GeorgieGirl1957

I hear ya, dude. I hate my CPAP, and I have had it for a year and a half. My youngest brother died at age 32 from sleep apnea, my other brother and my father have it too. As well as my daughter and her daughter who weighs 35 lbs soaking wet and is 5 yrs old. So, it seems to be neurogenic in my family more so than weight related, but I am so hoping when I lose another 50 lbs that I can lose the CPAP too. Let's keep those fingers crossed! But I am not getting those hopes up too high as I know the likelihood is high that I will have to make the best of it. The good news is, I use the nasal pillows (I am claustrophobic so the mask won't cut it for me) and my symptoms disappear as long as I use it religiously. No palpitations of my heart, no headaches in the morning, but I do have the cotton mouth. One morning my tongue was actually stuck to the roof of my mouth. :unsure:And I fly around the room like a balloon in the morning too. I do keep the heated humidifier down low though as I have choked on condensation more than once.

I was the same way! I could drink as much as I wanted from day 1 post op. For a while I thought I may be overdoing it, but I sure was well-hydrated. Food was a whole other story though. Once I got to scrambled eggs, I fill fast. I used to eat 2-3 eggs, now I can manage 1. Same thing with meats, chicken and fish. Just can't eat more than about 3-4 oz.. Salad on the other hand, runs right through like water. But if I have any meat on it, I fill up fast. Weight loss has been good though. Not as fast now as it was in the beginning, but with winter here and not hardly exercising like I was, I am glad to be losing at all. I lost 40 lbs on a high prot low carb diet between April and August. and was sleeved in Aug. Since then lost another 66 lbs. for a total of 106. I am pretty happy about it. I have 94 to go. Have gone from a size 32 to a 24, which I know is still queen sized, but being 5'10" tall, I do look a LOT smaller now. Especially from behind, LOL, as I still have that extra butt in the front (pannus) but it's shrinking, too, although slower. gg

Well your experience was a little different than mine, but we're both almost the same amount of time post op. How is the weight loss going? Are you feeling good? Problems? Any other thoughts you might want to share? gg

You all will love Dr. Aceves. I am an RN and I am pretty picky about who I go to. He's terrific and so is his staff. I have nothing bad to say...my husband thought he was great, too! g

Hi folks! First let me congratulate you! Being a heavy weight myself, I know the work you are doing. And I would also like to validate your comment that others can do it too. I am 4 months postop and including my preop loss, I am down 98.5 lbs. My 50% goal was to lose 100 by the end of the year. I feel pretty sure that barring a mother of all stalls, I should be on track to hit that goal. My 100% goal is to be down another 100 by next august (my one year surgiversary). My diet is very similar to yours. Getting the 80-90 gm of Protein per day and lots of Water is key. I use a couple different supplements because I don't like fruity flavored drinks. I only use chocolate Pure Protein choc powder from Target, and Premier premixed choc shakes from costco. I am anal about getting my water and Vitamins in. And I haven't been exercising nearly what I should be doing, but I am overall more active than I was 100 lbs ago. School, homework and an internship eats up most of my time. Then there's job hunting time and a family to take care of. I know it would come off faster if I could hit the streets. And I will be doing that next month when my brutal schedule eases up a bit. But for all you pre-op folks, it CAN be done. Another critical item is to get all the bad habits out of the way before surgery. My biggest piece of advice is this. Because, once you're post op the coping is a lot easier if you've already dealt with all your addictions and get yourself in the headspace for the post op diet. IT MAKES THE JOURNEY FAR LESS PAINFUL AND LESS HEAD HUNGER. IMHO, anyway. Good luck to you all. Will check in again soon when I get a few mins to write. gg

Way to go Irene! gg

Hey, Is it me, or do others find it weird to have donut marketing at the top of this page??? Anyway, I got my labs back today...and I am about 13 weeks post op and down 86 lbs (pre and post op total) since April. My cholesterol is drumroll....wait for it....wait for it....175!!! OMG! I haven't been that low in 20 years! That's NORMAL!!! NORMAL...can't believe I'd ever call anything about me normal. I have also gone from a size 32 to a 24/26 (depending on the brand) although some things are 22's. I am soooo happy. My short term goal is to be down 100 by Christmas. Not sure if I can pull it off as the weight loss has sllllloooowwwwed a bit. But I'm gonna give it my best shot. HEE HEE HEE... I am soooo happy G

Hi, I too went to Dr. Aceves. And he and his staff are nothing short of awesome. There have been many times I have questioned whether or not I actually had surgery because I haven't had any of the typical complaints people have after a sleeve. It has been awesome. I am 11 weeks post op and have lost 45 lbs post op and 40 preop for a total of 85 lbs since April. Now, I am a heavy weight, so I still have another 135 to go. But I figure I will be at goal by next summer, one year post op. It's not been easy, but it is not nearly as difficult as I thought it would be. I too was not comfortable telling everyone because I have been judged harshly by others for being overweight and had no desire to be judged even more for my decision to do something permanent about my yo-yo. To date, only a handful of people know. My father and son do not know that I have lost my weight through surgery because I was on a high Protein diet for 4 months preop. I am sure my son's wife suspects, but they don't know for sure. Too many people think it's the easy way out if they have never been in our shoes. And I CAN lose weight. I have gained and lost and regained 250 lbs over my adult life (was a normal weight prior to adulthood). I just cannot keep it off. Until now. And I have never been a junk food junkie. I did eat large portions and never felt full...always hungry. I am still on high prots, low carbs and will remain here until reach goal. After that, I believe I will go back to a balanced diet, just with my current portions. However, I started an RN refresher program 2 weeks ago. I am sad to report that my instructor "outed" me to the whole class on the first day within the first 10 mins. I couldn't believe it. I guess because her husband had a bypass she felt enabled to just blurt it out. She knew because I had asked for a preceptee arrangement at a local bariatric center. I figured if I had to do student nursing again, after being a nurse for 33 years, that I wanted it to be meaningful to me. But I never asked her to keep it confidential...just assumed she wouldn't say anything. Well, the bimbo barbie dolls in class felt it necessary to chew on that info during a break. How tacky. Turns out one of then had lost 100 lbs (70 on HCG and 30 on the divorce diet) but she it the REAL way, and didn't take the easy way out like I did...yatta yatta. Personally, I don't see where HCG is any healthier than surgery. The one bimbo says to the other "You don't look or act like someone who has had a weight problem..." Nice. I turned and walked away. Small minded and petty. Well, she's only early 30's and from my experience and the statistics, she WILL gain it back (at least she has a 96% chance of it) and likely with a bonus. Bottom line: We here did the right thing. We have to do what we have to do. And if it takes something drastic to get healthy, then that's right for us. And if you don't want people to talk about it, you'd best get them to promise not to up front. GG

Well, it finally happened after the biggest granddaddy of all stalls!!! I am now down 81 lbs and woke up this morning and weighed. When the scale read 299.4 I rubbed my eyes to be sure they just weren't blurry!!! Sorry I've been AWOL lately from the board. Been busy with life... ~ I started back to school for my RN refresher course. ~ I went to a bariatric support group get together. It was high Protein, low carb and great company. The hostess is about 2 yrs out and she gave me a PILE of gorgeous designer clothes. Some very nice work suits and dress clothes. Some fit now, some will fit soon and some down the road. It was such a thrill. I was really tickled. Well, that's all the news from me! Take care everybody! gg

Me too! I just ended a 2 week stall and am 9 weeks post op. This is my first real stall though. I was beginning to worry, except my clothes kept shrinking. Thank goodness! That is the ONLY thing that kept me from getting really frustrated. GG

No you didn't eat your last piece of pizza, but you may have had your last WHOLE pizza. 4 or 5 weeks post op, I ate 2/3 of a slice, left the round, hard crust but ate all the toppings. It was awesome. And I was quite satisfied. You'll be able to have it again, but not just now, and not all that you ate before. But trust me, you won't want it. A little dab will do ya... gg

Oh, the clothes are great! And being able to actually wear some of them now is soooooo awesome! I must confess, I never really had a stall until 2 weeks ago. Then I began wrestling with the same 4 lbs. All the while, I was getting smaller in my clothes, but just couldn't get past that 300 lb milestone. Finally, it broke this morning. I was quite happy to see that scale move. Even though my rational mind was trying to tell me not to sweat the numbers, it's hard. You want that quantitative gratification for the hard work. And finally, it happened! gg

Sashimi went down really well for me when I was on soft foods. Don't be surprised though, how little you'll be able to eat before you full the first time. g

I had my sleeve by Dr. Aceves on 8/12. Would not hesitate to recommend him. See some of my other posts for my story, post op complications (no fault of anyone---just one of those things) And I got awesome care for that too! I'm a retired health care professional and know the difference between great care, so-so care and horrible care. And I can tell you that for the most part the care is awesome in the hospital. I had zero complaints about Aceves and his team. It was the first spinal I ever in my life. And it went very well. No problems with it at all. I had very little post op pain, one tiny episode of nausea (my first sip of water---which was cured by an IV medication) and no vomiting. I am about 8 weeks and a couple days post op and have lost a total of 79 lbs (total pre op dieting and postop) 39 post op. I thought it would be more, but the scale keeps moving albeit slowly. Our AZ weather has been bloody hot lately but the pool is too cold to swim because our overnight temps cool the Water too much. So I am not exercising like I was. Need to get back into that. Bottom line: I have not had one second of regret for the surgery choice, the surgeon choice, or anything else. I feel so much better. All my GERD has disappeared. Not one episode of it since surgery (knock on wood). But I am pretty much following the program to the letter (except I need more exercise). Our temps are expected to cool off next week. and I start classes after that too so that will get me moving more. GG

Your story is similar to mine, except that I am much older than you. Good for you for reaching the wise choice at a young age. The quality of your life as you age will be superb! And you will be teaching your kids a healthier way to eat and to view food in general. Welcome, and I wish you much success in your journey. GG

Yes, I agree with Wannalise...Aceves is tops. He gave me a great surgical experience. I went down there first to check out the hospital and interview him. (I live within 4 hrs of Mexicali so it was worth it to me to make the trip.) I came home convinced. He spent hours with me answering my questions and talking about his technique, which really was reassuring to me. Even my husband was impressed and he was not wild about my original US physician choice. And my husband doesn't speak Spanish and doesn't feel comfortable going to Mexico in general. But he was glad we did it that way in the end. When I had post op lung issues (no fault of anyone---just my crappy lungs) they took care of me quickly and competently and didn't charge me anything except for the meds (that was the pharmacy). I would whole heartedly, without any reservation recommend Aceves & Co. His right hand man Dr. Campos is most excellent as well---AND he had a sleeve done himself by Dr Campo. Personally, I have never had a boss that I would let come within 6 ft of me with a scalpel. GG

The full signal hiccup I get is different from the ones I get during the day associated with food. I can't explain how. It just is always one loud one. I used to get 30 mins after I started feeling full. So I would stop at the sensation and then 30 mins later, ONE BIG HICCUP. Now, I get the ONE BIG HICCUP, with the sensation of fullness. So at least my signals are in synch now. Ha! The others ones I get at random times are usually more than one. They can all be loud at times though. gg

I had postop pneumonia in one lung and a partially collapsed lung on the other side. This was just because I have a lot of resp history. Not due to anything the doc did or didn't do. I followed instructions to the letter, and yet I still had the complications. Sometimes, just surgery by itself ups the risks. But I have been sooooo lucky otherwise. I have not experienced any nausea, vomiting, sliming, foaming, regrets or anything else. The only thing I'd do differently is I would have had this 20 yrs ago were it available by a great doc like I had. GG

I know a lot of folks call this an NSV, but damn it, this is a scale VICTORY for me. For whatever reason, I have always been a clothes whore, but I am a cheap clothes whore. (Note: the word clothes is between cheap and whore.... Well, I always shop catalogs and I always shop clearance. And I always had good intentions so sometimes I would buy stuff and not return it when it didn't fit, promising to one day fit into it. Well, I am sure everyone here can relate and you all know what always happens next... Today, I am down 75.5 lbs since April when my journey began (35.5) since my surgery 7 weeks ago. I am very pleased with my average of 5# per week, btw. In the past 3 years I have only worked 10 months and since I don't have a job yet, I can't go shopping...not even to Goodwill...money is just too tight. But, I can shop at GG's closet!!! Last night my hubbie and I had a fashion show. I tried on those things that still have price tags on them, and so many of them fit me already. Some are even too big (I missed the window to wear them). And a lot of them are only about 20# away from wearing. I am so excited I wanted to open the windows and tell all the neighbors. But I am more comfortable knocking on your virtual windows and sharing this with you!!! Besides feeling great and fitting behind the steering wheel, I now have a brand new wardrobe!!! That I didn't have to pay for (OK, I did, but I'd say these are fully depreciated) and I didn't have to put any recent money out.

I don't know. I had some mucus too, but I have terrible allergies. You might try a little benadryl and if it goes away, chalk it up to nasal stuff. If not, it may be the slimes they talk about with acid and indigestion from eating too much or at the wrong times? Sorry I can't help much here. g

So, my journey was a little different....I lost my job and with it my health insurance at the end of March. When I went to buy my own policy, I learned I was uninsureable. That was like ice Water bucket over the head. So I started eating a Protein breakfast and within a few days started losing weight. I started drinking a lot more water and noticed the scale was still moving. So, I thought, what the heck, why not substitute a few of my bad habits for better ones and started substituting random meals and Snacks for Protein shakes. Then started watching the carbs. In May, I saw an ad for lapband, special in AZ with a new doctor in town--who ended up being Dr. Husted, and signed up for the next seminar which was in June. By then I had lost 25 lbs. and wanted to keep it off. Well, dr H talked about the sleeve which sounded like a better option for me in the long run. But he was waiting for local hospital privileges and I couldn't raise the 21K he needed for the surgery. So I waited, and waited...and ended up checking out a wonderful facility in Mexical (yes, Mexico) which was 40% of Dr. H's price. I really liked Dr. Husted, but I couldn't wait as I was job seeking and Sept is always the best month to get a job. I went to Mexico and checked it out, met the Dr. Interviewd him and his staff and researched all I could. By 8/12, my date, I was down 42 lbs. And I wasn't about to give that up. So no, I never pigged out before surgery. There was a couple times I took a bite of something of my husband's but for the most part, I didn't cheat. I wanted my liver to be squeaky clean in the OR. When I felt the urge to just say screw it, I would tell myself I can eat anything I want, just not EVERYTHING, and just not NOW. And that thought kept me going, along with all the motivational pictures of everyone here who is on the loser's bench. I wanted to be one of THEM!!! I have not had 1 second of remorse or regret. And I am about to post on the post-op board my big victory. Go check it out. Please, do everything you can to make your pending surgery safer. Do the high protein and very low carb diet pre-op. It keeps your liver from being slimey in the OR and makes it easier on both you and the doc doing the surgery. GG

you're only a couple weeks out. It will get better. Really it will! gg:thumbup1: