Lissa

Dooter, TOO FUNNY.. ."squattin' to pee".

Good job! The positive changes are already showing!!

You're doing what my girlfriends and I call "Ebay dating". Not everything you find there is going to be perfect for you, but you can learn something about the process from every encounter. Go on the date, enjoy your activity (dinner, movie, etc) and have some nice conversation. Go into it with the attitude that you'll make a new friend and you'll have a good time. If there is chemistry, that's fine. If not, that's fine too. It's okay if you aren't attracted to big men or short men or guys with gages in their ears. Everyone's preferences are different... I went on a date recently with a guy who likes his women BIG. He honestly told me that I'm not really big enough for him, so we haven't had a second date. I wasn't offended by his candor, although I did wonder where he was at when I was bigger! LOL Dating is an audition process. Just make sure they are auditioning for you, not the other way around!

Desirae, First, congrats on working so hard to get here! It takes a lot of inner strength to know yourself as well as you do! Second, yes, the pre-op diet is tough, but it is SO worth it. It helps your body and liver prepare for surgery and it helps you detox from bad things like sugar and caffeine. Believe me, you don't want to be going through those withdrawals post op along with the liquid diet! Third, I believe I know another girl that is in the same program, a young lady named Whitney. I'm not sure if you attend meetings as a group, but please say hello to her for me if you do. She's the daughter of an online friend I've known for nearly 20 years. Lastly, good luck on your journey!!!

MeMe, Unless you're doing something strange to your watermelon, it isn't too bad for you. It's high liquid content is great, too! Cheetos.. oh, my cheetos, how I crave thee. Someone told me about the single serving bags at walmart, so that's what I buy now, but I can only buy ONE at a time or they still cry out for me in the night. ::sigh::

I never liked any other flavor except coke. Good thing, or I'd have been even bigger than I was! LOL

LOL Tiffers! I live alone as well, so I understand not wanting to eat the same thing every night!

The thought process you're all having is normal. Even the food funerals are normal, although they aren't really "good" for you. You WILL be able to eat what you want again. It will just be smaller portions than it is now. As for the fear, deal with what you can and let your higher power handle the rest. That's what I had to do, and I was totally convinced I'd die on the table because of all my co-morbidities. I survived and I'm a thousand percent healthier and happier than I was before.

The only ones I tolerate are Premier Protein (Sams and Costco sell them) and the Clif bars. I have to watch myself with the clif bars, though, because they are higher in calories and lower in protein, but they taste so good that I've made them a once a day treat.

DivaK, Your long-term success depends more on you than on the bougie. IF you're determined to keep the weight off, you will do it. The sleeve is an awesome tool, but it's just a tool. I love mine, don't get me wrong, but I know I have to do the head work and keep my head in the game in order to succeed long-term.

As for freezing it, I believe that Michele (EggFace) has frozen it with success. I don't freeze it when I make it, mostly because this is a really versatile recipe and it keeps well in the fridge. I'm making it as my covered dish for a block party this weekend. I've taken it to family gatherings and friend's houses and everyone raves about it. No one even misses the pasta! You can also do this in mini muffin pans and use it like hors douvres (don't laugh at my spelling please!), or wrap up the extras to eat later. If you have others in the house, I bet you don't get to eat the leftovers, though!

Storm, I'm the comic relief around here, I think. Besides, a little humor never hurt any of us... unless we're really early post-op!

Enid, Are you short? Our height affects the size of our sleeve as much as, maybe more than, the bougie size. A tall person, like me at 5'8, is going to have more capacity in the long run than a 5'0" tall person. That's because I have a longer stomach than a shorter person would have. If you're short, your doctor may have used a larger bougie in order to give you the same stomach capacity I get from a 32 bougie. BTW, the bougie is more of a guide for the surgeon's tool than anything else. The anesthetist runs the bougie tube down through your stomach and the surgeon uses it as a cutting guide. There are a couple of good videos that have been posted that are NOT of actual surgery. I watched them post-op and they are very interesting as far as understanding what has been done to us. Search for the word bougie and video on the main page and it will hopefully show you those posts.

Every time I see the word "bougie", I hear "Do the hustle!" I think I just dated myself horribly!

If you're having surgery on the 15th, you'll need to start a two week clear liquid diet on the 1st or 2nd. Truthfully, the clear liquid diet pre-op is the hardest part of this journey, IMO. You're going to have to psyche yourself up for it. Just remember that it's a short time of deprivation in order to improve your health and appearance 100%. Stick to your doctor's plan, but ask for a specific menu plan. I was allowed things on my diet that others weren't, and denied things that others were allowed to have. Good luck! I'm an August Sleever too (2011).

If it makes you feel any better, I walked around with that charlie horse feeling for 4 days before I went to the doctor. A nurse friend told me that I could eliminate a clot because I could bend my foot up toward my leg without horrible pain. She was wrong. Don't let your leg bother you for tonight since your doc checked it out today, but be concerned if the pain isn't gone in the morning. In the meantime, you could do RICE to it... rest, ice, elevation and I THINK the C stands for compression, but one of the medical people will have to help me on that one. Do not massage the area if you truly suspect a clot.. .and there's no reason you can't go to the ER if it has you truly panicked. I'd rather have the issue resolved than walk around in a state of paranoia. Let us know how it turns out, please?

What's the carb and sugar count in a slurpee? I was tempted to find a 7-11 because I used to love coke icees... Never mind: 8oz of coke icee: 65 calories, 18 grams of carbs all from sugar. Not as bad as I thought, but that's a lot of carbs (for me) to waste on something non-nutritious.

I started eating protein bars as soon as I was back on solid food. They are VERY dense, so chew well, eat slowly and don't be afraid to wrap one up and eat the rest later.

Mine felt like a major charley horse. I agree with you; if the pain persists or if you start swelling above or below the pain, then get thee to an ER stat!

There's no such thing as a 40 INCH bougie. It's measured in millimeters and it's TINY. Your bougie size is not going to affect how much weight you lose, at least not significantly. The difference between a 32 and a 40 bougie is smaller than the lenghth of the word bougie on your screen! Here's a picture that may help:

I don't remember a catheter, but I had a drain for 8 days. It wasn't a big deal, either while it was in or during removal.

I've never heard anything specific about 16 weeks out, but you could be experiencing a random stall for any number of reasons. I have been really slow on the losing front for several months, but I know it's because this is a weight where I maintained for several years pre-op. It's starting to pick up again. Apparently my body finally decided that 260 was NOT my ideal weight! Thank goodness! Your stall will break, just keep following your plan and it will happen. You're not done losing yet.

Vixkey, Kudos to you for recognizing that the relationship was not healthy and ending it quickly. Either ignore the texts or change your number, but make this a clean break for both of you. HIS issues do not have to be your issues. You literally have enough going on with the mental and physical issues surrounding your sleeve without dealing with someone who is toxic to your health. I think SML hit the nail on the head when he said that post-WLS patients often end bad relationships once the patient starts seeing that there are options out there. Too often we allow ourselves to stay in a so-so relationship because we feel that we can't get or don't deserve better.

There is a HUGE danger of crossover addiction after WLS, so addicting drugs should definitely be avoided post-surgery. Add in that the drugs you are mentioning are illegal in most countries and you already have your own answer, IMO. Good luck.

I agree with the call the doctor advice. While it might be normal to expel a little blood (I didn't), it's definitely upsetting to do so. A call to the doctor might be just the reassurance you need. And, if this is something bigger, the doctor will know whether to send you to the ER or tell you what to look for in case it gets worse.