CAROLP

2 weeks out and I still feel great!!!! I have added a new shake to my morning routine, lowfat yogurt, skime milk to thin it out, strawberries, spinach, blended and drank for breakfast and lunch. I have also taken cooked chicken, green beans, added some boiled potatoes, some skim milk, mayo & butter, blended it smooth and waalah. I am drinking things that I would have said "gross" to a month ago. Oh and tomatoe soup with a little goat cheese, mmmmm taste yummy. I have lost 14 pounds since surgery,(total of 50) and I wish I had measured inches, it's like I lose, lose, lose pounds, then I lose inches for a day or two. I am going to try Yoga tomorrow, but I still have another week before hitting the zumba again. I am amazed at the little things I can do, I know it seems normal to some, like getting up out of bed without holding on to the headboard or sliding out, my feet and toes are getting slimmer too, I didn't realize their was space between my toes!!! Bending down is so much easier, and I don't fall into the chair/couch or come down the stairs without maintaining control of my legs. My husband has lost about 35 so far also, so we are really enjoying encouraging each other and watching our bodies change. He only has about 30 more to go, I am shooting for about 130 more to go. My scars are looking good, they are getting so tiny. I have days when I need a nap, but it seems like those are the days that I could pass things through my stomach a little easier, maybe its the healing process. I have forgotten a few times and drank too much at one time, notice I said a few times, you don't forget that feeling of "oh no that was too much." On the day I can start soft diet, we are taking my daughter out for her birthday to Copelands (oh my!!!!) I have already surveyed the menu and am in the process of trying to convince my husband of what he wants to get so I can just have a bite of his. The have some really good fish and grits!!

Hi, I just came back from OCC about a week ago, I felt very safe, between OCC and the hotel they get you back and forth and the hotel staff is very friendly and helpful. We even took a trip down the block from OCC to get my husband a to go dinner from a resturant then came back to the hospital, other than that we pretty much hung out at the hotel. I felt very comfortable and safe with all the drivers we had. I am going back with my mother in a few months, so I obviously feel safe. It is no different than any other city in the world, there are good parts of town and bad parts of town. And the Marriot is secure, you can't even use the elevator w/o a key card, and hotel staff is present everywhere. Definately no worries.

So I am one week and a day out from sleeve surgery and I feel really really good! Just wanted to give some highlights for those collecting info about the sleeve. The only "pain" I experienced was from the gas, but it wasn't anything unbearable. I was up and walking a short time after surgery, so that I could get rid of the gas, by Tuesday night I only got up a time or two to walk around the room and burp. If I did not have the drain attached to me, I don't think you would have known I had surgery, I sure didn't feel like it. I did sip my tea a little fast the morning after surgery and had a sudden urge (talking mouth watering and all) to throw up, but it was only a burp from drinking too much at once. The popsicles at the hotel are great, I have been making different ones since I came home. My friends who picked us up from the airport were suprised that I was walking along so quickly. I attribute that to zumba before surgery. I went into surgery at 325lbs, I gained 5 post op which they said that was normal, a week later I lost the 5 plus 6 more and today I lost 2 more. My total weight loss to date is 44lbs, this includes my pre-op loss. I am soo excited about getting out of the 300's. I am currently on clear liquids, broth, protein shakes, drinkable yogurt and creamy soups. I have been making a drinkable yogurt drink for breakfast and midmorning snack that consist of lowfat greek yogurt, skim milk, some protein powder for now to help get in those 30 grams of protein, teaspoon of peanut butter and a banana. It is sooooo good and refreshing. I have also been creaming some of the things I fix for my family, along with the creamy soups. I am still not hungry, I just know I need to eat wisely and keep hydrated. I am trying to get on a schedule so I can get all of my water in, pre-op I was drinking over 100 ounces of water a day, now I am finally up to the 48 minimum I need. People who don't see me every day are able to tell I am losing. I need to take some pics each week so I can see the change in myself that they see. I have only had one day when I was tired and I think it was a combination of jet lag finally hitting me and not enough liquids that day. I am looking forward to being able to eat food instead of drink it so I can cut back on some of the carbs that are in the liquid diet. Ready for some salads!!!!! And only 2 more weeks till I can zumba again, for now walking is the thing, which is not a chore anymore!!!!!

Soooooo excited!!!!!! I am scheduled for sleeve surgery Monday, finally get to meet Dr. Ortiz , Dr. Miranda and the staff. I have lost 34 pounds so far and seen so many small changes in my body and abilities. I can tie my shoes without losing my breath because i am bending over, my feet aren't too fat to actually wear the cheap flip flops, my shorts were falling off while exercising yesterday (love it) going up and down stairs with ease, walking longer distances and not being tired, painting my toes, wearing some heels again, feeling so energized, snoring less and sleeping better. I am only a few pounds away from playing wii fit. I feel "cleaner" on the inside, I feel better overall!!! I am looking forward to what I feel like after I lose 100lbs, then 200lbs!!!!!! If you think that you can't do this, I am here to tell you "YES YOU CAN"!!!! A year ago, shoot even 2 months ago, I would have told you there is no way I can do the pre-op, nor did I want to do the post-op diet. But it is not about a "diet" for me, it is a lifestyle change, of being in control of the food I intake instead of it being in control of me. I only cook every other night for my family, it last them 2 days, so I have more time to do other fun thngs. My priorities about food are changing and I love it. My daughter told me the other day, We should eat for survival, not survive to eat!!!!

Yes I did. I had a friend who had them do her sleeve, but she did not get the care or attention that OCC offers.

Hi Paula, I am just outside of the jacksonville area, maybe we could get in touch. Now that I have scheduled my surgery, people not even related to me want to chime in on my decision, but I feel great about my choice and I just don't respond to them. They are uninformed, so what they say doesn't really have an impact on what I am doing. When is your surgery?

So this is my first blog, I wanted to share my story and this seems like the best place to do that. First of all I have never told anyone my weight, not even my husband. I have been morbidly obese for over 10 years now, I said I would never be where I am today. In Febuary of 2012 I went to a bariatric surgery seminar at a local hospital with the intention of getting the sleeve. I was not going to tell anyone except for my immediate family,a few weeks later I ended up talking to a long time friend, about the sleeve, who told me of her family member that had surgery with Dr. Ortiz and how pleased they were. I got on the phone that day and spoke with my now patient coordinator. I am so happy I called. In March when I first contacted the Obesity Control Center, I weighed (can't believe I am publicizing this) 361 pounds, Dr Miranda informed me that I needed to lose 41 pounds in order to safely have the sleeve surgery. After some tears and encouragement from her and my family, I decided that I could in fact do this. I did the Atkins type diet with my husband years ago and HATED it, but that was the route I was going to attempt again. My husband has been doing it with me which makes for great support. I have to say that it has been easy, i'm not hungry; I do have some cravings every now and then, but nothing I can't handle. I have went to the movies and never smelled the popcorn even though my daughter was eating it right next to me, we go out to resturants and I stick to my plan, no problems. I have been to 2 birthday parties and both times I happened to be sitting next to the cake cutter and I never even smelled the cake. I just keep thanking God, because I am usually very sensitive to smells and odors. Low carb alone was going to slowly for my own goals, I wanted to have surgery scheduled for April 30, 2012, so after talking to Dr. Miranda I switched to a low cal/ low carb shake for breakfast and lunch, 80 or more ounces of water a day and a low cal/low carb type menu for supper. My first week on the shake/shake/supper method I lost 8 pounds, yes I said 8 pounds, my total loss to date is 21 pounds. I am so excited to say that I scheduled my surgery for April 30, 2012. I have been viewing videos on the internet about the skin after weight loss and I am a little bummed about the possibility of excess skin, but I will be healthier and happier with excess skin than I am with all this excess fat. Just after 21 pounds I feel a difference in energy, ability and focus. I see a difference too, for instance, my feet are slimmer, I have some wrinkles around my toes and sides of my feet (what a wierd place to lose weight, huh?) my boobs no longer look like part of my stomach, instead of one big round protusion for a belly, I have an indention beginning. And this is just 21 pounds, without vigerous exercise. I broke my toe about 4 weeks ago so I can't exercise the way I would like, but I have increased my activity level. I am looking forward to playing the WII fit again in a few weeks when I am below the max weight. I hope to start running for exercise and eventually run a marathon with my daughter. When I counsel at youth camp this summer I am going to be playing with the kids instead of watching from the sidelines. It is sad that the person I am has been hidden inside this body for such a long time; I let my weight control how much of my personality comes out in person. All I can say is I'M COMING OUT!!! 20 days and counting!