iegal

Wishing you the best of luck tomorrow. Be sure to post as you are able to let us know how you are feeling and your experience. Hugs - and a early welcome to the losers bench. You made it!

Teenage and up...really hard at any time for a boy/young man to understand his mom is a woman. You can't stop people looking at you (yippee) but you don't have to gawk back and embarass the boy(s). Celebrate that people are noticing. Minimize your reaction for your boys. High five to you!

At 50 lbs, I went into Victoria Secrets and bought something pretty...just for me.

Congrats. Crossing my fingers for you!

Hormones still in your body, so yes it is head hunger. Not that this statement makes you feel any better or your tummy less noisy. Taking a PPI (acid reducer) really helped me. Are you on one? Call your surgeon to see if you can get some. Might not "fix" you but it will help with some of the symptoms a little. Congrats on being sleeved, remember this is a learning journey.

Normally being pissy. You have cut off a lot of sweets, carbs, fat and all of the addictions your body is so used to getting. Of course the hormones are raging and fighting back. Literally. I felt your pain, mine was over Labor Day weekend without all that "good" food. Hang in there. A cure - I hid in my room or bathtub with a good book. At work I limited my interaction with others. When I normally socialized, I went out to my car. Told others I "had a few things to take care of...." Oh, I cried a lot too. You will look back and realize that these few weeks of torture are so worth it and you would go through it again for the miracle of the sleeve. I have no regrets and love my sleeve. Hugs.

Self pay in the US for VSG in Sept 2010. Only you can choose - what base criteria are you using? I live in SoCal, so Mexico would have been an easy decision. I choose a US surgeon so I could have immediate contact with in person. I have seen my surgeon for follow ups. My incisions were less than with Dr. A. How VSG surgery was done was different than Dr A. Additionally my one year appointment with my surgeon was almost a full hour - one on one with him. Dr Q was truly interested in my ongoing success. I was not just another person done and out the door. At that year out, my doc chewed me out for eating too much sugar. Procedure (outpatient, no morphine ((I had pain meds but never needed since no pain)), no catheder, no staples, etc), technique (less incisions, no drain, sleeve internal sutures), follow up, less scars and aftercare was critical factors in my decision. Plus my PPO pays for all of my follow up visits and blood work. All doctors have dirt. Not implying that Dr A does sub par work or that a lot of VST people aren't happy with him, but Dr. A is not a god. But on the flip side...VSG results of many of my friends on here are the same as with a US surgeon. In the back of my mind I kept thinking...what if something had gone wrong, what then?

My advice? Skip potatoes. Puree Beans (black, pinto, lentils) rather than mashed potatoes. Beans are more filling, more flavorful, have Fiber and more Protein. You are eating for nutrients and protein until you hit goal.

Sorry you are struggling. Are you on a PPI (acid reducer)?

This sleeve thing is going to be a breeze for you. You have so many challenges already and you are going to be strong, ready to face them head on. You are able to say YES to a new you, NO to an old you in many ways. Remember you are capable of making a fresh start. Sad to say but people (strangers) treat you differently after this sleeve surgery. Be prepared for a new you. It is okay to mourn what was but do not sabatoge your bright future. Hugs - we are here to cheerlead you on.

Sliders - food that easily slide out of your stomach and the restriction of the sleeve does little to help. Sliders = non controlled quantity eating chips, some types of candy, rice, etc. I can eat it all without feeling any restriction and overeat. To the tune of 9 lbs. Now trying to get back on track. Don't look for trouble with slider foods, it will find you.

Welcome to site! Please be careful about wanting to force food back in. Your new "sleevie wonder" is healing. Ask your doc before you introduce foods before schedule. All surgeons have different diet plans and when you can go back on solids. Depends on how they sewed up your stomach and their experiences. Some error on the side of caution. Just remember you will be chewing foods again soon. Congrats on being sleeved. PS - scrambled eggs made me sick but overeasy and diced hardboiled eggs did not. Go figure.

You are correct, time will make all the difference. Until you can stay hydrated, don't run off and sweat out everything. You need to have clearance from your surgeon to go back full force at the gym - mine was 6 weeks although I was back at work in a week. What helped me? Drinking out of a shot glass so I would not gulp. I used sugar free Poweraide or G2 gatorade to ensure I did not get dehyrated. That is your most important job right now...healing and hydration, not sweating. You will lose the weight. Love your attitude and wanting to be back at the gym so soon. Advice given before - just go slow. A few days makes a difference. Can you imagine what a difference a month with make? Congrats on being sleeved. PS - I can gulp easily, patience.

There are private and public "groups." Most everyone one here is really helpful and likable. Sure they would love to have you join. Go back to that group and find out who "owns" the group and send them a private message. That person can invite you to join and then you can see everything. I "own" a private social group here. Since we meet publicly and discuss our location - we have decided that only people we know can read our posts. Sometimes these locations are at people private homes. Just a safety thing, not a personal decision to keep anyone out. SoCal VSG group does not get any notification when a new member joins VST that is in our area. We seek local sleevers out and invite them to join us. Hope this helps!

Oh - I think they notice, how could they not? They just don't think your weight is the most important thing about you. Obviously you are incredible and your weight never was part of "who you were/are" Congrats on your weight loss thus far!

Rootman, I am so sorry about all the loss. Big changes in your life. Please stay away from the food - I let that back in my life and have regained 9 lbs. Yikes. We had surgery on our stomachs, not brains - therefore move forward wisely. Hugs to you and praying for strength in the days ahead.

How much fun that you are already experiencing the joys of your new sleeve! Keep up the wieght loss and remember - you can stain your own soups. When you get to mushy stage you can use an emersion blender to mix everything up. Congrats!

Here is a June 18th article. Please click on LIKE in corner if you read this. Gastric bypass for weight loss increases alcohol use, study says: Patients who undergo a gastric bypass for weight loss are 30% more likely to develop problems with alcohol. (National Library of Medicine / National Institutes of Health / June 18, 2012) By Thomas H. Maugh II June 18, 2012, 12:11 p.m. A major new study confirms previous sporadic reports that weight-loss surgery increases the risk of alcohol abuse, researchers reported Monday. In the second year after having a gastric bypass, technically known as Roux-en-Y surgery, patients were 30% more likely to have problems controlling their alcohol use, a team reported online in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. and at the annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery. Previous reports have suggested that alcohol abuse could be a problem following bariatric surgery, but the studies have been small and generally involved collecting data at some point after the procedure. In the new study, a team led by epidemiologist Wendy C. King of the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine began studying 2,458 adults before they underwent bariatric surgery at one of 10 hospitals. Of those, 1,945 could be monitored for one to two years after the procedure. The team found that 7.6% of the patients suffered from alcohol-abuse disorders (abuse and dependence) in the year before the surgery. At the end of one year after the procedure, the percentage was about the same, 7.3%. But by the end of the second year, the prevalence of such disorders had climbed to 9.6%, a 30% increase. Virtually all of the increase occurred in patients who had undergone gastric bypass, with no increase among the roughly 30% of patients who had a banding procedure. Some research suggests that the increase in problems arises because the metabolism of alcohol changes after gastric bypass. "Given a standardized quantity of alcohol, patients reach a higher peak alcohol level [in the bloodstream] after surgery compared with case-controls or their pre-operative levels," the team wrote. In other words, bypass patients get drunk faster and with smaller amounts of alcohol. The excessive drinking may be a greater problem for bariatric surgery patients because alcohol abuse can affect Vitamin and mineral status and liver function, which are already potential problems for the surgery patients, King said. She urges clinicians to perform a better job of screening patients for abuse before surgery and to offer counseling to help them combat the problem. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

How long did you up for calories for? You need to keep up calories for a min of a week to even see a difference. How many carbs are you getting? How many calories? Sounds to me like your body is adjusting to starvation mode and conserving itself. Don't give up, continue ahead but make changes. What worked for me during first 5 months was: no more than 35 carbs a day (I was carb sensitive and more carbs=less weight loss) 60 plus grams of protien a day Calories above 600 a day. I sometimes would be 600 and then would be 900 a day a few times a week. Then my body was not in starvation mode. You need to find what works for you. Everyone reacts differently,so don't give up. At goal, my carb limit and calories went up as I can now eat everything I did pre surgery, just less of it. Today I consume somewhere from 1200-1500 calories a day.

Depends on who your surgeon is and how you have reacted to other surgeries. What type of work do you do? What does your surgeon say? I was back within a week, traveling across country even but I had surgery as an outpatient. Biggest concern is making sure you stay hydrated and get in protein/calories so you are not overly weak. I was really tired each night for the first month and usually went to bed early. Congrats on your upcoming surgery! I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

You are awesome! Wishing much future success.

Okay - stop the worrying. Many surgeons are moving to no overnight stay. This is NORMAL. So I'm almost two years out and had VSG as an outpatient too. My surgeon has done this for years. No drain, no morphine, no staples, no cathedar, no nurses waking you up at night and no pain. Yes, I had someone spend the first night at home with me. I slept right through the night and most of the next day. Only took my liquid pain meds once during that first week and that was to sleep since I messed up my sleeping patterns - sleeping in the day and up at night. Just make sure you have an emergency phone number to call and since you are out of town know where he would meet you (what hospital) and have a map from hotel to hospital. You are okay but I would not have both of you having surgery at the same time.

I didn't find much I liked. I used clear Isopure 40gm drinks from GNC. One a day at 4 bucks each was still less than my old fast food budget. If you want protien powder I suggest cuppacino. I look forward to drinking those...well at least they taste good. Glad you are trying to keep up your Protein up.

There are medical loans here is the US or you can see if you can borrow against your retirement. That is how I self paid. Again, this is in US not the UK. Good luck!

Be patient with your body and allow some time to heal. I drank via a shot glass every 15 minutes (dribbled liquid down since I gulped) to make sure not to dehydrate and end up in a hospital with an IV. Give yourself a break and get as much protien in as you can. I think I was getting in 30 grams that first week and 40 grams by third week. I used clear Protein since the protien shakes were too thick for me. Giving you permission to rest. Get up and walk around every hour you are awake even if just laps in the house. Then take a drink again and rest. Repeat. Congratulations on your sleeve - things will improve...promise.