CamarilloCA

I had beans in my mushy stage too, and, boy, was I sorry that I ate them. It caused major gas and pain in my new stomach. I plan to stay away from them in the future or only eat a small amount of them. The gas they create is not fun.

I understand now, Lissa. Thanks for that explanation. I think I was misunderstanding the word "numb." I don't think my heart races, but I'll have to check. In the few times that I've eaten too much, I've felt like I didn't want to move much for fear of my stomach bursting! I just had to lay down until the pain went away. That's only happened a couple of times, and now I stop myself before I get there. Learning to leave just a bite or two on the plate is a tough one for me as I imagine it is for a lot of people here. There were six kids in my family growing up, and we didn't have a lot, and we were taught (sometimes severly) not to waste food.

Kaiser has a bariatric program and covers bariatric surgery for those who qualify. They will pay for lap band, vertical sleeve, and gastric bypass, but my understanding is that people are strongly discouraged (rightfully so) from choosing the lap band because of future complications that can occur. I also know that Health Net covered a vertical sleeve, and I believe that Aetna also covers it.

This is what the bougie looks like: http://www.medovatio..._Dilatation.pdf My surgeon's report says he used a 38 French bougie as a sizing guide. I do feel like I can probably eat more than others, but I am still losing well and not doing much exercising yet other than walking. I've done some research and reading on this subject as well because I do see that a lot of people have 32's, especially coming out of Mexico, but I've come to the conclusion that people are just as successful with the slightly bigger bougies even though they may be able to eat a little bit more at one sitting. My surgeon does only 38's, and I really feel that he is one of the best surgeons in the country, and so I trust that he has done some analysis in this matter as to what will work best in the long run for his patients. In the end, our weight loss is up to us individually, and just because a bigger size bougie may be able to eat a little more doesn't mean that we have to. I am trying to eat until I am satiated and not until I am full, and I try to put my food in a small bowl, when I can, so I don't overeat. Yesterday, I ate three-quarters of a Peanut Butter and jelly sandwich. The bread was whole wheat; the peanut butter was "Smart Balance" with less sugar; and the jelly was sugar free. That was Breakfast. lunch was two medium-sized shrimp and a few bites of orange roughy. dinner was one scrambled egg and a small link chicken sausage. Dessert was a sugar free fudge-sickle. Was that a lot? Maybe. Maybe I should have only eaten half the sandwich. I was at the beach and shared it with my dogs so maybe I ate less of it than I think I did. I've seen people with smaller bougies say that they can take five bites, but I can definitely take more than five bites. I think the key is (for me) to eat slowly, chew well, and stop every so often to analyze if I am satiated before I keep going. Interesting topic. Thanks.

Is this true about strawberries because nobody told me this, and I eat strawberries quite often, and it was one of the first solid foods that I had! Ugh! I'm going to have to check with my doctor about this. I wouldn't think that a sleeve could be numb at three weeks out. I definitely feel fullness and even pain when I eat too much. I'm wondering if the shoulder pain you have could be from nerves that extend from your back. I know that, right in the beginning, many people have shoulder pain from the gas that fills our body cavity during surgery, but eating too much shouldn't trigger shoulder pain. That's interesting.

Jme53071, just to let you know, I had some beans once and was in terrible pain, but it wasn't the amount that I ate. Beans give you gas, and that can be very painful in your new stomach. I intend to avoid beans in the future because of this.

Remember that some of us have different sized sleeves and some of us have longer stomachs too, which can determine how much you can eat. What you ate doesn't sound like a lot to me, and I'm four weeks out, but I have a 38 French bougie, and so I think I can eat a bit more than those 32 French bougies out there. A few bites of this and a few bites of that sounds reasonable to me, especially since your first few bites were protein.

I am only four weeks out, but I went to a wedding and had a small amount of salad, chicken, and potatoes, and it wasn't obvious to anyone that I had surgery. I even ate a whole cupcake later! (Special occasion exemption:-) Last night, I ate a whole Chalupa from Taco Bell. Now I know I shouldn't be eating that really because it is not that good for me, and I probably should have eaten only half of it because I was really full when I was done. The good news is that, in the past, I would have eaten two Chalupas, a taco, a apple empanada, and then chocolate later. The point is here that, instead of eating huge amounts, you will actually eat like a normal person. You should actually be looking at everyone else and the huge quantity that people eat, not the other way around where they are looking at you for the small amount you eat. You are about to eat like a normal person, and your family should want that for you, and they should want you to be healthy and not overweight. Diets don't work, and I think we all know that. You may lose weight on one more diet, but chances are really good that you will not keep it off. I have 30 years of dieting and weight gain under my belt, and so I speak from experience. I agree that watching You Tube videos are very helpful. Check out some of these ladies: GastricSleeveReviews, AmySDMOM, luvenit1979, scneaux, cecelialane, vsgtanya2011. They have all documented their journey, including what they eat now. Lastly, even though you may never eat the huge quantity of food that you may now have with your family, that doesn't mean you can't sit down with them and talk with them and enjoy them and let them enjoy you. You will adapt and eat slower. The focus shouldn't be on the food anyway; right? It should be on each other. I am sad for you that you don't have the support that you need. I would hope that your family would be behind your decision to get healthy.

Does anyone know if Kaiser uses a certain size bougie as a standard, or is the size left up to the individual surgeon?

Hi Gingersnap, I agree with you 100%. I might even have gone with a higher number and say that 99% of all people with a lap band will eventually have to have it removed or replaced. It is a foreign body, and the body's natural inclination is to isolate it from the rest of the body by building scar tissue around it. This and all the other things that can happen -- such as erosion, hiatal hernias, ulcers, slips, etc. -- make it a temporary solution or tool at best. Congrats are in order to you, however, for losing 140 pounds with the band. You certainly did not fail. I think the questions of failure that I was referring to were being directed at another poster or the original starter of this thread (Sarah). That is actually whom I was talking to in the second part of my post. Sorry for the confusion. I would never say that someone failed with the lap band; I would say instead that the lap band failed that person. I'm sure you will do what is best for you.

Gingersnap, my surgeon did a revision surgery on me from band to sleeve. My surgical report said I had extensive adhesions between the left lobe of the liver and the anterior gastric wall. Those had to be removed to even access the band. I also had an obstructing scar ring circumferentially obstructing the upper gastric cardia of the stomach. Both the port and the lap band were surrounded by scar tissue and causing problems for me after four years in my body. I'm glad you got rid of yours. I think you will be successful with the sleeve. There is a risk of a leak, I think, but I think that is fairly rare. In the hospital, they do a leak test before you are released. Sarah, I think you will be successful also, and I'm not sure why there are some posts asking you to closely examine your failure with the lap band when there are so many other people on this forum who have gone through exactly the same failure with the band and revision to sleeve (including me). The sleeve is so much different than the band. The sleeve is a much more reasonable tool with less complications. Don't let anyone discourage you from doing this for yourself. Yes, it is always a good idea to do self-examination and figure out if you are an emotional eater, but that doesn't mean that you shouldn't have the sleeve and learn how to deal with that issue at the same time. I think probably all of us are emotional eaters of some sort or another. I also think that just because the band wasn't working for you doesn't mean that the sleeve won't either. The band never worked for me, but I've had the sleeve now for a month, and I've lost 20 pounds -- something I couldn't do with the band.

I had to stay two nights in the hospital because of pain management and nausea. My co-pay was $0 because I was in-patient. I don't think you can be outpatient if you are having vertical sleeve surgery. I think at least one night stay will be necessary.

I also had the band in 2008 and had revision surgery a month ago. I hated the band. I threw up blocked food at nearly every meal, and I was hungry all the time with the band. I chose food that would stay down, which was usually unhealthy food that I wouldn't have normally chosen just so I wouldn't be hungry anymore. There were so many things that I couldn't eat with the band -- healthy foods, high Fiber foods. I looked at my band as surgically induced bulimia. I did lose some weight with it but just about 10% of the weight that I needed to lose, and it eventually came back. I know that there are some people that have been successful with the band, especially people who normally eat large portions, but I wasn't one of them. Like others have said, I am only sorry that I didn't do the revision surgery sooner. Edited to add: I have the sleeve now, and I have not thrown up once since the surgery. I can eat healthy foods now, and the weight is coming off.

I took Phentermine (1 pill) for about seven months and lost 70 pounds effortlessly. I didn't crave food; I didn't want junk food; and I filled up very quickly. I was at my ideal weight for about five minutes. Once I stopped taking it, the weight slowly crept back on and then about 20 pounds more -- just like every diet I had ever done. Dr. Oz was just talking about how they are now combining Phentermine with another drug for weight loss. Drugs are not a permanent solution. They are only a temporary one. Hunger is everything. Hunger is what drives you to eat, and hunger dictates what you eat. Your brain tells your body that you are hungry and to eat, and it does this to get you back to the weight that you once were plus a little more to prepare for the next time you starve it. The brain is very efficient at getting you to put on weight. It is a survival mechanism that humans developed long ago. pills, Fiber bars, strict diets can help you lose the weight, but keeping it off is an entirely different matter. WLS is the answer to keeping it off. I know of very few people that have lost a lot of weight and kept it off. Not even Oprah with her personal trainers, personal chefs, and unlimited resources could do it. I would love to see her get the sleeve since I know her weight distresses her so much. After 20 years of diet after diet and losing the same pounds over and over again, I finally figured out that I couldn't make it permanent without WLS. I think most of us here have come to that same conclusion.

Pure Protein bars from Costco are delicious and have 20 grams of protein per bar. Egg whites are also high in protein. Costco also has Quinoa, which is a grain that contains protein. Smoked salmon is also a good source.

I have a 38 French bougie. I am three weeks out from surgery. I see a lot of people on this forum having trouble getting in fluids or food, and it makes me wonder if that is due to a smaller bougie size. I have no trouble drinking fluids normally or eating any type of food. I had five pieces of shrimp on a spinach salad last night for dinner. I was so happy because, with my former lap band, the shrimp would have come up immediately. On the other hand, I have eaten to the point where I am very full, and I realize that I shouldn't do that and should just eat until I'm satiated. I think that I must pre-measure my food for sure because otherwise I could eat too much. I have been searching the forum to see if a larger bougie means a slower weight loss or not. Any thoughts on this from those with a bigger bougie?

Also make sure you are taking your sublingual Vitamin B12. My doctor recommends a weekly under-the-tongue pill or a monthly B12 shot. I felt like you do when I wasn't getting enough B12.

Awe, that must have been hard to watch your family eating those yummy, albeit fattening, things. Good for you for being strong! Tasting and spitting out food is okay if it gets you through a craving in my opinion. I know someone who did that throughout her journey, and she lost over 100 pounds. It looks like you are doing great at 52 pounds lost. Yeah, it's definitely good that our hubbies are good for disposing of things! LOL! Good night and sweet dreams also. It was great chatting with you.

Thanks again for that great information. Yeah, I found out that shipping two cases of Isopure back to the distributor will be about $80.00 for a $56 refund. Fortunately, my husband can tolerate them so he can drink them. Thanks again for the tip on Cytomax. I'm going to order some. I've been drinking the Premier vanilla shakes RTD from costco, and they aren't bad at all. I hear that unjury shakes are pretty good too if you want to check out their web site: http://www.unjury.com/store/protein/ I've heard people say good things about their chicken Soup. At my doctor's office, they have Bariatric Advantage, and people seem to like the nectar flavors. Speaking of Cookies, my husband bought some Protein bars from Costco that are seriously good. It tastes like you are eating a chocolate bar. They are made with whey protein and are three grams of sugar or less and range from 180-200 calories per bar. The flavors are Chocolate Peanut Butter, Chewy Chocolate Chip, and Chocolate Deluxe. I had a half of the Chocolate Peanut Butter for dessert tonight, and it was yummy. There is 20 grams of Protein per bar. It is called Pure Protein High Protein Bar, and it comes in a three pack. I'm trying not to despair over cookies. I think we can still have one once in a while. The good news is that we won't be able to eat five at one sitting anymore:-) Hugs back...

Well, I just checked, and I can return them, but I have to pay for return shipping. I wonder how much that will cost as those cases are really heavy. Darn it. I'm an idiot for buying a case without trying them first. By the way, it sounds like you went through quite an ordeal. I am so sorry about that but glad you are okay now.

Thanks so much, 4ALongerLife, I did buy them on the Amazon web site, and The Vitamin Shoppe was the seller. We've already opened all three boxes and sampled them, but I could return two full boxes of mostly grape and mostly pineapple Orange banana with Alpine punch mixed in. I may try that. They are nasty. It was $47 for 12 bottles. Thanks for the tip on the Cytomax. I'll definitely give that a try. That's me -- serving up chocolate chip Cookies, or I guess that used to be me!

Thought you might like this: http://www.bfdblog.c...f-the-lap-band/ This is an excellent article as well by the National Research Center for Women and Families: http://www.center4research.org/2011/04/not-quite-everything-you-need-to-know-about-lap-bands/

There is a band to sleeve revision forum here that you might want to check out. I think there are some people that have been successful in achieving weight loss with the band. They work hard at it and use it as a tool. One of the many problems is, I think, that the weight eventually comes back (as it did with me), and the band really isn't meant to be a permanent implement in your body. After a while, it has to be removed or replaced, and so many things can go wrong from hiatal hernias to erosion, scar tissue, and ulcers. My band and port was being strangled by scar tissue and was causing me pain. I wanted it to come out desparately anyway when I realized I had band-induced bulimia. I don't think you will find a lot of people here at this forum cheering on the use on the band, but if you want another perceptive, there is another forum that you could ask on: http://www.lapbandtalk.com/ I think the sensation of hunger varies from individual to individual. It is true that the hormone grehlin is removed when 85% of your stomach is removed; however, that is only one of about a hundred or more hormones that regulate hunger. I feel hunger when I haven't eaten in a while. I'm only two and a half weeks out from surgery, but I would say that the sensation of hunger is greatly reduced, and I think that will be a mostly permanent condition. I think the sleeve is a much more permanent solution for weight loss compared to the band, and it also has a much longer history of success than the band has. I still enjoy food, and I am satiated after my incredibly small meal:-) I had a small slice of pizza last night with chicken sauage on top, and it was delicious, followed by a sugar free pudding.

Thanks for this info. I just bought three cases of the Isopure. I probably shouldn't have done that because I just can't stand the taste. Fortunately, my husband is into protein for his body building, and so he can drink them. Yuck! It's the aftertaste that really repels me.

From what I understand, the hormone Ghrelin is removed or mostly removed during sleeve surgery, but it is only one of a hundred or more hormones that control your hunger. The brain is very efficient at getting you to eat and telling you what your body needs. I do feel hunger pangs when I am hungry, and once, when I didn't measure my portion of Beans, I felt so full like you feel at Thanksgiving. You really never want to get to that uncomfortable feeling again so measuring how much you eat beforehand is really helpful there. After surgery, you will learn to recognize when you are hungry, when you are satiated, and when you are full. The head hunger may be there for awhile, telling you to eat Cheetos or a Tommy burger, but those things aren't good for you at all and will sabotage your weight loss so we are better off ignoring such urges. Without raging hunger like pre-surgery, it is easier to ignore that head hunger.