i1Linda

Joy - I am also a Texas girl (well transplant anyway) and would love to help you. The sleeve is AWESOME! Best thing I ever did for myself.

Wow! That is wonderful success. Keep up the good work in 2010.

Yay! Glad you are feeling better and have made it home safely. Being home always makes me feel a little better. Keep walking, keep sipping. Each day gets easier.

LOL I am feeling better. Protonix helped a bunch. Thank you.

Okay - they might be a bit heavy. My tummy hasn't felt very well since I ate. I'm not sure if it was too early to eat (I usually don't eat anything but "protein coffee" in the morning), just too heavy/rich food for morning, or the actual product disagreed with me. I kind of feel "hung over" in my tummy, a little nausea, like a drank too much last night. But I didn't feel that way before I ate. I only had one drink last night, so I'm certain its not that, but it is how I feel. We ate pretty non-diet friendly food last night, albeit not much for me. Might also be that, in combination with the heavy breakfast. I took a protonix this morning, I rarely do anymore. I hope that it helps. But back to the pancakes - they sure tasted good. I will have to try them again sometime but without all the New Year's Eve stuff the night before.

Hi Gary. Congratulations on your surgery date. I know you are in good hands. What a great way to start 2010. Keep us posted.

Hey Longhorn - there you are! We were wondering about you too. Glad you are doing well. You will be able to drink more once the swelling in your tummy goes down a bit. Just remember: walk, walk, walk, sip, sip, sip (repeat).

Hi Kai Welcome to VST! We are glad you joined. I can't help you on Dr. Aceves, but there are many here that can. Good Luck on your journey and please ask away with questions. There are lots of wonderfully supportive, knowledgeable people on this forum that are always willing to help.

Hi Kimberly, Sorry to say, working in the medical field, I have never seen an insurance company pay for a procedure retroactively. It's either covered on day of procedure, or it's not. I am definitely not an expert on this however, so maybe someone else can chime in.

Break - Congratulations on your decision to have WLS. I can honestly say its the best thing I have ever done for myself and my family. I too, have a 4 year old (and an 8 year old). I initially thought I was being a little selfish for spending all the money for ME. But now, after seeing the positive effects of the weight loss on my family, it really was for all of us. Like I've said before: happier, healthier mommy = happier, healthier family. Good luck on your journey and welcome to VST.

Well, its a New Year - 2010. Happy New Year to everyone. Of coarse, like so many others, the resolution to "lose weight" seems to always be there. But this year, it's so much simpler: to keep working my sleeve, eating right getting my exercise and loosing the last 31 pounds to reach goal. It doesn't seem daunting or impossible, just part of the plan. My husband and I together have a resolution, kind of an odd one, but one I think it's important - to waste less food. We always buy more than we can eat, it spoils and we throw it away. OR - we have leftovers that are perfectly fine, we elect for take out instead, forget about the leftovers and end up tossing them. The scenarios are plentiful but the results are the same - we end up throwing away food. My other resolution is to serve healthier meals/snacks to my family. Since I can't eat much, I usually take the easy, processed food route for everyone else. I bake chicken breasts on the weekend and use them for my meals all week - easy, lean, PROTEIN. But for them, can you say hamburger helper?

WTG Girl - you are on the down hill side. Congratulations!

I knew that...Sorry Norma. I will edit post so it makes sense. Apparently too much PT for me lately, no oxygen getting to the brain.

Oh yeah. I lived on refried beans with melted 2% Chedder, a dallop of ff sour cream and a little bit of salsa - a burrito in a bowl. Gotta love the TexMex.

Yes, you are right, but most surgeons do some type of leak test while in the OR. Many others do another 1-2 days post-op. Dr. Nick and many others do not. I think it just comes down to the experience, training and medical opinion of the surgeon.

Has anyone heard from these two recently? I know their surgeries were Tuesday.

Theresa, Dr. Nick has been great. I'm always calling for little things (especially early on), but even now on occasion. They are really good about getting back with you quickly with an answer (Bea, Kristin, or Dr. Nick himself). Glad you are recovering quickly - it's all downhill (weight loss anyway) from here.

Congratulations on your decision. Dr. Nick's pre-op diet (in August) was 4-5 protein drinks/bars a day and one meal of 4 oz lean protein and 1-2 cups veggies (I lived on LF chicken caesar salad for those two weeks). Clear liquid diet the evening before surgery (no real food that day). I hope this helps.

I will be drinking a martini or two tonight. I started drinking my occasional cosmo or dirty martini around 3 months post-op (I think a little before). Start slow, don't want to over due it.

36 I think. No, doesn't seem too big. At 5 months post op I can eat 2 ounces of dense protein at a meal with a few bites of sides. I rarely need protein shakes anymore, I can get my protein in with real food. Sometimes I wish it were bigger so I can eat more of something that taste really good. And....Sometimes I wish it were smaller so I won't eat more of something that taste really good. I get in about 800 calories a day.

Thanks for the update Barbara. We were wondering about you. Sorry to hear you had a rough night. I promise it gets better. Take care. P.S. For awhile I could easily beat both my boys and my husband in a burp off. Not really something I was wanting the championship title for, but oh well.

Hi Shannon! Congratulations and welcome to VST! 30lb in 2.5 weeks is wonderful. Keep us posted on journey. There are wonderfully supportive people on this forum and we are all in this together. Tiffiny said it best...."it only gets better".