bogeydog

Have you tried one of those abdominal binders? I found that to be helpful in the month after surgery. You can get them at any drugstore or at Walmart.

Ok -- i never post anymore but saw this and felt compelled. I too worried about these percentage numbers before my surgery. I mean, to go through such a drastic remedy and only lose slightly over 1/2 of my excess weight would still leave me pretty overweight. But, as everyone here has said, each person on here is individual and numbers are just numbers and don't define your journey. So, i took a leap of faith -- mostly faith in myself and had the surgery. That was 13 months ago. Here are my actually numbers. I am 46 years old and 5'4. I went from 220 lbs to 135 and am in normal BMI range. I went from a tight size 16 (so probably an 18) to a size 4-6 (except at old navy, where i am a 2 -- i love old navy). In other words, i have lost over 100 percent of my excess weight. I am not a nazi about my food or exercise. While all of those "numbers" are awesome, they are not the best part. The best part is that my life no longer, for the first time in my adult life, revolves around food or what the scale says. My day is not defined as good or bad based on what i weigh or what i ate. I don't define myself as good or bad based on that criteria anymore either. That is freedom. Enjoy your journey.

My surgery date was June 11. Day of surgery I was 217, 37.2 BMI. I am now at 178, 30.6 BMI. I have gone from severely obese to "just" obese -- another 4 pounds and I am in overweight territory. Woo hoo!

I had that too. It goes away within a week. I am 4 weeks out.

Happened to me too. Read it could be the stress of the surgery combined with the hormones.

Patrick -- I know you are having your surgery next week and my thoughts and prayers are with you. I had the exact same doubts you did and asked the exact same question. I was sleeved June 11. While everyone's post operative experience is different, here is what no one told me that turned out to be my answer. I don't have any problem with eating foods I shouldn't right now because the idea of food -- any food -- grosses me out. I cannot imagine trying to eat a hamburger or fries or donuts or anything like that, and I am pretty sure that if I did it would make me really sick. While I am sure that this will change, by then I will have a month worth of detox -- at least- under my belt, which means I don't have to worry about kicking this stuff, just not restarting. If your experience is like mine, trying to keep away from junk will not be your biggest problem -- forcing yourself to eat will be. Getting used to being tired and giving yourself time to recover will be. Keeping hydrated will be. Staying away from McDonald's and mexican - no. I have lost 25 lbs-- all post op and I still can't believe it. You've got this -- good luck.

My taste buds have also changed. Anything that used to taste sweet now tastes sickly sweet. But frankly, isn't that a good thing? My sweet tooth is what got me into this mess.

Top gun is right. The stomach is basically a holding area where digestive fluids break it down until it can be absorbed by the small intestine. Not a single bit of absorption happens in the stomach.

Carolina and future -- I live in Greenville and grew up in loris -- about 20 minute from Conway, so familiar with both areas. Good luck to both of you.

Good decision -- you never know, but it is really hard to anticipate the fatigue you will feel. I am 2 weeks out and just had to send my daughter as her dad's date to our scheduled lady antebellum concert.

I have been cleared for mushies -- I just don't want them. I don't want anything.

Maybe it is just me, but i detest food -- just the thought of eating makes me sick. I have to force anything down and I know I am not getting enough calories. When will I be able to stomach ( no pun intended) the idea of food? I was sleeved 6/11. I don't want to love food the way I used to, but I don't want to hate it either.

I researched that same issue about not having your stomach and what would you do and here is what I determined. Your stomach is a holding organ -- it just holds the food prior to its entry into the small intestine. Even if they had to remove your entire stomach -- and this had been done before - they can create a pouch out of the top of your small intestines that would serve the same purpose. So while difficult, not impossible to go without one.

I was sleeved on the 11th and I am also so tired. I am due to go back to work on monday and I cannot put it off -- I am the boss and it's been a Miracle to get them to leave me sorta alone for the two weeks. I will be taking off at 2 every day next week and then I am only working 2 days the week of the fourth, and I still don't know how I am going to make it. Please tell me that by a month out I will be semi-normal or I don't know what I am going to do.

You can buy a binder at almost any drug store. Best money I ever spent.

I would say if you have to have it, try to get it in a form you can blend it in -- like soup - and blend. The kernels are hard to digest.

I have. Sleeved one week ago and mine is over having made a decision that cannot be undone - I think that is a normal reaction to any life- altering decision that is irreversible. I just have to keep reminding myself it will pass -- what choice do I have???

They sell it at wal-mart and most major drug stores in the as seen on tv section. Pretty much the same as the ahh bra. Very comfortable, but the straps are so wide it is best for t- shirts or top items without much exposure on the top.

I have about the same amount of weight to lose as you do total - between 75-80 lbs. I have no idea what your situation is, but I know it took me in excess of 5 years to put all of that excess weight on. I have no intention of grading the sleeve as a failure until I see what it has done in a year. If it can take off in 1 year what it put me over 5 to put on, how is that a failure? How is that anything other than a miracle? I too wish I could wave a magic wand and make it happen overnight, or better yet turn back the hands of time and stop myself before the damage was done, but the truth is that there is not a single person on this site, including me, who hasn't abused food for years. I think we have to be realistic about how the sleeve works and how long that will take. I don't want to lose it that fast anyway -- it just sets you up worse for loose skin. I wish you the best of luck and sincerely believe you will get to goal with a lot of work and a little patience.

My doctor said for the first week to not worry about the proteins -- if you can get them in great, but for short term, you can go without. He said you really only need to concentrate on the liquids -- your main goal right now is hydration. So that is what I am concentrating on right now.

Sorry, cut me off before I was finished. I would not bring bra or underwear -- they just get in the way of the people that are constantly looking at the incisions. I would wear home what you wore there-- given the short amount of time you are in it, it is still clean. Here is what I should have packed based on what I actually used: Hairbrush, toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, pair of flip flops ( same shoes I wore there, but doubled for walking in halls), mio or flavoring for Water if you want that and Chapstick or lip balm. My iphone -- i can read on that too. Anything else was a waste of packing.

I brought a nightgown, but didn't use it. U would just wear the hospital gown and then ask them for another one you can wear in reverse as a robe.

Got sleeved on Monday morning and this is first time I really felt like posting. The surgery itself is a complete blur. They told me they were giving me something to relax me before rolling me into preop and I have no memory whatsoever until I woke up in my room. It was very unlike any other surgery I have had -- I usually have a memory all the way up to transferring me on to the operating table. When I woke up, they were giving me pain meds and continued to manage my pain. Most of the pain was related to the gas pains. I had the leak test on Monday night -- I didn't think the stuff they gave me to drink was that bad -- I probably anticipated it would be worse because of what I had read on here, so when it didn't make me gag, I was pleasantly surprised. Everything looked great. Then, I started tring to sip liquids, with them anticipating I could be released on Tuesday. Unfortunately, I couldn't hold anything, down, not even the tiniest sip of Water. After that continuing for 24 hours, I was beginning to think this was a really bad idea. But, bad idea or not, I was stuck with it and needed to work at making it work. My husband was so worried. When the gas pain moved from my stomach to my shoulder, I turned a corner and started being able to hold down fluids. I was released yesterday. Things I have learned so far: This site is invaluable -- seriously. There was not one thing I went through that I was totally in the dark about because of this site. Made everything a lot less scary Follow your doctor's instructions, supplemented by the great advice given on here. Sip, sip, sip. Walk, walk, walk. Someone on here suggested an abdominal binder and heating pad after discharge -- used both and that has helped a lot. Thanks to everybody for the advice and prayers. Will keep you updated.

I am tomorrow too -- have to be at hospital at 5:30 am. See you on other side.

It is a non-scale victory -- something that shows your body or life is changing that doesn't have to do with the number on the scale.