ILKrista

The doctors suggested I wait a week so that I could twist my torso without extreme pain to check blind spots and whatnot. Definately no driving if you are still on the pain meds. I waited about 5 days after surgery & was fine. Krista

I have been sleeved for about 8 months now. I just had two new firsts since I've had my sleeve: VACATION- A few weeks ago, I went on a 10 day trip to Ireland with a girlfriend. I was worried about how I would do with having the sleeve & needing to eat so often. It really wasn't a problem & I was able to enjoy the vacation. I did pack 1 protein bar to eat each day of the trip. I also bought some nuts & peanut butter & fruit to have as snacks. For the meals, I mostly followed my usual eating routine... I focused on the protein first. However, I did indulge & overindulge several times. There were quite a few times when I ordered a desert instead of eating a late protein snack. There were a couple occasions when I stuffed myself to the point of feeling kind of sick because the food was so freaking good. And, I will admit that I had at least a half pint of beer or irish cider every day we were there. But the good news is, I came home the same weight as when I left. Thank god for the sleeve, I physically couldn't pig out like I would have without it. GETTING SICK- Earlier this week, I ended up with what I believe was food poisoning (my own cooking, I"m afraid). I was really afraid to throw up... I haven't yet since being sleeved. Happily, it was no worse an experience than before. In fact, it was over a lot quicker because there's a lot less there to throw up. The only difference I noticed is that now I can't do it without crying. Anyway, just thought I would share. Life is still pretty normal after the sleeve. The only thing it has limited me with is my ability to overeat & abuse food... and I thank god that it does that. Krista

No one can tell you what to do. But I can tell you that probably everyone who is getting this surgery has that moment of panic about what they are about to do to themselves. I wrote letters to all my family & friends the night before saying goodbye because I was so convinced that I would die during the procedure. But I had come to the decision that I would rather risk my life & potentially die than to continue on as I had been... fat, miserable, & ashamed. Most people who haven't had weight issues will tell you to do it on your own. I had tried and failed for 10 + years & was fatter than ever. All I can tell you is that I wouldn't change having the surgery for anything. I'm down over a hundred pounds since January. I feel better than I have since I was in high school. I still have to work to lose the weight (eat right & go to the gym), but the surgery has made it so my hunger is under control & if I do mess up & eat something I shouldn't, i physically can't overeat the way I would have before. Good luck! Krista

I think some if has to do if you have stretch marks or not. Pretty much any place with stretch marks is really saggy on me. I'm down about 120 from my heaviest & I look like Magda from 'There's something about Mary'... just not so tan. Seriously, it's pretty bad. I hit the gym 4 times a week to jog & lift weights. i can see the nice arm muscles, but below is the saggy skin. In my case, I'm hoping to hit goal by February & then maintain for a year & then looking at some reconstructive plastic surgery. I wish I had better news. Krista

Keep us updated on how it goes! I'm headed for vacation this week, but when I get back, I'm planning to do this too. food has been on my mind way too much & lots of cravings. I'm sure my carbs are too high & I need to kick my body back into gear. Let me know how it all works out! Krista

Check with the doctor about the nicotine in the gum, but I'm pretty sure that there are additional chemicals in cigarettes that aren't in the gum, so it is easy for them to tell if you have been smoking or using a quitting aid. I quit using Chantix prior to my surgery. It was rough, but really worth it. No way I could be jogging & working out like I do if I was still smoking. Good luck! Krista

I have the same issue with jewelry. If it isn't 24k gold, I can't wear it without it causing my skin to blister. I haven't had any issues with the staples or screws (hernia repair). I am 7 months out, so if it was causing a problem, I think it would have shown up by now... hopefully . Krista

I've told just about every person who's asked about my weightloss about the surgery. However, I also recently started dating & I'm not bringing it up on first dates. I think that when you hit the 4-5 date stage it might be something to mention, but it is pretty heavy for a first date. As for the eating, I've found that a lot of times if you do a dinner date, you are talking a lot, so it is easy to eat really slowly & move the food around on the plate. If they comment on how little you eat, just tell them that you do 6 small meals a day, so they all have to be a lot smaller. It's true & it isn't getting in to why. You could also suggest a first date that wouldn't involve food... go bowling, mini-golf, the zoo, etc. Good luck! Krista

Congrats! You look so much YOUNGER!

I'm 7 months post-op & this is still a mega issue for me. I've tried the Miralax- (stool softener doesn't work for me, laxative does, but is bad for you). I drink Benefiber in EVERYTHING, I eat prunes. I finally have started taking Milk of Magnesium once a week. This does work & is non-addictive. Hopefully, when I get to my goal I can add back in more veggies & that will allow things to move a little more naturally. Krista

I agree with Coops. My doctor's number one recommendation was to do the intervals on the treadmill. It keeps your body from getting too used to the workout. I started walking 3.4 pace/jogging 4.0 pace, slowing increased the length of time I was jogging. Now doing jogging 4.3 pace for 3 min & then adding in a minute at 4.8 pace. Once I can do 20 min at a 4.8 pace I will try to add in a few minutes at 5.2 pace. It really helps cardiovascularly. Good luck!

I had a binder that was provided by my surgeon. I woke up from surgery with it on. I wore it for about a week after. It was especially helpful in the car coming home from the hospital because every bump we his was pretty painful. I would check with your doctor if they will be providing you with one or not. Krista

For mine, I met with a psychologist & she asked me a bunch of questions about my eating habits & life in general. Her opinion was that I was depressed & should be medicated... my opinion was that I was depressed because of my weight & how it was effecting my life. I don't like to take medication unless absolutely necessary. The diagnosis of depression wasn't something that would put off my having surgery, which was my fear. I then had to come back in for a 2 hour written psych exam. They ask a question & give you options & you have to fill it in. The questions were all over from religion to general opinions on things. Apparently the purpose of this exam is to make sure that you are not mentally ill & are capable of making this major decision. Most people have no problem passing these exams. I have heard of a couple people who had doctors who failed people because they had eating addictions, etc, which seems pretty foolish to me, since most of us have eating addictions or we wouldn't be in this position. Good luck!

I also looked at the BMI chart to pick my goal weight. Now, I haven't weighed what my goal weight is since I was in 3rd grade, so I don't know if it is realistic for me as an adult or not... my Dr's goal weight for me is 15-20 pound higher than my goal weight. I about 35 pounds from my goal. I am pretty flexible about getting to the goal or not. I realize that muscle mass effects how much you weigh. I weigh about 10 pounds more than I did in high school, but i am wearing smaller pants & shirts than I did then. Even if I don't lose another pound, I feel like I could be happy with my body (if I can get some of this loose skin removed ). Right now, I feel thick, not fat. I think another 20 off will have me looking pretty dang good. And I'll reassess whether I really need to lose that last 15. Your doctor's office can also help you come up with a good goal weight. They don't want you to start losing muscle in an effort to hit an unrealistic goal for your body type. You might ask them what their opinion is. But most important, is how you feel about yourself. As long as you can look in the mirror & be happy, then the scale shouldn't matter. Good luck!

I told friends, family, & coworkers that I was having weightloss surgery when I first started the process. It just seemed easier to tell them rather than to know that they would be talking about my eating habits & weightloss behind my back & speculating about the cause. For the most part, they have been supportive... there have been a few exceptions, but I figure I'm living my life for me, not them, so I'm not too worried about what they think. I am a children's librarian at a public library. At this point in my journey, I get asked about my weightloss nearly every day. People will compliment me on the weightloss & then ask what I'm doing. I've decided to just be upfront & tell them about the surgery. Really, it is none of their business, but my hope is that being open will help someone else who has struggled with morbid obesity realize that it is okay to have the surgery... that surgery is not a failure, but a victory over a life-threatening condition. One person being honest is what lead me here, so I hope I can help someone else. But everyone has to make their own decision on who to tell. Krista

Lol- I had to laugh because I just noticed that mine had pretty much disappeared a few days ago. Of course, at this point, I'm thinking an arm life might be needed along with a breast lift, so I'm thinking that area would get fixed even if the fat there hadn't disappeared. Now I'm waiting on the stubborn fat on my legs which I think will never go away... had fat legs even at my skinniest Krista

My doctor also wants me to stay in the overweight category. I asked him about this because I really want to hit the normal range. He said they don't encourage weightloss patients to have a 'normal' bmi because many people go to extremes to hit that & they start losing muscle & not fat... the loss of muscle slows the metabolism & causes them to start regaining. He also said that many people who have had issues with food in the past become extreme in the other direction and can become anorexic. So he tries to give us a 'realistic' weight to reach. I am about 10 pounds from his goal weight for me. Like you, I have the weight that I would ideally like to get to... if it can be done healthily. I told him the last time I saw him that even if I don't lose another pound, I can be content at the weight I'm at right now... though I might still need plastic surgery to get rid of all the lose skin, which makes me feel a lot bigger than I really am. Good luck! Krista

My doctor required an ultrasound before the WLS. Mine showed stones & bile duct scarring from passing stones. The endo doctor said that if the WLS surgeon didn't remove it, then I was going to have to have a 2nd surgery to take it out within the year. His recommendation, which was sent to the WLS surgeon, was that they take out the gallbladder at the same time as the weightloss surgery, which is what they did. I actually really didn't want to have the gallbladder removed, but now I'm glad I had it all done at once. If insurance would cover it, you might want to get a gallbladder ultrasound so you can find out if you have stones or not. Krista

I actually bought Protein potato chips from My Bariatric Pantry. They taste a lot like regular potato chips, but you get your protein in at the same time. Not the sort of thing I would recommend all the time, but when I'm craving something salty, they do the trick. Krista

I have the same issue with stretchmarks. And I've found that as I've slimmed down, they look worse than ever because all the skin is loose and wrinkly. I wear short sleeves & figure if people want to look, they can look. I try to not wear anything too fitted over the stomach so that the wrinkly skin won't look so gross. I think the only real solution will be to have it removed surgically when I've gotten to goal & maintained for a year. I used to say I would never have plastic surgery. But I don't really want to be in my 30s with the loose skin of an 80 year old. Still better to be thin & healthy with stretched, saggy skin; than fat & unhealthy. Krista

Well, I'm not sure what you are supposed to do, but I am able to drink pretty much like I did before surgery. I had to sip for the first weeks after surgery & I still have to keep Water by me at all times so that I remember to drink frequently to get in enough water, but when I'm at the gym & need water, I am able to take pretty big gulps. Drinking water doesn't feel much different to me than it did before I had surgery. Krista

Don't let them discourage you. Doctors talk in terms of statistics, not in terms of individuals. I had comparable starting stats. My doctor also said I should expect to get to about 170-180 & 150 would be the lowest he wanted me to go... that would still leave me overweight. At seven months out, I am about 10 pounds from the doctors lowest weight for me. I will confess that I hope to hit 125. Like others have said, you don't have this surgery hoping you will still be fat at the end. Set the goal that you want for yourself. Realize that you may have to adjust it... certain weights look different on people depending on muscle mass, etc. Keep eating right & EXERCISE! My weightloss has slowed, but it is still moving downward, mainly due to a lot of dedicated time at the gym. Good luck & know that you can do it! Krista

When I had my psych eval, they also decided that I was depressed. However, this is not something that should prohibit you from getting the sleeve. My understanding is that they are supposed to be making sure that you are not unstable or have some mental unbalance that would prohibit you from being able to make this sort of decision rationally. Good luck! Krista