Rootman

Same here, I used to HATE smaller theaters that had the old fashioned fixed seats, I really needed to lift that arm up to get breathing room, now I rattle around in the seat with the arm down. The cheapo vinyl lawn chairs used to cling to by big butt when I got up too, how humiliating having to pry it off my hips when I got up, and more than one chair broke under my ponderous weight. Keep at it, more NSV's are on your way!

Yeah, and did you ever notice it's typically the FATTEST people who "warn" you the most Oh, and the old "My brother-in-law's cousins roomates sister's friend had bariatric surgery and it didn't work! She's fatter than ever and started to turn green" (or some other stupid "side effect". Hey, I appreciate their "concern" but just like it was entirly MY choice - or series of choices - to get morbidly obese it was MY choice to get bariatric surgery.

Shoudn't be any issue, you didn't mention how far along you are but anything after a few weeks should be OK. Just be careful of the calories as wine and other alcohol is pretty high in cals. About a year ago I started drinking 3 oz of red wine each night before sleep. It helps me to sleep and it supposidly has healh benefits for cancer prevention and cholesterol reduction. Something besides general diet is working in that respect as my last months check revealed my cholesterol was 133, pretty rediculously low! I didn't realize how much I HATE the taste of alcohol though, it really turns me off, so no danger of over induging here!

You never know until you try! Go for it girl! If they say NO the appeal. Go and get it. I wanted it so bad I actually did self pay in Mexico - not for everyone but I wanted and wanted it NOW, not in 6 to 12 months. Give it a thought, it's a possiblity.

The NO coffee "rule" just does NOT make sense to me, same with the NO SODA or NO STRAWS or NO CHEWING GUM "rules". Everything in moderation and you should be OK. I personally drink 3 or 4 cups of decaf most work days. I have never slept well and caffeine just makes it worse, but I still enjoy a good cup of decaf joe with a dash of non dairy creamer and artificial sweetener in it. I also use straws, chew sugar free gum and drink diet sodas regularly and have lost and kept off 170 pounds. If you have issues with it then DON'T, if you can handle then DO IT IN MODERATION. It is after all typically a bunch of "little issues" that got us into this mess of obesity after all - e.g. "What's wrong another cookie? They're small . . ." . A cup of regular or decaf is fine, loading it up with creamers, syrups, sugars or other stuff? Maybe it's time to stop. There is NOTHING inherent about the sleeve that prohibits coffee consumption.

The surgery and subsequent massive diet change are enough to throw anyones system in a tizzy. Also see your doc about possibly getting a anti depressant too. Just be careful and work with your health professional to make sure you only take what's needed and try and get off it once it's not. I take a supplement called 5-HTP which is supposed to work a bit like Paxil in supporting the seritonin level. Three is also St. John's Wort that does the same. Please seek counseling and a physicians advice on this PRONTO. We all wish you the best in your journey!

Guys you may be healthy now but it WILL get you in one way or the other. BP, blood sugar, sleep apnea, you name it - being obese or MORBIDLY obese you are headed down that path - GUARANTEED. Stuff didn't really hit me till I was almost 50 years old, then I started to fall apart. So why not nip it in the bud? After almost a year and a half ALL my issues are resolved. BP is down, sugar is stable. Last months labs were stellar (second lab in a row that way) cholesterol is 133 triglycerides is 64. Why wait till your older and feeling crappy and having major issues? If your obese and qualify and can get it done than my advice is DON'T WAIT till you HAVE to do something, preempt it and do something NOW. Also, it may be true that there isn't a decades long record for this EXACT surgery what the other posters mentioned is still valid, MANY people for the last few decades, even a century have lived, thrived and survived by having a large portion of their stomachs removed. The stomach was one organ that even surgeons in the 1800's knew we could live without and many had it sectioned or completely removed due to injury, cancer or major ulcer issues. It's the least invasive of the bariatric surgeries - and I count the band here too as in MY book sticking a plastic gizmo in your gut is VERY invasive.- and it simply works. Please come to terms with this BEFORE you make the decision. I encourage you to do SOMETHING before your health deteriorates and you are faced with dire circumstances.

This very question is asked almost weekly here on the forum. Most respondents will say NO REGRETS - other than the obvious one of NOT DOING IT SOONER. Most ALL people have a good response form the surgery and accomplish a goal that was impossible to achieve on their own. I include my self in this group. That being said there are a few people that have complications, some even dreadful and you will hear of an occasional death. THIS IS TRUE FOR ANY SURGERY, no mater how minor. I know of someone who was related to a person who developed a sever tooth abscess and after the tooth was pulled they could not get a handle on the infection. Despite IV antibiotics in the hospital the infection spread, hit their heart and a few days later they died - from a lousy tooth infection. EVERYTHING carries risk, the VSG is no exception.

I'm 51, was 49 when I was sleeved. Weighed 375, down to 205. I have SOME droopy skin but not very much - it's sometimes just blind dumb luck, your genetics and age. I seem to have beaten the odds on all 3. I would say being thin and healthy with sagging skin is WAY better than fat and unhealthy and generally miserable. But that's just my opnion.

I'm about 1 1/2 years out and I STILL have issues with it. It was really bad at first, I felt like I was losing it on several occasions. To make things worse I was on testosterone replacement shots and as I lost weight my T level went way up - less me with the same amount of hormones drove it sky high. I adjusted the level down and now take only about 1/8th the amount I started out on. The rest is kind of a mystery to me and I suspect it is much the same issue, hormones getting too high because of body mass dropping. It does seem to get better with time but like I said it still seems to be an issue from time to time.

Yep, same here. I was a hot sweaty guy ALL my life, even when I was a child and slim adult. The day after my surgery I no longer was. So it's something OTHER than just losing weight and something more profound than that. I suspect that it is the ghrelin connection as well. I used to break out in a sweat just sitting around, now I get chilled easy and hardly ever break out in a sweat. It's great! One of the BEST side effects of the surgery yet!

Well I'm the exceptioon, it was a good 2 months before I really felt good. I was really feeling aweful BEFORE surgery too. All kinds of health issues and a lot of stress.

I too only had a few days worth and tossed the rest - I don't like the effects of pain meds. I DID feel generally crappy and my stomach gurgled incessantly for about 2 months afterwards though.

Yeah, what dorrie said. You should be OK UNLESS something goes haywire, get into a tough situation and maybe high side the bike or pull a tank slapper you MIGHT just hurt something. You just had major surgery and had a large portion of an internal organ cut out, so give yourself a few weeks at least. That my $0.02 at least.

As indicated above, yes it CAN be normal, others get diarrhea, it is the fortunate few that come through unscathed by one extreme or the other. I am not a good example as I have had const. issues all my adult life. What finally worked for me is 4 prunes every morning and 1/2 cap of Miralax daily. I also eat an Activia yogurt a day too. Any way it's not fun but like others said; increase the fiber and you should push through (nyuk, nyuk!).

Sorry to barge in on your ladies . . . I notice the word AGAIN in the title, how about EVER, or FOR THE FIRST TIME? I was skinny as a youth, painfully so. Then as a young adult I was thin but had no muscle mass, just round sausage like arms and legs with no definition. It continued as I matured and got married and was pretty shapeless as a young married man, then started packing on the pounds and in a few years was a blimp. So I never HAVE felt sexy, till recently. I have a nice flat stomach with just a little sag in my abdomen and rear. I've started to work on my arms and they now have some swoops and curves in them rather than just straight lines. My legs also have some nice sculpture to them too and I at last feel at least somewhere past the Blah! level on the sexy-or-not scale. I know it's just my wife that gets the benefits but I am pleased that she finally has some "eye candy" to stare at too. I've had all the pleasure of visual stimulation all these past 30 years. One thing that "annoys" her is the fact that I look like 10-15 years younger now. I was pretty worn and haggard looking before, now I look a lot better. she is somewhat afraid that I will wander. I try and convince here that I'm hers and hers alone but she still has nagging doubts.

~ 1 1/2 years out and been at 205 for about 6 months or more, can't get below 200 to save my soul. I look good at 205 and feel real good too. I swim about 2 miles 4X week and bike between 10 - 15 miles 4 X week and do some very minor weight lifting for my arms 4 X week, not real intense stuff like PDXMan above (drat him!). I eat small meals and by all accounts should still be losing weight slowly but am not. My doc also said that I have about 5-15 pounds of excess skin that just won't go anywhere - ever. He said to relax and maintain what I have. I have a flat tummy and my legs and arms look good. I just have a little sag in my front abdomen and some sag in my butt. And as pointed out the hight / weight BMI measurement is inaccurate, the only true way to measure it is to go into a dunk tank or gas displacement type measuring machine. The hight / weight measurement does not take into account someone with above average muscle mass.

Yes, what massindex indicates in hios post above - it's WE who are eating the "regular" meals and almost everyone else that is eating abnormally - that is mass amounts of food and gaining weight. YES you do "stick out" when you don't finish a meal, or when your plate is only half full instead of being heaped with food. Last month we had a little get together, had gerilled hamburgers and brats. I actually ate a VERY BIG meal of one hamburger patty (no bun) with onions, cheese, catsup and tomatoe, I had a brat, a little spoonful of pork and Beans and another small dolpu of potato salad. It took me about 1/2 hour to eat and I was VERY full. After relaxing and talking to family for about 1/2 hour I had a small brownie and scoop of icecream for desert. That was a very BIG meal for me and a special occasion. I bring it up becasue it fits your failies "definition" of sitting down and having a "normal" meal. Everyone else had 2 hamburgers with buns, 2 brats, loads of everything else. I did "stand out" with my meal but then again I stand out from them now becasue all of them are fat and I am thin. I too had high BP, blood sugar issues (actually hypoglycemia which still indicates pancreatic issues) excessive sweating, knee problems, back problems, nerve issues in my neck and shoulders, issues with seating (that is NOT fitting in a seat), inability to do the things I wanted to becasue I was morbidly obese. almost 1 1/2 years out I am down 170 pounds and feeling VERY VERY good. 4 days a week I swim almost 2 miles a day, then I come home and ride my bike on the city trails for up to 15 miles. It is SO good to just be able to do this, whereas before I could not. I was killing myself with my weight, now I am truly LIVING becasue of the sleeve. It's your choice but it was an easy and obvious one for me.

Welcome! We all wish you the best as you start on this new and exciting adventure. MAKE it work for you!

Going on 1 1/2 years post-op here. Mine was indented and bright red for a long time. Now I can barely see it. It is just slightly raised and slightly darker than the surrounding skin - just about like any other scar I have - and I unfortunately have lots of them It largely depends on your skin type, you can judge the potential results by other scars you may have.

I only did this once (shame on me! ) I was asked rather rudely "You got cancer or sumthin'?" I answered back, "NO, TB" and then hacked a good cough into my closed fist, opened it slightly and said "OH, god!". Man they backed off real suddenly! I started smiling and they caught on I was only kidding. I fessed up to the ruse and we actually had a good conversation about WLS, they were interested but were too attached to food. He actually said "I think I'd sooner die then give up my pizza and hamburgers." I felt so sorry for him. They are young and yet to have the problems of diabetes, high BP, joint problems and etc. They thing they have the world by the string and everything will be OK for them forever. I hope they're right but would bet that they're NOT. It will catch up with them some day just like it did me.

It can be. A LOT of people have a very negative lingering effects from surgery and anesthesia. It typically passes. Remember too that your diet has drastically changed and you are typically thrown in to ketosis, which really throws your mind and body in a tizzy. Not to frighten you but I am 1 year 5 months out and STILL having a hard time with my emotions. I know guys are also prone to testosterone levels, as the body fat drops the amount of testosterone is still the same but the ratio of amount to body mass increases - LES body SAM T level + higher overall level.

I suppose it's just a matter of capacity. Less stomach to hold less puke. I know the few times I've puked (for the same reason as you, overeating) it was one quick mouthful and it's over.

Nope, hadn't heard that. To those who are wondering FUNDUS means the BOTTOM of an organ, the side opposite the opening. So the OP is saying that the surgeon left most of the bottom of the patients stomach. This is somewhat true for all VSG'ers, the sleeve is not perfectly formed to the curve of the stomach and most all of us have a little "tail" that makes a small corner on the lower portion of the sleeve. No I guess this could of been made way to big and that caused lack of restriction. To the OP - please supply details and a link to the source. We need to make sure we don't just spread rumors around. I've had my issues with Hospital Jerusalem but not with Almanza.

Yes, it can be kind of a "game" in some circumstances. That's why I choose self pay even though I had insurance - I simply didn't want to play their game, I knew I need this and was going to get it even if I had to pay for it myself. My brother had a bypass years ago, he was at 400+ pounds and started to lose too much weigh during his 6 month monitored diet. His NUT actually warned him on the sly that if he lost too much he would be disqualified - even though he was still morbidly obese and had several co-morbidities and had failed many previous diets before. So he started to eat MORE to gain back a few pounds and ended up losing a total of maybe 10 pounds in the 6 months diet "test". It's a shame it has to be this way. I can see where some would take advantage of it but there are some who CLEARLY need this operation and can't do it on their own - an I include myself in that group.