Becca

My poor hubby gets tired of listening to "sleeve" talk, too! LOL That is so great that you have your appointment tomorrow! I wish you the best of luck~

I drove about a week after surgery because I had to take my girls to school. My doctor said as long as I wasn't on the prescription pain meds, I could drive when I felt ready. I started walking about two weeks after surgery and then started really "working" out at the gym at six weeks. I still got tired easily, so I had to take it slow at the gym when I first went back. I would plan to take it easy at least the first week when you will need lots of rest.

I went crazy before my surgery because I thought I wouldn't be able to eat my favorite foods again. I was wrong! You can eat things you love after surgery, just in small amounts. Most of the "bad" foods I used to love though don't taste good anymore. You will be amazed at how your relationship with food changes after VSG. I would enjoy your "last" meal with your friends. Your new life will start soon enough!

Yay! It will just keep getting better!

I know this is a difficult decision. I feel that since you are already here posting this, you know in your heart what you want to do. The sleeve has been by far one of the best decisions of my life. I have struggled with my weight pretty much my entire life. Sure I've been able to lose weight, but I could never keep it off. The sleeve is giving me the ability to lose and keep it off. I know you have concerns about the post op diet and life. You can just take those parts in little steps as they come. People will have opinions about what you do, but this is about YOU! Most people have been super supportive of my surgery. The few who haven't aren't friends worth keeping. I know you can do this! We are all here to support you through it!

I drink Diet Drinks at 5 1/2 months out. I really like Diet Rite. It tastes good, has 0 calories, 0 caffiene, 0 sodium, and it is made with Splenda. I have not had any bad side effects. I started drinking it a couple of months ago. I still always do my best to get in all my water. I just sometimes want to drink something with flavor and carbonation, epsecially if I go out to eat. Since I can't really eat too much, I will sit and enjoy my Diet Drink while everyone else eats at restaurants. I don't usually drink more than one a day.

I vote for Labor Day! Halloween just seems way too far away. SN.................................Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Becca................................192....................179...........175..............4............

You look so amazingly awesome! Thanks for always being there for me to answer my questions when I started my journey to now. You are such an inspiration! Love ya~

Get this, I JUST got a bill from a second assistant surgeon (who I never met) for $ 10, 000 and I had my surgery on December 27. Just crazy! Glad my deductibles are met!

I had several complications with my band (slip, leak, broken tubing, and towards the end I could barely swallow). If there is pain involved, please have it checked out as soon as possible. It sounds like you may have an infection or slip. I had extreme pain when my band broke apart. It caused an infection at the port site which was treatable with antibiotics. If you do end up having some sort of slip or complication, you really should consider revision. It is so great to not have to worry about fills, sliming, getting stuck, and pain anymore. The stats are not good for patients that have a band complication fixed (slip, etc). When I was having my endoscope at the hospital, there was a lady who was going in to have a slip fixed. She had done very well with her band, but had sudden pain that required immediate surgery. Well, her doctor couldn't fix the slip and she woke up with no band. She was in tears in recovery and I felt so bad for her. Good luck with your appointment. We are always here if you have more questions!

These are good ones. I am going to add two. I wanted to be able to play with my kids and I am happy I will no longer be the "fat" teacher. It is amazing how much more energy I have for my own kids, as well as my second graders!

Winning!!!!

Love this idea! My coffee always gets cold in the morning!

It is normal to be scared. I used to freak out daily thinking about having most of my stomach cut out. I was so unhappy though and I knew that I couldn't continue to be morbidly obese anymore. So many people here gave me the support and wisdom I needed to go through with my sleeve. I am 200% happy that I did! The sleeve has given me control over food. I am losing weight and I feel amazing. The VSG is a wonderful and life changing tool! I really feel it is one of the best decisions I could have ever made for myself. Good luck with your surgery. We are always here for you!

You are doing great!!! I am so happy for you. That is about what I lost the first three months. I eat about 1200 calories a day and I continue to lose consitantly. I feel good eating that amount, so I stick with it. You will start to lose again. Your body just needs time to catch up. Awesome job!!!

Wow! You look amazing!!!

I've read many reports of consistent restriction from VSG vs. tha random restriction I had from AGB. Is your restriction consistent? Is it consistent both in terms of times of day you can eat and types of food you can eat? Does VSG seem to be effected by the same variables as AGB? (e.g. flying, stress, humidity, PMS/water retention...) My restriction is consistent except that I do notice that right before my period, I seem to be able to eat a little bit more (or maybe it is that I want to due to hormones). With AGB "stuck" foods caused me discomfort or pain, often quite a bit of pain, and often for a fairly long time. Does food stick with VSG? I've read about people brining stuff up, but is this because of failure to pass through some stoma, or is it because of eating more than you can hold? Or both? Does it hurt like it did with your band? When it comes up, is it "saliva + stuck bits" like with the band, or is it actual vomit? I hated being stuck with the band! I have never had anything get stuck with the sleeve. Sometimes, when I eat out, I may take that one bite too many and I feel extremely full. So full that I don't even want to think about food or be around it. That is what has allowed my great success though! I can only eat at small amount at a time~ I know some dumping can occur with VSG - do you dump? Is it on specific foods, or random? The only time I get that feeling is if I eat Cereal with milk. I am not sure if it is the the milk or that the cereal swells in my stomach, but I feel sick and like I need to lay down. I don't usually eat cereal becasue of this. If I drink milk alone or in something, I am fine. What period is the greatest risk for developing a leak? I see references to 2 weeks, 2 months...I am not sure but my doctor did say to follow the post op diet closely to avoid putting stress on the staple line and which can cause a leak. Is leak the (currently known) most likely complication of VSG? I see people talking about leaks, and pOuch stretching, but that's about it. Surely there's something else out there...You can have issues with Calcium absorption which can cause problems with your bones and teeth. You have to take calcium citirate regularly. WIthout the need for fills, what does your post-op care look like? Do you have periodoc leak tests as a bandster might have period fluoro or xray? I have just had blood tests and check ups. So easy and nice! I hated getting fills. What do you like best about your VSG? It works! I feel amazing. I can't sabotoge myself anymore with food. Food doesn't control me. What do you like least about your VSG? Maybe the scars, but I love the sleeve itself. I really feel it is one of the best decisions of my life! What did you not know going in, that you wish you did? I wish I had asked for the morphine pump for when I woke up after surgery. I didn't discuss it with my doctor because I just thought everyone got one. OUCH! I was fine once they started giving me pain meds through my IV though. I keep reading "recovery is a lot harder than with the band," but no one really elaborates. Can someone please share their comparison of recovery? I actually thought they were about the same. I didn't have a drain with my band and I did with the sleeve. I did not like the drain, but it is there to detect leaks. I would do it again in a heartbeat! How hard did you find the transition in terns of behavior? I'm assuming there are shared rules such as chewing to goo, small bites, waiting between bites, etc. My band never really worked right, so it is hard to compare. I know I always had to worry about getting stuck at the most inconvient times, like at a restaurant. I would have to run to the bathroom and pray no one else was in there when I slimed. With the sleeve I have restriction all the time. I do have to focus on Protein first, but I really can eat anything, just smaller amounts. Do you have a "soft stop" with VSG? (I never had one with AGB, but I'm wondering if it exists with VSG) I just have to stop at the first sign of fullness. Just one bite over my sleeve capacity and I am miserable from fullness. Did anyone out thyere have a difficult revision due to scar tissue/etc. with the band?I had some soreness where the port was, but that is gone now. Any bathroom problems? (e.g. the terrible stinkies DSers are known for) Nope It seems like most people encounter significant heartburn. Is reflux an issue with VSG? Is the heartburn long term, or does it resolve after a while? I get hearburn with certain foods (spicy usually). I had it a little the first three months after surgery and took my prescription. Now it is just on an as need basis. I rarely get heartburn. Are your food intolerances (if any) the same as with your AGB?For some reason, hamburger meat in the patty form does not agree with my sleeve. I have thrown up three times trying to eat it. I just avoid it now! I can eat it if it is ground up like taco meat. The three times I tried hamburger patties are the only times I have thrown up with the sleeve. Otherwise, nothing else has caused this issued. I LOVE the sleeve! Good luck with your revision~

No worries! You will do amazing!!! You are making such a wonderful choice to change you life~

For me the worst was right when I woke up from surgery. I just assumed I would get a morphine pump because it seemed like everyone did. I didn't discuss it with my doctor. Even though I totally respect him as a surgeon, he felt I could handle having the medication through my IV. Well when I woke up, I was in horrible pain. I did have a revision from the band and a hernia repair, so that could be the cause for more than usual pain. Of course my crying and trying to get up out of the bed caused the nurses to get my medicine quickly and I was good! The first few days can be rough, but everything else has been WONDERFUL! I would go through the pain of surgery again in a heartbeat to have this new life. I am so happy and it is great watching the pounds disappear. Good luck with your surgery!

I have had this issue for years. My doctor keeps me on the pill to regulate my hormones. It's the only thing that has worked. I had been off the pill for awhile before surgery (the pill causes blood clots during surgery so I had to go off one month before) and I had major bleeding days after surgery and many other times after. I am now on the Seasonique that keeps your periods to only four times a year. In my opinion, it is much better to take the pill than to have this issue. It's so horrible. I would see your doctor and see if you can get some kind of hormone therapy.

I was a revision from the band. I lost 42 pounds with the band in three and a half years. I lost 22 the first month with the sleeve and approximately 10 pounds per month after that. I am five months out. I was at 60 pounds lost on my five month mark with the sleeve and in total I have lost 104 pounds with both surgeries. THE SLEEVE IS AWESOME! No complaints!

Pretty cool sites! Thanks!

I am soo sorry! I threw my back out a couple of weeks ago in a weight class. It is complete misery to have a hurt back so I really feel for you. I found swimming and heat really helped. I had to take off a week from working out so it could heal and I felt so blah! I know it is hard, but you have accomplished so much! Celebrate each and every pound. You will get there. This is just a small set back. HUGS!!!