Rootman

I take Miralax daily, 1/2 cap in a glass of Crystal Light.

Well, I'd count on it. A few women where I work have never even spoken to me before now suddenly have to go out of there way to speak to me and mention how good I look. They touch their face and twiddle their hair - sure body language signs of flirtation. I largely ignore it, am civil but go out of my way to make sure I DON'T encourage it. Humans are largely motivated by sex and attractiveness encourages that. The opposite situation - men noticing women - is far more prevalent. Just take it with a grain of salt and remember whom you love.

Complications are possible but not probable. A vast majority of sleevers have no problems or very few. Just like an surgical procedure things can and have gone horribly wrong. I know someone who practically died from complications after a simple bunion surgery. I've heard of another that DID die from complications after wisdom tooth extraction. The risk for complications is small although real. That being said the risk of complications of remaining obese are practically 100%. High blood pressure, diabetes, hip / knew / back pain and etc. Stay fat and you WILL have problems. In actuality unless you develop an intolerance for a food, YES you CAN eat anything. However in order to lose weight you need to cut calories. To KEEP it off you need to manage calories. There is also the fact that we now have a physical restriction to the AMOUNT we can eat, filling up with non Protein foods can effect your muscle mass, non protein foods are typically higher in calories too. Post op you should always CHOOSE protein first, then carbs. Alcohol consumption is up to you, it is high in calories and should be avoided at first and LIMITED after a few months. Because the stomach usually dilutes booze and we have very little stomach left, you may get drunk faster or MORE drunk. It is a matter of your metabolism too so there is no simple answer. This varies by hospital and surgeon and insurance allowance. It varies from NONE to 3 days with perhaps 2 days the norm. Mine was ONE night in the hospital and 2 nights in a recovery house.

I have to agree with Jamie Lynn. it DOES still require some willpower but for the most part due to the physical restrictions and removal of a large part of the ghrelin producing part of the stomach the willpower is easier now. It's also a DIFFERENT type of willpower. One that is driven with a high likelihood of success since you now have the sleeve on your side. I am NOT constantly hungry now and don't have massive incredible cravings for food now. Things don't taste as good and I get very full very quickly. It would be safe to say that you CAN fail this operation by forcing yourself to eat in constant small batches and bypassing the sleeves physical restriction, but this is YOU failing not the sleeve. If you have that unhealthy a relationship with food that you just CANNOT leave it alone - even after the physical and psychological benefits of the sleeve - then you are more than likely bound to fail. Prior to the sleeve, I ate a LOT, till I was full and then some more. I did not exercise and to tell the truth barely got up off my fat ass to go take a piss till I just absolutely had to. I was depressed, high blood pressure, sugar out of whack and my adrenals were showing signs of failing. I was miserable and hated it. I tried a few diets would lose a few pounds and then gain the m back - for 20+ years! I could not stand being hungry all the time. I had no willpower. I ended up in the hospital with breathing problems due to dust exposure - mostly due to environmental issues but exacerbated by my great weight of 375+ pounds. I made a decision right then and there to do something. After learning that my insurance would take 6+ months to approve me I decided to go to Mexico and do self pay. I made arrangements and within the month was sleeved. It's been hard, but a lot easier than starving and the constant brutal hunger pangs I used to get. At this writing I am down 91 pounds, almost 1/2 way to my goal in 3 months. So YES, it takes willpower but with the sleeve it is easier. You and you alone can make the decision to use it or not. I wish you the best of luck in whatever you decide.

Typically it is just a simple liquid diet. Protein Shakes, broth or clear Soups, Jello, juices, typically anything that can be sucked through a straw. The purpose is to START the weight lose process and to reduce the size of the liver, which gets it out of the way and makes surgery easier as there is more room to work and less chance of the liver getting nicked or bruised. It also unloads the bowels as there will not be as much stuff in them for the surgery. Some surgeons insist on it, some do not. It is a wise thing to do and will generally make you feel better afterwards and reduce the risk that you will be constipated - a common side effect of anesthesia.

As stated it SHOULD NOT but everyone is different. It could just be that when you change your diet after the sleeve that you may develop smelly gas but there there is nothing inherent to the procedure that would cause it. No one can promise you won't have smelly farts. I know that I have a lot LESS gas than I used to and they seem to smell no better or worse than they did before.

A VSG is NOT a bypass type operation. A bypass is where part of the small intestine track is BYPASSED or shortened to create a malabsorbtion of calories. Because of the malabsorbtion some incompletely digested food is dumped into the large intestine and that is the principle cause of the nasty gas. A VSG is a restrictive operation that simply removes the lower curvature of the stomach. NO bypass is created and there should be no more gas than normal.

Call the doc and make an appointment RIGHT NOW. You should NOT be getting sick with liquids after a few days - if then. You should be checked out. You WON'T be able to gulp - and that not much - until maybe 3 or 4 months out.

Good luck 2! Wish you the best.

Ain't that the truth! And for some of my own You don't need to push the car seat all the way back to get in and out of your car. You don't rush to the bedroom to change into sweats after work, normal clothes are comfortable "You want fries with that?" is answered with a resounding 'NO" Punching new holes in your belt is a weekly ritual "Who the hecks hand is that?", then you realize it's YOURS, only skinnier than you remember. Your belly and back don't rub on the shower door when entering and exiting And it maybe TMI but: When you wipe you actually wipe all the way up to the 'exit portal'

Congrats girl! Looking forward to hearing of your further adventure! You can do it!

Congrats! Keep up th egood work.!

My cholesterol before the operations was fairly high, can't remember the levels though the doc wanted me on drugs. I just went 3 months post ops and my levels were BELOW AVERAGE. I don't think the sleeve "makes" the cholesterol go down but forces a diet that drops the levels. Have it checked again whenever your doc wants blood panels to check your Vitamin and minerals, he should do it as a rule anyway but just remind him. You might just need less drugs. Reminder IANAD seek a medical professions opinion when it comes to your health.

Well I feel for ya'. Stick with it, "YOU CAN DO IT" (say this in Rob Schneider's voice from any of Adam Sandler's movies) I was on the liquid pre-op diet for 14 days - voluntarily, I was SO desperate to start the weight loss - I was feeling that bad. Only cheated once, a piece of pumpkin pie. I started the day after Thanksgiving!

Yep it can be scary as ANY surgery can be. My brother went in for a simple bunion surgery and nearly lost his foot AND his life. A nasty MRSA infection set in and he was in intensive care and on IV antibiotics. So it can happen for nearly ANY procedure. Both my wife and I had the same surgery and came through superbly. I suspect that those who failed - and it was THEM doing the failing NOT the sleeve - get discouraged, give up and stop posting. It's nice to hear from long timers no matter WHAT the outcome.

Well, not uglier per-se just more wrinkly and more lines. I don't equate that with being ugly though as I am feeling and over all looking so much better that I see it as beautiful. BTW: looking at your picture gallery I see NOTHING about you that is ugly.

http://www.physorg.com/news/2011-03-link-carbs-diabetes.html

Congrats on the pre-op weight loss, it shows real stick-to-it-ivness. Wish you well in the surgery and continued weight loss from here on out. Here's to gaols reached!

I just wanted to bump this message again because tax deadline time in the USA is only a little more than a month away Remember you MIGHT be able to deduct the expense of a self-pay VSG, as well as travel and SOME hotel costs. The out of pocket expenses for an insurance payed VSG might be a deduction also. Keep track of: ALL your out of packet expenses for doctors as well as travel to and from the doctors office. Out of pocket expenses on PRESCRIBED drugs Medical test out of packet expenses Out of packet hospitalization costs Out of packet chiropractic care Out of packet dental car Put of pocket vision care IN SOME CASES - Cost of medical insurance if paid 100% exclusively by you If you CAN itemize and the medical expenses are MORE than 7.5% of your adjusted gross income (AGI) the amount ABOVE 7.5% MIGHT be used as a tax deduction. It is important to realize that the INSURANCE COVERED expenses are NOT deductible, nor is the associated costs of employer payed pre-tax insurance coverage. WARNING: I am not a lawyer nor an accountant so DO consult an expert on this when doing your taxes.

It can effect us guys too sometimes but for different reasons. About 3 months prior to surgery it was discovered that I was low in testosterone. I started taking twice monthly injections and it really helped. Then came the surgery. I just went back for my 6 month checkup and my test. level had skyrocketed. Simple reason; there is less of me to spread the hormone out in. My doc even told me that he's seen other males with rapid weight loss have a dramatic increase for the same reason, the fact that I was supplementing my levels just made it worse. Excess test. can cause unwanted aggression and an emotional roller coaster in mew.

Yep, my experience was with a generic version of Miralax, just did NOT work. Sometimes they work sometime they don't.

I agree with Kitty. Constant use of stool softeners can be bad too. Try Miralaz, which is basically a super adsorbent platic that simply moves through you.

Well, loosing your hair will NOT: Give you diabetes Give you heart disease Give you sleep apnea Possibly contribute to COPD Keep you from fitting into your clothes Keep you from doing many activities because you can't physically do them And a host of other things. But being 150 pounds overweight likely WILL. You will NOT lose all your hair because of this surgery unless you develop some weird complication that no one else has. SOME hair thinning may be POSSIBLE but not necessarily an absolute probability.

I had surgery in Mexico, Stayed one whole day and a night in the hospital and went to a recovery house the next morning. Stayed there one more night and WOULD of stayed another night and be released the next day but I elected to leave early and stay at a hotl in San Diego because I was flying out the next day and didn't want to do the customs thing AND go through airport security in the same day for my mid morning flight back home.

Many factors come into play here. Your age - the older you are the less elastic your skin is Your skin type - some people just have more elastic skin than others The pre and post size, before and after weight loss. Some people are just luckier and while they weigh heavily they just aren't that big, therefore the skin isn't stretched to such massive proportions. It's impossible to tell whether you will have sagging skin because of the above and other factors. But remember having saggy skin won't give you diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure or high cholesterol but being obese WILL. You can always wear compression garments with longer sleeves or pay the price and have reconstructive surgery.