Stephen E. Burpee, MD

I was approved by my insurance for gastric sleeve scheduled for October 27th!!! I start my pre-op stuff tomorrow!!! I'm SOOO excited! I have a ton of medical issues. I'm 5'4" and 270-ish. I was tiny until my 40s. I'm now 51. I'm on a CPAP for Sleep Apnea, meds for high BP, high Cholesterol, Fibromyalgia, severe Vit-D deficiency, depression, etc.... etc.... Hopefully this helps me get my life back! Please give me any tips and/or encouragement. Thanks!

Updated on 23 Oct 2016:
Hello! 4 days till sleeve and I'm nervous, then fine! Any words of wisdom from sleeves?? The pre-op has been a little bit rough with feeling hungry... : - ( I hope I don't have urges to binge... Is it mental or will the cravings go away?

Updated on 23 Oct 2016:
Yikes..... This pic is horrifying! LOL. I cant wait for the "after" pics! Starting weight 276. Today i'm 263. Sleeve surgery in 4 more days on 10/27/16!!! At least the scale is finally going down! Yay!

Updated on 3 Nov 2016:
I had my sleeve on 10/27 and the doctor repaired a hernia while he was in there, and he removed scar tissue due to my hysterectomy and ovary removal in 2003. I was in surgery longer than usual, but I feel all cleaned out now! Lol

I'm one week post-op. I have lost 14 1/2 lbs since starting the pre-op diet, but I'm doing my measurements and I am losing inches like crazy all over! I can feel the difference in my size. I have discomfort and I'm still on pain pills, but taking then only twice a day instead of every 4 hours. I divide up my "meals" by having
----a protein shake for breakfast (takes a long time to get it all down);
----1/2 protein pudding for lunch and nibble on it all day to finish the can;
----a mug of protein soup for dinner - I can get that whole thing down slowly while watching TV.
---- I have sugar free popsicles - about 2-3 a day - and those are a good way to get liquids in me.

I need to track my water better, but all of the above (except pudding) count as liquids, too, so I'm probably close to getting in the 64 oz of liquids. It's hard to get everything in because I'm not hungry and I don't want to force too much in. So far I haven't been nauseated or anything and I don't want to start! No vomiting and overall doing great, except for constipation!

I went out walking today to try to loosen it up, but I haven't had a bowel movement since BEFORE surgery, so the doc is concerned I may have a blockage. I feel pressure and I keep going to sit on the pot, but nothing is moving. :-( He has me doing one Mirilax a day and today I added a Ducolax suppository. I had a very small BM but I can tell there's more. :-( The doc will call me tomorrow with further instructions.

Overall, it's been worth it, and I feel better than I thought I would! My BP has been great, so I'm off those meds per doctor. He has me weighing and logging BP each day. If I gain more than 3 lbs in one day, that is a bad sign of problems! I like weighing each day anyway because the scale goes down a bit each day.

Good luck to all you sleevers! I feel like a pro now! :-)

Updated on 15 Dec 2016:
I'm 7 weeks out from my 10/27/16 surgery. I'm down 30 lbs and that is without really trying too hard. I need to exercise or at least walk more. I only go once or twice a week. I'm not very active at all.
HW -- 275
Surgery weight on 10/27 -- 261
CW on 12/15/16 -- 241.4

I know if I put more effort into this I'd lose faster, but adjusting to the sleeve has been a challenge. If I eat more than 3 or 4 bites, I vomit. I am not getting in all 64 oz of water. I try, but it's really hard to get all the fluids in. But I feel dehydrated and try to sip sip sip all day.

My stomach is definitely very restrictive. I'm mostly on soups and once a day I have a couple bites of turkey, tuna or eggs. 3-4 bites fills me up fast.

Ask questions and I'll do my best to answer! Good luck sleevers!!!