So Cal Kurt

It all depends on the individual. I never had a drain. I had my surgery Wenesday, was walking about 2.5 miles by Sunday was back to work the Friday 2 weeks after. I wouldn't have had a problem with the beach but the whitewater rafting might be an issue. I had a really bad rafting experience, thought I was going to drown and don't know if I could have fought that kind of struggle 10 weeks out. On the other hand, I did ride my Harley to Sturgis 9 weeks post op and did over 900 miles the first day of the trip. I was told full activity 8 weeks post op, I felt better before but I think they want to be cautious.

I think I watched food network for 2 weeks straight following my surgery. Don't know why, it was kind of strange. It didn't last long. The fixation on food does diminish, at least for me it did. I think once I was able to start soft foods, that was the turning point. Being able to chew and swallow kind of put things back to normal. Good luck!

WLS is a really good return on an insurance companies investment. I had read that the average diabetic costs an insurance company 14k a year. It makes no sense not to cover it. I was a lucky one, I was covered as well was my wife. The billed out was in the area of 45k each when all was said and done, the negotiated rate was around 25k. deduct co-pays and everything else, it is a sub 2 year return. I have had zero billed expense from diabetes or complications since my surgery a year ago. Not to mention the heart attack, stroke(from the high BP) or amputation around the corner. It seems it should be universally covered

First of all, Congrats on taking the steps at your age to avoid a lot of problems later in life. I wish I hd this as an option when I was your age. I am 5'11, have been as high as 320+. I am also 49 years old so my skin has a lot less elasticity. I have very little issues with saggin/ skin, much to my surprise. I am presently at 187 and took some before and after pics a month or so ago. My neck and thighs were really bad after say 4 or 5 months but as the loss slowed, it snapped back. Here is the URL to the post with shirtless pics. so you can get an idea. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/17584-before-and-after-pics-caution-naked-man-boobs/

My wife had a small hernia repaired at the time of her sleeve. I was scheduled to have it done but when they got in, they decided that mine wasn't bad enough to worry about. I am 1 year post op and my wife is less than 3 months. Neither of us would have opted for a different procedure, even if we could go back and re do it. Good luck to her.

In May of 1981, I graduated from MCRD Parris Island, SC at 187lbs. Today, May 31 2011, 30 years later, I stepped on the scale and was the exact same weight. I have chased that number ever since. I stuggled my entire enlistment to maintain the maximum allowable weight for my height (197 lbs). I have not at this weight since shortly after that time. I might not be as green or as mean as I was at 19 but I am just as lean. (perhaps leaner) It feels really good. This was a personal goal that I had set at the onset of my journey. Anything lower from here on out is a new low weight as an adult.

You might find this trivial but the worse thing about the surgery was the sore throat from the tube and not being able to drink anything to soothe it. They finally ht my throat with some kind of aerosol spray that took care of it.The post op pain was far less and much more manageable than I ever expected. The recovery was also un-eventful. Good luck!

Congrats!. UHC is a patient bt patient thing but I think they relaxed their requirement this year. Last year, my wife and I started out togther to get the procedure, I sailed right through because of my co-morbidities. She on the other hand was denied 3 times even though she had a higher BMI. The Dr resubmitted in January, nothing had changed and they approved her. Insurance companies can be a real pain to deal with. In the end, she is 9 months behind me, it really would have been nice to go through this together. There was a lot of guilt on my part for having it done without her and I can't speak for her but she was really disappointed because she wasn't doing it with me and was still stuck in a morbidly obese body. I suppose that in the end it really doesn't matter.Good luck on your upcoming surgery.

Congrats to another IE (that's inland empire for you non CA peeps) sleever. You will do fine. The throat was the worse thing for me. They finally hit me with some spray that took care of it. Have them get you up and walking as soon as they can, really helps the gas. wishing you a speedy recovery.

Another way to quell my peanut butter jones!. I am going to have to whip up a batch this coming weekend. I crave peanut butter all of the time.

Welcome. You have a life changing opportunity in front of you. This forum is a great resource and offers lots of support to everyone. I wish you all the best.

I was sleeved on June 9, 2010, my total weight loss to date is 108 lbs. Looking in the mirror, day after day, it is hard to see a difference. Seeing side by side photos is another story.

Congrats and welcome Chuck. Your life is changing for the better. Enjoy the ride!

I think they end up lighting the hill on fire half of the time. When my wife, Rhonda, worked at Riverside community hospital, we would all sit out with lawn chairs on the parking structure and watch them. Really pretty show.

I would assume that you have no co-morbidities. I have lost and re-gained hundreds of pounds over my lifetime. The sleeve is a tool that I need to control my appetite, nothing more. I am 49 years old and If I could have had this done almost 20 years ago when I was 320 lbs, I would have saved myself a lot pf problems and really would have been able to fully enjoy my 30s and 40s. I had probably lost 200lbs during that time, re-gaining all but 20. I was down to as low as 229 but it always crept back/ Once the Diabetes set in, I was unable to lose much at all. In the beginning of last year I at 300lbs, asked my primary care physician if he thought weight loss surgery might be an answer. He told me he would not only approve of it, he would recommend it for me. In March of 2010, I attended the informational seminar, was set on getting the lap band or nothing. My surgeon talked about the sleeve and the great results he was getting, I decided to do it. I got through all of the pre surgery hurdles quickly and was approved the first week of May. I am 2 weeks shy of a year post op. I have zero and I mean zero regrets about having the surgery, It saved my life, got me off of the 5 mediations I was taking daily. My co morbidities are gone. It is not a magic bullet, it is mentally hard to re-learn a lifetime of bad habits. It was so worth it for me. Whatever you decide, you have to do what you feel most comfortable with. Trust your gut. You might be able to lose the weight and keep it off by strictly diet and exercise. Good luck, you are facing a tough decision.

I try to donate blood as often as I can. In October of 2009, I tried to donate and was turned away. They took my BP and it was in the 165/125 range. I had never had High Blood pressure and was advised to see my Dr ASAP. I did, he put me on medication, I was able to keep it in the 140/90 range still a little high. Had to have my meds changed due to a persistent cough. Got that taken care of but the little guy in my pants wasn't as happy as he should be. It was at that Dr visit I asked about WLS. My doctor said he not only thought it was a good idea but recommended it. Needles to say every time I have my BP taken now it is in the 117/73 range no more meds. If it wasn't for blood donation, I quite possibly would have had a stroke or heart attack and not be here today.

I am almost a year out, feel cold a lot more but the man parts work better and last longer than ever. Once your body weight goes down, there will be more testoreone per lb of you so you should see the estrogen levels become overtaken. I have also noticed i am a lot hairier on my legs arms and chest ( now i need to figure out how to make it work for my head) Also, stay away from soy based protein and stick to whey based protein. Soy tends to elevate estrogen as well.

The first time I tried Greek yogurt, I decided it wasn't for me. I have since found that I like the ones with fruit mixed in. The 2 best in my opinion are the Chobani and the Dannon. Give them a try. They are fat free and even with the added carbs of the fruit. they still come in at the 130 cal range per serving.

The pain from hard surfaces passes quicker than you think. I don't know why but I want to say after it started, after a month or so I never noticed it again It was the first thing I noticed. As far as the motorcycle seat, I have had bikes in the past that my tail bone ached after a few hours. I don't know what you ride but Corbin makes seats for most any street bike and Mustang makes seats for Harleys and metric cruisers. My 08 Harley is the first bike I hadn't had to change the seat on, I am good for 900+ miles a day. After 100 lb loss, I have noticed 2 things, first is my windshield is now 2 inches too tall, cuts right into my line of vision and my bike is a hell of a lot quicker off of the line.

I agree with YB, I think you need to up your calories. Your body might be getting into a starvation mode and slowing your metabolism. Also, what is your activity level? I see you are only 5 weeks out but if you aren't, I would try walking at least 30 minutes at least 3 times a week. When you are cleared for full exercise, bump it up a little. The exercise both burns calories and increases your metabolism. For me, the only thing that breaks stalls is increased exercise, increased protein and making sure i get all of my fluids in.

Good luck today. You will do great. We will all be waiting for you on the post op side. Remember to walk walk walk after. It really speeds up the recovery.

Vanity, thy name is woman! (I know it is a misquote of Shakespeare). I am guilty of it too. My daughter bought me some T-shirts for my birthday last month, Got me the mediums because, "I know you don't like your shirts loose". OK, so I like my arms to bulge out of the sleeves a little. Is that a bad thing?

People tell me I look a lot younger. I am 49 and most people think I am in my late 30s. Maybe they are blowing smoke up my butt. I had a lot of saggy skin on my neck after losing the fist 65 so quickly, it has pretty much snapped back. I was expecting to be a wrinkled saggy mess but I am pleasantly surprised. I think everyone is different. I have lost 110 lbs to date, no saggy belly either.

To add what JG said, the zero carb is 50g per serving and a serving is 2 scoops. when you look at the number of servings in the jar, double it.(50 g of protein is a bit much at one time) I am really fond of the strawberry. I almost always blend it with LF milk and ice. great tasting.I also have the chocolate and vanilla. I am not really a vanilla fan but it is a great base to mix with fruit and stuff.

I am also trying to get into running. Made my first attempt about 2 weeks ago. Felt like my legs were going to explode, had to walk after maybe 3/4 of a mile. was really sore for 3 days. I do cardio hard a few times a week and am in what I feel too good of shape to have to walk in 3/4 of a mile and then agan a few times more. I posted on FB about my frustration and a couple of my friends that were runners posted back that I needed to get some good shoes. I took their advice found out I was what is called a supinator, had the wrong shoes and was making my alignment worse. I found the right pair of shoes, made my second attempt on Saturday, I was shocked. I set a mental point of how far I wanted to go before walking. I had a 2.4 mile course laid out, didn't have to walk once, did it sub 10 minute mile in like 23 minutes. I was shocked. My point is if you haven't, make sure you have the right shoes for whatever your running style is. I also have no real muscle pain today even after using a whole new muscle group. A little soreness in the obliques but that is it. I am planning on bumping it up to 3 miles on Tuesday. Haven't run 3 miles since my last marine corps PFT in 1984. I am pretty sure I did the 3 mile in 24 minutes. I will be happy for 30 minutes now . Short term goal might be a 10K by the fall, Long term a half marathon next spring.