Sleevie WonderLand

So for the past week and a half, I've had a cold. I was hoarse last week, but a few days into that, I began to cough. I mean, coughing to the point of where i'm dry heaving. My lungs are clear; there's no mucus rattling around in there, and my cold is pretty much gone, but i'm still coughing like an old man with emphysema, ESPECIALLY when I lay down. I finally decided to research coughing and why it's triggered so much when I lay down. I got alot of answers back relating to acid reflux. Everything is making so much more sense to me now! I took two tums a while ago...my stomach has settled and I havent coughed in the last 15 minutes or so. Who woulda thunk it? In my pre-sleeve life I never had an issue with acid reflux. I'm on Nexium and thought that would be enough to deal with acid issues after my sleeve. I put up a post earlier about feeling nauseous all day and not being able to read my sleeve. I'm not totally sure now, but I'm guessing that I may need some more antacids in my diet to keep me from getting so nauseated. Anyone else coughin alot lately or am I the only one? lol

After my surgery and this weight comes off I CANT WAIT TO: bend over and tie my shoes without losing my breath paint my own toenails comfortably wear clothing that doesnt have an "X" in the size (e.g. 1X, 2X, etc.)

New Yorkers are pretty proud people (everyone wants to be like us!) and this is the perfect place for us to get together and rep the Empire State. Please share your experiences (especially those specific to NY), your surgeon/hospital info, and anything else you think will be beneficial to the NY VSGers! *I'm from Noo Yawk...concrete jungle where dreams are made of...*

have you been tested for sleep apnea? I was diagnosed with it prior to being sleeved. I'm proud to say that after losing approx 75 lbs, I'm snore free and no longer in need of my cpap machine!

Disclaimer: Before you read this, know that it was written while I'm at work answering phones and catering to people in my office, so there are probably several run on sentences and errors. No time to proofread! I was sleeved on October 18, 2011, and I still can't believe how fast the time has flown by. Initially when I got sleeved, I had a hard time adjusting to this new lifestyle because I had to re-train my thinking and control my desires to eat for no reason. Once I was able to get accustomed to "eating to live" instead of "living to eat" life became simple, the weight fell off, and I've been the happiest with myself that I've ever been. I used to say "I love me" when I was overweight, but I think I was saying it as a defense mechanism to convince everyone around me that I was happy even though I was fat. That was true to an extent - I love the person that I am, my personality, my generosity, my sense of humor, but I didnt love being fat. Now when I say "I love me" its probably 90% true. I still love who I am, but i'm finally loving the physical me because even though my new body is flawed with excess skin it still allows me to enjoy life more. I'm no longer afraid of breaking lawn chairs, or not fitting in theatre chairs, or sweating profusely because I'm so overweight. I'm willing to attempt things and activities that are more physical, and the self consciousness will rear it's ugly head, but then it quickly goes away when I remember that I am no longer grossly obese. It's amazing how much your perspective on EVERYTHING changes once you shed a massive amount of weight. It's the greatest thing ever. My life for the past 5 to 6 months has been "normal". When I say that I mean that I have stopped living like I'm sleeved and have begun living like this is my normal life. I dont get on the scale incessantly. I havent counted calories or checked in to myfitnesspal, etc. I monitor what I eat (which is usually the same things over and over) but I dont obsess about it. I havent been to the gym as much - aw hell, i havent been to the gym all summer. In my defense, I was working and just never made the effort to get there. I do have plans to get that regimen back in place, but I'm not sweating it. I'm living my new normal life. Shopping has turned into a delight. I was initially traumatized when I had to shop for my new body. I was still losing weight and just didnt know how to put things together for my slimmer thighs, but flabby tummy and arms. It took me some time to figure out that 3/4 sleeved tops are my best friend; that it was ok for me to go into the junior's section to find clothing (they have some cute clothes for the younger chicks! lol); I also realized that i didnt just have to stick to one section to get my outfits together. I was accustomed to dealing with whatever tents Lane Bryant and the Avenue offered, because those were my only options. I've been sleeved, I've been liberated....and I've been shopping! I wasnt sure how much weight I wanted to lose initially because I'm on the taller side of the scale and didnt want to appear to lanky or "sick" as people like to say. I figured that if I lost about 60 to 70 pounds, I'd be content. I've lost 75 pounds, and I'm happy with that. My weight fluctuates up and down 2 lbs depending on my time of the month, but it's been steady and consistent for the past 2 months. I dont know if I'll lose more when I get back into the gym, but if I dont, I'm totally fine with that. My social life has changed somewhat as well. I never revealed my weight loss surgery to anyone so everyone has been speculating on how I've lost the weight. I told some that I drastically changed my diet and used protein shakes to kick the weight loss off, I've even given some of them some recipes and my meal plans. Sometimes I do feel guilty for not sharing my real secret, but at the same time it's my business and I dont want to be judged based on that. So as I planned it, my secret will go to my grave with me unless my husband and kids decide to spill the beans. I havent officially lost any friends, but I do notice a distance from some people who I thought would be happy for me. Ive actually been called "skinny" amongst friends, but not in a happy way, more like if being skinny is a bad thing. go figure. this is totally random, but I hate it when people tell me not to lose anymore weight because I'll begin to look sick. I always comeback with "why didnt you tell me not to gain any more weight when I was fat? Surely I looked sick then?" that usually leads to some real uncomfortable silence. I love it! I consider myself a sleeve success story. I'm not saying it was an easy journey, but I am saying it's an easy journey once you lay the path out. Dont set up unrealistic goals for yourself based on what others are doing. I would read other people's success stories and see that they lost 75 pounds in their first 4 to 5 months of being sleeved. It didnt happen that way for me because it wasnt supposed to! Each of us have to individualize our journeys. I was not the model sleeve patient - i dont take vitamins as often as I should; I drink soda; I dont go to the gym consistently; I hardly drink water. These may be the factors for my weightloss not being in the 100s. But I'm FINE with that. My decisions, my choices, my journey. My happiness! If you aren't sleeved yet and are reading this, I suggest that you continue to do your research and know what you're in for when you have this surgery. It's life changing in every aspect - physical, mental, and social. Some of it may not be all good, but it's most certainly worth it in my opinion. I'd take 10 pounds of loose flappy skin over 75 pounds of unnecessary fat any day! Other than having my children and getting married, this has been the best thing to happen to me. I'm forever grateful to whoever came up with this procedure.

Hey guys! How's the group doing?

Hi Fallen Angel, I did get your message, just got home and logged in to the computer. I'm going to ask Alex to make you and Larae the new group leaders. thanks to both of you for stepping up to the plate!

I've already have Ms. Larae as a candidate...there was another individual who was interested...please hit me up asap!

In an effort to make this easier - would the young lady who I talked to about taking over the group respond to me via VST msg? I wanna do this fairly, and trying to go through my old msgs and posts on this phone is treacherous!

I have no preference. Someone said earlier that they would take it over, so I'm going to go back into the post and ask that person if she's still interested, maybe you two can moderate together. I'm on my phone right now but will def let you know when it all goes down. Thanks for stepping up to the plate!

The group needs someone who is more interactive and involved. There's nothing involved except you posting and welcoming new members, creating new threads, etc. There are several posts about people possibly meeting up somewhere in the NY area, but nothing has come to fruition, so if you are SERIOUS about this group and can see the potential in making it fun and beneficial to the others, PLEASE say you'll take over! I started it last year and had all intentions of doing challenges and being 100% involved, but as you can see that never happened. We need someone to make the NY group the best group on VST!!!

is anyone here interested in taking over this group? I need to give Alex a name asap so that he can remove me as the group leader.

October 18th, 2011 was a monumental day in my life. The three months leading up to that date were anxiety filled, and I spent every waking moment on VST and YouTube gathering all the information I could about being sleeved. No matter how much research you do, you're still never fully able to comprehend how much your life will change - in my case for the better. While in the hospital after being sleeved, things weren't so bad, in fact I was expecting to be in a lot more pain than I actually was. I anticipated that it would be excruciatingly bad, but in comparison to my 3 sections and one natural birth, the pain was minimal. I was able to walk by the second day (very slowly of course) and didn't experience any of the gas issues that people talk about during their experience. Even my nurses and surgeon mentioned how I was doing so well. Physically, I was the ideal post op patient. Mentally however, I was a frickin MESS! My first couple of days home were a little rocky as I was having issues with my acid reflux meds. The omeperazole they prescribed for me didn't agree with my system, so I had to go on Nexium. No big deal, I had a rough day and a half till we worked that out. But the real issue I had with getting sleeved was the restriction. I knew that I signed up for this surgery because restriction would be the ONLY way that someone like me could ever lose weight and keep it off. I don't have enough will power to stop myself from eating for no reason. Even as a sleeved woman, if there is a piece of food near me I have the urge to eat it - not because I'm hungry, but because its there. With the sleeve though, I have to make a conscious decision before I eat anything or suffer the consequences. Am I willing to eat that food and suffer from "dumping" or feeling overly full for several hours, or even vomiting because it doesn't agree with my new tummy? These are the things that go through my head now before I stuff my face for no reason. My sleeve has made me a conscious eater. Although the restriction is just what I needed, as you'll see in my previous blogs, I resented this sleeve for not allowing me to be greedy and eat any and everything I wanted. I resented this sleeve because I couldn't just take it back to the store and get my old tummy back. I resented this sleeve because I wasn't in control. I had to do what my sleeve liked. I had to submit to my sleeve and finally after a little over 2 months I can say my sleeve and I are a team. We're in sync. I'm not holding up my end of the bargain as I should with my protein counts, but Im working on it. As long as I keep my sleeve hydrated and give her some stuff to eat every few hours, she's good. No belching, no vomiting, no gurgling, no problems. I said all this to say that loving my sleeve wasn't necessarily an easy road to get to. Sometimes when you read the posts of those people who have been successful with their sleeve after many months, the "bad" stuff tends to get left out and you're left with these expectations of happy sleevedom and when you do get sleeved you wish you'd never done it. It happened to me. No one told me about the resentment stage and no one told me that I might have buyers remorse in my first few weeks of being sleeved. No one told me that I would feel trapped, and angry, and want to stay in my bed for weeks until it all got better. I hope this note helps that person out there who is nearing their surgery date - know that the road to recovery may not be easy at first, but when you do get accustomed to your sleeve and new lifestyle it will all be worth it in the end, and you'll be able to pass the info on to the next new sleevester..

You won't be able to finish your own food after surgery! Once the weight starts to fall off, you'll be able to run with them and you'll have to find other things to do because eating won't occupy your mind and time like it used to! I also suggest that you sign up to MyFitnessPal.com. You can use it to help you track the amount of Proteins and other nutrients you're consuming.

Hey Lisa, the best advice I can give you is to be patient, especially with your recovery and adjusting to your new relationship with food. Your brain will want to eat more than your stomach can handle. It will be hard to comprehend that only after having two bites of your meal that you are stuffed as though you've eaten Thanksgiving dinner. It takes some getting used to especially if you are like I was and used to just eat for no reason. Now you'll have to find other outlets to kill your "bored" time because you will have no desire nor ability to eat! The restriction factor of this tool is serious. I'm convinced that is the only way I would have ever been able to lose almost 70 pounds. The other bit of advice I'd give is for you not to compare your journey to others. It's cool to compare notes, but don't worry about how fast the other people are losing. You are unique and your journey may be similar, but every one is different. more advice - scour this board like crazy! see what people are saying about their post op experiences. Start reading the recipe boards because you are going to need to find ways to get Protein in. Don't go buying a whole lot of stuff just yet - your tastebuds will more than likely change on you and the things you loved before may not be as appealing as they used to be. My last bit of advice....Be realistic about this situation. Right now you have the ability to eat a massive amount of food. I'm talking seconds and possibly thirds...after your sleeve won't be able to consume more than half of a fist full. Sit and think about that for a second...crazy right? It's really mind blowing. It takes a while for you to get to the point where you can enjoy savory foods. You are going to want to have some foods and after one bite you may realize that you aren't ready for them just yet. You have to chew your food like a baby. It's annoying as hell, but after a while you get used to it. Drinking and eating together sounds like it shouldn't be a big deal....that stuff hurts like hell! (to this day I still try it every now and then...and no, can't do it!) i say all this to say that in addition to the surgery being physical, it's definitely an emotional one as well, and you have to take your time while adjusting to rapid weight loss which is also a crazy mind screw! Might I suggest you read my blog entries? I was very open and honest about my experiences. THere are other blogs and posts that will definitely help you as well. Good luck with your surgery!

Its been 5 months and 63 pounds ago that I was sleeved. After my first couple of weeks of being sleeved I couldn't see THIS happening, I thought I would never get here. Here for me is just about at goal. I'm currently 189 pounds, and I guess I will settle at 185 just because I think 185 sounds better than 189. When I started this journey I had no idea of what my goal weight was. The experts suggest that someone of my height and age should weigh somewhere around 150; if I went down to 150 i would definitely look like a q-tip. I'm very happy and comfortable where I am now. I am able to fit into a size 10, which blows my mind because I started this journey wearing a size 22. I'm finally accepting my new size. Early on I was having a hard time visualizing myself in this thinner body. I was struggling when I went clothes shopping because all I've known for the past 25 years is plus sized clothing. when I finally realized that I had to shop in the "regular" sized stores, I was so intimidated and unsure of myself (weird right?). I would wear clothing and everyone would rant and rave about how thin I looked and even though I would see myself in the mirror, the change wasn't as significant to me as it was to everyone else. A couple of weeks ago I went to a beauty pageant with a friend of mine and she asked me to wear something short because she wanted to wear a cute short dress that she recently purchased. I agreed. I had to run to a store and purchase a short dress because frankly I've always felt like I was too big for short dresses and didnt have one. I ended up buying a cute black dress with a nude lace overlay that was slightly form fitting and stopped right above my knee. I tried it on and could not believe how great I looked. no girdle, no spanx, just me. I had a tiny belly bulge, but hey, i've got four kids, I'm entitled to it! I wore that dress that evening with my 5 inch pumps and looked like a freakin supermodel (well I felt like one anyway!) My husband, kids, and girlfriend couldn't stop telling me how great I looked, and I was finally able to agree with them. My AHA moment! This surgery has done so much for me. I'm no longer gorging, and even when I have the desire too, I just can't because I'm sleeved. I sometimes get cravings for super sweet junk food that's no good for me, and when I try to indulge, my craving is usually curbed after the first or second bite, because I'm sleeved. My health concerns regarding diabetes and high blood pressure have eased because I'm so much healthier and even going to the gym. All because I'm sleeved! My issues with self esteem and confidence have been taken care of...yes, because of my sleeve. I know that every now and then I will doubt myself, but I promise you it won't be as much as it was before my sleeve. I'm eager to live and try new things - the things I wouldn't do before because I thought I was too fat and didnt want to bring attention to myself. My relationship with my hubby has rekindled as well. We were ok before I was sleeved as he has been nothing but supportive and caring through our 10 years together, but now that I'm more confident, I'm willing to do more and try new things with him (get your minds out of the gutter). I'm more anxious to go out of the house and just see what life has out there to offer. It's a great feeling. I'm over the moon and under 200 lbs!

I'm actually down to 184 now, and still losing inches. I'm wearing a size 10, and can fit into some 8s! I'm as happy as a lamb, saggy skin and all.

There are many adjustments that have to be made as a sleever. Depending on who you decide to tell about your decision for surgery, you may have to turn down a lot of offers for food and drink while out on the social scene. Usually when I go out I get comments on the small amount of food I eat, and I casually remind those commenters that if I want to keep my weight off, I have to eat like a bird. What Ive found is that most of the people I hang with have all cut back on the amounts of food they eat because they are actually a little embarrassed to over eat in front of me! My family knows the situation. THey've adjusted to my bird eating, and my not eating at all sometimes. Cooking hasnt changed either, except my family has been eating a lot more seafood than before because thats what I eat a lot of now. I find that seafood is easier for me to digest, and its so much quicker and easier to cook too! (but it costs). There have been slight changes to my entire family's eating habits i.e, no one eats while drinking anymore. It was a tactic I used with my young children before my surgery to get them to eat their food. I found that when I gave them a beverage with their food they would finish the beverage then not eat, so I would always encourage them to eat before drinking. It's the BEST way to get them to finish those veggies. My husband used to eat and drink, but to support me during my transition he stopped eating and drinking, and now it's the norm for him too. If you look at these changes you'll have to make as positive ones that are for your betterment, you're less likely to have a hard time making them. If you b***h and moan about them, then the adjustment will be harder. If you don't try to adjust and make changes, you'll suffer. It's as simple as that. I wish you the best of luck! If I had one suggestion for you before you go in for surgery it would be to enjoy a nice meal because it will be quite sometime before you are able to eat really savory foods again. That pre-op diet is a killer and I harbored so much resentment because it was 6 frickin weeks before I could enjoy something as simple as eggs...lol

My info seminar was VERY informative. My surgeon conducted it and had a powerpoint slide show containing information about the different types of weight loss surgery which definitely helped me decide on the sleeve over the lap-band. Ask any and every question you have. You should feel informed and comfortable enough to take the next steps required to sign up for the surgery. Ask about the surgeon's success rate, and about leakage stats. You want to make sure you'll be in good hands. i'm sure there are threads here on VST that can give you ideas on questions you should ask the surgeon. Good luck!

Congrats on making it to Onederland! Ditto on everything Lissa said, except I'm cutting my hair instead of trying to grow it out. It was falling out really badly, but has since slowed down. I keep it short because it looks thicker. Good luck!