Stacy160

I get one maybe once a year, and 800 mg. of Motrin is what I take every time. I get the warning signs (flashy lights, blind spots), and if I pop that the minute I realize it's coming, it at least keeps me functional. There's no reason you can't have NSAIDs with the sleeve, although your surgeon may not want you to have them when you're fairly early out and the staple line is still delicate... best to ask him/her specifically about it before it happens!

Well... for most people, it's really not conducive to losing. It's a good, healthy snack if you're where you want to be, but it's solid carbs for the most part (plus some fat from the oils). The problem I have with popcorn is that "just a bite or two" leads to "OK, just one more..." and it's waaaaaaay too easy to eat waaaaaayyyyy too much of it -- like a whole bag. Think the sleeve won't hold that much? Imagine that light, airy popcorn ground down and then packed down with a little Water. It's not too tough to eat a whole bag. I'm not condemning popcorn, I LOVE it...but it can be dangerous and if you're really sensitive to carbs, it won't help you lose.

Um.... what's an MTF?

There are many different ones... each surgeon has a preference and sometimes different instructions for people with different starting BMIs or other medical problems. Sometimes they don't require any pro-op diet at all.

If I'd been in the hospital for 3 days I'd have been bored outta my mind! I went home at noon the next day, so pretty much all I felt like doing while I was there was sleeping. I took a book and my iPod and they'd have been my saving graces if I'd had to hang around there for three days.

That early out, it's very common... enjoy it while it lasts, 'cause unfortunately it doesn't!

You're not going to lose every day -- you're not even going to lose every week. It's NOT a constant, predictable thing... you're not doing yourself any favors by overthinking and stressing out over it!

NOPE! People with stomach cancer have had their entire stomachs removed and gone on to live normal, healthy lives. The chances are soooooo small of that happening, compared to all the other health problems that WERE already happening. I was glad to have that evil, traitorous thing out of me!

You're right, nothing helps sagging skin other than surgery, although filling up the space underneath with muscle can make it look not so loose.

I have five as well. At the start, three were about a half-inch long, another was about 3/4s of an inch, and the biggest one above the navel was about 1.25 inches long. Now, the three smallest are maybe an eighth of an inch, the fourth is about a quarter of an inch, and the long one's about half an inch. To look in the mirror, the four smallest wouldn't stand out as anything more than spots on the skin. The long one still shows, it's dimpled in a little because of the remaining fat around it and the little bit of loose skin I have there pulling down on it. They're all faded though and even the big one won't stop me from showing my belly around the pool next year.

See if she has a profile on obesityhelp.com. If she's kept it up to date, it should list how many she's done, and also have patient reviews for you to check out.

I didn't have to do one, just had to do clears the day before so the stomach would be empty. They don't operate on the bowels at all so there's really no need to clear them out... if your surgeon didn't tell you to do it, don't worry about it!

Yay Susanne! Good to know that you're feeling good right away and that everything went well.

Barbara, I can't add much more, but I will say that I would LOVE for my 21-year old, 6'4", 350 lb. son to be able to afford to have the sleeve right now. I'd be nervous about any kind of surgery, of course, but knowing how much this would change his life for the better, I'd be behind him all the way. I've brought it up to him a few times but we haven't really discussed it seriously because we just can't finance it right now anyway. But if we could swing it? Heck yeah, the sooner the better.

Hi Dennis! You know that list of things you're looking forward to doing (or not doing)? WRITE IT DOWN so you can look at it a few months after surgery and be amazed. There was a thread going here shortly after I joined, which was just before surgery, where people were listing all their reasons for having the surgery and everything they were looking forward to. I hunted that down last week, and you know what? EVERY SINGLE THING that I put on my list, I got to check off!! Write it down, take lots of pictures (with clothes, with almost no clothes, posed from every angle, natural un-posed shots) because you're going to want to compare later on, too. There's no way to make you understand how absolutely wonderful this thing is, but we can help you experience the best of it for yourself!

Don't worry, it's a total myth that gum gets stuck in there forever. It'll pass through just like anything else you eat. But how far out are you?

I have channel set diamonds in my wedding band too, but I was thinking they could either add more gold to the inside to snug it up, OR, a gal I used to work with had little beads of gold placed around the inside of her band to keep it from slipping, and that might work. I dunno... I'm just eager to wear them again (although having nothing on my hands is really convenient for work!).

Things I took that I needed and used: - Chap Stick, #1 by far - SF Ricola lozenges... sooooo dry with the oxygen - Gas X strips - Listerine strips - Book (barely used, hard to stay awake to read long), glasses - Cell phone - Deodorant and baby wipes to clean up some before going home next day Things I took and did NOT need or use: - Robe and slippers - Makeup (pah--right, as if lol) - iPod (can't sleep with music anyway, so I'm gonna stare at the walls while I listen?) Wear what you plan on wearing home, you'll only be in it a couple of hours anyway. Also, even though I turned on the TV for maybe an hour, I got a bill for it from some external company (not the hospital) -- only $5, but it's the principle of the thing. Had no idea I'd have to pay for the damn thing, so clarify that before you decide you want it on.

I took mine off last week... I still have somewhere around 25 lbs to go and they were getting frighteningly loose. I was afraid I'd pull one off drying my hands, and toss it in the trash unknowlingly, so for now they sit in the jewelry cleaner until I get to goal, then we'll go have them resized, welded together, whatever it needs to be done so I can wear them safely again. I miss them!

Hi from Genesee County! You sound like the perfect person for VSG, honestly, and I think you're totally gonna rock this thing. A 5K is absolutely do-able.... I've never been a runner although I've tried many times. Before a couple of months ago, I'd run a mile exactly ONE time in my life, because I had to for gym class. Started the Couch to 5K program in July and two months later, ran my first 5K -- so if I can do it, anyone can! You have sooooooo many things to look forward to, things you don't even think about right now. Gear up mentally and get ready for the ride of your life!

AWESOME!! I actually liked the new color scheme, but the ads were ridiculous...this is great!!

Ohhhhh yes, the wonderful holidays... typically when I lose ALL control for a solid two months. If you'd asked me this question at Easter, when I was only a couple of months out, I'd have said "Eh... no problem." NOW? Yeesh. The sleeve has done what it could do on it's own and it's all on ME now, and unfortunately I'm not one of those people who lost my taste for sweets. I really, really want to get another 25 - 30 lbs. off by my one-year anniversary on January 25th, which leaves me only three months. Soooooooo.... the plan at home is to still stick with Protein and healthy veggies for the holiday meals, but allow tastes of the treat-y type stuff also, hopefully only ON the holiday itself. At work, patients bring us tons of goodies and we usually have piles of boxes, tins and plates full of baked stuff and candy all over the back counter and table. The plan is to tell myself that I can have ONE of whatever I want most on my way out the door at night... half the time when I do that, I forget about it and leave without it. 'Cause if I start earlier in the day, then I'm gonna just want that taste for the rest of the day, and with an almost endless supply, well... you get the idea. Work will be a challenge! I do have grand intentions of working out hard on all my days off (4, I work 3 long days) as well. Maybe starting on Halloween we should start a thread for daily accountability, specifically to get us through the holidays with no major catastrophes?

My vision was fine after surgery, but started getting worse 2-3 months post-op and it seems like it's getting worse quicker the farther out I get!

A word of caution though: Weighing yourself daily, you WILL see your weight bounce up and down, sometimes by as much as a couple of pounds from day to day. Don't automatically assume that you're doing anything wrong or that you're gaining, or not losing... the amount of Fluid your body holds on to can fluctuate wildly and what you see on the scale may not be entirely accurate (the low numbers will be... no faking those! ). Also, I don't know how far out you are, but almost everyone's guaranteed to stall occasionally. Don't let it freak you out... you're still losing fat but the body hangs on to extra Water now and then in an effort to balance itself out. Just keep doing what you're doing with the KNOWLEDGE that when your body decides it's OK to let go of that water, the scale will move quickly again.

Welcome Clive! You've found a great source of information and support here. Congrats on taking the first steps toward a new life, you won't regret it!