iegal

Looking forward to seeing your after pics soon!

Ha ha...are you trying to justify your cheating by questioning kickbacks? Ah, we do get emotional before surgery. Yes, liver really does shrink and the more you weigh the more you really needed to stick to preop diet. Farry liver can cause for a longer surgery since your surgeon does not want to lacerate your liver. Diet was also to help you learn new patterns for post op. Good luck...and stick to the diet. You can do this!

1) How long have you been sleeved? Over 9 months 2) Who was your surgeon? Dr. Brian Quebbemann of the NEW Program in Newport Beach, CA 3) What were your experiences with your surgeon? With surgeon, great. Office...mostly good 4) Would you recommend your surgeon? Only the best for me...and he is THE go to surgeon in bariatrics. He is clinical trial surgeon for the three big surgeies including, first lapriscopic bypass in US, first band placement and first spider VSG. You can see him on several TV shows over last 10 years but most recently is The Dr's show promoting VSG. He is the bariatric surgeon to the stars...who can afford only the best. If national media seeks his advice about bariatric procedures, medical companies seek his skills to improve bariatric procedures this concludes his is the best. Plus he is passonate about helping obese people improve their lives. Dr Q never once treated me like I was fat because I am lazy or undetermined. Bariatrics is not his profession but his entire life. 5) How much weight have you lost since your sleeve date? 77 lbs - at goal in 5 months 6) Do you find you still have the necessary level of energy to sustain a good workout? Yes if I am eating correctly and well hydrated. My workouts are longer due to energy being higher level that prior to WLS 7) Do you find it difficult to keep the weight off once you have lost it? No, but I do fluxuate in weight by about 3 pounds 8) Do you have trouble eating, such as getting �stuck�? Rarely 9) What is the one things about getting the surgery that you regret? Not asking more questions before surgery on this site 10) Would you do this surgery again, or would you have made another choice I made the right choice for me

Congrats on your upcoming surgery date! There is a great link on this site under General Sleeve Surgery Discussions that is just for this topic. Check it out at http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/10081-the-official-what-you-will-need-for-your-surgery-thread/. I love my sleeve, no regrets.

My surgeon said 1 week out and in liquid form until I was able to be on solids. Congrats on upcoming surgery!

Does your own mother even recognize you now? WOW! You look amazing and I love the smile which tells the whole story. Looking forward to the 2 year pic with adorable addition.

Sounds like you won the lottery with that one phone call. Congrats on getting yoru date!

You are not losing control, but gaining control. Do not be depressed. Thursday is the first day of your journey to permanent weight loss. You can do this! PS - food still tastes great,. I can eat what I wish now at 9 months out, just a lot less volume of it and I am satisfied and full. Eating is no longer about how much I can cram in but slowing down, like enjoying a fine wine.

Congrats on your upcoming surgery. Check US Airways since you are in a major hub of theirs. Now, since I did now have dates, i could not compare flight costs. Did a general search for mid July and it was $588 per person. Go to their website at usairways.com, put in CTL to SAN and then put in first choice of departure date/return date. Couple of lines down there is an option for low fare finder which will tel lyou if there is a lower fare a day or two later/earlier than what you chose. No matter which airline you book, make sure you request a wheelchair assist in San Diego Iand any connecting airport) on way back to home airport. This will let you get on the airplane first with your luggage. Good because no one is pushing on you in line. I flew for work within a week of surgery (crazy) and the wheel chair assist while somewhat embarassing it was a lifesaver. Make sure you buy Water inside the airport. A small pillow is helpful also. Let me know if you need help by sending me a private message. Best wishes!

I would have VSG surgery over and over rather than another c-section. I was an outpatient for VSG surgery. No drain, no pain pump, no catheder, no nurse bugging me at all hours. Now, was I ready to resume normal life that first week after surgery? No. I slept in a recliner at home with a heating pad while listening to my stomach growl at me as I tried to get in liquids. Know you can endure discomfort for a rocking sleeve miracle.

I think you may be correct, you might be lactose intolerant. When you start the mushie stage and beyond, start slowly to see how you do. I was lactose intolerant for about 4 months, but now I can drink regular milk and other dairy without issues. Eating becomes a challenge during the mushie stage, where I used to get giddy over the thought of a meal, during soft food stage I dreaded it. Try different foods to see what agrees with you best. A lot of people report refried Beans were easy to stomach. Tuna and eggsalad were my friends. Good luck!

Really? You are already afraid you are not losing enough weight? 20 lbs in a lot. I hope you are not setting yourself for failure. Remember that we all lose at a different rate. Some of us lose lots of weight right off the bat, others lose very slowly. One member on here, Coops, is slow but steady. She is an inspiration because she follows the sleeve diet guidelines and keeps going, happy in each pound she sheds. Already your sleeve has produced amazing results. Give your body a chance to heal. It is enduring a partial organ loss, dramatically different calories and a drop in energy level. Body is recoverying. Stick to your VSG diet provided by your surgeon, try to keep carbs to no more than 30-40 a day. Hydrate well. The weight is already falling off. Glass can be half empty or half full. Your choice.

Be excited! Know that worrying is normal for all of us prior to the big day. Take some deep breaths, say a prayer for the skills of your surgeon and you will soon be on the losers bench with the rest of us.

Well, each is eval is a little different depending upon your responses. You need to be honest in your answers. Smile. Really they are looking to see if you are capable of making a life changing decision, if you are willing to follow a new eating guideline for life, have you had any eating disorders such as bulemia and the probability of your long term success. Know why you want this surgery. Maybe make a list beyond ... to be a size 8 or so my boyfriend will stay with me. just kidding here Did anyone influence you and what was their motivation? Who is your support? Are you going this alone or have you told someone? How did they react? How are you going to change your relationship with food? Good luck!

Why must you lose a certain amount of weight? Is this a surgeon requirement or an insurance requirement? I am sure if you look over your diet you will find the answer. Either your scale is off or you have consumed an extra 18K calories which would be obvious or you have an imbalance. You are not a failure. Take charge of this, work out, eat right, consume less calories, get your Water in. Rooting for you.

Most surgeons ask patients for a preop diet. They do this to protect you, not just to be careful. Most of us preop have fatty livers which are in front of our stomachs. Even though in surgery the docs use gas to expand our stomach, they still require room to access the stomach more easily. Hence the diet to reduce the size of the fatty liver. I was on a liquid Protein diet for two weeks and did not cheat once. Pure torture those weeks but was warned that my surgeon would not jeopordize my health by operating with a fatty liver. Was told if he went in and saw a fatty liver, he would not continue surgery. So, what happens if you have a fatty liver? The surgeon has to work around it or move it which then is a high probability of a laceration of the liver. No fun. Call you surgeons office and ask them to email you their sleeve guide diet plan. If they do not have one readily available, google it. Congrats on your upcoming surgery. I love my sleeve.

I am so impressed you chose this surgery at such a young age. If I have one regret all these months out, it is that I did not get sleeved earlier. Hang in there, every day, every week gets better. 9 months out from surgery and I feel amazing, my PCP says I am in great health, I look better and now I am not the girl with just a pretty face. Keep on track knowing the sleeve works. Welcome to the losers bench.

Wishing you the best!

Remember when sqeezing into a 16 was an acomplishment to Celebrate? Now here we are looking at the amazing looking lady in the pics, knowing this is your results of so much effort. You really are a testament to persistance and following the sleeve guidelines. I like your smile more than the fit of those jeans. Go get those last few pounds.

With a tear in my eye, I can hear you loud and clear. You rock that sleeve sister!

HA HA - if I could have lost the weight without surgery for long term results, I certainly would have. Have you failed at diets often only to regain the weight, repeatedly? This is not about lack of will power or the lack of strength to avoid food. Without my sleeve, my health would have gone downhill rapidly. Sure, I was lower BMI than you but every year that BMI ticked up just a little more, putting me at higher risk for serious health issues. Your wife sounds like she adores you and is worried. Have her read the success stories, look at before/after pictures and NSV (non scale victories). Reassure her you are not doing this to change for the sake of physical appearance alone but are choosing to take a small calculated risk to get healthy for the family and yourself. She is a major partner for your success. Find her true concern(s) and address it with her.

If you haven't ever had surgery before then you might not understand. Nothing like a c-section, heck I would do VSG over a c-section anyday. I did this surgery as an outpatient procedure so I did not have a nurse standing over me 24 hours a day like many report. Every person is different and feels different after surgery. So what can you know will be true? You need to prepare yourself that you will not be back to "normal" practices that first week. Life will be different emotionally and physically. Hormones change, your appitite changes and your energy level will change. For several days you won't be jumping up thinking "okay - off to Target for kids to purchase a bday present that your son needs today by 11AM. Next while out I will grab a combo meal at McDonalds before I must grocery shop for dinner party tonight." What you will be thinking is possibly - "Yikes, why did I do this? Why am I so tired? Ugh, no I don't want to drink anything. Walk around again? Was that my stomach making that noise?" Any minor discomfort, disruption in nomal routines, emotional meltdown was 100% worth it. I have no regrets on being sleeved.

Good advice so far and I lived in a recliner for about the first week. Heating pad, oh yes that was really good too. How about adding in G2 gatorade or Power Zero drinks to sip often at room tempature from a small glass. Cold made my stomach ache. These will help you keep hydrated well. Used a kitchen timer to make sure I was sipping every 15 minutes. Really important to your health to stay hydrated. Wear really loose clothing with a draw string pants to go home in. Slip on non skid shoes. A shirt you do not have to pull on over your head. Hook in front bra. Do you have sleeve post op instructions printed out from your surgeon? I read a lot about my sleeve that first week. Google VSG diet plan. Cornell has a good one along with many others. I do not recommend having a lot of protien on hand since your tastes change after surgery. I threw away hundreds of dollars of Protein that I could not gag down. So maybe something for a week and then you can explore. Personally did not worry about protein intake for the first week and then slowly worked up to goal of 70 grams. Isopure clear 40gram protein from GNC, apple melon only was my final choice. Did you know there is a thread on here of what other people recommend. Check it out at http://www.verticals...surgery-thread/ Nikki, good luck to you. I should have filled up my DVR first like you.

Hi Tough Texan; You are tough, because you can admit you are scared. Totally normal response. This is elective surgery with minimal risks. You have done your homework, researched your surgeon, VSG surgery with pro's and con's. This surgery will change your life. Not always an easy road walk as you will be relearning how to eat, drink and reevaluate your lifelong relationship with food. Good news - you need to turn that fear into excitement. Since you played sports, you know you can use that adrenaline for good. Think of this as the weeks before a start of a new season. You will go through hell week...aka your pre-op diet. Then you will practice often to learn new skills over and over until you know them by heart without consciously thinking about making a move. You will slow down when you eat, you will chew 20 times before swallowing. You will diligently watch to make sure you are hydrated well. You will take supplements’ to ensure you are healthy. Be thrilled that you can win by a big (weight) loss with the sleeve.

Looking for an update. Are you feeling any better at over a week out? Still have nausea?