TennJenn

Yes! I remember vividly Dr. Aceves telling me that this was normal. I thought he was just being silly (the way he told the story explaining this was cute!) but it's absolutely so true. I also find that I am much tighter in the mornings. Go figure!

Thanks! I feel it's important for me to continue to share my story b/c I know how much it meant to me reading the success stories while I was pre-op & early post-op. As this is a lifelong journey, I'm still chugging along. Just b/c I've met (or exceeded) my goal doesn't mean that the ride is over...I'm just on a different one now. The journey never ends. :biggrin2:

I had acid reflux (untreated) prior to VSG. During my VSG, Dr. Aceves repaired a hiatal hernia that I didn't even know that I had. I took the Nexium as recommended by Dr. Aceves post-op. That said, for the first few weeks, I did experience acid reflux daily. I coninued to take the Nexium & after the first few weeks the acid reflux resolved. After finishing the 3 months of Nexium (recommended by Aceves) I tried not taking a PPI, but did experience some very mild reflux so I decided to try an OTC, generic brand PPI. I still take one daily (20mg) & have absolutely no problems with acid. I plan to try to wean myself off of the PPI again soon.

No soda (or coke as I say :biggrin2:) for me. I stick to Propel & unsweet tea. I can't stand Crystal Light anymore & regular Water seems to upset my tummy for some reason. Propel or G2 Gatorade (if Propel isn't available) is my go to drink. I was told no baths, pools, etc until all incisions were healed completely. I waited a month & was fine.

I adhere to the no drinking during meals or for 30-45 mins after a meal. I do, however, drink right up until I eat. I havent' had a problem doing this & it gave me more time early out to get in more fluids. Now, at 9 months out, I have no trouble getting in enough liquids. I actually can't drink right after a filling meal b/c it is very uncomfortable for me. Depending on what I ate I *must* wait 30 mins to an hour before I can resume drinking without causing discomfort. What helped me in the beginning getting in the habit of no drinks during a meal? (BTW, I was one that would go through 5-6 glasses of tea or coke during a meal pre-op! So this was a HUGE change for me.) Early post-op, I wouldn't even have a drink around me when I sat down to eat. If we went out to eat, I'd order me a drink & ask for it to be put in a "to go" cup. Then I'd scoot it over where it was out of reach. I think the main reason for the no drinking during meals rule is to prevent the liquid from flushing the food through too fast causing you to eat more & more frequently. It's best to try very hard to make this rule a habit. I know it's hard, but believe me...if I can do it, then anyone can do it!

Reading the Aceves, Upper GI thread got me thinking...if one is not experiencing problems, what is the purpose of the upper GI? I did not do one at 3 months post op as recommended. I did the bloodwork & it all came back great. I am still taking OTC PPI & have plans to visit my PCP again at my one year post op mark for more blood work (in july). I've considered mentioning the upper GI to her & I'm sure she'd write up a referral for it to have my insurance cover it. She codes my bloodwork as malnutrition, so it's covered. Anyway, what's the purpose? Should I go through it at 1 year post op if I'm not having any problems?

Thanks, guys. I know I'm not the only one that has to deal with these issues. It's nice to have someone to talk to about it all. It's a crazy ride, that's for sure. I do feel that I'm at a healthy weight. I eat healthy (most of the time :001_smile:). I don't restrict anything really. I enjoy treats, etc in moderation. Yes, I've heard of body dysmorphic disorder...I need to google that a bit more. I do feel thin some days, but some days I feel just like I did before surgery. Like this Sat when I wore shorts for the first time in years. I don't know why, but it made me very self concious about my body. Hello... they were size 6! I should have felt thin & great in them, but I felt, well, fat. I don't know...it's hard to wrap my head around it all. Thanks for letting me vent!

I had my VSG 7-7-09 so I am almost 9 months post op. I started at 201 & my goal weight was 135. I reached that goal by 6 months. I now weigh anywhere between 127-130. I'm actually trying to get to 125, but not stressing over it. Anyway, my current dilemma is that several people have told me (some to my face, others behind my back to my Dad) that I've lost too much weight & should NOT lose anymore. One even told my step-mom "don't let her lose anymore weight!"...like she controls my weight loss...So, I'm asking for your opinions/advice. I am 5'4 and my current BMI is around 22, I think. I don't have any recent photos (the last one was about 20 lbs ago or more). Does anyone else go through this? It's weird b/c I still feel fat. I still have days where I could swear that I'm still 200 lbs...even though I KNOW I'm not. This just threw me for a loop b/c I still see my body as fat. I never guessed others would think I was getting too skinny. :biggrin0:

For those who remember my update post...I had to go see my PCP to get a new scrip. for crushable BP meds. I brought all of my papers & x-rays from Dr. Aceves to discuss them with her (she knew I was having VSG done). She and I went over it all (she was interested in the post op leak test pictures...she said it really is like a "banana stomach"! :laugh0:). She said Dr. A's surgery report looked great & it appears that I had great care & a great experience. She checked my incision sites & confirmed that they look like they are healing well. I was feeling pretty good! :thumbup1: Then my BP reading...128/80! I've never had a reading that good in a doctor's office without any meds! EVER! I told her I still get some "borderline" readings at home, but she said we should not do any meds right now since my readings are pretty good & the weight loss has just started. So, for now, I am off my BP meds! :thumbup: I will continue to monitor it at home...she said I should get consistent readings below 130/80 to be considered "controlled". If my readings start creeping up again, I'll need more meds, but MUCH less dosage than before. I made an appointment to go back in 3 months to get some labs done & to re-check my BP. I left the Dr. office feeling on top of the world! :hurray: (I had a very bad morning before this...my oldest daughter broke her pinky finger while running through the house & we had to go have it set back in place as it was VERY deformed) So, my day began horribly, but ended well.

It's been a while since I've logged on to VST. I visit OH mostly & trying to keep up with two message boards was too hard. So, I've been limiting my time online. Here's my update... VSG was 7-7-09 with Dr. Aceves. I started at 201, 5'4. About two weeks ago, I had my gallbladder removed as I had many stones & was having some bad attacks. I am feeling much better from that! I'm glad that sucker is gone & will not be giving me anymore trouble. I was 2 lbs away from my goal (135 lbs) before I had the gallbladder surgery. I put on about 4-5 lbs from the surgery (fluids & swelling). It was dissheartening to be so close to my goal & then see the scale move up even if I KNEW it was all Fluid from the surgery. Well, a week after my gallbladder surgery was my 6 month VSG surgiversary so I weighed in. Surprise! 135.0! I met goal in 6 months! I have since lost another 2 lbs in a matter of a few days. So, I am now below my initial goal of 135 lbs. I've decided to leave my ticker like it is but to try to get to 125. So, that's my new goal...125lbs. If I make it, great. If not, I'm still more than thrilled with my success. I went from a sz. 18/20, XXL to a 8, M...I can even fit in some 6's & smalls. More than that, though, is how wonderful I feel. I could not imagine how much my life would change from one simple surgery. It's awesome. I hope you are all doing well. I will try my hardest to check in here more often.

I think dh and I have pretty much decided to try to sell our house. We have a certain price we must get in order for it to be financially reasonable to sell, so if we can't get that I guess we'll wait. We're hoping we can sell it for what we need so we can work on paying off our debt & get a fresh start. We plan to rent a house for a year or so after selling to allow time to pay off debts & save some money. We're not struggling financially, but we do live a tight, tight budget right now. So, this would help us out greatly. We're probably going to contact the RE agent this week or next. Then the work begins...getting it ready to be shown. Living with 4 kids in the house creates a mess & clutter. There's a lot of work to be done & honestly I'm dreading every bit of it. Anyone else selling a house right now?

My 12's are way too big & I can slide them on and off without unbuttoning them. I bought some 10's from Goodwill & they fit, but I didn't like the way they fit me. So, I've still been wearing my 12's even though they are falling off of me & I look like a teenager who is trying to "sag"! :lol0: Night before last, we stopped at Old Navy to check out their clearance sale. DH really wanted me to buy a new pair of jeans & to be honest, I wanted a new pair that fit as well. So I took 10's into the dressing room (praying they would fit, if not I probably would have cried!). They fit okay. They were a bit loose in the legs so I asked dh to go get an 8...he looked at me with the "this could go terribly wrong" face, you know the deer in headlights look! (I love my dh & he knows me oh so well!) I said, I just want to see how close I am to fitting in a single digit size. He hesitantly obliged. I get them on expecting them to either not button or for me to have to cease breathing to get them buttoned. :laugh0: To my surprise, they went right on! They fit "like a glove"! :thumbup: They weren't too tight in the waist or too loose in the legs. For the first time, I have jeans that I am comfortable wearing. It's a thing of beauty! They cost $34.50, but they were so worth it.

That's great, Linda! I, too, think Old Navy sizes run a bit big...but I don't care! The tag on my jeans says 8 & that's what I'm going by! :w00t:

Thank you all. You all are too sweet. It's great to have friends to share this with...only my family IRL know about my surgery, so I can't exactly share my NSVs.

I still have some 10's that fit me, just dont' fit the way I like. I think Old Navy jeans run a bit bigger...but I don't care, the tag still says 8! If you're near an Old Navy, it might be worth trying on some jeans. You might be surprised! FWIW, I'm cold all the time now, too. I used to never wear a jacket. Now I need a sweater/sweatshirt, thermals, & a coat!

Thanks, Vegas. I know it sounds vain, but I really wanted to get into a single digit size. It's great to know I'm there. Yes, my dh is wonderful. He was scared of how I would react if the 8's didn't fit. I was already having a tough day...the look on his face when I requested the 8 was priceless. I wish I had a camera.

Congrats, Ruby! I'll be thinking of you come Monday. Good luck!

If you are feeling "stuck", it probably is just too big of bites, not chewed well, & eaten too fast. The other explanation could be a stricture, I guess. But I would guess you'd not be able to keep things down. Have you talked to your surgeon about this? If not, perhaps you should call to see what he says. The other thing to consider...if you feel sick after eating, it could be you are lactose intolerant. Unfortunately, I've heard it's quite common. Either way, if solids aren't working right now, go back to mushies. It could be that your tummy just hasn't healed enough to be ready for more solid food.

Hey! I'm glad to hear from you! It sounds like you are doing wonderfully! Congrats. I bet Dr. Aceves was thrilled with your success. Eating is going great. I haven't tried eggs since about 6 weeks out. I'm still too scared to try them again. The only thing I've found that bothers me is foods with a high sugar content. I shouldn't be eating those foods anyway, so I guess that's good. :confused1: I have to work each day to get in the Protein & I still have one Protein shake a day. I pretty much eat what I want...I just try to make the best choice. I love my sleeve! :001_tt1:

Hi, ardita! Yes, I am down 52 lbs since surgery! I really can't believe how quickly it has come off. Being a lightweight, I expected my loss to be very slow. Even though I'm impatient & want to be at goal NOW, I am still thrilled with my success so far.

I can't offer any advice regarding insurance. I didn't qualify through my insurance company (BMI 34.5) so I went immediately to self pay in Mexico. I do encourage you to research Mexican surgeons. There is a thread stickied here somewhere from a former member that is a huge help in how to research Mexican surgeons. I suggest reading it in its entirety. Good luck.

Never heard that. Perhaps you should ask this person for some research on this at your next meeting. (Not being snarky, but one should not go around sharing incorrect information...perhaps she would rethink her position if she is unable to prove her statements). That said, I know two people who have had gastrectomies for medical reasons not wieght loss reasons. One was my grandfather. He did die at a fairly early age, but it was due to smoking (he had severe emphesema (sp?) and eventually had a stroke). The other is our pastor's wife. I'm not sure why she had hers, but from what I see she suffers no consequences from it. She does have many other medical issues that ail her, though (heart trouble).

For the first few weeks, getting in enough fluids is a major challenge! I didnt' worry about getting in calories & Protein because I was just trying to stay hydrated. That was a full time job! My baby was 2 when I had my VSG & was done breastfeeding. However with my oldest ds, I went on a low calorie diet to try to lose weight & my milk supply suffered from it. I can't say with certainty that yours would do the same. But think about it...for the first few months post-op, your calorie intake will be extremely restricted. I think if I were you, I'd wait until breastfeeding is either over or you have decided you will accept it if your supply dries up.

Welcome! I am 29 years old & 3 months out from VSG. Best thing I've done! I love my sleeve & am so glad I discovered it before getting a LapBand! I was self pay as well. Everything your dr has told you seems reasonable. I wasn't required to do a pre-op diet at all...my BMI was 34.5. The post-op diet was 10 days Clear liquids, 10 days full liquids, 10 days mushies, then slowly transition to solid foods. Good luck!

Welcome! Dr. Aceves is great. The previous posters have summed it up nicely. If you have any specific questions, feel free to ask.