LilMissDiva Irene

Yay Susie!! Tomorrow you will get your place on the Losers Bench, right next to all us skinnies. We always have more room for others because we all lose weight and move right on over. My advice: PATIENCE #1 POSITIVITY #2 PERSEVERENCE #3... AND Sip, sip, sip... Walk, Walk & Walk some more - and be sure to get plenty of rest. You will need it for proper healing. Oh, and don't forget to do your breathing exercises!! Xoxo

I have actually been very fortunate that none of my heavy or overweight friends have abandoned me. They have all been really supportive and constantly wishing they could somehow get the VSG too... LOL

GOD does answer prayer and GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES!! What a fantastic blessing. Well wishes for you in the near future as you jump aboard the losers bench!

Amen, I'll say it again!!!

Welcome back! I think it is ever so important to be sure you're mentally ready for this because it is not easy! It's always best to ponder for awhile before just jumping in cold turkey. You did the right thing. Now it sounds like you are 110% ready to do this... so c'mon in!! The waters fine. Looking forward to all your amazing updates!!

OT: OMGudness BBJ, you look incredible girlie!!! WTG!!!

That may be true for many women, but I am not the norm. I do bulk up a lot! That said it's mostly significant with what I'm eating, which if it's a lot of beef or pork along with lots of weight lifting, I absolutely do build up more than other women do. That said I wouldn't know if actual heaviness would have anything to do with it. I never typically go over 15 Lbs, more it could be the amount of time I'm doing it. I don't really even lift weights at all, and much prefer calisthenics type of workouts to muscle tone (weight resistance). I also only do this about 3x per week and never 2 days in a row. But, as of Monday I will be doing the highly intense Insanity workout routine which calls to be done 6 days per week. We'll see how that fares. Again, I am NOT in the majority though! I just wanted to put that out there, and maybe even find out if I am all alone on that boat. LOL!! Ok... I just read your post again and I realize I'm speaking in FAVOR of your research, not against it. Very good!!!

Oh yes! My incisions are always itchy during the healing phase. It's not much to be concerned about unless you start running a fever or if they become very inflamed or lots of draining occurs. I used Neosporin on mine and it helped a lot with the incision itching and healing quite nicely. Well wishes to you! Congrats on your new tiny tummy!!

I'm so sorry you are going through this! That's terrible. Have you tried CareCredit.com? I know I was approved in moments and they are pretty well known, I highly doubt they are close to shutting down shop. Good luck in your future endeavors! Please let us know how everything turns out.

***PLEASE NOTE*** Anyone reading this, please always consult your personal Surgeon before taking advice from anyone on this forum... That said... I asked this SPECIFIC question to Dr. Cirangle whom is one of the greatest sleeve surgeons out there right now, IMO. He replied and said, absolutely YES we CAN take NSAIDS once our Sleeves are fully healed, because we still have a completely functioning stomach. It is important to take them with food or milk to help coat our stomach however. BUT, it is NOT recommended for Lap Band or Gastric Bypass patients because of the tiny pouch they are left with. I completely trust him with his advice, again, he's one of the best in the World today. All that said, I completely 100% agree that one should use them with caution. But, that should be true for anyone, normal stomach or not. I certainly do not use them every day, but I have used them, and made sure I took them responsibly. Good luck with your research!

I cannot speak on behalf of any other surgeon except for Dr. Aceves. He IMO is the best!! Of course I'm bias, but whatever, that's ok. Hospital Almater is exceptionally clean, his staff is fabulous from start to finish and he himself is incredibly skilled. He made me a nice small and tight sleeve that I still am thankful for to this day 18 months later. If you have any specific questions please just ask! Good luck on your research!

And it just keeps getting better!!! Glad everything is going smooth for you!

Oh yes, I'm sure you will be able to again someday. It took me at least 6 months! But, I did get there and I can again chug water. Not as much as pre-sleeve but I can still do it if needed. Hang in there!

Hi rdoactv, I'm not 2 years out but I am 18 months post op today in fact. I didn't have either Dr you mentioned rather went to Dr. Aceves in Mexicali. Matter of fact I have 2 dear friends here who also had Dr. Aceves as well, and both are over 2 years out. Both are doing extremely well. You can find them by searching for them, *Susan* and OregonDaisy. If you have any specific questions, I'd be happy to help. I'm positive either of them would be happy to answer any questions you have too. Good luck!

Great news Helo-Tek! Keep jumping those hurdles, and you are right - having a lot to jump over will only make the time from here until your surgery date go really fast. Don't forget to be prepared for that day as well, since you might be preoccupied with all your appointments. Start looking for Protein supplements that you like too. Of course there's no guarantee you will like them post op but at least it should be tolerable until your taste buds get back to normal. All the best!!!

Prilosec is the only medication that I've found works for me, so here's hoping it will help! Take it as directed, about an hour before you eat/drink anything in the morning to give it some time to absorb. It takes at least a week before you notice any significant changes. *hugs* We'll do our best to try to help you figure this out. If it's not Prilosec then surely something else might help. But you have to at least give it the full 2 weeks to see if it does work. Some folks even need to do 2x per day.

Oh yeah, been there done that! LOL This is a great NSV!! Keep em comin''!!

YAYYYY CHERI!!!!!!!! OMG what a wonderful moment!!! I know you've been waiting on this and IT'S HERE, IT'S HERE!!! Congrats my dear friend you sooo deserve this - you're an amazing strong fighter. Whoopp Whoopp - Cha Cha Cha!!! (My new dancing banana since we don't have them anymore... heehee )

4 AM is my normal workout time, its the evenings I struggle with, so we'll see how that goes!!

Once I was able to eat eggs, I've been hooked ever since. I eat them still nearly every single day. Yummyy!! Beans are great as well. Just take your time. If you need to take a time out and have a Protein shake. I know I substituted several meals a day at that stage with Protein shakes and got back to eating real food slowly.

Great! You will hit all these goals and so many more you never even thought about. CONGRATS on your new Sleevie!!

Hi Lyra It's normal to worry that things won't run smoothly up to your surgery. It's ok, and even if it doesn't never lose that excitement you're feeling right now! It will happen and you will be sitting over here on the losers bench with all us skinnies. I'd like to make a suggestion though... *do NOT* get rid of your favorite outfit in your largest size. Save at least that one. You will be completely amazed as you lose weight, and in those times when the scale is being a stubborn mule, you can pull them out and put them on. I cannot tell you how much this makes the scale melt in comparison.