FocusOnMeNow

I am replying to this old thread to see if some of you veterans can help me. I feel I am in a catch 22 with my sleeve and my antidepressant Effexor ER which I have been taking at various dosages for about 10 years. What I struggle with is the following: I cannot take XR (capsule) version with the sleeve. I can only dump the capsule's contents into a Vitamin Water shooter (like any other med). Thing is: my sleeve does not like it. Number one side effect of effexor and reason they made it xr to begin with is nausea. I am only 6 days out and do not need any additional nausea in my life right now. In fact, my nausea was so severe that from the moment I woke up from surgery I refused ALL narcotics because my nausea was greater than my pain. I took only tylenol both in hospital and at home and pretty quickly weaned off that as well because even drinking the tylenol made me nauseous. On the other hand, I may be becoming a shrew. I have a lot of anger that has been bubbling up since I started the pre-op diet. I have heard that becoming a grouch is somewhat a side-effect of many of the weight loss surgeries. Go figure that when we are not stuffing our feelings with food any more they tend to bubble up. I am definitely going to call my shrink tomorrow but I would certainly love to hear any words of wisdom from those who have been there done that. I believe it is about 8 weeks till I can take the capsules again

@@Stephanie Salsera Perrott - in addition to the bigger stomach: you are losing weight, a heavier person burns more calories when excercising compared to a skinnier person so you will need to up your game in terms of exercise as well. Celebs like J-Lo actually use a "weight vest" when they do cardio so they can burn more calories in the same amount of time. Many of us with joint issues would never be able to do that but it is done. As you lose weight your resting metabolic rate and basal metabolic rate also drop (ie the amount of calories you burn at rest). I know its all a LOT easier said than done. I am just at the beginning of my surgery about 5 days post op.

@@ericaacire I would not postpone but I would get a second opinion. I would also ask more questions. I know that acid reflux does seem to occur more often with the sleeve, but if you already have it (is that the issue?) I don't know if its a contraindication or not. It sounds like that is what your doctor is saying. If that doesn't make sense to you then get a second opinion from another leading bariatric surgeon in your area and see what he says and if he can explain it better (or if he disagrees then perhaps you have found yourself a new surgeon). Good luck!

Getting excited! 12 hours to go. Surgery at 7am ET tomorrow, going in at 5, headed to stay in hotel next door. I look forward to seeing you all on the other side. Wish me luck!

Doing great. First day was a crusher. Nausea was horrendous. Did not take a single dose of narcotic since the surgery. Really no pain beyond the 400 situp soreness analogy. Although when I initially woke up yesterday I did feel as if a mac truck had run me over, but as @@Babbs said that is to be expected because this is MAJOR SURGERY. Holding liquids down pretty well. don't think I'll make 64 oz on day one, but should be able to by tomorrow. They also fixed a hernia while they were in there. Allright enough rambling for me. Just wanted to check in. Interested in how others are doing. Keep your chin up. It does get better quick.

I said I'm getting surgery "for" my knees, which I am. I am getting the sleeve because I cannot stand the knee pain anymore. I also have stated during pre-op diet that the doctor put me on this shake and bar routine so I can lose weight for my knees. I just say I have to lose weight because of my knees which is true. If I was having knee surgery they would tell me that I had to lose x lbs first. I'll just keep saying my doctor said I need to lose 20 more lbs (again and again) until I reach my goal weight. After all he did, he just isn't an orthopedic surgeon.

@@limichelle34 I had a breakup of a 5 year relationship prior to making my decision to get sleeved. I was devastated. I gave more in that relationship than I ever have before to take care of HIS health and just to take care of him in every way. I could not believe that he left after all I did to care for him. So I spent some time licking my wounds, soul searching, getting back into therapy and deciding to take care of myself. He lives in my same neighborhood still and so I thought about moving away to a ground floor condo so I don't have to climb the stairs with my bad knees. But then I decided instead of getting more immobile I would do something "drastic" and take care of this extra weight on my knees once and for all. So hopefully a year from now, when I emerge from my cocoon of fat, and attend support groups and therapy for a year, not only recover, but overcome and grow, this butterfly will be ready for the relationship that I deserve:-) I wish you the best of luck on this journey, not just for weight loss but for health and happiness and self-love. I know its such a cliche but I really do feel that once we love ourselves we can attract the real love we want and need into our lives.

@@The Candidate I am 9 days till my surgery now and seeing your journey go so well is certainly helpful and encouraging.

@@pink dahlia I think what you suggested above is a really good idea. I am even thinking about self-defense or MMA at some point to get in shape, be a healthy outlet for some pent up anger, and to feel empowered.

Yes just get right back on the liquids and from this point forward do not waiver. The reason you got the burger is because its hard to be on this liquid diet. Really hard. But it is a taste of what is to come once you get sleeved. So fogedaboutit, but really do try to stick to the diet for the next three days so that your stomach is in good shape for surgery. Some surgeons only do a 2-3 pre-op diet so for safety sake you should be ok. But also keep in mind if you eat something 24-48 hours beforehand your surgeon will see it on your liver (or possibly in your stomach). So just get right back on track and move forward with your new life:-)

@@JoannLz - yes definitely keep us posted. I am still on pre-op diet but hoping to get a lift once I lose the weight as well. Belt lipectomy looks tough but results also look amazing! Also, please ask your Dr. what garments you should wear post op. Good luck!

Who cares. Other than work colleagues I could care less if anyone wants to look at my fat body or not. I plan to walk around with one gown on front and one gown in back. Until I have to get dressed and go home, at which time I have ordered and received a soft bra. Some understanding for the woman who actually works in the hospital where she had the surgery, but really we are there to rest and recover. I do not walk around my house in a bra so why would I walk around the hospital in one? As for the surgeon he is concentrating on his surgery on your stomach not your boobs, the health professionals have seen it all before, the other folks in there will be recovering from their own surgeries and/or there with their family members who are recovering and none of them will even notice whether your boobs are droopy or pert. And once you get that anesthesia and/or next dose of pain medication you likely won't care either;-)

I am only on my two week pre-op diet but this is SO HARD. I know I can do it, but honestly my already short fuse has gotten REALLY short today. And my frustration tolerance is pretty low right now. I was expecting to be able to start to deal with these emotions at home during the post-op period, but I am at work today and have been kind of grumpy all day. Thinking of getting a portable punching bag for my office? Other thoughts?

@@LipstickLady - sounds good to me. Sounds like I have something to look forward to. How far out were you able to eat the full fat cheese?

@@LipstickLady - so what kinds of cheese qualify as "good cheese"? I am a pre-surg cheese fan myself. Eat quite a few trader joes light cheddar cheese sticks. What I would consider good cheese though is triple cream St Andre but don't think I'll be eating that anymore;-)

I'm starting my liquid diet as well. My NUT also suggested I eat a banana every day to keep up potassium.

First, I have not read all the replies to this story, but having read this story. If the statistics on the left were true. That you are 5'3" and your starting weight at the beginning of your journey was 210, that would leave you with a BMI of 37.2, which in fact does NOT make you an ideal candidate for the sleeve surgery unless you have significant co-morbidities. The recommendations are for those with a BMI or 40 and up or those with a BMI of 35 and up with co-morbidities like diabetes. And yes you probably could have lost 51 lbs through diet and exercise. Many of us are older and/or quite a bit heavier (my BMI is 42). My blood pressure, blood sugar etc are perfection (this is nothing short of a miracle and quite a bit of good luck and yes I know it is only a matter of time until these both started inching upward). In my case, my primary co-morbidity is very painful osteoarthritis of the knees, which, of course, is exacerbated and was probably caused by....you guessed it.... my weight. The more my knees hurt the less I exercise, the less I exercise the more weight I gain; the more weight I gain the more my knees hurt, etc etc. My knees hurt so bad that I was going to move out of the house that I love and into a ground floor condo because I simply cannot stand the stairs in my townhouse anymore, and my knees now making a crunching noise with each step...ouch. Then I decided that instead of using that money I was going to put down on a ground floor condo so that I could become even more immobile, I would put towards vertical sleeve gastrectomy instead. I can still move to that ground floor condo later if I still need to but I just had to give it one last try before possibly becoming more immobile and putting on even more weight, also knowing that I would probably need to lose a significant amount of weight before I would ever be a good candidate for knee replacement surgery. But again, that would only be a band-aid and not addressing the root cause of the issue. My weight. I have also educated myself through these forums and listened to the other posters and those who have successfully kept the weight off and what is the least common denominator: exercise. @ I'm not sure who told you that you didn't need to exercise or didn't need to do strength training to build muscle mass but a quick search of gastric sleeve on you tube plus a cursory review of these Bariatric pal forums will give you a quick education there. I think that for most of the rest of us going in we knew that sleeve surgery was a "tool" just like diet and exercise to be used in combination with diet and exercise rather than a substitute for either. You will see folks who just let the weight come off the first six months to a year and do not exercise and they are at higher risk for weight regain precisely for some of the reasons that you stated. As far as I am concerned I have a six month honeymoon period during which I can build much better habits to last a lifetime and be successful or not. Now is the time to step up your game and incorporate strength training and perhaps some cardio and try to get back into good habits. As you stated you are young and you can still rapidly build muscle mass compared to many others who have significant co-morbidities on this forum. As we frequently say on these forums they operate on your stomach not your brain, which is what really needs to be re-trained in good habits. So set your mind to make the most of your sleeve, play the hand you've been dealt, and live a happy and healthy life:-) Good luck!

So I love my Doctor and 9 out of 10 people who work in his office but my NUT is a NUT, OK. I have done a ton of research and I never heard that once sleeved I will not absorb any B-12 through my stomach ever again. Is this even remotely true? I suspect that this may be true for by-pass patients, but I have never heard of this for sleevers. Although obviously it is a very important Vitamin that we all must be sure to take. She says that the 3333% of the USRDA of B12 that's in my BodSmith liquid prenatal Vitamins will not be absorbed in my stomach and that I must take it sublingually. Is this true?

I couldn't agree more. Traffic in my area is really bad. I had to drive over an hour to meet with her for like a 10 minute consultation where she asked me all the same questions I had already answered on the initial questionnaire I had completed two weeks before. What medications are you on? etc. Total waste of my time. AND they did in fact give the band, bypass, sleeve folks all the same booklet. There are a couple of different things in there for band patients which I ripped out, but bypass and sleeve are lumped together. Not helpful. The only thing she told me that I did not know before was that I need to take B12 sublingually. Which I'm still not really sure if that's neccessary for sleeve or just for bypass.

I have told my boss, my right hand man (who happens to be a woman), another friend of mine at work (not everybody, just those I talk to everyday). I have also told my entire family and all my friends. We are only as sick as the secrets we keep. I am not saying shout it from the mountaintops or tell every person on the street or every one you work with, but look at this way....if you are really successful they are all going to know anyway. I am who I am and I own it bigtime. I believe in keeping it 100% real with anyone who matters to me.

Really wanting to be supportive and certainly wish that you could get everything covered. The world I'm living in is one where we have BCBS but my employer specifically excludes anything to do with bariatric surgery, medical treatment or anything whatsoever. So I have made the commitment to self-pay. Unfortunately, everything in life is not fair and we will not always get what we deserve. But I do believe that we can grow and expand what we are truly grateful for in order to attract more of that into our lives. I would say be grateful that you are getting the panni and tummy tuck (most plans just cover the panni without the abdominoplasty). And then look into care credit or some other financing to finance what you need to. Encourage your kids to get part-time summer jobs, and apply for their own student loans if need be. Explain to them that you have earned this and that it is something you need to do to take care of yourself. I am facing similar choices such as I was planning to use the money as a down payment toward my first house. I also have an older car that I would like to upgrade. But life is about choices, and I may have to defer buying a home for another year or two and I may have to just make this car last forever, or at least recognize that there will be one less car over the course of my life. Especially deferring the purchase of my first home is a major life decision, but in the end I think it is worth it to invest in myself and my health.

I can tolerate the fruit punch in the 8 oz bottles.

Does sound like you would need to add some calories. Also make sure you stay hydrated and a magnesium potassium supplement cannot hurt. My energy was low from workouts before and that really helped.

@krisrpaws - You should be able to get a squishy "night guard" from your dentist. Almost everyone I know over 40 or 50 has one. And you do NOT need a sleep study because you grind your teeth. A sleep study is really for sleep apnea (or some other actual sleep disorder). Check out this link https://www.massdental.org/content.aspx?id=878

@@jands75 - ISOPURE - I know that I sound like a commercial about this stuff. Its actually a whole line of products by Nature's Best, but my mom who had bypass swears by them and most that I've tried are yummy. Just make sure you go for zero carb or low carb, they have something called "mass" that has like 50g of carbs. Obviously we call need to stay away from that stuff:-) But the zero carb are amazing.