MyVSG2012

I had pre-op class yesterday and the doctor addressed this. He said the pouch does not stretch. The pouch gets bigger only because the swelling has subsided.

Good luck to my fellow sleevers! I have my pre-op class in the morning and pre-register at the hospital in the afternoon. Still waiting to hear from the insurance company about approval! It's driving me crazy to wait. The doctor's office said it's a two step approval and I made it through step one this morning. They said step two should be approved "any minute". I can't believe that it takes so long. I'm praying that I get the approval tomorrow.

Nice! have either of you gone shopping for hospital items/post surgery items yet? I have! Got chapstick baby wipes biotene moisturizing mouth spray gas X baby spoons and a few other items

I agree, I went to lapband talk recently to see if anyone was in chat. There was and I got attacked for my sleeve decision! I was so shocked. I adore this site and have learned so much

Good luck! I'm 13 days from surgery myself.

I've researched for three years and spoken to people who have had both as well as gastric bypass. For me the only negative is that it is not reversible, but seriously, why would anyone go through the whole process only to reverse it? The bypass & lapband are technically reversible, but my doctor is very much against reversing them. (laundry list of reasons) The best thing to do is research all the types and decide which one fits your needs the best. Your decision has to fit your lifestyle and insurance needs (if not self-pay). Also, needs to be what is best for your body (body type, amount of weight to lose, etc..) Good luck in your journey. This is a great resource as well as youtube and the blog-o-sphere.

Answer to reallyrosy: Aww I'd love to take your dog, but I have a special needs elderly cat to take care of. Question: When was the last time you got a coloring book and a box of colors and spent the day having oodles of fun?

I fell yesterday and couldn't get up! I tripped outside my apartment on the edge of a sidewalk and down I went. I fell hard on the concrete. Purse and contents flying. I managed to roll over to my side and get my phone to call my husband to come and get me. We had just gotten home and he had gone upstairs to our apartment while I went to check the mail. I fell about 6 feet from our stairwell. My husband came running down the stairs to get me. I'm a mess crying and in pain. Poor guy tries to pick me up, but there's no way. I weigh 170 lbs more than him (that's scary to see written). I was so embarrassed to be out in front of God & everyone and not be able to get up. Seriously? How did I let myself get like this? More proof I need this surgery to help me lose weight. Never again. I will never let myself be this heavy again. A fall like this in a few years at this weight could put me in the hospital. I'll be fine by the way. I'm just bruised and battered and can barely move. My pride is hurt more than anything. :redface: I can't wait to have surgery! Finally got all my paperwork to the surgeon and am just waiting for them to call me for an appointment. I hope and pray they call me Monday. :toetap05:

I make my own jerky without salt, but you know I think for me that would be soooo dangerous a food after surgery. I can't stop once I get started on it.

That's one of my "want to do" things. Our new apartment has a small oval tub and I find it too hard to get down and up.

I like Jay Robb's protein http://www.jayrobb.com/protein/whey-protein-vanilla.asp You can buy samples sizes online. You can also find it at Whole Foods.

Question for the group here, I know to expect hair loss. I've read that to avoid it I should make sure to get all my Protein in. Does getting in enough protein before surgery help too? Also, did anyone have facial hair before surgery? I have a nice lady beard going on (thank you PCOS) and have not read if anyone lost their lady beard after surgery. please please please tell me that facial hair goes away! *I'm a pre-op, hoping to be sleeved in Jan 2012

I've used something similar before, it's a little battery operated razor. I prefer shaving with a regular razor. Here's a link to my shaving discussion here: (hope it works) http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/topic/28696-facial-hair-hair-loss-question/page__fromsearch__1

No, you're not a coward. I've only told a handful of people. I want to shout it from the hilltops too, but have had too many negative nancys.

I like this thread! I'm looking forward to: wearing clothes that suit my age, not my size not sweating like I've run a marathon just while getting ready for work being able to bend and flex, not groan and moan fit into an airplane seat drop kicking my CPAP into the wild beyond :Banane59: <--- and more "chaca-chaca" with my husband!

Got cardiac clearance yesterday, regular doctor clearance today, I have only to prove that I've been on a medically supervised diet for at least 6 months in the last two years. Done! Just waiting for that to come from the medical transcription company. The big hurdle will be insurance. Cross your fingers for me

Does anyone have advice for dealing with medical professionals that are anti- WLS? I've run across two now. Today I had a cardiac stress test and the technician (or nurse??) spent three hours trying to talk me out of it. The doctor she works for who ordered the tests is a huge supporter of the surgery by the way. So, any advice on how to deal with people like this? I don't want to have to listen to more lectures.

OOps, I should clarify, this was a the cardiologist's office, not the WLS office. Funny thing, the technician didn't say anything to me until the other one congratulated me on my decision and told me that I would have to come back in a year and show her how much I lost. Thanks for the quick response & advice everyone!

I wear good ole cheapo Walmart undies, I divide my pants size in half then subtract one. I wear a size 26 pant and a size 12 undies. Hope that helps

That's right, as I get closer and closer, this place is becoming my best friend! Once your insurance kicks in at your new employer, go to their website or call them to find out specifically what their requirements are and which surgeries they will cover. I recommend calling every month or so until you are "in the process" because they can change their policies. My WLS center gave me a handout of things to accomplish before even seeing the surgeon and calling my insurance company to check the requirements is on there at least 3 times. When I started my insurance only covered RNY or Lapband, now they cover the sleeve which is what I wanted all along. I will be the 2nd person from my company/insurance that will have this process through my WLS center.

Hi LGoz, I didn't know what PCOS was either until I was diagnosed with it a year ago. It's an endocrine disorder. Women who have it usually have one or more of: infrequent or missed periods adult acne infertility issues hormonal imbalance (higher testosterone than women should) - this leads to facial hair obesity cystic ovaries (not always) There's not one test that your doctor can do to say, AH - HA, you have it. I've been through the ringer with two doctors and both came to the same conclusion. http://www.pcosupport.org/index.php

I don't use a separate razor for my face, but that might be a good idea. I use conditioner for shaving too, but a couple of months ago I found a really nice shaving lotion at Sephora. I ran out and can't remember the name of it, but it was a small stand-up tube in the register line where they keep all the impulse items. That stuff was awesome for my face. If I can find it again I want to see if I can buy a bigger tube. I have dry skin to begin with and shaving seems to make it feel dryer. I use St. Ives collagen elastic lotion on my face as soon as I get out of the shower to help combat the dryness. I always shave in the shower so that in case I nick myself, the nick is ok by the time I get done showering. My husband shaves in the shower too, and we've tried several mirrors over the years. We have an awesome one now. The mount is glued to the shower wall and the mirror itself has a hollow compartment that you fill with warm Water to keep it from fogging up. Best ever! It tilts and has a small shelf to hold your razor too. By the way, I have never told my husband or friends that I shave my face. Only anyone reading this, my doctors and my Mom know. My husband knows I have facial hair and he knows I get rid of it, but he thinks I use creams or waxing. I am very self conscious about the hair and that's why I started shaving a couple of years ago. I couldn't keep up with tweezing and using hair removal creams is too harsh on my dry skin. I waxed for a couple of years, but I started to have bad reactions from the wax. I shave about 2x a week, more if I know I am going to be in a situation where the hair might show and make me uncomfortable about people seeing it, especially in bright outdoor lighting. I've thought about threading since I get my eyebrows threaded every so often, but I think that would be way too much torture. I hope that helps.

That's why I shave! I went to a dermatologist to weigh all my options. There's a prescription you can take that will make the hair stop, I tried it, but it made my migraines more frequent. According to my dermatologist all the other options like electrolysis, laser, etc are all temporary and something you will always have to do to some extent. She told me it was fine to shave, tweeze or use hair removal creams. I like shaving just because it's fast and I don't have to worry about that one hair I missed. Something else my dermatologist told me..... all women will get hair on their face eventually (whew!) and that more women shave their face than will ever admit.

I bought one of these: http://home.visionfitness.com/treadmills/ These treadmills are built for up to 400lb users, which is pretty close to what you are now. They are very well built. I chose to buy mine from a local dealer rather than online so that I could have it delivered & put together. I hope you find one you like.

I have my eval tomorrow and I was told to be available for 4 hours. Two tests of some kind and an hour of talk with the psychiatrist. Originally I had an appointment with a different psychiatrist and she told me the same thing. I suppose that is what my insurance requires. I hope it goes well.