LilMissDiva Irene

Dr. Aceves (and most other MX facilities) offer shuttle service to and from the United States. It was pretty painless both ways. You don't have to get yourself back and forth. IHTH!

Well I pretty much was scheduled ASAP once I came up with the money. I didn't have surgery in the US though. I wasn't required to have any Psychological evals or anything like that and they did all my pre-op testing the day before surgery. So it went VERY fast. Good luck!!!

Ok, so here's what I got from this study: Younger mice without ghrelin were svelte. Older mice without ghrelin were more obese. I hope this doesn't mean it will be harder to stay fit when I get older (if I'm not mistaken by the study). Ghrelin is what controls growing. Does that mean I'm going to grow more? My feet have felt like they grew some, which may be all in my head but I noticed this a few weeks ago. I am sooo cold all the time. I do now believe that Ghrelin does have a lot to do with control of body temperature. Thanks for sharing! I know this may be little different because the mice had no ghrelin receptors. Our ghrelin has just been decreased. Anyway its quite interesting!

Welcome Gsleev!!! You have def come to the right place for info on the sleeve. I am a self pay as well - and like iegal I do not regret it one little bit. Every single pound I lose I cherish and the victories keep coming. Time passes and I keep getting smaller and smaller. It will be so worth it, you'll see. Hang in there, and in the mean time read up here and do as much research as you can. Ask questions whenever you get one stuck in your head. Everyone here is always so willing to help out. We are a great group!! Hugs.

Congrats!!! Glad all is well!!

Basically only you can answer this question. Everyone's different, however me personally - I started my Pre-Op diet a week early because I wanted to get into the right mindset. Things to keep in mind though are: What would it hurt? Losing weight pre-surgery only means it's less weight to lose post surgery. It's nice to go into surgery as healthy as possible. It's a good idea to go into surgery in the right mindset. You are going to lose weight, eat healthier, hopefully exercise and change your whole life. Do you want to go in on a Rocket or an easy take off like a Passenger Plane? Getting an idea of what life may be like post op will only help you gain knowledge and being prepared. Your tastes *may* change post op, but you will still need to make some changes. Try sample sizes of Protein drinks so you don't buy the huge tubs. Get to know what you like. Getting used to a minor walking routine will help you get prepared for life after surgery. Walking post op is extremely important. You WILL get to eat all your favorite foods again someday. Do not feel like you have to get everything in right now. You will feel *satisfied* on smaller portions. It's not like dieting where your looking at your tiny plate wondering how that is every going to fill you up, because it absolutely will. Likely you won't even finish your plates. Again only YOU know the answer to this question. Maybe do a little of both. Diet during the day but enjoy one of your favorite meals at night (without gorging). Just a thought. Good luck to you!!! I'm hopeful your surgery is an uneventful one and you heal up quickly.

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!!! I've gotta finish mine out... less than 5 Lbs and 2 Weeks... yikes... I'm sure gonna try though, especially now that I'm going to do the Susan G Komen race for the cure. Whooot!!

Thanks for the suggestions. I'll give those brands a try. I know they are so good for us, it would be a shame not to try.

Welcome and definitely all the best for your surgery Wednesday!!!

Hey Leslie girl, GREAT JOB!!!!! What an excellent NSV!! Keep up the good work and positive attitude, you are gonna have all your dreams come tru in no time.

Whooot!! Congrats to you!!! That is actually my very next mini goal.... yay!!!!

Pam and Sophia!!!! That is sooo awesome!!! Believe me you really did leave an impression to everyone there, I have no doubt at all. I was at a seminar before I had my band, and the lady who showed herself after she lost all her weight and her before pics... well I'll just never forget that as long as I live. Congrats to you both, you have done an amazing thing!!!

Ohh pomegranate? Sounds delicious!!!

Awww thanks ladies!! :-) I felt so good about that. Believe me... I'm no way perfect - I've indulged here and there but I'm trying to do much better. I wanted to give in!!! But... I just had to walk away. That is a good idea putting healthy choices out there. Some people do sometimes. But usually theres Cookies, candy, fudge, brownies, chips, crackers - just about everything I should NOT be eating. This isn't just Holidays either... I've been working in this unit for almost four years now - and it's been like this for four out of those four years... LOL :-) I'm not going to NOT eat this stuff forever of course but I just want to stay strong until I hit goal. By then I hope to not want this stuff anymore. (Yeah right!) Hugs!! I know we can do this!!!

Hey Vickie S, Please lady, don't be so hard on yourself. You ARE losing... and that is the bottom line. So what if you don't lose as fast as some others. You can't let that get into your head - you have to keep positive and remain humbled by the simple fact the pounds are coming off. You're obviously doing something right or you wouldn't lose at all or would be gaining your weight back. So instead of calling yourself a failure and thinking bad things about yourself, you should be jumping up and down, screaming from the rooftops - "I LOST 20 LBS -- YEAHHHH!!!" In reality your journey has just begun. Give yourself a break. May your weight loss continue, regardless of how fast.

Hello there Deevah, I'm so sorry to hear about your Mom. :-( I am glad though that it spurred you into taking action in your own life, and that you realized an unhealthy lifestyle does affect us in bad ways. Please update us on how you're doing! I for one am quite interested in how everyone's doing. This is no small deal, one which I know you can handle. Good wishes!!!

LOL!! Hang in there and good on you for starting now!! Not many do that, says alot about how you'll do in the long run. The headache might last a few days. You are going through sugar withdrawals and it can last from 3-5 days. Once you get over it you are good to go. Good luck!!

OP: I also really love Lean Turkey Bacon. It's really very good, if you haven't tried it yet. I loved all the ideas from Susanne... yum!!!

Hey Jody, I eat bread as well. Not a whole lot and maybe only a few bites at most. They have to either be whole grain or wheat -OR- very high in Fiber. Otherwise I do NOT eat it. It has never clogged my sleeve. That being said, my surgeon never told me I couldn't eat it. You should always do what your surgeon advises. You can always discuss it with him/her or your Nutritionist. Sometimes they can offer alternatives for each individual. Good luck!!

Stacy, welcome!! I am a revision, and the reason was I lost some weight with the band (through my own blood, sweat and tears - no help from the BAND) but just like any other diet that never worked once I stopped doing the right things the weight piled back on so fast I didn't know what happened! So I revised to the sleeve through lots of suggestions from some folks. Thanks to them I finally have a tool I know I can work with and keep the weight off. It's really hard to explain, you just have to be there, know what I mean? Do some searches here by "band vs. sleeve" or "revision". Also check out our Band to Sleeve revisions page. You will find a great deal many folks here who have once been banded and are now loving sleeved life. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/13-band-to-sleeve-revisions/ Good luck!!!

Yay your day is finally here! I know you've been waiting awhile. NO WORRIES!! You will soon be on this side and wishing others well. Wishing you a speedy and carefree surgery!

Hello love2shop!! Welcome to VST!! Here's my short answer on my experience with the Band and the Sleeve. Sleeve 1 - Band 0. Good luck!!!