iegal

Agree with Mini-Me. I would do this again tomorrow if I was in some crazy time warp. My starting BMI was 33 and I was a self pay in the US. Expensive, yes. Question I grappled with was if I was worth the money I was going to spend. Next, life was not magically perfect after surgery. I had minor bumps along the way after VSG. But, I have no regrets other than none having done this earlier. I feel great, am active and look great. sleep on it and the answer will come to you.

None of us enjoyed having our picture taken before. Yes, I can really see a difference. Keep up the great work and keep moving!

Thanks for the reply. I did not want to post in general area and scare off the newbies. I love my sleeve but this is a mental problem, not a sleeve problem. Once I hit goal, I lost maybe three lbs up and down for a while but lost 2 more sizes in clothes. Went from an 8 to a 4 or 6 depending on mfg. So as you settle in, the body continues to redistribute weight. Will you do me a favor please and give me a link to your post about this same subject. My mental health is in the balance. Thanks!

Welcome to the losers bench. Glad to hear you are doing well. Remember to stay hydrated by continuing to sip.

Welcome to the world of "regular" sizes. Exciting!

What are you doing in Orlando? Disneyworld? Business? Family? I flew for work one week after surgery - called the airline and got a wheelchair assist through the airport. I was always tired for the first several weeks. Between eating differently, the drastic drop in calories and carbs, healing - this was a journey, not a vacation. Love my sleeve and so glad I got it, but if I were in your shoes - reschedule. Good luck!

Solid advice from Rev Me Up! You are doing fine and are normal. After being sleeved the relationship with food changes but yes, you still feel like life is all about food. Now it is watching what you eat. Other than being worried about eating too much (2 oz too much? HA HA) how are you doing? Is the scale moving in the right direction for you? Are you feeling well? Staying hydrated?

Did we have the same surgeon? Mine additionaly told me that he would be able to tell if I cheated so if he went in and saw a fatty liver, he would close me up and I would have to start diet over again. Torture, that is what the preop diet is to us commoners. But, the diet pre and post op helped me ensure a safe surgery and a complete healing. Additionaly, what a way to kick off the weight loss. You can do this. The sleeve is amazing.

Do not complain about the 6 month supervised diet with BCBS of IL. Do you realize they only started approving the sleeve in October of 2010. Ask me when I got my surgery? Sept. 2010. Yeah, I self paid for the sleeve. No regrets, but ouch on the pocketbook.

You look so different already.... celebrate. Congrats on making that sleeve work for you!

You bring tears to my eyes with your family's loving support. I am just one of the crowd cheering you on. Prayers for a speedy recovery and let me be the first to say...Welcome to the losers bench.

Hi; I was VSG outpatient. Went into surgery center in morning, out in afternoon. No pain ball (none needed), no catheder, no drain, and no nurses prodding me throughout that first night. Happyily had VSG as an outpatient surgery, but I did experience nausea the day after. A lot of surgeons are switching to outpatient for this procedure. Don't be concerned, you just need to be prepared and read up on what you need to look for if you have any complications...like any other surgery. Do you have sleeve guidelines (diet/post op instructions/complications list) already? Send me an email if you want a copy of what I have. Remember, you will not be so out of it that you can not walk or function. I needed help those first couple of days because I am a total baby and wanted someone to hold my hand. It was more about the mental challenges than the pain (I only took liquid pain meds once and that was to sleep at night) with this surgery. Excited for you. A new you is about to emerge so best wishes.

The transformation in 4 1/2 months is incredible. Way to work your sleeve.

I am not a doctor nor a nurse, but I would contact your doctor tonight. Hmmm, does the incision hurt when you touch it or warm to the touch? Surgeons office should have an oncall service when in an emergency someone will call you back. Hope you have a resolution soon.

Congrats Bitties on your single port Sleeve - also known as scarless VSG or spider VSG. Exciting. Great that you are doing well enough to post and then push the pain med button. HA HA Hope you have a speedy recovery and looking forward to future posts of your successful weightloss

We all feel different and in time you will learn your full signals. At nine months out, I sneeze. Really. When full, I sneeze sometimes a lot. My DH laughs and it is now a joke. Now, early on I had no full signal so I had to measure everything. Nothing tasted good, all too sweet, thick or clumpy. About a two months my full signal was getting the slimies (thick drool) when full. I did overeat twice and threw up. My fault for not paying attention. Do you know what size bougie your surgeon used? That will tell you volume you should be able to eat. Or call your surgeon and ask if this is a normal amount of eating. Lastly, are you drinking and eating at same time?

Okay; Offically you are not supposed to have any bubbles. I used to be addicted to diet soft drinks and have not touched one since August last year. Have no intention of opening that door. But, I may have had some champange/cider on occasion. First time I might have tried I was only able to take one or two sips. Now when I may drink, I can drink about a glass full, very slowly. Almost champange is delightful...or so I have heard. Take it slowly, you do not want to do any possible damage to your sleeve.

Dear Texasmom65 husband; Tell your wife - "Welcome to the losers bench." We are all here waiting for her and cheering her on.

Kristy - you look marvelous already. You must be smiling all the time. I am dancing for your success thusfar and anxiously awaiting another picture update. WOW.

Congratuions on completing your 6th month diet! Now you get the really good news soon, right? Questions to ask surgeon: If you have not asked already. How many sleeves have you done? What is your experience in barriatrics? What size bougie will you be using? What complications have your patients experienced right after surgery? What are the top three things I can do to make my sleeve a success? Will I be meeting with a nutritionist after surgery or do I have free access to a NUT in surgeons office to ensure successful new diet and changes? Who do I call after surgery with general questions? What kind of ongoing support is offered? Does office recommend certain suppliments? What is your preop diet/length of preop diet? How long will I be hospital or is this an outpatient surgery? (I was an outpaient for VSG and had no catheder/pain pump/drain/nurses prodding me) Do I see an internal medicine doc for follow up (your own doctor) or do you seen surgeon? Does office have a written sleeve guideline plan with what to expect? (I have several that I have collected, send me a private message if you want me to email to you) Never tried unjury, although I read a lot of people who liked the Unjury chicken broth. My taste buds really changed after surgery and everything was way to sweet for me. Could not choke down fruity or chocolate/vanilla protien shakes. After surgery, more important that you keep hydrated with electrolyes than worry about Protein. Good luck and read up on this site since there is mostly good advice provided.

Hi Lily; Our stats are similar, minus the age difference and a minor weight difference. You are going to love the sleeve! The sleeve is a miracle, I can not say enough good things about it. Question, are you having surgery while you are in school? My tip, read General Surgery discussion/what you will need for surgery. Being prepared is the best thing you can do. Read, read more and then ask questions by posting. Not everyones answers are the same. Surgeons do things a little differently so advice might be slightly different. I would say my only regret is not having done this earlier. You are smart to take charge NOW, not later. Feel free to ask any questions, we are here to cheer you on.