ranchersdaughter

Sleeveme, Congratulations on your decision and welcome to the family! I was sleeved on April 11th and I can honestly say that even just 12 days out, it is the best decision I've made in years (besides divorce, but that's an entirely different story!) LOL! Like you, I almost convinced myself that I didn't need the surgery, that I could do it on my own........AGAIN. Then it hit me. I'm 40 years old! I've done it on my own SIX other times!!!!!!!!! I'm tired of losing it gradually, feeling great for a few months and then finding myself fat again in a couple of years and miserable. There's no doubt I have the DETERMINATION, I KNOW I can do it, but dangitall, I'm tired of fighting it. So I got sleeved, I'm changing the whole way I think about myself, my life, my food choices, everything! And it is soooooo liberating! I imagine this is what a butterfly feels like when it escapes the confines of a coccoon! So stick with it girl! You've found an awesome forum, the folks here are FANTASTIC and we will support you through thick and thin! Once again, WELCOME!!!!!! and keep us posted! Christal

Congratulations!!!!!! It's sooo good to see positiveness after our years of negative actions! Keep it up girl! and THANK YOU! Christal

No, they shaved my back.....oh heck....this was for the mens! My bad! Rofl! Just kidding!

I take my coffee like I take my men.........Hot, Strong and.......now in small doses. ROFL! Thanks for your post! Christal

Misty, Thank you so much for your post! It's uplifting, encouraging and I love that you included the bad with the good! (Sugarcoating things is what got most of us in this mess in the first place, right? ROFL!!!). I'm 11 days post op, (my sutures come out today,,,,,,,,yahooooo!!!), and last night we were at an expo with our twin boys at school. 1/2 way through, my husband stopped me right in the middle of the gym and said, "I LOOOVE this!!!" I said, "Yeah, it is a pretty great event." He said, "No, I love seeing you SMILE again! Ever since you're surgery you have smiled non stop and I LOOOOVE it!" Amazing!!!!!!!! Keep up the good work Misty and thank you again for sharing!!! Christal

I guess I'm a freak of nature. I woke up sleeping on my stomach on day 4 post surgery. No pain. The Hubby and I got down to business on day 7. I realize I'm not "normal"....but then I don't know what normal is!!! Lol! I wish you the very best and a speedy recovery!! Christal

San Diego is a hot spot for mini vacations and cosmetic surgery! There's no reason why you can't be taking a vacation and having a little "cosmetic surgery" from a well renowned surgeon while you're there, now is there? Neither is an outright lie, simply an omission of specific 'details'. I wish you the best of luck with this. My heart goes out to you. Christal

ROFL! That's awesome! I'm also an April 11th sleever! On the way to the airport before my surgery I was singing..... "Leaving,,,,,,on a jet plane! Won't bring my tummy back again! Lord, I love to see it go!" What kind of whackos ARE we?! Lol! Hope all is going well with you post surgery!!! I know I feel FANTASTIC! Christal

You sound so normal it's scary! Lol! Like you, I had the same fears and trepidations. One day after I lost a whole nights sleep worrying about all the negatives that "might" happen, I just dropped to my knees and gave it all to God. I told Him point blank that this was in His hands and if He saw fit to see me through or not, that I would respect His decision. My mind has been at peace ever since. I know not everyone has these convictions, but it worked for me. Something else that someone told me before surgery has also helped...... "You're 98% more likely to get in a car wreck any day of the week, than you are to have complications or die from this surgery!" Breathe deep, write down everything you can about the surgery that you can think of or that you have read or learned in your research. Write down the good, the bad and the ugly and keep your mind open!!! Do not let fear sway you to thinking negatively, and I think you will find that the good FAR outweighs the bad! I'm 10 days post-op and feel FANTASTIC!!! I would do it again in a heartbeat and I'm more than happy to answer any questions you might have, or simply lend a quiet ear if you need to vent or get things off your chest! Welcome to the family!! Christal

Welcome to the Family! I'm 10 days post-op and down 25 lbs since starting my liquid diet on April 8th. This is an incredible forum and one you will learn a lot from and will get a variety of responses that are awesome, even if it's not always what you want to hear, the support is here!!! Hope to hear more from you as the days go by! Christal

Good Morning Kemo! Welcome to the forum! I am 9 days Post-op. I used Dr. Almanza. My surgery was April 11th, and I have kept in contact with 5 of the other 6 patients who had their surgery the same day I did, and we all seem to have had a very positive experience with Jerusalem Clinic thus far. I am in no way here to sway anyone one way or the other as far as whom they choose to do their surgery. This is a very personal decision and one that you must make only after doing all of your research and finding what you feel comfortable with, and weighing the pros and cons. As for the Water and bathing, I did not drink the water, and everything besides the ice chips that they give you, was bottled. I waited until the 3rd day out of surgery when my husband and I were in San Diego, to shower. It wasn't a big deal to me because I showered the night before my surgery. I'd also keep in mind that this is a clinic. I highly doubt that in order to preserve their reputation and keep their clientele, that they would serve you water or ice chips or anything that could potentially have a bad outcome. Just my thoughts. I can tell you that I felt more at ease and comfortable in this clinic than I have EVER felt in an American Hospital or Dr.s Office!!! They smile, they treat you like family, they do everything they can to make you feel at home. There is none of the stiff backed, "I'm so busy and you're cutting into my golf time" attitude. They were EXTREMELY open and honest about answering any and ALL of our questions, without hesitation, even showing computer records and documentation for my questions. Ultimately this is your decision to make and you have to figure out what you are comfortable with. I can only speak for myself and my experience there, but I would go there again in a heartbeat. I wish you the best of luck and hope that you will keep us posted on your journey! Once again, welcome to the family!!! Christal

Hello everyone! Im a 40 yr old mom of 2. I've struggled with 90 to 100 lbs to lose since I was 24 and had an unfortunate reaction to the Norplant birth control....that caused me to gain over 90 lbs in less than 3 months. I went from a nice 130 lbs right after the birth of my 1st child, to 230 lbs. In the past 16 yrs I have managed to lose those 90-100 lbs no less than5 times. It ALWAYS comes back. I'm at the age now where I want to spend time doing other things than feeling fat and sluggish and out of breath. I don't want to live the rest of my life worrying about my weight.....I want to LIVE!!!! I'm hoping this surgery will be the tool that helps me do just that. I'm scheduled for April 11, with Dr Almanza. I'm still trying to decide whether to have the plication or the gastrectomy....

Unfortunately, it's human nature for others to be negative about our positive changes! I have never in my life seen someone get a promotion or have something really good happen to them when there wasn't at least ONE person who had something negative to say about it. Am I right or am I right??? The best thing you can do is turn their negativity into something positive for yourself. Use their own words against them by showing them what an incredible person you STILL are, heavy or not. Besides that, no matter what anyone says, we're here for you!!!!

Raz, Welcome to the family! Like you, I initially had the pessimism to think of the worst possible things that could happen. Finally one day I just decided that I would put it in God's hands and if he saw fit to see me through the surgery, then all would be well, and I have been at peace ever since the moment that I truly gave this over to Him. My surgery was April 11th, 8 days ago and I can honestly tell you that it is the best thing I have ever done for myself. Like others have said, there are no absolute guarantees in this life, but I can tell you that statistically, you're 98% more likely to die from a car wreck than you will this surgery! How are you feeling today? Christal

8 days post op and if the scale is to be believed......down 22 lbs????? NO WAY!!!! I'd like to thank everyone who has posted here!!!! It's so encouraging to hear from you and hear how you are doing and your hopes, expectations, accomplishments!! I LOVE IT! Keep em coming! Christal

So I have been experimenting with my fluids. I'm 5 days post surgery and feel great!!! So today I added 1 cup of aloe vera 100% juice, 1 cup of Water and my crystal lite powder. Not only is it delicious but For the first time I have no gas!! I figure aloe vera has to be good for a healing tummy also! Has anyone else tried this? Christal

I get mine at wal-mart in the pharmacy section near the vitamins.

Aloe juice is basically tasteless! So you can add it to anything! And its good for you! Love it!