joatsaint

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I weigh once in the morning, right after I get up and again in the evening. The only weigh in that counts for me is in the morning, since it's the one time of day when I know my body condition is mostly the same (amount of water in me) from day to day. The evening weigh in is just for my own personal amusement. (I know, I have no life.)

Since I knew I was only going to be there over night, I didn't bring much. Just my keys, phone and a set of comfortable clothes. I brought a "dry mouth" spray and gas-x strips, but didn't use them. The only thing I wish I had brought was my favorite pillow. Not just for the bed, but for the 2 hour ride home. It would have been nice to have something to squeeze against my stomach to keep my innards from moving too much. :-P.

I was never told to sleep in any position, but when I got home, I wasn't able to sleep prone on my back or side. I felt a pulling sensation whenever I tried to sleep on either side. I had to roll up a comforter into a log and used that as a prop to keep me kinda sitting up when I slept. It was a little over a month before I felt comfortable laying flat or on either side.

Ice chips should be fine. That's the only thing they would allow me to have to drink while I was post-op, and waiting for the leak test.

I skipped the food funeral. By the time I committed to WLS, I was sooooo DONE! with food. I hated eating so much, but at the same time was compelled to overeat.

I too was overweight since at least 1st grade. I can still remember going to Sears for school clothes and having to get the "husky" brand of jeans. I slowly put on weight over the years till I was somewhere around 240-250 in High school and stayed around 270 for 10+ years. Getting a desk job in 2007 really put me over the top. I started gaining weight rapidly and got up to 375, at which point I quit weighing myself, so I don't really know how big I got. In 2012 I was at my lowest point, mentally, physically and career wise. Life was getting to the point where it wasn't worth living. So I had to make a change. I had the Sleeve in Dec 2012, lost 130lbs the 1st year and took off another 40 the 2nd. I've kept off 170lbs for almost 3 years now. I still have my moments where my mind wants me to just eat, eat, eat, it doesn't really care what, just eat! But the Sleeve does it's job and painfully reminds me to stop eating. I've never been a slim person, and I don't think I'm one now. I'm just a normal sized person. After 47 years of being overweight, the Sleeve has worked for me. But I have to do my part too. Eat the right things, keep a positive mental attitude, and keep moving forward. It is NOT going to be easy. But the results - are worth everything you have to go through. When I was down or struggling, fastest way I felt better was by brightening someone else's day. Give, help, love, and share. Make the world better and heal yourself.

Being a guy and being a few years younger than you, I can only answer the last question. I decided that I would rather be thin with flappy skin, than be fat and have tight skin. My loose skin is primarily in my gut, but I have some "draping" around my shoulder blades, and I have a minor "bat wing" thing going on. :-P

I would say, read this article. I saw it a few weeks ago and wish I had been so creative. http://www.cosmopolitan.com/health-fitness/news/a40103/the-beth-project-before-and-after-weight-loss-photos/

I named mine Frankensleeve, since he was covered in stitches and he growled like a monster for the 1st year!!!!!

I too have a desk job, that requires no lifting. I was off for 10 days (because that's what I had asked for) and was back on day 11. But I probably could have been back to work on day 8 or 9 without any issues.

I would see if your doctor knows of any WLS support groups that you can attend. That way, you'd get multiple viewpoints on the different types of WLS. You'll get much more information than the bit we can type in these response boxes. But having said that, having the Vertical Sleeve was the best decision of my life. BUT I was at a point in my life when I was ready to change. I didn't have anyone suggest it to me. So the biggest thing, is, are you ready to change? Are you ready to commit to doing whatever it takes to alter your relationship with food and your lifestyle? Because that's what it takes to be a successful WLS patient. WLS is major surgery, no matter how commonplace it seems on TV or coming from a doctor. It has risks associated with it, including death. So please be sure it's what you want to do and you are firmly committed to following the post-op diet and lifestyle changes that come along with it.

Being only 5 days post-op, my first thought is that you may not realize how much energy your body is using to heal itself right now. I was super exhausted for the 1st 2 weeks post-op and it took a good 6 months before my energy levels returned to normal.

I didn't bring anything but my car keys and comfortable clothes. I really didn't need anything else. I figured it was only going to be a 24 hour stay and I could manage if I had forgot something. The only thing I wish I had brought was my favorite pillow. The hospital pillows are the kind that puff back up, I like mine because it's filled with feathers and I can shape it to my liking. And it would have been handy to have it on the ride home to hold against my stomach.

The main thing I was not prepared for was the "stalls". I had a one-week stall every month, starting with the infamous "3rd week stall". I wish I had known that sticking with my diet plan and exercise would eventually cause the weight to start falling again. Don't fool with diet and exercise, just keep doing what was working and it will work again. I wish I had someone to reassure me that stalls are normal and that I would eventually start losing weight again. It would have saved me a lot of stress.

For the 1st few months post-op, I was having major mood swings, then everything went back to normal. But the 1st 2 weeks post-op were the worst, I wanted to fight the world!!

I had that pain every time I ate or drank anything, for about 2 weeks. The pain medications you received at the hospital are probably wearing off. Did they send you home with any medications?

I went through the same thing - twice. Once around the 6 month mark, and again at 1 year, after that, the amounts I could eat stayed the same - around 1 to 1 1/2 cups of food. I think at 6 months, Frankensleeve had relearned how to digest the "tough" foods and the healing from surgery had completed. That's my best guess. I don't have much in the way of foods to try. I stick with a combination of crock pot pork loin and black beans/lentils most of the time. I never want to go back to the old cravings, so I keep my diet pretty boring.

My taste buds went wonky for a few months. Most everything had to be really flavorful for me to be able to taste it. But it all cleared up in a few months. http://www.bariatricpal.com/blogs/entry/33213-taste-budssense-of-smell-change-after-weight-loss-surgery/

Congratulations and welcome to the loser's bench. :-)

I always found that eating processed foods loaded with carbs kept me hungry or I became hungry 2 hours after eating. You might look closely at the kinds of foods you're currently eating and try to eliminate anything that has a high carb count - except vegetables. :-) Once I cut out the things that had added sugar or processed carbs, my hunger pangs subsided to almost nothing. Good luck. Randy

I too am a scale junkie. BUT post-op, I made a deal with myself. ONLY the 1st weigh in of the day would count as my official weight for the day. There are too many other things that can influence my weight later in the day. I really try not to take it too seriously and remind myself that as long as my weight is headed down over time, then I'm on track. During the 1st few months post-op, the weight was dropping so fast that I would weight myself when I first got up, then again after a poop, then after I pee, and then again after work or exercising. It was exciting! (I know, I have no life. ) Now, I'm satisfied weighing in the morning and again after work.

I don't need much variation in my food flavors. Between eating out once a week and the free Cereal at work, I can do fine with my pork loin and lentils for most meals. Although I have to admit, since doing some taste test videos for Quest bars and OhYeah! Protein bars, I'm getting kinda addicted to eating a bar for dessert. But Eggface is highly recommended for those that would like to add a lot a variety to their post-op diet. http://theworldaccordingtoeggface.blogspot.com/

Everyone responds to the surgery differently, and you may or may not be able to tolerate coffee right after surgery. I was told to stay away from caffeine for the 1st month. Unfortunately, Frankensleeve would tolerate almost nothing for that month. Most of my meals centered around Crystal Light lemonade and re-fried Beans. I took a sip of coffee here and there, and paid attention to how Frankensleeve reacted. At the end of the 1st month, I was able to drink coffee again, but not much, for months, I was only able to hold a sip or two every 30 minutes. Now I'm back up to 4 cups a day.

I have a few things I like when I'm in a hurry: Steamed Brussel Sprouts - 10 minutes from frozen to cooked in a microwave steamer. A large banana - some people claim bananas are a sugar bomb, but a large banana only has 100 calories. Protein bars - I eat them as a dessert or meal. ISS OhYeah Victory bars or Quest. I used to favor Premier Protein Bars, till I found ISS and Quest.