PdxMan

If you go to my gallery, you will see a picture of me in the "After" section where I have a little hip pouch which contains it. There is a tube going from it, through my shirt and into me, just below my breastbone. It drips medicine directly onto the stomach. It is (was) part of Dr. Umbach's pain management. The ball of medicine takes about 3 days to empty. He told me I could yank it out myself or he would do it when he saw me on Monday. I was a little freaked out at the thought of it being yanked out by him, let alone me doing it myself! But ... it was worry for nothing as it wasn't a big deal. I've had band-aids removed which were worse ...

Traveling was fine. Wear the TED socks and walk around on the plane every 20 minutes or so to avoid blood clots. My surgery was at 8:00 and I was discharged around noon and back at the Golden Nugget by 12:30. Took a 4 hour nap, woke up, took a shower and the wife and I went out to dinner. I told the waiter I had a late lunch and wouldn't be eating. No problem. We walked all over downtown and I even played a few hands of blackjack. The next day we went up to the strip visiting a lot of the casinos. Walked no less than 5 miles, I'm sure. Sunday, of the same. Met with Umbach Monday morning and he removed pain pump and final check. He is very close to the airport now, so it is a quick jaunt to the airplane. Good luck!

I am around 2 and a half years out, so only half way to your 5 year veteran request, but I can give you some of my experience thus far. My highest weight was just over 300 pounds with a BMI right at 40. I went into maintenance mode 8 months post at 175 pounds. I exercised and followed all guidelines pretty well during this time. At this point, I was eating about 2,000 calories a day and maintaining fine. About 8 months later, I need back surgery due to a ruptured disc on L4/5 followed by another back surgery 3 months later. This sidelined my activity and due to my inactivity and NOT changing my eating habits, I quickly gained 10 pounds. The good news for me, and I think those with the sleeve is, though, is that I saw that 10 pounds and went back to the basic guidelines of eating as I did when I first had the sleeve: eating lean Protein first, not drinking with meals and chewing well. I also dropped my calorie intake to about 1,500. I quickly dropped 5 of those pounds. I am now 1 year past my first surgery and am back to exercising. I have lost the other 5 pounds and am back to the 2,000 calorie mark. I have excellent restriction when I follow the guidelines. I have no doubt that at any time I should gain weight for whatever reason, I will be able to drop that weight with the assistance this tool (sleeve) gives me. I totally understand your hesitance as we have all lost weight only to regain it and then some. I can say, for myself, the sleeve gives me the power to not abuse food the way I used to. I know that any failure in maintaining my current weight will be attributed to what is happening between my ears and not the failure of the VSG. I think the reason why you don't see many people talking about their life 5 years post is because they have moved on. They are living their life. There are many out there as this was (is) the first step of a duodenal switch, which has been done for years. Many of those patients just never got the second half of the surgery because they had reached their goal. Of course, do your research, but I think it will show you there is a trend moving towards the sleeve. I know I love mine and how it has empowered me regarding my relationship with food. Good luck with whatever you decide.

My insurance did not offer bariatric services. None, zip, notta. I couldn't even go see the dietician post-op because I had WLS surgery ... But, I couldn't afford the $10,400 they were charging for outpatient in Las Vegas (I didn't want to go to Mexico) so I took a second on the house to pay for it. The family buckled down for the next 20 months and we were able to pay it off. Just the other night my wife told me it has been the best $10K we ever spent. Don't let getting denied stop you. Find a way to finance it. You can do it.

Ah, yes. My Grandpa had a cabin on the South shore if East Okoboji. We are going to be staying in it for a reunion at the end of July. I love that area, but it is so funny explaining to people that there is a resort area in Iowa. They just look at me like a confused dog turning their head ... Huh? Really? Iowa?

For all my liquids, the first day or so, I had to use a syringe. I had liquid lortab (apple flavored) and used the syringe they gave me for that. Each one of us are going to have their stomach's respond to the trauma differently. Some folks, like myself and I am guessing you, are swellers. Their tissue swells more than average thus the current amount of space in the stomach is minute. Tiny. Trying to force things will only make it worse. It kills me when I would read responses from people who could drink a whole glass of water on the day of or one day post surgery. They are not swellers such as us. You can't take an anti-inflammatory because one of the functions of the swelling is helping to prevent leaks. So, what can you do? Just keep taking tiny amounts. Constantly. Walk around with a syringe of water (I think I actually used Gatorade) and squirt tiny amounts in. As mentioned, the first days are tough. Everything is different now, so don't expect things to be the same.

As we have seen threads on food addict for if I could eat like a normal person, I would eat a lot. I think denial transcends the need to admit we are addicts. I know people with a drinking problem who are not alcoholics. I think I have or maybe had a totally false reality of how I got to be a morbidly obese person. How many times did I get my thyroid tested and when elevated felt it was justification to abuse food because I had something else to blame it on. When told I had a motility issue, I could also excuse my obesity. How high on my horse did I sit when I was able to lose weight "the hard way" judging those weaker than me, then excuse my weight regain because of a family tragedy or extra work load at the office? Addiction? HAH! Only the weak are addicts. Every addict has the ability to choose not to make poor decisions. It is their own personal responsibility to take care of themselves. I can lose weight if I want to. I've done it before ... it is just all these other circumstances in my life which trip me up along the way. Right? For me, denial is huge. Paired with a self-righteous ego ... I can be deadly to myself and downright mean to others. The drug addict could stop their abuse if they wanted to ... the person smoking a pack a week just needs to stop buying cigarettes ... the obese person just needs to eat less and move more ... you can have just one drink at the party ... Really? Is it really just that simple? For some, it may be and I think the further out I get, the easier it is to slip back into this type of thinking as it relates to food. If I forget where I came from, it is easier to deny I ever had an issue with my relationship with food as I did when I was in the thick of it. Only you can decide whether or not you are a food addict, but I know my journey on my sleeved life has revealed a long tale of denial. Anybody else relate?

This is funny. I just have to add don't be disappointed when you discover the love of your life doesn't put the cap back on the toothpaste, puts the toilet paper on backwards and doesn't rinse the can opener after opening a can of tuna. In other words, your expectations usually far exceed the reality. The wake up is usually harsher than expected. There will be times when you sit there and say, "Who the hell did I marry? What was I thinking!?" Then, you catch them checking you out and the honeymoon is back on again. The sleeve life is a roller coaster of emotions, just like marriage, for sure. Being a sleever, I made the commitment for life ... just like my marriage. I love my sleeve just about as much as I love my wife. Seriously BTW, she just said last night it was the best $10K we ever spent. She loves it, too!

Have you been a gym member before? If not, I would recommend spending the $50 (or whatever) they charge for a session with a personal trainer. It can be overwhelming and you want to ensure you are spending quality time at the gym ... right? I know when I go, I want the biggest bang for my buck. Why spend an hour of inefficient exercise? With a personal training session, they can show you how to use the equipment correctly and use correct form. They will also help you put together a routine tailored to your specific goals based on your needs and history. Tell them you had the sleeve and are restricted nutritionally but are committed to a Protein first regimen. Some gyms provide this free for new members, too, so check it out. But ... elliptical type machines are always great starters for cardio. The are very low impact and you can set the resistance. I always recommend monitoring your heart rate and try to exercise at a pace where you can sustain your target heart rate for as long as possible. You should be sweating profusely when you are done, not just a slight "glow". Google target heart rate to figure out what yours is. Good Luck! Forgot to add ... get yourself fitted for the correct shoes at a running store prior to beginning cardio. Incorrect shoe fitting can lead to knee and hip pain causing so much pain and injury you won't be able to exercise.

To gain 2 pounds you would need to eat 7,000 more calories than you burned. Not sure if you are pre or post sleeve, but do you believe you ate 7,000 more calories than you burned yesterday? More likely water weight is a bigger contributor. You know what you need to do, so re-commit yourself today.

Woo Hoo! You look great! Congrats. Love the shirt in your after. I rode Ragbrai 13 oh so many years ago. I used to live near Spirit Lake / Okoboji and my brother still lives in the Cedar Rapids area. He rides Ragbrai quite regularly.

I was outpatient. I was released from the clinic around noon, went to the hotel and took a four hour nap. Woke up and took one of the best showers of my life. Took the wife out to dinner, walked all over downtown Las Vegas (Baby!), played a few hands of blackjack and was back in bed by 9:00. Woke up the next day to another glorious shower.

Wow! You are me ... or I am you ... or something ... At 15 months post I had a micro-discectomy on L4/5 as I had numbness in my right foot which was emanating up into my right leg. Due to the disc leakage and now removal of said disc leakage stuff, the space between the vertebrae had lessened to the point where now bone was pressing against the nerve and now I had numbness in my left foot. A laminectomy 3 months later was the solution. Prior to surgery, I had been an exercising machine. I would run ~30 miles a week and participated in many races even winning my age/division a few times. Then the numbness ... So, as you are experiencing, my activity basically went to nil. I mean nothing. Everything was painful as pretty much any and all motion goes through your core and well ... yeah ... not going to happen. Walking, sitting or standing was painful after a few minutes. 2 months post second surgery, I began physical therapy which was a slow process. I was somewhat compliant with my at home exercises, but it was difficult as it was painful, but I knew it was the only way I could get moving again. I was finally cleared for exercise 4 months after starting PT, but wasn't able to do what I wanted as it was too painful, so I stuck with the basics from PT hoping I would strengthen. About a month ago I was finally able to run more than one block without having to stop due to pain. I attribute this to doing elliptical as it is very low impact. I am now able to run a mile and a half at about an 8 minute per mile pace. I also do an hour of weight training about 5 times a week at the gym focusing on lower back and core strength. So ... what about eating? I had been at goal and maintaining for about 10 months when I stopped exercising. I quickly added 10 pounds as I did not change my eating habits, so I knew that I would have to change that. What I did was to get back to basics stringently. I ate Protein first, didn't drink with meals and chewed very well. I stopped eating before I was full and limited my "cheats". This halted my weight gain and I lost 5 of the 10 I had gained. Since getting back into exercise I have lost the other 5 pounds and have eased how stringent I follow the guidelines as I do understand that I need calories to maintain my current level of activity. So, that is what worked for me. Follow the guidelines closer until you can get back to being active. If you need to, track everything in MyFitnessPal. Just to let you know, my numbness has been reduced drastically, but I do still have a little, which I will probably have the rest of my life. It is by far tolerable compared to where I was, which was occasionally falling as I didn't get the feedback from my feet when walking. It takes time and did get worse before it got better. Good luck!

I decided to create a thread with my ramblings so as not to hijack yours. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/287797-denial/

So Laura, we have had the confessions thread and the enabling thread ... when are you going to start the Denial thread? I think it would be best started by someone caring and loving. As GamerGirl so accurately noted, I do not have the literary skills to make such a thread and not come off harsh or judgemental.

The compression garments are not going to reduce the excess skin in as much as they keep things from jiggling when you move. When I started exercising, it was painful having my belly, moobs and even the skin on the back of my arms jiggling around. I needed a sports bra for my body and this is pretty much what these have done for me. Over time (I'm almost 2 and a half years out) my loose skin has lessened as time and a little elasticity has helped, but by no means is it gone. I am one of those who is right at the borderline for needing plastics and have opted to just keep with the compression garments.

When you get your bloodwork results, they usually also have an acceptable range listed over on the right hand side. If yours does not and you need some additional information, your best bet is to call your Dr office and have them review the results. Reading just one number doesn't give you the whole picture. For instance, having your red blood cell count be on the low side had more meaning if your Iron levels are normal or high. Bottom line, to look at the results of labs requires a full picture, not just one number. I always have an in person follow-up with my PCP following blood work. They don't change me for it as it is seen as a follow-up from the original blood work screen orders.

Totally normal ... but as this is quite an old post, I'm guessing you have gotten past this. How are you doing?

And now we have our answer!

Did y'all get the email about the migration to the new site, BariatricPal.com? It is a consolidation of all the "talk" forums. It appears to be up and running today ... I think that is going to be our new home.

Well ... we don't know your statistics (height, build, gender). Perhaps this can help: http://www.miniwebtool.com/bmi-calculator/metric/ Of course, ask your Dr for more specifics.

longtime, increasing your calories will shake things up for your body. Let's take me, for example. Pre-sleeve, I was consuming probably 4,000 calories a day. Now, post surgery, I was getting in maybe 600 calories a day. What was my body thinking? OMG! We must be abandoned on a desert island somewhere!!! We need to conserve energy, slow down our metabolism because we are not getting the calories we once were!! So, we throw the dog a bone by increasing calories a bit. How does the body respond? OK, we're off the island, resume metabolism.

Oh, I know. I have recently started prefacing some of my posts of this nature stating that I realize I don't have the literary skills to be as tactful as some may like. Which is so true. I bounce in and out of the forum. I feel I have something to add, so I say it. Obviously I don't take the needed time to craft a response that is going to make everyone feel warm and fuzzy after. Sometimes, like the weekends, I may try to, but for the most part, I am straight forward. Call it like it is. Some people like this, some people don't. I believe the people with a chip on their shoulder read them cynically so they think I am being cynical. If I am being a smart ass, you'll know it.

Don't worry Cheri, I have always enjoyed your posts over the years and I understand why you haven't been as active lately as I see your bundle of joy in your avatar. But I think you diminish the power addiction has over some people. It isn't as simple as making a choice. It is difficult to explain to someone who may not truly know addiction (speaking to the general audience, not just you, Cheri). It is like trying to explain green to a blind person. If you were to look back to when I first went into rehab ... look back at all the events that led to it, you would wonder how any sane person could do these things to themselves. But that is the key word there ... sane. At first, when I abused alcohol, it was fun. Then it became a job ... then it became my tormentor. I no longer drank for enjoyment, I no longer drank to escape or blackout. I had completely lost the power of choice. I remember many times driving home from work (45 minutes) saying to myself that I was not going to stop at the bar, but then remembering this promise at midnight ... at the bar ... wondering how I even got there. Addiction is a cunning, powerful baffling foe for some. Again, we all know our own experiences and we see through those glasses. Addiction may have more facets than you realize.

Wow! What a great thread. As one of the people who is consistently blamed for being non-supportive and stirring pots, it is so nice to see and read this thread. I vote that it be stickied. It is hard for me to stay away from "enabling" threads because I feel my silence is just another means of enabling. Of course, it is seen otherwise and it is something I struggle with myself and my family. I am by no means perfect. I practice progress, not perfection. Awareness, honesty and willingness to change are keys for me.