Shells_Almost_There

3 weeks for me, and I was so happy when I could finally turn in my sleep like I used to. Ahhhhh!

For my sleeve surgery, I slept for quite a while after surgery and didn't get out of the hospital bed for hours. Essentially, the nurses asked me to let them know when I was ready and they'd escort me around the nurses station on my walk. I ended up getting out of bed maybe 2 hours after I finally was alert and it went really well. I did laps off and on all night in the hospital (I'd slept really well under anesthesia and wasn't tired at all!), and they finally stopped bothering to escort me once it was clear that I was not going to fall. It was a very positive experience. Good luck!
ETA: Also, I had no gas pains at all, so I was really just walking because it was required as a discharge criteria and because my tailbone really started to hurt in the hospital bed after a while. I couldn't find a comfy position on my back after 3 hours so walking help to relieve that a bit.

For my sleeve surgery, I slept for quite a while after surgery and didn't get out of the hospital bed for hours. Essentially, the nurses asked me to let them know when I was ready and they'd escort me around the nurses station on my walk. I ended up getting out of bed maybe 2 hours after I finally was alert and it went really well. I did laps off and on all night in the hospital (I'd slept really well under anesthesia and wasn't tired at all!), and they finally stopped bothering to escort me once it was clear that I was not going to fall. It was a very positive experience. Good luck!
ETA: Also, I had no gas pains at all, so I was really just walking because it was required as a discharge criteria and because my tailbone really started to hurt in the hospital bed after a while. I couldn't find a comfy position on my back after 3 hours so walking help to relieve that a bit.

All docs are different, it seems - did you not receive an after-care plan with dietary guidelines? I got one from my surgeon's office and another from the hospital's bariatric program. They meshed pretty well, although some details were slightly off. If in doubt, I stayed with the surgeon's plan.
Overall, my surgeon's program seems quite liberal and easy compared to many that I've read about here -- it was 2 weeks liquids only (full liquids both weeks), then 2 weeks purees. Next, 2 weeks of soft/mushies, and finally start trying out more solid food (a lot of which might not agree with you - tuna still makes me feel sick). The 2 week thing for each stage seemed just about perfect - the minute I thought I was going to lose my mind from having only chicken/beef broth and Protein shakes, I moved to the next stage Then about the time I had a craving to "chew" something, I got to switch it up again. Some days were better than others, though, that's for sure.
I hope someone will post one of the online post-op plans for you (sorry I don't remember the names/web sites but I've seen them posted numerous times for people who didn't receive a post-op diet plan from their surgeons), but I would highly recommend contacting your surgeon's office if at all possible to find out their specific guidelines. Good luck!

I will also add that you should definitely check out the Premier Protein ready-to-drink shakes - available at costco and Sam's Club. I despised ALL whey Protein other than 2 flavors and even those were tough to choke down. whey makes me a bit nauseated for some reason. Many people on this site recommend the chocolate flavor Premier shake - it's the only one I can stand that has the higher grams of protein that we need in a smaller container. It really gives you the most bang for your buck and the taste is really good.

I had (and still have) this issue - I broke the addiction pre-op by cutting out all treats and switching to dark chocolate. I tried all sorts until I found a low-sugar type that was still slightly edible. It is kind of nasty but still felt like I had a treat so I wasn't too deprived. It took forever to break both my sugar addiction and my diet soda habit, but it is doable! Good luck!

Upon advice of others here at the site, I wore loose sweatpants, with a black tank top and larger black top over that. I wore slip on shoes (you will not want to bend down after surgery). When I arrived at the hospital, I had a bra on, but I don't recommend a bra post op- too restrictive and it would have touched 3 incisions in my case. That's why I wore the tank top underneath, to hold the "girls" a little. I had undies as well, and when I left I tucked them kind of under my tummy so they wouldn't touch my incision near my belly button that was very angry post op.
Good luck!

I also chose to not tell many people, so none of my local friends know except 1, and only my mom knows as far as family. At work, 3 people know, but in very strict confidence. Other people have started noticing the weight slowly coming off and if they ask, I say that I've been on a high-Protein low-carb diet since June and that it's finally paying off. Everyone is satisfied with that answer - including me, since I don't want to out-n-out lie to them but in the end it's not their business. And hey, it's true- I have been basically doing Atkins since June!
So far, it's going very well - I'm finishing my 8th week post op this weekend and no one's the wiser unless I've made the choice to tell them. Good luck to you!

I echo all of the above, and would add:
* going to any doctor's office and the nurse takes one look and says, "hang on, I'll have to get the large cuff for you."

I echo all of the above, and would add:
* going to any doctor's office and the nurse takes one look and says, "hang on, I'll have to get the large cuff for you."

I echo all of the above, and would add:
* going to any doctor's office and the nurse takes one look and says, "hang on, I'll have to get the large cuff for you."

So today I am almost 4 months post op an I have lost 42lbs. Today is my birthday and I wore to church yesterday a suit that I wore 8 years ago. Four months ago I was a size 18-20 and today I am a size 12.

I echo all of the above, and would add:
* going to any doctor's office and the nurse takes one look and says, "hang on, I'll have to get the large cuff for you."

So sorry to hear this, but sadly not surprised. People can just be thoughtless and mean. Less than 10 people are aware I've had surgery, for this exact reason. All those who don't know about my surgery will notice I eat less, and then then will notice I am losing weight. That's all they need to know!!!
Hang in there, you are doing everything you should. The most important thing is to "take care of you."

For certain the weight doesn't just magically fall off - it's still a lot of work. I have learned that I am a slow loser and that's fine for me - you may find the same is true for you.
My advice is to try not to measure yourself against the weight loss of others but instead against your weight loss efforts in the past. And losing inches is so great - my clothes are just hanging off me these days and I've barely lost any weight on the scale since that darned Week 3! Follow your surgeon's plan and work that sleeve and the results will happen.

You look great!! I wasn't going to dress up either because I was not going to buy a costume I wouldn't ware again! My sister had a Countess costume from years ago. size 12-14 large, tryd it on and it fit!! SHOCKER!! Felt good to dress up! First time in 10years

You look awesome - Congrats! I have my final "fat" costume party tomorrow night. Really not looking forward to it, in my plus size outfit...but NEXT year? Looking forward to a much better costume selection and feeling of confidence.

If you do write a Facebook post, I think it should be this. YOU are a great writer. (I should know, I'm an English teacher!) This post explains it all.
You'll probably find wonderful support in the least likely people. I say, go for it!

This is one of those major decisions that we each make in our own way - whichever way you go, own that decision! It's yours. You are doing something very personal for you - not for your friends, overweight or not. Friends come and go - we only have one life. The surgery will change that life, but it isn't an easy way out or magical - it's a lot work. (I personally didn't want to share with my gossipy co-workers or with my family who would lecture or worry, so I took a well-deserved vacation. I came back to work rested and healthier and no one knows the difference! People are starting to notice my weight loss, but they are aware I've been on a high-protein diet and have not given it a 2nd thought. That was my choice and I'm happy I went that route). Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

This is one of those major decisions that we each make in our own way - whichever way you go, own that decision! It's yours. You are doing something very personal for you - not for your friends, overweight or not. Friends come and go - we only have one life. The surgery will change that life, but it isn't an easy way out or magical - it's a lot work. (I personally didn't want to share with my gossipy co-workers or with my family who would lecture or worry, so I took a well-deserved vacation. I came back to work rested and healthier and no one knows the difference! People are starting to notice my weight loss, but they are aware I've been on a high-protein diet and have not given it a 2nd thought. That was my choice and I'm happy I went that route). Good luck to you, whatever you decide.

This procedure will probably vary by hospital. At mine (It was a Legacy/Good Samaritan Hospital), they advise to bring as little as possible, especially valuables. Upon check in, they take any wallets and cash and put it in a lockbox. My clothes, phone, charger, etc, were in a little backpack and were bagged and tagged. They hung the backpack and my CPAP machine carrier onto my gurney so that it made the journey to the recovery room and post-op with me. It was all very easy. If you have a friend/spouse with you, they can take your bag and valuables, by the way. In my case I was alone so I used the hospital procedure. One of your pre-op phone calls will be from a nurse in your hospital, so check in on this procedure with the nurse. Hospitals might run this type of thing differently.
Upon check out, you get wheeled back to the front desk and sign for your wallet/cash etc. and then you are sprung from the hospital. While surgery is generally a rare occurrence for the general population, surgery and dealing with valuables, etc is a daily occurrence for them, so they have procedures to make everything go well. It went super smoothly for me! I hope it does for you as well.

It is natural to have doubts leading up to a major surgery, but if you are doubting the necessity of the sleeve (or any of these types of surgeries) for you, then it might not be time for you to take this step. I waited an entire year based on my doubt that RnY was right for me, so I said I would do it on my own. A year later I weighed more than I'd started at, which was a bummer, but I also learned for the first time in February 2013 about this thing called the "sleeve." That's when it all came together for me and I knew the time and procedure was exactly right for me.
As for the surgery, the sleeve removes the ability to eat massive quantities of food, and many people experience much less hunger. I am losing weight slowly since being sleeved and it is the best thing I've done for myself since becoming obese. I wish this opportunity had been around 10 years ago! My personal experience so far has been that I can have a little of something and be satisfied, rather than 2 or 3 helpings of something. I eat in tiny quantities and I'm not hungry. White carbs like bread make me super sick to my stomach. I can have my favorite foods but in moderation (except for maybe certain bread products. I've only tried 2 types since surgery and it didn't go well). After about week 4, I had learned my measuring as compared to my sleeve's capacity, so I don't measure now unless it's a new food I haven't tried since surgery, or something I think might bug my stomach, and then I try a tiny bit first to see if the sleeve appreciates the food (example: spicy food). Other people might obsessively measure everything that goes in their mouths. That's ok too. Your experience, if you end up getting surgery, will be your own.
I should also mention that since surgery and my post op weight loss so far, my BP is way down, and my sleep apnea seems to have disappeared. I need surgery on my left knee, but the pain has really subsided since losing weight after surgery. I will still have knee surgery eventually but at least the 2 years of chronic daily pain is gone. That's worth it right there for me.
I don't know if any of this is helpful - your decision about surgery and the eventual worthiness of getting the sleeve procedure can only come from you. Good luck.

My surgeon's plan was 6 weeks before any working out beside walking, although when I met with her during my 4th week, she released me because I wasn't having issues like pain, etc. I'm still too chicken to get on my treadmill because I'm a clutz and will be the one who crashes to the ground and messes things up internally! So I'm doing Wii Fit, and staying (relatively) safe on my own two feet.

I went into surgery with such anticipation...I could not wait..I was ready and willing to do almost anything to get this show on the road.....
I came home on the 3rd day and returned with a leak 4 days later....This led to 5 months of a hospital stay with several surgeries and other severe complications.....
After 5 months I came home and had nursing care for another 5 months.....Still not out of the woods yet!
Would I do it again..In a split second..I am nothing like I was before surgery..I am living now, before, existing...I love my sleeve and so glad I did it...176 lbs. down...36 to go...I feel so brand new!!!!

Had an appointment with my PCP to discuss my low blood pressure and its symptoms Well, I HAVE BEEN TAKEN OFF BOTH BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATIONS!!!!! Woo Hooooooooooooo.