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Those of you thinking of the sleeve



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Hello everyone, it's been a while since I've been in here, I was sleeved march 20th by Dr Stowers in Decatur TX. Life has been amazing since my surgery, no major complications, i feel healthy for once in my life, no more knee pain, blood pressure and cholesterol are great! I'm at my goal weight of 175, I'm 5'10".

I if your thinking about getting the sleeve, STOP THINKING AND DO IT! It helped me in so many ways and I am very happy with my decision. Yes some set backs, like not being able to eat a whole plate if food sucks for the first 2 months, but after your mind changes and you get comfortable eating small quantities, it gets better.

Now when I got out to eat with friends, and I have take home food that lasts 2 more meals. And, when I see them eat, I think? "How the hell can they eat all that?" Mind has changed for the better, seeing all that fat, sodium and other junk entering their bodies makes me even happier that I made a decision to change my life.

Yes it sucks not being able to eat ice cream, "more than one scoop", but I'm happy when I don't. You can eat more, but your stomach won't like it at all, you will be going to the RR to throw up and have an awful stomach ache for about 30 mins.

You can eat whatever food you want, just not nearly as much as you would have before.

•PAIN- never felt any major pain at all after the procedure, incision lines never hurt, and the only time when my stomach hurt was on the staple line when I sneezed, coughed or the 2 times I threw up after the surgery. <"2 weeks only". I had the HH repaired and drinking Water felt weird for 2 weeks afterwards, after that it went away. The gas pain I felt in my shoulders for about 2 weeks, nothing after that.

The only regret I have is not getting it done sooner. Yes I was scared, but it's human nature to be scared of such a major procedure. ***But, ID RATHER SOMEONE WORK ON MY STOMACH THAN MY HEART"***

If anyone has any questions Id love to hear from you, take care and God bless you.

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Thank you for your post. I needed to hear that right now. God bless!

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Thank you for your post. I needed to hear that right now. God bless!
anytime, trust me, I'd do it again! I'd say the worst thing of the whole surgery, is that stuff they make you drink afterwards when you do the leak test, surgery and everything else was a breeeeeeeeze!

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Thank you so much for sharing, I also constantly wish all of this could've happened sooner. I wasted pretty much all of my twenties being fat and insecure. But anyway congrats on your success!!!

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Thank you for sharing this. I'm just starting out and hope for a feb sleeve date. Fingers crossed. Thanks again!!

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Bless you! Loved the comment, rather have someone work on my stomach instead of my heart. That is what I'll say to anyone who has a negative comment about this surgery!

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only regret I have is not getting it done sooner.

hey dude,

where have you been :o

nice to see you :)

since there is less of you to "parade" around - probably why i've missed seeing you :lol:

always nice for VETS to speak up and remind newbies - and others too..............

how wonderful the surgery is

telling people you had no major issues, recovered one day at a time - at a good rate ;)

this is stuff people considering WLS / or newbies can read about in books et al

always nicer to hear success stories from real people (even you :lol: )

thanx for taking the time write :)

continued health and happiness in your longer life

kathy

congrats

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Congratulations and thanks for sharing your story. I'm hoping for a surgery date before year-end and really need encouraging stories like yours to keep me on track.

Andrew

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I needed to hear this! I'm hoping for a Feb date... My insurance requires the 6 month md supervised diet first... I'm anxious already and second guessing myself. I need to see the success stories!!! :)

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Glad you had such a positive experience. It is so comforting to hear positive stories about life post-op. Congratulations on making your goal weight!

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The best post i've seen on here that eased my heart about going forward. I'm with you i'd rather have my stomach worked on than my heart too!!

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Congratulations and thank you so much for your post. I'm pre op so I love to hear the positives as well. I love your enthusiasm about your new journey.

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Congrats on your weight loss and thank you for the info it helped make me feel I can do this. May I ask have you loss any hair and if so how did you deal with it? Thxs for your response

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No problem, if I can help someone overcome the fears it's all worth it.

I was scared too, but I prayed and asked god if it was for me make the fears go away, and they all did. It was a decision I choose to make to live longer and healthier. Do I miss eating like I did, not anymore, although I have seen a few people regret the surgery, it's usually due to the very few that have complications.

It's been a journey I'll never forget, I still remember being wheels back to the operating room thinking, "this is all worth it", well and it has been.

hair loss, well not sure if it affected me bc I've been a baldie since I was 21. I've heard of a few loosing their hair, but I believe that only occurs when you don't get enough Protein.

The hardest part for me was the liquid diet. A week of Protein shakes was horrible. I cheated countless times, but when I did, I did the best way of eating grilled chicken and boiled broccoli. One thing you don't wanna do is cheat and eat fattening foods such as burgers etc. The point of the liquid diet is to shrink your liver and reduce the fat around it and your stomach. The worst thing that could happen is for your surgeon to open you up and have to close you up because you didn't follow procedures.

Keep in mind, life is what you make of it, I believe if god gives you the means to get the surgery, it's meant for you. Go for it, the only thing you have to loose is weight, and gain many more years on your life. Take care

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    • LeighaTR

      Four days post surgery. I am sipping as fast as I can and getting NO WHERE near the goal of 60 - 80 grams of protein or the 64 oz of liquids. I just feel FULL. I don't know if it can still be the gas build up (I would think by now that would be gone) but it is a struggle to drink. And so far I have not had the nausea or spasms and don't want to wander into that territory by pushing too hard with liquids. I about passed out today as it was my most "strenuous" day. Went from second story to basement for shower and I was sure I was going to pass out. Looking back on my last few days I have had a total of less than 1000 calories. Am I just not getting enough nourishment in me? Once again a friday where I can't get ahold of the doc until Monday rolls back around so I am hoping maybe someone here has some experience on how to keep energy going. I do have fibromyalgia too and that may be where some added fatigue comes into play. How did you all fair with the goals the week after surgery?
      · 0 replies
      1. This update has no replies.
    • 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. 💜
      · 3 replies
      1. Phil Penn

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

      2. Selina333

        I'm in Houston so kind of near you and had the sleeve in Dec. Down 61 lbs. Feeling better. Was definitely worth it. I hope the everything is going well for you. Update us when you can!

      3. Doughgurl

        I am back home after my bypass surgery in Tiajuana. I'm post op day 4. Everything went great! I guess I'm one of the lucky ones who have not encountered much pain at all, no nausea thus far and I'm having no problem keeping down broths and water. Thank you for your well wishes. I cant wait to keep up this journey and have a chance at better health and simply better quality of life. I know there will be bumps in the road ahead, and everything won't be peaches and cream, but at least I have a great start so far. 😍

    • 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
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    • 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!

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