

Excellent job!!!

I wish everyone a very Merry Christmas too!!!

I used her protein ice cream recipes this summer. The ice cream was okay, but I still like it better without protein powder:-) There were many others I wanted to try, I just never got around to it. Let use know if you try any and what you think.

I'm so proud of you and your attitude throughout this entire process and I can't wait to celebrate you making goal...you have totally rocked this sleeve and been such a great support for many of us. GOOD JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome Marci! First off I want to say congratulations for your desire to become healthy for you and your family. Secondly, I'd like to say I very much disagree with your primary doctor. Sorry that the following is sort of long winded. There were many things that began my journey of researching WLS, but the biggest was my desire to start a family. My husband and I tried for a year with no luck. I then went to a fertility specialist and one of my husband's first questions was, "could it be due to her weight?" The RE, poo pooed my husband and it turned out I was riddled with fibroids that had to be removed. After my open myomectomy where they barely managed to save my uterus (I actually have a mesh screen attached) last January, we were scheduled to go back to the RE and proceed in May. In March my husband sat me down and talked to me about how concerned he was about my weight and getting pregnant at that weight. Of course I didn't want to hear it, but unbeknownst to me he had been researching the issue and when presenting me with studies and facts of obesity it was hard to ignore. Although many obese women give birth to healthy babies and remain healthy themselves, like I'm assuming you've done yourself, there are just a lot of risk factors involved. I was quite upset because it seemed like something I wanted for so long was once again out of my reach. But I eventually did have to agree with my husband. This summer sometime I came across a study (trying to find it and link to it, but will edit later), that showed how much better mother and baby did after wls, compared to the pregnancies they had before (it only looked at woman who had babies both pre-op and then again post-op). In the article, or maybe another one, it also concluded that the children born after wls were less likely to be obese unlike their siblings born before mother had the surgery due to womb environment being healthier (it was a pretty significant percentage in my mind). I will try to find these links and add them in later. As for the sleeve surgery working after pregnancy, I don't know why it wouldn't. Part of our stomach is permanently removed and although it will stretch some, if treated properly shouldn't stretch that much. I just believe it will take a lot more willpower than in the early post-op months, but the tool should still be there. Good luck with your decision! If you google, "pregnancy after wls" there is a lot of info (here's one): OAC * Obesity Action Coalition - Pregnancy after Weight-Loss Surgery http://www.weightlosstriumph.com/weight-loss-surgery-reduces-pregnancy-complications-for-mother-and-child.html new link I'm having difficulty finding that study; I believe I originally read about it in a summer edition reader's digest article and then looked it up from there, sorry.

Tracy, that is a good resolution. One of the things that ranks higher on my best decision list than getting the sleeve, is getting my degrees. Stoongal, I'm pretty sure my resolutions will relate to de cluttering/repairing/organizing parts of my home as well. It's sort of sad that we've now been here for 3 years and I still have paper shade blinds up and my great room is only halfway painted while the blinds and paint both sit in closets.

Wow, that's all I can think to say right now. You seem to have one of the most positive attitudes of anyone I have met in real life or online. I'm glad you found us and hope that your doctor is able to get you scheduled when safe...I think if your insurance covers wls, you shouldn't have a problem getting VSG due to your scarring making bypass impossible, and your diabetes comorbidity. Please keep us posted and ask any questions that come to mind.

Great attitude and I like the new name as well!