Escape_Pod

I enjoy some of the Nectar flavors. I kind of like the lemon tea, but it's best to drink it in a non-clear sipper or glass, the protein makes it kind of cloudy looking, which is a little strange. Feedyoureye, thanks for the tip - I'm looking forward to trying the 4Ever Fit samples. (I love places that will let me try a sample before getting stuck with a 2-5 lb ginormous container!

I'm nearly five weeks out and consuming around 600 - 800 calories / day. "meals" are still really small, usually just about 2 tablespoons of something pureed, but I'm supplementing with 2-3 Protein shakes made with 8 oz milk (if i have a 3rd it's made with Water.) There's a lady in my support group who stalled for 6 weeks - I might have killed someone after that long! Hide the scale, use your measuring tape (sometimes you're losing inches while the stall stays stuck), and keep doing what the surgeon told you. You'll be due for a nice good-sized drop as a reward. Hang in there!!

Wow, I'm a few weeks behind you, but I can't imagine being able to eat that much. It's amazing how different each surgeon is, isn't it? I'd eat your protein first, and then stop when you're full with the rest of it. Good luck with the nutritionist - hopefully you'll get some good advice.

Wow. I was on full liquids for a week, and now am on pureed foods for 6 weeks, then I move to soft foods. I had surgery 6/29 and won't be eating solids until October!! I think some surgeons are just a lot more cautious than others. From what I understand, solid foods just work your healing stomach a lot harder, so there's more of a risk of causing a staple line leak early out. Or, if you don't chew it thoroughly enough you can cause a blockage.

Hello Lil, welcome, and thank you for being brave enough to share your story! I've spent the last 9-12 months learning to get control over binge and emotional eating, so I understand your struggle. It can be such a vicious cycle, because overeating makes you beat yourself up, and those emotions make you want to overeat! I'd really encourage you to see if you can find a therapist or counselor who specializes in eating disorders. The sleeve is a wonderful tool to help us control our weight, but the mental and emotional battles are hard too. Good luck - I believe you can do this!!

I thought I might be in the same boat as you, not heavy enough to qualify. Then I found out my insurance plan doesn't cover WLS for anyone. I could be 500+ pounds and they wouldn't pay for it. I'm very lucky in that I could scrape together the money to do this as a self-pay patient. It's expensive, but it's a major investment in my own health and happiness. And, there are companies that will finance medical procedures. (I didn't go that route, so I don't know whether their interest rates are reasonable, just sayin'....) Like you, I really wanted to do this close to home, and have complete follow-up with the same doctor. I had surgery about a mile from my house, and though I could have gone elsewhere and saved quite a bit of money, it was worth it to me. Be aware,though, that there are less expensive, experienced surgeons here in the US as well if you're willing to travel but don't want to go outside the country. Honestly, it saved me about $2K having the surgery at my local county hospital rather than the more expensive downtown hospital, so even in your community costs may vary. I'm a professional worry-wart, so I found a surgeon that had BLIS insurance coverage so I didn't have to worry about unexpected medical expenses from complications. Haven't needed it, and don't expect to, but it was really important to me as a self-pay patient. (BLIS also does financing, but they only offer insurance on particular doctors who've contracted with them and gone through the approval process) Don't give up, you have options. (And though no reputable medical professional will advise you to gain weight in order to qualify, I'm sure you wouldn't be the first to do so. Just be aware of how much more you'll have to work to get it off afterwards. And, if you gain it too quickly, I wonder if they'd get suspicious....) Good luck! (by the way, I remember your earlier trouble with your employer. Any luck finding a new job yet?)

I was told to avoid coffee for a few weeks, caffeinated OR decaf, because it's acidic and is hard on you healing tummy. I've always preferred a really strong coffee every morning (if the spoon stands up in it that's about perfect for me!), but I can't say I miss it. I switched to half-caf, then decaf before surgery just to avoid having to go through caffeine withdrawal on top of everything else post-op. I occasionally put a bit of coffee in with my morning Protein shake, but it totally doesn't do a thing for me. I think at this point I could have coffee, but as others have noted it's a diuretic, so not only does it not count towards your daily liquids, you need to drink even more Water if you have coffee than if you didn't, to counteract the effect. (Like I don't have enough trouble getting in 64 oz now!!) I don't think you have to give it up forever, just for awhile.

I struggle with this as a newbie (had surgery 6/29). I think my mind's just convinced that 2 tablespoons isn't going to satisy me - I'm going to be hungry. And once it's in my bowl, it's really hard to stop eating and pay attention to my body's signals. I haven't successfully resigned from the clean plate club yet, and I hate to waste food (my fridge is full of little bitty servings of things I need to throw out!) It's getting a little easier the further out I get from surgery because my stomach's not so numb, and though I wouldn't say I ever feel hungry the way it felt before, I do sometimes feel a little empty. I'm hoping that as I move to more solid foods the restriction will be even more evident and I'll have stronger signals to listen to and learn from. At this point if I eat too much, the only penalty is some very mild discomfort and maybe burping a bit of my food back up. I know I've been a mindless eater for years, so these are days to learn important skills for me so I can develop good habits!!

I'm only 5 weeks out, but I can't imagine being able to get in that many calories. I do 3 Protein shakes a day, 2 of them made with 8 oz milk, roughly 500 calories for those. Then I have 3 "meals", but I can only manage about 2 tablespoons of food, so often those amount to not even 100 calories apiece. With something calorie-rich like Peanut Butter I can only manage 1 tablespoon. So, I'm probably at around 800 calories, and burning 150-200 with exercise. I'm losing weight pretty steadily, my longest pause was only 5 days, and then I dropped 1.5 pounds on day 6. I wouldn't say I've been "hungry", but I do wake up feeling sort of empty. I'm sure you're not eating like a pig, but I'd be curious what your meals and Snacks look like at this point if you're willing to share.

I know the phrase "easy way out" is a hot button issue, and I absolutely agree that this isn't an easy path by any stretch of the imagination. I'm only 4 weeks out, it's been hard enough so far, and I know it's going to get a lot harder. But personally I've managed to lose 80 - 90 pounds twice in my life, got down to a weight I was really happy with, and then put it all back on again, and FAST. I now understand that statistically our chances of keeping the weight off by traditional methods is only 3 - 5%. That's why I had the surgery, because I felt like losing it and keeping it off just wasn't possible for me any other way. I know I'm going to have to work hard even with the sleeve, but it sure beats a 95%+ failure rate, and in my book, hard is definitely easier than (nearly?) impossible. But why should I expect myself to attempt the nearly impossible once again? Why shouldn't I avail myself of all the tools medicine can offer me to be successful in the fight for my own good health, both physical and emotional? I think the real problem is that few people recognize just how dismal the success rate is for long-term major weight loss, so they consider those of us who fail at it to be lazy at best, as if it's some kind of moral failure. I admire those that can do this and succeed long-term without surgery, but the failure rate is daunting. I have no apologies for making the choice that was right for me. I guess I'd just call it the "easier" way out. Good for you for setting her straight!!

I had acid reflux before surgery, though it was well controlled with a proton pump inhibitor (PPI). When I had an upper endoscopy done, the surgeon found a fairly sizeable hiatal hernia. One surgeon advised me that since that was the likely cause of my heartburn, and it could be repaired when he did the weight loss surgery, and I didn't have Barett's Esophagus (scarring), it was safe to have the sleeve. The other surgeon advised strongly against the sleeve, because the sleeve can make heartburn worse, and it if gets really bad post-op, the options for resolving it get pretty limited with the sleeve. Bypass is less likely to cause heartburn. It was a difficult decision for me to make, I really felt stuck in the middle. But I decided to proceed with the sleeve and hope for the best. (Kind of scary, since I'm self-pay, and I don't think I could afford a revision if it came to that!) Post-op I'm on an H2 blocker (Pepcid) rather than a PPI. The H2 blockers are generally less effective, and I am experiencing some break-through stomach acid, though it's not really bad. I'm trying to hold out and see if my body will adjust before I switch back to a PPI. Honestly, I think it depends on a number of factors. Do you have a physiological cause for the reflux that will get repaired at surgery like me? If not, you may be risking some miserable times with acid reflux post-op. Have you talked to your surgeon about why you don't want the bypass? I know some of my concerns were resolved after a good serious talk about bypass with my surgeon. Good luck, it's a hard decision.

I'm just shy of two weeks post-op, and I've found the first weeks to be challenging, but I still think you'll be ok after a couple of days if you don't run into complications, as long as you've got friends you could call on for the occasional errand (you probably won't want to drive for at least a week, especially if you have a manual transmission). You'll have trouble picking up anything you drop on the floor, and getting in and out of bed, a low chair, or a low couch will be painful and hard to do without feeling like you're pulling a stitch. If you have trouble keeping down liquids and/or proteins after surgery, or if you develop complications, you're going to be a lot weaker and may need help longer. That's my two cents. Good luck!!

Hi Dawn, My surgeon required that I lose 12 pounds before my pre-op appointment - I thought that would take me at least 6 weeks, but I dropped 16 in less than 4 weeks following his diet. Essentially, he put me on an Atkins diet - high protein, super low carbs - under 30 grams / day. The first week I felt like **** and thought he was insane - queasy, lightheaded, HUNGRY. But then the hunger completely disappeared, and the weight started to melt off. It made it so much easier not to cheat right before surgery, and was good preparation for the post-op diet. You can do this!! (PM me if you want the diet specifics)

I've got a few more days of scheduled leave before I have to return to work. I'm currently debating returning a little early and doing two half-days, vs. using all the leave I've scheduled but having to do a full 8-hour day my first day back. I hadn't really thought about the fact that my first days back in the office will also be my first days trying pureed foods - seems like it could be a risky combination! I may stick with Protein shakes for Breakfast and lunch and try out purees at dinner - I REALLY don't want to get sick at work. My colleagues mostly know I was out for "surgery", but not what kind. Any tips or words of wisdom for those first days back? Emergency supplies I should bring to the office? Thanks!

I had to self-pay because my insurance plan has a complete exclusion for bariatric surgery. I feel the same way as Janice - I decided early on I wasn't going to investigate any surgeons who didn't offer BLIS. I was sleeved 6/29 and so far no need for a claim (knock on wood) but the peace of mind is definitely worth it! Khy, be aware there's actually a couple of different aspects to BLIS - one is the insurance that covers you in case of complications (which the surgeon handles for you), the other is the financing aspect if you want to do that (which I think you generally arrange yourself).

I had to self-pay because my insurance plan excludes bariatric surgery. Heck, it excludes any kind of weight loss treatment. I live in the Seattle area and paid about $21,500. Worth EVERY PENNY!

Oh, one more thing, a quick-read thermometer. You want to be able to tell if you're running a temperature, and if so, how high, just in case.

Here's the list of things I bought before surgery, or in the week since: Pkg of 100 1-oz plastic medicine cups - I used these in the hospital once they started me on liquids. The nurse would pour me 4 at the start of an hour to work on for that hour. It was really helpful to get in the habit of sipping and not try to swallow too much at once. The hospital sent me home with extras, but I had gotten a 100-pack at amazon for under $3. I think they're pretty handy to have in case your hospital doesn't use them. Step stool with handle - our bed at home is REALLY high, and this was an essential. Think about what might help when you're trying to get in and out of bed, up and down from a recliner, or a couch. It will be hard for you to bend or twist. Getting up from laying flat is pretty hard and can be pretty painful. A bunch of cocktail forks and tiny spoons (I got a 12-pack of "espresso spoons" on Amazon for under $20). I haven't used the forks yet, but the spoons have been great for taking SMALL bites of Jello, yogurt, soup, and other things on my post-op full liquid diet. No sugar added juice - the post-op bariatric liquid diet in the hospital was truly awful. I'm not used to using a lot of artificial sweeteners, so the crystal light was pretty awful. I don't know what kind of jello that was, but it seemed to be 5 times as strong and have 20 times as much food coloring as regular sugar free jello. I thought my tongue would be orange for a week. Fortunately, since no-sugar-added juice was on my surgeon's post-op Clear Liquids diet, the nurses were fine with my husband bringing them in. I honestly don't consider myself a picky eater, I can manage most of the Protein shakes, but the juice was essential. I also had him bring in good quality chicken broth - I was fine with the hospital broth by day 3, discharge day, but the first day post-op it tasted like liquid salt. I was blessed to have a husband who was there by my side every moment, and a microwave he could use down the hall. unjury chicken broth protein supplement - you're going to get REALLY tired of sweet Protein drinks. Electric mug warmer - whether it's the chicken broth or a Protein shake made into hot cocoa, something hot is a nice change, but it can't be over 130 degrees to begin with, or the protein curdles. Anything that will keep that mug hot for the hour plus it will take you to sip it is REALLY nice. Some kind of insulated travel mug - I make up a cold protein shake with milk for Breakfast or lunch, and again, if it's going to take me an hour to drink it, I'd like it to stay cold Extra ice packs - you're going to be sore, and it's really nice to be able to ice incisions and your swollen tummy. Honestly, my favorites are these "Kimberly-Clark Stay-Dry Ice Packs, Large" that I snagged from the hospital where they're considered single-use, so I figured they'd toss them when I left anyway. I have 3, and I've constantly filled them with ice cubes for the past 10 days. Unfortunately, at least on Amazon theyre EXPENSIVE because you have to buy a 50-pack. If you can request an ice pack now and then while you're in the hospital, maybe you can come home with some too. Small whisk - I've found this to be pretty essential for mixing the protein drinks. I wish I'd had 3 or more small whisks so I could toss them in the dishwasher afterwards. *** Liquid Tylenol *** - I happened to have this on hand because a friend told me she didn't need the narcotics after she got home, and this is what she used instead. There's an adult version that I can't find at the grocery store, but is easy to find at a decent-sized drug store. I ended up with a migraine the evening I got home that wasn't controlled by the narcotics, and spent several hours fighting hard not to throw up. A call to the nurse confirmed it was ok to alternate liquid tylenol with the narcotics I have (be sure to double-check yourself though, some of the prescription narcotics contain acetaminophen, in which case it definitely would NOT be ok to mix). I was desperately glad to have had it on hand, and now that I'm off the good meds, I'm using it for occasional pain control. My diet once I got home from the hospital is full liquids for two weeks, including milk, yogurt, jello, and cream soups, as well as the clear broths and juice that was ok on clear liquids. So, I've gone through a lot of skim milk. Jello and yogurt make me a bit nervous because they're so thick, so I haven't used those much. I've used quite a bit of chicken broth for thinning cream soups. I also have a clear mushroom broth that means the cream of mushroom actually tastes different than cream of potato, cream of chicken, etc. Both a pill crusher, and a pill-splitter. Some of my meds are large enough I'd have to swallow them in 8 pieces if I split them, but the Nexium is small enough I can just split it, which is a lot more palatable than crushing it and trying to choke down the powder. It's hard to get a good mouth rinse done if you can't swallow more than an ounce of Water at a time! Clothing-wise: slip-on shoes for going out for those important post-op walks, and I've pretty much lived in my yoga pants. I'm still pretty swollen, and my waist is still considerably larger than it was pre-op. Jeans are out of the question. Also, a nice warm robe and slippers. Used them in the hospital for my walks, and I've been FREEZING now and then since I got home. Less essential, but nice to have: Double-wall thermo espresso shot glasses - these definitely more optional, at this point I use the mug warmer, but I would have used them in the first few days when I was still portioning out 1-2 ounces at a time to sip on. Extra measuring cups - I mix up 8 oz milk and a scoop of Protein Powder in a measuring cup, it's nice to have extras so I can throw them in the dishwasher. At this point I'm mixing all my Protein Shakes with milk for the extra calories - that will stop as soon as I transition to purees, but without that I wouldn't even be getting 500 calories / day. Unfortunately, that means the chocolate isn't very chocolatey. Some unsweetened cocoa powder added in makes a much more satisfying hot cocoa. Variety is KEY! A bunch of sample packets of Syntrax nectar in a variet of flavors. They have things like lemon tea and fuzzy navel. I mix these occasionally with water when I can't stand the thought of another milk-mixed protein shake. BJs Bariatrics sells an 11-pack I think of sample sizes and you can pick which 11 flavors you want to try. I'm planning to make sure I have a bunch of these in my desk when I go back to work too so I can get my protein supplements in between meals. Whew - hope that helps! Good luck to you with your surgery!!

Um.... wow. Sounds like your employer was a class A jerk. I'm so sorry. You could try contacting Kansas Legal Services to see what sort of advice they can offer. The down side is, if you have a legal leg to stand on and do end up suing your former employer it can make it more difficult for you to get hired in the future.

Debbie, I haven't seen the CBS report you're referring to, but it can't be specific to VSG, they haven't been doing it that long as a stand-alone procedure. The statistic I think is reliable comes from the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, most recently updated in 2009. Here's the article if you want to read it for yourself: http://www.asmbs.org/Newsite07/resources/Updated_Position_Statement_on_Sleeve_Gastrectomy.pdf They analyzed all the studies that have been done, including those where VSG was performed as stage 1 of a two-part surgery (where stage 2 was a duodenal switch) - that was the original use for this surgery and it was done on higher risk patients to help them lose weight and reduce the risk of the second surgery. The mortality rate ranged from 0.17% (VSG as a stand-alone procedure, what we're doing) to 0.24% (the high-risk group getting it as a stage 1). So, those are the risks of mortality from the surgery itself. Post surgery you've reduced your risks of so many issues associated with obesity - heart disease, diabetes, cancer, stroke, etc. etc. Believe me, I took this very seriously. I was self-pay, and in darned good health even at my highest weight. I wondered if it made sense put myself and my husband through the risk of voluntary surgery. I think the science and facts are most definitely on our side.

Wow, I can imagine how abandoned you feel. It's really surprising - seems like he must have known for awhile, and it's odd he wouldn't have begun transitioning his practice to his partner. Perhaps he has a personal reason, like a very ill spouse or child? I had to switch surgeons, and I found it to be an emotional experience. We're placing a lot of trust in these people when we put ourselves on their operating table. I think it's only natural to develop a feeling of a sort of bond, and it's pretty unsettling when that disappears without a warning. As far as being able to do it on your own goes, that may be true. I thought the same thing as I went through the pre-op process. It's amazing what a low-carb diet and serious motivation will do for appetite control. The real question is, can you lose it and keep it off? I've been through several rounds of substantial weight loss, and the emotionally devastating regain. You don't want to be back here 5 years from now. I'm so sorry this has happened to you.

Apparently it takes a while for your body to scale back the amount of stomach acid it produces after surgery, so it's pretty common to have acid issues. Have you called your surgeon's office? I think some people take Maalox for breakthrough acid. Good luck - that's one of the issues I'm concerned about as well, but so far I'm doing ok (knock on wood!!)

I have a container of Unjury chocolate splendor, and it's ok, but since I'm mixing with milk in this stage (immediate post-op), it doesn't really taste very chocolatey at 1 scoop per 6 oz milk. Has anyone encountered one with a stronger chocolate flavor?

Hey, I know the Protein shakes are gross, but please please PLEASE try hard to get in more protein. Your body is in starvation mode, and the less protein you feed it, the more it's going to burn muscle at the moment rather than fat. (Muscle requires more energy to feed than anything else, so it's efficient for your body to reduce your muscle mass, but it makes you even weaker, and sabotages your weight loss in the weeks ahead). Have you tried unjury chicken Soup? It's not exactly gourmet, but at least it's not sweet, and it packs a protein punch. I like it pretty well, though I'd be happier if I could have it HOT. Lukewarm broth isn't exactly my thing (but neither is being to weak to finish my shower! ) I don't know about you, but all the posts I read on these forums overrode my own good sense about what to expect. You read so many stories about these people who felt AWESOME after surgery. They had no pain! They went shopping in Tiajuana! They lost 20 pounds the first week! I woke up in the hospital feeling like crap, and my stomach HURT and getting out of bed HURT and I was so glad none of the nurses remembered the surgeon wanted them to make me cough every two hours because I was utterly incapable of self-inflicting that much pain on myself. I thought to myself, WTF??? I thought this was supposed to be easy! (and my brain says back to me, well - duh! this is surgery you idiot!) There's some guy on one of the other forums who's posted in just about every thread about how he didn't need any pain meds, and he feels awesome, and I swear, if I read one more of those posts I'm going to get myself into my car, drive my butt to Nebraska and kick his ass! (Ok, I should explain here that this is my first day off the good narcotics, and apparently I'm not quite ready yet. But my surgeon explained that you don't get any REM sleep on the narcotics, which might explain why I was sleeping for two hours at a stretch, and then wide awake, and then so tired I couldn't keep my eyes open 30 minutes later. Zombie mode! I'm sure at any moment I'm going to feel SO much better and be glad I'm off the narcotics. Any .... moment.... now.....) Hang in there. Some people are apparently blessed by the good surgery fairies, and have an impossibly easy time of it (and I think of them as the blonde perky cheerleaders I detested so much in high school), and some of us have a much different experience, and that's completely normal. I'm working hard to get the protein in, get plenty of other liquids, and though none of it tastes grand, it's my medicine, so my body can heal, and I'll feel better tomorrow and even better the day after that. There will be plenty of days of fabulous eating (in small quantities) ahead. If you haven't already, check out TheWorldAccordingToEggface - that woman eats WELL, and we'll be able to eat things she can't dream of because we didn't have RNY. Maybe you'll be the foodie blogger for us Sleevers!!

Just thought I'd toss in my two cents here. I'm really new to CPAP, and I was pretty darned miffed when I had to go through two sleep studies and ended up with one just a week before surgery. I really don't have any symptoms of sleep apnea. My husband has severe apnea, so we're both pretty familiar with the symptoms. I figured at most I had a very mild case, and what a @$#YYQ$# waste of money since it will most likely resolve in the next few months as I lose weight. Can you say GRUMPY???? Then, my first evening in the hospital post-op I was pretty miserable with dry mouth and throat. I kept my husband pretty busy spooning ice chips into me since that was all I could have until the next day. All of a sudden it hit me that I had a CPAP, with a HUMIDIFIER!!! If I'd felt better I would have been up doing a happy dance. It definitely wasn't fun using it in the hospital, but I was pretty darned grateful for it that first night. Don't ditch it just yet.