anonynurse

My surgeon does this in two separate surgeries. There is an increased incidence of leaks if all done at once due to swollen tissues potentially masking an opening in the stitch line, so he takes the band out, lets the body calm down, then does the sleeve two weeks later. So that is how he knows I have no adhesions - he was just in there last week when my band was removed. The big complication with port removal is the formation of a seroma - Fluid build-up under the skin where the port had been. My doc left a pressure dressing on the area for a full week - two stuff gauze balls taped down taut over the incision. That incision definitely hurts more than the others combined and it itches something fierce.

Perhaps it will soften the blow if you just tell them "I really want to be at home and around my own things, but I would appreciate it if I can call you if I need you and if you would call around 4 PM (or whenever you want) each day to check on me." Still lets them feel useful and acknowledged but lets you be home alone. You could also consider, if your daughter would enjoy it, just letting them take her for a day or two.

Congrats on making it to the other side! Every day will probably get a little better. The general word on surgical pain is that day 3 is usually the roughest day. Believe it or not, one of the best things for postop pain is to get up and move. Don't let your wife wait on you even if she wants to, even if you want her to. Get up and make your own shakes. Fetch your book or your remote yourself. Walk around the house. Stroll out to get the mail. The more you move the lower your pain will be and the sooner it will resolve. Remember too to breathe deep into your lungs, even if taking those deep breaths hurt. Do it every couple of hours several times in a row. Keep us posted on how you are!

I agree with this 100%. It is not "unsupportive" for them to live as they have always lived. It is unsupportive/unfair for us to expect them to take on OUR issues and make them responsible somehow for our success. It is not only unfair to them but unfair to ourselves! The minute someone else's actions are given as a reason for our ability to be successful or not, we have taken away our own power and made ourselves a victim. It is a falsehood we have to learn to change our thinking on. You can talk to him about it and ask him not to eat in the car or whatever, but it needs to be done from a standpoint of a request rather than an accusation. And if they can't/won't accomodate you, then you do the driving from now on and you get up and leave the room or even the house. Don't give your power away. Take charge of your own destiny.

One week from tomorrow. /bites nails June 16th. Anyone else on that day? I had my postop/preop visit today - I had the band out a week ago yesterday, getting sleeved a week from tomorrow. Good news is that they took me off the liquid preop diet and told me to just eat 1200 calories per day or less of whole foods (no processed, no fast food etc). I guess my liver look pretty good in person and so I don't need to shrink it. Whew. I was really struggling with the liquid diet. Which kind of worries me for after surgery. I am getting both excited and nervous.

I don't have answers as my sleeve portion is next week, but my band came out last week. I just wanted to wave at you, because I didn't have any issues with my band as well (and I also had it for 3.5 years). I had a few things, but nothing to the extremes I read about here. Had my pre-op for the sleeve portion earlier today and was told there were no adhesions to deal with internally, no hernia and my liver is nice and small and nonfatty - they took me off the pre-op diet and just told me to eat 1200 calories per day or less Welcome to the board and this journey. It may encourage you some to know that this surgery has been around for a long long time, being done in cases of stomach cancer or ulcerations of the stomach. It has only recently been done as a weight loss surgery, but the long term complications when it was done for other reasons are extremely low.

Let's Feel Better broth 2 cans (14.5 oz each) chicken broth 1 can diced tomatoes with juice 1 TBSP thingly sliced garlic (3-4 medium cloves) 2 medium garlic cloves, pressed (or more to taste) 1 medium carrot, peeled and grated One 1 1/5 inch piece (3/4 oz) fresh ginger, peeled, cut lengthwise into 6 thin strips and julienned (cut into thinner strips still) 1/4 cup orange juice 1 TBSP fresh lime or lemon juice 1/8 to 1/4 tsp tabasco sauce (or more to taste) 1/2 tsp salt, preferably Kosher, or more to taste 2 tsp sugar (optional - I didn't use this) In a large saucepan, combine chicken broth, tomatoes with juice, sliced garlic, pressed garlic, carrot and ginger over mediumhigh heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in orange juice, lime juice and tabasco, beginning with 1/8 tsp and adding more to taste. Reduce heat to low, cover and let steep for 30 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt, sugar and tabasco. Garlic has antibiotic properties. Ginger and tabasco work as expectorants. Chicken broth contains drug-like agents similar to those found in modern cold medicines. Tomatoes, orange juice and carrots contain Vit C and A, which boost the immune system. Chicken breast and/or sweet peas (or any other fresh veggies you like) can be added to make this heartier. It also can be strained to make this acceptable for the Clear liquids phase.

The best person to ask that would be your doctor, but my postop diet says vegetable juices are perfectly fine, including V8, so I would think this isn't any worse than that.

Coughing may be uncomfortable but no, it is not dangerous to your new tummy or your suture line. I hope you feel better soon! I posted an awesome broth recipe in the recipe forum with lots of natural healing ingredients. You might enjoy it right about now. Keep deep breathing and stay hydrated!

I get along fine with my husband's children - they are in their mid 20s, he has grandkids, I love them and they love me. Their Mom though, not so much. There is no open hostility there, just a lot of pride I guess. In any case, they don't know I had the Band and they do not know I am in the midst of getting revised to a sleeve. I have recently found out they are coming to visit for a few days in my postop period. I will be on three weeks of thin liquids, then another three weeks of thick liquids and ultimate pureed foods before graduating back to a regular diet. I do not want to disclose my bariatric surgeries. That is just plain out of the question (so please dont' try to tell me there is nothing to be ashamed of. This is about privacy, not shame for me). What can I say to explain my strange eating habits while they are here?

Hope it all has gone well!

It really does work. I lost about 100 lbs between the band and personal effort prior and I love the meat department. It was a good day when I discovered they don't put that much pork loin out for sale at one time. I'll start over for the 70-80 left that I hope to lose with the sleeve. Seriously though, if we gain that much weight, we'd be all over the negative self talk, mirror scrutinizing and self loathing. Let it work the other way around. It can't be one and NOT be the other. 47 lbs IS a big deal.

I bet if I manage to make it somehow about my colon or bowel habits the questions will magically stop. :laugh:

No, nobody in the medical field and I personally am, so that helps. Someone suggested maybe saying I am on a liquid detox. Lol. I am happy for those for whom full disclosure is the pathway to peace. I am 10eleventymillion percent positive that I will not choose that pathway, so thank you for those who understand my desire for privacy on this. :heart:

The smaller you get, the fewer pounds it takes to equal a change in clothing size. Hang in there, keep the faith. There is NO WAY to lose 47 lbs and it NOT be noticable. Trust me on that. Go to the grocery store. Line up 47 lbs of pork loin or some other fatty, squishy meat. Look at it. Look at it hard. Touch it. Heck, hold a few up against your body. Try to lift it if you can. THAT is what is no longer on your frame. It makes it tangible. Do it. It is awe inspiring and self esteem building. If people stare, screw 'em. Or just wink and say "DAMN I love pork!" Most likely though nobody will even notice, but you will come away feeling amazing about yourself and what you have done. You are doing so great. Truly.

It must really depend on the individual stores. The guy at the Vitamin Shoppe near where I live was a complete azzhole and was very superior/dismissive as soon as he heard it was for after bariatric surgery. (Oh. All "you people" are told you just want Isopure right? It's over there. *indefinite waving finger*). I was hoping to get down to GNC before surgery and find a better experience.

Hi all. I had my lap band removed yesterday for the first part of my revision. I get sleeved on the 16th, after the inflammation has a chance to go down. I am in a LOT more pain than I remember having when the band was put in. I wonder why that is? He didn't mention me having any scar tissue or having trouble wrestling the port out or anything like that, but I am bruised and sore up along my ribcage under my arms even and I find myself struggling to make myself stand up straight because it hurts worse for a bit when I stretch those muscles. I am finding I itch like crazy all over. I can take showers and I am going to try one tonight and see if that helps. Yesterday I thought it was the itchy side effect from morphine in the recovery unit, but it has been well over 24 hours now, so it can't be that. I just itch itch itch all over. I expected to be ravenous after it came out but so far today I hardly have any appetite. I made myself a nourishing "let's feel better" broth with ginger, garlic, carrots, orange juice, chicken broth etc and that tasted really good, but one bowl was plenty. Of the foods I do eat, everything tastes funny and "off" I am wondering if this is psychsomatic on my part. It is weird.. I am walking a lot and not letting my husband do too much for me so that I stay active. So that is good. The gas pains have been minimal, though I have started having a twinge of it in my shoulder this evening for the first time. My scale says I gained 11 lbs between yesterday and today. :eek: I have to assume that is front inflammation and will go back down. I start my pre-op diet for the sleeve tomorrow. Right now it sounds like way too much to get in - five shakes or bars a day and one meal consisting of 5 oz of lean Protein and 2 cups of nonstarchy veggies. Seeing that number on the scale, which I have not seen in over three years, has me kind of bummed out. So. Two weeks from tomorrow I get to go through this all again, probably right as I am starting to feel better. Ah well. I chose this. Just feeling whiny, tired and vulnerable tonight. My husand is sweet and helpful but it wears on him when I have a problem he can't fix and it makes him pretty grumpy, though he tries to hide it.

Just be sure your physician is ok with it. My surgeon doesn't allow anything thicker than water for three weeks after surgery to protect the suture line from rupturing. Your guidelines may be different. Just know if your doc only wants you on liquids it isn't out of concern of you 'tolerating" mor e solid food, it is out of concern for the fact that you have a stomach that was cut and restitched and those nerves are numbed. It is to prevent a leak - the stomach moves and churns during digestion. Resting the stomach with thin fluids keeps it from moving much, which protects the stitch line while it is healing.

It is wonderfully savory.

My doctor always does revisions in two separate surgeries. Taking the band out causes inflammation of the stomach wall. There is a higher incidence of leaks in people who have it all done in one surgery because when the inflammation goes down, stitching that seemed well approximated and solid actually can have gaps that weren't there when the swelling was present. I have had my band since November of 2008, so for a few years. I do note, even with the pain, there is something healthier feeling internally having that thing out. I hope the sleeve gets the rest of my excess weight off. Started my two week pre-op diet today and am already rememering how much I dislike Protein shakes. Bleh! lol

Yay! Congratulations!

I don't see why anyone would be judgemental. Nobody is perfect. Hopefully it won't go through your sleeve easily and you will only be able to eat a little. Go into it with your eyes open that it may trigger major cravings the next day from introducing junk and then have a plan in place to detox it out of your system and don't waste one moment on guilt or the opinions of others. Life was meant to be lived. That is what this is all about. As long as you do it with full knowlege that it could throw you off your game and have a plan to keep that from happening, I see nothing wrong with it.

The dizziness combined with lethargy sounds like inadequate protein intake / anemia to me. Make sure you are getting enough in and drink drink drink. Change positions slowly to avoid the positional hypotension that can cause the dizziness. Keep an eye on your sinuses and ears for any signs of infection also. It could simply be allergies or a brewing sinus or ear infection.

Unless you are extremely active it is not physically possible for the body to burn 4-5 lbs a week of fat. Having that high of an expectation is going to do nothing but make you feel bad about yourself and frustrated, when in truth you are on the high end of the spectrum. And that is a darn shame for you to do that to yourself! Next time you go to the grocery store, line up 50 lbs worth of pork loin and just LOOK at it. Really stare at it and picture that it came off your body. You will be stunned at how much it is. Stay positive, stay realistic and you will be successful in the long haul. As another poster pointed out, you didn't put it on overnight and it won't come off overnight.

Good for you! That is awesome. I likely will have bits of: mashed avocado homemade hummus (I'll try mixing Protein powder into it to try to boost the protein content). Greek nonfat yogurt scrambled eggs blended Soups such as split pea with ham and lentil Soup (also with attempt to add protein powder) Protein Powder ice cream juicy roasted chicken blended with gravy to a soft consistency (or beef or any other meat my family is eating, my portion doctored so I can eat with them) Campbell's Soup At Hand, tuna salad butter chicken, pureed to baby food consistency mashed banana blended with Peanut Butter Roasted garlic polenta grits with a bit of butter or reduced fat cream cheese mixed in with pepper pumpkin pie innards Mashed sweet potato Low fat cottage cheese Baked pureed skinless apple with cinnamon Baked potato soup, blended (homemade of course) Cream of mushroom soup, blended (also homemade) Chilled cucumber soup with garlic and mint Mushroom risotto with parmesan Fresh fruit sorbet, homemade with whatever is in season (peaches, strawberry, etc) And probably tons of more stuff. Let me know if you want recipes