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I'm a closet sleever whose doing this alone. Today was my last day at work because my procedure is scheduled for Tuesday. While updating my out of office for work email & updating my voice mail, it hit me. As I would tell my girlfriends......"This *ish is REAL!!" The waiting is over! From 1/2013 to 7/2013, I'm finally here. I've been to the required support groups, the consultations, the psych evals, the 3 months with the Nut, the EGD, the H Pylori meds, (ugh) the tears from being denied the 1st time around, the excitement of being approved from the appeal, the scheduled date FINALLY!! (the longest holiday weekend of my LIFE!) the PreOp class, My RX & "how to" on how to administer the blood thinner injections, once I get home. (and I'm TERRIFIED of needles) Telling my coworkers I'm going out for gall bladder surgery to this very moment. I don't know how I should feel. I've read many books & I've scanned many blogs. I'm stocked up on food & prayers!! I have enough chicken broth, beef broth, vegetable broth, seafood broth, jello, pudding, protien powders, syntrax nectar powders, isopure RTD, liquid whey protein tubes, chewable vitamins, chewable iron, applesauce, sugar free drink packets & bottled water to last me through to December!! lol.....No...seriously! Thank you all for your support, your guidance & for emails I've received. We are all in this together & I'm looking forward to crossing over into my new beginning very shortly.

So I had my first follow up appointment with the Surgeon. Happy to report that all is well from the surgery point of view. Anyways, I have lost ten pounds in two weeks. Which they seem to be surprised by. Not sure why. I guess during this time, many people gain some weight back from their pre op diet due to lack of fluid in the band. I however am not able to eat as I was before. Only small portions of food at a time. The doctor informed me that I would feel twice the restriction due to the hernia repair. So I guess the great news is - its all downhill for a little while longer. Yes, I still have issues seating up in a chair without leaning to my right to relieve the pressure on my left side and I'm told that is normal. How long does it take for your insides to heal? I have five stitches in my diaphragm and stitches securing my port. Well I will keep you updated when more happens. Monday, its back to work for me.

Monday 8/16 I flew down to El paso, TX. Crossed the border via Amigo Shuttle, with a driver by the name of Sergio. Sergio took me and three other people to the Star Medica Hospital. There was a guy that was getting a lap band fill for the first time, a guy that was getting a VSG, his wife who was tagging along for moral support and of course myself who also got the VSG done. We made it to the Star Medica hospital around 11 am. We checked in and they did our labs (bloodwork, chest x-ray, ekg etc) and started an IV. After the labs came back normal I was told i would be going into surgery at around 3 oclock. Sure enough I was wheeled to the OR around 3 oclock, met the anesthesiologist and was given something for anxiety. It could just be my active imagination but right after she gave me that anti-anxiety agent i became a heck of alot more anxious and agitated out of no where until i eventually fell asleep!! When i woke up from my "nap" I was in a lot of pain!! All i remember was tossing my head from side to side and repetitively saying pain over and over again. I also remember feeling like i could not breath, this part was the scariest for me. I guess since i was in such distress and restless i just wasnt able to think straight and i was snatching my oxygen mask off of my face. By this time i think the only nurse that was in the post op room with me did not speak english but some kind of way i managed to point upwards as a sign for her to kick the o2 up and she did. Immediately i was able to breathe better and felt like a rock had been lifted off of my chest. I was given something for pain but it seemed as though nothing worked because i was still repeating "pain" over and over again.... As a side note i can tell that the nurse did get frustrated with me because nothing seemed to help with the pain until i guess I eventually just fell asleep. When i woke up i was back in my room and the pain was still there. A million and one thoughts was running through my head. Why did i do this? Do i have a perforated bowel? Do i have a leak? Is this just the way my body is responding to the procedure? I was having buyer's remorse and prayed that everything was okay. I stayed on my call light complaining about my pain the first couple of hours after surgery. I remember my nurse saying "Im going to give you an IM injection this time. This is so good stuff" In my head i was like YES!! But to no avail the pain was still there. The only thing the meds were really doing that i could tell was helping me go to sleep. By the middle of the night i woke back up and decided to MAKE MYSELF walk. Hoping it would help relieve some of the gas pain. I walked a little while and boy it does make a difference. I got back in the bed and used my heating pad and gas x strips.MMM i love my heating pad Thanks to everyone who suggested i take one. I'de be dead without it. Lol J/K. But it did make a world of difference with helping manage the gas pains. The second day i felt ALOT BETTER! I got up to walk more and I even took a shower. It actually felt better to be up and about than to be in the bed. I was cleared to be able to chew on ice chips and this also seemed to help. Third day walked, followed clear liquid diet, still in pain but not as bad as the prior days. I went down for a swallow study to test for leaks and everything came back fine. I was also given a copy to take home with a neat xray of my esophogus and tummy. In exchange for 50 bucks someone brought up an RX of prilosec, rapix for pain, and macrozit (sp?) which is an antibiotic. The fourth day was discharge day. This day not much pain more like discomfort. Overall the experience was pretty good. The chick in the post op sx area really pissed me off. But whatever its over and done with.Everyone else was so nice and accommadating. Not all of the nurses or aides spoke spanish but all the doctors did. If they could not figure out what i was talking about, which was not often by the way, they would get someone who did undertstand. The other guy who had the VSG was not to happy about the pain either. He even had a really bad headache afterwards. Im guessing probably from the anesthesia. But i thought he was doing better than i was until after his wife came to check in on me (that was soooo sweet of her b/c i was in another country by myself) but from what she was saying i was up and walking before he was. So i know the pain thing just wasn't a "figment of my imagination." They were really nice ppl and if they just so happen to visit this site i appreciate you guys! Well that is all i can think of right now. If you have any questions please feel free to send them to me. By the way the surgery was coordinated through Belightweight. My Dr. was Jose Rodriquez. He is a very friendly guy. I only have 3 tiny little incisions. It would have been two but my liver was a little enlarged. Wonder why . My coordinator name was Jamie. She is great. She even called to check on my this morning. And i am doing fine. A little sore when i woke up but i will live. Mekia

This was the loooooooongest holiday weekend E-V-E-R!!! I felt like a kid near Christmas, having to walk past the Christmas tree with ALL of those beautifully wrapped presents underneath, with MY name on them..{and not being able to unwrap any until Christmas Day}. I called this morning & scheduled my date..... 7/30/2013... You guys can't see me, but I'm doing the Happy Sleeve Day dance!! Wow & to think....I will be "born again" {not bring disrespectful} for the 3rd time!! Woo hoo!!!! My True Date of Birth 3/16/1964 My Born Again Birthday 1/1/1984 My Sleeve "new beginning" Birthdate 7/30/2013 Can I tell you ......This is somekinda AWESOME!!!! I think Hallmark should create a card for such a beginning...lol..{There's an idea!}

I'm am so excited, I don't know what to do!! I'm having gastric sleeve surgery on Thursday in Mexico, with Dr. Jose Rodriguez. I can barely contain myself, I can expect minimal amount of sleep for the next few days. So sleevers!! Any advice for me? Will the pain be bad? I also go to school and I'm trying to go back to class on Monday, how will that be? Also, when did you guys start doing any physical activity? I want to start playing basketball again as soon as possible, how long should I wait? Any advice helps sleevers!! Will keep you guys updated on my status!! Toodles!!