Eddie Giddens (MsDad)

Welcome to the 6th, Sleeve Sistah!!

Hey, not everybody in here is a lady... LOL! My 30th is coming up next year and I plan on making some folks talk too!

Haven't tried this recipe yet, but you could probably substitute crushed pork rinds for the crackers and drop the carbs to virtually zero. Plus the pork rinds would add a slight bacony flavor, perfect for a breakfast casserole. Either way, this sounds yummy and I'm going to try it when I get to that stage. Thanks for sharing!

Ok guys, I'm pretty much a newbie to the website, only joined a few weeks ago. I got my surgery date last week. It's September 6th, three weeks from today. I gotta admit, I'm getting nervous. I had Lap Band surgery four years ago (it failed, miserably) so this is a revision. It's the fact that they'll be cutting out 90% of my stomach that's freaking me out. Yeah, I know that's what I signed up for, it's just the procedure itself that's making me nervous. I had a client who had bypass surgery a few years back and when they went to make the connections her stomach/intestinal tissue was so fragile they could barely reconnect. She had tons of problems with leaks and almost died. So while my logical mind tells me that was a very freak event, my emotions are playing hell with me. I could really use some encouraging words from some of you guys who have been through this. Thanks!

Hi Choripan! I'm still pre-op myself so I can't answer any of your questions, I just wanted to welcome you to the group! I've found this to be the friendliest group of folks on the entire forum, so you definitely came to the right place! Oh, just for the record, I'm a huge grammar queen so you'll be happy to know I only noticed one typo! Again, WELCOME!!

My surgery date is 9/6 so I technically don't have to start my pre-op diet until the 23rd of this month. However, I was hoping for an earlier date so I went ahead and started it. With the exception of two "cheat" meals when I found out my surgery date was so far off, I've been keeping my carbs below 15-20 grams per day. I've lost 18.6 pounds so far (in three weeks). It can get boring, but make friends with eggs and microwave bacon (drains most of the fat) for breakfast, tuna packed in Water with sparing amounts of regular (not low fat, has extra carbs) mayo, salad with cheese and carb free meats, boiled eggs and cucumbers (no carrots or tomatoes, again, carbs) and lean meats and fish. If you need something to eat your tuna "salad" on/with, get some pork rinds. ZERO carbs. Be sparing with even green veggies (green Beans, asparagus, etc) - just because they're not starchy veggies, everyone thinks they're low carb. They are lowER carb, but just watch them closely. One that snuck up on me was Brussels sprouts - 1 gram of carbs per sprout! My favorite veggie off the list for now. Like salmon? I have a recipe for a teriyaki glaze that's almost completely carb-free. PM me and I'll give it to you. It would be great on pork or chicken too! Is pre-op easy? No. Is it fun? No Is it boring? Can be unless you get creative and think out of the box. The most important thing is to get those carbs out of your system and drop some weight to shrink your liver to make for a smoother surgery.

I got a letter from my insurance company saying they were only approving me for one night. But I have a feeling with my medical history (diabetes, sleep apnea, history of strokes) my surgeon will put in for an extra night or two...

Congrats on your surgery date Mim! I'm a band to sleeve revision as well, with my date looming on 9/6. I have been lucky that the only problem I've had with my band is just that it failed. My surgeon told me at my last appointment that they're finding up to 40-50% of bands are failing so at least I know now it wasn't just me. Feel free to check in any time you'd like with questions as I'll be about a month ahead of you. I can keep you in the loop as to what to expect.

Thanks razrbakcrzy! That makes me feel a little better. Now if I could just get my damn emotions under control...

Thanks Maraki! It's great to be here! You guys have made me feel very comfortable already...

Thanks Gatorman! That definitely helps.

Thanks for the welcome Gatorman! I see you're down 93 pounds - very impressive! When were you sleeved? Did you have yours done at St Lukes? I had my band done at Memorial, as well as having worked there several years ago so the St Lukes thing is going to be completely new to me. I have no idea what to expect. So I'll gladly take any insight you'd be willing to share, both for the hospital and what to expect post-op. Thanks!

Dr. Webb is awesome! He's not your typical doctor. He's just a good old boy from Kentucky that drove the same old Ford Ranger pickup for years until his kids finally convinced him it was time for a new truck a few years back (he did my Lap Band surgery four years ago so I've known him for quite a while). As a surgeon, I can't imagine any better. This will be the second time I've trusted him with my life. I don't know anything about Dr, Marema, but I can tell you that I had a very bad experience at Flagler Hospital last year. If you want to know details, feel free to send me a private message and I'll fill you in.

I'll definitely keep you posted. I'll have my laptop in the hospital. I'm hopefully assuming I'll feel like using it! I'll definitely stay in touch after I get home.

LOL! While my mother would have loved the quote, Edina is actually Patsy's BFF from Absolutely Fabulous and it's her mother replying. Gotta love Ab Fab! Thanks for the warm welcome guys! I have found my home on the forum! Floridians ROCK!!

Hi fellow Floridians. I'm hoping for a friendlier response than what I've gotten in other rooms thus far (um, no response ). My name is Eddie. I live in Jacksonville and am going in for a Band to Sleeve revision on 9/6 with Dr. Webb from N FL Surgeons. Even though I've already been through the band surgery, I've gotta admit I'm a little nervous about this one. Would really love to hear from some of you who have been through this already..

New here and waiting for a surgery date but yep, I'm as Gay as a football bat!

My name is Eddie. I'm 47 years old from Jacksonville, FL. I had unsucessful Lap-Band four years ago. My husband, however, is the poster child for Lap-Band, having lost all his weight in nine months and keeping it off for four plus years. Anyway, a year ago I had three strokes due to a vertebral artery dissection. Since then, I have gained an additional 50 pounds above what my Band allowed me to regain. I now tip the scales at a whopping 307 pounds, my highest weight ever. My primary care physician, endocrinologist, neurologist and surgeon are all on board with a revision of my band to either RNY or VSG. The reason I joined this forum is because I am strongly leaning toward VSG (at the recommendation of my surgeon) and would like all the input I can get. After one failed surgery, I want to make sure I'm making the best choice this time. So please, hit me with all the facts and experiences you can! And may I say it's certainly a plus to find fellow LGBT folks on here!!

Woo hoo! I'm down 13 pounds! I don't have a date yet, but I've been on pre-op diet for a week in the hopes that after I complete all my pre-op stuff this week they'll schedule me for next week. I will have been on the diet for the required two weeks and after all, how can they resist a face like mine?!?

My name is Eddie. I'm 47 years old from Jacksonville, FL. I had unsucessful Lap-Band four years ago. A year ago I had three strokes due to a vertebral artery dissection. Since then, I have gained an additional 50 pounds above what my Band allowed me to regain. I now tip the scales at a whopping 307 pounds, my highest weight ever. My primary care physician, endocrinologist, neurologist and surgeon are all on board with a revision of my band to either RNY or VSG. The reason I joined this forum is because I am strongly leaning toward VSG (at the recommendation of my surgeon) and would like all the input I can get. After one failed surgery, I want to make sure I'm making the best choice this time. So please, hit me with all the facts and experiences you can!

Thanks to all for the quick responses! Dr. Webb at N FL Surgeons did my Lap Band and will be doing this surgery as well. He also did my husband's Band a few months before mine (yeah, I'm a husband with a husband). He's the Lap Band Poster Child. He lost all his weight in nine months and has kept it off for four+ years while mine failed miserably. So this is my second and probably last chance to lose the weight. That's why I so desperately want to make the right decision.