ouroborous

Well, if all goes well, one week from now I'll be home from surgery -- in pain, doped up, and past the worst of it. I can tell I'm going to need a valium or something!

The bottom line is that VSG is WAY safer than being obese is. WAY safer. Even for young people, your risk of dying from obesity is a ZILLION times higher than your risk of dying from an uncomplicated laparoscopic surgery like VSG. So if people are arguing that you shouldn't get the surgery because of the risks, you should point this out. Of course, the "safest" way to get skinny is through diet and exercise. But for this, you have to factor in the 95% failure rate. When you do this, the safety numbers drop dramatically and VSG starts looking good again.

I did a little research and most of what I read concurs with Tiffykins response -- the conventional wisdom is that there IS no dumping with VSG. However, stomach transit time is dramatically reduced with VSG (which is one reason why alcohol can affect us so strongly). Dumping isn't just the result of no pyloric valve, it's the result of basically zero transit time into the intestines for the RNX crowd. If our stomachs empty super-fast post-VSG, we could get all of the symptoms of dumping, even with an intact pyloric sphincter. So I think it's possible that there could be a bit of "dumping lite" with VSG. Of course, we're not SUPPOSED to be eating high-sugar foods or drinking alcohol, so you could argue that even this "dumping lite" might be a blessing in disguise, forcing us to eat healthier! Again, I'm not a doctor, just going off of what my surgeon told me.

All I know is that my surgeon specifically told me that dumping DOES happen to a percentage of VSG patients. I don't understand the mechanism either, but I'm inclined to trust my surgeon's word :001_smile:

One concern I have about VSG is being able to do weightlifting again. I know that I can't lift more than, what, 15 pounds for six weeks? But after that -- after I'm *structurally* healed, will I have enough energy on a restricted diet to actually build up my muscles? I'll be turning 40 this year, and along with VSG as a birthday present, I'd like to start hitting the gym and building back the muscles I was so proud of in my 20's. Is that going to be out of the question on a 500-600 calorie/day diet? As we get older, we tend to lose muscle. I don't want to accelerate that process with severe protein deficiency; I want to reverse it! Anyone (even the ladies) got any thoughts on bodybuilding and weightlifting post WLS (and post-VSG in particular)?

It's dumping. Sadly, you can get dumping syndrome with VSG, too. I'm mildly annoyed by this fact, because NOT having dumping was one of the things that attracted me to VSG over gastric bypass.

My girlfriend was sleeved in November, and she was my inspiration to get sleeved in a week. So yes, there are people who do this with their significant others. I think that like almost all "self improvement" type projects, it helps to have someone else who's going through the same stuff as you!

Oh, thanks for reminding me -- I gotta ask for that Valium, since I'm a bit of nervous patient!

My surgeon said no NSAIDS (after the surgery) but only large pills. He said that large pills can get a little "stuck," and the result is that all of the medicine is released in one location, right up against the stomach wall. He said that can result in ulcers. So, from what I understand of what he's saying, it's not that NSAID's are specifically bad for lap sleeve, it's just a mechanical thing. But the end result is the same. I always preferred Tylenol anyway; my PCP said that the liver toxicity is way overplayed; unless you OD on them, Tylenol is very safe.

I'm sorry to hear about your complications, brother. Hopefully it's nothing life-threatening, and you'll make a speedy recovery!

Surprising things I'm learning about carbs. My scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese in the morning is about 1g of carbs. Most of that comes from the splash of nonfat milk I use to make the eggs fluffier. I was surprised that, per the nutrition information, milk contains carbs but cheese doesn't. Who'd a thunk it? My coffee was a whopping 12g of carbs! Black coffee has zero carbs, but I use two small scoops (about 15g) of sugar free cocoa to sweeten it, and that has a surprising 10g of carbs in it. Then I use two Splenda packets, which each have 1g of carbs (apparently from the fillers that they use). So, I'll be skipping my morning coffee (unless I can learn to choke it down black). That's okay, though, since I'm supposed to be weaning off coffee anyway. It's sorta amazing how many carbs there are in various foods. I realize that I can't really just eat something without checking it out first, or I might be sabotaging myself. I just poured my coffee down the sink :thumbup1:

Well, the truth is that this IS the easy way out. The thing is, it's also the SMART way out -- the other "ways out" don't really lead "out." That's like saying that not crashing your car into a wall is the "easy way out." Yes... technically... For anyone who knows the amount of work required post-op, the pain, the cost, the restrictions, the fear... it's not EASY. It's just EASIER -- not to mention safer, and smarter -- than the constant merry go round of dieting. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Hey all you sleeve veterans, I have a question. Is there any problem with drinking cold liquids after the sleeve? I really like my beverages ice cold, for the most part, and I was wondering if there is any temperature sensitivity after the op.

Well, ok, this isn't really a list of demands. Rather, it's a list of complaints. I wanted to list all of my complaints and issues BEFORE surgery that I think that losing the weight might improve. This will sound like whining -- so if that annoys you, skip this post. But it's not, really. My memory is poor (a complaint!), so I wanted to have a concrete list to look back on after the surgery and after I lose the weight, and see how far I've come. My sleep is almost ALWAYS poor. It's the rare exception when I sleep deeply, with dreams, through the night. Usually I'm struggling with my CPAP mask, or pressure. Or, I'm dealing with cramps and aches and pains from being so heavy -- just lying on my side for too long makes my shoulder ache from my own weight. As a result of this, I'm always tired and use too much caffeine. I always have some sort of aches and pains. Whether it's the shoulder I just mentioned, or my back, or (lately, worryingly) my knees, or my elbows. Or, I have a headache, or muscle cramps, or whatever. I know that some of this is just "getting older," but I also know that being obese is a big, big part of it (pun semi-intended). My sex-life is almost nonexistent. My partner is very patient with me, but it's still a source of some friction. I have almost no libido, and the few times that I do, I rarely have the energy to DO anything about it. My skin is very poor. I get constant rashes and dermatitis. This is very embarrassing, and it's one more thing that I use prescription medication to control. A portion of this is genetic, but it is modulated by bodily stress, and obesity (with its constant low-grade inflammation state) is a major bodily stress. I feel like I complain too much, but the reality is that I DO have a lot of physical complaints. I don't like being a "complainer" -- I'm hoping that losing weight and getting healthier will result in having less to complain about! I struggle a lot with anxiety. I chalk this up to exhaustion (see my first point) and my excessive caffeine use. I have very poor body self-esteem. I tend to avoid social situations because I am nervous about being so obese and having people mock or insult me for it. A portion of this is just stuff I'll have to work through, but not being obese will help me to not have to worry so much about it! I have low energy -- I rarely have the energy to go do "fun" stuff with my girlfriend, so weekends are just sitting around at home. It seems to me like I get sick a lot considering that I'm still relatively young and in relatively good health (aside from my obesity). There are all sorts of things I either can't do (skydiving) or don't feel safe doing (bicycling, kayaking) due to my weight and size. I have to wear giant, ill-fitting clothes to either hide or accomodate my flab. It's just a matter of time before I develop serious health problems, at this weight, and that knowledge at the back of my mind makes me anxious. My memory is very poor. I forget names and facts and figures very quickly. It's embarrassing and further limits me socially. Er... wait. Did I mention this already?

Hey folks, I was wondering if anyone else had odd experiences when doing a low carb pre-op diet? I've been on the diet for two days now. Aside from a little hunger, it's felt okay. However, I've been noticing that when I stand up after sitting down for a while, I tend to get kinda woozy and dizzy. Some times I hear my pulse pounding in my ears for a minute or so. I'm not diabetic but I'm wondering if I'm hypoglycemic or have low blood pressure or something -- if that's normal for the low carb diet. I checked my blood sugar with a home monitor, and it was 95mg/dl which from what I understand is still fairly normal (if not even a tad high) for 2 hours after a mean. Also apparently the low carb diet can dehydrate you, and I'm not sure I've been drinking enough Water. Apparently one symptom of dehydration is dizziness. I didn't really consider this because I haven't felt thirsty, and my urine is normal color. Anyone got any thoughts? I don't want to go rushing off to the doc for something that's normal and minor.

I know! I have been hungry ALL the time. Fortunately, my diet is not low-fat or low-calorie, just low-carb. I've discovered that skim milk string cheese are essentially zero grams of carbs and these have been my savior (plus sugar free Crystal Lite when I have a sweets craving; I never used to have sweets cravings until I couldn't have sweets any more!)

They make home nugget ice machines. Sadly, the cheapest one I could find was around 3 grand... Some day, when I'm rich...

For all who responded: fortunately, this has passed. I guess it was just my body being a little shocked at the utter change in diet!

Thanks for the responses! So it sounds like there is a bit of cold sensitivity, especially at first. That might make things a bit more challenging for me; I can drink lots of Water -- if it's cold. I really like the Protein shakes -- if they're cold. Oh well, I'm sure I'll survive!

That was timely. Just as I was starting to get cold feet and think "eek, less than two weeks, am I doing the right thing?" I see that... Thank you!

Well, I'm going to be 40 in June. Does that mean it's too late to feel alive?

Yeesh... you did much better than I'm doing. I'm sticking with my 40g or less of carb, but even that is hard, and I'm not having to count calories or anything else. I can't figure out what's up with me; I don't know if it's dehydration or I have a mild bug of some kind or maybe allergies. I've been feeling low-grade ick for a little while now, and actually it pre-dated my low carb diet. It's probably allergies (I get allergies which trigger sinus infections... I'm a mess!)

Indeed! Not breathing is a major drag.

Well, I'm now officially two weeks out from surgery. I've been on the low carb diet for a couple days now, and it's going pretty smoothly. I didn't feel like I was the kind of guy who needed lots of sweets, but I have to say that the (zero carb) Crystal Lite is really helping me not obsess over things like the (low calorie, but still high carb) desserts in the fridge. I wonder if this pre-op diet will affect my weight? I'm not counting on it, but I wouldn't mind! On the plus side, due to figuring out some issues with my CPAP, my sleep has been a little better for a couple nights running. That's nice!

(Cross posted from the forums.) So, my lovely girlfriend took a number of pictures of me standing around in just my boxers, and, yeah... now I remember why 1) I never go shirtless, and 2) I don't like pictures! I believe that, under all the flab, I'm still a basically good looking man. But I have let the fat pile up, in roll after roll, until I'm almost unrecognizable under it. I think I've never really let myself accept just how very fat I've become. I have this bizarre mental image of myself as much more "normal" weight than is reality, but I also live in constant apprehension of someone seeing just how large I am. It's a bizarre mental double-image, and the photos today (which are in my private profile, and are going to stay private until I have some real progress to show!) were... a shock. My weight looks... ungainly, unhealthy, and just unsupportable, long-term. In some ways I think I haven't been fully committed to the surgery until this moment, just now, when I realized "man, if you stay like this, if you don't change something, you are going to die, painfully, and soon." I really understand now why... My back almost always hurts. If it's not my back, it's my shoulder from lying on my side to read or sleep (all that weight on my shoulder causes problems). I almost never sleep well, and fight constantly with apnea. I'm sick so often. I hate exercise so much -- if I walk long distances (or even stand up straight for too long), something is always chafing or rubbing or constricting. It's not surprising... with that much flab to move around, who would be comfortable? I have such a hard time finding clothes that fit. I buy huge, tent-like clothes to try to fit into and "hide" my flab, but let's be real... I'm not fooling anybody. I feel so awkward in social situations -- I'm very body-shy, and it's very difficult for me to avoid the belief that someone is "judging" me for my body. Some years ago, I had LASIK surgery because I was very nearsighted. I had to wear thick, coke bottle glasses (or contacts, but they were killing my eyes). I was very frightened of the surgery, to be honest -- I was worried I would go blind or something. But I got through it; I did my best to follow the surgeon's instructions TO THE LETTER, and when my eyes had fully healed, I had better than 20/20 vision (20/10 in one eye, 20/15 in the other). It wasn't entirely a positive experience; I had to shell out five thousand dollars of my own money (LASIK was still new). It was a little painful and a lot frightening, but I still consider it one of the best choices I've ever made. I still just stare out on this beautiful world, sometimes, and marvel at how nice it is to be able to really SEE without thick lenses or frames chafing my ears or getting smudged or slipping down (and making everything look small, that's one odd effect of glasses that they never mention -- everything looks so SMALL). It was totally worth the money, and I would do it again in a moment. So that's how I'm thinking of the weight loss surgery. I've done the research; on almost every single metric, this surgery will improve my life. It will add years of life expectancy, and (maybe more important), it will likely be QUALITY life, not years spent in sickness and decline. It will restore my mental image of myself as a "normal looking" guy to reality. It will hopefully ease my constant anxiety that something is Dreadfully Wrong with me, health-wise (I'm fortunate that almost all of my anxiety is, for now, ungrounded -- but how long will THAT last?). YES, there will be some initial pain, but apparently not much. YES, I'll have to likely deal with some nausea or "sliming" or whatever, but that's a small price to pay. YES, I'll have to re-learn how to eat, and make good food choices every single day, but to be honest, I should have been doing that anyhow. I'm hoping that, like the LASIK surgery, I'll look back on this in a few years and say "would I do it again? Absolutely, yes. In a heartbeat." Because after looking at myself in all of my non-glory today, I don't like what I see. That much fat just can't be sustained. This kind of life of pain, embarrassment, discomfort, and always waiting for the "other shoe to fall," health-wise, just can't last. I have to do it. I think, now, I may finally WANT to do it.