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we have a bari family member who is just 28 days post op and she has bronchial pnuemonia and is very very sick.  So please lets send her prayers and good strong energy to help her get thru this fast and with no further problems.  He bari name is 1stReneeMarie.  Please lets do this tonight so she can get better.  We all know that having this so soon after surgery can be very serious for her health.  Thank You all because i know you all cae about people who you dont really know.  Otherwise we wouldnt be here.  Right?  Gail D.

When i started this journey i was considered EXTREMELY OBESE and today at a weight of 237 down 40lbs i am considered just plain ol OBESE now.  And if a normal person heard those words they would have a fit but i am so excited to be just plain ol' obese it is crazy.  But today i put on a pair of 20 jeans and they are too big already.  I just wore them for the first time and i needed a belt.  And hey were  big in the butt too.  So i guess i go look for a size 18 now and then a 16 and i cant believe it is haven't seen these sizes in so long that i forget what they were like.   I really cant believe that soon i will be shopping in a real store and i may have to go to the x-large or large rack but i will be shopping in a real store not a fat store with ugly frumpy clothes. I may be turning 47on the 8Th of may but i don't consider my self even close to frumpy.  I still like the styles of some of the new clothes that are out for the 20ish age group.  The only thing i hate is the low rider jeans.  I still think like an extremely obese in the fact i have to have pants that are up above my belly button.  I feel like they are falling down if they are too low.  But i am rocking on cloud nine right now.  And i have not looked in a full length mirror in so long it is ridiculous.  But today i did for the first time in probably 6 months, and wow is it really me. I  don't recognize the girl looking back at me she is familiar from the chest up but from the chest down she is not who i remember.  I am so wowed.  Today my husband and i went out for the day since he was off and my daughter even told me that i looked beautiful.  And my husband told me he was SO proud of my daughter and i for taking this journey.  1 yr ago this was only a dream that was unattainable because i have so many medical problems.  "They will never operate on someone like me" i said and now 1 yr later i am rockin.  I really don't want to wear shorts or God Forbid a bathing suit for now.  Not in public anyway.  Because the icky hanging skin on my upper inner thighs is yucky to me let alone a perfect stranger.  And the belly lap is getting less fat but it is hanging lower i feel.  I don't know what i would do without that flap, we have been together for so long, i haven't any idea when it was not there.  It is like an old friend.  Not one you want to be hanging around all the time but one who has no place else to go and wont go away.  I think i will name it for the sake of my flap.   I think it will be a male name and it is going to be called      "Seymour"       from now on and from this point on i will refer to the flap by his newly given name.  And Seymour will be miserable for the next few days because he doesn't like the heat and it is going to be hot .  The last 2 days has  been horrific for Seymour.  He is not liking the fact we have not had a spring again this year.  It has gone from cold and layering clothes weather to the weather where it is impossible to take anything else off to get cool, except for out skin.  And if you have your own friend like Seymour you know it means time for the painful and annoying heat rash.  And there isn't anything we can do to make Seymour more comfortable and less irritable.  Well i just thought i would let you all know how things are going, we are 10weeks and three days out from the surgery.  I have really learned alot since the vertical sleeve gastrectomy.  Things that no one could ever describe to me , we all have the same types of operation but really we are all different with every step we take.  I thought it would be just like the other peoples who had this journey before me.  But it was unlike any other persons journey that i had connected with.  But i guess that is the way it feels to all of us.  We get the basics of the procedure and the healing process but it is a learning journey that we must all take alone in a way.  My daughter had the RNY the same day as i had my VSG.  And we are so very alike in almost every way except for the way we have taken this trip.  Before this trip for my daughter i could count on one hand how many times she threw up in her 17 yrs.  And now she probably throws up 5 out of 7 days.  And i have yet to figure out why it is happening .  I thought at first it was a food issue but i has been different foods and  foods she tolerated last week will make her sick this week.   So it is a completely different road then we were told.  They said she may vomit if she has dumping syndrome but nothing about her throwing up almost every night.  Thank God we go to see the surgeon soon, because i fear she is vitamin deficient at this point, even though she takes all her chewable vitamins everyday like she was told to do.  They had better have some kind of answer for us.  I am concerned if it goes on for long periods of time.  Like what is it doing to her teeth , for her to keep bringing up those acids like tat.  Or is it irritating her esophagus.  I hope they can tell us.  If anyone has an answer that worked for them let me know we will try anything.  The nausea pills they gave her make her vomit too.  So no Zofran dissolve able for her.  Have a great day, and  keep In God We Trust in our American life.   Gail

We have a Bari friend who is in need of some good energy sent her way.  She is 1stReneeMarie, she is 6 days post op and is having a really rough time of it.  So can we all just send her some good thoughts and some prayers her way so that she will be up and around soon.  This is a great support group and i know with all of us praying together she will be feeling better before you know it.  Most of us have been in the same situation except she has had many medical problems in the past that is making things 100x worse for her right now.  She is a great friend and I really want her to feel better soon and to feel the support that i have felt from this site in the past several weeks.  Thanks buddies and Renee you are loved and my strength is with you, along with my positive thoughts for you.  Gail D

We are very proud of Renee, she is going in to the hospital on April 1, 2009 for her RNY. So i would like everyone to send her a good thought and congratulate her for now joining te loosing team.  Good luck Hon and we are cheering for you.  We will see less of you next time you post a pic.

YOU GO GIRL,

  WE ARE PROUD OF YOU!!!

love ya, Gail D.

Well buddies i got wieghed today and i weighed in at 240 and in a few ounces i will be into the 230's. OMG OMG i havent been in the 230's in almost 18 1/2 years ago when i first got pregnant with my daughter.  At that time i was 234 for almost 10 yrs.  And now i may see that soon and i feel so shocked.  I can feel bones that i havent seen or felt in years and years.  And yes they are still there and i cannot wait til i pass the 234 mark.  That will really tell me that i am loosing a big deal of weight.  The other day i found pictures of me when i was at my absolute heaviest ever.  I weighed 324 and  i looked huge .  But at the time i didnt feel like i was as big as i look at me then.  That is 16lbs short of 100 lbs ago omg i cant believe it.  That when my daughter was 5 i weighed almost 100 lbs more then i do right now.  But i am seeing things on me now that i do not like the look of. and that is the skin that is wrinkled and saggy in the inner thighs.  yuck yuck.  but my husband keeps saying well honey when you are done with your weight loss we will get you the plastic surgery.  Even if the ins dont pay we will get it done.  And i think well he must have a mouse in his pocket because i am not having the body life done over my dead body.  But you know ???? i will probably do it when i get to the end of this journey and things that God planned to be here and they are then wayyyy down there, i will probably do it.  but just being 6 weeks out of the sleeve, i am thinking i dont want to go thru all that pain again post op.  but the vain me says if i do all this then why not look rockin when i am done after all this work.  At least get the boob back to where they are suppoed to be.  Then it will be well there is so much hangin skin we could do that too.  I know it is a long way away.... but him and his mouse are right i will probably do it. we will have to see what happens.  But for now i am so damn happy to see the ligh of 230's are only a few walks away.  Gail D

I used to be the person that would sweat if it was above 50 degrees anywhere.  Now I am cold all the time.  Why???? i used to laugh at people who wore socks to bed.  Because i always had to have my feet uncovered.  Now i wear not only 1 pr of socks to bed but 2.  And i sleep with 4 heavy comforters on in bed.  I am freezing all the time especially afer the sun goes down.  My family is laughing at me cause i always said i would rather be cold than to sweat all the time because i can put clothes on to warm up but cant take my skin off to cool down.  Well be careful what you ask for cuz i am always freezing.Can any of you tell me why i am like this, has anyone else found the same thing.  I look like nanook of the north with the heavy sweats i wear to bed also.  The other night i wore gloves to bed cause my hands were so cold too. 

I have to say that it has been a road well learned.  I thought that i was going to be able to eat more then i can.  And things I loved before surgery like coffee i can not tolerate right now.  I am healed almost all the way on the outside, except for 1 place where they put a small hole, the stitch under the skin popped and it is open.  But i know i must just let it heal from the inside out.  it is not infected so good to go.  But the itching on the skin drove me crazy.  You couldnt scratch it because it hurts.  But i will live.  I am down 15 lbs since surgery and a total of 26 total.  So i am happy.  I havent seen 250s since i first had my daughter.  and she is 17 now.  So it has been a good thing.  Would i do it again?????  Hell yeah.  The pants i had just been able to fit in right before surgery i now must belt.  The swelling has gone almost all the way down on my abd.  I will wait 1 more week before i take another photo though.  Hopefully i will be at 30lbs down total by then.  I find it hard to think of things to eat that sound good to me.  I tried eggs and thought since i could handle 8oz of liquid i could handle 2 small eggs.  ha ha no way i couldnt even eat1 full small egg.  WOW.  But allis good and i hope everyone of my new OH friends are doing great.  Let me know how you all are and remember if you have a question for me i will be very honest.  I dont believe in hiding anything any more so if you are not ready for the honest truth, please dont ask the question.  I say this because i think i scared one ofyou off with the truth.  And i am sorry but i think we need to keep this as real as it is here.  Too many other sites are filling people with liesand i want this one to be completely honest to me and from me.... I hope you appreciate the honesty and are not mad at me for it..  That is what i would expect from all of you.  Thanks Gail

Well i have been home forthe past 2 days.  My daughter and i did great during the surgery. And thanks to all the prayers and thoughts we are home now safe and almost sound.  The biggest complaint as of right now is the drain, and GAS pains.  But this too will pass.  I had the surgery thursday late afternoon, because they took my daughter first,  and got up to walk by 9pm that night. On friday morning i felt great except for the drain.  We had the swallow studies and did great with the results.  all is well and stitched tight.  They made my girls pouch very tiny.  And made mey sleeve as small as they could. My daughter Kstarted the clear fluids on friday night and i was too nauseated to try that night.  Sosaturday they said i couldnt leave til i drank fluids.  So you bet i did.  Held it all down and we came home 4pm saturday.  K is having alittle more trouble then i with rinking the fluids and the pain.  But she had never had any type of procedures before.  And as i have said before this is my 14th surgery and my 10th abdominal one.  So i am like an old pro at this i guess.  So just to let youknow how it went if you have any ?'s feel free to contact me.  I will answer what ever you need. Thanks for the prayers and good luck to you who still have to go.   bye for now Gail

On Jan 1 i went on shakes 3x a day and a lite dinner consisting of 3 oz of protien and some veggies.  Then on the 12th of jan i went on 4 shakes a day and just veggies fo dinner because i was light headed if i didnt.  Then On the 23rd of jan i went on shakes only and when i went to the doctor on the 23rd of jan i had not lost and ounce.....  Now i am starving my self(so i feel anyway) doing 6 shakes a day as per his say so and i am not loosing the 15 to 20 lbs he says i have to before surgery.  but i can feel i have lost because i am fittin into jeans that it has been 5 yrs since i fit in them but i have not lost a pound.  Help me i eed to loose the pounds .  my final weigh in is 2/11 and if i dont   OMG i can not think of no having the surgery after jumping thru the ins co hoops.  and with all the screw ups between not having faxes getting to the right places or so they said.  Can anyone tell me what i am doing wrong.  the shakes are no sugar added carnation instant breakfast with 8oz of fat free milk.  what am i doing that is wrong??????  HELP 

Hi, my name is Gail.  I am going for surgery on the 12th of  Feb 2009.  Well i am not going thru the alone really, my 17 year old daughter and i have been jumping thru the insurance hoops together so far.  We are doing this as a team.  We are both scheduled for surgery on the same date.  We felt it was a good idea to do this at the same time to support each other.  I have had several other types of surgery before but she has never had any operations.  So i am worried for her more.  Will she be able to deal with the post surgical pain.  We both started the liquid diet on the first day of Jan.  We did the shakes during the day and then had a lite dinner.  But we are going on the full liquid only diet on the 14th of this month, because we want to make sure  we can make the wieght loss goal for the final weigh in.  We dont want anything to delay this long coming OR date.  In the first week of our diet we each lost 10lbs.   We are really happy, but we will not know how we are going to handle the shakes only diet start in 3  days. We are using the shake called whey isolate 28 that you can find in GNC.  But we dont know if we should have the shakes in fat free milk or just in water like we were doing.  We did that because we were having the lite suppers, and didnt want the added calories during that time.  But now that we are only doing the shakes should we use the skim milk.  Also if any one has any ideas about the protein powders, like is there any powders out there that are not as expensive.  Since there is 2 of us doing this at the same time, most powders will only last 3 days if there is 27 servings per container.  The containers are 40.00 each.  I will accept any help that any one can give us at this point.   Cant wait to hear from anyone who is going for the surgery or who has had it already and is willing to give support.......  Thanks