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Thank you!!

Congratulations!!!!

I hope you feel as fabulous as you look! Congratulations!

Good job staying focused on why you are doing this! It's going to be really difficult sometimes but just remember why you are doing this and why it is so important for you and your health! As a bonus you'll be able to start checking things off this list and it will affect your family in such a positive way! Congratulations on your upcoming surgery and I pray it goes off without a hitch!

Today I am 3 weeks post op and I tell you what, many things have happened in the past 3 weeks. I am going to tell you about the positives things because those are the ones that matter and are worth remembering! I’ll start with the fact that I have lost 31 lbs so far! I am 2 pounds away from being in Onederland! At this point I have mostly figured out how much I am able to eat. I sometimes eat a little fast or a little too much and feel uncomfortable for about 30 minutes but then it passes. The only thing my stomach hasn't really liked was some creamed corn I ate from Rudy’s BBQ. Other than that I have been able to keep everything down…ground beef, fish, chicken, turkey, rice, beans, etc. I have not had the problems others have had with eating bread. I can eat pretty much anything, just not a lot. For example, we took our youngest daughter out to eat for her birthday yesterday and my husband and I split a plate. I basically took enough food for about 8 bites and he ate the rest. My girls both ate and the whole thing was just $32 with tip for all 4 of us. That’s another great thing…saving money when we go out! Something else I love is that many of my clothes are very loose and you can tell I have lost weight which is cool. I had to go digging in my closet for some smaller jeans that I haven’t worn in a while and they fit perfectly. I also wore a dress that I haven’t fit into since my husband and I were engaged over 5 years ago. That was a nice feeling! I am excited about fitting into other things that have been just sitting in my closet waiting to be used! Now to get a little more personal, a difficult but great thing happened to me last week. I was dealing with some emotional issues that made me cry a lot. I walked home from where I was and on the way there I just kept thinking about how much I wanted to go stuff my face. I got home, opened the fridge and just imagined myself getting sick if I did it. I couldn’t do it. In that moment I was forced to deal with my emotions a different way. I cried some more and then talk to God about it. About 30 minutes after that I talk to my husband about it too. It was such a big moment for me. To realize that I can walk away from the food that will do nothing but make me sick in that moment and over time and rely on a God that loves me unconditionally. It came to the surface…what I already knew….that I wasn’t giving Him all of me. Now I am surrendering the rest of me…slowly but surely. He deserves it all, not just the parts I am comfortable giving. What a wonderful experience! Such a moment of growth! I am grateful for all the special moments I have had so far and I can’t wait to see what new adventures await me!

Elisa, Annie...sorry I forgot to come back and tell you about my visit with the doctor. He says that in all the conferences he attended the most successful results came from people that had the 38 to 40 size bougie used to measure their stomachs. If a smaller size bougie is used (when your stomach stretches over time) you can sometimes eat 60 to 70 percent of what you used to eat. This will happen several years down the road. If your stomach starts out as small as mine, I will not stretch to be that big. It's been a big adjustment but I haven't really had a lot problems. He used the 40 size bougie for my surgery.

I'm doing good! Both surgeries went well. The doctor said the gall bladder was more difficult than he thought but was successful. He called my sleeve "beautiful" and all went without a hitch there. Can't eat very much at all and still having pain but its only 4 days post op. I was in the hospital 3 nights because my blood pressure and pain were a little out of hand. They got the blood pressure under control by Saturday evening. They had to do a test on Sunday because they gave me 4 pills to take by mouth and it gave me a lot of pain. They had me drink this special liquid while they took pictures and the doctor said there were no leaks but the sleeve is really tight and it's going to take a while for the inflammation to go down. He also said that because the sleeve is so tight that even over time as my stomach might stretch some it will never be all that big. All in all, I'm doing better and just waiting to get to my "new" normal. My tongue has been slightly numb since surgery and I'm still waiting for that to go away. I have a follow up with Dr. Shukla next week. Thanks to all who have checked on me!

I am 3 weeks post op today and I am having the same problem you are. I also got my visitor and I've been stuck at the same weight pretty much since Sunday. I am not letting that get me down. I see the changes in the way I look and feel. That is something to be proud of and excited about! This is just part of being a woman. Not fun or easy but it's something that will pass. Just keep doing the right things and your body will reward you!

That's fabulous! Glad you are feeling so good and that it is affecting you in such a positive way!

I started out at almost the exact weight you did...232. In just over 1 month, between the liquid diet before and after the surgery, and of course the surgery itself, I am already at 206. Tomorrow I will be a week post op. You will definitely reach your goal by the end of the year...and I think much more! Congratulations on what you have accomplished so far and blessings going forward!

Dr. Urmil Shukla was my surgeon and he was really great!

I actually didn't ask him that but I will when I see him next week. God bless you and your upcoming surgery! Just remember to bring chapstick, a travel pillow and toiletries so you can feel as normal as possible. Only worry about one set of clothes because you'll be in the hospital gown the whole time and you won't want to change out of it because it's so comfy.

The surgeries were a success! Thank you all for the support! Recovery is going well. I'm definitely hurting but the nurses have been so awesome! My husband is too!

My surgery is in the morning! I'm excited and very nervous. The closer it gets the more nervous I get. I'm having my gall bladder removed and the gastric sleeve at the same time. It's after midnight so I can't eat or drink any more. I need to stop thinking so much because it's making my stomach hurt! Just curious, has anyone else had another procedure at the same time as their sleeve?

I'm at the hospital now waiting for them to check me in. Thank you all for your feedback and encouragement!

Thank you!

Congratulations!!! Glad to see your success...it's just more inspiration! Today is my last day of the pre-op liquid diet, surgery is in the morning. I've lost 10 lbs in the past month!

Thank you for this post! I'm having surgery in the morning and there are some things on this list I never thought about. A big help!

Thank you so much!

It's funny how things work out. One day, you go to the doctor for a sinus infection you can't shake, 7 days later you are scheduled for surgery. Let me tell you how I got there. Just after my birthday last month I started feeling rotten. No matter what I took I was not getting better. I had ear and throat ache, headache, congestion, the whole bit. Then I got sick to my stomach too. The following Monday I decided to go to doctor to get checked out. The doctor gave me an antibiotic for my sinus, a medicine for the nausea and took some blood. A couple of days later his office asked me to come in to talk to me about my results. I thought, that can't be good. Normally if everything's good they just say that or mail you the results. So, I took time off work and went to my doctor. He told me he found a few things that needed to be addressed in my blood work. Here is what he brought up: - Anemia - I started taking iron pills right away. - Blood Sugar Elevated - He needs to do a more comprehensive test but believes I am in the beginning stages of diabetes. (I have a family history of it through my mom, grandma, etc.) - Liver Enzymes are elevated - Pancreatic Enzymes are elevated The doctor sent me to get an ultrasound to check my gallbladder. Based on the results I was scheduled to see a surgeon named Dr. Urmil Shukla to schedule my gall bladder removal surgery. I nervously made my way to his office to hear the details of what was coming. He told me that I had many stones in my gall bladder and it needed to come out very soon. I have never had surgery so the thought of it made me so nervous. Then, while looking over my chart, he saw my already existing high blood pressure, the recent blood work results, my BMI of 42, my Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, my constant tiredness and sleepiness and he presented an opportunity. Dr. Shukla explained that while he removes my gall bladder he could also do a "Sleeve Gastrectomy". I gave him a puzzled look. He explained the purpose of the surgery and told me how much it could benefit me to have it done. He gave me some paperwork, told me to think about it and let him know what I decide. I spent the next week researching the surgery, his credentials on this type of surgery, the cost and how I could make something like this happen. I have dieted before, even lost almost 50 pounds one time. But eventually I gained it all back. I am now a mother of two adopted daughters that I love so much and I want to be here for them. I want to be healthy. I want to keep up with them when we play. I want to be able to say "YES!" when they want to do something fun that requires a lot of energy. I want to have enough room on my lap for them to comfortably sit down. I want to desire to be in pictures with them not just take pictures of them. After research and several conversations with my husband, we decided to move forward with both surgeries. In the midst of my research I read that having any kind of infection (including an abscessed tooth) will keep you from getting a surgery. I had a toothache for a while so went to the dentist and found out that I have two infected teeth that are beyond saving and need to be extracted. I was put on an antibiotic and two days later I went to get the two teeth removed. One tooth was easy, the other had to be surgically removed. The teeth are pretty much healed now. Just two days after removing my teeth I went on a mission trip for one week. I just got back on Saturday night. It has been one crazy ride! Today I went to the doctor's office and the hospital to pay my portion of the surgeries. My surgeries are scheduled for this Friday, July 26, 2013. I am nervous and excited! I pray everything goes well and there are no complications. If you pray, please pray with me. I am glad to have found this community of people who are changing their lives one day at a time. I have read many encouraging blogs so far, seen many wonderful before and after photos and found some funny videos too! I can't wait to see what else I can learn from this strong group of people!