lexusgirl14

I was sleeved on August 29 and have also lost my sense of hunger and drinking Protein drinks and Water is a challenge. I am now using an alarm on the half hour to remind me to drink at least 4 sips. I hope this helps.

Hi everyone, I am scheduled to have surgery on Monday, August 29 in Maryland. However, Hurricane Irene is making her approach to the DC Metro Area and will arrive this evening. We are expecting wind gust of up to 40-60 miles an hour later this evening and the electric companies have predictive major outages in the area for several days! I've been on a liquid diet for almost 2 weeks and I'm ready for surgery. At this point, I've lost my taste for food but I am also so very tired of Unjury shakes! I pray that my surgery will go forward on Monday and will be successful with no complication!

Thanks for the good wishes. I am moving slowly and trying to get as much liquid down as possible. I feel a little better each day.

I had my surgery on Monday, August 29, and I am sore and have to move slowly as expected. I haven't had a lot of pain rather just discomfort but I have also have high tolerance level for pain so I must be careful. I'm moving slowly and adjusting to my swallowing slowly.

I had my initial appointment with Dr. Cantor a week after receiving my approval. However, the long wait time is for the surgery.

Hi All, I am awaiting surgery and I greatly appreciate senior "sleevers" sharing their experinces. As a senior, I have been concerned about the surgery and post op recovery. After reading the comments this evening, I feel much better! Thank you so much!!!!

Hi Ann 10, I am awaiting sleeve surgery by Dr. Cantor, an doctor who performs WLS at Holy Cross Hospital in Silver Spring, Md. He is an excellent doctor, is friendly and straigth forward. He only performs Kaiser surgeries on Mondays and with Kaiser no longer using George Washington University Hospital, Dr. Cantor has a long waiting list. You will need to attend bariatric informational sessions at Holy Cross. You will find them listed on the Holy Cross Hospital web site under special programs or somthing similar. The session that focuses on Kaiser is the fourth Wednesday of each month and he requires patients to attend 2 or 3 sessions. You must register for the meetings but there is no charge. Information regarding the online support group is on the web site. I highly recommend you join this group. I have learned so much from members who have had the surgery! Dr. Cantor requires a sleep apnea test, so seek a referral from your PCP as soon as possible. Kaiser has several sleep study sections in the area. You will receive a machine to take home and hook-up the various wires to your body to record your sleep patterns and oxygen level. The machine must be returned the next day and a doctor reviews the data stored in the machine and determines if you have sleep apnea. Having sleep apnea will not cancel your surgery. A diagnosis of sleep apnea means that you will have to bring the CPAP machine to the hospital. He also requires a test to determine if a certain bacteria is in your stomach (can't remember the name). However, he will tell you about the test at the informational session. After surgery his patients must inject themselves with a blood thinner to decrease the occurance of blood clots. Hope this helps!

Congratulations on your successful surgery and weight loss thus far. I am 61 and will be having surgery in August. Please keep me posted on your progress! Best wishes!

Thank you for the beautiful message. I am awaiting surgery and experience bouts of frustration. Your message is so encouraging and inspiring for me. The best to you as you successfully continue on your journey.

The best to both of you for successful surgeries and recoveries. I love your positive attitude and loving bond. You are in my prayers and I look forward to reading about your progress!

LR6909, Welcome on board! Reading your message brought back many memories. I was one of the two girls in fourth grade who wore a bra. I never ever wore a training bra or a "A" size cup! I am a "DD" size and know that the weight loss will result in smaller breasts and sagging. However, I will cope with that in exchange for being in a normal weight range for my height. I experienced a keloid from a previous surgery. Let the surgeon know that this happens to your skin and a remedy such as a cortisone shot can be administered. I've been approved for surgery and I am waiting for my surgery date. Good Luck!

No, your're not crazy and you will wear the size 12 black shirt dress! Good luck on your surgery on April 22

Hi, I was approved 3 days ago for wls and want to have the vertical sleeve!! I am looking forward to: Getting off my medications Practicing yoga Wearing a bathing suit without worry Crossing my legs Shopping for much smaller size in new stores for me (Chico's) Flying without worrying if the belt will fit Eliminating stress on my knees Having more energy Packing smaller clothes and using a smaller bag on ong trips Lexus

Hi Deevah, Thanks for the quick reply. It's so good to know someone with Kaiser in the DC Metro Area that is going through the process also! I live in Clinton, MD not far from the Capital Beltway I-495. I know the location of the hospital and it has changed names over the years. After reading your message, I looked at about ten patient reviews which were very good for the hospital and one that was very negative. I did not know of Dr. Salameh but see that he has excellent creditials and over a decade of experience with wls. My nutritionist didn't know anything about the new hospital except that Kaiser had entered into contract with it for wls and left GWU Hospital . I would assume that the bottom line was money. Do tell me more about your converstions with Dr. Salameh's patients? I have a vacation planned for the 3rd week in July with family members and hope to have the surgery after that time. That's why the delay with Dr. Cantor fits into my schedule. However, do you think I'm too optimistic about surgery in August or September? Lexusgirl 14

Deevah, I started my journey last March and my doctor, who was new to Kaiser at the time, referred me for the nutritionist for wls. I am also with Kaiser of the Metro DC Area and live in Maryland. I am now awaiting approval. I chose to work with a nutritionist in Virginia because George Washington Hospital performed wls for Kaiser patients from Virginia. However, Kaiser changed hospitals and the contract for wls is with a hospital in Arlington, VA, which I am not familiar with at all. I attended a session at Holy Cross conducted by Dr. Cantor. I share your impressions of him and left the meeting knowing that I wanted him to do the surgery. Although, there is at least a four month delay with his practice, I am willing to wait. I have been fearful having known two women who died about 8 years ago from complications for gastric bypass. But Dr. Cantor eased my mind tremendously and have requested the vertical gastric sleeve. It took me five months to reach the weight loss goal on March 8th. In fact, I was 2 and a half pounds below the goal number. I attribute this to my mind being at peace regarding the surgery because of Dr. Cantor and the messages on vertical sleevetalk. I hope we can communicate and provide support to each other as we move forward. Best wishes! Lexusgirl 14

Hi, Congratulations on your decision and progress! I am a African American female in the process of getting approved for VSG. I was delighted to read your post and hope to gain much advice as I move forward. I have started taking 2,000 mg. of Biotin daily and hope this will help with hair loss. In addition to hair loss, I am also interested in tips on minimizing excessive skin. All! I wanted to start a thread for African-American sleevers (no worries I HEART all sleevers from the rainbow). I just thought, no scientific proof, that African-American sleevers may respond to the surgery different than our lovely non-African American sleeved sisters and brothers. I wanted to know if we had the same skin issue, hair problems, and other surgery related issues. Also, how to deal with the culture shock. African-American "soul food" may be something of the past... or not. So I was just looking for a space to voice culture related issues and concens. PS- I TRULY :heart: ALL SLEEVERS.