iggychic

I have hot oveltine many nights to make my protein goal. It's less sugar than normal hot chocolate and tastes lovely. I refuse REFUSE to drink protein chocolate at night time. Ok day time mostly as well....but my night time treat is just that, a treat, and with non fat milk it's high enough in protein and yet does not have that icky protein drink flavor!

Couture and vintage clothing. I used to collect vintage and love the stuff. I also have a few Versace pieces I purchased for a song and hope to fit in by the holidays. I have several dresses "saved" on rent the runway dot com just waiting for my bumm to skinny down to their sizes LOL

Most men will tell you that most any panties are a good match for a bar....

During the first six months your stomach is not tollerating all foods (ie crap), it's smaller and as such the weight is falling off at whatever rate is a good rate for your body. After that you can eat more and typically your stomach can tolerate more, leaving the option of going back to your bad ways more open to some. But it's not a drop dead date by any means. It's just the clinically proven highest period of weight loss.

Honey I don't want to stress you out but I also don't want to see you in a mess. If he's leaving, how will you deal with the kids when you are in hospital? How would you deal with them if you had complication issues? Who will clean the house, do the laundry, shopping, etc during the six weeks you are on lifting restrictions? Who is going to pick up the baby and change diapers? You say you are having the surgery to avoid comorbidities, and from your picture I'm guessing that you are a lower bmi (I was at 35 when I had it). Is this cosmetic to you? Cosmetic and future good health? That's why I had it so don't think I'm saying that's a bad thing. But at this time of your life, with the situation, how will you deal with the above issues if he's out of the picture? You also confused me..I thought he was your financial support for the surgery, then you say you are the bread winner in the house? Or did I read that right? Being layed up after surgery if you have no money is not going to work with five kids to deal with... I think you should resolve your issues (leave or don't) and then proceed with the surgery when life is more stable. My hope is that you go it on your own, for the good of your mental health, and the good of your children. NO ONE deserves to be with a mate who calls them stupid. PERIOD NEVER!!!! It's a path to major depression or being alone. I don't care about the late hours or anything else...stupid coming out of the mouth of a spouse is a reason to be divorced IMO. That level of lack of respect is insurmountable, and living with it teaches your children to be that way to their future spouses. My husband owns several businesses. He buys companies, large equipment, (like planes, hotels, etc) and we discuss it all. Do I give permission? No, we don't have that kind of relationship...I don't believe it them, but does he discuss the ups and downs of his business with me, and the major moves? Hell yes, both because it's good to be able to bounce things off of each other, and because he respects me as his spouse. When a big deal is going down he is gone A LOT (like days on end) but we still talk during that time and he makes time to speak with our son as well because his family is more important than anything to him. You deserve this kind of respect and your kids do as well. A family is not a dictator and a servant. My husband could buy a house every day of the week...but he'd never do that without us discussing it in debth as it would involve me as well. You deserve this kind of respect!!! YOU DESERVE IT! In my experience when the words "leave" or "I'm leaving" "you can leave" etc, come up in a marriage, the marriage is pretty much over. Add stupid on top and I'd have to say I wish nothing more for you than a life of your own, stable with your kids, then when the time is right, have the surgery dear. Make your kids a priority (the fact that you lock yourself in your room and ignore them scares me about where you are in your mind). And make yourself a priority as well.

1.) If you could talk to yourself pre-op what would you say? What would you tell the you that was still undecided about having the surgery? I would do two things...first tell myself that I have a six year old with special needs and if I take a risk with my life I could be throwing him backwards in his development, even with just a prolonged absence while in hospital. I would also then grab a knife and a garden hose, cut a hole under my breast with only topical anesthesia, shove the hose into my lungs without anesthesia, and then ask myself if the pain was worth the next glass of wine or cookie? Believe me, the tortures I went through to save my life after the surgery were numerous, and most were severe enough to have made me join a gym and cut back for a lifetime! 2.) Do you ever regret having the procedure? Even in tiny moments...like dinner out with friends or around the holidays? Do the regrets ever out weight the results? Every time I look at my child. I was away from him for 46 days. I nearly died more than once. His feeding is set back as is his potty training. Steps that took all summer are back to the beginning. And what if I'd have died? I am his primary care provider and therapist. My husband works significant hours and his nanny is lovely...family really, but she's not trained in caring for him as I am. I took a stupid chance because I wanted to look better. I regret it despite the results. Now, that's the ugly side of the sleeve...the complications. I like to tell people that you need to weigh your entire life scale to make this decision. For me, with a small child, I had the surgery at the wrong time. I risked complications and death and should have not been so selfish as to have done that when he was so needy. I had no comorbidities and was lower bmi (35) so this really was about looking good in my case. I wasn't risking death due to my weight (my family lives til 100 easily, even when heavy) I was just unhappy with my looks. If you are pushing highly obese, and have co morbidities, your life scale might balance in a different direction than mine. I can't undo what's been done, but I still risk losing my stomach or having a third surgery due to complications. I regret it in a big way.

I'm ten or eleven weeks out from my first surgery and was cleared for anything this week. Last night I experienced my tummy saying NO for the first time in a big way (vomited for half an hour) to an Oh Yeah Protein bar I had before bed. I woke up and knew I was going to puke....which since my second surgery I'm supposed to avoid like the plague! So I puked and then worried all night LOL very productive! I think something in the bar (some crunchy bits) was something that must have swollen up in my tummy (they were sort of like rice crispies). I don't know what they were but I know Oh Yeah bars are off the table for me for a long time if ever. I have had a few bites of things that didn't go down well with lots of chewing. Lamb chops (they were moist but the fat around them was unchewable and they went down like rocks). Halibut oddly enough, even cooked right (which should leave it soft). Crab is challenging...feels heavy going down, and sadly...red wine My palate is destroyed and it tastes bad. I'm dedicating my life to work through that one though LOL It used to be all wines but now whites and rose taste good...but red is still a challenge. My tummy is fine with it, but my tongue thinks it's vinegar.

yeah!!!!!!! Great accomplishment!!!

Remember your ten pound lifting limit...that means...NO LAUNDRY LOL. Mine was extended an extra six weeks due to complications. I haven't done laundry since August . Heh heh.

Some people have and some haven't. Can you lose 100 lbs...sure! Lots of sleevers have. In six months? Maybe..depends on how hard you are willing to work on it, but also on how your body loses weight. People often don't lose all of their excess weight in the honeymoon phase. Many work on it for a year or more, but it does eventually happen for those who dedicate the effort necessary to lose. I'd like to lose all of my goal in six months, but I know realistically it may take longer...and that's ok cuz I will lose it!

I feel for ya! I just broke mine but it's been a bummer cuz it was my first...and it happened when I was just 1.5 lbs from officially no longer being "obese". (I want to be just overweight lol).

have you asked for a barium swallow (leak) test yet?

My diet was to stay below 40 carbs a day for two weeks, no food after 6 the night before surgery. I chose to consume mostly wine for those weeks so it was sort of a liquid diet.... OK I also had steak But really, it was easy compared to the liquid diets. Don't complain LOL

Honey from the beginning I've been at five meals a day. Snack, meal? There isn't a difference for me at least at this point...I don't get much in at either, but still, I skim around 600 650 with five meals. Packing those calories into 3 or 4? I couldn't do it without eating some bad stuff. You might consider calling your nut and asking about going to four or five meals a day (which is pretty standard at 2 months out). I'm not to transition to three meals a day until maintenance when I go down to 50 G protein.

That's that four liter capacity Most people's stomach stretches to the size of their hand open on average, but they can go further! Maybe you were in the four liter category

Honey why don't you ask for a barium swallow test first? It's less invasive (it's basically a live xray where they watch fluid go through your body). IF there is a block it will show up in the swallow test and if there is a leak that will as well.....

Your stomach is about ten inches long (average) and the size of your closed fist when empty. When full it can hold up to 4 liters

Oh ya, then you both want to be sure you have a back up. Do check your policy just in case (there are some out there who will cover...it's just less likely) and then search here as well because I know this has been brought up in the Mex forum and someone posted who the company was she got the insurance from. Best of luck and I hope you DON'T end up needing the insurance!!!!! Complications are no fun and I always hope never to hear about another VSTer having them.

Call your doctors office tomorrow and see what you can find out. You could also try to google "suplimental insurance elective surgery" and see what comes up. It's worth every dime IMO. As a banker *(ex...and yes I sold insurance and was a banker...shoot me LOL...I did both at the same time) here's what I'd ask you. What do you have to risk? Do you own a home with equity? Do you own a business or other assets? These can all be lost in a medical emergency and as such I'd protect them with the insurance. If you however live in an apartment, don't have a lot of assets, rent, and could deal with the mental difficulty of filing for a medical bankruptcy than perhaps the insurance isn't necessary. The other issue is how that would affect your family. I don't know canadian laws in regards to medical bankruptcy so I'm only answering as an american banker under american laws. Your milage may vary....