Rootman

I'll take a stab at it, mushies are any soft food put through a blender so it is pretty much a paste, so that little to NO chewing is needed, this gives the stomach a break and not make it churn more solid food so early in recovery. Soft food is just that, soft food, Soups, etc. that may have more solid form but are still soft so as to be not such a shock to the the tummy as it is recovering from this trauma you just put it through. Mushies first, soft food after a few weeks, then on to more solid foods but still taking it easy to not burden the stomach.

Lack of acid MAY prohibit the adsorption, look here: http://www.reflux.org/reflux/webdoc01.nsf/%28vwWebPage%29/CalciumPPI.htm?OpenDocument

Normally they will NOT allow you to take it, it's classified as medical waste and must be disposed of correctly - usually incinerated. There are videos out there, a few on YouTube, while it's not "yours" it does show the amount they remove. Remember the 85% removal is just an estimate, the actual amount varies because of the size of the stomach and the size of bougie the doctor uses to "form" to stomach and determine the staple line.

Yep, squeals, groans, moans, popping, flatulent sounds - you name it my stomach did it for the first few weeks anyways. I could NOT lie on my left side for a few weeks because it would immediately start making noise and felt uncomfortable. Not sure exactly when it stopped but it seldom makes a peep now.

I would think that there should be no reason to immediately start just after surgery, as long as you are up to it. Lying on your stomach may be an issue though. Just have them stay away from your stomach area with the massage for a few months.

No Mirilax is not a diet aid, it simply helps you to eliminate what is going to come out in "the end" anyway There is no harm in being on it indefinitely, I've used it for years.

Various health and comfort issues just came crashing around me last summer / fall. I had to do SOMETHING and I have NEVER been able to stick to a diet, I was always miserable and hungry. I too was ashamed at the way I looked and could not participate in much of anything with anybody. I researched various WLS and was determined to NOT get a bypass or have a plastic gizmo (band) floating around in my gut. When I discovered the VSG I was ecstatic! So simple and virtually NONE of the "side effects" of a bypass or limitations and dangers of a band. I investigated my insurance options and did not want to wait and play the "games" they played so I ponied up the money and did self pay. A few emails, a few phone calls and a month later I was sleeved and on my way to a healthier me. Sorry for the TMI, this is just one of the BEST things I have EVER done for myself and I am so proud to have done it.

Hey, how about a before and after instead of a pic of you and your dad? WOW! What a difference! You certainly have something to be proud about!

Yes it CAN be a kidney stone, though typically you feel it in the lower back it is entirely possible that you can feel it in the stomach area. Another possibility is a gall stone. Get to the doc, perhaps even the ER if you can't see the doc right away, before something potentially ruptures and you REALLY have a problem.

I still wonder "who the hecks underwear are these" when I pull a pair out of the drawer or drier. They are so much smaller then the circus tents I used to wear.

Always worked for me, been eating this since on mushies, can only eat 1/2 can though.

Iron and Calcium negate each other so separate them by a few hours. Also a PPI (Omiprozole or Nexium etc.) need to be taken separate from calcium as well. I take ompiprozole at Breakfast, calcium at lunch and iron at dinner. Perhaps not the best but it keeps them from interfering.

Maybe this is "stoopid", but it makes me wonder. So, you've been sleeved, lost the weight and WOOT! Reached your goal at last. My question is this; is there any emotional "fallout" after you've reached goal? Pre-sleeve there wasn't a day nor hour that went by that I wished I wasn't fat. The health problems, the physical problems, the way i looked - you name it - all reminded me of what a fat cow I was. Post-sleeve and 160+ pounds later I am a few months away from my goal. I still daily think about my previous state and am anxious about reaching goal. I run in to people daily commenting about how good I look and asking how I did it. All reminders of where I was and where I am heading. I know I will make it but what about afterward? I mean, what do you think about? There will FINALLY be nothing to nag the hell out of me about being fat or remind me that I'm "not quite there yet" What DO skinny people think about?

The typical Medical Tourism cost covers the surgery, the stay in the country where the surgery takes place, meds while you are there and typically transportation to and from the airport, for instance San Diego airport from Tijuana. They may also have phone follow up care or a further discount on cosmetic procedures for 1 year, say a tummy tuck if needed. There is a supplemental insurance to cover complications available at extra cost. Transportation and any hotel before or after is your cost. It's not for everyone. I was desperate and had a bit of money left over from my Mom's estate. I was also having a hell of a time medically and wanted something done immediately. I had backed myself in a corner with all kinds of health issues. Now at 9 months out I have lost 160+ pounds, BP and blood sugar are great, neurological problems are gone, resting heart rate is on the 50s (down from the 90s), heck even my DENTIST noticed a difference, my decades long issue with gum problems have all but cleared up. I have insurance and decided not to fart around with their waiting game. I moments ago spoke to a gal here at my work, she saw my phenomenal success after 3 months post-op and decided to do it herself. She is at 6+ months of waiting on insurance approval and just learned today that our carrier just canceled her pre-approval out of the blue and NO ONE knows why. It's a bleeding shame but insurance is such a racket and your health is NOT their highest priority, making money is.

I do the same for my King Size catalogs when they come too! NO MORE XXXL!

It's come and gone for me. I simply eat saltine crackers and the taming of the small amount of PHYSICAL hunger I have seems to allow me to get past the HEAD hunger. I alot myself 12 crackers a day, 144 calories and they soak up the extra acid and take the edge off. Some evenings I add a slice of cheese.

Great responses, I am glad to know that I'm not alone and others are having the same "issue" as I do. Right now I'm wondering if I'll be able to eat enough to maintain, especially with the exercise routine I've gotten in to. Some days I feel guilty about the amount I've eaten and find out when I record it all at myfitnesspal.com it's only 1500 calories, and I burned up 1000+ of them swimming for 90 minutes. Will I have to cut back on th exercise or simply consume more calories? Oh, what a problem !!!

Arf! I did this for the first time EVER last month. I thought I'd NEVER be able to do it. 50 YO man jumping on a trampoline! My own: The cheap vinyl molded lawn chairs that everyone sells no longer look like death traps ready to collapse on first sit, and the arms don't "grip" to your rear end when getting out of them either!

Not after a few months, scar tissue + staples is actually stronger than the stomach material itself.

You go girl! We're all looking forward to joining you in "average" town!

I can see their concerns, a sleeve might cause your GERD to get WORSE as a LOT of sleevers have excessive acid at least for a while. The VSG DOES remove a good portion of the pump material but what pumps are left and the resultant smaller capacity can often lead to too much acid for the small area to hold and it spills over into the esophagus. I wonder too if they're worried about having enough material to possibly do a fundoplication ( https://secure.wikim..._fundoplication ) should one be necessary, the sleeve would eliminate a lot of the stomach material with which to do this. Stick with it, you'll know the answers soon enough and hopefully they include your WLS. I too had / have a have a hiatal hernia as well as a Schatzki ring ( https://secure.wikim...i/Schatzki_ring ). I was worried about getting the surgery. Fortunately neither proved serious enough to keep me from the VSG. The VSG even HELPED with the Shatzki ring in the fact that I now cannot eat enough to get hung up in the ring and therefore have not had ANY symptoms since the surgery and weight loss. We all wish you well and hope to hear a good report and news soon.

WriterGirl, so sad to hear this. What are the options for treatment, or have you gotten this far? Certainly a PPI if you already aren't on one. For those that don't know Barrett's esophagus a per-cancerous condition of the lower esophagus caused by constant exposure to stomach acid: https://secure.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/wiki/Barrett%27s_Esophagus

Congrats! Keep up the good work!

Keep up the good work Chris! Ain't it strange to feel all the muscles you NEVER had before? I'm feeling shapes , bones, muscles and tendons that were just not there before - at least you couldn't see or feel them under the mounds of fat. It's great!

WooHoo! Keep it up girl, or rather keep it OFF!