AvaFern

You will be fine by then. Take it easy on the booze though. Until you're sure of how your stomach handles alcohol, one drink could have you stumbling drunk, which is unpleasant when you're at home, forget vacation!

I would wait to find out for sure if the surgery is covered, just because if you have to make a decision it helps to be 100% sure that the two options you are considering are actually options and in this case it didn't sound like it would hurt you at all to find out next week. Despite this though, if you've already committed to getting the sleeve in two weeks, I would go for it despite the cost. I have Aetna as private insurance and I didn't think they would cover it and I didn't feel like going through all of their requirements, so I paid for the surgery which in America was 20K and I have not regretted it. With insurance you are going to have to spend the next 6 months at least jumping through hoops and in the end they might decline you anyway. The surgeon you chose has an excellent reputation and while 6K isn't exactly cheap, the sleeve isn't free with insurance- you still have co-pays and other costs that do tend to add up to some extent and you would be sacrificing months of your life on the possibility that you would still be declined and you would ultimately have to do anyway what you are already scheduled to do now. In terms of complications, you very likely will have none, but I bought a special insurance package that covered any potential complications for 90 days after surgery. I never needed it and it cost about a grand extra. It was called Bliss insurance, but I'm sure they have different options available from other insurers. Time is more valuable than money. You can always make more money, but you aren't ever going to buy yourself more time. You are two weeks from surgery...pull the trigger and do it now. Saving a little bit of money on a gamble that your insurance might approve you sometime in the distant future with costs unknown seems like a less than optimal option.

Haha, I had Peeps at Easter. I had a plastics surgery the week before Easter and my best friend knows that during the week after surgery I "allow" myself to eat the junk food I don't normally eat. She got me every flavor of Peeps they make, which FYI is now like all the crazy colors, bubblegum, and lemonade flavors, so I had probably about 100 peeps. I ate two of the purple ones, I ate about 6 of the lemonade ones over the course of the week (and I still grab one every few days) and the rest are stuck in my pantry where they will probably stay until I end up tossing them. I love Peeps, but now I am completely content to eat one when I feel the urge and not have any more. That is entirely because of the sleeve, and it is a wonderful new concept. Only eating something when you crave it and only have one? Crazy!

Not braggy at all! Lol, I have intentionally been super careful with my license because I have a really great picture on it and if I have to get another one done, there is no way I will look as good as the old one. I had to get a different kind of license about a year ago and I look horrendous in the picture- if they let me go get a new one, I absolutely would!

What if it all works out perfectly and this time a year or two from now you are happy, healthy, and at your goal weight?

There is no reason they can't schedule the hour long consult you need before the end of May. Call them back, tell them that you are unable to wait until the end of May and you would like them to look a bit harder for an opening. If they are unable to find one, you will go to another surgeon. I've worked in the medical field- if you really want to, you can get just about any kind of patient in for something quick like a consult, it just takes a little effort and creativity. If you want to be lazy, you tell them that they have to wait for a few weeks until the schedule has more openings. If they don't bother to argue with you, you're not at all motivated to push up their appointment, but if they pitch a fit, it's just easier to make them happy and find a place to squeeze them into than worry about them posting a bad review about the business or the doctor and then taking their business somewhere else. Be the squeaky wheel.

Good for you! I had this procedure last August- the TT, lift, and augment, and recovery is not bad at all. The only thing that takes a little while to get used to is the fact that you can't do any sit-up motion, so getting up in bed is a little weird for a few weeks, and you don't realize what you all use your pectoral muscles for (like vacuuming) so it takes a bit to get accustomed to that. The first week or so you have to walk around hunched over so that you don't rip open your stomach sutures, so before surgery it's good to have everything you need at around shoulder height because you can't really reach up into upper cabinets very well at first. Also, when you're laying down, you'll want to be in lawnchair position, which is basically just with your shoulders propped up and a pillow under your knees. I bought a bed wedge, which was a waste of money...a pile of pillows under my head and shoulders and one under my knees and I was very comfortable. Also, the first few days you're a little drugged and groggy feeling, so I put a press-on nightlight by my bed so I could just reach over, smack it, and see what I needed to be doing without worrying about finding the bedside lamp switch. My doctor told me I only needed to wear a binder, but I was MUCH more comfortable in a compression garment. Mine went from my knees to just under my ribcage and it zips and snaps up. Much as it is a huge pia to get into the first few days, it keeps everything nice and tight, especially while you sleep, and you tend to get less swollen. I've used that garment for all three of my surgeries, partly because it minimizes swelling and partly because at night everything is kept nice and tight, so if you roll over accidentally or twist wrong, it doesn't seem to feel as awful as when you don't have it on. I was expecting excruciating pain and I was very happy to find that there was almost none. Compared to sleeve surgery where you're not only miserable, but you can't eat anything so you're weak, plastic surgery you get to be high for a few days usually on Percocet and you can eat and drink enough to feel just fine. I started walking on day 7 about 2 miles at a time, which at first takes awhile because you're walking with a hunched over posture. They will tell you to "walk as much as you want" which for most people means around their house and the grocery store. I took this literally and by week 2 I was up to 10 miles a day and I ended up with a seroma that took an extra month to heal. So, if you're at all like me, you will feel completely fine after the first week and ready to get back to normal- resist the urge and enjoy being lazy for a bit. Good luck with your surgery- you will LOVE the results! This was by far my favorite of the plastics procedures I had done and there is nothing quite like having a perfectly flat stomach. It's been 8 months now and I still love my new tummy!

I feel guilty for taking the "easy" way out. I feel ashamed that unlike "normal" people I couldn't control my weight with diet and exercise. I have told my three best friends and I have no intention of ever telling anyone else, largely because I know that most people think bariatric surgery is the easy way out and it attaches a stigma to you. Oh, look, the fat girl got skinny because she had her stomach cut out- what a total cheaterhead. Must be nice to take the easy way out! I am fully aware that that is exactly what everyone who has never struggled with food and most people who have not had the surgery feel about it and I am fine with that. We are all allowed our opinions and I don't put my decision in a position where other people can judge me for it. That being said, I wouldn't say this was the easy way out. Was it easier? Yes. I have gained and lost 50-90 pounds no less than 5 times in 10 years. This last time with the sleeve was the easiest because for the first time ever I don't feel like I am starving, while forcing myself not to eat. The first time I lost weight was in high school and I had a small bag of craisins for Breakfast, 2 packs of 2ct saltines for lunch, I worked out for 2 hours at the gym and I had yogurt and oatmeal for dinner. Yuck! I was always hungry and always miserable but I graduated at about 120. As an adult, my successful diets were those where I ate 2-3 Protein bars a day and a Lean Cuisine, worked out 2-4 hours a night, and was completely miserable trying to not eat. One day, I inevitably gave in and I binged, and I would literally gain back 5 pounds in a day then spend the next week trying to lose them all over again. I had a hate-hate relationship with food because I was always SO hungry but whenever I ate anymore than 1200 calories I felt like a failure and I would end up eating way more than that as an emotional reaction. As such, I reached my personal tipping point at 237 pounds in August of 2013. My brother and sister came to visit me that summer and while neither of them would ever say a word, I know they were ashamed that the person that was supposed to be their cool older sister was so disgusting. I decided then that I would look into sleeve surgery. Since I was self-pay, the point between my first meeting with the group of people who wanted to hear about the surgery to the day I was rolled into the OR was a little under 3 weeks. The first two weeks I thought I had ruined my life. What the heck had I done?! I cut out 20% of my stomach forever?! OMG I am an idiot. There as a lot of crying and feeling miserable and since I was self-pay there had been no pre-diet or nutritionist or group support, so I figured I could get on board with figuring out my new stomach or, well there was no other option. I didn't follow all the rules and I still don't, but for the first time in my life I can actually eat like a person who doesn't obsess over food. If I want to go out to dinner, I do. I eat a few bites and I save the rest for later. If I want some chips with nacho cheese, I have some, I enjoy them, and then I'm over it. The last month or so I haven't been watching my calories as closely as possible partly because I just had my last plastics surgery and partly because I know what I can and can't eat to maintain or lose at the weight I'm at. Food is no longer calling my name every second of the day and when I eat too fast, too much, or anything with butter, fat, or excess sugar, I pretty much throw up instantly, so I've been conditioned to stay away from that food. My sleeve has made my life something other than a life about food. Sure, it was easier to not have to starve myself and worry about binging, and it is far easier to maintain now than it would be with a full stomach. I will admit, I just don't have the willpower when it comes to food to not eat an entire pan of brownies, so like an alcoholic who doesn't go to bars, I am just a food person who doesn't have the option anymore to eat too much. The sleeve is a tool and it does make things easier, but if you have a tool available to you, why in the world wouldn't you use it? Now I can't enjoy food anymore, I have a hard time going out to dinner with people because I can't eat much, and I barf fairly regularly. I have to take B12 and Iron because I'm anemic and sometimes I worry about whether or not the sleeve far into the future will be bad for me. But right this second, I am very happy to have it and very happy I took the easy way out because I would rather have done so and be healthy and thin than still be overweight and miserable, fighting the hard fight and getting nowhere. I am a weight loss cheater...and I am cool with that.

Haha, your post made me laugh. I worked out hard for the first 80 pounds and then I had plastic surgery and the most I could do was walk daily, which in the beginning I was positive was going to result in weight gain. Amusingly enough, over the course of almost 8 months I had three plastic surgeries and a week after the last one I hit my goal weight, which was 37 pounds lost from not exercising much. I think I lost a lot of muscle, but I am always amused when my body throws me a curve ball I never expected. Maybe try walking as your exercise? I find it boring as can be but while I'm in recovery it has helped me maintain at goal and at the very least relaxes me a little.

What a pain for something like that to happen on vacation, but I'm glad you're starting to feel better!! I do tend to wonder if prior obesity has some role in hypertension. Just last week I called my doctor and asked for the beta blocker I was on before surgery because the last few months I had been really watching to see if my hypertension had been resolved by weight loss. Turns out it wasn't- I am now completely healthy, active, and thin and I still have hypertension. Both my parents and my sister have hypertension, so I tend to think at least part of it is genetic, but it is frustrating to have finally lost the weight and find out you still have an issue with high blood pressure. Hope you continue to feel better!

I think a lot of us do this. I do it from both ends of the scale though. I used to be the same size I am now (129 lbs) so I kept all the little clothing in the hopes that one day I would fit back into it. I have half of one of my closets full of size 2's-6's. Now that I fit back into them, I'm not overly interested in wearing them. Some things are out of style, some things are a little too hookerella for me now that I'm older, and some things seem like a few years in the closet made the fabric a little old feeling. When I was at my largest I didn't buy a lot of clothing, but recently I took most of it out of my closet, packed it away in storage totes, and stuck it in another closet I don't use. Could I just give it away? Nooo...what if I need it again? Keep in mind that closet and my garage has a lot of totes like that, none of which I ever go back into and wear anything out of. Maybe hanging onto the past is my way of controlling the future. The clothes are there if for some reason I need them, and if not, then at some point I can give them away or toss them.

Popcorn makes me barf, but I've only had it once about two weeks ago, so that may not be a consistent reaction if I eat it in the future. You're like 4 months post-op? The popcorn shouldn't have hurt you, your sleeve just may have chosen popcorn as one of the things it doesn't like.

I'll be honest, I don't pay a lot of attention to Protein. I eat when I'm hungry, I usually eat healthily, and the only thing I have found to be an issue is that I have to really remember to take my B12 and Iron, but I have no other problems. I am 100% sure I don't get 60g of protein in everyday because then I would end up way over the amount of calories I eat on a more regular basis. She probably told you to stop drinking the Protein shake because the calorie deficit that doing so will create will help you drop out of your plateau. When you are first sleeved or after any surgery protein is pivotal to healing, but once you are a ways out, you don't have to be as obsessive about it. Try drinking half your protein shake if it is something you really like, or drink half in the morning and half at night and cut out part of dinner if you're that worried about getting in the protein. Ultimately though, protein is nice, but if getting in your protein is resulting in eating or drinking a lot more calories than would be the case otherwise, you're not going to lose as quickly as you would like. I watched a lady on YouTube who had the surgery and she said the only difference in her diet from when she was losing and when she was maintaining her goal weight was that at the maintenance period she added an extra protein shake after her workouts. Those calories alone are what keep her from continuing to lose.

So everyone, I posted a few weeks ago about the posterior body lift and most of you said you were very happy with your results. Today was my last consult before my surgery (posterior body lift and revision on thigh lift) and I told my doctor I was concerned about having a flat butt. I am very white girl no butt shaped and while it didn't bother me before, once all of the skin is removed and lifted, my backside will look like a flat board. So, my doctor isn't a fan of implants, so first we discussed taking some fat from lipo and placing it into the buttox, which much to my delight he pinched me in a few places and said I don't have anywhere near enough fat for that procedure (YAY!, lol). So, the other option is auto augmentation, more specifically it's called autologous gluteal augmentation, where essentially they put part of what they would have removed into the upper pole of your butt, so that you end up with a rounder bum and avoid the totally flat problem I would have had. The thing is..I don't see a lot of people who have had this procedure done and there isn't a ton of information online about it. My question is...did anyone have the auto augmentation done on their butt and if so, do you like your results? Thank-you!

It should not affect your pouch. The bulk of the air should be going into your lungs, since it's designed to keep your airway open and fix your sleep apnea. The little bit that goes into your stomach won't affect your pouch. People who eat too much have a hard time stretching their pouch unless they do it on a very regular basis, so air isn't going to hurt the sleeve.

I wasn't "normal sized" and not "overweight" until I was 137 pounds. I was stronger, faster, and probably healthier at 150. The BMI chart is just the easiest way to group every person into some type of quantifiable classification of health- if you're muscular it tends to throw off the results. I didn't mind my BMI telling me I was fat- it kept me motivated.

I bet you will love shopping the closer you get to goal weight. I've always hated lingerie shopping because my boobs were always kind of floppy whenever I was thin and I have never looked good in underwear. I saw these sexy thongs and even cute little boy short undies, and I'd buy them and put them on, and be like, umm why does my butt not look like the picture?! I had several plastic surgeries, so I guess I cheated a bit, but for the first time in my life I can wear actual cute lingerie, look in the mirror, and not feel ridiculous. So..I can very much appreciate how excited you are. Also, I have the problem with running shoes...how you find the perfect fit or style of something and then they change it. I have been using the same style of Mizuno's for several years and they discontinued them. That is my current problem in that category, lol. Congrats on your NSV!

YES!!! I am SO happy for you. You and I started talking right before I had my sleeve done and I am super excited that you were able to have your surgery. Good luck girl, you've certainly waited long enough and totally deserve it!

Muscle does not weigh more than fat- a pound of fat is the same physical weight as a pound of muscle, however a pound of muscle is denser, so if you are more muscular you can weigh more and look smaller than a person who is less muscular but actually weighs less. For example, a friend of mine started training at CrossFit...she went from 115 to 145 and yet she wears exactly the same size as she did at 115, but she looks far better. That being said, strength training is never going to hurt you. I personally chose not to do strength training until I was at goal because I know that I build muscle quickly and I would have never hit 129 if I was training with weights. I stuck to running, boxing, and mostly cardio related workouts because I know that the number on the scale is important to me and if I was muscular I would never get there. That being said..I am now skinny fat. If I was 129 and muscular I would look hot, but I'm 129 with very few muscles, so I look like a skinny little girl who needs to go lift some weights. At this point, I will probably drop another 5-10 pounds and then work on building muscle. The number on the scale is more important to me right this second than if I am as strong as I used to be. If I had focused on building muscle, which I had done plenty of times in the past, I am 100% sure I would have topped out a loss at around 160-165. My body likes muscle, if I look at a bench press my shoulders get bigger, forget about my mailman calves and giant thighs. I knew I needed to first lose most of the fat, hit my goal weight, and then focus on building muscle, or that goal weight was never going to happen. So, I say you keep doing what you're doing if that form of working out makes you feel good. The more muscle you have, the more fat it burns. It is certainly making you healthy and while depending on your body type you may end up weighing more than you would have if you had not lifted, ultimately you will still be strong and healthy, so the rational person (unlike me) should judge their appearance based on how they feel and how clothes fit- not by the number on the scale.

Woohoo! Look at those arm muscles! You look fantastic!

Since you're in pureed foods, you're still pretty early out, but if it helps, you can eventually have all of the foods you love again, just in small portions. For example, today I had a wing for lunch...yes a wing. It was the ranch kind. I was never crazy about fried foods before surgery, but sometimes I really crave something salty. So today for lunch I was in the grocery store and I bought 4 wings. In the car I ate one, my desire for the taste was satiated, and I tossed the rest in the garbage when I got home. About two weeks ago I had my first piece of pizza in probably 2-3 years. I ate about 1/3 of it over the course of about a half hour, it was good, but I had no real desire or need to eat anymore than that. I am "lucky" in the sense that the vast majority of food that tastes good (butter, sugar, fat) makes me barf almost instantly if I have more than a few bites of it. My sleeve has given me the opportunity to eat literally a few bites of my favorite food and then not only not be hungry for anymore, but in the event I don't stop myself, puke it all back up. I've been conditioned to enjoy food in a few bites and not pig out on anything. So...right now you are missing food. I personally missed my old tv watching friend. It really was no fun for awhile to watch tv without enjoying food with it. Now, I eat while I watch TV but instead of eating the entire hour, I eat for maybe 20 minutes, I eat 1/8 what I used to, and I'm nice and full and happy with far fewer calories. I am 19 months out and I am at the point where most days I have about 800-1200 calories and the majority of it is food that is decent for me. If I want something bad for me, I eat it, and then I have no real need to eat too much of it. For example, I wanted a Chik Fil A grilled chicken sandwich tonight...I ate 1/4 of it, I am so full I am burping, and I have no interest in eating anymore. If you're keeping track, that was both a wing and a fast food sandwich in the same day. Breakfast was 230 calories of granola, my late lunch was a wing (100 calories) and dinner was 1/4 sandwich (75 calories). Later tonight I'll probably eat a granola bar (150 calories) or maybe a bag of rice chips (150 calories), but I'm not hungry right now, so maybe not. Ultimately, I didn't eat very healthy today, but I am well within the required calories, so I don't have to be worried that tomorrow I will gain weight. Once you are used to your sleeve you will learn to balance healthy days with days where you splurge a little. So...to make my long post less long, you will eventually be able to eat food that you like again and if you're like me it will be a few bites, you will be satisfied, and you can live life both as a thin person and as a person who can sometimes eat pizza and wings. Life doesn't end after sleeve surgery...it just tends to feel like it did for a few months.

Exciting! Good luck in your new career!

HAHA! I wish I was glutton-free....my inner glutton just gets less attention now than she used to.

Is it hot where you live? It was about 90 degrees where I live yesterday and after a 3 mile walk I felt kind of crummy for awhile too. Even if you are fully hydrated the sun can contribute to making you sick, especially when you are not on regular food yet, still recovering from a major surgery, and possibly not fully recovered from all the drugs and anesthesia. Stick an ice pack in the back of your sports bra or somewhere near the core of your body. It will melt all over you by the time you're done, but it will keep your core temp down and you may not get sick.

I'm not quite sure about your symptoms, but I get dumping. If I ate oatmeal with sugar I would get really hot, my heart would beat fast, like it was fluttering, I would be sweaty, my skin gets a little red, and I feel nauseous. I don't usually feel passing out level sick, but I do usually lie down for about 20 minutes and it fixes itself. When I eat oils or fats, there are no hotflashes or heart rate change, but rather I start breathing faster and it's pretty much instant barfing. Then I feel better. If you were hypoglycemic, you shouldn't have had that reaction unless you had gone awhile without having food. If you're getting all your Fluid, you shouldn't be dehydrated. If this is an isolated incident, I wouldn't be too worried about it. I am 100% sure that there have been at least 2-3 times where too much sugar has made me dizzy and wobbly, although it isn't the norm for me. If it is something that continues to happen, ask your doctor what he thinks. The first few months after the sleeve are a learning curve...your body does all kinds of weird things to freak you out and 99% of the time you're just fine. I am now 19 months out and today I got to puke both sushi AND salsa at two separate times. Yesterday I had literally two bites of very sweet Easter candy and I was panting, sweating, and massively hot for about a half hour afterwards. Having 20% of a stomach is a fun experiment in what food might decide to do to you at anytime. You're almost always going to be fine very quickly after the incident and then you know in the future what might happen with that type of food.