M2G

Okay, I think this is going to be the hardest part about thanksgiving for me. I have not told certain members of my family about my WLS. I have an aunt/uncle/cousins who are all ultra skinny, super healthy, and also super critical. That last part is some of the reason why I haven't told them yet. I only see them a few times a year, and they are not part of my inner circle of support people. My one cousin is okay, and I know he would be supportive if I told him. My other cousin is currently trying to do a life coaching/health program and is currently promoting a raw detox diet (she claims at 125lbs she was "fat" and felt terrible...I'm guessing she weighs about 105 now..don't get me wrong I'm all for healthy eating, but for her to say she used to be "fat"...ugh...she is about 5' 5"...aack!) So I know that my immediate family (both parents, brother, etc. even my own kids know!) will probably slip up and say something, but here is what I do not want. I do not want all of us sitting around the dinner table talking about how much have I lost, how much do I eat, and why I had 85% of my stomach removed. I will eventually tell my family that doesn't know, but I need to do it my way, in my own time, when I feel it is right. Here is what will be easy! NOT SHOVELING TONS OF food IN MY MOUTH! Thank you sleeve. For being full on 2oz of food. YAY! (But as I think more about my challenge, um, I think I'm going to have to put more food on my plate than 2 oz of turkey. Guess that will fall into my challenge category also.)

I have 125lbs to lose to get to a healthy BMI. I'm down almost 25 and all of that is post-surgery. You are in good company!

My guidelines call for "soft" food and 90% Protein and 10% complex carbs (veggies) per meal. So my go-to foods are currently: Egg beaters Albacore tuna anything I can make with lean ground turkey (meatballs, patties, etc.) chicken breast that is very tender eggs (even though they are not technically on my list yet, due to them being higher in fat, but you can't make an egg salad with egg beaters, so about once a week I make egg salad with a hard boiled egg and some sour cream (like 1 tbsp) or greek yogurt) Yogurt Ground beef (I've only had it a few times, my NUT said be careful with beef, it can upset the new tummy but so far all is well) Soup And of course the standby Protein drinks (at 6 weeks I'm to get all my protein from FOOD not drinks...I think it is doable, I've had about 2 days where I have done it successfully)

Awwww, Julie. I'm so sorry. Can I just start by saying how INCREDIBLE I think you are?!!? I cannot even *imagine* living in a foreign country and being away from 'home'. Plus you have taken this huge leap to have surgery and change your life, and you have done a fabulous job and are quite the inspiration to a lot of us! About thanksgiving, I would hate that feeling of being left out. Maybe it was an oversight, but it still hurts. IT IS OKAY TO FEEL HURT. It's okay to cry, even though it might seem *silly* to other people, it's not to you because you are feeling hurt. And since you can't eat (as many of us tend to do when we are stressed, or sad) I think you need to come up with other outlets. Can you sneak in an extra workout? Or do a little shopping for yourself (even if it's just undies, lol). And here is what else I think you should do. I think you and your hubby and your youngest son, need to come up with a really cool way to spend Thanksgiving. Turn it into a family game day, or even do a restaurant for dinner and leave the cooking to someone else. Come up with something that would be fun for the 3 of you to do (zoo, walk in the park, swim, whatever) and someday you will look back at 2010 thanksgiving day and be able to say what a fun a special day it was because you made the effort to make it special in some way. Now about that little gain. OMG you are doing WONDERFUL on the weight loss front. I *know* exactly how you feel because anytime I see even the tiniest of gain, it's like such a slap in the face. Even though I *know* I didn't do anything to *deserve* that gain, it still is frustrating. So it is okay to be frustrated, but remember this is a journey. One day, one step, moment by moment you are slowly changing your life. We all want that instant gratification, but the only way to get from "here" to "there" is to keep putting one foot in front of the other. Keep doing what you know is right, and remember how far you have come. And be thankful that your sleeve is going to prevent you from burying yoru feelings and be thankful that you are learning new ways to cope with emotion. Embrace it and know that this too shall pass. Hugs friend!

Usually Isopure is considered a "clear" protein. I think I would call and ask. I was given Isopure in the hospital (the day after surgery) and I used it for a while during the week following surgery.

This is in order of how things went for me personally. Call Insurance Case Manager's Call Nurse's Call Meet Nutritionist for 6 consecutive months (yes, I had to wait 6 months per my insurance...but it saved me literally thousands of $$$) Attend Seminar Meet with Surgeon Meet with PCP Blood Work/Labs Pulmonary Test Psych. Eval. Attend Nutrition Class All paperwork submitted to insurance (Oct. 5th, was able to have surgery on Oct. 22) Pre-Op Surgeon Meeting Pre-Admission Testing (EKG, blood vials, urine (pg test), etc.) Surgery - 10/22/10 Post Op I have done: 1 week follow up with surgeon and 1 week nutrition class 3 week follow up with surgeon and 3 week nutrition class and I go in 2 week for my 6 week follow up and class...then I think my next deal is 3 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, etc.

Also you might consider doing self-pay for your eval. (if your insurance is okay with that.) The lady I saw was on a list from the surgeon's office and came highly recommended. When I looked online (at my insurance benefits) it said she was not listed as being covered by my insurance. Then when she and I chatted she said she could take my insurance, but that it would be at least 2 separate visits. I opted to self-pay and just see her once. lol. It was $220. Good luck, you definitely won't need an entire summer to recover. I felt pretty well normal about 10 days post-op.

Thank goodness you were quick thinking and "saved" the dietician. Glad you were there to be an angel for this person!

BOTH of those are awesome victories!! Way to go!

That is very exciting! WOO HOO!

Congrats on your success! Woo hoo! My one month is tomorrow (I was sleeved the day after you) and you are totally right about doing the pre-op stuff. My dr. didn't require it, so all my weight loss is basically post-op weight...sort of wishing 45 lbs were gone right now. lol. Oh well, I only did clears for about a day before surgery. But you are rocking the sleeve...that that is what matters most! Hard to believe that surgery was a month ago. Doesn't it feel like it was a long time ago (it does to me anyway!)

Wow! Over 100lbs gone...and so quick! Congratulations, job well done!

Amazing! Congratulations!!! I can't imagine getting to goal so quickly...great job...perfect healthy BMI...awesome!

Sounds like you just overdid it. I had a day like that (I think it was 6 days post-op) and I had my drain pulled and wasn't ready for the gush of blood and Fluid that soaked right though the gauze, then tried to do some shopping at costco with my mom (she pushed the cart and lifted everything) and by midnight, I took 2 pain pills (even though I had weaned off of them by day 3.) I realized that I had been sleeping on the opposite side of the drain (to not interfere) and that night that I had it pulled, I could NOT sleep on my left side (the drain was on the right side)....it was as if my body was saying "NO MORE...you CANNOT sleep on this side any more because you have exhausted it!" That pain on my left side took about 3 more days to subside. That being said, only you know your own pain tolerance. If you have serious concerns, I would call the dr. asap. Otherwise I think you can chalk it up to overdoing things too quickly. I feel for ya...I only have 2 kiddos and they keep me hopping. Hope you feel better soon!

Okay, I didn't bother with the soup (my family loves roasted veggies, but we had never tried califlower...) wow...yummy stuff this roasted califlower. I think next time I will roast an entire head because it does shrink a lot and if there are leftovers I might just try the soup.

Well, I've only recently explored eating out (I'm 4 weeks post-op) and I can tell you right now the main thing you are going to be looking for on a menu is Protein, protein, protein. The things that I have ordered while eating out: (at a BBQ sit down restaurant) smoked turkey sandwich (not deli turkey, real sliced turkey) without the bun and I did order fries on the side but gave them all away (at Red Robin) the ensenada chicken platter with one chicken breast (you can have one or two) didn't eat the salad and took half the chicken breast home (at Boston Market) I took some turkey and the smallest scoop of mashed potoates from my daughters plate (at Qdoba) mexican gumbo (no rice, cheese, tortilla strips or sour cream) I brought it home and calculated out how many WLS servings were in it and figured I could portion it out into 6 different meals. I had 3 over the course of two days and took the other 3 and froze them in ziplock bags I am going to be learning how to do this in a whole different way. If you are looking for some great inspiration check out www.theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com she is a bypass patient who loves to cook and will re-invent her leftovers into a new dish. Other things you can do is offer to share a dish with someone, ask for a to-go box right off the bat, etc. Eating out can be tricky at first, but it is definitely workable! You can't stop enjoying life and become a hermit crab just because you had WLS. You will still enjoy eating out but it will just be different. I am enjoying being satisfied with SO MUCH LESS food now, I love it!

Congrats on getting things going and glad you are feeling better about the sleeve. As I said I was first to go under the knife and my huband will have his sleeve in late Dec. (hoping for that anyway!) and just the other day he said "I can't wait to have my sleeve"...so I think after he has seen me go through the whole process, he is ready to have his too and join the losers bench!

Excellent post Stacy! (and all the others too!) I will just tell you that my experience (I'm one day shy of 4 weeks post-op) was really wonderful. Very little pain, took pain pills only twice after I was discharged from the hospital, and yes I was sent home with a drain for 6 days post-op. It was uncomfortable and truth be told, I actually think it was the worst part about surgery. lol. Just my opinion. Your dr. may not require one. There is no 'one size fits all' when it comes to surgery. Each surgeon has their own protocol that they follow and my advise is to follow your surgeon's orders exactly. I was on liquids for 9 days post-op and survived (actually lost a LOT of weight that first week on liquids)...and like Stacy said you will never be so happy to have a scoop of refried Beans...lol. As far as being active having kids, etc. Active wise, I've been going to Curves for exercise 3-5 times a week for the last 6.5 years (yes, you read that right, I exercise regularly) so I do think that helped me recover quickly. I had to take a 6 week hiatus from curves because I'm not to be doing any type of lifting weights, etc. So I've been walking a LOT on my treadmill post-op and that is helping a ton. My girls are 8 and almost 10, and my mom did come from out of town to stay with us for the first 6 days after surgery. She took the kids to school and cooked/cleaned while I rested, and my husband worked, etc. But I was back driving 4 or 5 days post-op, and back in the swing of most things by 10 days post-op. I have not had one single minute of regret. Maybe it will happen at some point, but so far nothing has been so bad that I wouldn't do it again. I totally agree with everyone that yes, it is major surgery, yet everyone is different. Keep searching this site. You will find the complete range of people experiences, and yet yours will be different because it is your own.

That is incredible!!! Congratulations! I so loooooove hearing about those of you who are in maintenance and don't find *hard* *impossible* *frustrating*... YAY YAY YAY!!

Congratulations!!! I still have about 50lbs to get there, but I will keep working and someday soon my post will read much like yours. Okay, I *just* looked at your ticker and can I say OMG! That is freaking incredible. You are totally rocking that sleeve. Awesome...way to go! (Was all of that weight POST-SURGERY? OMG!!!)

Welcome to the 'losers' bench! YAY! Hope you continue to feel well. I also showered with my drain with no coverings, but if there is one thing that this site has taught me is that EVERY surgeon is different. My rule...follow MY surgeon's orders exactly. Hopefully that evil drain will be out soon and you can shower freely!

I had to do that as well, and it is so hard to wait. But in my case I was eternally grateful because originally I was going to do the band. That 6 month required wait time allowed me time to 1. learn about VSG and 2. do enough research that I was 100% confident it was the better choice for me. Hang in there, I won't lie and say that it goes fast, but it will save you thousands and thousands of dollars to have insurance help kick in and pay vs. self-pay, so think about how much extra $$$ you will have left for new clothes!

Congratulations!!! Clothes on makes it even MORE impressive! Great JOB!!! When do we get pictures?

I wonder if that is why creamed soup wasn't on my list...

Exactly!!