Just beginning

Hello, I have just begun the process of having the sleeve. My surgery date has not been set yet, and I am just looking for some advice on preparing myself for the journey ahead. Mentally I am as prepared as I can be, I understand the process and the risks etc. and I understand how difficult the whole thing will be. I guess what I am really looking for is just general advice. I have questions like, is there something I can do now to help prevent or minimize sagging skin? What are the best protein shakes in terms of taste and nutrition? What are the best nutritional supplements and should I start taking them now? Is hair loss really a big issue  and if so what can I do to minimize that? I have other questions, but will hold them for now. Any advice and information would be most appreciated.

Hi

Congratulations on taking control of your life!  Here are some links with information about the VSG. We also provided you with a link to the VSG forum where you can talk to others that have had the same surgery you are going to have.

• VERTICAL SLEEVE GASTRECTOMY
• About Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy
• Advantages and Disadvantages
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Forum Contributors

Looking forward to your updates and we are with you all the way

Regards,

Kathy
Member Services

These are questions that get asked and answered every day. Not that I'm telling you not to ask questions, but for very basic things like this it's a good idea to use the search function (located at the magnifying glass in the blue header above) first.

1. Sagging skin---no, you can't prevent it. You can tone your muscles to make it less noticible, and staying well-hydrated just plain helps your skin, period. So does eating ENOUGH fat.

2. The best protein shakes are the ones that YOU can get down. Everyone's taste is different, and many find their taste changes after surgery. Get samples and try LOTS of different ones. As for nutrition, you need to teach yourself to read labels. This will be a HUGE part of post-op life.

3. By 'nutritional supplements', do you mean shakes, or vitamins and minerals? Shakes are covered in #2. Vitamins and minerals will depend on YOUR lab work, but right now you need to start a multi and start RESEARCHING vitamins.

4. Hair loss is as big an 'issue' as you choose to make it. Google something called 'telogen effluvium'. You'll learn a lot about how hair grows, why we lose it, etc. No, there is NOTHING you can do to prevent it---no pills, creams, shampoos---nothing but good nutrition.

It would be so much easier if OH would make the spy glass with search so people who aren't computer savy know what it is. I for one had no clue that's what it was until someone here asked. I just figured they got rid of it along with all the other good stuff like bookmarks! They are so intent on making this a smart phone site that they forget a good many of us are older and don't know squat about computers!