LAN2k

Your doing excellent and I'm happy for you.

Donna what you have to say is credible and worthy of paying attention to. Thanks for clarifying. I hope you are well and that your sister is making progress. Please keep us informed. xx

Sorry you have this complication and that it has taken this long to discover! Was your surgery done in the US or abroad? I wish you the best of care and a swift recovery.

I like to cook up some fresh baby leaf spinach and add a little bit of extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, and a bit of fresh chopped garlic. I boil then drain the spinach but it's still a little watery and slippery so when I eat small cut up pieces of chicken I take some spinach on the fork along with it and it really helps it to go down. I do the same with steak.

Pre op diet for me was 2 protein shakes and one light and healthy meal. That meant I would eat lots of veggies (healthy carbs) and any tasty meat or fish preperation, w/or without cheese. I also ate a couple of peices of fresh fruit each day. I lost 16lbs before my surgery. I started the diet 4 weeks before my surgery.

That's so interesting, I had a constant nagging alive and kicking libido pre surgery and since my VSG it's gone! It's like I've no feelings whatsoever. It feels as though it was removed along with my stomach! I wonder if it will ever return.

After reading your blog posts I wish I would have blogged pre surgery. Had I, it may have helped me get through the post surgery fear/anxiety and depression I experienced so profoundly. You are really ahead of the 8-ball and that's admirable. I usually don't push this surgery since I've personal reservations, however after reading your post, I totally support your decision. I think it will be very rewarding.

I so look forward to you having a successful surgery. I hope you will adjust quickly and reap the many benefits that the lost weight will produce for you.

Congrats! You ain't seen nothing yet...your weight's gonna plunge and 399.5 is going to be a faded memory before you know it! It's great that your step mom was so encouraged while there to actually have the VSG herself! Wow, that is cool. Best wishes to you both.

Good question. I had to have a blood transfusion and I sure hope the blood used passed stringent testing standards! I had my surgery at a North Shore LIJ Hospital in NY. Knowing the reputation of Dr. Aceves and his facility, I'd bet they are well equipped and the risks would be no different than here in the states. I'm sure someone who has had surgery will chime in here with a satisfactory answer for you.

Best wishes to you on taking the next step in your weight loss journey...Around here you will find support so keep us informed of your progress.

Congratulations on being able to have the WL surgery you prefer! Now you have time to prepare yourself. This message board is a very good venue to explore and ask what you may about the sleeve. I was in the hospital for 4 nights. I left the evening of the 5th day. I hadn't any serious complication just was given a blood transfusion. Most people are in the hospital approx. 3 days and a few have actually gone home the same day...(something I can't personally fathom).

Nikki, thanks so much for opening up like that. I'm with you. xx

You make a good point in asking that question. Speaking from my own experience with the "...(very normal physiological response to the trauma of surgery..." I have had previous surgeries, open gallbladder/hospitalized 2.5 weeks, open upper abdominal incisional hernia repair...just a couple of the major surgeries. Emotional recovery from those surgeries was hardly an issue. I did not encounter any depression or anxiety, only the normal aches and pains of physical healing. The VSG was/is a surgery that altered my entire digestive processes or rather my capacity to eat was abruptly and radically changed. For me, one who really had a "love" for food/eating and activities with people associated with it, I was psychologically stunned and became literally terrified at the reality of what I'd done. This manifested with extreme anxiety and fear and an over-all feeling of doom and death. I've been on these message boards for a while pre and post surgery to realize that I am not the norm...although there have been a few people who have confided in me of their own issues with depression, the majority of people posting on these message boards are not encountering depression as a result of their WLS. It's 7 months and I am much better now but still not fully adjusted. I wept yesterday really hard over the fact that I will never again be able to really eat as I sometimes would like to. But I am off the Remeron and I am managing better.

Good news everyone...I have noticed in the last 5 or 6 weeks a decline in the amount of hair I've been losing. As of my last wash, (after coloring my roots!), I hardly lost any hair at all~I was so amazed, then when I brushed it out before blowing it dry, the brush hardly had any hairs in it! There is no longer any shedding! I had lost handfuls of hair for months but finally it has stopped!! My hair is about 1/4 in over all thickness than it was pre surgery but since the loss has stopped I am hopeful that it will reverse and grow back especially since the warm summer season is approaching and my hair grows fastest during summer months!! Right now I look like a pin head my hair is so thin. It used to take me 45 minutes to blow dry my hair and now it takes about 20 minutes. My pony tail used to be really full and thick and now it is very skimpy and thin......but not for long!

Congratulations Stacy you did it and you have a great state of mind-lucky you! Now just take it slow and be sure to walk, sip and rest!

I am amazed at how ignorant some people can be! Seriously to arrange an "intervention" and then to try to get you to smoke and drink "pop"? To tell you that you will die? That's nuts I mean wow what an eye-opener this should be for you with regard to the people you work with. I'm so glad your husband supports you! You will be fine but maybe it's a good idea to venture into a new job? Sorry but what a bunch of quacks they all sound like...really.

Your looking great! Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing your photos with us.

You are young enough to get back into martial arts-these days the ages in classes do vary. Do you enjoy swimming? Before I lost all this weight I went swimming in the local sound nearly every day and loved it. (Now that I've lost weight and will LOOK better) I'm a bit petrified to go into the water! You might like to ride a road or mountain bike--not boring at all. You've got great self awareness and some good ideas that are possible.