traceyinflorida

Congratulations and thank you for sharing!! What a great inspiration!

Congratulations!! That's awesome news!! Happy dance for you!

I hope you heal quick and get your sleeve surgery date soon. Thank you for posting that. I am sure it will help others with their decision. Originally I had planned to do lap band. There are constant commercials for it here and it sounded so great. I thought, less invasive, no cutting out parts, no re-routing my intestines, reversible if necessary. But the average weight loss seemed a lot less, and the constant maintenace made me rethink. You just confirmed my reasons for questioning. I am so sorry you had to go through that. Best of luck to you on the next phase. I will keep you in my prayers.

Bigdog, I wish you wouldn't leave. It sounds like, as lessofmeismore said, you are a very compassionate and caring person. Most of the posts I see on this site are from compassionate and caring people trying to support one another. None of us is an expert, but it is really helpful to learn from eachother's experience and knowlege. Unfortunately, you are right, there are a few posters who come across as very judgemental and it is very unproductive. I always try to remember that text carries no inflection so it easy to take the intention or meaning of someone's words the wrong way. However, if someone is truely being mean or judgemental, chances are likely they are very unhappy or insecure themselves and that is their way of masking it. It may be hard, but I suggest try to forgive them and move on to the more supportive and productive posts. I hope to continue to see you around here, but if not I still wish you all the best in your journey to a healthy you!

They taste pretty good and packed with vitamins, but I prefer chocolate, so would have to add unsweetend cocoa powder which decreased convenience and increased expense. I stopped using it when I discovered it is twice the price of my current protein powder.

Every surgeon and NUT has different recommendations for food stages. By 21 days I was onto soft foods. Things I ate in this phase, fish, fish and more fish. It is soft, can have a variety of different ****es or sauce for flavor. Tuna salad, shrimp salad, chicken salad with lowfat mayo. Cheese. The little pre-packaged reduced fat string cheeses are easy to take a long for a snack and a quick hit of protein. Cottage cheese, yogurt, Chunkier soups. Chicken (dark meat is easier to eat than white), cut into tiny pieces and chewed really well. Here are two links to websites with food ideas and recipes for different stages: http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/ http://www.bariatriceating.com/ I have a protein shake every morning for breakfast because I know it will go down and will guarantee me 30 grams of protein to get started. Plus, I am not a big egg fan. I'd much rather have cereal or oatmeal in the morning, but since they do not offer any protein, I have the shake instead. Good luck. Don't be afraid to try new foods once they are approved in your surgeons recommendations. Just go really slow, chew really well and listen to your body.

I am entering into same phase. I just hinted to my husband that all of my smallest sizes are now too big. He told me I should just tighten my belt...I wanted to slap him. Anyway, I will be hitting Goodwill, consignment shops, and sale racks at Target and Walmart. I am also considering taking some of my nicer things to the taylor at the local drycleaner. I was told that you can have jeans, pants, dresses etc taken in for very reasonable prices. Also, TJMax ad Marshalls are good bets, especially the clearance racks.

Stalls are normal around 3-four weeks post op. They can last a little while and then suddenly the scale will start moving again. In the meantime, you will probably notice your clothes getting looser despite the scale not moving. It's your body readjusting to the weight loss. My NUT did tell me to increase my Protein if this happens, but the main thing is to realize that it is temporary and you will keep losing weight. Just be patient and stay on the plan. As for the protein shakes, did you hate them before your surgery also? I found that my favorite shakes became repulsive to me post surgery. However, as time progressed, I have started to like them again. Unfortunately, it will be very difficult to get all your protein in without some sort of supplement for a while, because even though you can start eating real food your stomach holds so litte.

Welcome and congratulations on your surgery! I think you will find this forum to be a great source of support and information!

I was all set to do this two years ago and then talked myself out of it, convinced that I could do it on my own. I don't know why I convinced myself of this, because I would always lose 30-40 lbs and then gain it all back and then some. By the end of my "doing it on my own" I weighed 20 lbs more. At that point I made up my mind to go through with it and had six months of required NUT counceling for insurance. During that time I had plenty of time to contemplate and second guess. I had cold feet all the way up to surgery day. I was sleeved on June 4th. I have lost more weight I have ever been able to lose doing it on my own and I know it will stay off this time. I feel wonderful and healthy. I still have 65 more pounds to go, but now I have the tool to actually do it this time. My only regret is that I did not do this two years ago!

Congratulations!! You nailed my thoughts I have when I see the one year sleevaversaries. I wonder if I will ever get there. I am glad to see that you had the same thoughts and have made it there! I also have two teenagers and worry about embarrasing them by being so overweight. It's a busy time for us with a senior graduating this year and a sophomore, so I know that year is going to fly by. Hopefully I will be as skinny as you by my son's graduation! Thank you for sharing!

Wow, that's awesome!! Beautiful!!

I did not have to do this twice, but I can understand your fear because I completely went through that. I was scared to death of surgery!! I almost walked out of the hospital the morning of surgery. I had to literally make myself put one foot in front of the other to go in. The funny thing was that afterward I realized it was so easy! They give you meds to make you calm when you get in there. One minute they are rolling you into the OR, then next they are waking you up to tell you are done and did great! All the things I feared or worried about were for nothing. Okay, so now you are on day two of pre-op. Your shrink said there is nothing wrong with you mentally, so now it is just time to power through it. Here's what I did to help. I wrote down all the reasons I hated being fat. All the emotional tolls, all the practical things like having nothing that fits, etc., and all the scary health things that go with being overweight. It was a really long list. Then I wrote down all the things I was looking forward to being a healthier weight like keeping up with my kids, climing stairs, shopping in the regular stores, riding rollercoasters, etc. Also a very long list. Whenever I got scared or things got tough. I went back and read the list. It really helped keep me on track. Keep busy with other things during pre-op diet to keep your mind off food and your pending surgery. Go for walks, go do something fun with your husband, read a book, watch the Olympics, go to work etc. The first four days of pre-op diet are the hardest because your body is protesting the lack of sugar and carbs. Once those are out of your system, you stop craving them! Just keep reminding yourself that this is only a finite period of time. Once you have your surgery, you will no longer be hungry!! It's going to be OKAY. You CAN DO THIS and YOU ARE WORTH IT! Hang in there and I will pray for you to successfully get through this and conquer your fears. Good luck and keep us posted.

That's awesome! I love your bathroom NSV!

I can understand your concerns and wanting to be fully prepared prior to going in. I will start by saying everyone is different in how things go for them post surgery. Also anyone having problems is more likely to post on here in the early days reaching out for support, so it may seem that there are a lot of problems for people in the first few weeks post op. My experience was pretty good. I was terrified of having surgery, but my need for getting to a healthy weight overrulled my fears. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy that part went. Roll in to room, asleep before I even realized what was happening, woke up and was surprised to be done. I was off pain meds by the following morning. The effects of anesthesia and the pain meds were ganging up to make me very nauseous so I stopped the meds and felt sore, but manageable. I was miserable, day two in the hospital. Just tired, bored, hated the bed, nauseous. When I got over my pity party and really started walking, I started to feel a lot better. By day three, I felt really good and was sent home. Sipping Water was really hard in the beginning. I just really had to focus on SIPPING and not trying to drink. broth helped, but I would have to reheat it constantly because it took so long to get down that it would get cold. Protein shakes suddenly tasted terrrible to me (but I like them again now) and were really hard for me to get down. I could only drink an ounce the first day and slowly built up to four ounces. I found that each day got a little better. For me, pain and nausea were not an issue, but getting in the liquids was a chore. By the end of two weeks I was really craving texture and flavor of food so was happy to get to pureed. By week four I could drink all eight ounces of a Protein shake, but it still takes me about 30 minutes. I could only eat a few small bites of food before I was full. I am eight weeks out now and feel great. Making sure that I get all my Protein and water in is still a bit of a chore. It's really just a matter of planning well and executing the plan (both things I need to get better at) But the good news is that I have very few cravings. I have learned the signals of when I am full and when to stop. Sometimes, if something I am eating is really good, I am dissapointed that I had so little of it before I get full, but I get over it when I step on the scale and see the progress that I have made! I hope this has helped a little. Like I said before, everyone's journey is different, but the common thread that I have seen on this forum from the veterean sleevers who are four months out and beyond is that most have seen incredible weight loss and are really happy they did it, despite some of the bumps and struggles along the way.

Awesome!! Congratulations on your sucess!

I guess I am in the minority here, so I am the weird one. I have NO desire to see pics of my stomach now or the part they removed. The whole idea of the surgery (any surgery) freaked me out to begin with, so I am perfectly fine not knowing any of the particulars....lol!

It happened to me in the middle of the night (thought I was having a heart attack, just to add to the drama, lol!) Anyway, I made an effort to walk really frequently after that and do the breathing exercises hourly. After I walked and used the breathing device once, it the heaviness went away pretty quickly. I've heard the gas pain can hang around for a while though....the more you move, the quicker you move it out of you. When I got home, I would walk to the end of the street and back, walk to the mailbox, and other short stints on a pretty regular basis. The more I moved (without overdoing) the better I started to feel. I hope you feel better quick!

You are losing on average 5 lbs a week. It may seem excrutiatingly slow, but my surgeon would tell you that it is an excellent pace. (I know, because he told me the same thing when I complained that I thought I was losing too slowly after a three week stall. I lost an average of 3 lbs a week in six weeks) Remember, it is a marathon and not a sprint. Hang in there, before you know it, months will pass and you will be posting great before and after photos!

Did they send you home with a little breathing device? (can't remember the name of it), but you are supposed to slowly blow into it until you push a little floater to a target in the device.) I had the same problem you are experiencing on my second night in the hospital. The nurse had me get up and walk as much as I could and do my breathing exercises at least once an hour for 10 times. It helped a lot.

fingers crossed!

Yay! That is so awesome!! I can't wait to get to onderland and no more W's after my clothing size!! Good for you! Thanks for sharing about the stalls too. It seems like a daily topic of someone being frustrated with that (myself included), many with the common theme of being convinced that, just like everything else, this last attempt at weight loss will not work. I know that thought has crossed my mind on more than one occassion! You just gave tremendous hope and inspiration! Thank you!

That is frustrating! My bariatric coordinator gave me a sample letter to give to the doctor. I actually filled in my diet history for my PCP as well as all the other info I knew. They filled in the rest. I was trying to find a way to attach the sample letter but there does not seem to be a way to attach it, so I have copied and pasted it below. Maybe it will help. Good luck getting all together. It took me a few tries and a lot of frustration with the process due to various reasons. My physician's letter did not say "I was medically cleared for surgery"...well duh...if they are saying I should have it, doesn't it make sense that they think I am medically cleared to have it. UGHH. Here is the sample letter: Sample Letter of Medical Necessity: Give to your primary care physician and to mail completed letter to our office. [insert date] RE: [insert patient’s name] To Whom It May Concern: Ms. /Mr. [insert patient’s name] has been a patient of mine for [insert number] years. This patient is [insert height] and weighs [insert weight] lbs. with a BMI of [insert BMI]. This patient has been excessively overweight for [insert number] years now and will benefit from bariatric surgery. In addition to morbid obesity, this patient suffers from the following co-morbid conditions: [insert co morbidities, e.g. diabetes, hypertension, sleep apnea, degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia, shortness of breath, exertional dyspnea, urinary incontinence, etc]. Current medical treatment for these co-morbid conditions is . This patient has tried many methods of weight loss including [insert name of program(s), date(s) started and length of time participated] with [insert number of pounds lost and whether they were regained or not]. This patient is limited due to his/her co-morbidities in his/her ability to exercise but has tried [listing all attempts and any successes or regaining of weight]. This patient's family medical history is indicative for [insert medical condition, e.g. obesity, hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, etc]. I respectfully request pre-authorization for insurance coverage for this patient to undergo bariatric surgery. Thank you for your kind consideration in this matter. Sincerely, [insert physician's name]

The pizza thing has to be an urban sleever's legend. Unless they swallowed it whole, I don't know how they would manage to eat more than a few bites before their stomach started to protest in a major way. Lol. But you are right, following the doctor's orders for safe eating and healing is well advised. No idea on the leak thing, other than I hope I never get one!

I thought the liquid tasted like cleaning fluid! It was really yucky, but the test is over and done with really fast, so don't bother spending time worrying about it.