Lissa

No strawberries till six months is the only rule I had.

Stronger_Diva is doing Insanity right now and has a post about it here. She's documenting her journey with the Insanity tape. It may give you some helpful information to read that thread.

Sounds like everything is moving along nicely! Good luck!! You'll be sleeved a few days before my anniversary! August is a great month for sleevers!

I actually pulled a couple of stitches out that worked their way to the surface. I just used tweezers and it wasn't a big deal. If it's painful, leave it alone, but do keep it clean and dry. It will either dissolve or work it's way further out. You might want to call your doctor, just to make yourself feel better.

Lots and lots of people here went to Mexico. We even have a forum about Self-Pay and Mexico sleevers. Check it out for reviews of the various doctors and for posts about people's experiences there!

CT! I'm so happy to see you!! Yeah, she got you, but you're lucky to have her too, which I'm sure you know! I can't speak to the restriction (or lack thereof) because bread still kicks my butt. However, I wanted to say congrats and welcome home!

No, Laura. My MD is average weight, but he's of oriental extraction and I'm sure has never had a weight problem in his life. @@ He always had this disappointed look on his face when he saw my weight. I can't wait until I'm at goal and go in for my checkup, just to watch him eat his words!

Kathy, I self-paid. No insurance requirements and no need for a letter from him. I've been seeing my PCP since I was 11 and I'm 45 now. He's seen my struggles with my weight and how hard I've tried to lose it on my own, yet he still kept telling me no to WLS. I finally said FU and went my own way after major health complications. Oh, and while he was saying No to WLS, he kept listing me as a "non-compliant, morbidly obese female". Um, if I'm morbidly obese, maybe it's time to suggest WLS! Now, he gushes over my weight loss, even though he frowns every time I remind him that WLS got me started. What a moron. He needs replacing.

I started taking 2 Centrum chewables a day (1 morning, 1 night) during my pre-op and post-op liquid diets. When I got to solid foods, I dropped to one chewable multi per day. Because of other meds I was on, I took 2 Tums twice a day for calcium. I also take a 500 mcg B12 daily, plus Biotin. Starting at about 7.5 months, I switched to non-chewable Vitamins with slightly higher values than the chewables. Mine are Spectravite (CVS house brand) for women. All of my vitamins have been vetted and approved by two different doctors, my surgeon and my pulmonologist. I don't even ask my PCP questions because he is totally against WLS and is no support at all.

That's wonderful!! You're REALLY rocking that sleeve, lady!!

I hope you get the kind of back pain relief you're seeking. I know my knee pain has almost completely gone away. I say almost because I overdid it on Thursday night and had slightly sore knees yesterday. It's nice knowing the pain is from too much exercise, though, rather than being caused by my excess weight. Has your doctor indicated that taking the weight off might help with the back pain and frequency of your spinal epidurals? Either way, I hope it helps!! Good luck!!

AzQuilter, Onederland means that your weight now begins with a 1 instead of a 2, so down from 200+ pounds into the 100+ pound range.

Pookey has a good point. There's no point in having great reviews on a doctor in south Florida if you're in Michigan and can't travel that far. It's also nice to have a somewhat local doctor if you have questions or complications. Follow up care is much easier with a local doctor, too. There are some terrific surgeons in and out of the US. I bet 75% of us are happy with the doctors we chose as far as their care, so you'll have a really tough choice if you are able to travel anywhere in the States for your surgery.

Okay, I was doing fine till you posted about peanut butter frosting! Now I want a cupcake! No fair!!!

that conscious sedation was pretty cool!!

How old are you? My venous doctor told me that I am too young to keep a vena cava filter in forever, that the risks outweighed the benefits. I'm 45 and he expects my life expectancy to be "normal" and the filter could clog up 20 years down the road. I had mine removed... and the removal was the hardest surgery for me mentally. I think it was because I would then be "normal" and I had no idea what to expect!

I spent my post-op time watching Guy Fieri on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. Every time he'd go "That's MONEY", I'd make myself take a sip of water! LOL It amused me.

Phat, Are they going to take your vena cava filter out in a couple of weeks? Mine was removed at 3 weeks post op. I actually asked if I could keep the filter, but they wouldn't let me! I thought it would be a cool souvenir and I actually thought about having it gold-plated and wearing it on a necklace. It saved my life, so why not!?

I'd do the sleeve again. I remember talking to a colleague pre-surgery about his neighor who had lost sixty pounds (at that time) from her WLS. I thought to myself "Wow, That's amazing! I'd love it if I could lose sixty pounds, too!" Well, here I am at 9 months post op and I've lost 100+ pounds! I had to have 3 surgeries total to get my sleeve because of blood clot issues, but I'd have all three surgeries again, and twice on Sunday, in order to be as happy and healthy as I am today. And, I've still got about 60 pounds until I get to goal.

My ankles went down in a hurry right after surgery and have stayed down, thank goodness! I think my legs and tush are my best parts right now. You can really see the improvement in them from my bike and gym workouts. Yours will look better and better as you lose weight and, once you're cleared for weights, any leg work you do will offer a dramatic improvement.

My sleeve surgery was not painful at all compared to my two c-sections. If you had laprascopic gall bladder surgery, you will be able to handle the sleeve just fine, IMO!

I was 352 and a chocaholic too. Between the two week pre-op diet and my liquids stage afterwards, I lost ANY love for sweets for months. I now appreciate something sweet on occasion, but it's nowhere near the problem it was before. My biggest obsession these days is cheetos! LOL You are a strong person to step up and ask for help with your obesity. But, the sleeve will help you to begin losing the weight. Whether you're committed mentally right now or not, you will commit fully once that weight starts dropping off you. I worried that I wouldn't be able to make myself exercise...and now I'm addicted to the gym! Good luck! I can't wait to see how fast your weight comes off you!!

I'd call your doctor and let him/her know about the bleeding. They will probably tell you to just keep an eye on it, but they MAY want to actually take a look at it just in case it needs a stitch. Err on the side of caution since these incisions go all the way through and aren't just cuts on the outside layer of your skin. Good luck!!

Forensikchic, You just explained my philosophy on cheetos perfectly! I know they aren't "good" nutrition-wise, but I love them. I have a few here and there and then go on with my life. If I never allowed myself to have them, I'd crave them constantly! At least that's my thinking.

The pre-op liquid diet was the worst part for me as well. The next hardest part for me was realizing that, no matter what, I was going to have to add exercise to my daily life. Doing it isn't the toughest part, but realizing that I was going to have to "Just Do It" was tough for me to wrap my head around. At 9 months out, though, I feel 100% better and I'm down over 100 pounds, so I am inspired to keep exercising and following the guidelines my surgeon gave me.