KathyM

crossing my legs tucking in my shirt wearing a belt not having salesclerks ignore me in stores sitting in a booth without my boobs resting on the table lol lying in the bathtub and the water covers my tummy and my butt doesn't touch both sides tying my shoes without the bows being off to the side being able to reach my toenails better to paint them hearing something other than "you have really pretty eyes" seeing cute clothes - and not worrying about if they come in that big of a size feeling cold and not hot all the time lol working in my yard and not wanting to take a break after 5 minutes seeing my reflection in a mirror/window and not feeling sad feeling beautiful

Jillian I am so excited for you!! I get mine done July 15th and I can't wait. I can't imagine actually feeling full after a few spoonfuls of ice cream! yaaaay!!!

Ally- OKC is only about 3 hrs away from me in Kansas! Maybe when this is all said and done we will get a chance to meet. Although I will admit I always get lost in OKC because it is crooked! haha There is a Kansas girl for you - everything must be sqauare and everything must be based on a N-S-E-W direction. What area of nursing do you work in? I am totally envious of your preop diet! At least I know that if slip up it won't actually make to much difference. I wonder how soon it is okay to exercise? I think I want to try to start right away working on arms and legs at least to try to minimize skin sagging. A friend of mine had the lapband done a year ago and has lost 100lbs - she is 42 and she looks fabulous - no skin sagging at all! I hope I will be that lucky. I thought of another thing I want afterwards - I want to sit in a booth at a restaurant without having to cram myself in there and without having my boobs resting on the table! lol Kathy

Hi Libby!!! Glad you are here!!:biggrin0:

Grady - The preop diet is a hard thing to sort out. I have seen posts from people who had anywhere from a month of Clear liquids, a week of clear liquids, full liquids, liquids plus one lean cuisine type of meal a day, 3 days of clear liquids to no preop diet except nothing after midnight the night before surgery. I would say do the best you can do with what your surgeon wants you to do and don't sweat it if you slip a little now and then. My patient coordinator told me clear liquids, full if I couldn't stand it for a 10 days prior to and she mentioned that business about shrinking the liver, but she said it was mainly to get started on the weight loss as they wanted me to lose about 15lbs just prior to surgery. Who knows, maybe it is just a jump start to training you to eat less. At any rate - good luck!!! Kathy

Ron - ooops! I just sent you a message on another thread telling you about this one lol, but I see you found us. Glad to have you as part of this group!

Hi Ron! glad you are here! There is a forum started for July surgeries - I am getting sleeved in Mexico on the 15th. We would love to have you as part of our group so we can watch each and support each other through this process. Kathy

Ally - Too bad we aren't going to the same surgeon, would love to get to meet you! I am thinking I will wear the same thing traveling both ways, I guess I will just bring some pajamas and slippers or flip flops. I will definately take my iPod. I had thought about bringing my laptop, but they have a computer you can use there and I have read where a few people brought theirs and then never used them - one less thing to haul around. My patient coordinator is super nice, she said that she will call my kids when I go in to surgery and then again when I get done so they know I did okay. She told me they also have a cell phone I can use while there to either text or call home and check in. My trip is supposed to go like this: fly to San Diego where a van driver will pick me up and take me across that border (lol that sounds so weird) to my hotel. I will spend the night there and then be picked up early the next morning, taken to the surgical center - do all the preop stuff - walk into the surgery room - procedure takes about 45 min - back to recovery, then will be taken to the recovery house to spend the night and the driver will take me back across the border to the San Diego airport the next day. My patient coordinator told me that most of the people who do this feel well enough that she always takes a group shopping in TJ the afternoon after their surgery! That is so hard to believe!!! Being a nurse, I had to ask all the pro and con questions, I asked her what would happen if something went wrong during surgery....she said that we would be 10 minutes from a big hospital in TJ or just 20 min from a big hospital in San Diego and I would be taken there. She also said that this surgeon has never had to transport one patient in all of the surgeries he has done. All I can do is trust so I will. :wink1: Funny how its only a little over a month away, but I want this so bad it seems like time is standing still!!! :001_tt2:

Yaaay for you!!!! I am having mine done in Mexico on July 15th. Any tips on what to pack or bring with you? I will be traveling from Kansas, so I really want to keep it light but don't want to forget anything that I will wish I had brought.

So...what is everyone packing to take with them? Since I am traveling so far, I want to keep it light. I arriving in Tijuana on July 14th, having surgery the 15th, then traveling back home on the 16th. Would like to keep everything to a carry-on if I can. Any thoughts on this?

Sparkle I don't think there would be anything I could take that would be the same as an anti-inflammatory, but I am definately not going to do anything to mess up my chances of success with the surgery so I will stop taking it when it's time and suck it up with Tylenol. It would be easier if I wasn't working during that time, but I will make do. During my consult, a nurse practitioner told me that for every 1 pound of wt you take off, it takes 4lbs of pressure off of your joints and body. I don't know if that is true or not, but I would like to think it is. My regular doctor thinks I will be able to get off of all of my medicines after I lose the weight, so it will be worth a week of my knees complaining. I see that your surgery date is so close! I am so excited for you! Mine is scheduled for July 15th and it seems as if time has started to stand still! Kathy

Hmmmmm... that could make for an interesting week prior to surgery. I am on an anti-inflammatory for my arthritis, will make it difficult to work if I can't take it.

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.

OK - I added a picture to my profile but for some reason, it doesn't show up when I post things - anyone know what I need to do? Also, if you make a weightloss ticker, do you paste it in the signature section? I am a little apprehensive about the preop phase - I have to be on Clear liquids for 10 days prior to surgery and it happens that I will be working 5 of those days. I work in a busy ER, and I am scared that I will feel shaky or weak at work. It's weird how much difference there can be from one dr to the next as far as preop goes. I have read everything from clear liquids to full liquids to one lean cuisine type meal a day to no preop diet at all. Weird. I'm not planning to cheat, I want this so bad that there is no way I am going to screw it up, maybe after all these years of stuffing my face, I am just starting to panic a little about losing my food lol

Allison - I am a nurse too!! I am also traveling to Mexico alone. I saw the other day on another thread where people listed what they were most looking forward to after they lost weight - it was fun to read so I decided to list a few of the things I am looking forward to - would be love to know everyone else's....... *feeling beter *not feeling so tired all the time *going into a store and not being ignored *tucking in my shirt *wearing a belt *being able to paint my toenails easier *never giving away my Tim McGraw/Lady Antebellum tickets again because I know I will be to out of breath walking from my car to my seat. *walking by my reflection in a window/mirror and not feeling sad I love this forum - and am stoked to have people to sound off on.

YaaaaaY!! I am scheduled for July 15th with Dr. Reyes, and I am so excited I can hardly stand it!! I am 42, 5'6" and weigh 290 (how did I let that happen????). My insurance won't pay for it either - so disappointing. So I am going to pay for it myself as well. I was going to get the band, but was feeling a little aprehensive about having something left inside me, especially since I knew my insurance would probably have nothing to do with it if I had any problems. Then I found out about the sleeve and I knew it was what I wanted. I am going to Mexico for mine, it's the only way I can afford to do it. I am so looking forward to this so please don't post negatives on here about going to Mexico - I need positive right now. I want to feel better and I want to get my life back. Kathy

Hi everyone! New here and I am getting sleeved July 15th as well. I almost went for the band then found out about the sleeve and knew it was what i wanted to do. Now I am so excited I can hardly see straight! lol Was curious if there would be a thread for July surgeries, but it looks like this might be it :001_unsure: I am sooooo ready to get my life back. Sam I see you are a nurse - so am I! What area do you work in? Kathy

-Feeling better -My joints not screaming in pain when i get up after sitting too long -Not being ignored in stores -Tucking in my shirt -Wearing a belt -Flying without hiding the unhooked seatbelt under my gut so it looks like it is hooked because i am too ashamed to ask for an extender -Not giving up Tim McGraw and Lady Antebellum concert tickets with my friends from work who are all skinny because I know I will be so out of breath and tired and hurting by the time we walk from where we park -Reaching my tonails so I can paint them more easily - Not always obsessing about how fat I am -Looking at my reflection in a mirror or a window and not feeling sad