Webchickadee

I fully agree with everyone who has posted so far. If you can lose the weight and keep it off, that is fantastic. And yes, it's true that this time you've educated yourself regarding nutrition, which in theory will help you maintain your weight loss. I have done the lose/gain, lose/gain cycle myself countless times. And the last time I lost weight (in 2006), I lost over 100 lbs by myself. I became VERY educated regarding nutrition. I read every label I could before I put anything in my mouth. I tracked my intake, did TONS of exercise. It was AWESOME! Then life happened (my Mom died unexpectedly, followed by my brother 5 months later). The stress totally put me off track, I "self-medicated" with food to help overcome the pain and stress and loss I was feeling. I regained most of my 100+ lbs. ( I was 330 lbs when I started, 225 lbs when Mom died, then back up to 318 prior to my VSG surgery). During this regaining period, I still had my knowledge of nutrition, but it didn't help! I was ignoring everything I knew and volume/binge eating and satisfying all cravings. Now, with my sleeve, even if I do go "off track" and eat things I shouldn't I won't be able to volume/binge eat. It is far less likely that I will regain a significant amount of weight. The "slippery slope" is more easily avoided with the sleeve. For me, I knew I needed the additional help of having "built-in" portion control. No amount of health and nutrition knowledge was going to help me in moments of intense weakness, stress and reckless abandon.

I've fallen hopelessly behind on my blog! I spend so much time here reading and answering posts! A few people have asked though, and I feel guilty that they want to hear more! I'll try to get caught up...

I was sleeved by Dr. Kelly on May 14, 2012 and my cost was $6,000 due to my high BMI (>50). He was fantastic, very professional and also very caring! I felt like I was a part of his family (he gets everyone involved in his practice, his wife, his kids.....it's amazing!). Omar, his assistant is terrific about getting back to you quickly regarding questions, and he's there for you every day you're in Mexico. I could not have been happier with my choice, and I'm now 8 weeks post-op and down 40 lbs (including 11 lbs pre-op, on 2 week liquid diet).

It's so crazy that they book the cost at $65K, when I was able to have my surgery done by an excellent surgeon in Mexico for $6000. And that included a 10% premium for my high BMI (>50), all meds, tests, private hospital room, 2 nights in hospital and 2 nights in a 4 star hotel!

This is the exact reason I chose to have the sleeve. I am 42 years old and in very good health (with the exception of asthma). My father (age 84) however, has high blood pressure, diabetes high cholesterol and prostate cancer. My mother (she passed 4.5 years ago at age 73) had breast cancer, lung cancer and high cholesterol. My brother (also passed, 4 years ago, at age 53) died of a brain tumor. My other sister (passed this past November, aged 46) died of breast cancer. I am a walking time bomb, waiting to happen! I have one sister left (who's in good health too, thank goodness, and also at a fairly healthy weight). I know that having the sleeve doesn't guarantee that I won't develop health issues, especially cancer which is rampant in our family. But I DO know that being in my ideal weight range and being active, as well as eating healthy foods in healthy portions is going to help increase my odds of a long, healthy and happier life. If I should develop one or more of the health issues my family has, I will at least know that I've done everything I could do to help prevent it, by being in my ideal weight range, choosing well when it comes to food intake and exercising my body to help preserve it in top form!

20 lbs in 3 weeks is FANTASTIC! I wonder if these people were on a diet themselves, if they could lose 6-7 lbs a week (that's a pound a day!). I HIGHLY doubt it! Just as you say, people seem to think that WLS is some magic bullet. It is a tool. It helps us control our portion sizes. Period. The rest of the hard work is up to us! We have to make good food choices, consciously decide to be more healthy, more active, drink more fluids and eliminate "junk" from our eating. That is difficult mentally, emotionally and physically. And none of it is assisted by the scalpel our surgeon used to remove 85% of our stomachs. Anyone could have the VSG and continue to eat poorly (I'm sure some people do...). They will not succeed (certainly not long term), even though they are eating far smaller quantities than before. So the next time someone asks you how much you've lost, rather than telling them the total weight, you could say something like....."I've dropped 2 pant sizes", or "the equivalent of a 1 year old child", or "I'm averaging 5-6 lbs a week"! I'm sure that will impress them and let you keep your privacy a bit more to yourself! Just remember, you are the only one who has to be happy with your progress, your determination and your health. As long as you are happy with where you are at, nothing else matters! Congratulations my dear. Just keep on "keeping on". You're doing great!

I am fortunate to have never had a loculated (or non-loculated!) seroma, so I can't answer your question directly. But I did find some information that may help you understand things a bit more: http://www.primehealthchannel.com/seroma-definition-causes-symptoms-and-treatment.html

If you are taking a post-op antibiotic, you may need a pro- biotic to re-establish healthy levels of intestinal flora that get killed of by the meds. I suffered a lot with diarrhea during the first couple of weeks. Then I bought some Bio-K pro- biotic ( the soy version, as I thought I had become lactose intolerant.... which I had not, thank goodness). I was MUCH better, even after one dose

I'm very glad to hear you're feeling better! I did however want to point out that you should be careful with eating chips and sweets, as they could be your "slider" foods and they will sabotage your weight loss and success. At this point in your recovery and lifestyle change, you must focus on eating Protein first, veggies second and carbs last (only if you have room left!). If you're not eating protein, then your body will break down your muscles (easier to "process" than fat!). And your weight loss will be mostly muscle mass! Who wants to become a big flabby bag of skin? You NEED those muscles, so work hard on keeping them! I found early on that my stomach hurt after eating too, and I quickly realized it was because I was eating too much! So funny to say that, when you look at the plate and there are only a few bites on there. How can that be too much? For me, after quite a bit of experimentation, I realized that I can eat 2 1/2 - 3 oz (in total) in one meal. So in order to make sure I didn't eat more than that (and have stomach pain and nausea), I measure EVERYTHING. As my stomach has been healing, my capacity is growing too. So I'll have to keep checking "in" to see if my 2 1/2 - 3 oz is growing, and adjust accordingly. Also, I'm getting to be a pretty good judge of the volume of most foods now, so I don't always have to measure (which can be difficult when you're not home and have no scale!). Please please please, focus on eating protein first! Measure your food and learn what volume/weight works for you. Cut out the chips and sweets, you'll be happy you did, believe me! YOU CAN DO THIS!

Fantastic! What I notice the most is the BIG SMILE if all of your 3 month shots, compared to the before shots. Isn't the sleeve great? You look so confident and happy!

I tried a bath for the first time in YEARS last week. I'm still displacing a lot of water, but I did manage to get in the tub with more than just a few teaspoons of water sharing the tub with me. LOL GREAT NSV! I can't wait to join you on this one. I love baths and have been relegated to the shower for all of my adult life (unless in a hot tub.....bliss!).

I have been having problems sleeping more than 3-4 hours since surgery (6+ weeks ago). It's 4:30 am right now and I went to bed at midnight. And here I am awake and on the forum! It is maddening and I've tried a variety of sleep aids without success. Even taking a prescription sleeping pill hasn't helped. I don't have trouble falling asleep, which is what most sleeping pills help with. It's staying asleep that is not working! After taking a sleeping pill or some other sleeping aid (melatonin, magnesium citrate (restless legs), etc.) I still wake up after approx. 4 hours and I'm groggy and tired, but unable to fall back asleep usually for 2+ hours. I work full time and this is "kicking my ass"!

Hmmmm......meatballs! I had some from Ikea the other day with my hubby. He was very hungry and got the chicken/rib dinner plate and then told me to get the TWENTY meatball plate. BWAHAHAHAHA. I told him I was probably going to eat FOUR of the twenty. He said "no problem", I'll eat the rest. And he did! Amazing. I can't believe how much he can eat and not gain weight (he's on a low carb, high Protein diet too, but not sleeved, obviously!). I used to be able to eat the 15 piece plate with fries and a dessert, no problem. I barely got through 4 pieces and 2 bites of veggies.

Yeah! Yes, I always look (and hope!) for a chair that has no arms. Often I'm disappointed though because there is no such choice. I choose to stand rather than try to "smush" myself into those chairs. I haven't been in a situation where I've needed to try out such a chair recently though. I'm down about 37 lbs, so who knows, maybe I too have this great NSV waiting for me to experience soon!

Fantastic picture! Look how skinny you are! I hope I have the same "surprise" reaction to my own pictures in the future.

I had my surgery with Dr. Kelly on May 14, 2012 and I went alone. My husband REALLY wanted to come, but couldn't get time off from work. I flew to San Diego on May 12 so I could get a couple of days of walking in before surgery (to avoid blood clots in my legs). It cost me 2 nights of hotel (on my own dime) in San Diego, but I was glad to pay it. On surgery day, everything was a whirlwind! I was picked up around 11 am in San Diego by Dr. Kelly's wife Cecey and by 1:30 I was in surgery! After the surgery, I spent a lot of time sleeping, and walking the halls. Honestly, I found it a relief that no one was there with me, as I would have been more concerned about making sure they were taken care of (entertained, accommodations, meals, etc.). This way, at least for a couple of days, I was able to just focus entirely on myself! I took a laptop with me and my husband and I spoke twice a day by Skype (there is free wi-fi in the hospital). Once discharged, I was kept pretty busy with Cecey and Omar. We went shopping and sightseeing, to the beach. Dr. Kelly's daughter gave me a fantastic pedicure (very professional!). Again, there was free wi-fi in the hotel, so I stayed in touch with my husband, as well as my sister and a few other friends by Skype. I watched some TV, did some more sleeping and walked around the hotel (beautiful place with a lovely pool (too bad we can't swim after surgery!)). If there's anyway you can assure both yourself and your family that you will be okay alone, you should consider going by yourself. It will allow you to totally concentrate on yourself (probably for the first time in a VERY long time). As soon as you are home again, you will be back to the demands of being a mom, a wife, etc. and as much as everyone will want to help you recover and heal, you really won't get the alone time you could have right after surgery. Trust me on this.......it is quite decadent....and much appreciated once your return to your normal life!

Dear, the first thing you need to do is BREATHE! You've got 5 weeks. You can do this! - Buy yourself some Protein drinks (either Ready-to-drink (RTD) or powder you mix yourself). You can find some at GNC, Walmart, costco, etc. Then start your day with a shake. It fills you up, has no sugars (read your labels before you buy! And buy ones with sweetners and/or stevia, not sugar). Protein Drinks help keep you feeling full and less hungry, give you protein to keep your muscles intact and help you lose fat. - Cut back or cut out (if you can) all deep fried foods, fast foods, bread, candy, chocolate, sugar, juices, and pop (even diet pop). - Join a website that helps you log your daily food intake (such as MyFitnessPal, Livestrong, Sparkpeople, etc.) and LOG EVERY BITE that goes into your mouth. Weigh your food (when you can) so you know how much your eating (estimating is notoriously inaccurate). You will be surprised at how much you eat in a day, and how many of those are "empty calories". This will help you get the "carb demon" off your back, jumpstart your weight loss and get you started developing the good habits you will need to be successful with your VSG. - And start drinking LOTS AND LOTS of Water. You can add Crystal Light or Mio to the water to make it more appealing. But drink at least 64 oz (8 cups) of water a day. Other important steps to help you success with the pre-op loss (and post-op new way of life) include: - purging your house of all "bad" Snacks (chips, chocolate, sugary cereals, pastries, ice cream, nachos, etc.) - buy yourself a larger water bottle and remember that you have to drink "X" bottles a day to be on track for Fluid intake. Drink all day long, you will be doing that after your surgery. Get in the habit now. - DO NOT have "food funerals" to say goodbye to the foods you love. You don't have to say goodbye! You will be able to eat anything you want after your surgery once you've recovered and are well on your way towards your goal weight. So no need to have any "last suppers"! You'll just be eating those "old favourites" in small quantities (that will FILL YOU UP!). - Exercise! You don't have to join a gym or run marathons (though later on you just might like that idea!). For now, just try walking. If you find that boring, find a friend to walk with, get a pedometer (I use a FitBit) to motivate and challenge yourself. You can even walk at the Mall if it's too hot where you live (just leave your wallet/purse in the car, or those walks turn into shopping, and not exercise!) YOU CAN DO THIS! 5 weeks is a reasonable time to lose 10 lbs. I lost 11 lbs in 2 weeks on a liquid diet before my surgery (my doctor demanded it to make sure my liver shrunk, for a safe surgery). It was TOUGH, I won't kid you, especially the first 7 days when I was craving carbs like crazy. But by the time my surgery came along, my liver was perfect (my doctor told me after the surgery was complete) and it was 11 lbs less that I had to lose post-op! YOU CAN DO THIS! Make a plan, be committed, be serious. And tell anyone who lives with you what you are doing. Ask for their support and help to keep the "bad stuff" away from you so you are not tempted, and to encourage the important positives you needs, such as moving your body, and drinking fluids. YOU CAN DO THIS!

Oh yes, I agree. I need some "good" carbs! I was craving some yesterday, believe me! I was just trying something a little radical to change things up. I'll be back on regular carbs (trying to say around 40 or less per day). I'm approx. 6 weeks post-op so I'm hesitant to be throwing salad into my diet just yet, in case it's too soon to be digesting raw veggies. But I LOVE Caesar salads, and I'll be looking forward to them in a few weeks, for sure! Also, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, fresh fruit. YUM! I have done deviled eggs though (made with wasabi mustard!) and they were great, fast and yummy!

My father is also a diabetic (not very compliant, unfortunately, but heck he's 84 now and I figure if he wants some sweets at his age, he should have it!). He also has hypertension, and my mother had breast and lung cancer. I am a train wreck waiting to happen! Or at least I was.....now with my sleeve, I think I have a fighting chance to stave off a lot of these impending health disasters (I hope!). The best NSVs ever, in my books!

Oh happy joy! I am on the 11th day of my first stall (6 weeks post-op) and it's frustrating! I know it will end. It HAS to end, no one can sustain 283 lbs body on 600 calories a day. But when?? LOL. Thanks for the encouragement. It's great to hear that "there is light at the end of the tunnel".....and that it's not just an on-coming train. Congrats on your progress. Super, fantastic!

I am FAR from "onederland"....I only just got to "tooterville" (in the 200's rather than 300's)! But you better believe I'll be posting a HUGE post when I hit that. I haven't been in "onederland" since I was 18 years old (I'm 42 now!). I'm on a 1 week stall right now and it's hard to keep motivated. My husband and I agreed that it's time to forget the scale (we actually use the WiiFit every morning when we get up). I'll revisit the scale/Wii in a week and hopefully thing will be moving by then! Sigh.

I have worn a MedicAlert braclet for 20 years. I have a number of health conditions that are potentially life-threatening (including anaphlyactic allergies to Latex, bee/wasp stings, codeine and rabbits!). I also carry an Epipen. Once I had the VSG surgery, I was considering getting a new braclet, but I already have a ton of info on mine (all my allergies, asthma, epipen, etc.). The great thing about Medic Alert is that your bracelet (or watch, or pendant, necklace, etc.) is only 1 part of the lifeline! You have a unique ID number engraved on the bracelet that identifies you, along with a 1-800 number that emergency personnel or hospital staff can call and get full details of your medical status. And also contact info, next of kin, doctors, surgeons, current meds, etc. Instead of getting a new bracelet, I updated my personal ID card in my wallet with VSG on it, no blind NG tubes, etc. Not perfect (if my purse isn't near me), but if they call the 1-800 number, they'll get all that info too. Here are some links to different country organizations: Canada Medic Alert USA Medic Alert Australia Medic Alert New Zealand Medic Alert UK Medic Alert Cyprus Medic Alert Iceland Medic Alert Malaysia Medic Alert South Africa Medic Alert Zimbabwe Medic Alert

I find that I still haven't learned to eat as slowly as I should. It takes time for the brain to register "full". In the past, the stretch receptors in your stomach would signal the brain "full" once they started to stretch. It would take some time for this to translate to the brain and then tell you "hey, getting full down here....please stop eating". In the meanwhile, you have still eaten more, but it was okay because you still had stretch capacity and could eat a few more bites without too many side effects (pain, nausea, vomiting). Now, the greater curvature of the stomach (where all our stretch capacity and most of our stretch receptors were located) is gone. Therefore, by the time your brain figures out you're full and you stop eating, you're probably already past capacity and end up feeling overfull and perhaps ill. The best way to combat this is to measure food (and weights are based primarily on dense foods such as dense Proteins, etc. not food that expands in your stomach, such as breads, etc.). As well, the second best approach is to eat slowly enough to give your brain time to catch up with what is happening with your stomach and signal you in time to stop, not after you're already full. Again, as I said, this is a very difficult skill to master! I'm still not chewing each bite enough (it's gets boring to have the same thing in your mouth for so long...mashed to a pulp!) and I still eat too fast (years of eating "on the go" and wanting to get my food in quick!).

Pdxman hit the nail right on the head! I had an analysis done years ago at the Running Room and found out that I am a significant pronator. As a result, I bough some "motion control" shoes that helped support my foot in the correct neutral position. This will be particularly important for you because you are walking on gravel, which tends to increase foot slippage and make you work harder to maintain proper balance. If your shoes are well fitted and the right support type for your gait, you will be more steady on your feet and prevent injury and repetitive stress on your ankle, knee and hip joints.

There are many reasons you may feel "hungry". You might have excess acid production. The acid can causing a "hunger" sensation, and as it moves further up the esophagus, will then lead to true heart burn and pain. If this is the case, using an acid reducer, or proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Prilosec (Omeprazole) can be VERY useful. I take a 20 mg Omeprazole tablet 2 x per day and it keeps things nicely under control for me. As well, the most likely culprit for hunger is "head hunger". This is where your brain is telling you that you want/need/crave something that your stomach and body will not end up agreeing with. And it's usually in much larger quantities that we can handle now that our stomachs are so tiny. Your brain, and mouth, are used to ingesting much larger quantities (as we did in the past....that's how we got here.......no portion control!). Now, when you put just a few bitefuls of food on your plate, it makes your brain scream "WTF....you can't live on that.....come on, pile it up baby". That leads to overeating our stomach capacity, pain, nausea, etc. It takes months to learn what your real capacity is. I'm only a 5 weeks out and I've bought too much food nearly every week, and had to throw things out. I was putting too much on my plate (I thought I could handle 4 oz...and barely made it through 2 oz!). My new favourite weapon is my digital scale. I weigh EVERYTHING and keep my total meal at about 3 oz. Not only does this prevent me from overeating and feeling just horrible afterwards (pain, nausea, etc.), but I can accurately enter everything into my food log (I use MyFitnessPal) and monitor exactly how many grams of Protein, carbs, fat, etc. I am consuming. Get yourself a scale and starting weighing everything. You'll quickly learn to "eyeball" the right quantities for yourself. You don't mention how far out you are post-op. In the first few months, your capacity is constantly changing. In the first month, the swelling is still going down (and therefore your capacity is increasing). In the next few months, you're learning what foods you tolerate well and how much, and which give you problems. It's shifting landscape and you have to learn to "roll with the punches" for a while. It does get easier!