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Hi my name is Sharon. I just made the decision to have the gastric sleeve. I am 57 and have struggled since the age of 10 with my weight. My surgeon will be Trace Curry. I have my first appointment next week. I anticipate the surgery will be in August. Wish it could be tomorrow. I have to admit I have a fear of failing at this too but I am excited.

Surgery date was 8/29/11. Had my post op visit with doctor on Tuesday. I have another checkup on 9/22. My first fill will be 10/13. I was extremely excited to move from liquid stage to Mush.

I have my band. I keep it on my dresser. I like seeing it since I spent 10 grand on that mistake.

First of all, did your dr say you could eat regular food after getting a fill? I know most drs say to wait 24 hrs on full liquids before trying food. Some are even longer. And it took me until my 3rd fill (4 mths into it) until I felt any difference at all. For the future tho, sometimes you can feel the restriciton right away, sometimes it takes up to 10 days to feel any difference. No clue why. You have to be patient. Unless your one of maybe 1,000 bandsters, you're not gunna feel any difference for a few fills. Good luck! Marci

I have to do 10 days. I start this Saturday! But I will try to keep my eye on the prize. I am also on vacation next week then go right into surgery on the 10th so I will use next week to get my house in order for when I am recuperating. I also plan on going through all my clothes closets to sort out sizes. I am sure I have at least 3 to 4 back sizes for the way down!! At least I will know what I have to wear for a while. I do not want to go spend a lot of money in the beginning of the weight loss. Once I get down lower then I can splurge!!

FYI For those of us that are still fortunate enough to eat wheat bread, try Nature's Own Double Fiber - it has a purple heading. 40 calories per slice 4 grams of Protein 5 grams of FIBER 10 grams of carbs so if you eat a Peanut Butter sandwich - the bread alone will give you 10 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein. Thats good news!!

OK, after noting my lack of pants that fit yesterday (see previous blog) it got me thinking about how many sizes I’ve kept over the years. I decided to go check (in hopes of being able to wear a few someday:bored:). We’ve moved seven times since we’ve been married (I was a bean pole then 5'9"/132#...I've lost and inch and gained a ton), and yep, I got rid of clothes every time we moved …and yeah, my college daughter has permanently borrowed some of my better skinny clothes…and yep, we give clothes to charity every year…so WHY do I still have so many sizes?:cursing: OK, I’ve done the yo-yo thing for decades (obvious from my closet) and, let’s see, the lowest I’ve been in this decade was 160#, but even then, I wore a size 16 on a skinny day. So WHY do I still have size 10’s hanging in my closet??!!!:blushing: I actually have at least one pair of every size between 10-2x (that’s 14 different sizes). OK, I try to buy “Longs” when I can find them, and they’re so hard to find I’ve had a hard time giving them up (saved mostly a few dress ones or jeans)…but GET REAL, size 10’s!??:biggrin: Do you know how much DUST:blushing: was on the top of that pants hangar? I’ve always carried my weight in my lower half…I think I was barely in a size 10 when I was 130#! So there’s my new end goal…I’ll even settle for a 10/12 with an elastic waistband…wow, doesn’t seem even possible! :thumbup: Well, at least my pants are all sorted by size now…next year I plan to start working my way down that rack!:wink:

Guess my liver was very fatty he had little room to work. Fixed a hernia also. Surgery took 5 hours I have two slipped disks In back a d they lefte in that operating table for 6 hrs. Can't keep anything down...have intestinal infection. Dry heaved for 10 mi Straight 5 times today.

Wow I got my surgery on 12/10/12. Congrats on your success. I look forward to the day when I can say I'm down a 100lbs. This surgery gave me hope for a better life . My finance still eats fried foods but I am slowing added baked foods three times a week for him. I am passed my faze of being jealous of the food he can eat and can cook for him with no problem. You rock !

Thanks for your responses. I've been getting about 50 grams of protein a day. I have two more days of liquids. I've been on liquids for 19 days and I'm so over the liquids! I definitely need to drink more water. I've been thinking about eating some eggs and grits but I'm scared!! Do you think I should try some soft foods two days early or just suck it up for two more days?

I was banded 6-18-12 and having 1st fill on 7-26-12. I was at 235 the 1st day of liquid diet. Day of surgery I was 222 and 4 weeks later I'm at 212. Until my 1st fill I'm just trying to maintain. My 1st goal is to get below 200 which I haven't been in 19 years. It is inspiring to read all of the success stories and they keep motivated.

Hi Connie, I just passed my 5 week mark this week. It looks like you're doing terrific. I love reading about your NSV's! You've done better than me with the weight loss as I've let go of 19 pounds since surgery morning.

Obesity Surgery, 16, 673 Correspondence Body Contouring after Weight Loss in Morbid Obesity: Gain in Health and Leap in Psychosocial Functioning To the Editor: The importance of an unsatisfactory body image in causing psychological distress in obese patients has been recently investigated.1 This psychological distress encompasses lack of self-esteem, depression, and tendency to avoid social and sexual relationships. Body contouring following a significant weight loss can re-establish a good psychosocial functioning because of the perception of improved body image. A 31-year-old morbidly obese man presented to my plastic surgery clinic for body contouring. He came accompanied by his mother who held his hand in a protective and sympathetic manner. As routinely occurs with these patients, I started describing the therapeutic path that he should undergo, consisting of a relevant weight loss first, through diet or bariatric surgery, followed by multistep body contouring. 2 While I was explaining this to him, I kept on thinking with human, rather than medical, sympathy about that 31-year-old man’s hand in his mother’s. I could not help feeling sadness for a human being psychologically and socially harmed because of obesity and with little hope of enjoying an emotional, social, sexual and familiar normal life. Years went by, while the patient underwent the routine procedures of both bariatric and plastic surgery. While he was under my care, I could gradually appreciate the progressive gain in body appearance allowed by body contouring. From an empty baglike aspect, a more natural human body was returned to the patient, despite the price of some scars. Plastic surgery procedures also allowed an improvement of the buried penis syndrome, which affects both obese and formerly obese patients’ sexual life.3 Some years after the end of the entire therapeutic process, 9 years after the first consultation at my office, I saw this man for a follow-up. While he was coming to me at the end of a busy clinic, with a heedless glance I happily noticed that his hand was no longer in his mother’s. After a more careful examination, I realized that the woman beside him was far younger than his mother. “I introduce you to my wife” he said “and here is my daughter” he added, caressing his wife’s abdomen. Giacomo Datta, MD, Consultant Plastic Surgeon; Filippo Boriani, MD, Fabrizio D. Obbialero, MD, Maurizio Verga, MD, Residents in Plastic Surgery; Department of Plastic Surgery, University of Turin, Turin, Italy. E-mail: filippo.boriani@fastwebnet.it References 1. Friedman KE, Reichmann SK, Costanzo PR et al. Body image partially mediates the relationship between obesity and psychological distress. Obes Res 2002; 10: 33-41. 2. Datta G, Cravero L, Margara A et al. The plastic surgeon in the treatment of obesity. Obes Surg 2006; 16: 5-11. 3. Fontana D, Rolle L, Ceruti C et al. [False penile shortness][ Article in Italian] Arch Ital Urol Androl 1998; 70, 241-5.

I was Morbidly Obese. That alone is a major health issue. The pain of my lap band was very minor. Compared to my other surgeries, spine fusion, rotator cuff & ankles this was pain free & easy. More than losing weight is the new lifestyle. It took me over 10 years from 1st seminar to being banded. I had to lose lots of bad habits. You will do just fine! Good Luck, Hasta Pronto, George:thumbup::wink2::thumbup:

Hello all! I have been a member for a couple of months but have been a little shy about posting. I was sleeved April 19, 2012. I went to a free seminar that the surgeon had back in July of 2011. After much prayer and thought I decided to go through with the surgery. I had to do a 6 month supervised diet and at the time I was annoyed at the fact that I had to wait. Now that I am post op I am so glad that I had the 6 months to prepare. I think that if I hadn't had the 6 months I would be completely lost now. The day finally came for surgery. I wasn't nervous at all. My post op course has been uneventful. I have been truly blessed. The worst part for me was the first week and the 2 day stay in the hospital. The only thing that bothered me about the hospital is the On-Q pump was in the way and I did not like the effects of the anesthesia. The first week I was home was a little trying because I had a lot of head hunger and couldn't sleep. Now at 10 weeks out I feel back to normal (with the exception of not eating a ton and people bugging me about how much weight I have lost). I seriously feel like that I have not had anything done. I am not the faster loser and I have been fighting within not to compare myself to others. I understand that everyone is different. For all the pre-op people I pray that you have an amazing journey and are complication free. For all of the post-op people I pray that this journey will be the biggest gift you could have done for yourself and for strength to keep up with this lifestyle change.

Does anyone know if a patient has been denied surgery due to not losing enough weight during pre-op diet? I ask because I gained about 10# during the holiday since turning in my health questionnaire. So far I'm following pre-op to a t but will probably weigh the same as listed in the health q I filled out 2 months ago.

I haven't thrown up yet. but I have toss a bit of food away already. I tried turkey sausage this morning and while I didn't get sick, I just didn't like it and felt like it might fill me up too fast, before I ate my egg. I never liked sausage before, I don't know why I thought I'd like it now. Maybe because I want real food. I also bought some nice fresh cooked chicken breasts at Whole Foods and knew that was not good mashed, nor pureed. My husband took the remainer and made a wonderful casserole for himself. I them picked out the tiny bits of chicken and ate about two ounces and it was delicious. My NUT is totally opposed to Soups, ugh, and no vegetables until who knows when, I think 8 to 10 weeks.

Glad to hear you are better, where was the mucous plug & how does it develop? My surgery date is 12/10 and I'm trying to prepare myself to identify issues! lol

Yep, it is scary! But what is more scary is spending the rest of your life fighting with your weight and thinking you have failed! You will be uncomfortable for a while, but you can do this. I was sleeved in April and have lost 68 pounds so far. It is so much fun to shop for clothes now! I was a size 18-20 Women, and now can wear a size 10 jeans from the Gap. It is amazing. The health care providers will be certain that you are comfy- don't be afraid to ask for pain meds. You CAN do this. Be brave!.

I chewed Tums like candy before I was banded. I had random (didn't matter if I was sleeping, standing, eating, hungry, etc) burning in my throat, but never felt anything "come up" into my throat. After banding, the reflux completely went away...bada bing...gone! Fast forward...I just had my 4th fill with .5 cc in a 10 cc band. I now have a total of 5.5 cc's. The fill was on Tuesday. Restriction feels fine, not too much. I don't have any trouble with liquids or mushies, and the stuff I struggled with before (namely meats), I still struggle with. I just notice I have to be even more careful with bite sizes, etc...the usually bandster stuff. BUT....I started having reflux yesterday. Nothing coming up into my throat or mouth, just the random burning in my throat. Tums takes care of it. But, why in the world do I have reflux NOW???? What in the world happened? Someone, please help! thanks a bunch! :thumbup:

That is awesome! Go to the grocery store and pick up two hand baskets. Go over to the baking section and put a 10# bag of sugar in each one. Walk around the store for 10 minutes like this returning the bags to their shelf. Walk out of the store with a huge smile on your face knowing you never have to carry those around again.

I worked as an RN in a surgical ICU for years and we used to get all the open gastric bypass patients and I saw all the complications which were much more frequent years ago. After the laparoscopic method started becoming the standard, the complications dropped dramatically and I kind of started thinking about it. That was about 10 years ago and after my weight continued to rise, it was now time.

For me, walking for 20 minutes after eating relieves a LOT of gas. Also the slower I eat and the smaller the bites I take, the less gas I seem to have. Break your 3-4 bites into even smaller bits. Make it 10-12. Use a baby spoon! It does get better, but the gas thing is just going to be a fact of life for a while after surgery. Most important is to not get discouraged. You are in control of this journey. Focus on Protein, liquid and walking, (or whatever exercise you choose.) Don't focus on the scale. Do what you know you have to do and the results that you want will happen! It will all be worth it in the long run!

VerticalSleeveTalk News This is it! We’re launching our VerticalSleeveTalk News, a regular newsletter to keep you up to date on our community. We’ll tell you all about our exciting new features, programs and anything else you need and want to know about VerticalSleeveTalk.com. Our goal is to make sure you know everything This is the first edition of VerticalSleeveTalk News, and we have a lot to talk about. In this edition, you’ll find information on: The Alex Brecher Founder VerticalSleeveTalk.com Apps Have Launched! Now take VerticalSleeveTalk.com with you wherever you go. The fully functional Celebrate the release of our Mobile apps, we’re giving away a brand-new iPod Touch. It’s a drawing, but we want to reward our active posters, referrers, bloggers, members with completed profiles and new members. The more you participate in VerticalSleeveTalk.com, the better chance you have of winning. Here’s how it works. Eligibility and Chances of Winning Forum members must make at least one post in any forum on VerticalSleeveTalk during the contest period of 30 days from your receipt of this newsletter. Members must have a completed patient profile. You can increase your chances of winning by making more forum and blog posts, uploading more photos and referring members. At the end of the contest period, one of the forum administrators will find all of the eligible forum members – remember, you have to make at least one post and have a completed Gastric Sleeve profile. We’ll make a big spreadsheet with the Username of each member who is eligible, and assign points based on your activities. The more points you have, the better your chances of getting the iPod! Point Structure 1 point: each forum post and each uploaded photo 2 points: each forum post from our mobile apps and each blog post 5 points: join a group 10 Points: complete My Surgery, My Surgeon or My Gastric Sleeve Story; upload before and/or after photos 20 points for each successful forum referral; and 40 points for a fully completed patient profile Get Involved Again If you’re an old-timer who hasn’t been around much, this contest is a great opportunity to bring you back to the boards. You have tons of experience and advice to share with newer gastric sleeve patients. If you’ve fallen off the wagon, don’t be shy. It’s never too late to get back on, and we’re here to give you the support and confidence you need for success in your lifestyle goals. Some Reminders and New Features Create or update your own Gastric Sleeve Patient profile. Your information encourages other members and helps you connect with members that have your same interests and struggles. It also gets you 40 points for our iPod Touch giveaway. We've recently updated our surgeon database; now, every bariatric surgeon in the world is included. Check it out and find a local surgeon who can help you. You can locate and read reviews on gastric sleeve surgeons to help you choose an expert for your care. Our social and support groups are up and running. We know that you all have special interests and identities, and our social and support groups provide more specialized platforms than our general community. Just of the few types of groups we have are Regional groups of people from your city or state. Surgery Buddy groups with people who got the Gastric Sleeve at the same time as you. Medical Condition groups with people with a particular condition, such as PCOS Eating Support groups with people who struggle with eating issues, such as emotional eating Check them out and join one or start your own. Be a Good Friend Be sure to mention VerticalSleeveTalk.com as a source of support and information for any your friends, family members or associates who are considering gastric sleeve surgery or have had it. Also, don’t forget that VerticalSleeveTalk.com is a member of the WLSBoards.com network. Recommend our other four communities to anyone you know who needs them, and please stop on by and introduce yourself if you have had a weight loss surgery revision. LapBandTalk.com for LAP-BAND Adjustable Gastric Band RNYTalk.com for Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass SleevePlicationTalk.com for Gastric Sleeve Plication RealizeBandSupport.com for Realize Adjustable Gastric Band We Need Your Help When you come here, you can depend on support, encouragement, sympathetic ears and expert advice from surgeons. But we need you to let community be able to continue grow stronger! Over the years, I’ve found that many bariatric surgeons and their staff don’t even know we’re here. Help us out by asking your surgeon to hang a couple of fliers in the clinic. They can go the waiting room bulletin board, at the reception desk and in patient consultation rooms. I’ve even gotten the fliers ready for you in color and black-and-white options. Print them out and bring them to your next appointment, or email them to the office. So please, support us and ask your surgeon to post these fliers in their office and hand them out to their patients. It helps you out because our community will benefit from more patients and surgeons with valuable advice. Remind your surgeon and clinic staff that it helps them out because it gives them more exposure to patients. Stay in Touch Feedback forum - we're always open to members ideas and feedback. Please use our feedback forum to let us know how we’re doing and send us your ideas on what you’d like to see at VerticalSleeveTalk.com. We always want to know what you’re thinking and how we can improve! We're now on Facebook and on Twitter. Like us and follow us to keep track of what's going on in our communities and show your support! Don’t forget to support and celebrate! Our upcoming surgeries list tells you which members are about to get their bariatric surgery, so stop by and wish them luck! Come by the surgery anniversary list to congratulate members when they hit their annual anniversaries of their surgeries. Your name will be automatically entered onto the right list as soon as you update your patient profile. Coming Soon… We're releasing customizable health trackers and tickers within the next 90 days. We'll include more info in future newsletters, so stay tuned for information on those and the other latest happenings around VerticalSleeveTalk.com. Thanks for reading, and talk to you soon! Sincerely, Alex ============================================================== If you no longer wish to receive this newsletter, you may unsubscribe by going to your Control Panel and clicking on the Newsletters tab, or clicking on the following link: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=newsletter

Today is T minus 10 days to surgery and Day 1 of the pre op diet. My Doc prescribed a low carb max 1000 calories pre op diet with the suggestion of protein shakes for breakfast and lunch and a light dinner. I had to take the scouts camping tonight so I did my best to adhere to the diet. I did the protien shake for breakfast and lunch. For dinner we cooked beef and potato burritos. I only had one, which is very challenging for me. They tasted delicious but I was also hungry. I also packed some veggies and has them as a snack. I tracked it all in myfitnesspal and came out at 747 calories. Not to shabby. Day 1 down, onto Day 2.