MINI-Me

You will ... the sleeve is such a great tool!

Thanks Bambi. WOW! You are doing a great job as well. Congrats right back at ya!

Some say that Day 2 is worse than Day 1. If you can stay and have someone monitor you & help with pain meds as well as your walking schedule, I say go for it! Congrats!

Best of luck Beth. If we can help answer any questions, just ask away!

I almost spit my drink out laughing so hard!

Surgery plays havoc on the body, particularly our cycles. I wouldn't be too worried, but it might not hurt to play a call to your GYN just to see their thoughts since you have the implant. Keep us posted.

I did mine as outpatient and had no issues. Talk with your surgeon and see what he says. If there are complications, there should not be a problem with him admitting you & your insurance should pay for the bed with complications. If your surgeon is insistent on a 2-night stay & insurance says outpatient (assuming no complications), your surgeon's office should be able to get you a quote on the hospital charges. Maybe you could pay that yourself?

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Let us know how things go.

You said it! Fortunately, we have a covered porch so my husband can be found grilling in the sun, rain or snow (I usually give him a coat along with the meat on the snow days! :biggrin0:) We did Ribeyes on Saturday - YUMMY!

I was fine having someone there to support me by bringing things and tracking my medications the first few days. I'm not sure how much you have to lose, but that may impact your healing. Have you talked to your surgeon about recovery and his recommendations?

While I agree with what you said, I'm going to play devil's advocate here. I'd like to know what everyone is doing to ensure they don't fall back into bad habits and regain? (Just like all of us Career Dieters have done in the past.)

Saw this too late to chime in before you headed to surgery. Let us know what you decided. I also live in WA - if I can offer support, let me know.

Starting Weight: 203 This Morning: 151 Goal #1: 155 - Met this goal 5/22/10 Goal #2: 145 - Getting closer!!!! Goal #3: 135 (What I was my senior year of High School!!!!)

Those sound more like RYN stats to me. I am choosing to be postive and believe that my new stomach will stretch that much.

Thank you. Yes, it does feel good!

That's my plan! Thanks.

I too was told that it would stretch very little, if any. My personality is to push for a more concrete answer. My surgeon was very patient and said "You will never be able to eat a whole hamburger again". Since I was (am, if I am honest) a complete fast food junkie, that really put it in perspective for me. Another way to think about it. 85% of your stomach was removed. Even if what you have doubles (not likely), you still have SO MUCH LESS than you ever had before.

I am so sorry that you are feeling so discouraged and disheartened. Have you taken measurements? If so, are you seeing inches lost? If you haven't ... take them NOW! You will be amazed at the changes that occur in just a few days/weeks. What does your surgeon say? Do you have a nutritionist?

It sounds like you are talking more about the DS than the Sleeve. I've never heard that Sleeve patients only absorb 10% of the fat. And my surgery was less than 1 hour.

Nice job! Do you mind sharing your workout regime?

You guys are right. Thaks for being level headed for me. This sleeve seems like a miracle too good to be true. I keep waiting for someone to say "pyche - it was all a big joke. You will gain back all the weight". But, it WILL NOT happen this time.

Tell him congratulations from all of us. Glad to hear that the surgery and immediate post op went so well. And yes, tell him to join us!

WOW! You have done an amazing job and an inspiration to many of us. Thanks for sharing your story countless times & being there when we have questions. Today truly is your birthday - celebrate your new life!

For me, I had a friend with the sleeve. I watched her amazing transformation & just had to know more details. The more I researched, the more this surgery made sense to me. I was considered a "lightweight", but due to my family history & watching my sugar numbers increase, I knew what things would be in 3,5,10 years. It wasn't pretty. Are there days that I wonder about all of this? Yes. Would I do it again if I could go back? Heck Yes! If you've been through your classes, you know your options. Talk with your surgeon and get his thoughts. I know that once I met with my surgeon and heard his experiences/confidence, it gave me the confidence to make my decision. As far as the clears. It was explained to me that it's any liquid you can see through (or partially see through like broth). Full clears are items that you can pour through a strainer - yogurt, sf pudding, etc. You will get exact information from your surgeon and/or nutritionist. I know this is a hard and scary decision. Keep asking questions ... this board is awesome at helping you do your research. Good luck on your decision!

GREAT JOB Anna! Very proud of you ... and yes, please find a way to bottle that motivation/energy and send some this way.