pnw218

I also used him for myself and family members three times. There was good, there was bad and then there was ugly. If you want to know more, you can read previous posts of mine or pm me.

so well written green bay! : ) and exactly as it should be!

too bad not everyone is like you girl! :biggrin0:

oh Kathy!! You didn't post this! LOL

beware of the posts you will soon get! Hopefully only those who have personally used him will answer - whether they had good or bad or indifferent experiences.

I know you have stumbled across the "other" threads since posting this so you know the drama that can follow : )

Talk to anyone who has used him and then make your own decision. You are the one who has to live with the results of the surgery.

I had a great experience from start to finish. You can read about it at:

http://verticalsleevetalk.com/tell-your-story/3651-mexico-bust.html

I will answer any messages sent to me privately as well.

Good luck to you and anyone else doing research! The sleeve is an amazing tool and I hope it becomes more available and well known to others who can benefit from it!

NIKKI!!! your arms look amazing!

that was my only complaint when I was buying a few new clothes this weekend ... my arms are a little flabby.

Curves will have to do it for me for now tho. Hopefully I can move up to "real" weights in a few months!

GREAT JOB!! you should go on the Oprah show as an inspirational person! We should all start writing her letters!! : )

Thats right you will be having dinner with me in 5 days!!! I cant wait!!

I only have one question ... where are we eating?? I am starving all ready!! LOL

oh! and please make sure the place has a/c ahead of time??? :biggrin0:

I'm 5 months out and I still have trouble eating slower, I wish I could learn to slow down. And yes sometimes it hurts a little if I eat too fast, especially dense foods. And yes fried foods tend to make me gassy, and not having a BM for a few days will do it too!! LOL

LOL Fab! anything else cause gas for you?? : )

You have lost a few more pounds, haven't you?? like about 6?? yea!

It seems to me that someone would really have to go crazy with what they were eating to gain back alot of weight.

I am curious to see how I will do on a cruise next month. I will be 5 months out. I don't think I will be able to eat too much - but do plan to eat dessert with every meal! However, I will also be taking the stairs instead of the elevator : )

My issue now ... is wanting a healthy treat in the afternoons. I was going to go back to the Atkins lo carb bars but they have so many calories! Any ideas what is worse: calories or carbs??

I'm jealous, I haven't a good satisfying burp since my surgery. Maybe thats cuz I don't have soda anymore.

I can do a little soda! Settles better if it is a little flat but it is nummy! It does make me burp tho : ( LOL

I haven't had any gas at all since immediately post op. The only discomfort I have had (other than eating too much or too fast sometimes! LOL) is if I am due or overdue to poop.

sheesh! where else can we talk about poop so easily???

I have had a few fries and bites of burgers. Might sit heavy in my stomach but hasn't caused any real pain or gas.

Good luck! I hope you get it figured out soon!

Seems like there is not alot of solid data because the surgery for weight loss is only about 5 years old.

What I have heard here and read other places is the part that is left is the leathery part that isn't as stretchy as the part they remove.

Regardless, it seems hard to believe that it would stretch quickly. I can't eat alot at a time, 2-3 ounces, unless it is more slider type foods and it still takes me an hour to eat anything over 3.

So - by the time you lose your weight, maybe it will have stretched a little, but you will be in a maintenance mode and eating a little more anyways. We will always have to eat healthier ....

Amazing job Jim!!!! You should be very proud of yourself!!

It is great to hear how many people are able to decrease their meds and medical issues by losing weight. That alone should encourage insurance companies to pay for the surgery. So stupid that many don't. Even for me, with a lower starting BMI, my insurance company has spent well over $50,000 in the last year alone for related issues with my back, sleep apnea, etc. Even my non-related digestion issues have disappeared post-op!

Congrats again on your weight loss and exercise! You are a huge encouragement to others!

me too! LOL

It must just be part of the deal : ) for me, it is mainly after I eat. Some people have said before that they thought it was a signal that they were full.

It is mostly annoying if I am out to eat or with other people. It does disappear after the meal settles.

I am hoping it eventually goes away tho!

thank you

yeah the two of us together = crazyyyy hahaha. even in the stores we make everyone laugh because us together is really just insane.i feel sorry for the hospital staff thats going to have to put up with us LOL. I told her she cant make me laugh cause it will hurt so..we shall see hehe

that is so cool! I miss my gma so much! We were so much alike! Six months before she died, we took an Alaskan cruise - another one of those things she wanted to cross off her bucket list. She wasn't real healthy at the time and had just gotten out of the hospital ... but she still got up at dinner to dance with the waiters during their songs!! LOL I was with her when she took her final breath. It was so very peaceful.

I am glad to hear you have such a great grandma and she will be with you! This surgery is an amazing tool!!

So glad so many changed from lapband to sleeve! Even if it was at the last minute! LOL I changed about a week after I scheduled my surgery .... so glad that I did!

I knew nothing about the sleeve surgery. Started reading about band issues and those who did sleeve instead on another website - thank goodness!

cg ~ are you flying thru Charlotte on the 10th?? I will be there briefly on the 8th and 10th, but probably too late in the day to run into you at the airport.

cg and rebel: Hope your surgeries go smoothly! I am getting very close to a shopping trip in San Diego! Juanito's bf works at the Michael Kors store there .... he promised to dress me when I was done losing weight! Juanito is the English speaking sweet guy who will review your paperwork and interpret for Dr. A. He is truly a sweetheart! If you need anything or have any questions, he is great about getting answers and making sure you are taken care of : ) If you tell him that you are really nervous before surgery, he will also tell the dr so you can have valium in your iv!

congrats 4Me! sounds like you are off to a great start!

I will agree - I was starving for the first couple of days after surgery! Once I was able to have something tho, it helped alot.

hope your recovery continues to go smoothly!

Mommaof4 ~ you are doing very good! congrats on the loss!

texaschick ~ it does get very scary as it gets closer! typical no matter what kind of surgery it is : ) ask for a little valium in your iv, it really does wonders to relax you before surgery!

This is the first time I have an NSV to report. I when on a business trip this week , flew to Mn. by plane, asked as I was broarding the plane for a seat belt extender as I usually have, Sat down in my seat decided to try the seat belt without the extender just to see if it would fit and low and behold it not only fit but I was able to cinch it tighter by 2-3 inched. On the trip home I got daring and tried to put the tray table down (I always try without being able to use it) and it went down flat and I didn't have to force it. I haven't been able to do eithere for more years than I can remember, next time maybe I can get the armrest down to.

Brenda

That is awesome Brenda!! I travel alot, and while I wasn't quite at the point you were, I was feeling squished into the seat and always had to let the seat belt out from the last person who used it!

I am flying again this week and hope to feel "little" in the seat!

Went shopping today at Old Navy. Tried on large and medium shirts, had to go back for mediums and smalls!! Also bought skirts in small. Very amazing!

Thank God for sleeve surgery!

wishing both of you uneventful surgeries and smooth recoveries!

it is amazing "on the other side"!!

Hello,

My surgery is tomorrow, nine days before my 70th birthday. I am a little nervous, but the excitement makes up for that. I have not had a negative word from any of my friends, and I have been very open about the surgery. Our daughter had RNY three and half years ago and has lost over 200 pounds and has inspired many people. My entire family has been supportive, and helpful. My husband has a rare brain disease, and I am a 24/7 caregiver. Very difficult, sad and lonesome at times. But, my family, and many friends are filling in for me, along with hired personell from the company Comfort Keepers. I know I am doing the right thing. I look forward to another 15-20+ years of healthy and much thinner life ahead of me.:001_tt2:

I will keep checking this forum, and perhaps it will be more active. Thanks for listening!!

Congrats to you! I am glad that you are putting yourself first for a little while . And I am sure your husband would totally support your decision, if he is not able to now.

You could easily have 20 or more years left in this world and definitely deserve to enjoy it to the fullest!

Three out of my four grandparents lived into their mid to late 80's ... so I am hoping for the best for myself!

BJean ~ my 2cents. We all kinda grab a goal weight when we go into this surgery. I did try to use some average weight charts for someone of my height and a medium build, and a healthy BMI to pick 128. Will I get there? I have no idea. My goal before I ever considered surgery was just to get back into single digit jeans. I bought 8's yesterday and currently weigh 153. I would love to get into the 130's or 140's. I picked 128 because it sounded exciting. LOL However, I also look at friends who have either lost weight to get that small or have always been that small - and many of them don't look very healthy and/or have lots of wrinkles. I don't want that and will stay a little heavier to avoid it.

My point. Maybe losing 64 pounds is where your body is healthy and happy. I also have Snacks when I want them. I think that is mentally healthy : )

60+ pounds is great! :wink1:

I worked in a pharmacy a long time ago and I remember the pharmacist telling pregnant women who were nauseated when they took their Vitamins to try taking them at night, then they wouldn't notice the nausea so much because it would be when they were sleeping. I don't know how well it works, but it might be worth a try.

very good advice! I remember doing that!

more awesome news Carrie!!

congrats!

Now if my weight loss would just speed up. :wink1:

Hi Lee! haven't talked to you forever!!

and you are kicking my butt with weight loss!! LOL and with your amount of exercise, you are probably in lots better shape! : )

good for you! :001_tt2:

Fewer and fewer companies are offering Major Medical insurance and even then there's no guarantee that you'll qualify. Getting any job right now is difficult and one with great medical is even harder. If you really want the surgery that bad, you may want get ANY job that pays decently (preferably one with tipping) and put aside the money and self pay. Dr. Cottam in Salt Lake is doing the Vertical Sleeve Plication (see it on youtube) for an out the door price of $6900, I know this as I called his office this last week, as my best friend's in your position. The plication has no staples, the stomach is folded in on itself and stitched, really safe and short recovery time. That's not unreasonable, and includes everything. He's one of the only surgeons doing Plication in the US and is a top surgeon to boot, he's trying to get a base of people to help get the plication covered by insurance. He's not charging for his actual surgery services to do this. It's a great opportunity. The actual cost is $6375 but there's a $500 blood work up and Admin costs. so I just rounded up to $6900 with the hotel cost on the front end. But that doesn't include Airfare but you can shop that and get it cheap. Everyone's finances are different but just thought I'd put that out there.

Can you confirm "folds it in on itself"?? Do you mean he tucks the extra inside the stomach?? If so, interesting. And the flap that would then be inside the stomach doesn't cause any issues??

Will try to find it on youtube.

I think his basic list of things to change is good and is similiar to changes I have made to reduce my stomach pain.

I can't comment on the raw milk issue and would overall say that moderation is typically the key. You could try most of the things on the list and see if it helps. I was taking 1 or 2 20mg omeprazole prior to surgery. Now I am taking only 1 and rarely feel like I "need" to take it. Not ready to wean off of it yet tho.

There are times that "regular" milk is calming for your stomach and other times will upset it, depending on the issue. I drank very little milk prior to my sleeve, mostly because I was usually lo carbing. Now I drink it and have no issues at all.

Regardless of what you do with the natural remedies, I definitely think a new medical dr is a good idea. I would want to slap him. In fact, I haven't chewed anyone out for a long time and am probably overdue ... what's his name and number?? LOL

Be proactive : )

It is finally officiall!! I am down 40 pounds exactly since surgery day!

The last week or so the scale has been teasing me for sure! Has been bouncing between 153.6 and 154's. After having two really good BM's yesterday (LMAO), I just "knew" that today would be the day! The scale didn't disappoint me and I was so happy to see 153.0 this morning!

I am flying to Alabama on Monday night; will go to my son's family day at the airfield on Tuesday afternoon; and then to his flight school graduation on Wednesday morning. He had better notice or else! LOL

On Wednesday night, I am having dinner with Samantha! Will give her a last minute pep talk, it will be ok, don't be nervous chat. :wink1: sleep thru the first two days ... then all will be good. LOL

I have been eating green salad now for about a week. I am so very happy! I have missed salad so much! It will make lunch so much easier! And also going out to eat. I can get a side salad and then just sneak bites from everyone else!

Clothes ~ Size 8 !!!! Went shopping yesterday for clothes for the trip. I must say tho that I am not excited about 100 degrees!! Only bought one pair of capris. Can dress them up or down for the 2 events. I also bought several nicer tshirts in mediums and larges.

I have been going to Curves. So far so good! My upper MRI came back with minimal issues. Dr is hoping that strengthening of the upper back/shoulder muscles will help. The lower back is doing great! Altho, history shows it only takes one bad move and it is out. I am being careful tho, squatting and not bending, not twisting, and not lifting anything heavy.

So, life is good! :001_tt2:

I will be spending most of July in a swimsuit so hoping for a little more firming in the hip area but other than that, all is well!

Sorry Bryan, I have not been online very often lately!

I think it is Mini-Me who goes to a support group up in Everett?? I will do a quick search next and then send you a pm. I actually live south of Seattle.

More good ideas! thanks!

I had to buy something yesterday to wear to my son's graduation on Wednesday. I ended up at Walmart ... bought a size 8 pair of capris ($7) and several nicer tshirts ($3.5-$7). The shirts were all Med or Larges. Darn bust line is not getting smaller at all!!! LOL I also got a new pair of danskin workout capris and a matching tank top. Anything that was looser, I got in a medium. The tighter shirts I got large.

My teen daughter is very adamant that I will need a reduction. LOL Funny, as tight as these young girls want to wear their shirts and show off cleavage!! Not ok for mom tho! haha!

Stephanie ~ good idea about the slits! I am thinking that would be cute for summer!