WingRider

Hello, I haven't tried 5 hour energy, so I can't relate there. However, I was feeling very tired and run down about 2-3 months after surgery. I was doing Protein shakes in the moming like everyone suggested, but by 10 am I was sluggish and even having lunch would not re-energize me. I stopped the Protein Shakes and started having an egg, some ham or bacon, hashbrowns, and a slice of whole wheat toast. Not a lot of anyone item, an egg, a strip of bacon, a small amount of carbs. Or I would eat a breakfast taco with egg and potatoe on a tortilla. Now I don't miss breakfast and I keep my energy levels up all day. I honestly feel that the lack of carbs in my diet was keeping my metabolism ramped down. Now I get that kick start in the morning and I keep it going all day long. Bill

Yes it is. I do get cold easily now, in the past you would be hard pressed to hear me complain about it being too cold.

Hello all, I haven't posted in a long time, but I am posting this to help people see how successful this procedure really is. I had my sleeve on 12/29/09 and weighed in at 345. Today a year and a week later I am weighing in at 222. I am extremely happy with my progress, I had been stalled at 226-227 since Thanksgiving 2010, but I have started the scale moving again this past week. As far as my well being, I feel like a totally different person. I have energy, sleep great at night(no more CPAP), love shopping for clothes now(went from buying 52" pants to 36" and 3XL shirts to XL or Large!). Money saved from not eating so much has helped me keep my wardrobe fresh. If I had to do it again I would not wait so long to purchase new clothes. I kept wearing the 52" pants for the longest time, just cinching up the belt. When I finally broke down and bought new pants I bought 40"'s. Boy did I start getting a lot of compliments about my weight loss once I did that. I was just so used to wearing baggy tent-like clothing it didn't seem to bother me. I started a Couch to 5K program as my New Year's Resolution and just registered for a 5K the second week of March. I am so stoked about my ability to actually do the training program and excited that in 9 weeks I will be running for 30 minutes non-stop. I expect this to help me shed the last 20-25 pounds that I would like to lose. The last weight loss takes exercise, it would with our without the sleeve I firmly beleive. I haven't exercised much this past year, but I do lead a very active life juggling a small business, working a full time job, and volunteering 10-15 hours a week. My eating ability is still weird. I eat Breakfast everyday, can't miss it or I will be tired and laggy later that day. lunch is still very light, but at dinner sometimes I get full really quick and sometimes I feel like I am eating too much. I make good food choices 90% of the time, I don't believe in complete denial of things we want(it just makes us want it more). I still struggle to drink 64 ounces of Water a day, never did like water. I know that more regular exercise will help me there though, I seem to crave water more when I have exercised in the past. I drink a margarita on Friday night like I used to, but I used to be able to drink 3 or more. Now I can't, I get intoxicated very quickly and feel like crap if I have more than one. No big deal, saves me money in the long run and not as unhealthy. Oh yeah, and even a year out if I do eat too much, it hurts like hell for about 5 to 10 minutes. Feels like a heart attack I assume feels. Doctor is very pleased with my results. All my levels are checking out normal, where as before I was border line on BP(she wanted to start me on meds), I never did get tested for diabetes, but I know that I was borderline there because my energy levels were so erratic when I was heavy. My resting heart rate has gone from 75 bpm to 54 bpm. Cholesterol is in normal range. Only pills I take now are aspirin occasionally, Vitamins daily, and Prevacid daily. I wave the VSG flag high and proudly. I talk to people about it all the time if they ask. I have no regrets to date. Thanks for reading. Bill

I had the same thing. My local PCP looked at it and informed me it was normal. It drained for about 3 weeks, some days very heavily and other days nothing. I took my entire course of antibiotics that I was given after surgery and I kept the wound dressed per the instructions my surgeon gave me. While the discharge looked gross, I never felt pain and their was no odor to the Fluid. I was so happy when the drainage stopped and the wound healed. I wouldn't be worried. Bill

Hello, Glad all went well. Bill

You will lose a lot really fast the first couple of weeks after surgery, then you will stall out. Most of us have had the week 3 stall. I lost 25 pounds the first 10 days too, but it doesn't keep that pace. I am sure most of mine was Water weight as the swelling in my lower legs went away within a few days after surgery and my rings fit really loose. Bill

I don't get it. If she is trying to lose weight why would she go get a burger and fries? Bill

Hello, I just had this conversation with a customer/friend the other day. At first I did miss the food, the dinners that spread out over an hour visiting, eating, drinking, eating, and on and on. But now at almost 6 months out, I don't miss it that much anymore. I still can go out and visit, eat a little, drink a little, and socialize. I just stop eating long before anyone else does. The only time that I truly miss the big meal is going to a steakhouse. I used to eat a big old steak dinner and loved every juicey morsel of it. All my other favorite foods I can take home and reheat for left overs the next day, but steak just doesn't work that way. So it is hard to justify going to a steakhouse and buying an expensive cut and only eat 4 ounces of it. GF likes her steaks cooked Med and I am a rare to Med Rare guy. Oh well, no biggie(me included). Bill

My Great Aunt June was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1974. They surgically removed almost all of her stomach, she could still eat normal food, just very small amounts at a time. She continued to drink her beer and smoke her two packs of cigarettes until she passed away in 2007 from lung cancer. Never had another problem with her stomach for the rest of her life. It was because of her experience that my family fully supported me having the sleeve instead of the band. Thankfully my Grandma(June's sister) remembered her having the surgery and what all was involved. I think there is a lot of other similiar cases that suggest people can live fine with just a portion of their stomach. I do agree with you about the drugs, but drugs can be sold at a profit and will always be attractive to companies to manufacture. Surgeries don't generate the repeat business that big companies need to sustain themselves. Bill

Weird that you mentioned this, but yes I have noticed that I bruise easily on the legs now. I love to woodwork as a hobby in the evenings and am usually banging around in the shop 4 nights a week. It used to take a pretty good whack for me to bruise and it would go away fast. Now just the slightest bump leaves a mark for weeks at a time. I hadn't thought much about it till you brought it up. Could it be an Iron deficiency? Bill

Great question. I used to spend daily $5 on breakfast/coffee, $12 lunch, $5 dinner at home or $20 eating out. Now I spend $4 on breakfast(Protein powders aren't cheap), $4 on lunch, and $2 on dinner at home but a $20 dining out meal will now feed me for 3-4 meals. I am saving big time on food costs now. We have also started to share a meal when eating out sometimes. Plus you have to add in the no more soda money, that was probably $4-$6 a day. So overall, I am saving a couple of hundred a month on food alone right now. Bill

BJean, You hit my experience dead on the head. I was the only surgery of the day, there was only two other patients in the clinic when I arrived and they both went home the next day. Three more showed up later that day and I was around when they had their surgeries. Then I was at the recovery house for two days all to myself. The three new patients showed up the day before I left. My experience was great and that is why I have had such a hard problem believing the things being said, but I feel certain in my heart that Ryansgirl and Stoongal are speaking the truth about their experiences. Especially Stoongal because she was waving the Almanza flag harder than anyone after her surgery. One of my best friends approached me last week to talk to me privately about his battle with obesity. I am glad that he brought up because he has been gaining the pounds I have been dropping. We was thinking lap band and wanted to know why I changed to the sleeve and what not. He then asked me about my doctor and I told him of my experience but that I would not recommend him now. I am so thankful that his insurance is supposed to start covering VSG soon. If not I will direct him to Aceves more than likely. Bill