Cleo's Mom

@@Katcloudshepherd

Great story but sorry about your husband's disability.

However - about those cats: Remember - dogs have masters; cats have staff.

And best news of all ... hubby finished his chemo treatment today. And he is currently cancer-free.

As a cancer survivor (so far) myself I am always happy to hear of someone who is cancer free after treatment. I wish him continued success and good health.

now I'm on day 9 and it's like I never had surgery where fluids R concerned! Ice cream gives me awful gurgling noises

Why on earth are you eating ice cream???

I'm eating ice cream because my consultant told me to as I can't keep much in there!

Then you're doing what all the veterans on here advise - to listen to your consultant (NUT/doctor) and not what strangers on the internet say.

You're welcome.

Good luck to you on your new journey. After all you've been through I hope this new surgery is successful.

Personally I feel that regardless of whether it's the desire to or the actual action of going up to obese people to tell them the wonders of WLS, it's wrong and usually it's motivations are rooted in ulterior motives.

Former fat people who promote or indulge in this practice of offering unsolicited advice to random obese people , try and claim that they're doing out of care and concern but really it's more about boosting their own ego and self esteem.

It's faux concern, you don't really care about these people. If you really did, you would take the time and energy to get to know them before offering any life changing advice. If you are not willing to spend the time to know them, be actively supportive if they do decide to proceed with wls, go with them to dr's appointments, help them after surgery, then you don't really have right to be offering unsolicited advice about wls.

It also has be said that there's a slice of narcissism involved in going up to people and advertising the benefits of Wls and how it's helped you. Do you really think you're going to be the hero of their story? Do you really think that after you offer your advice the said person will go have instantly proceed with wls and live happily ever after? Do you really think that you are the first person to approach them? Do you really think they completely ignorant about Wls?

I just think that when someone takes an interest or actually decides to actually have surgery, it's best if that decision or interest is totally organic and not because someone else (especially a stranger) has badgered them into it

I agree with this, especially the part about ulterior motives, boosting their own egos and self esteem and narcissism. The whole post is well said.

@losing the band:

I have an issue with this statement, honestly. Not all of us who had a failed surgery failed because we didn't follow the rules. I actually felt the way you do, until it happened to me, too. Stating that all people who have failed did so because they made mistakes is over-simplifying things, and to be honest, comes across as smug. Now I realize that some fail because they didn't follow the rules, but a huge number of us failed because the surgery failed us, especially those of us who started out with the lap-band.

I couldn't agree more. I remember on the lap band forum years ago - when someone was struggling with the band the band "cheerleaders & defenders" would always come back with this pat answer "The band didn't fail you, you failed the band". Now look at how many band patients have had so much trouble with the band that they are having it removed (despite following the rules).

Same goes with the sleeve - it hasn't been around as long as the band (at least as far as insurance covering it) so we don't know if down the road there may be similar failings like the band. Plus is it very obvious from posts on here that the sleeve doesn't work the same for everyone - from feeling restriction to providing satiety to improving or worsening GERD, etc.among other things.

The posts to the OP on here are full of good advice, given in a thoughtful, helpful and informative way. See, it can be done!

I have trouble with chicken breasts being too dry for me, generally. I have switched to thighs and they are much more tender. Like the other poster, I have cooked them in the crock pot with a couple of the Campbell's Soup Crock Pot sauces when I'm in a half crunch. But if you do this, be careful - some of them are fairly low in carbs - esp if you don't eat the sauce and just use it for the moisture - but some are really high. And of course, they are higher in sodium than you'd normally want. I like to cook from scratch but you don't always have time. Cooked ahead you can use these chickies for lunch.

I find chicken breasts too dry for me, too (I have the band) and always use the thighs. Plus, I think they taste better, too.

1. I have no idea about the Water thing. My guess is to both keep you hydrated and to aid with digestion since our diets put us into ketosis.

I have two questions - unrelated to the OP:

1) What nutritional rationale is behind the 64 oz. of Water (or non caloric, non carbonated) Fluid per day? Is it because you don't get as much water from your food now? Because the need for 64 oz. of water daily for people who haven't had WLS has pretty much been debunked.

2) With those foods eliminated from your diet - where do you get the daily recommended amount of fiber?

2. Most people have to supplement, hence the reason so many have issues with Constipation. Thankfully my nutritionist has no problem with complex carbs so green leafy veg, Beans and fruit are okay for me.

I would imagine that if you have to take Iron supplements that could also contribute to constipation.

If you can find something that fits in with your dietitian's guidelines I don't see why you can't try it. It's pretty difficult to find those though! I am not allowed any kind of carb-foods (Beans, rice, crackers, noodles, bread, sweets, potatoes, corn, etc.) so for me it's especially difficult. HOWEVER, I did find one I loved the other day: Atkins Crustless chicken Pot Pie

This has chicken, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and spinach. NO rice, Beans, breading or noodles at all. And it tastes AMAZING. I love the cauliflower and the spinach in this especially. Really makes it special. I can only fit about half of it (actually a little less) into my stomach so what I usually do is cook it ahead of time at home and then split it up into my snack-size sistema plastic containers. (I get the sistema stuff at target or world market.) For half of a container it's about 165 calories and 11 g of Protein.

I have issues with frozen meals anyway because if I'm going for anything marketed as "healthy" I notice they tend to make up for loss of flavor by adding lots of spice to things that oftentimes aren't even traditionally spicy and I can't do spicy at all. So finding something like this one is a great find for me.

Your post is another example of the "all over the place" foods that those on here eat or are told they can eat. Your NUT says no to all those foods, while others say they can eat anything but only in smaller quantities. Very confusing.

I have two questions - unrelated to the OP:

1) What nutritional rationale is behind the 64 oz. of Water (or non caloric, non carbonated) Fluid per day? Is it because you don't get as much Water from your food now? Because the need for 64 oz. of water daily for people who haven't had WLS has pretty much been debunked.

2) With those foods eliminated from your diet - where do you get the daily recommended amount of Fiber?

Yes, it is loosened! I made an appointment for April 6th. I know- I have to get the Barrett's scoped yearly- no changes. My GI dr told me it is irreversible.

Barrett's is irreversible but there are currently treatments for it. Please google treatments for Barrett's and discuss with your doctor. It seems like the medical community is still in the "wait and see" mode with regard to Barrett's. Yearly endoscopies (which my husband was getting), biopsies, etc.. However my husband's didn't progress from high grade dysplasia to cancer. His progressed in one year from NO dysplasia to cancer. And they told him it was caught early, they would remove his esophagus, pull up his stomach to form a new esophagus and he would go on to live his life. Eleven months later it had metastasized to his liver and became terminal at that point. He died a year later.

Again, this is not meant to scare you. I know the statistics show that most Barrett's doesn't turn into cancer but the "wait and see" approach proved deadly for my husband.

They are making progress all the time in treating Barrett's - please look into it. Also, using PPI's does not decrease Barrett's - only the symptoms of GERD.

Best of luck to you. Take care.

@@BLERDgirl - I hear what you're saying. I've been reading the posts on here and there seems to be a wide spectrum of what people eat post sleeve - I mean after they're past the healing part - when they are on "regular" food. I have read that someone was in pain for 2 hours from one crouton and another who said on weekends all bets are off - pizza and chocolate in moderation and everything in between. Some were told - only Protein (meat) and no veggies or fruit - others that it was okay. Some say there is nothing they can't eat - only in smaller quantities. Some were told by their NUT that denying yourself something you like every once in awhile is a recipe for failure. If someone is being successful in their weight loss, exercising and becoming healthier - isn't that what this is all about? I think each person has to find their own path to success. If they're struggling because of bad food choices, then that is a different issue.

Once someone has healed and on solid food, why would anyone eat a food that they didn't like? For example, I would never eat cheese or yogurt before or after surgery. Ever. That doesn't make me picky. We all have foods we hate and hated before surgery. That doesn't mean we can't make good food choices - just ones that we could/would have eaten before surgery, too.

Thank you so much for sharing! I do log my intake but I am not as active as I need to be. I have been doing food prep on sunday and it does help but when that urge to just keep eating even tho I am full hits me I usually give in, justifying it by saying I am eating way less of it, so whats the big deal. So then I eat it, deal with the guilt, and then jump back on the wagon until the next cycle hits me and I repeat. You are right....I have to hold myself accountable. WTH is wrong with me! I have been given a great opportunity and I am wasting it by not staying strong and steadfast.

You got some good advice on here but what I have taken away from your posts is that your are beating yourself up. There is no need to do that. Isn't that what we've always done to ourselves pre-surgery? You came on here asking for help because you knew you were in trouble with your cravings and eating beyond full. And you got some good advice - very specific and helpful. You've already taken the first step to address your problem - getting the surgery - and the second step by asking for help. Please stop beating yourself up. You know what you need to do to get back on track. There are many threads on here where you can post to get help. And good for you for losing 86 pounds. That's the size of one of those Hollywood types.

I would love to hear stories from those who have been converted from a lap band to a sleeve. My revision was approved and I will most likely have mine done all in one procedure at the end of April. Was your revision done in one or two procedures? What is it like compared to the lap band? Thanks!!!

Go on the band to sleeve revision thread for additional answers. I asked this same question on there and while it seems most had theirs done at the same time, some were told they had to wait X number of weeks/months to get the revision. It depends on the surgeon and what condition(s) the band may have caused, if any. Good luck with your journey.

My total out of pocket would have been $6500 and that includes all visits for up to 2 years as well as reconstruction surgery. My insurance would have covered the rest.

I think you will do well in whatever you decide. Good luck.

Yes "woo woo" you are correct. I have elected NOT to do the surgery, but if I did, then "Cleo's mom" I would only be responsible for $50 for the dietician. If any complications should arise from the sleeve, it would be completely covered through insurance. I have already done that check. However, now that I'm out $3000 for just having the EGD, I thought I'd ask if I could go ahead and do the hernia repair along with possibly another elective surgery like Lipo. That way, I wouldn't feel like I totally wasted my money.

Well, best of luck to you with your decision(s). Does the $50 dietician fee mean than all the other pre op tests usually required for the sleeve are also required for hiatal hernia repair (except for dietician)? If you don't mind answering, since you already indicated how much you paid for the EGD - how much was the sleeve going to cost you? You don't have to answer if you don't want to. I was just curious.

But again, I hope things work out for you.

I still don't think you are understanding.

Either way if you took the time to read the thread you would realize that she is not doing the surgery at this time.

I did read all the posts and while she said she will try diets for now, she indicated that she is still considering the sleeve so my points still stand.

She asked for people's opinions and I gave mine.

@attygirl: think I will try and see what I can do once again on my own for the next several months and if I can't do it, then I will opt back to the sleeve.

@@Cleo's Mom I don't think you are understanding what she is saying about the hernia repair.

What she is saying is that the option was to self-pay for the sleeve, while also undergoing hernia repair that she needs. The portion of the surgery that is for hernia repair is covered by her insurance, and she would pay out of pocket for the sleeve. The difference between the two is only a few thousand dollars.

This is offered by all of the top surgeons in Dallas and other places as a more affordable option to self pay for some people (those with insurance that are in need of hernia repair).

Also, as I mentioned above, the doctor she was planning to use is one of the top surgeons in Dallas, is very highly regarded, and has done literally thousands of sleeves. He knows what he is doing.

So these doctors do the hiatal hernia, charge the insurance companies for it, then do the sleeve and have the patient self-pay. Who pays for the all the pre-surgical tests required for the sleeve? Are they all the same for both surgeries? Like sleep apnea, psychological tests, nutritional consult, etc? If not, would those also not be self-pay? How much would those be? Who would pay for any complications that arise from the sleeve procedure? Again, would that be self pay?

It seems like all these issues need to be addressed before she makes her decision regardless of how many these procedures these surgeons do like this.

I have yo-yo'ed back and forth with my weight for the last 10 years. The doctor said I would not qualify for the sleeve through insurance but I would Qualify for hiatal hernia surgery with insurance. He said that they will just do the sleeve while they are there. I am 50 lbs from my goal weight. However, my BMI is still below 30 and that worries me. I'd almost rather have lap band instead.

What concerned me about this was that your surgeon would go in to do a hiatal hernia repair and then "just do the sleeve while he was in there". I don't know if you are self pay or your insurance is paying for your surgery but for your surgeon to suggest that I think is unethical. What happens if you suffer a complication as a result of "just doing the sleeve while he's in there?" Who's going to pay for that? This is a major operation where about 80% of your stomach is removed permanently and requires life long changes in eating as well as other adjustments.

And as far as the band goes - I got mine in 2008 and hate it. It has never done one thing it was promoted as doing. It never provided satiety while at the same time preventing me from eating more because it would cause pressure or pain. Never caused any significant weigh loss either (I did that on my own pre surgery). And your friends who say you can just adjust and readjust the band to accommodate food functions are irresponsible. And then just remove it when you're tired of it? It doesn't work that way. The use of the lap band is on its way out with many bariatric surgeons. Research shows it is the poorest WLS for long term weight loss and 50% eventually get their removed.

Have you done any research of the qualifications of your surgeon? How experienced is he/she? Please look into that, too. My lap band surgeon was inexperienced and it was a huge mistake on my part to go with him. His inexperience in the area of obesity, weight loss, etc.. became very apparent after it was too late.

I survived breast cancer (so far) and was diagnosed 11 months before my husband was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. So we were both battling cancer at the same time. I took care of him the whole time here at home and was with him when he died. But we raised two beautiful children and I now have 3 beautiful grandchildren that my husband never got to see.

Try getting at least some, if not all, of your fill out of your band and see what happens. It might resolve some of that acid reflux and regurgitation. My band is totally unfilled. You can always start the process of looking into whether your insurance will pay for your revision and what their criteria is.

@BLERDgirl;@Stevehud - You both made some very relevant points. There are a lot of factors to consider.

Also, if you're taking Iron supplements they can be very constipating. Perhaps talk to your doctor about that as well as some suggestions for helping with the Constipation. Maybe Miralax which isn't technically a laxative but draws Water into the intestines can help. But I think it's always wise to check with your doctor first.

Where did it say the OP was told to eat Lean Cuisines?

No one said she was told to eat a Lean Cuisine. She said she could eat one.