Newbie

[NAK77BRR 8]

hi i have been lurking this site for awhile and i can say i have learned alot and you guys are full of information and support. well im 34 years old and have been on this rollor coaster ride with my weight, up and down, i been researching the lap-band but then i heard of the sleeve and starting getting as much info as i could on it and realize that was the best way. i have a friend that has the lap band and she hates it, and only lost like 30lbs with it and its been over 2 yrs.. now she is trying to do the revision with bypass..i have beening having mixed emotion about the whole thing because this is a life changing event. i have sleep apnea and borderline diabetic , my weight now is 294 and i want to do this all for health reasons..my mom just passed away and she was only 57 because she had so many health problems and i dont want to go down that rode.. when she passed it was a eye opener , i dont want to be on meds all my life or jsut to function i want to be healthy.. she was my best friend and it jsut let me know that life is too short.. with my insurance i have to do the six month diet and im on my 4 month 2 more to go.. already had my psych eval and got the go ahead from them so hopefully my this spring i will be sleeved.. im trying to start some of the process now like sipping and not gulping and eating slower.. any tips will help..

[CAsleeve 56]

You are on the right track. From what I read, the sleeve sounds perfect for you. I was apprehensive for many many reasons, but I am so glad I got sleeved. You can review my blog from the start for reference.

I Celebrate your decisions and taking the steps to a healthy new life and lifestyle. Remember the sleeve is a tool that will assist in a healthy new life and lifestyle, but you make it happen.

Looking forward to reading your progress. Keep the faith!

[New_Hope 54]

I think I will be about 2 months behind you on getting sleeved. I also have to weight the 6 months and I am 2 months down. It is a good time to get in the habit of small sips, small bites, crew thoroughly, drink plenty of Water, give up coke zero, exercise, etc. Hopefully the 6 months will have me well prepared to have the surgery.

[Joiebean 53]

A few tips from my experience that would have been nice to try before surgery: focus on getting 64 oz of fluids a day and 60 grams of Protein. Always eat your protein first, then veggies, then carbs. Start experiementing with some of the Protein Shakes (although a lot of people's tastes change after surgery) to. Its amazing how much 60 grams of protein is when you can't take all that much in, in one sitting. I'm always either drinking water/crystal light or eating small amounts just to get in what I need to.

[Joiebean 53]

I should have added...I eat, at most, a 1/2 cup in one sitting. BUT the great part, and the part I'm sure you'll love, is that you are totally satisfied after that. From what I gather, that will gradually increase to mayyybe 1 cup in a sitting, but not much more than that. Before surgery, I could just never get enough, it was like a bottomless pit...but now I eat what I can...and then I'm just done. I don't get that awful full feeling or bloating...I'm just done...i don't need anymore. That's probably the best thing I've experienced so far.

[New_Hope 54]

Thanks for the advice

[ReeseMae 8]

Hello,

I'm in the beginning of my journey too. It's nice to meet people who are on the same path and it's also great to see the success of those before us. I'm hoping that I can adopt new healthy habits with the help of this great tool. Depending on if things go smoothly, I'm hoping to have my surgery within the next 2-3 months. My insurance doesn't require the 6 months diet, which can be a good or bad thing. I'm trying to incorporate healthy choices now, just as Joiebean suggests. I'm ready to be a healthier me. Good luck in everything.

[Nomadgirl 37]

Hello, like you, I had initially decided on the band but changed my mind on my first surgeon visit and after a routine appointment with my cardiologist. So as of today my insurance cancelled the lapband approval and approved the sleeve. I have my education class on Thursday and start my two week liquid diet on the 17th with surgery on the 2nd of March. And to all else reading this, thank you for sharing your experiences, it's the best way to learns what it's really like....my surgeon has never gone through the procedure so first hand knowledge is invaluable.

I hope one day soon I will not be horrified to admit I weigh over 300 pounds. I hope one day soon to forgive myself for putting my body through hauling this weight around. I hope you continue on your path, I became very discouraged at completing all the program requirements, but just remember the end result will be worth it. Good luck, and my one tip is to start trying Protein supplements to find ones that are tolerable.

[NAK77BRR 8]

thank you all for the great advice, tips and encouragement.. i have been trying the Protein supplements to see what i like and this is not easy.. i tried New Whey Liquid Protein it has 42g of protein.. omg its sooo sweet i have to sip it and then follow with Water , they have different flavers watermelon, grape and fruit punch i found it at Walmart for about 2 bucks.its a learning process so ill share what i learn as well as take in as much info as you great people put out..

[Helen the Cat 42]

Dear NAK77BRR,

First of all, let me offer you my sympathies on your Mom passing away. My Mom is also one of my best friends. She is 90 now, and although still healthy and in her own home, I know she won't be around forever. I dread the day she is no longer there for me!

Secondly, Congratulations on making a life changing choice! Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy is truly a Life Changer! I was overweight ALL my life! I have been to every weight loss group, taken part in every new program, tried EVERY diet ever published in the Women's magazines. In short, I have DONE IT ALL (several times!), and NEVER with any lasting success! I joined (and when I got bored, quit) Weight Watchers 17 times! Every single time I lost at least 40-60 pounds. But every time when I quit, I gained it all back, plus a couple more pounds. It was so frustrating. I went from being mildly overweight (5'7" and 175 lbs) to being morbidly obese (258 lbs) after about 35 years of weight loss efforts.

I thought about getting skinny 24/7. It consumed me, but I was always paralyzed with inaction. I could never really take a step towards doing something permanent. Finally I needed surgery for a hernia, and went to my 1st cousin, who is a general surgeon, but has had bariatric surgery himself. He is now specializing in bariatric surgery, specifically Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomies.

When he was getting ready to do my hernia repair I asked him how hard it would be to slip a Lap Band in while he was repairing the hernia. He told me he didn't do Lap Bands anymore. He gave me all the stats about how they didn't have a very good success rate long term. He told me about VSG and highly suggested it.

Unfortunately, my insurance wouldn't pay $0.01 towards bariatric surgery. So even though Steve (my cousin) offered to do my surgery free of charge, I chose to go to Mexico to have it done. (I would still have had to pay for hospital and anesthesia charges myself, which he estimated would be $15-20,000!)

So off to Mexico I went last summer (June 18th) where I underwent a Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy. Although my hospital experience was not perfect, I have had fantastic results (and no complications)! Just last week (or maybe it was the week before) I hit the 100 pounds lost mark. I have another 8-18 pounds to loose to reach my goal. Originally I wanted to weigh around 150, now I am thinking of adjusting my goal downwards to 140. (Currently weigh 158 lbs)

I too was a boarderline diabetic. I had high cholesterol, high blood pressure, was on anti-inflammatories for my joint aches and pains, bad environmental allergies, horrible fatigue, my life just sucked! When I was 47 I had to have a total hip replacement because I had worn out my right hip socket. My surgeon said if was largly due to being overweight my entire life. (Thankfully my left hip is healthy!) My knees were getting bad, and I was afraid that bilateral knee replacement was in my near future!

Since the surgery and my weight loss, I am off my cholesterol meds, I am no longer boarderline diabetic (off that medication), my blood pressure is normal (off that medication), my joints don't ache all the time, (off the anti-inflammatory medication). And for some strange reason, my allergies are SO much improved. I quit taking my sinus meds and using the nasal spray that I used for the environmental allergies. I feel so much better, Have tons of energy, and can't tell you how much my life has improved.

When I was discussing with my husband why I wanted to proceed with the surgery, I told him I wanted to be healthier, to live longer. (He was AGAINST the surgery 100%!) I told him looking better was just "frosting on the cake". (His argument against the surgery is that he loved me no matter how I looker.) But I have to say, it is Tasty Frosting!!! I LOVE being able to shop in any department store for clothes. I love clothes and I love dressing nice and looking good! I also love that I no longer am limited to shopping in Lane Bryant, Catherine's, Fashion Bug and Dress Barn. I go to all the trendy stores and love it that I can fit into a regular size! Never in my life have I been able to do that before! It is SUCH a HIGH!!! I can't stop looking in the mirror, and it never ceases to thrill me how I look now!

I have to admit, there are down sides to being a smaller size. I gave away most of the clothes that were to big for me. I am now at a point where I am going to have to give my clothes to Goodwill, or find smaller friends, as I am smaller than all my friends, and have no one left to give my clothes to as I continue to lose!

Also, I am a cheap date. We used to go to Sam's Club or costco on Saturday mornings for our groceries and then out to lunch. Now when Bill and I go shopping at Sam's or costco, I only need six to eight bites of the samples they are giving away, and I am full. So when he wants to impress me, Bill takes me to Sam's on Saturday morning and feeds me their sample bites. After that I am to full to go out for lunch!

Have also found out that I can't drink as much alcohol as I could pre op. I have to limit myself to one glass of wine or one mixed drink. So am REALLY a cheap date!

Seriously, I think you are making a wonderful choice for a healthier life style. Best of luck to you. Please continue to frequent this web site and post how you are doing. Everybody here is great at cheering you on, offering encouragement and advice when you need it.

Looking forward to Welcoming you to The Loser's Bench! (Sorry this turned into such a long epistle!) Again, welcome and Congratulations!

Kathy D (alias Helen the Cat)