DLCoggin

Surgeons have been performing RnY for more than 30 years. It is, by far, the most researched, tested and proven option there is. It is widely regarded as the gold standard of bariatric surgery. It is the most effective treatment currently known to medical science for obesity, type 2 diabetes and more than 30 comorbidities associated with obesity. Minor complication rate (usually defined as those not requiring re-hospitalization) is about 15%, major complication rate is about 4% and mortality has been steadily dropping with improvements in surgical techniques and is currently less than one-tenth of one percent. There is no doubt that there are many lap-band success stories. But the fact that lab band surgeries have been steadily declining, first in Europe and now in the U.S., is well documented. Most recently by Allergan's very recent decision to sell their lap-band unit because of declining sales. When I had my surgery just over two years ago, all five surgeons in the group my surgeon is a part of had stopped performing lab-band surgeries. This article from the 2012 annual meeting of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery offers some insight into the decline of lap-band surgeries - http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/767489 .

You're body is doing some serious healing and that takes a lot of energy. When it comes to energy, carbs are king. But when you're on a low carb diet, your body will metabolize Protein for it's energy needs. So as truckerchic mentioned, protein is your best friend right now (and for some time to come). It can be difficult to get all of your doctor's recommended daily protein (usually 60g to 80g per day for the ladies) for the first weeks following surgery but you want to do everything you can to get as close as possible. Protein is critically important for a whole list of very good reasons including improving your energy level. Ditto for staying hydrated. Dehydration can land you back in the hospital in a heartbeat. Sip, sip, sip. Be patient. Internal healing takes considerably longer than external healing. 45 pounds in four and a half weeks - wow. You're going absolutely great and the best is yet to come! Your energy absolutely will come back and then some, just give it a little time. You're gonna love the new you!!

Glad to see you back Jenn!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Everyone has to decide who they will tell and even if they will tell. Most folks are supportive but there most definitely are exceptions so if you decide to tell everyone, you might benefit from preparing yourself mentally for a negative reaction or two. Those negative reactions often come in the form of "I had this friend/relative/co-worker..." followed by some horror story. There are roughly 200,000 bariatric surgeries performed in the U.S. alone every year. If you or the person telling the story personally knew 2,000 folks who had a "bad experience" following bariatric surgery, that would be one percent of the surgery population for a single year. Bottom line - the odds are overwhelmingly in your favor of having a successful, life changing experience. Personally, I told friends and family as the opportunities arose. I didn't go out of my way to make any kind of group announcement. But I also didn't hesitate to tell anyone that expressed an interest. My reasoning was that sooner or later folks were going to know anyway. Lose 100+ pounds and people will notice. I was fortunate that everyone was very supportive. But I was prepared for negative reactions had they occurred. I had done the research, knew exactly what I was getting into, and almost certainly had a great deal more knowledge of the risks and benefits of the surgery than anyone who might have felt compelled to try to persuade me otherwise. You're gonna love the new you!!

Ditto for me! Everyone have a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!!

Have you tried Hershey's Simple Pleasures? 30 cals, 2.7g fat, 9.7g carbs. One or two and I'm good to go in the sweet department. I prefer the dark chocolate but the milk chocolate and the caramel are both quite good!

A few years back it was common for some surgeons to remove the gall bladder at the same time they did the gastric bypass. Clinical studies failed to show that the incidence of gall bladder disease following bypass justified the "automatic" removal so most surgeons discontinued the practice. But as music has indicated, with your pre-op diagnosis, the surgeon will very likely remove the gall bladder at the same time. There's no point in having two surgeries when the same job can be done with one. You're gonna love the new you!!

Hi Lynda! There are an awful lot of amazing and very knowledgeable folks on this forum. The easiest way to get answers to your question is to just start typing. Folks post all of the time regarding the decision making process of trying to determine which surgery is best for them. There are General Forums and as you narrow things down, forums dedicated to specific types of surgery. You also can search the forum for key words and see previous posts on almost any subject you can think of including choosing the right surgery. For example if you did a search for "gastric bypass vs. gastric sleeve" you'll see lots of posts. Give it a try! You'll be a pro in no time!!

I think he'll find the So. Cal. winters to be considerably milder than most. San Diego is a great city with a long and proud history of serving our military. The guys/gals from Camp Pendleton and MCAS Miramar seldom have too much trouble finding something to do on their time off! Lol!

I'm most certainly not a doctor or a nutritionist but from where I'm sitting, you're doing absolutely great. Celebrate your success and move forward with confidence that the best is yet to come! There are hundreds of posts right here on this forum that send a very clear message - there is no "one size fits all" pattern. No absolutes. We're all individuals, all unique. You're doing a great job and your effort will be rewarded. Just be patient and keep up the great work!

Mine was exactly the same - no goal weight and no timeline. I have to confess to wondering why a time or two but decided that if I trusted her enough to do the surgery I had to trust her post-op care as well. It definitely reduces the stress and places the emphasis on following the protocol as closely as you can. Worked for me!!

There is no schedule for stalls and no way to accurately predict how long they will last. There are just too many variables. There isn't a single one of us that cannot understand your frustration. But, you're doing everything right. You know you're doing everything right. Second guessing yourself is a waste of energy and only compounds your frustration. Consider focusing that energy on rewarding yourself every day, for following your plan. Rapid weight loss - follow your plan. Slow weight loss - follow your plan. Stall - follow your plan. No matter what happens, follow your plan. The laws of science and the universe can not and will not be denied. Follow your plan and the weight will take care of itself. Your body is going to find its own way in its own time regardless of how much or how little you stress over it. Your journey will be so much more rewarding, so much easier and so much more exciting if you acknowledge that your goal is physical change, but your challenge is mental discipline. Stay positive. Stay patient. Follow your plan. Maintain your food log. You're gonna love the new you!!

58 in So. Calif. right now with a forecast high today of 70. But it did rain a little last week!

I also have read that dehydration can at least contribute to if not cause cramps. I recently read a recommendation that drinking an 8oz glass of water before going to bed has a number of benefits including reducing cramps. My bar of soap worked so well that I haven't tried it but the water makes a lot more sense! Lol.

Best Christmas present you could possibly imagine! You're gonna love the new you!!

Please let us know if it works for you too!

I don't recall my PCP specifying but I put it under the sheet unwrapped.

I had cramps in my feet following the surgery. Now I know this is going to sound just plain crazy but believe it or not, my PCP told me to put a bar of soap under the sheet at the foot of our bed. Just plain old soap - nothing special. I thought he was crazy and told him so (he's been my PCP for a long time) and he agreed that it sounds ridiculous. But he insisted that he has had positive feedback from patients who tried it and even suggested that I Google it. But hey, it's cheap, it's easy, it doesn't require a Rx - why not? Soooooo, I tried it. And I have not had a cramp since. Can't explain it. Wouldn't even try. Never took the time to Google it. But it worked. Go figure!

While the principles most often cited as the basis for "starvation mode" have largely been refuted by science, a different but related concept, "set points", is gaining acceptance in the scientific community as the result of relatively recent and on-going research. The idea is that the body's regulatory systems such as hunger, metabolic rate, hormones, etc. will aggressively defend against losing weight below the current set point. In the days when we were hunter/gatherers, obesity was not much of a threat. But starvation was. So our bodies developed defense mechanisms against starvation. There is mounting evidence that set points are at least part of the explanation for stalls (and a number of other things including weight regain following standard diets). The good news is that there is also evidence that bariatric surgery changes the physiological functioning of the body so that it becomes more receptive to a new set point. For those that may be interested, here are some links with additional information. http://www.webmd.com/diet/guide/ideal-weight-or-happy-weight http://spectrum.diabetesjournals.org/content/20/3/166.full http://oliakcenter.com/blog/why-diet-and-exercise-dont-work-as-treatments-for-obesity/ http://oliakcenter.com/blog/why-weight-loss-surgery-is-an-effective-treatment-for-obesity/

General guidelines call for a BMI of 40 or greater OR 35 with one or more comorbidities. Most insurance companies usually use those guidelines and part of the decision process on coverage.

Lol - I'm not very far behind you!

Sleeve Plication is a different (and the newest) bariatric surgery. Assuming you had the VSG you want to choose Gastric Sleeve Forums. Back in the days when I was teaching IT classes I used to tell my students "If you can see it, click on it!" It's a great way to quickly learn the navigation of the new site. You're gonna love the new you!!

I'm in the South Bay - near the beach cities and about 30 minutes from LAX.

I'm in So. Calif. (but still a Texan at heart!) and also would be glad to offer any assistance I can!

My surgeon said no alcohol for twelve months following surgery (which I followed to the letter). So my first suggestion is to ensure that you are following your doctor's recommendation regarding how long you should wait before having any alcohol. If you're not sure, ask. There is a long list of very good reasons for avoiding alcohol during the healing process which can take quite some time to be completed. After that, I don't know that there is a better (or worse) choice from a health standpoint. Virtually all alcohol is empty calories with a high sugar content. So from that standpoint, alcohol is alcohol. But if you're subject to dumping related to sugar, tropical drinks (i.e. sweet) such as pina coladas, daiquiris, etc. could result in dumping. I enjoy a glass of wine before dinner and have never had a problem. But it only took one tropical drink to learn that is not a good idea in my case. When you do take that first drink, keep in mind that your body's reaction to and tolerance for alcohol is dramatically changed by the surgery. Very, very good idea to ensure that first drink is at home. There are many stories of RnY folks being cited for DUI after a single drink. You almost certainly will discover that alcohol will hit you much harder and faster than it did before. The alcohol essentially moves into the small intestine all at once whereas before it moved in stages over a longer period of time because of the pylorus valve. There is also well documented evidence that the rate of developing alcohol dependence increases substantially following RnY. The importance of drinking in moderation becomes more important than ever following surgery.