schaf921

With any body pain, individual results vary based on actual injury BUT I can say I was diagnosed with some arthritis in my left knee and even had a meniscus tear repaired yet still had knee pain. Played a lot of tennis and softball (at least to the extent my weight allowed) and still experienced knee pain. 5 mths and 110 lbs later - no knee pain. Like I said, there is no guarantee but I had so much weight sitting on the joints and the loss really made a difference. Would never think twice or advise against this surgery - portion control was my albatross and it is the only thing that enables me to control that now.

I was officially outpatient and was worried. Doc said that outpatient does include overnight stay - they assume you go home within 24 hrs. If there is complications, the doc can convert it to inpatient. I was very happy to get out the next morning so it wasnt a bother. Actually left before doc could come around as I was fine and didnt want to wait just to chat with him as my nurse covered all my questions.

I am 3 mths out and the first month is hard. Dont let it get u down. I remember the queesy feeling after eating and feeling like there is just nothing to eat during mushies. Just focus on the basics and you will get through it. be prepared for your stall at 3 weeks then things start improving when you can eat full solids. At just over 1.5 months you and your body start to figure things out.

My NUT says B12 shots or sublingual only. pills/vitamins for B12 arent absorbed well by the digestive system so it wont be getting into you :001_tongue: You should easily be able to get the sublingual anywhere - mine came from CVS pharmacy. She told me 2000MCG per week is what I should target.

well I hit that last night! Almost 3 months in - we were in Kennesaw yesterday and found a Bugaboo Creek (where the animals talk and move on the walls and stuff). Anyway, first steakhouse I have been to since the surgery - sweet tea, oops cant drink and eat, lumberjack fries - nope, smashed potatoes with mushrooms - gotta have Protein. In the end, the wife and I split a fish/shrimp/crabcake combo platter. I ate some shrimp and bits of fish. a few small bites of kids steak and one got the potatoes for me and had a few bites. yea it was allright but not the 'satisfaction' I remembered. they also got a big chocolate chip cookie made in a skillet with ice cream on top and I had a couple of bites of that and that was stupendous!!! anyway, I got the bill and it was probably $20-$25 less than normal (would have gotten and appetizer, drink and entree on top of other stuff we got). That was nice!! Kids reminded me of all the weight lost already - yea that was worth it!! Been playing tennis nearly every night for the past few weeks and could never do that before - also actually winning again at a high level!! So is it worth it - absolutely - my meal would have been long gone but the weight would be added, money down the drain, and if I played tennis twice a week I would be in pain somewhere and have done terrible.....

One thing to remember is you only pay your portion of the final bill. Hospital may be expensive but if they are on your plan there will be a ton of charges dismissed before your actual portion of bill shows. For example - my billed amount was 15K but then network discount was 12K so I only paid my percentage of the remaining 3K.

My 2-4 weeks (or probably through 6 weeks) was the worst trying to eat. I wasnt quite able to eat everything but what I could eat did always feel weird and sickly after I ate. It does get better but even now, 8 weeks out I still have days that I just want Soup or yogurt and nothing dense. Hang in there - just keep tracking Protein and get exercise in. Those are keys. I am on the top end of weight loss but remember to not compare to others - I started at 360 so as a percentage I am about 15% since surgery. Yours will come - if you are not eating or getting enough fluids - your body will go into starvation mode and hold onto any calories you get in. Feel free to message me and ask any questions and I will be happy to help where I can

My NUT basically threw out this (I am in NO way a cook). 800-1000 calories - 60-80 grams Protein. 3 meals of 3/4 to 1 cup + 2 Snacks. BF - such as Greek yogurt, south beach bars, shake, eggs, Kashi Cereal, Jimmy Dean breakfast bowls Lunch/Dinner - such as Lean Cuisine/Smart One/Healthy Choice - 1/2 sandwich + fruit, 3oz meat + 1/4c produce or whole grain Snacks - 1/4 cup of nuts, shake, south beach bar - any protein supplement Is ok to get fruits/veggies from V8 Basically keep it to less than 10g of sugar per serving as best I can. Hope this helps - obviously this was geared towards me but may help if you are similar.

She didnt give me specific ones but I will grab my sheet from my meeting and post whatever she wrote. I still cant eat a whole one though.

Yes, I have started to eat these. My NUT added them to my approved list about 6 weeks out.

Getting in the calories is killing me - barely hitting 800 a day if ever. I am still losing and now worried it may be too fast! 2 weeks before surgery I was 370, 360 at surgery which was 6/30 and at 305 now. I'm not complaining - finally getting back into my activities full swing - specifically tennis - but after about 1 hr of a serious match, I hit a wall. I just feel the energy drain and things go downhill fast. Sent a note just now to my NUT (with a bounceback she is out of office) wondering if calories for the sack of calories is actually a good thing right now and I should drink a bottle of gatorade during the day or while working out or go grab a slush puppy as I dont have issue with drinking. I thought about eating a Protein bar while playing but its not like everyone will wait 5 -10 minutes between games so I can slowly eat a Protein Bar. So maybe I can snack on it but then of course I have to stop drinking for 30 minutes so the bar can digest. Out sweating and running around is not the time to stop drinking - I feel like I am pushing it with my liquid intake already during a match (trying to drink enough but not blow out my stomach at the same time) So any suggestions? What to do to keep from hitting a wall - more dense calories earlier in day and just force it in if I have to? Here in Atlanta, tennis is a pretty competitive thing and especially in our neighborhood where we have 12 cts so taking it lightly isnt a real option

wow, 9 days of clear liquids post surgery? Did anyone else get this strict a plan? I was on regular protein shakes within 3 days of surgery. I think I would be dying if I was still clear 9 days post op!!! I would jump on a protein shake with milk soon and get into the mushies. I just cant imagine why you would have to endure this for so long if you get a standard sleeve like everyone. That's one mean doc!!!

Dont worry - you are in the 3rd week stall. We have all been there - check around on the posts. It eventually let's up. Just keep following the plan and start exercising as much as you can which includes walking. At 4 weeks out, I started back playing tennis lightly and now at 6 weeks out I can get more aggressive at exercise. Hitting the Y up today to start a program and use their indoor pool for laps

I think every case is individual and I would point to genetics. When I was in my 20s I started to struggle with weight having had it as a minor issue previously but was so active, I kept it under control. But like my father, when I hit 30 and things started to slow down activity wise - the weight exploded. Seems this is all throughout my family. So if I had a lifelong issue of obesity and I saw my family genetically with the issue, then I would have done it. But if I could overcome on my own in the past and I didnt have genetics in front of me as I do, then I would have kept trying on my own. I just did it at 40 and maybe wish I had done it at 35 now but I dont think I would have been ready then as it was not an 'issue' long enough to be mentally prepared. Unfortunately I really am like Cartman on South Park as he screams - I'm not fat I'm just big boned! Apparently my natural frame is large (ex lineman in HS) so even my NUT says I probably wont ever get below 220 (6 ft tall) and she feels 230-245 range would be very successful for me.

oops - just saw your calories. yea, everyone is different but NUT told me I should be have at least 800 calories a day at this point and pushing to get to 1000 so it does seem your calories are low

Not sure if you have a nutritionist or not but one helps. Goal should be to get your calories in - in a healthy way - and keep your Protein up. Weight coming off is going to fluctuate at times- some stalls, some losses. Key is to focus on healthy eating and exercise and use your new 'tool' - its hard but dont focus so much on weight. That was pretty much the word I got from my nutritionist yesterday. Even got into trouble for not eating enough calories so she added Snacks in with my meals as I am getting 3/4 cups max per meal.

My doc said 4 weeks. Even at 4 weeks, I could tell I wasnt fully healed so I took it slow. Nothing in particular but when I ran or twisted, you could just tell that it wasnt quite 100% so I took it easy but played. At 6 weeks now, I dont even notice I had surgery.

WOW!!. I will be honest - I was not put on a preop diet except for after midnight the day before surgery. I even went out and had a large plate of Pasta that Monday night (Wed AM surgery). I read the boards that Tues and really got scared with all the stories of 2 week pre op diets and liver size. I asked my doc the morning of surgery do we need to delay and he said it was no big deal. Guess what I am saying is go with what your surgeon says but if you slip - its not the end of the world.

a guy's prespective - if you are worried he wont support you or leave you, then he isnt worth it!!!! If you want to be happy, then you should be with someone that you TRUST!! So you need to either get to that point with him which means you need to be independent and move forward with what you want or find someone else. You are guaranteed to have your weight issues for the rest of your life so if you can help that now - do it!!!

I know I am going to get flamed for this but it really didnt sound out of the ordinary for a doctor to say such things. I dont want my doc mollycoddling me. He should be direct and when I am not meeting my health needs he SHOULD step in. If he doesnt, who will? I wish you the best of luck. This is a struggle and I know it all too well. But, before I had this surgery, and I am only a month out, I did the 6 mths 'diet' with dr supervision. Yea, the doc asked/said these same things to me and the answer was , yea, I am cheating and screwing around. That's why I need this surgery. I cant do it in my own. If you cant be honest with your situation and not doing as the doc says, then it wont work. I didnt do the band specifically because I knew I could cheat it. You have to have the mindset that this is life altering surgery that you cant go back on. If I ever get back up to my original weight, I hope I have a doctor like yours that will slap my in the head. Only by having this surgery, have I finally focused on eating just to get nutrients in and avoiding comfort food. I could load up on ice cream but now I know if I eat that ice cream, I wont be getting my Protein in for the day. And, if I eat that ice cream I will gain weight. Before, wouldnt have cared as I could eat something else later. I would focus less on how he says things, more on what he says, and verify he is a great surgeon. Because if you get this surgery, its his skills you are paying for, not his bedside manner. Maybe you have options but I would want the meanest surgeon around if he was the most skillful before a sweet nice bedside manner that I found out was just an ok surgeon. You wont see your surgeon much more afterwards!

I was told that it would stretch but that the portion of the stomach left is thicker or less pliable than what was removed and therefore the amount it will stretch is very limited. Also, there is the swelling and healing that takes place

Honestly, went from a couple a day, to one every couple of days

I dont have Kaiser but that would be a strange reason to be denied. One of the reasons for getting surgery is to reduce/get rid of your co-morbidities.

Ditto!! Plan two weeks to be safe. By end of week 1 you will probably think you could go into work but, unless your work allows naps, you will be feeling very tired by midafternoon. Give it 2 weeks to get your body accustomed to new energy levels.

great - just finishing week 3 and heading into week 4. depressing news :001_rolleyes: I have seen the slump in weight loss - even gained a couple of pounds back which everyone can agree seems unbelievable compared to what was eaten before vs now. But I know its the body adjusting and things will kick back in again. so far no fatigue for me but next week will be my big week (after Wed) when I am released back into the wild - no restrictions on activities.