meggiep

I do not want to upset anyone but I will relate what my doctor said when i asked him about the plication - he has no plan to do the plication as he is very uncomfortable about the unused part of the stomach remaining and feels there would be many complications. He worked for years with the developer of the vsg so of course is biased but the things he said made sense to me.

By the way- when my husband heard my doctor say that without the surgery he saw me progressing to a wheelchair and eventually an early death- that was all it took! He adores me and wants a long life sharing brussels sprouts with me ;-P Honestly though, I can't imagine how hard it would be to be part of a couple- both morbidly obese, and to want the surgery though your partner does not. That would be a painful situation. I feel for both ladies. From what I have seen of the couples who had surgery together or a few weeks apart they have great success and a built in close support system.

My particular issue was different than those of many, I expect. My husband likes a larger body type, though he loved my body when we met and I weighed almost 100 pounds less.Remembering that helped! That was part of it. He also loved us sharing food- we would share some really unhealthy things like pints of Ben and Jerry's or strawberry custard cakes. Luckily his wanting me to be happy and to be freed from some of the physical issues that have me a near invalid, are greater than any of the things that subconsciously worked to sabotage me. I n fact,m for one thing, we are having our food sharing just as much now on my pre surgery diet- tonight we had steaed brussels sprouts, which we both love, and turkey slices with mustard. It was just as intimate and close, just not the same kind of food. I mainly just wanted to point out the need, especially with someone as close as a husband, to work these things out for the sake of the relationship as well as your continued success. I expect for many family and friends, even co-workers, it will be a matter of having trouble accepting you leaving the way they always saw you and becoming someone new. My siblings, for example, have gotten used to me being the fat one. They are really trying to stop me from having the surgery. I think they don't want me to vacate my role. Others will turn to subconscious sabotage. I think with people who love you , whom you love, it is always important to say it all, work it out. A lot of the time when you talk it out the saboteur will turn it around and be your biggest supporter.

this is exactly what my Doctor says- in fact he says that he has never had a non exercising patient keep their weight off- period. Luckily I already take a kick butt water aerobics class four times a week and plan to step up to six. He also explains that you need to feed yourself protein so your body turns to the fat cells for the quick burn fuel. I totally recommend water aerobics for anyone who hates exercise and wants a great way to do it and love it. I do not hate exercise, I just can't do it on land due to several disabilities. Water aerobics has saved my life- it is a great workout and enjoyable too. We do 300 crunches!

I can't help but think that both your husbands must be hurting a lot to see you take this step towards health and leave them behind in their old habits and lifestyle. I think you need to work this through in order to safeguard your future ability to maintain your weight loss. Do neither of them want to consider surgery? Have you talked openly and honestly about how they feel about this step for you? I urge you to think about counseling , because you (Fern) will soon start really showing the big losses and it has to be hard to watch that. Myori- this has to be really hard on your husband! And if these guys are upspet and stressed by seeing you lose and move towards health it is no surprise that they are doing what we all do at those times- stuffing it with food. As the lucky (IMO) ones who have a bright future as skinny girls ;-P I think your guys need some love and compassion about this. I know mine does! He is not heavy but he is an enabler for sure and he needs gentle reminding that I am miserable in this body. In the past when I would start losing weight he would appear with my favorite things after shopping for groveries. He really needed some confronting and some soul searching talks to get to the bottom of why he was doing that and what it meant to me to finally get rid of the weight. Now he is totally on board. I realize that you two have way more to deal with since your husbands are obese. I encourage you (yep I'm a therapist) to work through this so that they are able to support you whole heartedly and you can support them too.

My pre and post op instructions really stress how important it is to chew your food until it is mush. My doctor even has the nutritionist set a goal for you to chew every bite thirty times as part of you preparation for surgery, I have been doing it but I forget so easily! I am wondering if you all have even instructed to do that and how vital that is to your post op life. I sure can tell how easy it is to dissolve the car rich foods compared to the protein! My doctor also recommends putting your fork down for thirty seconds between bites as you will know you are full much faster, and possibly keep from hurting yourself. The 30/30 rule.

I knew you would have good advice. When I grow up can I be like you? Oh wait, I am probably old enough to be you mother ;-P What you said about the stretching out the meal makes a lot of sense too- I have a feeling that was a general dieting nutritional guideline instead of WLS goal. I will mention that to her at my next appointment. I really appreciate all your feedback everyone as you have the experience.. I am practicing. I am also pleased to know we don't have to stop drinking 15 minutes before eating with the sleeve.

I think the low carb thing will really help from everything I have seen. Low fat cheese or cottage cheese, etc. I keep my water next to the bed and drink whenever I see it or think about it. The fluids are key! Also, as I mentioned check out http://www.youtube.com/user/juliarh - I watched ALL her You Tubes and she gives a lot of advice and I have been inspired and motivated. You are well on your way! I expect to be slow and just remember it is a journey. Hey look at it this way- the slower the loss the better chance your skin will recover!

I think a lot of it just makes sense. The two things I was assigned as my goal before my next nutr appt. are 1- chew thirty times each bite and take at least a half an hour to eat my meal and 2 - sip sip sip and not drink 15 minutes before and 30 minutes after each meal. I have to admit I am planning to do both of them more religiously after my sleeve - and fro what you and others have said the sleeve keeps you doing them. Thanks for chiming in!

I am not yet sleeved but a few things come to mind from all I have learned. Are you exercising? I know that is important , walking to start and then more as your doctor allows. Are you drinking your Water? I know it takes a lot of sip sip sipping to get the 64 ounces minimum in. I tink that water can't help but keep your hunger at bay as well. Some people do better with many small meals. Perhaps you need to make your 3 meals much smaller to account for the Snacks? Also it is probably hard not to compare yourself to everyone here- some lose so much so fast! I expect to lose more slowly because I have always had a lot of trouble with that- perhaps you need to relax and not expect too much from yourself. From what I have seen you can give yourself a big boost if you keep the carbs low. I learned a lot from the You Tubes of juliarh - search for her. She keeps her carbs to 30 grams or under and is at 108 plus pounds lost at six months. I ave heard that eating carbs makes you want more carbs. My doctor explains it is if we have two gas tanks like a truck- one is all of our fat and the other is our main gas tank which runs on sugar and carbs. If you keep putting sugar and carbs in, your body wont switch to the fat as readily. Cut down on those and your body has nowhere else to go for energy but your stored fat. Makes sense to me! Those crackers, small as they are, could be derailing you. Bump up on the Protein. Good luck to you!

Congratulations! I am excited for everyone who finally has their sleeve and am so hoping I can remove the roadblocks and finally get a date. I think once you eat solids you will find your sleeve will be such a great tool and then it will be onward to your goals!

Welcome! You will love the support, inspiration, and information here. I evaluated all three, as we all did I think, and for many reasons decided the sleeve is for me. The band , I feel, is not effective enough, not to mention the problems with slippage and erosion. I personally do not want to re-route my intestines so RNY is out. The sleeve seems to have everything I want- restriction of eating leaving the digestive process intact, with little dumping, leaving the process of losing the weight in my control.

Julie I am new around here but having seen our 100 pound dance my husband and I have been avidly following your vogs-we have watched every single one and I adit I have been checking constantly to ee if magic onederland has been reached. You are totally inspiring to me and when I finally get my sleeve I will emulate your diet as it has been so good to you! YOu have also been so articulate about the work that is involved and the hurdles that come up that I will refer to you again and again. Congratulations! You are so vibrant and beautiful and I am so proud of you!

She did say she had surgery that the doctor said would take years off of her life. She did not say what surgery. SInce she denied the bypass that leaves two! I would love the stigma to be removed. She could do so much for others if she would be upfront about it.

It will mean a lot to your sister and you want her in your corner! I would wait, it being only 10 days.

You might want to talk to PInkbab2011- she is 18 was sleeved March 1st and posted a few times in My Story. I notice she really is not too happy with the loss of drinking big gulps of water and is also asking how soon you can return to eating pizza, burgers, hotdogs, wings....what in my house and among my son's friends looks like typical 18 year old food. You will see from what I posted what my concerns are- and I think as long as you realize what a comittment to a lifestyle change and a focus on health and nutrition this is you can have great success. Good luck to you!

I have to say that I'm worried about you. First you posted you are having second thoughts about surgery you already had and wish you could gulp your drinks again, and are "freaking out" Now you are wondering whether you will be able to eat burgers, hotdogs, pizza, and wings. I know you are 18 years old (as is my son) and that these questions make a lot of sense in light of that. The thing you need to remember is that you can gain weight with a sleeve too. This is a tool you have been given- but you need to do the work- especially so early in your sleeve history. For one thing, your sleeve has to heal, and the 60 - 80 grams of Protein help with that. In addition you don't just have weight fall off of you - you do need to think about what you eat, get your protein, drink your Water. and especially take your Vitamins. If you push to eat the same junk you have always eaten as soon as you can your weight loss will be slow, maybe even stall, and you can indeed gain it back. I know I always answer your posts in a motherly way but you are only 18 and I think you need to really pay attention to how you handle this healing and your life from now on. I especially worry about the nutritional problems you could run in to if you don't pay a lot of attention to your nutrition, take the vitamins and make sure you don't head in to malnutrition. The reduced gastric acid due to the smaller stomach mean your vitamins, especially your Iron, are not absorbed as well from your food and you really need to pay attention to keeping up with that. especially so early in your life. You can really suffer if you get malnourished, Vitamin and mineral wise. Do you have a good support system around you of family who can keep you paying attention to the right choices and to your nutrients? I would really hate to see you have had this serious surgery and end up gaining all the weight you lose back for not having worked through your relationship with food. The same emotions and impulses that got you into obesity will still be here and it is important for you to work through these issues so that you get the weight off and keep it off. I assume you do want that! I want that for you. I don't want to seem like I am lecturing you- but I do worry. There are some basic things about the surgery you have had that you seem not to know or understand. I hope you have a great doctor and nutritionist too.

My family is doing some of that too. My brother is obsessed with digestion basically and is so worried about me removing part of my stomach. He also wants me to give the cpap machine I will now be getting since my apnea diagnosis a chance and thinks that will make a huge difference to my health. He wants me to eat chia seeds, give up meat, try an ayurvedic diet.....basically anything but the surgery, even HCG injections (very unlike him to even consider that ;-P) I think this is bringing up something for him- that could be. The thing is- my brother is , and always has been, very thin. All the men in my family, going way back, have been. It is the women who have weight issues. He just does not have a clue what living h*** that part of my life has been- how painful it is for me to have been obese much of my life. I basically asked him to understand that- to realize that I might want this even more than I want a perfect digestive system- that I will use my brain and take pains to keep as healthy as I can, but that I am taking steps towards life again, life beyond my horrendous nerve damage in my back and knees, life beyond being bedridden. I asked him to trust me and support me. Only you can know whether you really can lose the weight yourself. Only you can know what you stand to gain from the surgery. Has being overweight cost you happiness and or health your whole life? Is the lifestyle that has gotten you there so hard to give up when you consider what you will have in losing the weight? Answer those questions for YOU, no one else.Also remember your family has gotten used to your position as the heavy one. They have their own things coming up that might have them wanting you to stay just as you are. Nobody but YOU knows what is best for YOU. p.s. luckily my husband and son are totally in my corner and cheering me on. It is my siblings who are against it.

First I get a result from my dobutamine stress test that indicates I need to see the cardiologist....which has me in a panic that I wont get the surgery. Today I saw him and he could not understand why I was there as nothing in my results indicated the need. While relieve, I could not help being a bit bitter about having to pay $25 of our limited funds to be told this. Meanwhile I was so affected by the dobutamine I postponed my colonoscopy until this week from last Friday. Mind you, this is not normally on the list of required tests...but since I am due for it (sorry for the tmi but I had two polyps on the last one so need another after three years and my WLS doc wants it done before my sleeve). Last Thursday my sleep study results came back and I have apnea. Not too surprised, and more than willing to use the machine... Then I get a phone call from the Gastro department that the apnea dx means I need a general anesthetic for my colonoscopy and THAT WILL DELAY IT UNTIL POSSIBLY JUNE!!!!! I am beyond freaked- with the cardiologist out of the way and my psych eval coming up in two weeks, my nutritionist has said she will help me get the surgery in April, May at the latest. WTF!!!!!! The wacky thing is if I had only had my procedure last week..... DANG!!!!! I had one three years ago with the same doctor with no problem whatsoever for the twilight sleep. The fact that anesthesiologists are only available that far out could totally ruin my chances to have it before June, when we are plunged into our busy season as wedding photographers.

She actually does NOT have cancer- that was the rumor that went around . She never confirmed it and if you really look on Google you will see she denied it totally and just says she had surgery that will add years to her life. The cancer thing took wings when she started losing so much weight after being in the hospital! I think it is pretty lame that she wont say what the truth is- she admits surgery that helped her health , denies the bypass, and wont say more. I am guessing lap band as well. She could do so much for people with morbid obesity. To deny it implies shame. Bummer.

Absolutely. It is American arrogance (not you, I mean a general arrogance in this country) to assume that the skill of the doctors and quality of care in Mexico is lesser than in the US. I will tell you why the difference in cost- MALPRACTICE. We are sue crazy in this country. I am enmeshed in a web of delaying pre tests here right now and half of it is based on legal protection. Other countries do not have the enormous costs predicated on avoiding a lawsuit. I think it is a sad state of affairs. I have good insurance and $100 co pay total but if delays keep happening and more tests keep being required I may end up in Mexico yet and would not question the quality of care for a second.

I was told only toasted bread is good as the soft bread absorbs fluid and can really be hard to digest.From what a couple of you mentioned it seems true!

I saw some really cool water bottle son someone's vlog- Camelback is the brand and they have a special valve so you can sip without getting sir- they seem perfect for the sip sip sip we have to do- making it easier. Keep it close and drink as much as you can. You are so young! I feel for you having to change your life so such at such a young age. No wonder you are stressed!

One definite change brought on by the sleeve is that your smaller stomach produces less acid and acid is needed for iron absorption .

I think it was on 3/1. I hate to be a mama type but I just noticed our poster is 18 - my sons age- and the impatience, frustration, and high drama all made sense.