Posts by Benjamin Sanchez51

Thanks for the advice, I guess?

You're illiterate. And it’s not even about grammar, it's spelling.

Could be some H. pylori bacteria messing with your stomach or whatever, there are tons of threads about it out there.

Also, a quick tip—only capitalize the first letter, unless it's a proper noun. So the thread title should be Nausea, every morning...

Hey guys, what's up, how's everyone doing? 🙂 Give this thread some life, seriously! So, I saw Nikolica today, and honestly, he’s such a great guy. Every time I see him, he just gets more charming and better looking... definitely got a sense of humor too.

Anyway, he won't see me for a follow-up for another two months. Am I being punished or something? He basically told me what I already knew—that I should've put in a bit more effort... 😁 It was actually kind of awkward because he didn't even yell at me, he was just perfectly polite. I felt so embarrassed that I've decided to actually buckle down for the next two months. I went a little overboard today, but that's it. Starting tomorrow, it's strictly healthy eating only!!!

Anyone got any tips on staying motivated?

I’m feeling the exact same way as Timothy Reed8—like I’m finally eating like a normal person now that I have the balloon. Honestly, I don't even want to think about how much I used to shovel in before this, or what happens when it's gone... for the first time ever, I actually feel like my eating is normal... but let's be real, that alone isn't enough to actually LOSE WEIGHT. SMRTZ

bok aut! bok Ven!
Glad you guys checked in and that things are going smoothly for you. I can't say I'm feeling quite as stoked, though I'm hoping it picks up. Only dropped 4 lbs in the first month, which feels pretty underwhelming to me. My friend lost 7 lbs her first month, then totally let loose during the second and lost... zero.

What’s the diet looking like? Are you actually sticking to five meals? Do you pack lunches for work? And what kind of workouts are you doing?

I was all set to go for a bike ride today, only to realize my jerk neighbor bent my rim. Seriously, some people are just trash... 🤷🤷 so now I'm stuck, and biking is basically the only exercise I don't hate. Total disaster. 😢

I eat pretty much anything. Yesterday I went way too hard on food and felt like death all night. Bloating, gas, the whole deal... just felt sick. Everything seems fine while I'm eating, but 2 or 3 hours later? Disaster. Not exactly something to brag about, but yeah.

Gonna try to tighten up the discipline for the next three weeks until my next check-up so I can actually see some progress. Honestly, I'm terrified of gaining those 4 lbs back—that would be brutal. Work stress is also starting to ramp up again, which isn't helping. How do you guys deal with that?
Anyway, how are you both holding up? Hope to hear from you...

If you're looking at Lap Banding, check the first post—it’s got everything you need.

If you're leaning toward the balloon, just grab three referrals: one for a GI specialist, one for a gastroscopy, and a third for bloodwork. Just call Nikolica on his cell to set up an appointment. He'll walk you through the rest, and honestly, you might as well book the psychologist now too, just to kill time while waiting to hear back from Nikolica. You'll probably need an endocrinologist as well, though maybe not if your levels aren't too crazy.

Anyway, get those three referrals, give him a call to schedule, and he'll handle all the details...

I've been feeling like a total wreck lately. I let my guard down way too much after seeing I dropped 9 pounds in a month—which, realistically, could've been more since I was cheating on my diet—and now I've been bingeing for two days straight. At this rate, I'll probably gain it all back before my next checkup, so I've decided I'm stopping tomorrow. Work is stressing me out, plus I'm terrible at meal prepping...

I'm not even drinking enough water—forgetting both before and after meals—so I'm basically a walking desert... 😢

So disappointed that I'm basically talking to myself in this thread... 😢 Well, first weigh-in is done—down 4 lbs. Still haven't made it to Nikolica for the ultrasound, and honestly, I can't remember if I was supposed to check in with Miroševićka too. Or was I? No clue...

Nah, just felt like... 🙂 PMS 🙂

Ladies, where'd everyone go? How's the surgery scheduling coming along... is everything stalled out for the summer or what?

Timothy Reed8, where you at? Honestly, I hope you're on some remote island somewhere with a drink in hand and zero Wi-Fi... that would explain the silence. How are you holding up? Did the pain finally chill out? Give us the update...

Anyone else still here? We can't let this thread die... we aren't some low-rent forum from some tiny town in the Midwest...🙂

Timothy Reed8 is gone, everyone's gone... seriously? Is this even possible?

Just checking in. Tuesday marks three weeks since my procedure. No clue what I weigh—not weighing myself anytime soon. As for food, I’m still basically in training mode :-) A few days ago, PMS hit me like a truck and I was inhaling everything in sight. Then I went through this phase where I wanted that balloon out of me RIGHT NOW. Thank God I can't just swing by Nikolica's office and demand they pull it, or just pop it myself, because it would probably be out already :-) My mental state is a mess. I don't know what happened, but all day long it was just: get it out, get it out, get it out. The next day I still felt like pulling it, then by the third day, I was back to normal. Definitely PMS or some kind of neurosis, who knows what to call it 🙂 Dealing with the reality that nothing happens on its own. Food just stops moving once it hits the balloon, so I realized this whole thing is going to be way harder than I thought... But! One optimistic "but!" I am changing my habits! Even if I just break even, I'll still consider it a win!

Anyone got meal ideas that aren't total garbage?

I was talking about the sleeve, not the strip. And I meant changing your BODY, not your whole life. We clearly weren't on the same page...

Listen ladies, if your BMI is between 35 and 40, you're looking at the balloon... and even then, if you're under 40, you've gotta have some other underlying issue—high cholesterol, PCOS, blood pressure spikes—just to get Medicare to cover it. You'll find a million different stories on these forums, but this is the only thing that actually matters. If you aren't sure what your BMI is, just Google it and figure it out.

As for choosing between a sleeve or a balloon, I think people toss the term "sleeve" around way too casually. It’s not just some general procedure; it's major surgery that causes a permanent SHIFT in how your body works, which comes with its own set of headaches. Vitamin deficiencies, early-onset osteoporosis, stuff like that...

From what I've seen with people I know, it isn't even a fix if you aren't ready to deal with the actual root issue. Weight is the SYMPTOM, not the CAUSE. You can get the sleeve, but if the cause is still there, you're just asking for more trouble. Did you know it's actually POSSIBLE TO GAIN WEIGHT EVEN AFTER A SLEEVE? Not to mention risking stomach perforations, internal bleeding, or worse...

I'm not trying to scare anyone, I just want to give you the full picture so you can make an informed choice if you're seriously considering it.

Personally, I went with the balloon because I don't want to permanently alter my biology and face unknown consequences ten or twenty years down the line. I'm trying to learn how to control my habits instead of turning myself into someone with physical limitations. Believe it or not, the stomach is a vital organ, and I personally have no interest in wrecking mine.

Why is everyone being so quiet here? Seriously... uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu :eek :😲😲😲
It’s actually wild that Timothy Reed8 and I are the only ones with a bubble in America 🤷

Just had some apple compote today. Later on, I’m thinking about doing a salad with fresh tomatoes, cucumber, and whole wheat pasta... curious to see how that turns out. Any suggestions? 🙂

The actual procedure was smooth sailing—they just knock you out and everything goes dark. I was hurting pretty bad that day, so they gave me a shot for the pain and nausea, which was all I asked for. Then on day two, I got some IV fluids. Spent most of it dealing with some burping and nasty cramps, so I wasn't exactly thrilled... honestly thought I'd never eat again for the rest of my life. You can imagine 🙂 My appetite came back lightning fast :-) Anyway, they discharged me on the second day, and I was back at work by the third. Thank God it was a Thursday so I could coast through to the weekend. After the weekend, things started looking up...

The first week is the struggle, the second week gets tricky if you aren't careful, but now I'm hitting week three and feeling better every single day. Didn't lose much weight, though, mostly because I've been pigging out these last two weeks.
I have this crazy urge to see how much my stomach can actually hold. Well, ladies, let me tell you... IT HOLDS A LOT. Like, it's bottomless :-)))

Honestly, in two weeks I’m going to go file a complaint with Nikolić. I'm starting to think he scammed me and is just talking about the implant when he didn't even do it :-)

As of today, I've decided to get "serious" about this, meaning I'll start eating "healthy," stop ordering those mushroom gravy pork chops with rice from the local diner 🙂 and quit stuffing my face with candy bars (yeah, I did, guilty).

Just experimenting right now to see what sticks. Fruit doesn't seem to sit right with me, and then I read somewhere that you shouldn't even bother unless it's cooked down into a compote....

Timothy Reed8, how are you doing? Is your stomach behaving? What are you eating? Are you still alive?

Decided to get back into fitness, finally got my bike ready, now I just need to actually get out there and ride 🙂

Hey everyone!

Looks like this thread isn't going anywhere unless I jump in... 😁😁😁 Just figured I'd drop a few thoughts so there's actually something useful here for anyone following in my footsteps.

@Lisa Rodriguez13, yeah, you hit the nail on the head. I showed up that morning, had the procedure, slept through it, and was headed home the next day. Back at work by day three.

And no, I didn't feel awkward. Nobody’s looking at you like that. You're stuck in the GI ICU where everything is high-stakes, and trust me, those patients aren't thinking about you—they can barely think about themselves. Neither was I thinking about them. Plus, you usually have a curtain between beds, so you get that illusion of privacy.

Honestly, the whole thing crossed my mind because you end up feeling kind of guilty. I even told the doctor I could just head home right away to free up the bed, but he wouldn't have it. Glad he didn't, either. You need to sleep through that first night, period.

Lisa Rodriguez13, if I remember correctly from your other posts, you aren't even a candidate for the balloon since you aren't actually overweight, right? 🙄

You missed my point—those threads show you how consultations actually work, like who you can even talk to... You don't have to commit to any procedure at the end, just go in there and explain what's up.

Check out these threads—lap banding, gastric balloons, sleeve gastrectomy... all different ways to tackle weight loss. There are hundreds of posts in these discussions, so dig in if you want.

....baby's here 😁😁

Nikolić is actually a decent guy, really puts in the work, efficient, and he genuinely cares. He plays up this tough guy act, but honestly, he’s just a sweetheart 😁

The procedure went by fast and totally according to plan. Thank God they kept me sedated, because otherwise.... I just remember the anesthesiologist waking me up and being like—no more sleeping (just to wake me back up), and my only response was—BUT WHY 😁
Good thing I didn't tell him—ugh, leave me alone and let me sleep 😂 I can't stand people messing with me when I'm sleeping 😁

Anyway, things started getting painful and miserable in the afternoon, after 5 PM. They gave me some shots so I managed to power through and even slept through the night. Nausea was hitting hard. In the morning, they gave me another round and sent me home 😁 Basically, the whole thing feels surreal.

I realized you definitely need to chug water, otherwise the nausea kicks in. Guessing the water helps neutralize the acid or something...

So, yeah. That's all from me.
I ended up paying for one hospital day $20, like Timothy Reed8 said. Didn't see an ATM, not that I was looking for one. The crew is great, the nurses, Nikolić, everyone... though you end up in the gastro ICU, and that's always where you get the best staff and the best nurses... anyway, gotta get back to work tomorrow, ugh

Alright, I've decided to just go for it, even though I'm still having second thoughts 😁 Heading to the hospital tomorrow morning... keep your fingers crossed that I don't lose my lunch the second I see the entrance 😉