My Big Day 3/15/2011

I am overwhelmed with my patient education handbook given to me last week by the nurse in my surgeon's office. Wow! Did not know that the post-op regimen would be so strict. My post-op diet has several stages like other people have mentioned. My first stage is ice chips only the day of surgery. Then second stage is day 2 and 3 clear liquids only. Then day 4 through 15 is pureed foods only and the things you can puree are protein and fruit veggie only. The next stages to come for 6 whole months consist of no carbs...none. The only source of carbs you get is from fruit! Is this typical? My husband said honey why don't you just do that diet and you would lose all your weight. I said yeah right...I could never stick to that...but that scares me. I hope my new tool will definately help me to stick to what my surgeon expects. He also expects lots of exercise beginning on day 3...20 mins walking 3 times a day, then strength and flexibility exercises. Then on day 25 he wants you to start doing 60 mins cardio twice a day! That's like the biggest loser! I guess I am really freaked out over this and just knowing that I am not going to fail at this! Comments please!

Surely there must be someone on this great website who has used Dr Perez. I have no doubts about his level of expertise bc my husband and I both work in surgery with him. I am a nurse in surgery and my husband is a surgical technician. I am looking to connect with someone that has been to this particular surgeon so I can get a better idea of what to expect postop. I am currently waiting on a reply from united for insurance approval. I plan to have my surgery mid march if all goes as planned. I love Dr Perez...he is an excellent surgeon and has really great bedside manners! Anxiously awaiting any replies....

Just wait until those people start to see the pounds shed off of you and your life turn around...then they will be begging to know what you are doing. That is when you proudly say that you had weight loss surgery and it saved your life! Now that I have lost 105 lbs I tell anyone and everyone how I did it. I am an advocate to weight loss surgery for weight loss when you have failed at diet attempts. I think it takes a considerable amount of courage and intelligence to undergo this form of weight loss and anyone who does so should be extremely proud of their decision to add 10 to 15 years to their life expectancy. Good luck and hold your head high knowing that you are one of the lucky few that will actually be fulfilling their new years resolution this year!

This is scary and sounds a lot like a seizure. I hope you atleast schedule an appointment with a neurologist to discuss this episode. Please follow up and let the rest of us know you are ok.

What a beautiful story you have here. So inspirational to others just beginning their journeys. I am almost 8 months out from my surgery and doing awesome with the weight loss...just made the 100 lb mark this morning. I have a ways to go still about 30 lbs but I know I'll get there and reading stories like yours gives me the motivation to keep going. So happy for you!

Love the halloween photos...here's mine. I had this costume from once upon a time when I took Adipex and got skinny temporarily. So I reused it and it felt awesome.

Great post! How encouraging to others beginning their journey. I loved the slide show...I wish I would have kept a good track of my progress like that. Thanks for sharing with us and you've done awesome with your weight loss. Loved your advice about not comparing your weight loss with others b/c you are so right about it being discouraging. Thanks again for sharing.

]ust a quick note on my progress and some photos. I had surgery 3/15/2011 and have lost steadily ever since. My surgeons says I am his best patient...very compliant with the post-op program. I have lost more than 60% of my excess weight which puts me right on track with Gastric Bypass patients. I have about 35 more lbs to lose to be comfortably in the normal weight category for my height. I started in size 24 womens clothes and 2x or 3x tops and now I am in medium shirts and size 12 or 14 pants. I fit into a pair of jeans I kept from years back when I lost weight using Adipex...they are Seven brand and size 32. I just had my hair cut shorter today to go along with my now thinner face. I feel energetic and more confident. Okay, onto the good stuff..the pictures Before photo: March 2011 Middle photo: May 2011 Current photos...

You are an inspiration to me b/c I am also 6 months out from surgery but my surgery weight was 271 so I am not quite in those size 8 jeans yet. I have a ways to go. I am actually between size 12 and 14. I will feel fabulous when I am able to pull off a size 8...that would definately be my ultimate goal. Guess I need to go to goodwill and find a size 8 that I like so that I can have a goal to reach for. Thanks for sharing.

Way to go! You are doing so awesome. That's an enormous improvement in sizes. You have done wondrous things for your body. Good job!

You are doing awesome...but watch the sodium intake and make sure you are getting your vitamins everyday. Way to go on your loss of 56 lbs!

I attend an in person support group at Holy Cross Hospital in Ft lauderdale on the 4th Tuesday of every month starting at 7:15 pm. It's great and sponsored by a psychologist and a nutritionist and occasionally a bariatric surgeon stops in to answer questions. The group consists of people that have had any kind of bariatric surgery and are at any point out from the surgery...some are only weeks out and some are years out. Also, they allow people who are thinking of having the surgery to sit in on the support group as well. It is very helpful and you are welcome to join us.

As I know my onederland goal is just around the corner I thought I should make one last success story post in my 200's. Yesterday I weighed in at 200.5 lbs and my goal was to reach onederland by my 31st birthday on July 23rd. I know that goal will be obtained and I can't wait to take a picture of the scale. I have been in the 200s for atleast 4 years now and prior to that I only briefly visited onederland thanks to the drug Adipex. I am happy to report my stats as of this point as 70.5 lbs lost since mid Feb when I started the pre-op diet. My clothing size has changed from size 24 to 16. Every other aspect of my life has been affected by this wonderful weight loss from my relationship with my husband (intimacy is much better) to my social life to my work as a nurse to the things I can do with my 3 year old. My surgeon is very impressed with my progress and at my 3 month post-op visit he said I am ahead on the weight loss and losing more than a gastric bypass patient who is 3 months out from surgery. He said he expects that I will lose 100 lbs by the time I am 6 months post-op in Sept. Doesn't that sound unreal...but it happens with this wonderful tool we have been given. Now, my next major goal has nothing to do with me...but my two morbidly obese sisters who I am hoping will begin their weight loss surgery journeys soon with my influence. So, goodbye for now and see you when I am in onederland! I attached a girls night out photo...I am the blonde on the left. Also, the other photo was taken just before surgery.

I am totally jealous of you! I mean who cares how much we weigh if we are fitting into size 8 or 6 clothes. You are really lucky that you are already there at your weight b/c that doesn't happen for most people. I am 200 lbs and a size 16 and Lg or XL tops. There is no way I will drop 4 or 5 sizes by the time I get to 185...no way. I am also 5 ft 6. So, enjoy your success and ignore the scale numbers...actually what that really means is you have great bone density which is important for strong bones. The most important thing you have done is dedicated your life to being active. Congrats on your journey and good luck with reaching your future goals whatever they be.

Sunnyd... I remember when we were pre-op and we exchanged emails a bit. Now we are both having huge success...what an amazing feeling. I set a goal to be under 200 lbs by my birthday on July 23rd and this morning I weighed in at 200.5 lbs. Looking back I thought it would be impossible to meet that goal but now as I am so close I know 100% it will happen. Congrats on making a huge milestone...I know that means the world to you...and your body thanks you. I bet you by Christmas you will break out of the 200's as well! Make sure you set smaller goals so that you don't feel so overwhelmed. So proud of you and stay in touch...you are a very motivating person!

I love reading the success of others and always try to look for people that are around the same amount of time post-op as me. So here is my success story...sleeved March 15th, started pre-op diet a few weeks before that at 271 lbs. I now weigh 209 lbs so that is 61 lbs down. I was wearing size 24 clothes (barely) and now am fitting comfortably into size 16. My weight loss has been very steady with no plateaus (thank God!). I do exercise about 3 or 4 times a week...usually cardio and occasionally weights. I start my day every morning with a protein shake b/c it's easy not b/c I have to. Then I have lunch of 3 to 5 oz meat (really 3 oz b/c I can't fit more than that) and a few veggies. Dinner is similar to lunch. If I have trouble with whatever meat I am trying to eat then I tend to eat an oz or two of cheese and a few nuts. I don't snack...3 meals only. I have had a few carbs here and there but nothing big. I have a little hunger from time to time but nothing that I can't ignore. Overall I am extremely happy with my progress and so is my surgeon. He says I am doing as well as a roux-en-y patient who is 4 months out from surgery...so that makes me feel like a true success story. I get tons of compliments daily from co-workers and friends...that really pushes you to stick with your program. I hope my story inspires others who are considering this as a form of weightloss b/c I am a true believer in this surgery. I attached a before pic and a pic from a month ago. I will post more pics soon.

I know you are following your doctors orders but with what they order your weight loss will definately drag on slowly. My doctor keeps us on the same diet until we have lost all of our weight. We are allowed 3 meals consisting of 3 to 5 oz Protein and 2 oz fruit or veggie, 1 8oz cup skim or 1% milk, 6 oz yogurt as snack, That's it...no additional carbs other than what comes from the fruits, milk and yogurt. If I did not start losing with what your doctor prescribed then I would cut those carbs back considerably and keep the protein up. Good luck and hang in there...just remember this is a life long process so you have time to correct it. Great job so far on the rest of your loss.

Wow...way to go...and thanks for celebrating with us. I am on my way there as well...let us know how onederland is...I can't wait to get there.

Hi Deb...I happened to run across your post regarding Fl sleevers and thought I should add a reply as I am in Fort Lauderdale...south Florida. Where is Auburndale? I am doing great with my sleeve. I am losing consistantly every week and receive compliments daily. I have dropped two scrub sizes at work and 4 pant sizes. I started my pre-op diet at 271, was around 255 the day of surgery, and am now 216. I was wearing a size 24 (barely) and am now beginning to see 18's become lose. I can now shop in the regular size area at whatever store and wear the size xl with no problem. My days in the plus sizes are dwindling down as I near size 16 pants. It has been a great journey and I continue to try to achieve the things my doctor asks of me...protein, 100 oz of fluid daily, exercise daily, and taking all the vitamins. I am 10 weeks post-op today and still haven't gotten a set routine with all of that but do try to take the majority of the vitamins and drink as much fluid as I can. I am pretty good with the protein intake as I always start the day with a protein shake to give me a boost of protein. I have been doing atleast 3 days of exercise every week. What has your journey been like so far?

I love your comparison photos! I must say that even before the sleeve you were a nice looking lady and know how to accessorize well. Your after photo is wonderful and you must trade that shirt for a smaller size b/c it looks loose on you already. You must be truly excited to be where you are now b/c you look like you never had a weight problem in the first place...congrats on your achievement. How much are you exercising?

I am a little over 2 months post-op and attempted to ween off of Nexium and start taking Pepcid. However, it did not go as planned and the reflux at night was so bad that I would take 3 or 4 bites of dinner and have immediate vomiting. Therefore, I am back on the Nexium and was actually able to eat dinner tonight (lowcarb wrap, cracker barrel 3% cheese, and 2 tbsp hummus) with no problems after with nausea or vomiting. Lesson learned...for the rest of you who are post-op be very cautious coming off of Nexium.

Wow so glad I read this...did not realize how important the weights are and I am going to strive to do more weights. I always opt for cardio when,I don't have enough time for both...not now I am focusing more on the weights...thanks for the info

So the way I am doing the math to get the average of 4.09 includes my 4 week pre-op diet I followed. Therefore, in 11 weeks I have lost 45 lbs, 16 of which was lost in the 4 week pre-op diet. I am feeling fabulous and the compliments are flowing in. I have dropped two sizes in scrubs at work from a xxlg to large now. I do exercise atleast 4 or 5 times a week including cardio and weight lifting. I also eat similar things every day which is protein shake at breakfast with 1 cup milk, 1 scoop protein powder, and 1/4 cup frozen berries. Lunch is 3 oz meat and 2 oz veggie, afternoon plain greek yogurt and 2 oz fruit, dinner 3 oz meat and 2 oz veggie. Hope this post gives hope to those of you about to be sleeved!

No nausea day of surgery...slept all day thanks to a dilaudid pain pump. Everytime you push the button you go to dreamland. However, first thing next morning they take it away and get you up to go for the stomach xrays in which they gave me a really nasty thick dye to drink and it induced immediate vomiting. I was sick that entire day after that and as a result had to stay an extra night in the hospital. However the next day the nausea subsided and I went home. I would expect to have some bit of nausea after this surgery b/c it is very common. My doctor prescribed a wonder drug for nausea called Emend which is usually given to chemotherapy pt's. It cut the nausea right out. Good luck.