Ginger Snaps

@ranchbrat Just wondering how you are doing? Are you feeling better?

I'm dying to fit into Ann Taylor... I went to Avenue and bought a couple of soft waistband shorts to help just after surgery but I'm planning on that being the last time I ever go in that store! Congrats on the success!

My doc said he requires a pre-op diet for patients with higher BMI's but I only have to do one day clear before surgery. And he said I'll get the anti-clotting shot presurgery and then the 2 days I'm in the hospital but not after that. No bowel prep either. Glad I'm getting a break on some of the hard stuff!

I was sitting here disgusted with myself watching daytime TV and a commercial for Soza weight loss clinics (I think that's the name). I went to their website and read about the "miracle cure"... blah blah blah and it looked like just another scam to get money. Somewhere in the Google search for that site was a bariatric clinic and I started reading about the surgery. I kind of put that out of my mind because I really didn't think I would qualify for the surgery. Later, I heard about a weight loss program at my gym (affiliated with a local hospital). I went to the program ... it included doctor visits, a trainer for small group workouts and visits with a nutritionist. I set up an appointment with the surgeon to find out more about the non-surgical program but I did ask him about surgery, too. He told me that at my age and with my weight history, he felt like surgery would be the only thing that would really help me drop weight. I was so happy to find out I qualified... I gained about 15 pounds in the last year and that's what pushed my BMI over into surgery range. I'm still a relative "lightweight" but I've been in the obese category (BMI>30) for 20 years now -- since the birth of my second child. And I've been steadily gaining for 2-3 ears, so I don't like the trend... want to stop NOW.

Way to go!!! How FUN!

Love it!!!

Fourteen days for me -- best wishes and hang on! Ginger

Wow and Wow... unbelievable post. I could say hundreds of things like that agree with the previous posters but just two: 1) I'm sorry you feel loss over the friendship. Sometimes friends disagree but true friends want the best for each other. I have a friend who is not happy about my WLS -- she feels like I could try other things more natural -- but she is 100% supportive of ME. She supports ME losing weight and gaining health and she knows I am intelligent and have thought through this decision. Therefore, she is supportive of ME and whatever I feel is best to do. That's a friend. 2) Your "friend's" quote "You know that body hate and intentional weight loss go against everything that I stand for." She's against intentional weight loss? Just because you get to a certain weight in life you have to maintain that weight forever? It's wrong to try to lose weight? That's just craziness. Is she against dying your hair if you don't want to be gray? Is she against wearing makeup to look nice? Obesity can KILL you -- what is to be gained by NOT trying to lose weight if you're obese? I'm really sorry you are suffering. You can recover and gain health... just build a support system around you that supports your health. best wishes

Why don't you buy 1-2 that are a size or 2 smaller than what you are now and get the extenders. That way, you can wear them now and when you go down another 2-3 inches. I bought a couple of nice bras at Soma's and bought the extenders so I can wear them now and later. Ginger

@@melissapishappy32 Just wondering how you're doing now that you are a little further out.

Headaches are also a sign of dehydration... be sure you are getting the liquids you need.

@@bellalulu -- I wasn't functioning at all I had just had my 2nd baby and I was dragging myself to work, would come home and collapse and not get up until the next morning. I was so exhausted all the time. I went to the doctor and demanded a test because I worked for the company that made synthroid so I knew all the symptoms. I told the doc I was either hypothyroid or I was going completely crazy. Guess it was maybe a combination of both! Gained about 40 pounds in 6 months before I got the test and found out my thyroid was basically dead. Of course, once I went on the meds, I didn't lose the weight. Not quite fair being hypo can put the pounds on but the meds don't take it off.

I've heard sometimes they'll do an infusion of Iron -- if that happens they may not have to delay. Wishing the best for you!

I watch a lot of the Fat Doctor UTube videos too -- they are very graphic in the surgery scenes but I'd rather watch that and know what's going to happen than not. Ginger

MasonJK -- right there with you on the 9th. I only have to do Clear liquids the day before surgery so I'm having lots of food funerals in the meantime. Ginger

@@Seagull00 wishing you all the best -- you've come to the right place to get help. And all those goofy responses -- some kind of hack or something -- just ignore them.

I have severe reflux to start with, so I'm going bypass. Bypass is also considered the 'gold standard' and is the most proven. Statistically, on average, people lose more of their excess weight with bypass although they can have more long-term complications. You have to take Vitamins for life with either. Personally, reading through the forums here, I don't want to "try" the sleeve first and end up revising to the bypass. They are both invasive surgeries and I want to go for the one with the more proven track record.

I'm not having my surgery at the Freehold Center but I am using Dr. Prokurat and I know he and Dr. Nyogen (sp?) work out of that office and also at RWJ. Dr. Prokurat is my surgeon and I'm still pre-op but he has been WONDERFUL so far. He is so calm and patient -- I crush on him a little. Sometimes the accent makes him sound a little 'short' but he is very caring and careful to explain everything and answer every question. He and/or Dr. Nyogen attend the support group meetings at RWJ each month and they both take as much time as we need and answer every question people ask. Dr. Prokurat goes up and hugs many of his patients and will often speak up during the meeting and say something very positive about one of his patients in the room. The office staff at the Hamilton office is also very nice. I'm in the process of gathering all my surgical clearances and such and they are patient every time I call to ask if certain papers have come in yet. You can search (up in the top right corner of this site) on a surgeon's name and find threads where they've been mentioned, too, and that will give you a lot of feedback on the docs. I have BCBS, too and they've approved me at RWJ because it's a Center of Excellence. Best wishes!

If you look around the boards much, it seems that noisy stomachs are pretty common after the surgery. At our support group Tuesday night a lady that's 3-4 weeks out from the sleeve asked about the noises -- she said it gets really loud and other people can hear her across the room sometimes. The doc said it's just the stomach adjusting to being smaller, adjusting the amounts of acid and such. Nothing to worry about. Something to think about -- for me (preop) I know in the past I never really let myself get to the hungry stage (why I'm getting surgery) and so seldom hear my stomach rumbling. When I do, I automatically think I'm hungry. Maybe that's some of what you're feeling too. Either way -- best wishes and I hope your situation improves and you start feeling a lot better.

I take depression and mood stabilizers meds and haven't had any issues with getting approved for surgery. The fact that you take meds (IMHO) means you are taking the steps you need to be healthy. I haven't heard of anyone being denied the surgery because they take psych meds. Best wishes!

So, I saw my surgeon this morning and for some reason I was surprised when he said my next appointment is the pre-op visit and I can have the surgery on the 9th. I'm not sure why I was surprised -- I don't know what the heck I was expecting! lol So, I'm on my way! Looking forward to getting some encouragement and sharing some experiences with others around the same time.

Only 15 days to go!!!! wait, Wha???? I can't believe it's almost here! And with next week being a short week at work, time will fly even more! Get so excited and nervous all at the same time!

Ha... I can answer one of these and I'm not post-op!!! The BO can come from your body being in the state of ketosis (high protein/low carb diet). Here's a link with a couple of suggestions at the bottom (but nothing earth-shattering) http://www.livestrong.com/article/542205-ketogenic-diet-body-odor/ I'm so glad I got to contribute! As a pre-op'per, I feel like I get tons of information without being able to give back much (yet)!

Sounds like you have some serious concerns about the relationship that may or may not be related to weight. There is a forum for friends and family where you might be able to get some specific answers. It's located at http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/1016-family-and-friends-new/ It's a very awkward role to be in when you love someone so much you want to see them healthy but they don't seem to be as interested in it as you are. And, you sound pretty intelligent and I think you know that no bariatric surgeon is going to tell a WLS surgery patient not to eat healthy or exercise. That's like a pulmonologist telling someone to keep smoking. Well, DUH! Best wishes and I hope you get the answers you need.

Heating pads will also help with the gas but moving around is the best.