MamaT

no one knew what a sleeve was! They had to google it! I was having terrible chest pain/ abdominal pain that got so bad that I couldn't take te pain anymore so hubby took me to the local ER. We r vacationing down in the Jersey shore. when I got to the ER, the triage nurse asked for my history, and I told her I had a VSG, and she looked at me like "what?" I explained to her the basic premise of the procedure & why I had it and she still looked a little perplexed. I was in so much pain at that point I didn't care i she got it or not.. I just needed some pain relief!! (2 doses of dilaudid and I was still in pain... Stoned, but in pain lol) The ER doc knew what the sleeve was (thank God) and he thought this was unrelated but they did a ct scan just to make sure there was no issue. When the next nurse came to me, she asked if I had any problems since my bypass, and I explained to her also what the sleeve was (I was so drugged on dilaudid that hubby had to tell her towards the end of the story lol) . Then a 3rd nurse asked me of the band may have slipped and AGAIN I explained that I didnt have a band. Uuuugh. my Final diagnosis was "gastritis". They think I have an ulcer in my esophagus. I can assure you that I have become very close to my esophagus and sleeve, and this pain was no where near that. It was the worst pain I ever experienced and I pray that it never comes back. I am going to see my surgeon next week and will make an appt with my GI when he can see me. In the meantime I told the ER staff to look at my ct scan and see the sleeve and what it looks like. I was surprised that no one knew what it was! Sorry for the novel lol

Hey everyone! Haven't been around in while.. but I wanted to share... I was sleeved 4/24 and am down 84 lbs since starting my journey. I wanted to share some pics with you.... the first was taken 2 years ago at my company xmas party with my best friend (we both work in the same hospital, different departments tho) and the second was last night... The 3rd pic was taken the day of surgery in April, and the last one was taken last week at a holiday party where I ran into my surgeon! He didn't know it was me at first! He told me how amazing it is to be able to see his patients look and most importantly FEEL so much better about themselves and their health. What I love MOST about my sleeve? I was still able to eat the food at the party, had a piece of this and a piece of that (no Pasta or rice, still can't tolerate it) and I was full and satisfied and guilt free! I even saw another surgeon who has been following my success (I work on a surgical unit, so I see alot of them.. except my bariatric surgeon because I work nights and he rarely comes around when I'm there) and he saw me eating a chocolate covered strawberry (my weakness) and he cheered me on because he knew I could eat just one and be satisfied with that! I hope everyone has an amazing holiday!

I finally hit onderland! Down 81 lbs since surgery, about 90 overall. Happy new year! About 20 lbs to goal, but I am not stressing myself out over it. I enjoy going to the gym 2-4 times a week and take everything day by day. I still have my struggles but I don't beat myself up when I slip. Overall I feel blessed to have had my sleeve and the tool that gave me my life back.

And I am so thankful! I have lost 75 lbs so far and I would like to lose another 30 but I'm not pressuring myself.... I went from a 22/24 to a 14/16. I never thought I would get down to this size and there are some 16 jeans that are already too big! I workout 2-3 times per week and I mix my workouts up between kickboxing and the elliptical. The support between family and friends is unbelievable. My favorite is when people Who I've known for a long time walk by me and don't know who I am.... dde00 My biggest piece of advice is don't pressure yourself... If you've been cleared to eat regular food and you're craving something... Like pizza or ice cream or chocolate, Have some but a very small piece... It will curb the craving And then you can eat something high in Protein And not obsess over that food that you wanted so bad. Here is a pic of me the day of surgery and one taken about a month ago... I

Just posted some pics took me a while to figure out how to do it lol

I am 7 weeks post op.. When were you able to have sushi w brown rice? I haven't had any problems with any foods so far... But I havent had any rice or pasta yet and just had my first piece of ww bread yesterday.. I am thinking I will be able to only have a few pieces anyway... As opposed to the 4 or 5 rolls I used to be able to devour no problem lol

I havent been on in a while... I had a great NSV yesterday!! Well, I went to the Gap to buy a new pair of jeans, and when I tried on the 16 thinking it would fit or be just slightly snug.. it was TOO big!! woooooooooo hooooooo! So I bought the size 14.. I couldn't believe it! And they look darn good on me too! <3 I only lost 1 lb in the last month, and I am OK with that. I haven't been getting my proteins in and I found myself picking here and there. I have been going to the gym 2-3 times per week, but now look to increase that now that my little boy is back in school. I am going to join a local kickboxing gym to change things up a bit. Feeling great... next goal is ONEDERland!

In 3 months we have experienced such a drastic change in our bodies and the way we live now. Happy SURGIversary! I have lost 50 lbs since day of surg and I feel great! Been going to the gym 2-4 times per week and I am amazed at my energy level. Some days are better than others gettin all my proteins in, but overall I feel I am doing good. I never stress over having a few bites of cake or something "bad" because this is a journey not a sprint.. If I deprive myself of a craving then I don't stop thinking about it .. But I'm amazed at how I don't really *crave* anything other than what is good for me! Still the best decision ever (next to becoming a wife & mom, of course

50 lbs GONE as of this morning! yay! I had a rough couple of food days ... I didn't get enough protein and I ate too many carbs. Will focus on getting in a shake and sticking to proteins today. I am very happy with my weight loss thus far and look forward to continued losing! I started this journey at a size 22/24 and yesterday I wore a 16 jeans! they were a little snug but I could breathe and they buttoned!

I had my gall bladder out 10 yrs ago, but the nurse in me thinks I have a stone in my common bile duct that may have sneaked into or around my pancreas. They didn't see anything on the CT scan but who knows if they were looking.

I am 3 weeks post op and I haven't started working out yet because these dizzy spells are killing me! I know I'm not getting enough calories in yet to get in a treadmill without passing out.. And I was looking forward to getting into a routine. I switched my Protein drink to Isopure to try and get more protein in, but I haven't felt the effects yet. I work full time as a nurse and when I'm busy running around I sometimes have to stop and sit down for a minute... I don't know if anyone else experienced this.. I guess I'm just frustrated... I told my surgeon and he said to make sure I eat more often because my sugar might be dropping (I am not a diabetic).. And I try to but I still cannot take in a lot at once. I never thought I would see the day when I wasn't hungry lol

I have been an RN for 2 years now - I work med/surg nights and I love my sleeve! I also work on our hospitals bariatric floor so I love taking care of sleeve pts cuz I know what they r in for. Lost 43 lbs so far!

Hey all! Another night shifter question... Do u exercise on the days you have to work that night? I haven't been, but am starting to wonder if it will give me more energy. Hope everyone is doing well!

Down 43 lbs.. yay! Feeling great. I recently took a picture of my son and I and cropped it next to the pic of me on the day of surgery.. and WOW what a difference. it really made me see the difference. I have a new bff, the elliptical. I try and get on it 3 times a week, and it gives me such a feeling of accomplishment. The first time I stepped on it I couldn't last 7 minutes.. and now I get on for 3 miles in 37 minutes... LOVE it! I have gotten alot of clothes from my aunt who dropped some weight (no surg for her) so I have gone from wearing 22 and 24's to some 16's and comfy in 18's. I even broke down and bought new scrubs for work because my 2x scrubs were looking ridiculous on me. I got LG sized ones, and they are a *little* snug so i'm gonna wait another week or so and try em again. I'm gonna have to look a little silly in my 2x scrubs for a little while longer. The Sleeve is still, next to becoming a mom & a wife, the best thing I ever did for myself.

This is my newest treat!! Love it!

Yesterday I got a tuna & avocado roll - it had tuna & avo draped on top and cucumber crab & tobiko in the middle - I ate the toppings & the middle--- just peeled the rice right off - mmmmmm it was heaven! Been waiting about 10 weeks for that!

Me too! Ive been going to the gym anywhere between 2-4 times per week (the other days are days I work, and 12 hr shifts as a med/surg RN is workout enough lol) and today was the best one yet! I did 32 minutes on the elliptical and 2.3 miles! I feel great!! I want to start classes soon.. I'm going to join a kickboxing gym probably in sept to mix it up a little ... But for now I am going to keep challenging myself

Have fun! I am a jersey shore finatic lol- which beach are you going to? I just discovered dried edamame Beans at whole foods - they are somewhat low fat but oober high in Protein ( serving size 1/4 cup, 4g fat, 10g carbs, 14g protein) and lentil chips... I just grab a little of each and munch on those, to fulfill that crunch craving..

Thank u for the great ideas!

My dr told me to avoid the scale- so I am taking his advice and weighing myself monthly. I have decided not to let the scale dictate how I feel on this journey.. Up a pound.. Down a pound ... Whatever as long as I feel good that's what matters

Great thread! My name is Jennifer, I am 36 and I am very happily married to the love of my life for 9 years. We have a 7 year old son who amazes me every day in his strength, independence, and humor (just like his dad!) I am an RN and I work the overnight shift on a medical/surgical floor and I LoVE my job. We also take care of the post op bariatric patients so I knew the surgeons quite well and how they took care if their patients immediately postop. I love to travel the world (which I did a lot befor my son was born), I love to read, and I am a 100% jersey girl so I spend most if my summer down the shore Next year I hope to take a medical mission trip to Asia, and keep going in school towards my bachelors degree.

So I went & saw my surgeon today- he asked me how often I weigh myself-- about every 8 days or so. He then preceded to say that weighing yourself weekly can hurt your loss. It made complete sense to me. He said as you lose weight your clothes will start falling off, dropping sizes and so on. But because our weight loss will fluctuate and hit stalls, by looking at the scale weekly, the numbers start to dictate how I feel, not the WAY I feel. He said that I could have a great week, staying on track , exercising, the whole bit... And I may feel amazing and my clothes feel loose and I feel great, but if step on the scale and only see a 1 lb loss for that week, then I'll get upset and think I'm not doing well. I've fallen into that trap before.. I can remember years ago walking into a WW meeting feeling great, only to see I lost no weight that week, and leaving and driving straight to McD's. So goodby scale, I'll visit you once a month when my hubby takes you out of hiding.