JustFluffy

I have a really good recipe (WLS Friendly) for a Cheesburger Stew...CROCKPOT :-) I"ll find it and post it today so you can try it...it is delicious! My husband is actually banded as well...so he is very supportive of me. He hasn't had any problems (so far) with his band, but then again he has gained back about 60 pounds (was down 130 pounds). He has 10cc in a 14cc band We are going to my next appointment together to also talk about his band and possibly get him a fill - he has ZERO restriction being 3/4 filled. I'm worried he's had a slip or something. I want him to get an upper GI done to make sure all is well. Right now he is still worried and concentrating on me. I loved LBT as well...I posted activally on there as well, I was Leslie2Lose there. I'm on another WLS website, but it is very clicky and the "vets" can get very loud almost to the point of being rude. SOmetimes I don't get a postive vibe there, so I haven't been active lately. I did learn a lot on there, with research and all...can't tell you how many UTube videos I watched either of people sharing their stories. If you have any questions, please ask - will be happy to share my short term knowledge :-)

Blieve it or not my parents were my biggest opponents when I was banded...even though my father helped me pay my out of pocket expense. I really thought it was my last chance. Neither of them have ever had weight problems - my mom is in a size 14 and she thinks she is a hippo (literally) all she talks about is how fat she is. I call it the "barbie' mentality...they really don't understand. So even though I love them and they love me more than anything in this world, I chose not to tell them about RNY for a few reasons. #1 because they would worry and #2 they are the I told you sos from the band. It's a very sensative subject. It's weird now that I'm down 50 pounds they treat me differently. They have no idea how much this hurts me...I'm still me, you know? But I also know if I needed them they would be here for me. So for now, I'm keeping it to myself...I am going to order me a medical bracelet since most people don't know about my surgery - I really don't need to risk the complications if I were in an accident and not able to let anyone know about my RNY. I'm a huge dairy eater - always have been. I drink A LOT of milk, and eat a lot of chicken and yogurt. I get most of my Protein in my food, which is what my doctor recommends. I don't completely agree with everyone eating salads and taking nothing but supplements...but to each their own. I have tried the New whey powder and not a big fan and I probably need to add one supplement to my diet a day. With the band I was on the New Whey liquid Protein Bullets...however, we as RNY patients only absorb 1/2 of the protein in them. As for Vitamin supplements, I am on Calcium citrate (not carbonite - it won't absorb) for my calcium 4x a day (which I probably get in my food, but am following docs rules), I take the One A Dau Daily Multivitamins 2x a day (chewables) and I'm on nexium for my gerd/heartburn still 1x, and synthoid for my thyroid (I'm hypo).

I think in the liquid stage the most important thing is to stay hydrated...this is a tougher recovery than with the band, mainly because we are on each stage longer cause there is a lot of healing to do.. food stuck is NOTHING like the band, it just comes up - yes it is nasty but it doesn't hurt like the band. I always compared band stuck with an elephant sitting on your chest. With RNY I can just feel it in my throat area...and no matter how long I wait (it won't go down - sometimes hours) until I allow it to come up. As for the dumping - I've dumped now twice...some people have issues with sugar and others with fat...I'm a higher fat gal..it is kinda of trial and error. Your pouch will be very fickle. Some days you can eat some things and other days you cant...it is really strange. One day I can eat chickenand the other days I cant. I've had issues with this at every stage...

Hey girl...had a crazy couple of days (work) and haven't been on. Yea it may be u and I for a while, but that's okay :-)..hope others will decide to join and participate too! I was 231.2 this moring...so am down 52 pounds...Seems I'm a 2-3 pound a week girl, and I think that is good progress. I do have to start exercising - I haven't done that yet. For a while it was because of my slow healing, now I have to find some motivation. I have collar bones again :-)...my husband told me last night I have bony shoulders. I giggled - lol How's everything with you? I saw where you posted some updates on another thread, but for some reason that thread I can't read (the texts are jumbled.)

When I was banded - I told EVERYONE! I was so proud and excited. However, this time around only two people know about my revision. My husband and my best friend. Other family and my co-workers know I had surgeryk but think it was only to have my band removed. My band was such a failure for me (with complications and weight gain), I heard I told you so - so much. While I"m typically the kind of person that doesn't care what anyone thinks...for me this surgery is so personal I really didn't want to hear it or feel I had to defend myself. So, I decided to keep it to myself. One day I may decide to let the world know, but for now it is MY journey and not theirs... What about you?

I actually think I was hungry...3 pm (long after lunch and hungry hit me)...Thanks for the ideas :-) those are some good pointers. I've tried sugary food/drink in the past month and a half (Gatoraide, PB, chocolate Milk - another craving about a week ago) and I found that I do not dump. I think this is a blessing and a curse. My surgeon told me that I wouldn't...although his diet isn't as strict as some. He doesn't believe in complete sugar and fat free foods...says we need some in our diet for our digestive system to operate properly. So I try to watch what I eat, but every now and then do "splurge" on small portion of something carb/sugar. I also don't have constipation (which most Rny patients have). I'm consistantly losing and don't have bad reactions to food... Of course every doctor is different and everyone should follow his/her surgeon's instructions. My surgeon has been doing this for over 20 years and I trust his judgement...I've found in the past when I don't give into a small craving I ended up binge eating and falling completely off the wagon. Thank you so much for your support...I'm looking forward to some yummy recipes!

I just realized I didn't reply after surgery... I still absolutely love my revision doctor, John Nye. He is a very thorough doctor. I've had some complications recovering though, but no way to I blame him for the BS I went through... I loved Baptist Hospital the day of surgery and through the first night. However, after the nurse left I may as well been at home and had my husband see about me. The drain in my chest (hooked to a pump) was only about 1/8 full when we left. I don't then after the first night that they turned it back on...nor my IV machine...it constantly beeped. They would unhook me to walk or to to the bathroom and then "poof" disappear. Shawn (hubby) finally asked them to show him how to turn the machine beeps off, hook back up my leg pumps...everything... The reason I believe the drain wasn't working (or turned off), is my best friend just had revision surgery (same hospital) and she had 3x the amount of drainage I did. She is two weeks post op and all her incisions and drain areas have closed. Mine finally closed three weeks ago. It took two months to heal...Nye says I had a reaction to the sutures (my incision kept coming open - he didn't stitch me closed for a month due to drainage)...so it took two months for me to "naturally" drain and dry up enough to heal and close. It sucked! It hurt! At my two month check up he had to "burn" the drain area (right below my sternum) - set me on fire. It f'ing hurt...bad...couldn't sleep for over a month... So that is the bad...and probably one of the worse things that can happen when it comes to recovery. Honestly, I blame the inept nurses that kept forgetting or neglecting me.

Me, Me, Me! Jumping in feet first! I started out at 283 and had 125 pounds to lose to get to goal. I now have 67 pounds to lose, but am staying on the 100+ thread here...My husband keeps telling me now I'm getting to skinny. He is threatening to start Lasagna Injections when I weigh 199 lbs...LOL I think not. I told him I won't lose my curves...he doesn't want me a stick...I just hit my 50 pound loss milestone this weekend. My birthday is tomorrow - Happy Birthday to me! The best present I could ever give myself...my health!!! :wub:

I'm definately in I struggled today with my diet...I haven't had any "snacking" or cravings at all since surgery. For whatever reason it hit me today...so I sauntered to the vending machine at work and gave in to my cravings...had 1/8 of a hershey bar with almonds and a tiny bag of Sour Cream and Cheddar chips...not good to know these are sliders with RNY like the Band...but I'm good with my cravings now. I just have to keep them at bay for another three or four months... Holding my breath and hoping no one beats me up lol...

My surgeon does his revisions as "Open" Surgery, so I think that is why the two days liquid diet. The two days is to ensure the tummy and intestines are empty for surgery. Surgeons preference I guess...although Liquid Hell that follows for a few weeks still isn't a picnic..nice for the restriction though :-) Which is a blessing...

I'm not a fan (either with the band or RNY)...to me it has an aftertaste. Perhaps I'm using the wrong kind...I'm with Losing - is there one that doesn't have the aftertaste? I'd love to try it :-)

I'm down 51 pounds (as of today)...So 2.5 months out from revision. I had only lost about 65 with the band...and regained all of it back (plus 20 pounds)...I'm so happy with my decision to revise Leslie

I've e-mailed Alex recently about promoting the site and getting it up and going. Wondering why there aren't very many members. I think the few are here are here because of LapBandTalk (the link). He said right now the RNYTalk is in Beta Form. I still can't upload picture (it lets me browse, but there is no upload button). He did reassure me that they are going to start promoting soon. I hope it gets up and going as well - I always like LBT. He also encouraged me to spread the word to members of other forums that aren't happy there...so very little exposure so far (so I percieved).

Losing, I hope your visit went well today! Please let us know how things went. I'm a little over two months post-op from revision and still "new to the game", but will answer any questions you may have the best I can

Thank you! :-)

I hope that your consult and appointment went well today! I'm a revision as well - due to reflux/gerd issues with the band...it was actually quite an ordeal, but sounds nothing like what you went through. Please let us know how your appointment went.

I couldn't be happier with my decision. I had a tougher recovery than most but Ido not regret it for a minute. Don't feel like a failure...I know so many people that their band has failed them. It isn't for everyone - things go wrong and the longer time passes the more horror stories I hear. I too was banded in April 2008 - and strugged for the majority of the time. How'd the appointment go?

I had my band placed in April 2008. I lost a little over 60 pounds in the first six months. I had to have port revision because my port had flipped after surgery, but once corrected I had no other issues the first year. The honeymoon phase was wonderful! In the next two years, I ended up with acid reflux and esophagus issues, port complications, weight regain (and then some). I moved and had to find a new "band doctor", which by the way isn't an easy task. We were only able to do one fill due to my port being so deep and found out later stitched to my rib under my left breast (long story). I had RNY revision in August of this year. I'm down 49 pounds since surgery. I did my research and knew there would be higher risks with a revision surgery. RNY (like the band), isn't a cure to weight loss. It too is a tool. The first 18 months you are almost guaranteed to lose weight, due to re-routing and malabsorption. After that time hopefull we have learned to eat right and have a new lifestyle. It is usually after that time period if we go back to our old habits, we will probably regain the weight. It has its pros and cons...but for me it has been worth it. I'm not in pain anymore, I don't nor can I "eat around it", I don't get the elepant on my chest feeling like I did with the band with almost every meal...it doesn't allow you to cheat! Vitamins and supplements are a must the rest of your life. I was on my way to an early grave - even with the band. I regained all weight I'd lost with the band, plus twenty pounds - on top of that my esophagus had all but stopped working. Reflux was horrible (with reflux I should never have been banded - big no no). I was literally in the worse shape of my life three months ago. I can say since then I've had some tough moments. I mean, the surgery was a b***h to recover from...not a picnic - was tough but worth it :-) Do your research, go in with your eyes wide open and adopt a glass is half empty regarding research...I think you should always prepare for the worse and hope for the best!

Hey girl, e-mail me eilselg@aol.com and we can catch up more. I ended up having revision to RNY in August. I'm down almost 50 pounds and am finally doing well. The surgery ended up more complicated than we thought. My original surgeon decided to stitch my port to my RIBS in my chest so it took over an hour to remove it (and it was flipping) - I was a big MESS...the rest of the surgery took a couple more hours. I ended up having to have mini-open and have had a lot of healing issues and drainage issues...it has taken me two months to heal and for the drain (originally the size of a quarter) to heal...not been fun...I go back to my surgeon next week and hopefully he can clear me to start exercising :-) Im doing well other than that. Personally - life couldn't be better...been thinking of you and hoping you are well. How are you? How's life? Miss you and miss the group here. I've tried to join other support groups and there is not nearly the support...many seem downright catty (which isn't right). Alex has started RNY Talk for by-pass patients but it doesn't seem to want to take off... Write when you can! Sis

Hi all - I'm now 2 months post-p and down almost 50 pounds. I ended up having the surgery all in one. Although it should have taken on 45 minutes, it took 3 hours due to complications removing my port and whatever else my surgeon didn't tell me. I had a mini-open, which has had a much longer and more painful recovery. My drain (in my incision - about 3 inches long right under my sternum) has finally stopped draining (last week) and is closing up! I've gone from a size 24W to a 16W. My energy level has doubled and I'm feeling wonderful....thank you for all of your replies :-)

I think like any other WLS, with RNY you will get what you put into it. However, with malaborption lasting 18 months (from what I hear) and the fact your digestive tract has been partically re-routed - the majority of those who have had the surgery will lose the weight and reach their goal within 2 years. After that time, is when either you have learned a healthier lifestyle and maintain or pick up bad habits and regain. It is entirely up to you at that point whether you lose or gain.

Very cool! I had a pair of ankle weights once...back when I was in shape (a long long time ago), I'd wear them on my wrists too...right now I'm doing good just to get moving without the weights. Cool idea though - especially when we are at plateaus. Very smart on your part :-) Did they suspect?

I can tell I haven't been on here in a while - sorry about that guys! Liquid hell pre-op was hell, liquid hell post-op was hell...I'm now two months (from today) post-op! Feeling really good and on regular foods now. How's everyone doing out there?