thesuse2000

Sorry for all the stresses in your life. I can relate to some extent as I care for my husband who has a debilitating neurological condition. He's more able than your husband I think, but I do all the cleaning, errands, etc as well as being the only earner. It's hard to make time for oneself, but we must take care of ourselves in order to continue to care for our loved one(s). Are you tracking what you eat? It doesn't take too much time and is so helpful in helping understand what's going on. if you do see a nutritionist it will help them better understand what's going on as well. Myfitnesspal is a great tool. It could be that you're eating too little, or maybe not the right foods. If that doesn't feel doable to you, consider sharing a typical day's meals/snacks here and I'm sure people will be able to provide some suggestions that might help. Wishing you the best in finding ways to take care of yourself!

i was totally nekkid under my gown for mine. can't say if that's universal or not.

Funny - that's something my grandma did, but I didn't know why... but she did struggle with her weight, so that may have been it! It makes sense that perhaps our stomachs empty out into our intestines sooner if the food is liquified with the help of water. Not sure about that, but maybe...

Welcome - and congrats on your decision! This site has been so very helpful to me all along the way too.

Wow - congrats!! That's amazing progress for anyone, but perhaps more so or a revisioner. I'm 1 1/2 weeks out from band to sleeve - hope to be doing as well as you in 7 months!

Oh - that's frustrating. Any other good surgeons in your area? End of august seems like plenty of time to get things worked out (pending surgery date availability). Looks like you need to babysit the surgeon's office for sure to make it all happen. I wish you the best in making it work!

I'm on day 9 of post-op liquids and was getting sick of eating the same thing every day (Protein shakes and thinned out pureed veggie Soups with unflavored protein powder). On my way home tonight it dawned on as I passed an Indian restaurant that mulligatawny would be a good option - and oh my god, was it ever! Probably not everyone's taste, but for those who like a little spice and flavor it is heaven! (especially when you're limited to liquids). Anyone have other good ideas for liquids to keep things interesting?

ooh - thanks ladies!!

I just read through the info in your post in more detail... the thing I had going for me is that I did lose 70 pounds originally with the band and regained after a slip, and continued night choking even after revision surgery... so I may have passed the rules about having complied with my first surgery, where that might be more of a fight for you... but talk to the office and see if they have suggestions for you - they just might! Perhaps your great commitment to the medifast diet will help. I hope so.

I was a revision from band to sleeve. Frankly, I'm not 100% clear on how the office presented my case to my insurance company (I thought it best to stay out of it), but they are pros and know what they're doing. If you go to a big bariatric practice they will be able to advise you. They'll probably send you for tests, like an esophogram and/or an endoscopy to look for evidence of damage/complications. I know for me it was "good" that my BMI was over 40 when I started the insurance process - at least with my insurance, they said that even if they don't cover it as a revision it should be covered as a new surgery with a BMI over 40. But it was covered as a revision. Good luck!

the rule i was given for liquids is that if you can drink it through a straw, it's okay (but you shouldn't drink through a straw). So I think strained potato soup would be okay - you just might need to thin it out a bit with some chicken or veggie broth. That's what I've been doing with my various puree soups.

I did a 1000 cal/day pre-op diet. i started 3 days early to get the worst days over with on a weekend, and to also give me a little leeway in case I went over a little during the 2 weeks at client dinners and such. I lost about 15 pounds total in that period. I've only lost 3 pounds since my surgery just over a week ago though, and I see lots of people who lose 10 pounds or more in this time. Alas, overall, I'm happy with what I've lost this month!

You look great - congrats on your success! And cute haircut too.

This is an interesting question. I've suffered from depression a fair amount in my life, but not so much in recent years. I'm sure this is something that varies for different people, but I haven't made any assumptions that losing weight will help me avoid depression. I do think it will help with my overall energy, which is sort of related. I've actually heard that some people can get depressed after surgery because they've lost the ability to use food for comfort. I plan to continue with therapy and just work through things as they come up. I think this surgery is overall good for my physical and mental health, but not a cure-all. I wish you well!

I wasn't allowed to drink water until day two. IV fluids will keep you from being dehydrated. Hang in there - it gets better!

Hi there, I'm hypothyroid, but only 1 1/2 weeks out, so too early to see how that will go. But I'm not overly worried about it - I'll just monitor my levels and tweak as needed. I agree with everyone else that it doesn't seem like a good idea for you to rush into this so quickly when you're still just starting to learn about what this will mean for you. I've thought about the sleeve since I first started having trouble with my band back in 2009, but I still needed about 6 months to prepare from the point that I was seriously ready to do it. As far as recovery time goes, everyone is different, but most seem ready to go back to work in 2-3 weeks. I'm planning to go back on Monday, after 2 weeks, and I think it will be okay. I'll probably still be a little tired, but will try to make my first week a little easier than usual. As far as Vitamins go, I'm taking chewable vitamins from Celebrate. It's really not a big deal. If you're taking vitamins regularly, that should help you manage your anemia, but I'm not a doc and not sure about this one... As far as heartburn, I think everyone is advised to take a PPI after surgery, but I think only 15-20% or so have serious heartburn issues and need to continue these meds longterm. About the food you eat. I know there are some vegetarian sleevers, so I imagine you can create a diet plan that works for you, perhaps including more Protein shakes and such. The unjury unflavored protein is easy to add to anything, like your morning coffee/tea, etc. Would be a good thing for you to discuss in more detail with a nutritionist. Lastly - you and your husband should look at the health risk/benefit profile together. It IS a major surgery, and there are risks, but the risks of morbid obesity are greater. But if you feel you haven't given diet/exercise a good enough shot, that would be a good idea to do as a next step. Good luck in your process! It is a lot to take in.

Thanks for sharing this! So funny, yet such a sober reminder to not trust any advertising claims about supplements.

Wow - so awesome! You look so beautiful and happy now. Delightful to see. How long did it take you to recover from all the plastics? That seems like a lot to do at once! Thanks so much for sharing - so great to see your transformation.

I'm band to sleeve, but my story is very different from yours (night choking meant I couldn't keep enough fluid in my band for it to help me) and I'm only a week out from sleeve, so can't compare much at this point. But I think the sleeve will be great for you. Keep in mind, that us revisioners do have a higher risk of complications due to the scar tissue and such. But I'm so glad I did it. Good luck to you.

My POV - it's fine and good for someone to share their personal experience with someone who has asked for input from others, but this line feels inappropriate to me - it's a disturbing thing to say, and an overarching statement about the surgery based on one person's experience; not factual or helpful at all: "this surg is like selling your soul to the devil."

That's disturbing indeed! The rate of complications is readily available, and any good surgeon should talk through the possibilities with you. If one is unlucky enough to suffer from very bad complications I can understand feeling negative overall toward the surgery, but the facts are the facts - the vast majority of people don't have major issues and instead experience a range of benefits from the surgery. I'm sad for that person and what they are going through (whatever it is really; I'm not clear) but it's not cool for them to suggest to you that it's overall a bad surgery, because that's just not the truth. For me - I'm only one week out, but already feeling so very happy with it!

feedyoureye - thank you for sharing all these links!! I'm only a week out from sleeve surgery, but sort of a vet, since I had lapband surgery back in 2008. I'm using this time off from work to learn as much as I can and set myself up for longterm success with the sleeve. This 5:2 method is something I will store away for the future - but I've shared that video with my sister who also has the band and would like to lose more - as well as my parents, who I would love to see benefit from the longevity benefits! So very interesting and cool to learn about the science behind intermittent fasting.

Hi there - I just had revision from band to sleeve on the 16th. I was so freaking nervous too. My husband has a disabling neurological condition and is dependent on me and I was terrified that I would die and abandon him. I started seeing various things as "signs" that I was going to die. Two old friends contacted me on facebook the week before and one childhood friend sent a very heartwarming messages about being thankful for having had me in her life... it probably would have made me cry on a normal day, but the day before surgery it felt like an omen - like she knew. Anyway - I am SO thankful to be on the other side of this surgery now and healing more and more each day. I wish I could promise you the same for sure, but the reality is that there are risks. But most likely you will be just fine - and will be posting reassuring messages for others in a couple weeks.

Hi June sleevers! I had my surgery on the 16th. I didn't go in until 4pm, so it was a looooong day... and I was so scared I was gonna die, I spent time looking at the before/after photos which helped calm me down and keep me positive, but I ended up crying quietly when they wheeled me to the OR. The staff were so nice and reassured me until I was out. I'm so glad it's over!! The first 24 hours were pretty uncomfortable, but not horrible. Didn't have terrible pain, just achy felt hurty with every movement. I was told I'd stay till Weds am, and Tues afternoon it was hard for me to imagine feeling okay by Weds. But then Weds morning I felt SO much better. And each day since has been better still! I get tired and nap every day, but I'm walking around a lot and doing errands and such and feel like a normal person. I'm not having any trouble getting plenty of liquids and Protein in, so that's great as well. Looking forward to progressing with food and establishing healthy habits with my new tool. So ready for this journey. Good luck to the rest of the June sleevers still to come!

Happy to hear you're feeling good! I'm four days out too. I went in late Monday. Felt pretty crappy Mon night and Tues (not horrible, but uncomfortable for sure). But by Weds I felt pretty decent and have improved since then. Did a bunch of errands and stuff today and felt pretty normal! And I'm not having trouble getting fluids down like some do. So I feel very lucky! So glad to have all my fears about the surgery behind me! I think as long as I follow the rules in terms of food progression I should be golden.