Izuri

Oh wow! An hour, 1 min and 17 seconds? You rocked it!! That's really awesome =) I bet you are feeling great. Congratulations!

I had my six week appointment last week, which was when I was officially cleared to take tablets. I had been planning on starting the skin/hair/nails Vitamins for the Biotin and they're not all that big, smaller than most Multivitamins. Yesterday I tried breaking it in half, but it was hard to swallow because of the hard edges, and so today I tried the full pill, since I am finally allowed to. Boy, was it uncomfortable. It was hard to get myself to swallow it, which was weird because I've never had trouble swallowing pills and then it felt like it kept getting stuck in the middle of my esophagus as it was going down. Right now it feels like it's stuck somewhere around my sternum. I imagine I could maybe break these up smaller since they're fairly soft pills, but I was wondering if anyone else has had this problem or if anyone has any suggestions that helped them. Thanks!

I'm not there yet, but congratulations!!!! I still am loving this new word - underhunder... can not wait to join you there!!

Pros: - Life long restriction if you treat your sleeve right - Less Vitamin deficiencies than RNY - No need to go back for fills, etc - Just regular post-op doctor visits - Less restrictions on the types of foods that you can eat - No intestinal rearrangement - Sleeve is made out a part of the stomach that does not stretch easily - Lower chance of dumping syndrome - Fundus cut out of stomach means that you have decreased ghrelin, or hunger hormone for approximately a year - If used correctly can yield similar results to RNY - No foreign body (aside from staples) in your body Cons: - General surgical risk: Blood clots, anesthesia, internal bleeding, incisional hernia - Sleeve specific risks: strictures, leaks, issues related to leaks (abcesses, repeat leaks, etc), dehydration - Possible side effects: Low Iron, low B12, period of hair loss, increased acid reflux, malnutrition, nausea/vomiting, diarrhea/constipation - It is possible to stretch the sleeve with repetitive overeating, but is not common - It is still possible to eat too many "slider" foods: i.e. popcorn, ice cream, chips, etc - Regain is still possible - as with most procedures - Increased chance of gallbladder problems (As with most WLS) After looking at all the procedures, I felt like the sleeve had the lower risk complications than others, along with fewer side effects, less long term vitamin deficiencies/malnutrition. I didn't like the idea of rearranging my intestinal tract. I didn't like the idea of having a foreign body (LapBand) in my body forever, along with the increasing posts of long term complications/regain after removal. Sleeve has worked out great for me. I hope you figure out what will work best for you.

Yay! I'm glad to hear that you broke your stall and are doing well. How did the jogging feel? My first couple times were just exhausting. I'm doing alright. Having kind of a bad couple days, but trying to hang in there. Hoping tomorrow will be better. I think my hormones are just making me bummed/stressed out today. Did anything seem to help break your stall? Or was it just time?

I agree, I like this idea. I wish I knew any kind of website design, that would probably be pretty popular.

I started at 325, was 321 immediately pre-surgery on July 26th, and am now 288 =)

I am so glad to hear that you found another surgeon that you are working with now =) It sounds like this doctor's office is much more willing to work with you. Why is your insurance rejecting paying? Do they not cover bariatric surgery? I looked through the post, but couldn't find the reason. Is it something you could appeal? Since your new doctor's office seems more willing to work with you, maybe they'd be willing to help you appeal it.

It is really incredible to see how much it costs before insurance. Mine was about $36,500 submitted to insurance and they had a negotiated price of about $21,000. My copay was $250. What a difference.

I'm glad that you did your research before paying that much for it. That one sure is expensive. Did you try the other prescription ones that come in generics that are cheaper and usually covered? Omeprazole (Prilosec), Lansoprazole (Prevacid), and Pantoprazole (Protonix) are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Just trying to think of other things that might save you money =) I know there's Nexium too but that's only brand name still. I am kinda worrying that I might have to end up back on a PPI again too. I'm having a little bit of acid reflux on and off now that I'm off the prevacid.

I just switched to IM B12 injections. I had a hard time to remember daily tablets - for some reason my vitamin is easy to get in, but B12 not so much. It was much cheaper than the tablets. Between the liquid and the syringes it cost me maybe all of a dollar after insurance. I haven't been using it long enough to comment on the effects vs the tablets, but I'm hoping it's better.

Welcome to VST! Don't worry, between tests and scheduling pre-op, you still have plenty of time to think over your decision and be certain it's the right one for you. I agree with all your reasons though on sleeve vs band and they are a lot of the reason I chose sleeve over band too. I don't regret it at all - love my sleeve! As far as telling people - you don't have to if you don't want to. Give yourself time to weigh the pros and cons and it doesn't have to be all or none either. There are a lot of people on here who have only told their close family/friends, and many that have told everyone. I am in the group that is telling everyone. So far I haven't gotten too many negative reactions (At least, to my face =p) but even if I did, I'm happy and getting healthier. That's what matters to me, and if they can't be happy for me, then that sucks for them. Those who think it's the easy way out, have no idea what it's really like. It's still a lot of work.

I'm sorry to hear your daughter's ill. I hope she has a swift recovery! October will be here before you know it =)

The only reason this annoys me is because sometimes I can't always tell if the person really knows the difference between the two. For most people it's just an interchanging of words and I know that they mean what the same thing to them, but especially when it's someone asking for advice about one surgery vs another it can be hard to know exactly what they do and don't know about the surgery. I feel like the differences between a pouch (stoma, made of a different portion of the stomach) vs a sleeve (intact sphincter) are actually quite big. This even came up with the dietitian and a nurse while I was post-op. They called it a pouch and curious to see if they realized I actually had a sleeve I corrected them and they said oh, well the post-op directions are pretty much the same. Not the same - my dietitian - who I don't really like - had given me different directions (RNY instead of VSG) than my surgeon wanted, thank goodness he actually corrected her when we talked after. She said 2 weeks soft food..he wanted 3 months. Not trying to be a pain about it, but I like the clarity of calling it a sleeve because I would like everyone to understand what our anatomy is and isn't, especially someone who is treating me medically. If I was certain all my health professionals understood what I had and all the new people and everyone reading knew the differences and which we have, it wouldn't be as annoying. I'm rereading that paragraph and I'm hoping it doesn't come off as nitpicky/self righteous? lol Ahh screw it. I'm gonna post it anyway. OP - I think everyone has really good points. If you are eating your dense Protein first you should feel more restriction. It does sound like a lot of food though. I am a little over 6 weeks out and can only get down about an egg. Every once in a while my eyes are bigger than my stomach and I cook two and then regret it because I end up throwing half away. Does your surgeon think that your sleeve looks bigger than most he does? Are you losing weight? What did he say when you told him you had a one time shot? Did he seem willing to work with you at all or anything? Especially in your second post it sounds like it's either too big or something is up. That is really a lot of food. I hope that they have more answers at the appointment for your upper GI. Let us know what they end up saying.

I'm kinda confused. What do you mean they categorized you? Like, they diagnosed you and it's in your chart now? I'm not sure why she'd call to inform you of that instead of just having told you at the physical, but I'm also not sure why it's insulting. I've got a diagnosis code of morbidly obese on my file, I'm sure. Because I am right now =p Someday that diagnosis will be off my record, but that day is not today. Just one more NSV I get to list when I get there I guess. Technically by BMI charts you are obese if your BMI is 42.6. Keep your head up though - this is the beginning - you're getting a chance to make a change in that =)

I'm a bit over 6 weeks out and my recovery was good. If I push myself my side hurts, but as long as I stay within my body's limits I feel good. Still have some issues with low energy. Surgeon says it will probably be about the 3 month point where I see a marked increase in my energy. I took 4 weeks off work (I'm a pharmacy technician) and I'm glad that I took that long. Toward the end of week 3/4 I was getting very bored at home, I probably could have gone back the beginning of week 3 if I absolutely needed to. At work I have to bend over a lot to get meds from low shelves and even once in a while now it is sore when I go too quick - so 4 weeks was a good call from that standpoint. I would get sleeved again 100% no doubt about it. It has been a great experience. I'm 38 pounds down (including 10 pre-op) and I feel much healthier.

Deep breaths! I had my surgery a day before you and I went through a 3 week long stall. It felt like FOREVER. But, it wasn't. Eventually the scale started moving again and when it did, it ran! I have been going well since then. Your body is adjusting. It's normal. During my stall I freaked - is this all I'm going to lose? Did I fail this weight loss too? Was this small of weight even worth it? Hormones were going crazy. The bottom line is I tried just about everything. Switching up calories, working out more, eating more, eating less, increasing Protein, decreasing carbs, increasing Water. Nothing worked because what my body really needed was just time. It's probably what yours needs too. You're rebuilding your glycogen stores, holding water, and whatever other reorganizing it feels like doing. This is what helped me get through it: 1. Put the scale away for as long as possible. The days I brought myself to not peek, I felt much better. 2. Try not to stress. There is some research that says stress increases cortisol, which can cause weight retention. 3. Rant, rave, etc in your blog/journal/to your friends whenever you need to get it out. Sometimes just getting the frustration off your chest helps...at least it helps me 4. Read through every stall post on here - You are not alone! Most of us stall and freak at some point. 100% normal 5. Log your eating on MFP or a similar website - Helps keep you accountable so that you don't slip up because of frustration 6. Keep yourself busy. The more you're doing other things, the more calories you burn, the less you think about the scale 7. Assume that you are still on the stall. If you're pretty sure you're still on it, it will cause less frustration/loss of expectation if you step on the scale and you are. If you step on and you're not, what an excited surprise 8. Measure yourself. You are probably still losing inches. 9. Take pictures. Do you look any thinner than pre-op? Yes? Something to feel good about 10. Write down all your NSVs. You are kicking butt! The scale is not the only way to show progress Hang in there. It's hard. It sucks. But it ends eventually!

You are doing amazing!! Keep up the great work - I'm sure you'll be at goal in no time =)

I haven't had a pregnancy before - sleeved or not, but I just wanted to say congratulations! I know you're worried, but I've read quite a few posts on this board and obesity help about people with VSG carrying to term and I've known women a bit older than you who have had wonderful pregnancies. I wish you all the best - I'll keep you in my thoughts!

It's completely normal to be nervous about any procedure. It's a big decision, one that will affect you for the rest of your life. When I first told my family they asked me "Why not the Lap Band? It's less invasive and it's been around longer?" and my answer was somewhere along the lines of this: 1. Searching through multiple LapBand forums as well as VSG forums I was able to find far more complications with LB. I got the feeling that the complications with LB increase as time goes on, where the complications with VSG decrease over time. This is not saying I won't have a complication, but at least 6 months out I will most likely not be tackling new complications. I'd rather feel like my complication rate is an "if" question rather than a "when" 2. LB does not necessarily suppress your appetite. Being post-op I can tell you that this is really an incredible thing with VSG. Not being hungry is pretty empowering. It allows me a chance to think about my food choices before I make them. I walk through the grocery store and make good choices. This gives me a huge advantage to learn these habits before the rest of my stomach produces ghrelin again. 3. I do not want to have to visit the doctor all the time for fills. With my sleeve I will always have restriction as long as I treat it right. If I lose my health insurance at some point I will not have to worry about paying out of pocket just to keep my restriction. Plus, I hate going to doctor appointments =p 4. It does not seem less invasive to me to have a foreign body in my body for the rest of my life. Granted, with VSG we do have staples forever, but it is not the same to me. Even unfilled the band can slip or erode. 5. Getting the band at the 'sweet spot' where you have restriction but it doesn't feel like you've closed your stomach and can't eat seems to be a hit or miss thing. My sleeve is never a hit or miss. I know how much it should hold, that's how much I eat. If I go over that, I get uncomfortable. Those are my personal reasons, because I came into this not 100% sure what procedure I was going to get either. This board really helped reinforce my decision on the sleeve once I had researched it quite a bit. I hope that you decide on whatever procedure is best for you in the long run. =)

There are a number of reasons someone's liver can be enlarged. For us who are obese it's usually a nonalcoholic fatty liver, but it could be caused by hepatitis, autoimmune conditions, alcoholic fatty liver, cysts, gallbladder issues, mono.. It doesn't sound like she had any identified problem aside from maybe NAFLD. OP - I'm so sorry, I can imagine this is fairly traumatic. I do wonder if it's just the surgeon's level of skill, confidence, or just the liver size that determines a surgeon's plan of action. It does seem to vary widely - for example, I was 325 pre-surgery, 321 on surgery day, and only had a prescribed diet of Clear liquids the day before surgery, no pre-op diet. My surgeon didn't mention any problems with my liver. Do you have any comorbidities that might have affected it? I am surprised that on that low of calorie diet that you didn't lose more than 8 pounds. I really hope you hang in there and follow the diet again (You can do it!) and kick those 20 pounds to the curb so that you can get your surgery done. After this whole ordeal, you deserve to be dropping some weight and feeling great.

Hey Susie, Just wondering how you're doing. Are you feeling any better? Did the evil stall break yet? I hope you're doing well =)

Have you tried other acid reducers? There are a number of them prescription and OTC. I was taking prevacid for a month post op and it worked great.

NG tubes go from your nose to your stomach. They can be used for nutrition, to take contents/air out of stomach in instance of obstruction, to put medications, like activated charcoal through. It is possible for medical professionals to do it blind, or without being able to see, or they can do it with a scope.