BMI 31-32

[triplethreat 257]

If i'm self paying, how long will I wait until I can have the surgery? I meet with the surgeon June 15. I have to travel for work July 18-22 and again Aug 1-10. Would love to do this as soon as I can so that I can have some recoverly time before I travel. Both trips are car travel, not air, and when I talked to the nurse she said it wouldnb't be a problem to travel a week after sugery. Just wondering about the wait time.

Also, this is a question tha's bugging me-- how do I stay hydrated if my stomach is so small? I'm pretty active and have a fear of becoming dehydrated. The nurse said that at first I will not be able to drink something during a meal, but should drink an hour before. How long is that necessary? (I drink a lot of water!)

Thank you to all who have reached out to me-- I appreciate it and feel excited about my choice!

[jaxmom 644]

I don't know about the surgery timeline for you but staying hydrated is important. At first it it's a bit tough but you get used to sipping all day pretty quickly. Some people have suggested setting timers on your phone to remind you to hydrate or setting up cups as a visual cue.

Yes your stomach is much smaller but Water passes right through no problem (after the initial swelling goes down). As for drinking during meals it's a no no. You want to eat dense Protein to give you a "full" feeling and drinking washes the food away. It can also be considered "cheating your sleeve". I had a hard time with not drinking during meals at first (I love Unsweet iced tea) and solved problem by not putting my glass on the table. Easy peasy.

I hope your surgery date comes through quickly. I had a super quick recovery and was ready (I still am!) to take on the world with energy and enthusiasm.

If you have any other questions just ask! :) Keep us posted and take care.

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[sleevenv 483]

I was self pay, but surgeon still required nutrition, support group and psychological evaluation before they scheduled surgery. My first appt was late April and I had surgery June 30th. That was super fast by all accounts. I was ready to travel within two weeks.

Hydration is hard at first because your ability to consume is really restricted the first couple of months due to internal swelling. When I try to drink too much or too fast, it'll come right up. But it does get a lot easier. I'm coming up on my surgiversary in a couple weeks and I have ne problem drinking Water. I can drink about a third of a 16.9 oz water bottle in a chug IF my stomach is empty, but there is a fine line between be able to and drinking too much/fast. Dehydration only happens if you plain old fail to plan! Just keep some with you.

The biggest challenge is to not drink within 30 minutes of eating. It takes planning. My body gives me reminders if I break this rule.

[Clementine Sky 708]

If i'm self paying, how long will I wait until I can have the surgery? I meet with the surgeon June 15. I have to travel for work July 18-22 and again Aug 1-10. Would love to do this as soon as I can so that I can have some recoverly time before I travel. Both trips are car travel, not air, and when I talked to the nurse she said it wouldnb't be a problem to travel a week after sugery. Just wondering about the wait time.

Also, this is a question tha's bugging me-- how do I stay hydrated if my stomach is so small? I'm pretty active and have a fear of becoming dehydrated. The nurse said that at first I will not be able to drink something during a meal, but should drink an hour before. How long is that necessary? (I drink a lot of water!)

Thank you to all who have reached out to me-- I appreciate it and feel excited about my choice!

Hopefully you'll be able to schedule your surgery far more quickly since you are self-paying and not jumping through all the hoops insurance sets out. How soon really depends on your surgeon and his / her availability. I had my VSG in Mexico and was able to schedule it within three weeks. I actually could have had it even sooner than that, but my parents wanted to come out to be my support team since my husband wouldn't be able to go with me, and they needed time to get their travel arrangements sorted and passports renewed.

It is a challenge for most people to get in enough Water in the immediate days and weeks following surgery when everything is healing. It never actually felt painful when I drank, but sometimes if I had too much I'd have this bizarre sensation in my upper chest, like the Water was stuck there. For me, using a straw helped because I felt like I could better control the size of the sips. Some people apparently have problems with straws, though, (from posts on here) so use them carefully to experiment and see how your body reacts. Ice cold water and flavored water were easier (and still are) for me to drink. A lot of people dislike or have a negative reaction to plain and room temperature water, especially post-op. I really like Crystal Light's individual packets, though I just use half of one per drink because otherwise they are too sweet. Lipton also has delicious blackberry honey individual tea packets that I like even though I'm not a tea drinker. I also like to make fruit-infused water. I have a cold brew coffee pitcher, and instead of putting coffee in the filter, I fill it with fruit at night. In the morning remove the filter, and drink the water that has absorbed the flavors of the fruit. You can also buy infused water like Hint from stores such as Whole Foods.

One woman who'd had VSG said in a YouTube video that Chick-fil-a's unsweetened lemonade was a Godsend to her post-op, and she'd buy it by the gallon. She couldn't tolerate plain water very well, but she could drink the lemonade. I tried it and at first hated it because my taste buds were so sensitive in the first month or so, and sweet things were almost sickly sweet. I tried it again about three months post-op and really liked it, though. Not enough to buy it by the gallon, but definitely enough to order it again. You might find something that helps you like how the unsweetened lemonade helped that woman.

I rarely ever meet the water goals because I'd have to live inside of a bathroom in order to, but I've been healthy and done well with weight loss just by being more mindful about how much I drink. I actually get a wrinkle on my forehead when I don't have another to drink, and when I'm properly hydrated it disappears. It helps me to keep on track, haha.

[mia150 43]

Triple Threat you are where a lot of us were. Health issues and obese, but not morbidly. I was 33 BMI, lost 65 pounds in 7 months and have never felt so good. I'm 54 and have told almost no one. I've become an avid runner, so they all think it was done by that. Good luck! No regrets.

Good for you girl

I am 54 too, my BMI was 32 when I took the surgery 10 weeks ago, i lost 30 lbs so far and i need to loose another 30 to reach my goal weight.

how much do you eat usually because I have a problem for more that a 1/4 cup each meal, my husband is worrying about me eating that little and I feel embarrassed when I eat that little in front of people especially when no one know about my surgery :,(

[sleevenv 483]

I started eating fairly normal amounts (for a thin person) at about six months. I believe in eating healthy carbs so I can sustain a realistic eating program. I run and need energy. Don't worry, the surgery doesn't alter your brain, you'll still like food. The first few months are in no way a reflection of how you will eat the rest of your life. The huge stomach incision has to heal!

Edited June 13, 2016 by sleevenv

[triplethreat 257]

A couple of questions ... how soon did you all go back to work? Also, did anyone travel soon after surgery? Nurse said it was ok to travel (by car) the week after surgery. Also, how soon after did you exercise? Wrt exercise-- slow and then build up, or jump in? I exercise regularly now but would love to be able to do things I cannot do now-- mostly swimming!

Finally- if you didn't share that you were having surgery, how did you explain weight loss? Any tips?

[triplethreat 257]

Met with surgeon today, so happy after the consult. She says I am a great candidate, very low risk, etc. She said we're looking at 4-6 weeks until surgery. Tomorrow I have bloodwork and barium swallow; Tuesday I have psych eval. After that we have to work out payment and then we'll schedule!

[StephBradlee 21]

I'm at 36 with comorbids sleep apnea and GERD. I go for surgery tomorrow!

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[lolarose13 147]

I'm at 36 with comorbids sleep apnea and GERD. I go for surgery tomorrow!

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Our stats are really similar! Good luck tomorrow! Praying for a speedy recovery! I'm 11 days post-op and feeling great! After a little more than a week my BMI is 31 now!

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[Jamburd1 31]

I had my sleeve 10/21/14. Never regretted my decision. I am constantly worries about regain. I know I could do better than I am. I have to be more accountable.

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[Squeek2000 2]

I am going to TJ on July 23 for the sleeve and I would like to hear from anyone who went to obesity not 4 me with Dr. Michele. I haven't seen any post about this center. Thanks

[Hayleymillay 26]

I am going in on 7/5/2016 and am also around a 30 BMI after pre-op diet. I just want the crazy to end. I don't care if the weight loss is slow. I just want the tool.

[sleevenv 483]

Just hit my one year surgiversary! At goal, healthy and have become a runner. Best year I've had in many many years!

[mrs w 56]

I can't stress enough that this is the best decision I've ever made. I only told my husband and parents, and my parents told my two brothers ahead of time in hopes they could talk me out of it. None of them wanted me to go through with it, and I don't want to say they were unsupportive in a nasty way, they were just very frightened by the idea. Now I realize there can be complications, but I was very lucky and I feel like my entire life has changed.

No, I wasn't morbidly obese, my BMI was 29 on the day of surgery. But I had been on a diet for as long as I could remember. I remember being in grade 3 looking at myself in the mirror thinking I needed to lose weight. When I was around 25 I went on Ideal Protein and was successful with losing the weight, but then I gained it back. I continued to do that for about 2-3 years and each time I just put on more weight once I stopped following the plan exactly.

Finally I feel like I can live my life. No, food shouldn't be what makes you happy, but I will say being in my mid-late 20s, social life revolves a lot around food and going out for drinks. Finally I can go out with my friends and order nachos if I want, I just will only eat a small plateful. Or I can order pizza but only have a slice or two. In the past I was constantly only eating salads and chicken, but then would binge on sugar and junk food when I was alone and no one could see me. I started putting more and more weight on, and when I was upset about it all I ever heard was that I was just being too hard on myself. What others didn't know was that I was binging and purging my food in private.

Back to the reason I started this post, I just wanted others to understand that making the decision to go through with this procedure should not be taken lightly, but I wouldn't change it for anything.

Surgery was January 9th. I am down to a 24 BMI. I still have about 10-12 pounds I'd like to lose, but I am so much happier already, and I know I will be able to lose those pounds once I become more strict with my eating, but for now I want to enjoy the odd ice cream and plate of nachos!

PS - Other than my husband, parents and brothers, no one knows I have had the procedure.