sharonintx

Yes - I weigh every morning.

That's awesome pammie! You look just great:)

That's awesome! Here's wishing you the very best.

It definitely is the biggest hurdle. But you recognizing it before surgery is half the battle. You will be just fine! And think of the new girl that will be looking back at you in the mirror a few months after surgery. It will be awesome:)

omg that's horrible! I'm so sorry you had that problem. I'm also wondering how did the band get inside? i hope you have the very best of luck with the sleeve:)

hey ladylaura and welcome. I'm nearly 6 weeks post op and I don't regret the surgery. I decided to get the sleeve because I've gotten too old and tired to fight the fat battle anymore. The surgery itself went fine and other than being tired a lot the recovery has been fine too. Learning to eat again post op is quite the challenge but it gets a little easier everyday. I'm down 22 lbs and even though the scale hasn't moved in 2 weeks my clothes are still getting bigger. It must be true that you still lose inches even when your weight stays the same. If you make sure your prepared for your new lifestyle after surgery you will do great. Keep us posted:)

This is a tough one. On one hand you would like to save the money and the VA could provide any aftercare you need. On the other you want the surgery and would like to get started right now. Ordinarily I would say just go for what you really want and go to Mexico. But when you commented about the 8 month wait and how in 8 months you could reach your goal on your own and be maintaining, I thought better of it. If there is a way you can be at your goal in 8 months with no surgery, I think you really need to consider doing just that. This surgery changes your entire life. You have to re-learn everything you ever knew or felt about food. It is no cake walk to adjust to this new way of life. It sucks big time some days. The better part of your stomach is GONE. It will never return and you will never be the same again. I do not regret the surgery. I would do it again. I'm just saying that if you can do this on your own you really should think it over. VSG means everything changes forever. I hope you find the best path for you and wish you the very best:)

I have a Mirena too. I did have some spotting right after surgery then again a few days later. Since then everything is back to normal. I didn't have any problem due to the Mirena.

newgrandmother you look beautiful!

Yes - the pillow works very well. I used one for a good 3 weeks post op. I could have never slept w/o it.

Hey there Laura. You are right that I should be the What Not To Do poster child. I guess every social circle has one. I was trying to think of anything else I've done that wouldn't be recommended so I could just confess everything right now but I think I've covered everything already, Well - except I've been eating too much candy so I had to get it out of the house. It's funny how the worst food choices go down the easiest. But the candy craze is over now so I'll just try to be better from here on out. I enjoy your posts quite a bit. Thanks for making this forum a friendlier place. We could use a few more like you:)

Amen to what SkinnyMalink said. There have been a couple of people that suggested I would fail because I choose to make my own post op diet decisions. I didn't have the majority of my stomach removed just to be on a restrictive diet the rest of my life - or even for 6 weeks post op. I can't even come close to eating the way I did before surgery and this being the case, I will lose weight. If I eat less than 1000 calories a day the weight will fall off in due time. Oh - and I'll just go out on a limb here with another "failure-prone" comment. Yes protein is important, yes we should all put nutrition 1st when choosing what to eat, BUT .....when you get down to it a calorie and is calorie no matter where it comes from. If I eat 900 calories of pop tarts one day and nothing else, I'm still within my daily limit. Self proclaimed experts don't like my way of thinking? Who cares?? Personally I don't give a rip. Don't bother berating me with tales of failure.

After 5 weeks the only things I haven't tried are steak, pork chops, and BBQ such as ribs, etc. But I'm gonna do so any day now.

Chinese has not caused me any problems at all. Or any kind of pasta for that matter. Obviously I can't eat very much but the 4 bites I can manage are simply delicious.

They actually taste pretty much like any gummy candy. Fruit flavor. Not bad at all.

I'm 5 weeks out as well. I have an iron supplement, some B complex liquid, and a gummy multi vitamin. I've been taking the gummies since week 3. No problems.

4 weeks.

I'm 5 weeks out and am just now starting to not be so tired. I'm sill going slow part of the day and I take a lot of naps. Hoping to be back to normal any time.

Welcome lory. You have an amazing journey ahead of you:) As with anything else you will find good and bad things associated with this surgery. People have such varied experiences with this it is mind boggling. For the most part you will see a positive result. Make sure you are ready and understand all the things in your life that will change. After that you will have your surgery and hop on the sleeve bandwagon. You'll have great days and some that you may not enjoy. But your scale will move downward little by little. It is truly awesome to step on your scale and smile for a change. Then your clothes will start to fit differently and will finally fall off. Only those who have had a struggle with weight know how much it means when your pants simply fall off. Congratulations and please keep us posted on your progress:)

I don't want to contradict your Dr's orders but I had pudding, yogurt, thin soups, etc at4-5 days. Maybe you could call and ask for approval to move ahead? Actually by 7 days I was having scrambles eggs and oatmeal too. And beans

Awesome! So glad you are feeling ok.

I like the EAS chocolate or strawberry in the blender with a little fruit and ice. Very tasty.

At 3 weeks I was eating most anything I chose. I chewed it very well.

I woke up and looked around to make sure where i was and decided I was still sleepy so I went back to sleep. Woke up the 2nd time and needed to use the restroom so I got up and went. I felt good so I walked around and talked to the other ladies that were still waiting for surgery. Did this for a couple hours until I was tired then took a nap. No nausea, no pain, and no issues.

I had Dr Almanza in TJ. The cost was $4750 plus airfare which ended up being $500 RT from DFW on Spirit Air. The clinic is indeed in a strip mall. I had no problems at all and liked Dr Almanza. The staff was friendly and professional. I actually came home the next day. The morning after surgery they took me for a leak test and then removed the drain. 2 hrs later I was at the airport waiting for my flight. I paid a $500 deposit and had a cashiers check to pay the balance when I got there. While I was doing my paper work at the clinic I decided to buy an insurance policy for $300 that covered anything and everything for 6 months. If I had any problems during that time the insurance covers my travel expenses and any procedures I need related to the sleeve, the surgery etc. It doesn't look like I'll be needing the insurance. Everything is fine.