rayray9579

Hello everyone! I am a 32 year old married woman from Warren, Ohio. I am currently going to school to become an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) and have 2 more semester to complete. In the meantime I am a cashier at Sam's club. I began my journey with the sleeve in July 2011 by attending a seminar on the different weight loss surgeries available given by Dr. Ben-Meir of St Vincent Charity Hopsital. From that point on I knew this was something I wanted to do it was just finding the funding. I went home and discussed everything I had learned with my husband, who was on board until he found out the cost. In the next few weeks I did some research to find out what if any my insurance would cover. They did not cover any type of bariatric surgery no matter the reason. We realized then if this was something we were gonna do then we would have to figure out a way to come up with funding. With me in school and not able to work full time taking out a loan was not an option because thinggs were tight as it was and we could not afford another bill. It took some creative thinking and the support of both my family and his but we were able to come up with a plan that allowed us to start repayment after I have finished school. Once we figured everything out I made my consultation appointment. My husband and I were so impressed not only with Dr. Ben-Meir but also with his staff. Everyone was so kind and helpful. I was immediately assigned a patient advocate that I can call anytime Ihave any questions! She has been amazing through this whole process. Not ever having suregery before I was quite nervous and scared. The day had finally come for me to have my surgery 12/19/2011. Luckily I was scheduled first thing in the morning and had to arrive by 6:00am so I did not have much time to think about it once I had arrived. I had my surgery and in my room by 1:30pm. They had already removed the tube from my throat and had my morphine pump implated. The only thing I can remember from the recovery room was the pain until I was given the morphine pump. Dr. Ben-Meir was in to see me twice a day while in the hospital. The nursing staff was extremely helpful and pleasant! The time came when I could finally go home!! I couldn't wait. The only problem I had thru the entire process was not being able to toilet myself. As an OTA student this was even more difficult for me to accept. I just was not able to twist the way I needed to reach my backside. This was something I never considered. With the help of my husband and mom I made it through. Here I am 7 days post-op, I have lost 17 pounds, and am most importantly independent when it comes to using the restroom!!!!! I still have pain when sitting and standing and when laying on my side but it is getting better with each day! I am looking forward to seeing where this journey is going to take me! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year.

I am not far ahead of you just two weeks post-op and not liking the shakes either. I have tried Muscle Milk and it is ok but I still find it sweet. A fellow patient gave me the idea to freeze them and he said they are more like ice cream tasting. I haven't had the opportunit to try that but am definately going to. I also found soup mixes from BariatricChoice.com that contains 15g of protein that is not too bad. They also have a product called New Whey Protein. They are 3.8oz tubes of pure protein. They contain 42g of protein. If you can handle the taste they are not too bad. It is much easier that doing two shakes and easier to get the protein in. They also sell it at GNC. Good luck!

I have only ordered the Celebrate multivitamins but I ordered them online at Bariatricchoice.com. They have some great soup mixes and shakes that are high in protein also.

I am only two weeks post-op and have been having the same concerns. I asked my doctor at my first post-op visit and she said the pains are normal. She also said I had MAJOR surgery and the pain is to be expected. She said the more I walk the pain will subside. My pain started on the left side and is no at my belly button below my inscisions. She said this is where the camera was placed during surgery so there are also more stiches. I am having the same problem with the Protein shakes. I was hoping they would get easier but it seems they are harder to take with each shake. The others that had surgery on the same day gave me a couple suggestions. The first is to freeze the shakes and they are a little more like ice cream. If you decide to try this the nutritionist said to be sure to read your shake container because not all shakes can be frozen. I also tried the protein shots. They are 3.8 oz of pure protein and are flavored giving 42g of protein. I won't lie and say they taste the greatest but it is alot easier to do one of the shots at only 3.8oz than drink two shakes a day. Hope I could help a little and good luck with your recovery!!! We can do this, I just keep telling myself these shakes are not forever.

Congratulations and best of luck!!!! I am two weeks out from my surgery and though it has been a bit more difficult than I expected I couldn't be happier with my decision to go through with the surgery. My thoughts and prayers will be with you and your friends and family. Keep us updated.

Congratulations!!! I had my sleeve on the 19th as well and am feeling better with every day. I weighed myself this morning and lost 17 lbs. What a great Christmas present. Good luck with your recovery and congrats again

I just had the sleeve procedure on 12/19/2011 and am 7 days post-op today. I would suggest that at least the first week you have someone with you. The pain definately gets better everyday however the problem I had was with things like using the restroom. I was so sore and my body didn't want to twist in the positions needed to clean myself. My surgeon said I needed to be off work at least 2 weeks unless I did any heavy lifting then it was 6 weeks. I am able to use the restroom and most other things independently but today is the first day that is possible. I wish you the best of luck!

Hello everyone! I am a 32 year old married woman from Warren, Ohio. I am currently going to school to become an occupational therapy assistant (OTA) and have 2 more semester to complete. In the meantime I am a cashier at Sam's club. I began my journey with the sleeve in July 2011 by attending a seminar on the different weight loss surgeries available given by Dr. Ben-Meir of St Vincent Charity Hopsital. From that point on I knew this was something I wanted to do it was just finding the funding. I went home and discussed everything I had learned with my husband, who was on board until he found out the cost. In the next few weeks I did some research to find out what if any my insurance would cover. They did not cover any type of bariatric surgery no matter the reason. We realized then if this was something we were gonna do then we would have to figure out a way to come up with funding. With me in school and not able to work full time taking out a loan was not an option because thinggs were tight as it was and we could not afford another bill. It took some creative thinking and the support of both my family and his but we were able to come up with a plan that allowed us to start repayment after I have finished school. Once we figured everything out I made my consultation appointment. My husband and I were so impressed not only with Dr. Ben-Meir but also with his staff. Everyone was so kind and helpful. I was immediately assigned a patient advocate that I can call anytime Ihave any questions! She has been amazing through this whole process. Not ever having suregery before I was quite nervous and scared. The day had finally come for me to have my surgery 12/19/2011. Luckily I was scheduled first thing in the morning and had to arrive by 6:00am so I did not have much time to think about it once I had arrived. I had my surgery and in my room by 1:30pm. They had already removed the tube from my throat and had my morphine pump implated. The only thing I can remember from the recovery room was the pain until I was given the morphine pump. Dr. Ben-Meir was in to see me twice a day while in the hospital. The nursing staff was extremely helpful and pleasant! The time came when I could finally go home!! I couldn't wait. The only problem I had thru the entire process was not being able to toilet myself. As an OTA student this was even more difficult for me to accept. I just was not able to twist the way I needed to reach my backside. This was something I never considered. With the help of my husband and mom I made it through. Here I am 7 days post-op, I have lost 17 pounds, and am most importantly independent when it comes to using the restroom!!!!! I still have pain when sitting and standing and when laying on my side but it is getting better with each day! I am looking forward to seeing where this journey is going to take me! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and will have a Happy New Year.