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Hey everyone!! I recently got my insurance approval on Friday and will have my surgery scheduled for january sometime....I'm so incredibly scared. I've had the lap band before and had to have it removed last November so to go thru surgery again is nerve racking but I know soooooo worth it. Just looking for a friend to help me get thru this process and maybe answer the zillion questions I'll ask over and over.

Thanks!!!

Vicki <3

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Congrats, Vicki! I'm only 7 weeks out...and never had a lap band before, but I'd be happy to try and answer any questions you have. :)

Shari

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Hi Vicki! I considered the lap band but in the end decided on the gastric sleeve. I am post op day 6 and since (pre-surgery diet) 12/1/12 I have lost a little over11 pounds.

Everything has gone very well for me, no significant problems. I even had my gallbladder removed and a hiatial hernia repair at the same time!

Happy to keep in touch and answer any questions I can.

Stay Strong!!!!

Yael

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hey girl !! i would love to help out , all i can !!! i had my gastric sleeve on dec 8 ...and lovin it , but trying to get used to it too!! Great luck ! ;)

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Hey Vicki,

You have a forum full of friends here, and one heck of a support group. If you have any questions that you don't want public my PM is always open. Also I don't mind giving out my phone # via PM also.

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Welcome to VST, glad you're here!!

We have really great people here ready and willing to answer all your questions! :)

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Do u all think a week out of work is enough time off? My biggest problem is that I'm n ER nurse & lately I've seen so many complications coming in. I will say though that I wrk at a military hospital now & maybe that is the reason because when I worked at a civilian hospital I RARELY saw any ppl with complications. Maybe military docs haven't been performing this procedure as long...? Idk just guessing. When I had my band I was only out 2 days...then just took it easy ( no lifting etc). I'm hoping this will be similar. The gas pain was the worse :-(

Sent from my iPhone using VST

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I'm also an er nurse and my doc recommends 2 weeks, he said 3 at the most. My surgery is in the morning so guess ill see how it goes.

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Oooooo let me know how it goes!! Good luck tommorow your whole life is about to change for the better!! :-)

Sent from my iPhone using VST

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jenny ......good luck !!!You will do just fine !!! i am 18 days post op and went for my follow up last week.. i am a hospice aide and that was one of my biggest worries .....how much time off ?! well , i have 530 hrs of sick time and really want to take advantage of it !!! my dr approved for me to be off for 6 weeks !!!!i had my surgery on dec. 8 and seriously , i could easily go back to work if i wanted to ! :)

every single day the pain is easier and easier !!! the tricky part i am having is drinking .....its hard for me to take sips when ive guzzled all my life ..lol!!!...........stock up on gas x strips !!!They work wonders!!!! it took about 2 weeks for the gas pains to go away ...esp in l shoulder ....also my suggested mirilax. that first bm is a doozie ...fyi ...lol! .......also ...it helps to tie a scarf or belt to your headboard to help yourself pull up... its not easy getting to a sitting position at first !! i wish you both the best on your journies and if you need someone to talk to ...i'm here ;)!

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I also work in a hospital, and I was off work completely for 4 weeks, also on restrictions (lifting) for 6. Before I was cleared to go back to work I had to go to Employee Health Services, where they gave me work restrictions.

When I went back to work they started me at 4 hour shifts for 2 weeks and now I'm finishing up 6 hour shifts. After the new year, I'm back on normal 8 hour shifts.

Did I need all that time? Honestly, I think I did. I was so tired all the time from not taking in enough nutrition and liquids, and had to really figure out how I would manage to eat/drink while working.

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I'm crossing my fingers ill be ok with less cuz I can't afford it :-(

Sent from my iPhone using VST

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The thing is...you won't know until post surgery. Some people have it easy, others don't. And there's no way to tell ahead of time. Also, you could be fine one day and the next day pull on a suture attached to a muscle and wam! You're in horrible pain for a few days or weeks. And the fatigue is hard to deal with.

I hope that you are one of the lucky ones who fly through this easily! Good luck!

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    • Doughgurl

      2 days until I fly out to San Diego to have my Bypass Surg. in Tiajuana Mexico. Not gonna lie, the nerves are starting to surface. I don't fear the surgery itself, or the fact that I'm traveling alone, but its the aftermath that I'm stressing about the most, after this 8 week wait. I'm excited to finally be here, but I am really dreading the post surgical chapter. I know its going to be tough, real tough and I think I'm just in my head to much now that the day i here. Wish me luck, Hopefully I'm one of the lucky ones, and everything goes smoothly. Cant wait to give an exciting update,. If there is anyone else have a June bypass or even a recent one, Id love to have someone to compare war stories with. Also, anyone near San Antonio Tx? See ya soon with the future me. 💜
      · 1 reply
      1. Phil Penn

        Good Luck this procedure is well worth it I am down to 249.6 lb please continue with the process..

    • 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.

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