mezanne1401

I had my 1-week postop visit with my surgeon today and this has to be one of the happiest days in a long time!!! I'm down 27 pounds since Oct 31 and 10 pounds since surgery on Nov 12!!!! I was still on full liquids when I went in and he said since I have had no nausea or vomiting, I can advance to very soft!!!!! I get to skip puréed and I am stoked about that. I dreaded that phase more than anything! I've had a huge smile on my face since 3 o'clock!!!! Best decision ever to do the surgery!

I am being very careful advancing my diet. I'm doing everything I can to avoid the pain from food/liquid. I went shopping this afternoon since I only had cream Soups and got a lot of noodle soups and had for dinner. Felt so good to chew even if I did look like a toothless cow!!! Be sure to keep your head up about your weight loss. I had 160-170 pounds to lose, so it will come off faster depending on the amount you need to lose. You can do it!!!

I was in bed yesterday watching TV with my husband and I literally forgot I had surgery a week ago. That lapse in memory was quickly erased when my incision itched all of the sudden and severely like a bug bite and I just scratched one long scratch from below my boobs to my belly button. Oh dear! I quickly remembered the surgery! My Lord that hurt!!!

I will just come out and say it bluntly. Do NOT drink the weekend before surgery. Just because this is an "elective" surgery doesn't mean it is any less risky. This is a very serious operation. Alcohol will thin your blood and dehydrate you, both of which are terrible right before surgery. You might as well take a pistol and play Russian roulette while in New Orleans. If you do decide to drink, I would think that it is pretty selfish to break the rules for a weekend of fun in NOLA

My first was yesterday around 2 p.m. and lasted until about 10:30. I learned my lesson the hard way. Sliming is not fun at all. Ugh, still hate thinking about it. I was really miserable.

CAS621, today is actually the first day that I can take a full deep breath without any pain at all (sleeved Monday). Love the Pooh reference!!!

Did your incisions bruise and if so, how badly??? I have never had such deep bruises! Makes me look like a badass!!!!

When I began researching the sleeve, I would often look at before and after pics with such amazement. They are so much more impressive on here because you people are REAL! Not saying that they aren't, but I can talk to any one of you who post them and get even more inspiration! I LOVE THAT!!! Post your before and after pics!!! I love seeing the progress that everyone is having. I love seeing the happy smiles and pride on everyone's faces!!! Keep 'em coming!!!

Bravo!!! You are looking amazing!!! Keep up the good work!!!!

Love them!!!! Great idea!

I'm assuming flavored syrups to add to shakes for different flavor and probably some sweetness! I never thought of that and now find myself a little jealous of your stash!!! Will be looking into that for sure!!! Where did he find all the different flavored??? He sure sounds sweet!! It is the little things like that to me that mean the most!

Today was the first day I actually felt hunger. I was actually excited because I knew what my body was saying! Then, I over drank! Oh dear! That is not a fun feeling, so learned that lesson real quick! I made really runny cream of wheat for breakfast and poured about an ounce into my bowl and separated the rest between two more bowls for my dogs. They are loving this whole momma isn't eating thing. They are making out like bandits!!! Anyways, told my mom that I over ate and a few minutes later, she went to the kitchen and saw the dogs' bowls which were over half full a piece and she jumped on my ass!!! "Well, hell Mindy, no wonder you're full!!! You ate an entire cup if you ate as much as you gave the dogs!!!". I told her to simmer down and that I probably had 1 ounce and she said that I needed to measure. So, at lunch, I poured exactly 2 ounces of cream of broccoli soup (very yummy if you like broccoli BTW) and ate until I was full and measured the rest. I can only eat 1 OUNCE of soup before I'm full and belching! Told mom I think the doc got a little carried away when he took out my stomach and took too much, greedy fart!!! So, the weight is coming off and that has me pretty happy! I finally know what my body is telling me and I'm relieved about that. The gas is gone for the most part, but occasionally likes to read its ugly head, but so much better now. Though I have never given birth, I can only describe this through the way my BFF explained her delivering her daughter. I will always remember the severe pain that I was in and the pain afterward, but I love my sleeve and would do it all over again!!!! Aww, my sleeve is my baby!! Wow, didn't mean to ramble on so. Back on my multivitamins and they give me some much needed energy! Dang, still talking. G'night all!!!

Sometimes it gets on my nerves to hear people talk about how perfect their husbands are (especially when I know better) and mine is so not perfect. We've had an amazing marriage for going on 12 years now. We had a slight "hiccup" if you will back in Sept, so no one is perfect. That being said, my husband is amazing. My daddy is severely morbidly obese. My husband is getting a little money next year from his employee stock. He found out thay they do surgery in Mex for over half the price and my husband told me that he would loan my daddy the money for his surgery. I was shocked! And then the reason for his generosity was both heart breaking and incredibly thoughtful in the same breath. His father was killed a year and a half ago by a texting driver. He tells me that he is willing to pay for my daddy's surgey because he lost his dad at a young age and didn't want me to ever experience that loss. I get the warm fuzzies in my very small stomach just replaying that in my head. What an amazing man. I called my daddy and he was just floored by the news and talked to my husband for 20 minutes thanking him for his generosity. What an amazing man. Sorry for the gushy, mushy rant. I am not telling anyone around here about our money and I had to tell someone!!!

I had surgery on Monday, so I'm a freshman sleever, but here is what I have experienced so far. My process was fast as I was self pay. I had my first appointment on Oct 30 and was sleeved on the 12th. The preop diet was without a doubt the hardest thing I've ever done. I missed my food. I missed the flavor. I missed being full. I slipped up a couple of times, but nothing drastic like eating 4 plates at the buffet. I was miserable and cranky. I'll get a little personal here, so my apologies in advance if I offend. My husband and I were having sex and I couldn't finish and didn't let him finish because I was so hungry that I started to cry like a baby. It was awful and all I could do was apologize to him. So, Monday was surgery and even with the pain from the gas and the soreness, I know it was the best decision for me. I kid you not, I have not been hungry since Sunday night. My family can eat in front of me with the smells of what I used to love and I am not even tempted to taste. I have no cravings. Before the sleeve, cravings and Pepsi were my weaknesses. I have no desire to drink a Pepsi and that is HUGE for me. A little accomplishment in and of itself. I have no desire to eat. I ended up realizing that it was not the food I was missing, but the fullness. Since the fullness is there, I'm okay. For the first time since I can remember, I am not controlled by food. It is really a liberating feeling to know that something doesn't have a death grip on me anymore. Also, I finally have something to look forward to and I was missing that in my life. I'm looking forward to the progress, not the failure. I'm looking forward to being confident again. I'm looking forward to life again and that is a damned good feeling.

I am also struggling to get my fluids in. I'm doing better with Water straight from my fridge dispenser thing-a-ma-bob since it is cool and not cold. Warm teas have helped too and actually got the gas to moving quite a bit. When I drink water too cold, it feels like I have swallowed an egg. Today is better than yesterday and progressively getting better. My largest incision hurts like hell and is extremely bruised, so I have a feeling that will hurt longer than the gas. Sorry you were so pukey. That definitely doesn't help with the swelling of your stomach. Hope things get better for you. I think there might actually be light of this self-inflicted tunnel of misery!!!!

Well said, gmanbat!!! I'd be willing to bet that if someone said that this week, I would probably dough pop them in the nose! It is a lot harder than I thought, but besides my everyday back pain, I've been pretty blessed in that I've never really had pain before. This is my first surgery and God willing, my last!!! I'm feeling a little better each day and coming out of the "what did I do to myself" phase slowly. At least the silver lining of all of this is that I WILL lose weight instead of going through this for a MIGHT lose weight! Good luck to everyone that has had their sleeve done the past few days! We will get through this. Sure is nice to know that I'm not alone though!

I didn't get the best discharge instructions and I was so ready to go home that I forgot to ask, so hopefully someone here was closed with Dermabond glue. When can I shower? How do I clean the incisions? Any advice? Thanks!!!

When I sip my cold water, the gassy feeling comes back and kind of hurts. I don't know if I'm hungry or gassy. I have no idea what to expect and I kind of feel like I don't know what my body is telling me. Oh, I had surgery Monday, 11/12. Did anyone experience the same?

I am preop, scheduled for Monday, but I'm cheating and coming to the postop board to ask people who have already been sleeved and not just heard of stories. In your experience, did you get a postop drain that was removed the next day? Is this routine procedure to have a drain? I haven't been worried at all about the procedure or the pain. The drain thing (actually the pain with removal of the drain) has me quite anxious! Thanks in advance for any answers!!!

I searched gastric sleeve before and after and one of the videos that came up said something like 100 before and after pics. That is the video I would watch!