PdxMan

I also had a hiatal hernia repair and I would have to agree with your surgeon. I experienced the same discomfort you described and it lasted about 2 weeks. I mean, if you think about it, it make sense. They just yanked your stomach down below your diaphragm, sewed the diaphragm tighter around your esophogus and cut out 85% of your stomach ... yeah, there is going to be some discomfort swallowing ... The gurgling and strange sounds, though, continue, though they lessen.

As has been mentioned, get rid of the scale. Are you married or have a significant other? Ask them to hide the scale. I resolved to weigh once a month after reading a post when I was about a month post op. The OP was about 2 months post op lamenting the fact that her afternoon weight was 0.3 pounds heavier than her morning weight. In all capital letters she shouted, "WHAT AM I DOING WRONG?! I KNEW I WOULD FAIL AT THIS!!" I realized that I, too, could become obsessive about what the scale said and I didn't want to be that discouraged by it's readings. As I often post, I have to remember that the scale only measures weight, not fat, and fat is what I was looking to lose. My brain told me that if I followed the guidelines as closely as I could, I would lose fat. I decided then and there to only weigh once a month. Doing this, I always saw numbers go down which helped me stay focused and motivated. I was able to make it to goal and have been maintaining for the past two years, now. The scale is evil and can only serve to discourage if you weigh every day. There is no way possible it can meet your expectations, so don't give it the power to being with.

Every time I put something into my mouth, I ask, "Why am I doing this?" If it is a treat, I ask if I have had a nutritionally balanced day so far. If the answer is "No", then I ask another question, "Am I feeling the symptoms of HALT? (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired) If I am hungry and the food is what I call nutritionally relevant, then I eat it. If it isn't, then I get something that has nutritional value. If I am wanting to eat to satisfy one of the other symptoms, then I focus on that and do some root cause analysis. For me, this is when the real work to address my poor relationship with food take place. This is the reason why I was morbidly obese to begin with. I ate not to feed my body, but to feed something else. I am a work in progress. As we say, the sleeve is but a tool. I still need to do the work.

I do not have an answer for you, but I did a site search on narcolepsy and it returned 112 threads. Have you tried that?

Just to let you know, I started Biotin about a month prior to surgery and continued for about a month after it started falling out. So, for me, there was no hope. At least for biotin being the cure for hair loss. But as is pointed out in the thread I posted above, I'm now hairier than I have ever been ...

I stopped taking biotin almost 2 years ago and I am calling my esthetician for an appointment today ... so no. It didn't get better. It has stayed the same since I stopped taking biotin. I gotta say it is a little annoying, actually.

Hello Cathy, I did not have a starting BMI over 50, but there is a forum here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/420-200-pounds/ for users looking to lose over 200 pounds. Perhaps you can browse through these threads. I was right at a BMI of 40 and lost 120 pounds with the sleeve before I went into maintenance mode. (I actually lost 140, but that was too low for me so I put 20 back on) I truly believe if you are dedicated to the journey and the guidelines, anyone can lose 100% of their excess weight with VSG no matter what their starting BMI is. Good luck with your research!

This is one of the most popular topics discussed here. HERE is a recent thread. http://www.bariatricpal.com/topic/300353-hair-loss-a-harsh-reality-picture-of-loss/ I tried everything, but I still lost hair. IMO, it is a result of the hormones released from the fat deposits as you rapidly lose weight.

My guess would be ketosis (Google it or search this popular topic on this forum). Is it a metallic kind of taste? Everything tasted funky whilst I was in the midst of ketosis. Once you get your carbs up, this will get better.

Like you Madam, I tried and did everything suggested. I actually thought I had it beat until the 6 month mark when I started losing. One of the benefits of being a boy in this process is I basically said, "Screw it!" and shaved my head using a #1 (1/8th inch) guide comb. I figured I would beat it to the punch. 3 months later, I noticed it started growing back again. One thing I will caution, though. I was religiously taking my Biotin. Now mind you, whilst I am a guy, no one would have ever described me as hairy. The number of hairs on my chest numbered in the low hundreds my entire life. The pathway to paradise was barely recognizable. Fast forward 15 months post sleeve and egads! I have hair growing in places I never knew I could grow hair. It has been crazy. This is still true now at over 2 and half years post op. I do some manscaping to keep things in check now which is an expense I never thought I would have. So, my advice is, if you are throwing in the towel, stop taking the biotin. Your mustache may thank you.

Nice to hear this from our two recent posters. Just to let you know, I am over two and half years post surgery, have great restriction and am still maintaining my goal weight. I think Dr Umbach did a great job on me and I'm sure the same will hold true for both if you.

Who is your surgeon? What is your BMI? Did they do a scope on you? Did you ask them these questions?

Pre-op diets are quite common. I was put on a lean and green plan for 2 weeks prior. I could have a Protein shake for Breakfast and lunch and then a salad with lean protein for dinner. If I got hungry, I was allowed one additional shake. The first 4 days were VERY difficult for me, but then I found my groove as the reality of the surgery was coming to fruition. The purpose of the pre-op diet is to shrink the liver. Your liver sits on top of your stomach and is where glycogen is mainly stored. Doing the pre-op diet helps shrink the liver which makes it easier to work with during your operation.

Hmmm ... I wish you well on your journey.

With an initial weight of 210, your starting BMI is lower than most I see here, so it is not fair to you to compare rate of loss. Instead of focusing on the scale, let's focus on the program. How compliant are you with the guidelines? If you are compliant, then you have nothing to worry about. Your excess weight will come off. No, it will not come off overnight, but as long as you stick to the program, you will lose. If people are not compliant, then they will struggle, but I think we all know this. So, I would suggest focusing on compliance, not the scale. It measures weight, not fat. If you insist on measuring your success by the scale, then over the long run, it will be a measure of your compliance. Simple as that.

There is a Fitness and Exercise sub-forum here: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/991-fitness-exercise/ You will be able to see there all the thoughts of sleevers as it relates to your question. Myself, I got into running and by having the sleeve, I was able to become quite a successful runner. I have participated in many races and have actually won my age/division several times. Who knew there was an athlete hiding in this morbidly ovese person. As far as it being easier ... well, real fitness wasn't even an option before, so ...

Post sleeve they all seem like horse pills to me. If you are going to be taking calcium, I would also ask about a Vitamin D supplement. My PCP had me wait until I had my blood work done and suggest vitamin supplementation. I get it re-done every 6 months and adjust as necessary. Have you had bloodwork done recently?

Milk of magnesia was my friend post-op. I took it every day for a week whether I needed to or not. I would take it occasionally after when having issues.

I take a multi Vitamin which contains the B1 & B6 vits, but for B12, I get the shot in the arm every two weeks. My wife takes a chewable multi from Trader Joes. I just Googled for chewable B1 and there are many chewable B complex I see out there. Where are you at? If you don't have a GNC or the like, your local grocery store should have something. Kids Vitamins may also cover what you are looking for. Of course, Amazon can also ship to your doors, so ... Is this for your current pre-op needs or are you getting ready for post-op?

I, too, was scared to death to move from purees. If you go to my profile and look at my very first status update, I post, "Fear of eating solids ..." http://www.bariatricpal.com/statuses/user/113438-pdxman/ I was pureeing a lot of Soups, so I just pureed them less. As his been pointed out already, chew really well taking ridiculously small bites. Wait a couple minutes before taking the next bite. Don't drink anything. There is nothing wrong with taking an hour to eat. The first "solid" I had was some tuna mixed with ranch. I would put about a teaspoon on a square of sharp cheddar cheese. Probably took me close to 10 minutes to eat the whole thing. It was one of the most wonderful things I have ever eaten in my entire life.

After 6 months, the options are pretty much limitless. There are risks related to developing a bezor (Google it) if you eat celery stalks or shredded coconut as they are quite fibrous and do not get broken down by stomach acids. Myself, I dice my celery in Soups or stir fry and I have never like raw coconut, so ... not a problem for me. I am over two and a half years out and I have no restrictions except quantity.

While I am not 20 something (actually a little more than double ...) I have had this conversation with my wife whether I would encourage one of my children having this procedure if they were morbidly obese. My daughter falls along the paternal genetic side of the fence (me) while my son has my wife's genetic disposition. She is quite young, still, but I can see the writing on the wall. She, too, does not eat junk food as we simply don't really have it in the house. But she doesn't have that inclination, anyway. She still has 95% of her Halloween candy in her room. She is also active in many activities, so she is not resistant to physical activity. But, like I said, my wife and I can see the writing on the wall. Would I recommend the surgery for her when she is 21? Sure. On the condition, however, that she had made no less than 3 earnest attempts at losing and keeping the weight off by other means than WLS. She would need to have read some books on nutrition and understanding how the body consumes food and burns energy. She would need to have tried a lifestyle change which she can support for an extended period of time. In my opinion, WLS should be the last stop on the block after attempting everything else. BTW, my wife agrees.

I had mine done by Dr Thomas Umbach in Las Vegas. I went to the seminar with Dr Emma Patterson, but my insurance did not cover WLS and her office quoted me $35,000 for self pay. Well ... that was just not reasonable. I paid $10,400 and had a great experience. Where are you doing yours? Does your insurance cover it? What part of Oregon are you?

For me, it was in my face. It wasn't until I had lost 40 pounds before I was able to change pant sizes. Of course, you have to know everyone is going to be different as we do carry our weight differently. As far as caffeine goes, it is suggested to wait at least 6 months. Caffeine is a diuretic. It takes awhile to be able to get back to "normal" Fluid intake, so drinking caffeine early out is only going to exacerbate low fluid level issues. But, after that, caffeine can be re-introduced. I see you are from Oregon. Me too. Welcome to BariatricPal!

9 months out, you should be fine doing the Friday fast, but as is noted in the Catholic Church's doctrine on fasting during Lent, older folks and those with medical necessity should not fast. (There are other rules and exceptions, too ...) Sleevers early on their journey could run into serious issues if they attempt to fast. It is suggested to perform some other selfless act in lieu of fasting.