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New here & on my journey



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Hello all,

My name is Bryn, I was previously on lapbandtalk.com; but after my consultation with the doctor today, I am choosing to go along with the vertical sleeve surgery.

AI first went with the band, then bypass and now i'm decided on VS :)

What made me choose the sleeve is that i really was not comfortable with my intestines being re-routed. and i didn't want to deal with the hassle of fills/unfills, erosion, etc with the band

I see the bariatric surgeon in 2 months. within those two months, i need to complete my psych eval, meet with dietician, attend bariatric exercise classes, meet with my PCP, get a sleep study and any other tests i can squeeze in :thumbup: it's going to be a challenge since i attend school full time and work full time, but i'm dedicated to do it.

thanks all for sharing your stories/experiences for us newbies :thumbup:

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Awesome and welcome Bryn, I started off researching on lapbandtalk also and I actually heard about this procedure on that site. I hopped over here and it didn't take much to convince me that this was the best surgery for me.

Keep us posted on your journey.

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Hi Bryn,

Welcome to the forum. I wish you well on your journey. You certainly have a lot to do over the next 2 months.... I have done a lot of reasearch as well and I really feel the the Sleeve is the best option out there for Weight loss Surgery.....

Take care

Sue

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Welcome Bryn!

Congratulations on your decision to get the sleeve. It sure made the most sense to me, too.

I'm glad you found this forum. I hope "we" can help you through your journey!

Breezy

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Wow, Bryn, you're certainly juggling a lot right now! Good luck getting all the tests done and welcome to the board. This really is a great place! :blush:

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I had my sleeve done four days ago and I'm amazed at how very little pain was involved. My biggest complaint was headache. I never considered anything but the sleeve and you will notice there are a lot of bands that revise to sleeve. I don't think you'll be sorry. Good luck!

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thanks for the welcomes everyone!!!

I have already scheduled my nutritionist consult, psych eval and my first PCP weigh in. Doctor told me to try and lose weight by supplementing one meal for a liquid Meal Replacement (suggested low carb slim fast). I'm no stranger to slim fast so I'm ok with it lol (gonna alternate between Breakfast, lunch and dinner)

:angry:

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Hi Bryn, I'm in the same boat, starting out thinking I was going to do the band, and switched to the VSG.

Good luck with everything!

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Hi Bryn,

I too started over on Lapbandtalk.com, but wanted to do plenty of research before coming to a decision. Once I started seriously considering the long term complications of the band I decided it wasn't for me and looked for an alternative.

The bypass was never an option for me due to bowel issues, so that left the sleeve. It sounded terrifying at first, and I almost scrapped the idea. But after chatting to these guys on here for a month or so and doing tons of research, I decided to go ahead privately as I live in Guernsey and the local health department do not financially support WLS of any kind.

I was sleeved 10 days ago in Southampton, and recovery is going well. I am SO happy I didn't go with the band. You're in the right place for support and helpful information, trust me. There's nothing these guys don't know! :thumbup1:

Welcome! And good luck on your journey! xx

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Welcome to the group. Sounds like you are well on your way with your appointments and such.

One thing I learned pre-surgery was how much my emotions would fluctuate. One day I was totally pumped and the next I was like "what am I thinking". It's totally normal and many of us have been there/done that. Feel free to post questions, vent, freak out, Celebrate with us at any time.

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Welcome Bryn

We chose VSG for the same reasons and for me it was the best choice. I am only 1 month in from surgery but, if you ever have any newbie questions that I can answer I will certainly try.

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I plan to have weight loss surgery i still not sure watch one i was thinging

about gastric bypass or the sleeve gastrectomy.

do you you recommend any sites where I may obtain more information on both

procedures.

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I think a lot of folks go from possible surgery to possible surgery until they find the one that suits them best. I know I did that.

I was totally convinced the band was for me, until I spoke with some people who'd actually had it. The more I read about it, the more I realized it wasn't for me.

So I switched to the RNY surgery. Until I spoke to some people who'd had it. None of them appeared healthy, and every one of them had had complications of some sort. It was pretty scary stuff. (And I have an Aunt who had it, and she's a mess.)

Then I talked to a bariatric surgeon who is also a patient. He had the sleeve. When I asked him why he chose the sleeve, he said it was the right choice for him. I stepped back and considered my goals and needs with that perspective, and it became a no-brainer.

With luck I'll have my surgery before the end of the year. And then all these "losers" here will have to slide over and make room for another "loser" to join them on the bench. :crying:

Dave

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    • LeighaTR

      I am new here today... and only two weeks out from my sleeve surgery on the 23rd. I am amazed I have kept my calories down to 467 today so far... that leaves me almost 750 left for dinner and maybe a snack. This is going to be tough for two weeks... but I have to believe I can do it!
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • Doughgurl

      Hey everyone. I'm new here so I thought I should introduce myself. I am 53y/o and am scheduled for Gastric Bypass on June 25th, 2025. I'm located in San Antonio, Texas. I will be having my surgery in Tiajuana Mexico. I've wanted this for years, but I always had insurance where bariatric procedures were excluded. Finally I am able to afford to pay out of pocket.  I can't wait to get started, and I hope I'm prepared for the initial period of "hell". I know what I have signed up for, but I'm sure the good to come will out way the temporary period of discomfort and feelings of regret. I'd love to find people to talk to who have been through the same procedure or experience before. So I look forward to meeting you all. Hope you have a great week!
      · 2 replies
      1. Selina333

        I'm so happy for you! You are about to change your life. I was so glad to get the sleeve done in Dec. I didn't have feelings of regret overall. And I'm down almost 60 lbs. I do feel a little sad at restaurants. I can barely eat half a kid's meal. I get adults meals often because kid ones don't have the same offerings at times. Then I feel obligated to eat on that until it's gone and that can be days. So the restaurant thing isn't great for me. All the rest is fine by me! I love feeling full with very little. I do wish I could drink when eating. And will sip at the end. Just a strong habit to stop. But I'm working on it! You will do fine! Just keep focused on your desire to be different. Not better or worse. But different. I am happy both ways but my low back doesn't like me that heavy. So I listened (also my feet!). LOL! Update us on your journey! I'm not far from you. I'm in Houston. Good luck and I hope it all goes smoothly! Would love to see pics of the town you go to for this. I've never been there. Neat you will be traveling for this! Enjoy the journey. Take it one day at a time. Sometimes a few hours at a time. Follow all recommendations as best you can. 💗

      2. Doughgurl

        Thank you so much for your well wishes. I am hoping that everything goes easy for me as well. We don't eat out much as it is, so it wont be too bad in that department. Thankfully. Also, I hear you regarding your back and feet!! I'd like to add knees to the list. Killing me as we speak! I'm only 5' so the weight has to go. Too short to carry all this weight. Menopause really did a doosey on me. (😶lol) My daughter also lives in Houston. with her Husband and my 5 grand-littles. I grew up in Beaumont, so I know Houston well, I will be sure to keep in touch and update you on my journey. I may need some advice in the future, or just motivation. Thank You so much for reaching out, I was hoping to connect with someone in the community. I really appreciate it. 💜

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. LeighaTR

        I hope your surgery on Wednesday goes well. You will be able to do all sorts of new things as you find your new normal after surgery. I don't know this from experience yet, but I am seeing a lot of positive things from people who have had it done. Best of luck!

    • Alisa_S

      On day 4 of the 2 week liquid pre-op diet. Surgery scheduled for June 11th.
      Soooo I am coming to a realization
      of something and I'm not sure what to do about it. For years the only thing I've enjoyed is eating. We rarely do anything or go anywhere and if we do it always includes food. Family comes over? Big family dinner! Go camping? Food! Take a short ride or trip? Food! Holiday? Food! Go out of town for a Dr appointment? Food! When we go to a new town we don't look for any attractions, we look for restaurants we haven't been to. Heck, I look forward to getting off work because that means it's almost supper time. Now that I'm drinking these pre-op shakes for breakfast, lunch, and supper I have nothing to look forward to.  And once I have surgery on June 11th it'll be more of the same shakes. Even after pureed stage, soft food stage, and finally regular food stage, it's going to be a drastic change for the rest of my life. I'm giving up the one thing that really brings me joy. Eating. How do you cope with that? What do you do to fill that void? Wow. Now I'm sad.
      · 1 reply
      1. summerseeker

        Life as a big person had limited my life to what I knew I could manage to do each day. That was eat. I hadn't anything else to look forward to. So my eating choices were the best I could dream up. I planned the cooking in managable lots in my head and filled my day with and around it.

        Now I have a whole new big, bigger, biggest, best days ever. I am out there with those skinny people doing stuff i could never have dreamt of. Food is now an after thought. It doesn't consume my day. I still enjoy the good home cooked food but I eat smaller portions. I leave food on my plate when I am full. I can no longer hear my mother's voice saying eat it all up, ther are starving children in Africa who would want that!

        I still cook for family feasts, I love cooking. I still do holidays but I have changed from the All inclusive drinking and eating everything everyday kind to Self catering accommodation. This gives me the choice of cooking or eating out as I choose. I rarely drink anymore as I usually travel alone now and I feel I need to keep aware of my surroundings.

        I don't know at what point my life expanded, was it when I lost 100 pounds? Was it when I left my walking stick at home ? Was it when I said yes to an outing instead of finding an excuse to stay home ? i look back at my last five years and wonder how loosing weight has made such a difference. Be ready to amaze yourself.

        BTW, the liquid diet sucks, one more day and you are over the worst. You can do it.

    • CaseyP1011

      Officially here for a long time, not just a good time💪
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
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