jamey

You will continue. I stalled out at three-four weeks. I agree introducing solids was what did it for me. I have learned from this wonderful site that we are all stall, we all lose at different rates. But, we all lose. Hang in there. This too shall pass. Just remember..Protein first, veggies second, other carbs last. If I follow the first two, there is never room for the third and there is no way that combo can fail.

I had my surgery in San Diego in May. I just moved to the Akron area and wanted to know if there are any sleeve support groups nearby? I only got to attend one in San Diego before I moved and found it to be very helpful.

I am so happy to hear your one week went well, and I felt liberated when my tube came out. Just showering without it was so much easier. And it seemed that alot of the spasming stopped once it came out. I had trouble getting all my fluids in. I found the best popsicle was Edy's No Sugar Added fruit bars. They are pretty low in calories, carbs and sugar. They are delicious and count toward your fluids. I found they really helped me because drinking (even tiny sips) was difficult for me and the popsicles seemed to go down easier. I keep those suckers stocked now, and Edy owes me a thank you card as I have single handedly been responsible for their profits this year, haha. I am almost 3 1/2 months out now and am just now back to my old energy levels ,plus a bit extra. Of course, I sold a house, bought a house and moved across the country right afterward (glutton for punishment- no pun intended!). Hang in there. As you get more Protein and fluids in your energy will come back. And as you start watching those pounds melt away, it a natural energizer. If you watch American Idol you know that guy who sang that annoying song "Pants on the Ground"? My husband sings that to me every time my pants get too big and hang off me. It is not quite so annoying now, and I am looking forward to the next time he sings it (Just bought size 14, a first in 20 years!).

It hurt when I drank so I lived on Edys No Sugar Added juice bars to help with hydration. I took one a day vitacraves gummies, but I took double the recommended for a while to offset the lack of food.

Next week for your pre-ops, that is great! I am sure everything will go well. Hopefully we can meet before your surgical consult! I wish I had know some people who had done this before my surgery. Isn't this site great?

Yolanda, have you got a date for your pre-op surgical consult yet? I think I recall you are looking at a Sept or Oct date for surgery. I have you in my thoughts for an expeditious scheduling!

Hello notthatgirl! I would love to meet up sometime and compare stories and advice. I was going to go to the Akron General meeting tonight, but forgot my daughter is flying in from San Diego at 6:00 to Cleveland Airport.

I had my minimally invasive surgery done transvaginally at USCD Center for the Treatment of Obesity in San Diego. I know it sounds creepy at first, but most hysterectomy's are done like that. I only had 2 scars I can even notice, one a little less than and inch and one a little less than a half inch (and there is a teensy tiny one under my ribcage where he lifted the liver I believe). I had very very little pain from the incisions, my stomach was another story. But worth it. I am using Mederma, but I am not sure if it is helping or just the healing process.

I forgot to mention fitting comfortably in the airplane seat!

I am going to go back and take riding lessons and then buy a horse. I rode Western as a girl, but always wanted to ride english and do dressage and jumping. I'm over half at there and have already found the stable I am going to use. I am already living "my life" again and every day gets better. Oh yeah, and of course the sex!

Wendy's chilli is good for protein and was one of the first things I could get down comfortably. A small will last you 2-3 meals.

That is fantastic!! Around 3-4 weeks out I stalled on the scale but my clothes showed the reality. The scale began going down again soon enough and I can't believe the results! I am so happy for you! That is an amazing accomplishment, and you will find yourself "yippee-ing" out loud in the dressing room more often! If anyone looks at you weird when you come out, just smile knowing there are many more yipees to come!

I was having that very thought just the other day. I was getting ready to go shopping for some smaller pant (always a fun part of this journey), and I realized that I had not stopped to eat lunch and it was after 2:00. Prior to this I would have in all likelihood been planning my lunch within an hour of breakfast ending. It has only been a little over three months and my lifestyle has already seen signifigant changes. These were changes I knew I should have made before, but for whatever reason could not. I feel energized in general every day, and I think alot of it comes from finally feeling empowered where my body is concerned for the first time in my life!

I am sorry. The nurse should have been more sympathetic when explaining the time frame to you. I am sure she is well aware of the hoops that must be jumped through to get this approval and the emotional rollercoaster people are on. I am not sure what plan you have, but if you don't want more delays and you are confident in your surgeon, I would probably just stick it out. AniO had a great suggestion to contact the scheduler and see if there is a wait list, my doctor's nurse told me that often patients will back out just days before their surgery. That being said, if they do have one you should absolutely stick firmly to your preop diet in case you got called ahead of time (makes the liver less fatty, they have to lift it to get to your stomach).

That is wonderful, I am so happy for you! Good luck and hopefully we will see you asking for some post op tips soon!!

Wow! What a wealth of information. Thank you so much.

Just an aside at this early stage, the BEST popsicles in the world are Edy's (no sugar added) Fruit Bars. With my pain, it was hard for me to get fluids in but popsicles went down great and my doc said they counted toward liquid goals. Each bar is only 25 calories, 1g sugar, and 6 carbs. They saved me during those first 4 weeks.

I had alot more pain than I was prepared for. I had read so many stories of people who had minor pain and I normally tolerate pain pretty good. I was truly surprised at how much it did hurt. I was in quite alot of pain for the first two weeks, the next two weeks was better and by week 5 or 6 it was hardly any. I am 3 months out and still get moments of pain at the incision sites but it's not bad. Trust me though, it is so worth it!! And hang in there, it does get better.

Great, I plan to attend and look forward to meeting you! The time leading up to surgery seems so long I know. If you have any questions please feel free to message me! Jamey

Hi Yolanda, Thank you so very much! I am so excited to have a group to attend. I am very happy with my sleeve and my weight loss has been unlike any I have had before. But now that I can eat a bit more I want to be with others who can provide some direction in staying on course and focusing on getting in that Protein (always a challenge!). Anyway, I hope to see you at one of the meetings!

chocolate silk milk Light- low calorie, good Protein and delicious. I make my shakes with it.

My doctor told me that sometimes you will have a bad reaction to a food, but then try it again in a month and many times you will find you can tolerate it. So don't lose hope of having rich chocolate, just try it when you will be home next time. I was doing that with milk, I thought I had become lactose intolerant but now I find that while milk still doesn't agree with me, I can have some cheeses. Good luck and I am glad you haven't experience any more symptoms.

Did you by chance have coffee? I am 3 months out and coffee always gives me diarrhea (I only have it at home when I know I am not going anywhere for at least two hours). Luckily this is the only thing that has done it so far, but it is pretty violent when it does. I am quite sure if a bathroom were not immediately available, I could have an accident.

I was denied by my insurance as well. I did not appeal because I had a friend who actually had more criteria met than I did and was denied on her appeal (Kaiser So Cal). I chose to self pay and let me tell you, it was the greatest thing I have ever done for myself. Don't get me wrong, in the first few weeks I wondered aloud several times if I had done the right thing. But I am now three months out and 63 pounds down.. I have moved out of the obesity category and into the overweight category. I feel great and can eat most anything I want (and yes, I am finding it easy to make good choices). Once you start losing the weight and see the health benefits it is easy to choose the good stuff. I hope you get approval on your insurance, but if you don't please don't give up. I looked at it like a car loan, only this "vehicle" must last me a lifetime. It is scary, I know. But with a good doctor and staff and this support board you will find that it is easier than you think. Good luck to you!