I still have questions...

[Lauren 0]

Hi all!

My name is Lauren and I am brand new to the forum. My mom and I have decided to get the sleeve together, hopefully in December :confused1: However i still have a few more questions, if anyone can answer them i would appreciate it :001_tt1:

1. Did you find it hard to eat slower and chew more when you go to solid foods? I worry I won't be able to slow myself down

2. for people who have had their sleeve for over a year or so, is daily life harder? how is it to go out?

3. has anyone stalled, and what have you done about it?

4. was recovery difficult, and how soon did you return to work?

I know I have more I just can't think of anymore at the moment haha. I am 18 and have been overweight my whole life, i have tried diet after diet and nothing works, ill lose weight then gain it back and then some. I am really looking forward to being able to have a life-long "tool" to help me any advice from the "pros" would be awesome, thanks

[Jane_J 117]

Hi Lauren, Congates to you and your Mum. I think it will radically change your life for the better.

1. Yes but you quickly learn. Its uncomfortable when you eat too fast and overeat.

2. I am only at nearly 6 months but I am out at restaurants 3 times a week an its fine. I just leave more than I did and choose starter plates sometimes instaed of mains.

3. Everyone stalls (except Mac!) but you just persevere and weight loss resumes.

4. For you it may be faster being over 30 years younger. I was OK to work after a month but I could have returned after 2 weeks if I had to.

All the very best to you and I hope you get your sleeve as a Christmas present.

Jane

[carolyn24seven 11]

You will be so happy with the sleeve on your side. That is how I feel. I finally have something on my side. Working for me. You can go into this knowing you will do very well and you won't have to suffer the whole weight issue your whole life. You can be a normal size person and live a normal life. You will have to work with your sleeve. But, just go one step at a time. It is great you have Your Mom to do this with you! get up and walk walk walk. Gotta move more. Your recovery will be what you make it. 4 days after all is forgotten. You are ready to get up and go out for a bit. Not back to normal, but feeling pretty darn good. So, just be patient and think how great this is going to be for you. This is a bit like taking a class in school. When you go in you know nothing about the subject other than you are interested in it. Then as the class progresses you find it is awsome information to have and by the end of the semester you want more, and you want to tell others about it. the excitement grows gradually.

[Malaika 50]

. . . if anyone can answer them i would appreciate it

1. Did you find it hard to eat slower and chew more when you go to solid foods? I worry I won't be able to slow myself down :thumbup:

Trust me, you will learn to eat slow and to chew chew chew - it won't take long for you to learn this as not doing so is very uncomfortable.

2. for people who have had their sleeve for over a year or so, is daily life harder? how is it to go out? I have only had my sleeve almost 5 months; however daily life is not harder. And going out to eat isn't really any different - you just get appetizers instead of meals, or if it's you and your mom, then share - and there will still be leftovers to bring home.

3. has anyone stalled, and what have you done about it? Yes, I have stalled a couple of times and all I do is wait it out and continue to watch what I eat and exercise - it passes.

4. was recovery difficult, and how soon did you return to work?

I returned to work one week following my surgery and other than being tired at the end of the day, it wasn't a big deal, but then I have a desk job. I'm sure the more strenuous the job, the more time you'll need off work.

And, btw - WELCOME TO VST!

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

Hi all!

1. Did you find it hard to eat slower and chew more when you go to solid foods?

Yes. It is definitely a learning process.

I stayed on liquids longer by choice because eating solids took awhile for me to learn to eat. Plus I got full really fast so I was only able to eat a few bites in the beginning.

2. for people who have had their sleeve for over a year or so, is daily life harder? how is it to go out?

I think the only person here who has had their sleeve longer than a year is MacMadame. I am 6 months now. I go out all the time. I end up with a lot of doggie bags in my fridge and I have to force myself to stay home and eat. I have a lot of friends who like to go out to eat for both lunch and dinner. I know what to order that works well for me at whatever restaurant I go to.

3. has anyone stalled, and what have you done about it?

Everybody stalls. I exercise most days. I am lucky that I work part time and going to the gym every morning has been a part of my life for quite a few years before I got the sleeve. I am sure that stalls are more common with people who are not used to regular exercise.

4. was recovery difficult, and how soon did you return to work?

Recovery could not have been more

simple for me. I went back to work in less than a week. I have a desk job.

Feel free to ask anything. We all love to help!

[Deb 0]

I would like to know if any of you have had complications. Leaks or heartburn or nauseu?

I wonder how old you are too because I am concerned about my skin. I am 50 and losing wt fast could be really bad on my skin. I do not have the bucks for plastics.

[stoongal 10]

I would like to know if any of you have had complications. Leaks or heartburn or nauseu?

I wonder how old you are too because I am concerned about my skin. I am 50 and losing wt fast could be really bad on my skin. I do not have the bucks for plastics.

I can relate,

I also don't have the money for plastics, I am 71 and more sedentary so am not losing as fast as I thought I would, which is fine with me.

Many people here have stated that though the skin sags a lot at first it often snaps back somewhat, so hopefully that will work for me on the face. I can't expect my tummy will snap back much though, and I guess I will just wear Spanx or body shapers when I want to wear smooth-fitting

clothes. The Ardyss line looks wonderful, hope I can afford some of those bras at least!

Hope that helps,

Donna:001_cool:

[Malaika 50]

I would like to know if any of you have had complications. Leaks or heartburn or nauseu?

I wonder how old you are too because I am concerned about my skin. I am 50 and losing wt fast could be really bad on my skin. I do not have the bucks for plastics.

Deb, with regard to the heartburn, I responded to you on another thread, I believe.

I am 51 and have lost 51 lbs thus far. I work out 3-4x a week and so far I don't really have too much extra skin. My arms were never big to begin with, so what is there is just what comes with age more or less - it's not bad or noticeable. Probably the extra skin I do have at this point is at the very top of my legs on the inside where I have, what I call, "pillows." Those are getting smaller but the skin is still there. So far the skin on my stomach has "retracted" with my stomach as it has gotten smaller -- I still have a way to go so I don't know what's going to happen. Also I have heard and read that once you lose weight you should give yourself a year for the skin to shrink back. I think mine has been stretched for so long, though, that it's lost it's memory - we'll see - so far, I am not stressed or distressed over the way my body looks as I am losing weight - we'll see how I look and feel at 75 and 100 lbs.

[Chancie 65]

Hi Lauren and WELCOME!!!

First off....... Congrats to you for doing your 'homework"!! Ask lots and lots of questions!! Do your research! This is major surgery, and knowledge is your best tool!

Ok.. ansers to your questions, and I'm 9 months out...

1. Did you find it hard to eat slower and chew more when you go to solid foods? I worry I won't be able to slow myself down

Yes.... I was a FAST eater, and didn't chew my food well. For someone who is overweight, i think this is a common thing with us. But, yes, you can slow down because if you eat too fast, you hurt, and some of us vomit ( me ) it's unpleasant, so you quickly learn how to eat right.

2. for people who have had their sleeve for over a year or so, is daily life harder? how is it to go out?

Life is actually better than in the beginning. You know your body better and you know to listen to it. When I go to a restraunt I "behave" better, eat slower, chew my food better because I don't want to embarrase myself by running to the bathroom and getting sick. So actually eating out is better for me. At home I tend to forget, and then I have troubles.

3. has anyone stalled, and what have you done about it?

I am 9 months out, was VERY obese, and the last 6 weeks has been my first Stall. I'm working on it by being more active, watching what I eat closer, and being that I'm 9 months out I can eat more. But I have gotten away from eating my Protein like I should so I'm working on that and lost 2 pounds this week!! )

4. was recovery difficult, and how soon did you return to work?

Recovery was difficult for me. I spent a FULL 5 days in the hospital because I was vomiting so badly. It subsided when I got home but the first three months I was sick with vomiting or slimes or dry heaves... was not pleasant!!

I was on a LOA for Knee replacement surgery, so I had no time adjusting when I went back to work.

Now for the other questions....

I had my surgery right after I turned 50. I have what my best friend calls "Good Skin"- Isn't that "thin" skin..... if ya know what I'm talking about... But..... I was so badly overweight, my Highest being 373 I think....... and when I went into surgery I was 354. I dropped most of my weight by 6 months. I lost a total of 148 pounds to date. I lost muscle because of the fast weight loss and I was bad about exercising ( because I was sooo big )

But I exercise almost daily now. And it has improved some.

Your questions and concerns are legit- and you need to write down questions as you think of them and ask when your doctor/surgen or forums like this to help you. I did LOTS of research prior to my surgery.

This is a TOOL....... you have to learn how to work it. It's not a miricle cure.

good luck to you and your decision, feel free to ask anything thats on your mind!

g'luck to you~~:thumbup:

[Lauren 0]

Thanks everyone for answering my questions so quickly and all the great advice :thumbup: My mom and I are planning to go for our surgeries beginning of January, but before we do we want to make sure we are prepared as much as possible. My mom had a stomach stapling 21 years ago, unfortunately due to lack of support it never worked properly for her and so hopefully by doing this together we can be successful! If I have anymore questions I will be sure to post them. This is a really great onlines support system.

[Time-for-me! 0]

HI Lauren!

My Aunt and I are having our sleeves done on January 11, 2010, and my Mom had hers at the end of September 2009!

It's great to see another Canadian girl here! We can share this journey together!

This is a great place to ask your questions and find your answers- it's especially helpful that the people responding are ones who have actually DONE the surgery and have experienced it first hand- it's a fantastic resource for those of us with inquiring minds!!

Where are you going for your surgery with your Mom?

[Lauren 0]

Hey! Ya my mom and I will probably be going the first or second week in january to TJ, Mexico Posting my questions here has really calmed me down! I am nervous, but I now that although my life will never be the same after this, I am excited for what it can be, what i have been denied or too scared to pursue because of my weight. It is really great to have another canadian girl we can help each other through this!

Edited November 2, 2009 by Lauren

[Lauren 0]

I was wondering how long people did their pre-op diet for? And when doing it, do you only drink protien drinks and other liquids, no solids? was anyone hungry?

[Oregondaisy 2,021]

I didn't have to do a preop diet.

Every doctor is different when it comes to preop diets. Your doctor will tell you what he wants you to do.Some require a liquid diet, some just a low carb diet, some none at all, if your BMI is not

high.

[Lauren 0]

ya, i may not have to do a pre-op diet but i would like too, just because i would like to prove to myself that i can follow the guidelines and to prepare myself for post op. Also, i know that doing a pre op diet decreases the size of your liver, which helps in preventing a complication :001_smile: