M2G

YAY! You are home and feeling better! Thanks for the update on your week, I was wondering how thing were going for you. What a tremendous loss, gosh you are going to have to start sorting through clothes tomorrow! Glad you are on the losers bench...YAY!

Welcome and good luck with surgery! You have done great losing 55lbs so far...that is wonderful! Keep up the good work!

I knew going into this that the surgery was going to be on my tummy, but not my brain (or my eyes or nose for that matter!). I'm only a week+ out, but food LOOKS good, it SMELLS good, and yes, if I could have it I know it would TASTE good. And I still in the stages of carefully measuring my food. I cooked 2oz of egg beaters this am. And at about 1.5 oz in, I got a little "ping" in my tummy. And I knew it was full. It wasn't uncomfortable, but I just KNEW I could not stuff in one more bite. Do you ever get that sensation? And yes, I tossed .5oz of my egg beaters down the drain...but it felt ok. I don't like to waste food either, but I knew that last little bit wasn't NOT going to fit. Just because your sleeve can hold 6-8 oz of food, doesn't mean you need to put all that in there (I know easier said than done). You are only about 5 weeks out. I know my surgeon's guidelines are very strict. At 5 weeks out, my meals are to be 90% Protein and 10% complex carbs (fruits and veggies). If I want something sweet, on my approved list is sugar-free pudding or SF popsicles. I guess I feel like this, I paid a lot of $$$$ and went through the hassle of surgery and the HUGE to-do list required by my insurance (high-ded, hence me paying $$$$ into this) and my surgeon and even though this is not easy, I WANT to follow the rules and I WANT to make this work. And if I ever feel like this is NOT working, then I will seek help (surgeon, counselor, etc.) When you visit your surgeon, can you ask about starting a support group?? My surgeon hasn't done many sleeves and there is not a specific group yet for sleevers, (they are also restructuring their support groups altogether) but this forum is sort of my support group for now. I think the brain/eyes take a LONG time to be able to figure out that our tummies are NOT that big anymore!

I think being open and honest is the best policy. I don't think that WLS is bad (obviously) but when Star Jones only admited to diet and yoga, I think everyone smelled a fish. Then coming out later and saying "oh it was WLS" just made her look bad. It shed some light on public opinion about WLS, and how ashamed she felt that she couldn't share what she had done. I really like the way Al Roker did his, and have been happy to see him eventually settle at a weight that he can maintain (I think he got down to 190 something then was back up to 240ish and had to work some of that back off). Carnie Wilson was pretty sensational, and I think very inspirational to many people, but unfortunately I think she has struggled quite a bit, and unfortunately that is all in the public eye as well. Love the idea of a blog that you can update with your point of view, thoughts, etc. Read it or don't, but at least you can direct people to that if they are interested!

I am so sorry for all the pain and trouble you have had. I know as self-pay it is hard, but I would say that good advice for ANYONE is if you think something isn't working, then get a second opinion. I'm SO glad you did and glad you were able to find a surgeon who could take out the band and revise to the VSG. I started my WL journey planning on getting a band, and I am forever grateful for people who willingly shared their stories about the troubles they have had with the band, as I am now the proud owner of a sleeve. Best wishes on your continued journey and keep coming here for support!

I'm only 11 days post-op today, but I can tell you my pain was never very bad, I was off all pain pills by 3 days post-op. My mom came and stayed with us for a week, which was amazingly helpful. She cooked for my family, cleaned, took my girls to school and picked them up, so that I could rest and my hubby could go to work. I was driving 5 days post-op, and pretty able to function normally ever since then. Big things to watch for: fatigue & being around food, etc. Every day I continue to to feel better, but the fatigue is something I need to keep an eye on. For instance yesterday around 11am, I took a quick 20 minute nap because I was feeling very lethargic. It helped. And being around food is hard. My eyes SEE it all and my HEAD says YES, YOU ARE HUNGRY, but the reality is that I can't cook the way I used to (BLT, bites, licks and tastes while cooking) and even though food smells good, looks good, I just know that I cannot have it. It is a wierd feeling for sure. Learning to listen to REAL hunger vs. HEAD hunger. I think I would just explain to your family there might be meals that you just need to 'duck out' on so that you can just be away from it all. My surgeon has a very strict guideline for eating, but at the 3 week mark, you can have lots of soft foods, 90% protien and 10% complex carbs (fruit/veg) still 1-3 oz every 2 hours. Hope that helps!

I wish I knew what to say. I'm sorry. I had a teeny bit of nausea while in the hospital - I was afraid that the contrast fluid was going travel all the way back up while the radiologist watched ON screen...but thankfully I have yet to vomit on anything, phew. I guess if I was in your shoes, I would start by making a daily list of everything you eat, and note the times that you feel a wave of nausea. Then call your dr. or ask to get in with your NUT and review everything with both of them. I know some other people on this board have had the same trouble, hopefully they will chime in. Maybe it's time to temporarily go back on some anti-nausea meds until you feel better? Again, sorry this is a problem for you.

I was *just* talking about this with my husband. While I'm only on mushies, it IS hard to do. I find that distraction works the best. (This board is great for that...lol). I find that if I'm doing something (typing an email, coming here, folding laundry) that the time goes by much quicker. I also quickly learned to not even have a drink at the table when I'm eating. Because the habit of reaching up and grabbing a sip is so stronly engrained in our brains. Congrats on your weight loss and getting off the meds! That is so exciting! Now everything will just be 'gravy' after those hurdles!

Okay, today is Oct. 29th, and it just hit me. I have not had a single piece of candy this Oct. I knew I would be having VSG surgery in Oct, and didn't want to buy any Halloween candy early on. Then I had surgery on Oct. 22, and of course now I CAN'T eat any candy but heck I am realizing what a victory going 22 days in Oct. without a single piece of candy is! Awesome!!! I did have to go and buy some for this weekend, but it is hidden (for now) out of sight out of mind.

Good luck all of you Nov. 1st sleevers! You will do great. As my surgeon tells me (and probably everyone...lol) I expect great things from you!

I'm 10 days post-op today and I feel like I just hit a WALL. I. am. so. tired. I'm sleeping good, getting all my protien and liquids in, but I just have such FATIGUE. I know I'm still in recovery. I started logging my food yesterday because I started mushies and when you look at how few calories you are taking in, it all sort of makes sense. I know this is temporary, but it is just hard going.

My nurse ok'd some sugar-free Halls vitamin C drops. My throat hurt so bad, I was really glad I brought these to suck on once they determined I had no leaks and were letting me have small sips of water.

Glad you are home! That sounds SO painful. I really never was in much pain (never got higher than a 4) and even when I left the hospital the nurse was like "wow, you didn't use much morphine did you?" I used a few pain pills at home, but generally quick release tylenol would do the trick. Keep resting, sipping, walking: then repeat. Hang in there!

Congrats on being on the other side! That is scary about your liver, but glad your hernia was repaired. Hope you are resting, sipping, walking and then repeat.

I was in the exact same boat!! I picked my surgeon based on his experience. It wasn't until about 3 months into the "process" that I switched from the Band to the VSG. I emailed my surgeon, asked him directly how many sleeves he had done and he immediately put any doubt to rest. He has done less than 20 sleeves, but has done over 2000 RNY (thousands of bands too!) and he said this surgery is by FAR easier. I also felt the exact same way upon learning about VSG....I just KNEW it was the right choice for me. I haven't second-guessed it yet (I'm only 9 days post-op but haven't experienced buyers remorse yet...lol). Keep doing your research and go with your instincts. Whenever doubt would creep in, I always felt like my research was what outweighed the doubt.

So I have a cold sore (my post-op has been comical, I got my period 9 days early to coincide with basically getting home from the hospital, both of my daughters had wicked colds, one daughter came down with a flu bug today, and now the cold sore). I have suffered with cold sore since I was about 10 years old. About 8 years ago I finally started taking Valtrex at the onset of a cold sore. Well, my insurance changed this year and suddenly 20 Valtrex pills were costing about $200 out of pocket. So my dr. wrote a script for something similar but cheaper. The only thing is I have never taken them (just have them for when a cold sore hits). But as I read the label it says take 1 pill 5x a day. No way... too scary. I don't even want to try taking 5 pills today. I guess I will just use OTC abreva or something topical to help. Darn!!!

Here is another one... http://www.facebook.com/#!/home.php?sk=group_161281143902414 and another...actually there are lots of them too bad we can't figure out a way to JOIN all those pages! http://www.facebook.com/search/?q=&init=quick&tas=0.5174845615806622#!/pages/Boycott-Marie-Claire/157115954325437

http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Boycott-Marie-Claire-till-Maura-Kelly-is-Fired/129002863821276 Someone started this!

My surgeon would *like* his patients to wait one year. He fully acknowledges that it is probably the one rule he makes that most people break. I'm not a big drinker, so I don't anticpate any problems. I'm sure it will be quite a while before I attempt to drink anything with alcohol.

Sounds like you are on the right track! I agree about not sharing numbers unless directly asked. And DJ, my mom was similar, she is much more petite than I am (I'm 5'6 and she is barely 5'2, but she is definitely about 70lbs overweight) and she would buy something that didn't fit her right and always say "Oh I have a sweater for you, I bought it a tried it on and it was just SWIMMING on me" Thanks mom. Love the compliment. But she is my best friend and came and took care of my whole family for the first week after surgery. She definitely has a heart of gold, but not always the most delicate when it comes to weight issues. She definitely has her own weight issues.

That is a huge victory! Congrats! I hope to be posting the same thing next year!

Welcome! I totally agree with Pam, this HAS to be for YOU, and no one else. I think it is NORMAL to be scared, because this is a huge change. I'm guessing that part of your list of requirements is a psychological evaluation, I would highly recommend going to this with an open heart and fully discussing your fears with a qualified professional. The truth is that this is only a TOOL to help you lose the weight. YOU have to do the work, and it is best to know that before you go under the knife. In the end this is your body, your life and your decision to make. You have definitely come to the right place for support though! Good luck with whatever you decide.

I too, was told that gummies were ok!

That is great news about your results! YAY for the supportive dr.! If I had your OB thought, I might consider switching, but then again it would be fun to go back and show him how hot you are next year!

Welcome! Congrats on your decision for a VSG. You will love it here. The support is wonderful. Good luck with your upcoming surgery!