Noragretz

I could have gotten in in about 2 weeks, but ended up having peptic ulcers and had to schedule out 2 months for healing prior to surgery. After surgery i just had to keep taking the acid reducing meds and continue to not take any ibuprophen. (the cause of my ulcers)

I lie and say "Man, I shouldn't have ate before I came", after only eating a few bites. Oooh I love it! Thats a good excuse, especially when the waiter asks if there is something wrong with the food.

I had it done in an outpatient clinic. Surgery was at about 11 AM I left at about 3:45 PM.

Oops

Hi there I just turned 40 this year and had surgery too. My bmi was 34.6 on surgery day September 5, 2014. I am also very active and have struggled with keeping weight off. I have lost weight many times but I can't keep it off, and also never getting more than 50 off - which still didn't put me at a normal Bmi. I eat healthy, no bread, no Pasta, no dairy, I hate soda, just meats fruits and vegetables. But I have always had a sugar problem. Been begging for help for years from the doc. I wish my weight-loss was as successful as the poster above, but it has been terribly slow for me. I am 12 weeks out and have only lost about 25 pounds. I am lucky if I lose a pound a week now. I am constantly frustrated, I'm still counting calories eaten and calories burned. For the life of me I cannot figure out how I could have so few calories and not be losing weight. I understand I'm probably building muscle but it doesn't help in my mind when you're not seeing the scale move. I agree with the poster above that having that control over your food that you can no longer binge eat is so very helpful. It's still hard the mental concept of eating though, you still crave wonderful foods and want to treat yourself to something yummy that you've always liked, yet it's so disappointing when you can only get just a few bites of it in. Your tummy is full but your mind is not yet satisfied. So the last 3 weeks I have been the same weight, not constipated, counting calories, doing dance exercise, eating about 1000 calories and burning 400-500. I don't want to hear about starving yourself or not enough calories blah! I've never seen a fat anorexic person. You'd think something has to give! Anyways I hoping that in the long run that I'll get to my goal. I just want to put it out there that the weight may not magically fall off. I am still having to work hard at making the right choices and put in the daily physical requirements. And as for my sugar problem.... (Thankfully) sadly I get terribly sick from too much sugar now. It's like the sugar is absorbed much faster and I feel sweaty and sleepy and nauseated. More than 1/2 a cookie, 5-6 m&m's I'm feeling ill. That part of it is hard because I have had the sugar problem for over 20 years and sugar has been a great antidepressant for me. I always felt good eating sweets. So I know it's a good thing, but it's hard to look away from my friend. ????

Well I enjoyed Wetzel's Pretzels before surgery.... Unfortunately I didn't enjoy them after surgery! Oh the pain! I enjoyed smelling them and that didn't hurt! Soooo some things will be a no go... ????

I too have lost weight many times, always gained it back when I got tired of dieting. Post surgery you will not have a choice. If you choose to eat bad... You are only going to get a small amount in. And you could choose badly every meal... And you could eat all day and take in a lot of calories. So you will still need to exercise some self control. Because you cannot get as much food in post surgery you may find some of your favorite foods are less pleasureable. But it seems easier to get back on track after you have a bad day. Good luck to you, don't feel guilty though.

I did it too! Double stuff Oreos too! As Brn2blossom said, your mind will still crave it post surgery. I'm about 12 weeks out and it gets easier to not crave that stuff. You will be able to eat normal foods again so it's not really a funeral. What you will never do is eat those wonderful foods to a point of being mentally satisfied. So if I really wanted an Oreo, and there was one sitting there I might eat it depending on what day of the month it is. So this is where you still have to have will power afterwards and remind yourself that just because you CAN eat it, doesn't mean you SHOULD!

@@Mz. NuNu. Yes I had diverticulitis and 4 ulcers so having part of my gut removed played right into my "tummy" pains and troubles that I'd been having for over the last year along with all the medicine I had been taking for my tummy problems. I didn't want to say gallbladder though because that could still happen.

I told maybe 5 people. My oldest is 20 and she knows, and three co workers. My youngest is 12 and he doesn't know. My ex husband doesn't know, but I needed him to watch his son while I was having surgery. So I lied. I said I was having part of my gut removed. My son was asking questions so he thinks it was part of my large intestine (colon resection) And I had special eating requirements post surgery, so my son questioned everything if it was safe for me to eat that. (He helped me stay on track) I'm about 12 weeks out and he just thinks I'm dieting now. (It's perfect because I never finish and he is starving and wants my food too!) But yes your post surgery diet is going to be a dead give away, if a 12 yr old boy notices, your mom is going to notice for sure.

I'm a secret keeper and I noticed I get more comments if I put very little on my plate vs if I put a normal amount and just stop eating. I'm planning to put more food on my plate for Thanksgiving than I can eat, and shifting around and playing with my food as others eat. we had wraps at work and not one person questioned me when I dumped the wrap and tossed the tortilla. But then the next time we had a lunch provided and it was (nasty) lasagna, I put about 1/4 cup into a styrofoam cup (instead of a plate) I got questioned. I just said I wasn't feeling well, which was the absolute truth that day.

My doctor said most people have a hiatal hernia, so I too had that repaired with the vsg. I had an out patient surgery so I didn't stay in the hospital. I was off of work a full week, I have an office job.

My boyfriend and I did it together. We were initially scheduled on the same day, but the doctor took him a day earlier at the hospital because he was higher risk. I was still seen at the surgery center the next day. It's great to have someone to share your journey with and share meals with, especially now that we can't eat much together. Someone to help keep you on track along the way! Good luck to you both!

My boyfriend and I, (3.5 yrs) did the surgery together. We were scheduled the same day at an outpatient clinic. Due to possible complications he ended up having surgery a day earlier at the hospital instead. So he is a day ahead of me but it is really nice to have someone to go through the journey with you. Someone to also keep you in check when you want to be bad with food. And someone to help keep you on track and motivated. Good luck to you both it will be a wonderful journey!

Interesting topic, how did u all get home? Or were you allowed to drive? I have two kids, my 20 yr old knows, my 12 yr old does not. I did not tell any family. My boyfriend did it with me, he told everyone so they know I did through him. But I had no desire to share or discuss my personal health.

Could you be getting interstitial cystitis and not UTI's? A true UTI would need antibiotics. If u treated it with OTC products, it either didn't go away or you didn't have a UTI. Google it to read about it. I suffer from it and have to pay attention to what triggers it.

I'm at 21 now. I had the same stalls. Looks like we are moving along at about the same pace.

The biggest loser needs drama to make a show. They drag out people's personal lives to get you hooked into watching the show. That way you will have an emotional connection to the contestants. You have got to admit, there have been some pretty dramatic life stories on there, which probably do account for "some" people's weight problems. But I too think that my problem is that I LIKE food, no, LOVE is a better word. No, I haven't had a perfect life, but I really can't say I've turned to food over it. I can't say I'm an emotional eater. When I'm upset - I usually can't eat. HOWEVER chocolate is a great antidepressant! Lol. I have a sugar (candy) addiction, I have admitted to that for many years, I have asked my doctor and friends for help. And have worked hard at avoiding any candy since being sleeved. I have lost a lot of weight in the past by just not eating candy/sugar. But eventually gave in to my demons. I still struggle daily, and hopefully I can stay strong. I have asked my family and friends to help me with it, and ask them to say something if they see me going for candy. Admitting you have a problem is a big first step, then finding the help you need is an even bigger 2nd step. I wish you the best in finding that help you need.

For some strange reason people believe you have to be absolutely HUGE to qualify for surgery. I might say that too... Because I want to look more like you! Notice how those comments come from skinny peeps? Anyways I only told a select few people. Lol only 1 of my 2 children know. 20 yr old daughter knows, 12 yr old son just thinks I'm on a diet AGAIN.

No diarreah at all! (More constipated actually for me) And I too think u should find another doctor. He seems to be uninformed about the benefits of weightloss surgery. Plus u may need clearance from a cardiologist, so finding a supportive one would be beneficial.

@@tleg I have only lost 17 since pre-op. About 12 since surgery. I have been counting calories and I can see that I'm in check. 650-850 usually. I've been wearing a body media device that tracks calories burned, and I have been exercising. So it makes no sense that I'm not losing. Just frustrating. I can see I'm losing inches. I'm going to try something new for the next week... I'm not getting on the scale!! I'm happy to hear from the other lightweight on here too, I'm so glad the OP started this topic.

Congrats and feeling so well after surgery, I also felt pretty well. You will start to feel restriction once you start on regular foods. Im 5'3, and was a 34 BMI at surgery date. 9/5/14.. So far my weight-loss has been slow. I'm so worried. But on the other hand, I know I have to give it time.

I think obesity is already considered a disease. But as history goes, insurance will not include it as a covered cost until they are forced to do so. Then you will get the flip side argument (like the birth control argument), why should I have to pay insurance premiums to cover someones eating problem? Or lazy problem, or fill in the blank. I wouldn't plan on any required coverage in the next 5 years.

My boyfriend and I just both had surgery with him September 5th, 2014. We really had a great experience. Extremely fast healing. It is out paitent surgery and when I read about others experiences... our post surgery recovery was a breeze! They are a well oiled machine when it comes to managing pain and nausea post op, epecially since it is out patient.

I am sorry to hear that. You are not alone, my employer chooses to not cover it either. I did decide to self-pay. A lot of people go to Mexico, I stayed in the US. I did go out of state 5.5 hours away to a doctor that does this out patient, plus surgery costs were cheaper than staying in state. I had a great experience!. I had to get a personal loan to pay for the surgery. I have seen others post about doctors in Texas mainly about that if you have a hiatal hernia you only have to pay the added cost of the gastrectomy, because the surgical costs of the hernia repair is already covered under your insurance plan. (surgical center, hospital stay, anesthesia, etc) My doctor said to me that pretty much everyone he does has a hiatal hernia. I am a lightweight at just a 35.6 BMI at surgery and I had one too. Good luck, maybe your employer is large enough that they would be willing to take on the added cost to include it into the coverage. In the mean time... getting started on your medically documented weight loss prior to surgery is a good idea if you are holding out for insurance coverage.