notsofluffy

Hi,

Sure is great to know that you are close by. I live off of River Road out in the Santa Clara area. I worked for 24 years for the Eugene 4J School District. And I was the secretary for all the nurse's in the school district. Small world isn't it? I am retired now. I also have a business where I teach 1st Aid and CPR to people in the community. Where do you work as a nurse?

Take care,

Suzanne

I am actually a Regional Corporate Nurse for an Assisted Living Company out of WA. So I travel up and down the I-5 Cooridor frequently. Between my traveling, the mini meals and the fact that I am Gluten Intolerent, food is rather challenging for me. I sometimes find myself eatting snack foods instead of real meals.

My step mom is on here somewhere too. We where sleeved at the same time with Dr. Aceves, she went down for emotional support then decided to get sleeved. So she took my bed on day 3. She looks great!

Tracy

Hi,

Wow yes very small world. I have a girlfriend who lives in Creswell, and I went back down to Mexicali with her after I was sleeved. So now there is 3 of us who live in this area. He is fabulous. I am always posting things about sleeves and Dr. Aceves. Maybe we all can get together some time and have lunch.

Thanks for the note. I am excited to always find others who have had a sleeve. We have a lot in common.

Hugs,

Suzanne

Suzanne;

I have been trying to find sleevers for a while now. Weird that their are 2 others in my backyard! I had an outstanding experience in Mexicalli with the staff at the Hospital. I have given several people that wanted to have their's done in the US the advice to see Dr. Aceves instead. As a nurse I probually hear too many negative things about weightloss surg in this country.

Where abouts are you in Eugene? I'm off Bailey Hill Rd.

I was also sleeved by Dr. Aceves in Mexicalli and live in Eugene! Such a small world!

Loosing the 30 lbs before surgery shrinks the liver and removes some of the fat around your internal organs. It will make the surgery MUCH safer for you. It is very difficult as I remember but, worth it. Good luck!

I know this is a late respnce to the last posting on the thread, but I wanted to share in case someone else worries about being 400+ and how the VGS works. I was sleeved in April 2010 and had to date lost 137 lbs, a mere 7 lbs from my 1/2 way point. I did gain 4 lbs over Christmas, but lost it + another 8 since then. The one thing that ALWAYS kept me from being successful in dieting prior to VGS was binging after a bad day. With the sleeve I can't do that, so it's easy to bounce back to the diet.

I have been a nurse for 10 years now and have seen many people with the R&Y who have not had a good time with it, including one co-worker nurse that ended up on IV feeding tubes because Kaiser made her stomach too small and her bypass too short. I have not had any complications from my surgery and it continues to do great things for me. Even if I plateau at 300lbs, I am still so much better then I was at 450. I have a life again.

My 2 cents.

Thanks for all your input. I hope I remember to address everyone's comments.

I have had my hormones checked. My thyroid is fine. My testosterone is in normal ranges. My estrogen is really high, and my Vitamin D was very low. I take prescription Vitamin D. I'm not on birth control, and I haven't tried any type of hormone. I did try Rogaine but it absolutely sets my scalp on fire!! I am one of the rare few that can't use it. :lol0:

I was just hoping against hope that once I get the sleeve and lose the weight, it might magically grow back. I'm so embarrassed about my hair loss. It is really BAD. I don't go in public without my hairpiece. Very, very few people even know it's not my hair. I just wish I didn't have to wear it at all. There are so many times when it's a problem...airports, Disney World, when I had an MRI (metal clips so I couldn't wear it), the beach, when I do have surgery, etc. etc. It's just so humiliating. :lol0:

I have researched and researched, there's really nothing that will help me. I was just hoping that maybe some have experienced regrowth after weight loss.

I totally know the feeling! I started loosing my hair when I hit 28 and was diagnosed with PCOS at 30. Other weighty women in my family also lost their hair starting at around 30, more pronounced for us as we have very thick hair when we are young. I have noticed that after the initial increase in Hair loss after surgery, it did slow ... alot. It seems thicker now then it did before, but I'm not sure if this is true or not. I'm hoping some will grow back soon.

Hey!

I'm a PCOS-er myself and started my journey with VGS at near 450lbs. I found that I plateau much more then my step-mom who had VGS at the same time without PCOS. I also have to fight cravings much more then she did, though those are GREATLY reduced then pre-surgery. I have found that drinking is the most important thing I can do to increase the weight loss; also sticking to my Metformin and Spironolactone, I tried to take myself off and found myself looking at a 2 week plateau that only stopped after restarting the medications. Also eating a specific intervals helped me, especially in the last week as I have lost over a pound a day.

Has anyone found that the emotional swings related to the hormones are much less since surgery?

I did a lot of research prior to my sleeve since I thought I was both Soy and milk intolerant. The best alternative I found was from Jay Robb (www.Jayrobb.com), he has a very simple Protein Powder with less then 5 ingredients. His normal whey Protein Isolate protein proved to me that I was in fact NOT intolerant to milk, just the highly processed regular whey powders. He also has an Egg-White protein powder as well that has no milk, gluten, or soy. He sweetens with Stevia, so no fake sugar either. Can be mixed with Water, juice, milk, soy/rice/hemp milk. I enjoy either regular milk or unsweetened Tempt Milk, I found that the pre-sweetened rice/soy/hemp milks make it too sweet for me. I really like the vanilla with a little OJ, tastes like an Orange Julius.

Hey April Sleevers!

I am doing OUTSTANDING! A bit more Hair loss now, was hard to notice at first since I was already loosing due to PCOS, but it's been speeding up of late. Handfulls of hair down the drain, I think that was my last couple of pounds of weight loss.....

I am down a total of 115 lbs since the pre-op diet! I am wearing clothing I haven't worn since college, pants are all falling off! I have been out staining the deck of my new house, gardening, and landscaping. No offical exercise, but I speed walked to the store for dinner tonight, up a steep incline, down the block and then back up stairs back to my hotel room. No SOB, no pain...... in May that would have taken me 20 minutes, oxygen, and 4 ibuprophen! :001_tt2:

Blood pressure is down from 180/95 to 130/60 and blood sugars are down from 120's to 80's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Has anyone noticed being able to fit a lot more in your pouch now? Compaired to last month?

Hello. If you mean who was my doctor, it was Dr. Alberto Aceves in Mexicali at the Almater Hospital. He was an amazing man and had an amazing crew. I highly reccommend him and would go back to the Almater Hospital for any other procedure. Hope this helps.:biggrin0:

ME TOO! I love the staff at Almater, well except for a couple of nurses on the weekend, but I don't think anyone else would have noticed the minor issues I saw unless they where also a nurse (Like I am). I am down 100+ lbs! I have a quite a way to to still, but a great start.

Tracy

Ok lil update lil less than 4 months and 101lbs are gone

Isn't it GREAT!

I was sleeved in april of this year and am already down 105 lbs. I also have PCOS and was unable to loose weight with many tries. THIS WILL WORK FOR YOU! Dr. Aceves is the BEST!

How much rabbit food are most people eatting? I tend to do 60-75% Protein and high Fiber carbs with the occassional peice of fruit (love cherries). I am wondering if I need to increase the veggie portions.

I was sleeved in april in Mexicalli, I feel wonderful! Just got my labs back and another is out of range, blood sugars are 20 points lower then before. I still get overheated when I'm working outside, but just walking or hanging out dosn't cause pain like it used to. I have lost about 90 lbs (my scale is in a box, so I'm not 100% sure where I am). I was compairing my lost weight to objects and I realized I've lost two 5 year old girls or one skinny old lady .

Anyone in the Eugene OR area?

I would like to reached my goal in 1 year...but i'm gonna have to step it up! I've lost 90 lbs in about 6 months...my goal weight is 175...anything under 200 would be great by christmas! I have NOT exercised at all until this week, my blood pressure drops like crazy and I get all dizzy, so I started taking B12 shots...I started Water exercises--and they seem to be working, I'm all sore for the 2nd day in a row. Just realized today that I can actually do my Wii fit now, I never did it before because of the weight limit...guess that excuse is over and I'll have to give it a try! lol.

Good luck on your goals Boredoncemore! I am going to see my doc to see if my B-12 is ok, I don't feel quite as spry as I did just after surgury.

Is anyone taking any Omega supplements?

Phatcurves,

I believe I went the opposite of you in my relationship choices. I have been obese my entire life which defiantly effected my relationship choices. I have lived alone for 12 years and have never lived with a boyfriend. My longest relationship was 3 months, 2 of those months trying to figure out how to leave him.

These things have made me rather militantly anti-jerk. Believe me that living alone is not a negative thing to experience, but a revaluation into how strong a woman can be. Many woman in our situation tend to gravitate towards the men we think we deserve. The unique reality of our situation of drastically changing our physical appearance and our self perception can increase that unique strength that we had suppressed by of all things a layer of adipose tissue.

I must agree with the other ladies that your boyfriend needs to be sent on his way to mentally abuse someone else. I hope that you don't have to deal with this type of situation further. Good luck.

April 10th in Mexicalli for me! Down 70lbs now, on the full food stage and enjoying it.

I have lost 70 lbs since starting the pre-op diet and surgery on April 10th. I was so ecstatic to drop below 400lbs. I have found myself taking the stairs, just because I can :thumbup:. I relalized last week that I had lost a 10 year old boy (Brother's girlfriend's son weighs 65lbs :scared0:). I am hoping to also loose at least 100 lbs this year, hopefully more, but I'm trying to keep my goals obtainable.

Good luck everyone on your WLgoals.

I too was going to be banded at first. Then I found out that 25% of patients banded have it removed within 2 years! The VGS is a relatively new surgery but also an old one as it is based on the Gastric Bypass. Patients who could not tolerate the surgery for the stomach decrease and the intestine bypass would go through the first part to loss some weight before the full Bypass. Dr.s found that the weight loss was similar to the full GB.

Laytoya79, keep reviewing this site, it is what helped me make my decision and I am at a weight I haven't been in 5 years in only 1 month!

Well..... I went into the VGS process knowing I would have to have my pannis removed. Pre-op my pannis hung 4 inches above my knees (445 lbs pre-op), no amount of AB work is going to shrink that! (Hmmm, wonder if I can throw it in the dryer, worked on my clothes!)

I have seen a girdle type product shown on TV that reduces the size of the pannis by several sizes, anyone tried it?

I am 4 weeks out and I found that I have no interest in carbs at this point (tried a peice of donut from my brother this weekend and actually spit it out since it didn't do anything for me :thumbup:).

I tend to eat about 1/3-1/2 cup of food per sitting, with the occasional between meal Protein craving. Breakfast usually one poached egg and a few bites of banana. lunch / dinner about 1/3 of a cup of chicken salad or a chinese dish with chicken. Beef has to be chewed so much that their is no flavor by the time it gets to the right consistancy to chew. I found that I tend to spit it out rather then swallow it at that point.

Lamb is a good Protein as it keeps it's flavor through the chewing process. I LOVE tuna salad, but I have to put mayonaise in it to get it down from the texture, it likes to stick (trying to avoid since mayo is evil :sneaky2:).

I always supplement with at least 1 Protein shake daily to get my protein intake abover 60, I like Jay Robb whey protein with 1% milk).

I had a bad pre-op food bindge last night. Felt hungry at midnight and grabbed tuna salad and ate without paying attention, that HURT. I think I prefer the denser Proteins since I don't forget to eat slowly.

One fun thing is going out to eat (I travel for my job so I have to eat out a lot). The waiters keep wandering by your table eyeing your plate and waiting for you to complain or send it back! They look so surprised when you ask for a togo bag!!!:001_tt2:

Tracy

I love Jay Robb! I am 4 weeks post-op and still enjoying my Jay Robb shakes daily. I sometimes supplement a little fruit or greek yogurt in the shake. I found I really don't like the egg white Protein, it gives me a bad after taste.

In the vanilla shake I like to add a little sugar free International coffee in it, very tasty.

In 3 weeks I have lost 40 I will loose over 250 lbs by next july

That is outstanding! I am needing to loose 291 total to get to my target weight.

How long did it take you to loose the weight?