JennyBeth

And Good for you for being accountable and tracking it regardless if you "should" eat it or not. Most people wouldn't track it-especially if others can see it!

I would explain to her how hard it is sometimes to just walk away from food. It's not as easy as it seems and someone who has never struggled with their weight just doesn't get it. My husband is the same way he struggles to keep weight ON and he doesn't understand the power food can have. If he doesn't want to eat something he just doesn't. He isn't faced with the temptation even if it is sitting right in front of him. I've just come to understand that he will never understand my struggle with food. I guess it's the same as it is hard for me to understand alcoholism because I have never had an issue turning down a drink-it just doesn't have the same appeal to me. Food addiction is real just like any other addiction.

I haven't been sleeved yet, but I suffer with IBS and the surgeon says there should be no issue with being sleeved.

Congrats! I'm hoping to have my "official date" so I can only imagine how relieved/excited you must be! It's a long and draining process-that's for sure!! Good luck to you!

(Sorry-posted too soon) And it was an elective surgery. I chose to do it and once I healed I knew it was the best decision I ever made. Hopefully I feel the exact same after being sleeved!

I am also a lower BMI (38) and I can honestly say I am not scared at all. Anxious yes, but not scared. It's natural to be nervous about the unknown, but it's just that-UNKNOWN. Why waste your time being scared of what "could" happen? You face "unknowns" every day of your life. Now I do believe you have to go into this completely prepared and educated, but I have wasted enough of my life being fat (10 years) and I refuse to waste any more of it! I am confident that I can/will be successful with the sleeve and I feel that getting heavier and unhealthier carries much more risk. Don't keep reading horror stories on the Internet. For every bad outcome you'll hear about 3-5 positive outcomes. Maybe my mindset is different because the first surgery I ever had I had at 20

If you don't mind me asking, how much weight do you have to lose? Also, my surgeon did say in his seminar that he recommends patients with diabetes do a bypass because they have better results (although I didn't pay too much attention regarding why because I do not have diabetes). Although my surgeon will do the procedure that the patient wants he feels he needs to educate them as to what HE feels they would have the best success with, but the ultimate choice is the patient's. He said he doesn't recommend the band any longer, but if a patient is dead set on getting one he will still do one. Honestly, I don't understand the logic behind it myself because to me it seems there are so many more issues/inconveniences with the bypass, but like someone else said the bypass is still considered the "gold standard" for WLS because there is typically more weight lost and there are more long term results, but you have to make the decision regarding what is best for YOU. I would have a consult with another surgeon and see what his opinion is regarding what is best for you to do. Good luck!

I agree it wasn't bad at all. The worst part for me was getting the IV started. Afterwards my jaw was sore from the piece they put in your mouth to keep it open (I have TMJ), but that was it! They sprayed some numbing spray into my mouth and the next thing I knew they were waking me up!

Oh that stuff is the devil!

Broth, unsweetened applesauce, cream soups, eggs, protein drinks/powders, sugar free Popsicles and jello, vitamin water, Gatorade (G2), and fat free milk are just a few items on my shopping list. And getting my prescriptions filled ahead of time! And a strainer for the cream soups.

It depends on how much weight you have to lose. My surgeon says he still recommends the bypass for patients that have a lot of weight to lose because bypass patients typically lose more than sleeve patients, but the difference to me is marginal. I would ask specifically for you why he feels the bypass is the best choice-there could be actual medical reasoning behind his opinion that you haven't considered. OR It could be that he has more experience with performing bypass than the sleeve and in that case I would choose a different surgeon if you feel the sleeve is right for you.

Protein is supposed to fill you up longer which makes it more sustainable to be on an all liquid diet. It would be a lot more difficult if you could only have water Pre-op.

It's also in case you vomit it could be mistaken for blood.

In all of my research I've read repeatedly that good marriages are often stronger and poor marriages are often made worse following WLS. I have to admit that I'm very troubled by this. I have been married for 13 and a half years and our marriage has been rocky through the years. A little bit of background info-My husband has been really struggling the past few years with a major depression/anxiety issues. He attributed most of it to his job that he felt "stuck" at. His employer sold the business and since he had no other options he decided to go to school to drive a truck. He did awesome and was starting to feel better, but when he went to leave for an over the road trucking company he realized he couldn't do it. He struggled with the thought of being away from our boys so much. He decided to look for local employment and sunk back into depression because he felt like he "failed". He was unemployed for a little over a year and finally started full-time employment in November. Through the years he has been trying to deal with his issues on his own, but now that it has gotten SO bad and now that he finally has health insurance he is seeking treatment and hopefully this helps him, but our relationship has suffered because of this. I also know he has a long road ahead of him to get him back to how he used to be. Sometimes I feel like I can't talk to him because he's already going through a lot and honestly sometimes I just don't want to because deep down I think I harbor anger over the fact that when he gets upset (which right now is often) he gets mean. It's kind of like walking on egg shells! We have not even had an intimate relationship in over 2 years due to his lack of interest because of his depression and my own insecurities regarding my weight. My husband says he supports me (even though he admits he doesn't understand WLS because he has never struggled with his weight a day in his life), but I'm still scared. He went with me to the seminar and he has a better understanding of it now and says he agrees with my decision to have the sleeve. I am scared because feel like our relationship is fragile, but I also feel that this is my ONE chance to make my self healthy and for once I want to put myself first. Part of me thinks maybe this will improve our relationship because I know deep down my husband resents the fact that I have "let myself go" but then at other times I feel like I'm being selfish by focusing on myself when he is still suffering so much with his depression. He gets easily overwhelmed and I'm afraid he isn't going to be able to support me or help with our boys in the way that I'll need following surgery. I'm scared, but determined at the same time if that makes any sense. Am I being selfish?

This might sound like a silly question, but can you wear a regular bra (underwire) right after surgery? I've heard it recommended to wear a sports bra, but I find it hard to find one that fits well and is not like a wrestling match to get on! I think it would be difficult to get one on being sore. I guess I could go home from the hospital not wearing a bra at all or while I'm recovering at home, but I plan on returning to work 1-2 weeks after surgery?

How many of you found these to be useful? I've had 2 laporscopic procedures before so I'm familiar with the gas afterwards, and I've never used them before. I don't want to buy a whole bunch of stuff I won't end up using.

OMG! HOLY HELL! I couldn't believe how uncomfortable that was! The only ultrasounds I have had were when I was pregnant. They squirt the jelly on you and run the scanner gently across your belly. This was so uncomfortable I was gritting my teeth so hard I'm surprised I didn't chip a tooth! At one point I was going to tell the ultrasound tech, "Enough! What the hell are you doing to me?!" She had to get the scanner up under my ribs and it was so uncomfortable. I have a high threshold for pain normally so I was surprised at how uncomfortable I was! I'll be surprised if my ribs aren't bruised!

I used to work at an ENT and they did them in the office. I would ask the surgeon-maybe they do them in their office, too. They spray a numbing spray into your throat so don't feel anything/gag.

Here's what I would do if I were you-on Monday I would make an appt. that are 5 weeks out (and tell them you want a phone call in case their is a cancellation and then make an appt. with your PCP. Get the prescription if your PCP will give it to you. Then whichever you get first (either proof of Rx or sessions with a psychologist) and get them to that whack-job as soon as possible, get your approval and either don't take it or cancel the appt. Once you get into to see a psychologist then they should see you once a week so after just a few weeks you can prove you're doing it.

What I find to be so frustrating is that a person that has never met you and you sit down for an hour can give a diagnosis like that. That's BS! This whole process is emotional even for someone that doesn't normally wear their emotions on their sleeve (like me). Trust me, I almost verbally assaulted an ultrasound tech today which is not in my character, but this whole hoop-jumping process has gotten me slightly on edge! (Laughing but TOTALLY serious!) I would honestly go for a second psych eval with someone else. Why am I depressed? Duh! Because I'm fat, you idiot! And who doesn't grow up with some form of emotional issues nowadays? That's no reason to make someone start to take anti-depressants unless YOU feel you need them! What a pill-pusher! I do agree that everyone pursuing WLS would benefit from counseling to get to the root of why we overeat, however other than that I wouldn't take one word of what she said to heart. Does she deal with bariatric patients? The person who did my psych eval did and I think that is helpful.

Wow! I just noticed how much weight you lost! That is awesome! Good for you!

It might have just been the tech! Ultrasound Tech Nazi!