swizzly

I only had a bad time the first three days post-op, which sucked heartily. But ever since then, I've felt just grand. I can eat normal foods just fine, haven't thrown up or had any pain to speak of since that first post-op 72 hours. So six weeks out, I think it's just great.

I don't know if they did one during surgery, or a scope (but I'm betting they did that), but I did have a barium leak test the day following the surgery and then they let me drink after that.

They will no longer do the lap band where I live, haven't done for a while now. Though it's not officially outlawed, the bariatric community just refuse to offer it anymore because of problems vs successes. Sorry to hear you have had such a time of it. I hope you are glad at least to get the reflux behind you!

I wanted to add that, eating out in general (restaurants, fast food, wevs) is also a contributor. Most of even the best restaurants use a lot more butter, oils, carby stuff, than I would at home. And chain restaurants and fast-food places have hideously high calories and sodium and fat and carbs. And don't forget that whole huge "flavourings" and "food enhancements" industry -- which adds sweet eff all in terms of nutritients to food, but massively increases the appeal to our tastebuds and senses...just more chemicals offering faux rewards and making our asses bigger and bigger. Eating out is a total obesity contributor. It CAN be done reasonably and healthily, but without a WLS tool as a helper? It's such an uphill battle that nearly no one wins it.

I completely agree about the food supply in the US and the crap processed shit that is nearly unavoidable. I also have to add, I have lived outside the US for a number of years and only travel back every year or two. Even over the time I've been doing that, food keeps getting bigger and Bigger and BIGGER. I mean, everything is huge. Last time we were there, we went to Chipotle (OMG yum, I would be hosed if I lived anywhere near one) and to a Cheesecake Factory. Seriously GIANT FOOD in GIANT PORTIONS. And cheap! Huge, tasty food that doesn't cost much? Of course people eat it -- I would too if I were there. Just as one small example -- a thing that strikes me is that a normal coffee cup in the US is literally three times bigger than a normal coffee cup here. Not a huge deal if it's just coffee, but when you add in proportional amounts of cream/sugar/flavorings, that cup of coffee has potentially more than triple the calories a cup here does. And how often do people have a normal cup of coffee? I am always seeing these places with huge mugs that are probably 5-6 times bigger. Also: Huge drinks (soft drinks, ice tea, etc.) -- and bottomless refillable drinks, unless it's diet that just adds in the calories heinously. And yeah, the other thing that always hits me is how we spend three weeks in the states and almost never do any walking the entire time. It's just not set up for that. Sure, you can deliberately walk for exercise, but it's in many places impossible to walk as a form of transportation or to do daily errands. We are just in the car from one place to the next. But I can't discount as well all the additives, chemicals, sugar and concentrated sugars like HFCS, hormones, dyes, etc., etc. Who knows wtf all that stuff does to us? Finally, I think dieting leads to obesity. Not the kind where someone is perpetually going up like 10 pounds over the winter, then dieting in spring in time for swimsuit season. I'm talking about the kind where you gain and lose tons of weight -- there is no way to break that cycle...except, hopefully, with the WLS option!!

I don't believe in stalls. I mean, I get them (pre- and post WLS) of course -- but I don't believe I have to do some trick to break the stall. I think if you just keep on plan and do your thing, eventually the stall breaks. Bodies do sometimes just need some time to adjust and recalibrate. But with WLS, calories in are lower than calories burned = eventual weight loss. You can either try a bunch of new stuff to break the stall, or you could just sit back for the ride and wait for it to move again on its own. Good luck!

Hi there, I'm just nextdoor en Suisse. I can totally relate to your fat person amongst the hordes of skinny people feeling. Sorta sucks, though after all these years, I was mostly used to it. I did finally decide to do WLS for other reasons, but I know that pressure. I also used to go to London to get clothes that would fit (or to the US), love to hit M&S. Here's to skinny Americans in Europe!

When I was thin, I could lose a size in 5-10 pounds, but it's more like 20 pounds in the larger sizes for me. I have lost weight mostly through my middle and stomach so far, also in my butt and thighs (which were not even a real trouble spot, sigh -- on my way to a flat ass I'm sure). I have a feeling my big fat arms that still look like hams are going to hang on for dear bloodly life. Hmph.

For my pre-op barium swallow, I did have to take that thick chalky liquid that plugs you up. Nasty stuff! But post-op, they used a different Fluid altogether which the nurse told me does not cause constipation (and is incidentally much easier for a poor post-op tummy to swallow!). I have heard others had the better post-op swallow as well, but I don't know if everywhere does it. Also, re constipation, one word: Miralax.

Two eggs and 1/4 a piece of toast, or 1 AND 1/4 pieceS of toast? That seems like rather a lot to me. I can eat 1-1.5 small (are your eggs small or large?) eggs and almost 1/2 a piece of toast -- for dinner, when my stomach is most able to hold food. (I am just over five weeks out and have been on full foods since five days post-op.) Re: skinnyagain's meal -- I don't really know how much 4 oz of fish is, I'm very bad with that sort of thing, plus my scale works in grams. But I could eat a small portion of some soft fish, like salmon, plus the avocado (probably one slice only) and the mushroom, but probably not the Beans too. So yeah, both of those seem like a little bit much to me (coming from someone with a sleeve of steel [touch wood], who hasn't had any problems eating or keeping foods of all kinds down). Weighing/measuring are a good idea -- not because you have to act like you're on some severely limited strict diet, but because it really IS hard to tell how much food you can and SHOULD put in your wee sleeve. Since you don't get any normal full feeling, it could be really easy to overstuff your sleeve. I go by both packet measurements, as well as using small dishes that I know hold, eg, 1/2 cup of food. I just wanted to add that, I for sure don't get "that full feeling" like I totally got pre-op. Especially early out, I think I was sometimes eating too much b/c I couldn't tell when I had had enough, and I wasn't getting sick from it like many people do. My tummy also gets sort of rumbly/hungry feeling (moreso early out than now) when I'm not actually hungry, but I take a Gaviscon and that sorts it. Finally, I notice my hunger getting less, not more, as time goes by. Some people's goes away instantly, but mine seems to be slowly fading. Good luck!!

Congrats on the success!! I totally related to your point about having a carefully cultivated wardrobe. I'm feeling the same way. I have loads and loads of (really nice) clothes that all fit me now (and for the past decade), but nothing in a smaller size at all. I am feeling reluctant to get rid of anything, which is the first indication I've had that I on some level might believe this won't work for me after all. Weird. I know things already don't fit, but I'm a bit in denial. I also hear you about not posting photos. Cheers!

Oh, only just seeing this. Count me in as well.

Welcome, Heather. The sleeve will serve you well I think. I am also hypothyroid and HBP, and just got sleeved last month.

Well that's good news -- I mean, being in the hospital always sucks, but it's great that you will get the liquids you need and possibly a solution to your nausea and pain as well. Good luck with the endoscopy!

Feels like I need to burp but can't. Not one crumb more after that.

I totally didn't tell my family or colleagues -- just my husband and a couple of close friends. I'm happy I didn't tell, I will take my time and tell them when/how I want to. Or IF I even want to.

I hope you will quit smoking prior to surgery -- even a week will help. Good luck! I was just sleeved on 24 Feb and am doing very well. I quit smoking three weeks prior to surgery (though I was not much of a smoker to begin with) and I feel much better for doing so.

Posts like this keep reinforcing my decision of not telling my family about this surgery until much later in the process. I'm sorry they are hounding you -- I am really not sure what it is about WLS that sets people off, but it is like a stick of dynamite for some people. Really, what are they freaking out about?

Absolutely. FABULOUS! So impressive and you look so healthy and happy, it's contagious!!

Oh my god, what a surprise to get! Well, congratulations and here's to a healthy pregnancy! I am sure this will not spell the end of your weightloss journey, it's just a little detour.

To be honest, I really expected a very similar reaction from my GP. There are not that many fat people here and I didn't even know if the surgery was very well-known. Well, I barely got the sentence about surgery out of my mouth and my GP was already beaming and saying YES, and he wrote the letter the same day, referring me to the bariatric clinic. Surprisingly, my GP has five or six other WLS patients and he is a big fan of the outcomes. I was really shocked. I'm sorry to hear that your GP had that reaction, but stick with it -- he will be happy with how it impacts your health positively.

NO. KIDDING. I can't believe how different the programs are, and how convinced each program is that theirs is capital-R Right. They don't have 'centre of excellence' identifications here per se, but my program's physicians and surgeons are all well-published in the bariatric field and are recognised as experts within the country for sure, as well as within Europe. They have particularly done a lot of research on the sleeve, and they stopped doing the lap-band quite some time ago, as they started to see the complications vs. success issues crop up in their studies early on. I trust them all implicitly, and yet they didn't have me on a pre-op diet (NB: No liquid or special diets -- they did specifically instruct me not to change my eating habits prior to surgery, not to gorge on last meals, nor to go way down in caloric intake) and they moved me to real food four days post-op. Nearly everyone everywhere finds this shocking (as do I, now that I know what other programs are like), but they have been doing the research for years and know their stuff. Just like all the other doctors and surgeons in other programs know their stuff, and do things completely differently. WTF? *shrug* I mean, I just gave up. I can't compare my situation to others in any way except for the fact that we have all had (or are going to have) WLS of some kind. And VSGers have the same wee thumb-tummy that I do. Other than that, it's a total wild card it seems.

I'm only five weeks post-op, but I can eat bread that isn't toasted -- I just eat very little of it, take small bites, and chew it to death. Toast is easier definitely.

Is my program really the only one anywhere that has no real pre-op diet, and moves to all normal foods pretty much straight away after surgery? (Well, one day of nothing till leak test passed, then two days of liquids, then on to soft foods and regular food, except raw fruit and veg, which is cleared at four weeks).

There is also good medical tourism for WLS in Belgium and Czech Republic -- there are sleevers here who've gone to both places, and that's at least a bit closer! ETA: Get extra blood-thinner injections to use before the long-hauls. I have RN friends who routinely do that anyow.