Beadingnurse

I am 5'4" (stretching) and currently weigh 168.4. Haven't done a waist measurement. I actually AM small boned...you just can't tell it as I have covered them up with so much padding! My goal is theoretically 130 and that might be a stretch. I will probably be esctastic to get to 140 and anything that I lose under that will be a bonus. I bought a pair of size 12 jeans a couple of weeks ago that I could button and zip only by sucking it in and they looked painted on because they were so tight! Today I am wearing them to work on casual Friday and they fit wonderfully! It may be that the brand runs large though because the same weekend I bought dress slacks and a straight skirt in a size 14. I don't care if it is vanity sizing or not...I'll take it!

Congratulations on your progress! I was sleeved on the 12th of April so we are almost sleeve sisters! I haven't checked any of my measurements since the surgery except for weight. I guess I am officially in a "stall" since I've weighed the 168.4 for a week now. Not 168.2 or 168.6 but 168.4! It is like the darn scale is frozen in time. I have only been to the gym once since surgery (this week) but have been walking in the neighborhood. I guess it is time to kick the exercise program into high gear as the easy weight loss is probably over!

My motto is better living through chemistry! Take the pain meds for as long as you need them!! Congratulations on getting the surgery over with...you are on your way to a new life!

Ruthie...I second what Michelle said! It DOES get better and it is normal to be a bit uncomfortable swallowing right now. You still have a lot of swelling from the surgery so try to drink very small sips. Someone mentioned on this board to let the Fluid go over the top of your lip before sipping to reduce air so I tried that during the first few weeks. It may have helped or maybe it just slowed me down enough trying to do the awkward maneuver that I swallowed my small sips more slowly! You also mentioned Protein and I wouldn't worry if you don't get all of your protein in the first week...just focus on keeping hydrated. Good luck!!

Shannon, I agree with you that I really miss the fruits and veggies and have been trying to get more in this week. I said to hell with the carb count on the weekend and cut up an apple and put in the VitaMax with 5 prunes, a few ice cubes, a 1/2 cup of Water and made myself a wonderful fruit smoothie without any Protein at all. I too was feeling really constipated but things got to moving and I don't know if it was a coincidence or the drink! Last night I had about 1/2 cup of cantaloupe an hour or so after my dinner protein. The Miralax label says it works in 3-5 days (I think) and that seems too long to wait to me. I've read that your body can't absorb more that 20-25 gms of protein at one time so you may not be benefitting from the 45 grms in one drink. I don't know if that is accurate or not...it is just what I read online and I can also read on the Internet that Elvis is alive and living in my basement so take my info for what it is worth! I also wonder what our daily total protein need is? I did some reading about this weekend and kept coming up with 45-50 grams for a 140 lb woman. I am getting much more than that most days and maybe it isn't necessary? All questions I know and not really an answer to your post! Maybe I'll start a new post and find out what folks think the appropriate amount of daily protein is. Bottom line...we evolved eating fruits, veggies and protein and it can't be good for us to just eat protein and not much else!

Lou I truly loved reading your post and I am impressed that you kept track of how you felt each day! I wish I had done that because I am already "fuzzy" about the details and you and I were sleeved within a few days of each other. Take care of your self and enjoy how you look in those skinny jeans!!

I went back to work one day short of 2 weeks after surgery. I felt really good and probably could have gone back after one week but I have a low stress office job. I went ahead and took the extra week off because I had the sick leave and I found I sort of ran out of energy in the afternoons and it was so nice to be able to take a nap! Like Rootman said...you likely CAN get back to work in a week if you have too and your job isn't too physically demanding but a bit more time off is nice!

I posted this information on another thread but copied it over here with a title that will make it easier for folks to find. I looked up this article in Consumer Reports because someone posted that they did an article on Protein drinks. The article on Protein Drinks (July 2010) is scary. I didn't type the whole article here but I tried capture the main issues. My comments are in blue...the rest are direct quotes from the article. "Some protein drinks can even pose health risks, include exposure to potentially harmful heavy metals, if consumed frequently. All drinks in our tests had at least one sample containing one or more of the following contaminants: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury. Those metals can have toxic effects on several organs of the body. For most of the drinks we tested, levels of those contaminants were in the low to moderate range, when we could detect them at all. But with three of the products, consumers who have three servings daily could be exposed to levels that exceed the maximum limits for one or two of these contaminants in dietary supplements proposed by the U.S. Pharmacopeia (USP), the federally recognized authority that sets voluntary standards for health products..." "The amount of lead in a single daily serving of eight of the protein supplements we tested would require that the products carry a warning in California. State legislation known as Proposition 65 mandates that manufacturers notify consumers when products contain toxic substances at levels the state say pose even a low cancer or reproductive risk." "But federal regulations do not generally require that protein drinks and other dietary supplements be test before they are sold to ensure that they are safe, effective, and free of contaminants, as the rules require of prescription drugs" A lot more was written about regulations or lack thereof that I will skip over to get to the results. " We purchased 15 protein powders and drinks mainly in New York metro area or online and tested multiple samples of each for arsenic, cadmium, lead and mercury. The results show considerable range, but levels in three products were of particular concern because consuming three servings a day could result in daily exposure to arsenic, cadmium or lead exceeding the limits proposed by the USP" "We found that three daily servings of the ready to drink liquid EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark chocolate shake provides an average of 16.9 micrograms (mcg) of arsenic, exceeding the proposed USP limit of 15 mcg per day, and an average of 5.1 mcg of cadmium, which is just above the USP limit of 5 mcg per day. Concentrations in most products were relatively low, but when taking into account the large serving size suggested, the number of mcgs per day for a few of the products we tested was high compared with most others tested." "The samples of Muscle Milk Chocolate powder we tested contained all four heavy metals, and levels of three metals in the product were among the highest of all in our tests. Average cadmium levels of 5.6 mcg in three daily servings slightly exceeded the USP limit of 5 mcg per day, and the average lead level of 13.5 mcg also topped the USP limit of 10 mcg per day. The average arsenic level of 12.2 mcg was approaching the USP limit of 15 mcg per day, and the average for mercury was 0.7 mcg, well below the USP's 15 mcg per day limit. Three daily servings of Muscle Milk vanilla Creme contained 12.2 mcg of lead, exceeding lead limits, and 11.2 mcg of arsenic. A fourth product, Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate (liquid), provided an average of 14.3 mcg of arsenic per day from three servings." "Cadmium raises special concern because it accumulates in and can damage the kidneys, the same organs that can be damaged by excess protein consumption. And it can take 20 years for the body to eliminate even half the cadmium absorbed today. The products they tested are in a chart which I will try to reproduce. Here are the maximum daily levels of the heavy metals for reference: arsenic 15 mcg; cadmium 5 mcg; lead 10 mcg; mercury 15 mcg; The values after the name of the product are the amounts in micrograms of the heavy metals listed in the order at the top. PM me if this doesn't make sense. Product Name (heavy metal values) Arsenic Cadmium Lead Mercury BSN Core Series Lean Dessert Protein 3.3 3.7 2.5 0.3 Shake Chocolate Fudge pudding BSN Core Series Syntha-6 Ultra 4.2 2.6 5.4 1.1 Chocolate Milkshake Designer whey 100% Whey Protein Chocolate 3.9 1.6 2.4 0.9 EAS Myoplex Original Rich Dark Chocolate shake 16.9 5.1 - - GNC Lean Shake Protein 7.0 3.9 4.9 - GNC Pro Performance AMP Amplified 5.4 2.5 2.5 - Wheybolic Extreme 60 Chocolate Jillian Michaels Natural Whey Protein Vanilla 1.9 - 1.2 - Cream Shake Muscle Milk Chocolate 12.2 5.6 13.5 0.7 Muscle Milk Nutritional Shake Chocolate 14.3 - 6.8 - Muscle Milk Vanilla Creme 11.2 2.0 12.2 - MuscleTech Nitro-Tech Hardcore Pro-Series 1.2 - 0.4 0.9 Vanilla Milkshake Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% 2.5 1.7 1.0 0.2 Whey Extreme Milk Chocolate Optimum Nutrition Platinum Hydro Whey 1.5 - - - Velocity Vanilla Six Star Muscle Professional Strength 2.3 - - - Whey Protein French Vanilla Cream Solgar Whey to Go Whey Protein Powder 0.6 - - - Natural Vanilla Bean Hope you can interpret the chart as I have typed it. It is worrisome to read about all of these heavy metals in our protein drinks and I wonder about all of the ones that they did not test. I haven't tried any of the products on this list but I'd love to know what is in mine. It is probably worth your time to get a copy of this from your local library if you don't subscribe.

No nausea at all! Pain wasn't bad either. I took a narcotic pain med combo with Tylenol for the first couple of days and then switched to just tylenol. I had a large hiatal hernia repair at the same time and much of the pain was related to the site of that repair I showed my doc where it hurt and he told me it was because it took a lot of work to repair my diaphragm. I did have the gas pains under my left shoulder and that was uncomfortable until it was eventually absorbed. People occasionally DO post that they have a lot of pain with the surgery but I think they are in the minority. I think if you read a lot of posts you find that most folks find it to be manageable. Congratulations on your upcoming surgery! It will be over before you know it and you will be happily losing weight!

Wow Tanya...what a journey you have been on to get here! Sounds like you have done all the right things and couldn't be more prepared for the surgery. It IS scary but I felt like it was more scary to face to the consequences of obesity to my health. This board is a great place to visit often as I learn all the time from something someone else has gone through. Congratulations and good luck! I am sure that you will do great.

Good luck on your journey and I can't wait to hear how it goes for you guys! Keep us posted.

I am just over 4 weeks out from surgery so it is probably too early to say what my experience is going to be like. I haven't had any hunger at all yet and I am someone who had ravenous....I will hurt someone now if I don't get to eat soon...type of hunger. My husband used to joke about my Dr. Jekyl/Mr. Hyde personality changes when I was hungry! I still have an appetite and food appeals to me and I really enjoy what I eat but if I am busy, I can forget to eat. I never understood people who said they "forgot to eat" but I get it now. I think the change in my hunger is one of the major reasons why this surgery is working for me! That tiny little tummy helps too. Good luck with your decision!

I don't think you will have any trouble at all. I am 4 weeks out and could get on a plane and go anywhere right now. I agree with Candace who suggested to get up and walk a bit if your flight is very long. If you will be having business meals you may have to plan around them a bit and ensure there is something to eat in the restaurant. I fall back on brothy Soups when I have needed to eat out with people who don't know that I have been sleeved. Mention that you aren't too hungry...order a Soup and you can have all of the broth you want and a bit of the solids. My sleeve restriction is pretty tight at this stage so at 4 weeks I couldn't go out and order firm/solid Protein and get much in but soft foods are very doable. You should be able to eat cottage cheese, tuna, yogurt, string cheese...stuff like that. I went back to work after 2 weeks and haven't had any trouble focusing or with my stamina but I do have a desk job. Good luck with your surgery!!

Good for you Meggie! Be gentle with yourself and your new little tummy will let you know what it will tolerate and what it won't!!! Someone told me before surgery that the best plan is to sip, walk, repeat (Thanks Cheri!) and I swear that is 80% of what you need to know for the first few days.

Can't view YouTube at work but I will check out your video at home tonight. Thanks for posting it when you are clearly not feeling up to par yet! I suspect each day will get a little bit better though and the results will be worth it!

Congratulations on your recovery and return to work!! It is amazing how quickly you get back to feeling "normal" isn't it? At least for those of us who were lucky enough to get through the surgery without any complications! I am one month out and it is hard for me to believe it has only been a month!

I was sleeved a month ago yesterday and I can happily tell you that you will feel better soon!! The first few days ARE miserable and who can blame anyone for thinking...WHAT did I do? But it gets so much better so quickly. I could have gone back to work by day 7 but I had the sick leave and had already arranged to be off so I took two weeks. Don't worry about eating Protein for the first week or so...just get in whatever fluids work for you, Water, hot tea, cold tea, Vitamin waters, broth...doesn't matter...you just need to keep hydrated. None of us are likely to starve over a lack of protein for a few weeks!! Walking helped my gas pains more than anything and I paced around my house for hours when I didn't think I could tolerate outdoor clothes on my bloated tummy! I am sure it was NOT a pretty sight but I felt better when I was moving. Gas-X didn't really help me much. sleeping is hard for the first few days but having a number of pillows to prop myself up on helped me to get in a reasonably comfortable place to sleep. I didn't do well with the narcotic pains meds but the extra-strength tylenol worked fine. (I crushed them with MD's permission). I only used them for the first 3 or 4 days. Depending on the type of drain that you have, you may be able to slip it into a zip lock bag...close it as much as you can and then tape the bag to your side over the drain exit site. It is awkward but it keeps stuff out of your way and kind of protected while you shower. Position so the open section of the zip lock bag is facing down and you won't get water in the bag. You can also just forget the bag...tape the drain to your body and go! It isn't like it is sterile or anything...you just don't want to inadvertently hit and pull on it as that might hurt!! Congratulations to all of you with new sleeves and believe me...a few weeks from now this will be a dim memory! For those you who have given birth...remember how during labor you SWORE you'd never have another child and a few days later it had all faded away? This is kind of like that!

It is likely to cause you immediate distress and pain. Will it do long term damage? Probably not but why risk it? I inadvertently drank a "sparkling" fruit juice a few weeks ago (carbonated) because I asked for apple juice and this is what I received. I immediately had a tremendous sense of pressure under my breast bone and it took a good 20-30 minutes for it to go away! I will never intentionally drink a carbonated beverage again! I edited to add that I only took that one sip and realized it was carbonated. When I read this post over I realized it sound like I drank the whole thing and I didn't. I was only about 2 weeks out from surgery though so I can see that the experience might be completely different once your tummy has healed.

I think you are VERY likely to be approved! Congratulations!

That is SO terrific...no wonder you were excited! It also makes up for the darned scale not moving! I had a funny NSV late last week in that I put on a skirt, blouse and sweater jacket that was always a little snug and like your story...it was clearly too big. But I was dressed and didn't want to change so I even commented to my husband as I left the house that this was the last time I would wear it and would put in the Goodwill bag when I got home. Later at work I was standing in my administrative assistant's cubical and she reached out and tugged on my skirt and said, "you are definitely losing weight...that dress is too big." My skirt dropped to my ankles with her slight tug! Fortunately I had a slip on and we both burst out laughing. Her cubicle is private so only the two of us watched me lose my skirt! That wouldn't have happened a few weeks ago!

I try for 800 calories a day but rarely make it. Usually end up betwen 600 - 750. My doc prefers 3 meals a day with no Snacks but I can't seem to do that. I can't eat enough at any one time to get in enough calories so I am having 5 or 6 small mini-meals a day and that seems to work for me. It is hard to get in enough Water though as eating this frequently means I am often in the "hour" wait after eating solids when I can't drink water. My main sources of Protein are, chicken/turkey deli slices, string cheese, cottage cheese, greek yogurt, Atkins Protein shakes, refried Beans, tuna, egg, sardines.

I'd look for another doctor and another clinic. This is too important for you to face with someone you don't feel comfortable with and/or might not support your goals. I agree that you want someone to be honest with you and tell you if what you want is unrealistic but they need to offer hope and compassion too. Could your endocrinolgist make a referral for you to a more supportive surgeon? Good luck!

OMG Curry...my stats and yours are VERY similar! I was sleeved on the 12th of April so I will be one month out tomorrow. I weighed 197 when I started my pre-op diet, weighed 188 the day of surgery and I have been hanging at 171.2 for a week now. My goal is to hit 130 or 135 again and honestly, I will be thrilled if I get there by the end of the year. I have been vowing every year on my birthday (in March) that THIS would be the year that I would lose 50 lbs and the next birthday would find me at the same weight or higher. BUT I will be 50 lbs down (hopefully more) by my birthday next year. It is hard to keep the long goal in mind but I keep reminding myself that I didn't put on the weight in a month and it won't come off in a month!!

I am so sorry to hear this and she will be in my thoughts. Thanks for letting us know what is going on.

Depends on your health. I didn't have any trouble finding someone to do my surgery and my BMI was well under 35.