StormWarning

What a great start to the rest of your life. You look fabulous. Keep up the excellent work. Congrats.

Just want to Say HI and Welcome to all the newest August Sleevers!!. This group is growing so large and it has been a great experience meeting and getting to know you all. Soon all of us will be on our way of creating our own dream come true. I am pleased to have so many supporters like you all to ease the new lifestyle that we are all fixing to have to learn and get used to. Best of luck to everyone.

I know everyone fears this, but I would like to share a small bit of priceless information. You will lose hair, there is no avoiding it. You can take all the vitamins possible to minimize the loss but it will happen. When I met the doctor I am going to be using at a seminar he explained all of this. After he was finished and we all had horrified looks on our faces, he asked one final question. How many weight loss patients do you see bald? Good question, I look to the other side of the room where all the beautiful, and handsome skinny people were sitting and NOT one of them was bald. You hair is going to thin, but it will come back, and you should Never GO BALD...

Good luck with the doctor.. I hope it's nothing serious. Best of luck.

I have not had surgery yet, so I prob shouldnt be responding, but I have read tons of post of this forum. Ive seen where some have experienced this pain off and on and it's been related to the hernia repair? did you have a hiatal hernia that they fixed? Of course the best coarse of action is to always check with your doctor about the pains. Only he can tell to the best degree what the pain could be.

Another great symbol. You people are awesome. The butterfly a symbol of transformation.. From egg, to larvae (caterpillar), to pupa (the chrysalis or cocoon) and from the cocoon the butterfly emerges in her unfurling glory. The gorgeous butterfly. From all the darkness that we walk Through, Beauty shall prevail!!

I think you have chose an appropriate name. Stella just means "STAR". When you think of this, just think about you having a personal bright star that is going to guide you along your path to your final destination. Soon, your Star will lead you to glory where you will always shine brightly for others to follow. Best of luck on your journey.

Congrats and the best of luck MrsLittle. We wish you all the best tomorrow. Keep us updated as soon as you can, and may you have a speedy recovery!!

Oh I am so glad you commented Forensikchic. I have been wondering how your sister has done since her surgery, I just hadn't taken the time to look you up and go through your post to see if you had posted about it.

Congrats on your upcoming surgery with Dr. Alvarez. Maybe I will have the pleasure of meeting you. I will be sleeved by Dr. Alvarez on August 6th. Another friend of Mine Sweetsusie will be having hers done July 7th. Susie and I had the wonderful pleasure of meeting Dr. A. in person in Houston for a seminar he held back in May. It was a great and wonderful experience. I know you will be happy with him. There are quite a few people here on the forums who used Dr. Alvarez. If you do a search on him, you can find past topics about their experiences.

I've heard several people mention these drinks on the forum before. What are they? I'm guessing this is something bigger cities have. But they sound yummy.

This post was amazing. I loved your truthfulness and honesty. I am glad you are on the road to recovery and feeling a little better.

Congrats. Wish you all the best and hope for a fast speedy recovery. Keep us updated!!

Congrats to the both of you, and I hope you both have a very speedy and safe recovery. Keep us updated. Good Luck to both.

Susie, you are a great person and I am fortunate enough to have met you in person, and thankful for the bond that we will soon share together. I appreciate you always being there for me as you are my leader since your surgery will be before mine, but I am always here whenever you need to vent, chat, laugh, cry or just be silent and breath on the phone with the peace of knowing that someone else is there. lol. Keep head held high, this too shall pass.

So I keep running into this same problem over and over. My parents. "No don't go there, you know its advised for law enforcement not to travel into Mexico." They have no problem with who I chose as my doctor, no doubts in the facility, just very stern on it not being Mexico. My husband is fully aware of the dangers etc, but believes its safe enough to do. After all we are being shuttled in, not like we are driving our own vehicle. Right. Are there any other law enforcement families that have done the Mexico route for their surgeries. If so do you mind describing your events, and how it went for yall. Especially interested if any of you have used Dr. Alvarez, but any relations to the subject would help.

Colleen, I got mine from www.tickerfactory.com They have tons to choose from. Just select what kind of ticker you want ( weight loss, event, etc.) follow the steps, and you will be given a code at the end of creating. Once you have that code you can put it in your profile as your signature.

Yes I would like to watch. I have watched tons of surgery videos and every one is unique in their own ways. I like preparing myself for surgery.

I have not had surgery yet, but from what I read here on the boards that stalls happen. Especially stalls around the 3-4 week time frame. I'm not sure who said it, Maybe it was Lissa. But whoever it was stated to not worry so much about not losing. If you were to take and keep track of your body measurements that you would see your body is changing even though your weight is not. Another person referenced your body to cleaning house. You have lost so much weight that your body must now clean house and de-clutter and down size the rooms. Emotions well I hear those run high at times. Also learned from this forum that hormones are stored in our body fat and as we lose weight those hormones are released which can cause an array of emotions. I am sure I will be experiencing these very same things when my time comes. As far as the bloating maybe someone who has already had surgery and been through this will be more help. Have faith and keep up all the hard work. If this is a stall, it too shall pass.

That's great news!!. I was worried about my pre-op diet that I will be starting next month. Hubby and I were scheduled to be in Florida for a convention, and then my surgery was scheduled for right after the convention, but I cancelled my convention plans. I just didn't think I could handle being there while on a liquid diet and watching everyone else eat; wasn't sure if I could beat a murder wrap in Florida if they started eating in front of me. You are truly an inspiration knowing that it "can be done" if you set your mind to it. I hope your surgery goes very well for you Monday and that you will be on a fast road of healing. Best of luck. Keep us updated.

Joyv, here is some information I am gonna type you out of the book "Successful Weight Loss With The Gastric Sleeve" by Dr. Guillermo Alvarez (my doctor). Vertical Banded Gastroplasty: The vertical banded gastroplasty (VBG) is a restrictive procedure rarely done nowadays because of very poor weight loss and high percentage of long-term complications compared to other weight loss procedures. It consists of creating a gastric pouch based on the lesser curvature of the stomach created by a stapler device. The outlet of this pouch is restricted with a prosthetic band or mesh. The VBG is a purely restrictive procedure. This procedure used to be very popular because it is a simple operation and has a low risk of early surgical complications. Although short-term results looked promising, long-term results were not favorable and were associated with complications. http://www.docshop.com/education/bariatrics/gastric-banding/vbg I am unable to post a picture as Im not sure how.. That link will take you to a picture of the procedure.

I like to think I am an open book, but I ran into a major wall known as negativity as soon as I let my MOM in on my plans. Boy she did not take that the way i thought she would. I expected her to be understanding and supportive. Instead I was given a lot of grief first about having surgery and then second about choosing to do it in Mexico. My Father turned out to be more supportive and is just carrying the normal worries a father would have over their daughter. He says he backs me 100%, just wants me to make it back home ( I'm assuming this is a normal fear for family members when one is taking the Mexico route) I told my Aunt about my plans. She was the very first to actually know other than my Husband and kids and she was very supportive; mainly cause we talk very regularly and she knows my daily routines, and struggles with my trying and wanting to lose weight, Over all, my husband and kids are my most supportive people backing me. However despite the positive and supportive members that I do have, I have chosen to not tell anyone else until after the fact. The simple reason for this is the negativity can really eat at a person. I need to have the least amount of stress to be able to accomplish my goals. If I let those negative people in, or continue with the negative comments then it will eventually eat at me to the point of possible destruction. This is my life, my body, and I have to live in it and with it. No one can know what its like living as "You" but yourself.

Congrats "Suchaprettyface" That is a great start to the new you. Keep up all the excellent hard work.

I am dancing with you. Your excitement just makes me what to do the shuffle. People tend to hate Mondays but I can just tell you can't wait for that day to get here. I wish you all the best, Keep us updated. Congrats. BTW your pics are wonderful. And wtg on your pre-op diet loss. Thats impressive.

Hi AllNewMe, Sorry I am just now noticing your post. Meeting Dr. Alvarez was really a great experience. Too bad you and I won't be able to meet in person, but You will be resting comfortably in your own bed by the time I get there. I wish you all the best. Keep in touch.