VSGAnn2014

Put your cell phone in your bra, wear your heaviest bra, wear two blouses, wear heavy shoes (really heavy shoes!), wear a shawl over your blouses, pin it with a big pin, wear a heavy necklace, don't pee for two hours prior to the weigh-in, drink two 16-ounce bottles of Water in the 30 minutes prior to the weigh-in.

I'm astonished doctors are still prescribing phentermine. Those of you who are younger may not know about the class action and mass tort litigation in the US on behalf of thousands of people who were harmed (and heirs of those who died) on the fen/phen combination. The real danger is not regaining weight from phentermine -- it's suffering cardiovascular, cardiac and stroke damage as a result of it. When I hear about "physician-managed weight loss programs," I LOL! Drug pushers is what they are.

Youngster, you need help. You've demonstrated you can't do this alone. It's therapy time. With it, you've got a fighting chance. Take that chance.

Ah, the head work, the emotional work, the mysteries of why I'm the only one in my family to have severe issues with weight. I'm finally in therapy about these issues, but don't have any woo-woo answers yet -- other than the obvious ones of a) I drew the short metabolic straw in my family, I love food, c) I don't love exercise, and d) my chosen work / lifestyle has become increasingly sedentary. My VSG surgery will finally happen in mid-August. I've been seriously considering and investigating WLS as "the ultimate solution" since July 2013, when I attended an introductory WLS lecture. That it's taken over a year to get to this point is partly due to my slowness in getting here and partly due to my local bariatric center being overwhelmed with patient applications. But a part of the truth is that a year ago I wasn't fat enough for this surgery. I recall my weight was 212 when I went to the intro lecture -- a BMI of just under 35 and considerably lower than 40, the BMI that would net me a slam-dunk insurance approval. I hate to admit that I spent the last year gaining weight to have WLS, but in some ways that's part of my truth. I also apparently (?) needed to spend this last year meditating on how miserable my future life would be if I didn't have WLS. A year ago I already knew I was unwilling to diet to lose and regain 45-50 pounds even one more goddamn time. I had demonstrated clearly that I could lose weight -- and that I could regain it. Looking back, it seems my regain phases were always preceded by some "perfect storm" of life changes and stresses. Needless to say, it was severe life changes and stresses, e.g., caregiving for an Alzheimer parent, to name only one, that drove me to this current mess I'm in. I knew that life's changes / stresses are never going to ease up, and at my age they're going to get more frequent and more severe. So, rather than acting insanely (doing the same thing over and over, hoping for different results), I realized I needed to try something different. Three months ago, I started gathering my strength to prepare for surgery. I've lost 10 pounds, am now exercising, have surely added important muscle mass, and have tripled my daily steps. By my standards, I'm still in pitiful shape, but not nearly as pitiful as I was. I would encourage anyone who's now waiting for WLS surgery to try now to change some things. Move more. Drink more Water and less coffee. Use My Fitness Pal. Buy a Fitbit. Do what you can do, no matter how little it is. Next week, you can do more. It's amazing how quickly you will improve. The sleeve part -- that's something I can only talk theory about. It's coming soon. And I'm as nervous as anyone else here is / was pre-op. We're all newbs together.

Misty, do you know what that person's name / handle here was? I'd love to read theirs, too.

Misty, I'm quite grateful that you've started this thread and are "live-blogging" your first 30 days. That's the time period I think everyone wants to know about. My surgery is scheduled for August 18. I really appreciate this thread.

Sounds like dehydration.

Good thread, guys. Thanks. Love the support group taste test approach.

Tough situation. Go get a piece of paper. Draw a line down the middle of the page. At the top of the left column, write: "I had VSG surgery in 2014." At the top of the right column, write: "I did not have VSG surgery in 2014." Now under each heading, answer this question: "It's now July 2015. How has my life changed in the last year - different / better / worse?" (It may take you a while to answer fully.)

Thanks for your encouraging words, Linda. Yes, I've studied my ass off. Yet until I'm sleeved, I realize it's all theoretical. I start my two-week diet on August 4 -- a week of 2 shakes and a low-cal meal and then a second week of 3 shakes. As ready for it as I am, I'm getting a little anxious like everyone seems to get prior to the real deal. But like everyone, I'm so ready to finally solve this problem. It's about damn time, eh?

This time, the second an item of clothing is too big for me I'm donating it to the local hospital charity resale store. And I mean the very second! I've been yo-yo dieting all my life and, consequently, have a houseful of lovely clothes in many sizes. Good news is that I've got a gorgeous wardrobe for the first 55 pounds. After that, I'm either going naked or going shopping.

Wow! You did it. Congratulations.

Congratulations on your surgery going well and your wonderful weight loss. That sounds just great. I'm 68 and will have surgery in 3 weeks. And I say 70 is the new 50!

I'm confused.

Miss Fisheyes, You were venting here, and that's your right. Good to get it off your chest. But if you're open to some advice, here's mine: You're in the middle of a lot of things right now. You need the backup and support of a counselor / psychologist / psychiatrist to start processing all this stuff. And it needs to be processed. It doesn't need to be ACTED ON IMMEDIATELY just because you've got big feelings roiling around. These are big decisions you're considering. Fair enough. All the more reason to process the information and feelings you're having. You're a smart girl. You've read a lot of information here and elsewhere about what an emotional rollercoaster this is. You've read about how people who go through this (and who are contemplating it) go through many changes -- and how their family members go through stuff, too. I will nit-pick with only one thing you said: "I am wondering if he will want a divorce and if I will have to move out of the house." Maybe the "acreage" is a family farm he inherited. But if it's not, chances are if he's the one who wants a divorce, please know that you are not AUTOMATICALLY elected as the one who has to find new digs. In other words, my dear, if you're thinking like this you're not thinking clearly. That's why it's not a good time to be making big decisions. There are feelings. And then there are decisions. That's what counsel (of all kinds) is good for -- helping you process all your options. Very, very best wishes for you.

Wow, you've really done great -- lost 41 pounds pre-surgery already. I bet you're going to be a wonderful success with this tool. Best wishes to you for surgery and recovery.

I'm completely NOT denigrating anyone who finds marijuana helpful in any way. But for me, it wasn't beneficial. Back in the day, I smoked grass for 3 years in grad school -- mostly on weekends and never during the day. Unfortunately, its effects slowed my life down to the point where I wasn't getting much done. I quit smoking dope to ensure I'd actually build a life and haven't indulged for longer over 40 years. As I approach retirement and legalization is expanding, I've been curious about what it might be like to indulge again. For that reason, I'm glad to hear about others' experiences with marijuana here post-surgery.

Well, I'm sure you do carry it well -- in clothes, on the street. But the beach doesn't lie, does it? This decision is such a personal one. If you've educated yourself well -- or are about to do so here -- then you will figure out very soon if the post-sleeve life is one you're willing to commit to. Best wishes.

Thanks for this thread. I've had hypothyroidism for longer than 30 years. During that time, my Rx has moved upward slowly from 100 mcg to 112 mcg and now to 112 / 125 mcg (3 and 4 days a week). In other words, my condition and Rx have been pretty stable. But per the changes I've read about in this thread, I'll request blood tests from my PCP every 3 months during the first year after VSG to detect any unusual changes. To OP and all contributors, good thread.

Bumping this thread. It's awesome. Thanks to all vets who are posting here.

Thanks for the report and science experiment. You took one for the team.

Urbanlamb, I'd worry about anyone who was carefree about this surgery. It's a big damn deal for me. Getting it on the calendar makes it REAL.

Thank you, @Urbanlamb. I am pleased to be your sleeve twin. Same goes for the rest of you August 18 twins: @@CrystalJae @@Amarie812 @@kgunchic @@CaroJoy @New_nana @@billw0917 @Imscls and @lindseyzzzme. That's 92 people in August -- so far. That's a lot of lives that will be changed. It is beginning to hit me what courage it takes for each of us to take this step.

Why do people who are looking for support in their lives seek to alienate half the people on this board with their ideological rants? DISCUSS ....

Boy, this thread is a real eye-opener. We've all heard that some doctors struggle with substance abuse -- which is a toughie, since they have rough jobs and big access to mood-altering drugs. I've got to think some of these A-holes are simply high. Who in hell would say to a patient what shellief's doctor said. He was either insane or high to chance saying that.