Rootman

As Pookism pointed out there can be grave consequences - as there can be with ANY major surgery. Beyond that short term effects that can last a few weeks or a month can be: General malaise Inability to eat or drink without being sick Inability to take pills Heartburn or acid reflux Excessive production of saliva Physical stomach discomfort Constipation or diarrhea - may be due to anesthesia and surgical trauma Ketosis - the body starts to burn fat and leads to bad breath and funny tastes Nerve irritation stemming from the use of CO2 gas during surgery The above generally clear up in a few weeks. LONG term side effects MAY include: Weight loss (DUH!) Loss of appetite (DUH X 2 ! ) Lactose intolerance Sensitivity to cold and inability to stay warm Vitamin and mineral malabsorbtion, namely B Vitamins which are principally adsorbed by the stomach - which is now smaller - easily overcome by taking a one a day vitamin and extra B vitamins can easily determine if there is a lack. Dehydration may be an issue unless Water is consumed regularly Longer term constipation - may be due to less Fiber in the diet and lack of fluids Longer term diarrhea - lack of binding fiber and excess fluids or reactions to some foods Raised hormone levels due to mass reduction and release from fat stores - Testosterone for men estrogen for women Costly wardrobe replacement cost Vast savings in grocery bills and restaurant bills Sudden inappropriate attention from other of the opposite sex - or even the same sex if that's your bag Raise in energy level Increased libido Inability to enter food eating contests All kidding aside it is generally a very, very positive experience overall. It is singularly the BEST thing health wise I have ever done for myself. It IS a dangerous path, but so is staying obese. Bad things can and do happen to some people, the overall safety of this procedure is very, very good, you are MORE likely to die from obesity related issues than this surgery,.

I had 3 whole days off, left on Sunday, surgery Monday and was back to work Thursday. It was NOT enough. I have a desk job and wanted to be anywhere else but there. Why not try and get 2 weeks off and see if you feel good enough after 1 week?

Yes, the earlier you can book the better, I remember 1 1/2 years ago I paid only about $450 from NW Arkansas. Rising fuel costs and other things have really driven up the prices. I personally try Kayak.com or Priceline.com directly for the best deals - quite often there just aren't any, the price is pretty much the same for a majority of carriers, but once in a while you can hit on a deal.

Well, how much you wanna bet the writers of this article are obese? Being a skinny is much more unhealthy than being fat – new study http://www.theregist..._obesity_study/

Yep same here, it was real bad at first and I have it still 1 yr 7 mos out. It gets better but hasn't cleared up yet.

I too love to swim, our town has an adult wellness center with a pool. I go 3 or 4 days a week and swim about 2 miles each trip. I swim 120 25 yard laps in an hour straight through with only a couple of 30 second stops to rinse my swim mask.

Funny you should ask, last week we went to an art gallery, they had these giant golf carts to shuttle people to the parking lots since it was a few blocks and over 100 degrees out. The next one came and a bunch of fat people got on it, what should of held 7 passengers could only hold 5 as the people were so huge they could only sit 2 across instead of 3. I immediately had ill thoughts then caught myself - hey that used to be YOU. I can see how easy it is to resent people for taking more of their fair share of something. We ended up walking as they only had 2 carts, both had just gone out and wouldn't return for 15 to 20 minutes. I'm glad I'm in shape now the 1/4 mile walk was easy since I've lost weight and the heat hardly bothered me.

Truth be told you can "eat around" ANY WLS. If there is sufficient "will" there is a WAY. Constant nibbling / snacking / grazing and you will fail to lose or even gain back weight lost. Any WLS is only a tool to help eliminate hunger and assist in losing weight. It's totally up to you to make it work and keep it working. I briefly considered the band and rejected it because of issues mentioned above, slippage, erosion and filling / unfilling. The LARGEST reason is the fact that a band is NOT a permanent solution it WILL have to be removed at some point or another, be it 5 years or 20 years down the road.

I think the "closer together" theory and gain in testosterone are BOTH correct, as is just aging, we guys tend to sprout hair everywhere as we age. The Test. might not be the fact that you have MORE T., just more per your body mass as the amount your produce is the same but spread out over LESS of YOU, hence, higher concentration. Just wait till it starts coming out your ears and nose and looks like you have an ingrown mustache

I for one say that the NO STRAWS "rule" is total BS! Sorry, had to say it. If you take note of how you drink form a straw you will notice that you suck a column of liquids up into your mouth with very little to NO air, perhaps exhale a bit through your nose then swallow the liquid. In fact I would wager to say you get more air by drinking straight from a glass than with a straw.

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I've been relatively healthy and had very few medical procedures. This is my first MAJOR abdominal medical operation. I'll tell you that I've had bunions repaired and it was FAR worse post op than the VSG was. I've had my big toes reshaped due to ingrown toenails, it too was far worse post op than the VSG I've had kidney stones 3 times - that is FAR FAR worse than the VSG post-op I generally just felt crappy for 2 months then started to feel good, compared to how I felt over all pre-op I now feel fantastic. I can do dang near anything I want to physically without getting out of breath or feeling like I was an elephant. It was worth it and the post-op issues were nothing compared to other stuff I've had done.

I was alone and had a single small roller suitcase as a carryone with the absolute least amount of stuff in I could take. I wore the same pants and maybe 2 shirts and a few pair of underwear. I actually walked all the way in the airports, one leg was really long but the airport had trams and moving sidewalks. It can be done but it's not pleasant by any means.

Yes, POPCORN, and YES it IS good for you, unfortunately all the butter and salt we load it up with isn't as healthy for you. But we pop up a bag each maybe once a week for a snack after (or sometimes instead of) a light dinner. OT: Sliders are also slang for White Castle Original Hamburgers because they are a bit greasy and "slide" right thorough your intestinal tract. Never had that effect on me and MAN do they taste good.

same as bikerchick, BEST decision of my ENTIRE life, well beside marriage ( just in case the wifey see this )

Well your hubby ought to be ashamed too, for robbing the cradle and marrying a woman only half his age I have a similar story only the person spotted us in public and confronted my wife on the phone at a later date, she congratulated her on dumping that "old fatty" and hooking up with someone younger and slimmer. The wife kept her cool and even laughed but made a mental note to never call that "friend" again Congrats on the success!

Good work! Keep it up and keep updating us on your progress.

Our thoughts and best wishes to you, how fortunate you are to have caught this as early as you did. We all look forward to hearing good reports from you.

375# PLUS - like many fat people I refused to step on the scale. I do remember this figure of 375 from my docs office a few months before surgery and by britches go even tighter after that till I started the pre-op diet, so I may have been closer to 380#.

Yep, wut she sed. Also, don't let anyone bully you INTO surgery either. If you're considering it then please make a well informed personal decision that YOU are sure of - at least as sure as you CAN be. Regardless if you're considering surgery you have come to the conclusion that you need to do SOMETHING about your weight. So please, whatever decision you make about WLS - yeah or nay - please do SOMETHING about it, either the WLS or diet and exercise.

Congrats on your success! Your post is a little confusing though, you say you HAD your surgery in this year in August, yet it's just now the end of June. Did you have surgery last year? Keep up with it. I now swim 2 miles and bike 10 miles 3 or 4 days a week (no biking this week with temps in the 100's) without hardly breaking a sweat as you lose your energy will soar as you lose more. Congrats again.

I bet everyone here had doubt all the way up to the operating table. I too had fantastic results and would recommend it to anyone. It changed my life and can change yours too.

Come on and post 'em! Let's see the progress!

Ain't it cool?! I kept putting off doing mine and I was standing in the living room one day and it just dropped off my finger and I didn't even feel it. I had it resized from a 13 to a 10,

Well we all certainly wish you both the best of luck and hope for great results post-op! Be sure to let us know the results of your surgery.