iegal

Um, hate to say this but my story is very different from all of the other posters. My VSG surgery was done as a an outpatient procedure. No pain pump, no cathedar, no staples, and no nurses prodding me all night long. Now, I did experience nausea but the only pain meds I took was on night three to sleep since my days and night sleep patterns had been mixed up. Don't expect the worse, expect the best. I love my sleeve and have no regrets.

GDC; DO NOT GIVE UP. I know this seems like inhumane torture, but you can do this for short term. Take each day as just today I am not going to cheat. Your turn to be the belle of the ball is coming up so soon. Hang in there. You feel sick because your body is very sick. You are not feeding it the sugars, carbs and other garbage it is addicted to getting. Our stories are similar. I too self paid, I too suffered during the two weeks of liquids only, I too felt dizzy, sick and weak. The sleeve works and in a very short time you will be so glad you made it through this trial period. You can do this!

Are you kidding me? You have lost over 122 lbs since March? Okay, stand up. Wrap your arms around yourself because that is me hugging you for such an amazing weight loss! Next, look real closely at the screen since I think you can see me dancing for your success thus far. Keep up the great work...you are rockin' your sleeve!

You are right...the before and after pictures are so sad and take away from her plight of losing her home. So many people losing their homes. For her, she has lost so much already. Rooting for a huge comback for Carnie in all aspects of her life.

I would ask your surgeon why heis using a 46 bougie. Next, if he does not answer with a favorable reply, see someone else. Also, is this a half way mark surgery for you and you are moving on from a VSG to a bypass? Is that possibly the reason?

Glad you are here to get support. Keep posting and reading...a lot of great people here willing to listen and empathize and provide a hand. Hon, if I had answers on how to not be hungry dunng the preop diet, I never would have needed VSG surgery. HA HA It is hard, torture really but worth every single moment of misery you may endure. Preop diet is for your own protection so during surgery you do not have any complications. Reduce the fatty liver and all. Continue to be strong...you can do this! Also, I highly recommend you read under General Sleeve Surgery Discussions the thread about what will you need for surgery. I personally like for post op, a heating pad, G2 gatorade to sip on (do not want to get dehydrated), decaf peppermint tea, chicken Soup (strain out chicken/noodles and diluted) and wear loose clothing. Found that if I did not refrigerate my drinks, they were easier to sip on. Good luck on upcoming surgery and keep us posted to your progress.

Only you can decide about an optional surgery, yes there are risks, but not like what was reported back in 2004. Think about this, if you are reading a report from 2004 and they are reporting on deaths of surgery patients in 5 years - they are talking about patients who had surgery back in 1999 or earlier. A realative had gastric bypass in 1999 and still alive, kicking and doing wonderfully. Relative has not regained the weight either. Sleeves were not an option then. My relative was the ONLY person in my family who understood my obesity since all others are thin. Relative supported my decision for the sleeve and was my sole supporter during the decision process. Do you trust diabetic articles from 2004 or would you trust information for 2011 - 7 years ahead. Info you have is old, outdated and has no relavance to the sleeve surgery. Do you have heart conditions? If yes, talk to your surgeon. I had to have an EKG before I was cleared for surgery...and I do not have heart issues. I was a healthy obese lady. Bests wishes.

I just saw your post without doctors advice and was going to say. DRINK I get low BP too when I do not drink enough. Take a sip every 15 minutes if you are close out from surgery. I also sip on G2 gatorade (sugarless) or PowerZero, depending on what is on sale at the store. Really important to hydrate your body to feel better. Are you getting in enough protien too?

Mine was ... and still is "No regrets" I learned to not look back at what was, how I was, who I was, how I used to eat, what food meant to me. Being sleeved was the START of a new me with no regrets. A new relationship with food started. That first week was rough. I had to encourage myself to follow to post op diet to the letter because this surgery was my last ditch push for the real me, without the crazy hungries all the time. Without the dreams of food and what I would eat tomorrow, planning my life around where I could eat. I ate all the time. That is now gone. A new me emerged. I am strong. No regrets. Okay - maybe I should have done this a lot sooner.

I took "Barriatric Advantage pre op" vitamins. 2 a day as noted on bottle. Lots of Biotin too. Good luck wtih upcoming surgery date.

I was overweight by 75lbs for so many years with yo yo dieting. Would lose 20, gain 25, lose 30, gain back 35 and so on. As long as you and your surgeon are good then do this. Also you will need to self pay because insurance will not pay for VSG with a low BMI. Good luck - the sleeve works!

Depends on how you eat and control your carbs after sugery. I followed Tiffykins advice (read a lot on here preop) and stayed under 30 gr of carbs a day, 64 oz of water, no soda, no caffine and 65+ grams of protein day. Not as easy as it sounds but completely worth it when I hit goal...5 months out.

Hi Tippy; Welcome and so glad you have been sleeved. Hope your incisions are feeling better. You should talk to SoCalKurt - he had his VSG from surgeons at UCI also. Provide an update, how are you doing after for first week of work? How are you feeling? iegal

18K for scarless VSG in Newport Beach, CA. (Click on link to watch scarless VSG surgery) Can completely empathize with you since my insurance told me I was not fat enough. Really? 80# overweight for almost 15 years, a knee surgery and diabetic yet I am not fat enough? ARGH I took a medical loan out of my 401K.

So refreshing to hear honest feedback so that those who venture to Mexico know what to expect. Anxiously awaiting your next post of experiences. Congrats on being sleeved!

You almost make me cry, you are stunningly beautiful. Love the smile which tells your whole story. Congrats on making the sleeve work for you!

Wow, you have already lost 21 lbs? Great job! Agree those liquids vs. purees can get confusing. Have you tried hot and sour soup from your favorite local Chinese restaruant? Just strain out chunks. Same with Egg drop soup. Nummy. I counted as liquids but did not get a lot of Protein from this food. Patience is always a good thing. Cheering for you!

Golfbuddy; You will get really quick results if you stick to VSG diet guidelines. I learned quickly on from Tiffykins to keep my carbs to around 30gr a day, no more since any more seem to really slow down my weight loss. Stick to the diet. 64oz of Water, 70 + grams of Protein, >30gm carbs. Keep away from the sugar drinks. In 4 months, you will see results as much as other people. I hear a lot of people like unjury protein. To me, I could always taste the protein and had a very hard time. So, I drank my protein with Isopure 40gm clear protien drinks which I got from GNC. I liked the apple melon best, though none were delicous. I still take Barriatric Adv Vitamins and although expensive, I know I am getting high quality nutrients and the suppliments needed. Congrats on being sleeved...now make it work for you!

Well, you know that was not the right choice after one bite...or the second and so on. So, what can you do? Nothing and hope you did not eat so much that you reversed affects of preop diet. Wish I could say - hey, no big deal. I encourage everyone to self evaluate during preop diet the two cosiderations below. You stick to the diet for two reasons. 1) to reduce fatty liver for less potential complications during surgery 2) to learn new habits you MUST adhere to after surgery for your safety (no leaks) and for weight loss to goal. Questions - How badly do you want to be healthy and lose weight? Are you a fighter? If you can taste (excuse the pun) the need to VSG surgery then know you MUST learn to say no and make the right choices. Good news for post surgery is that most of us no longer battle with being hungry all the time. Be honest with your surgeon should they ask at preop appointment. Surgeons don't torture patients just to see if you can follow the rules. Most require diet for your safety. I would be worried for those who do not diet. Have you seen a liver with no diet? Yes, you can see the difference. Move forward, learn from the lapse. Learn about yourself and your desires. Best wishes on your upcoming surgery! Rooting for your upcoming victories.

Congratulations, although right now you are probably thinking "why didn't anyone tell me?" Remember you have just had surgery so life is a little difficult right now. Yes, each day gets better. Understand you are relearning basic habits and your body is trying to recover. Rest, take a sip or so every 15 minutes during the day so you stay hydrated and to help with the gas pain, walk - even if it is not that far. Hugs to you and remember, soon you will be encouraging others through this first week. I love my sleeve!