genepha

Hi, I was banded in 2001 at Cedars-Sinai. I was a slow but consistent loser and ended up losing about 110 pounds with the band (from 289 to about 176ish). I always had difficulty with fills though because my port flipped almost immediately. I would sometimes go through being poked 10-15 times before getting a fill. When I became pregnant with our first child, I had horrendous morning (all-day) sickness and ended up losing about 20 pounds the first 7 months of pregnancy. I had a complete unfill due to this also. I became pregnant again when our son was about 16 months old and ended up on bed rest for 5 months with our daughter. Another complete unfill plus pregnancy cravings and bed rest were not a good mix! I gained most of my weight back during my 2 pregnancies and beginnings of motherhood. After having 2 babies I was ready to be filled again but I had a tremendously difficult time getting a fill due to the flipped port. I guess my pregnancies and 2 c-sections cause the port to move even more and fills were nearly impossible. About a year and half ago I saw my doctor for a fill and was told that I had reflux and my esophagus was dilated. I had another complete unfill and was told to wait 6 months. When I returned 6 months later, I was back up to about 250 pounds and my doctor started discussing other options. I have also been diagnosed with severe anemia and ended up in the hospital with it so RNY wasn't an option. I started looking into the EndoBarrier and the balloon. I also researched the sleeve. My doctor at Cedars doesn't particularly like the sleeve mainly due to the risks of leaks, especially with people who've already had the band. He likes the EndoBarrier but it is a short term solution and wasn't looking for that. After researching for about a month I stumbled upon the plication. I have lots of experience with Drs. Ortiz and Corvala because I would go to them for fills so I was going to go with one of them. Luckily, during my research I had sent out about 100 emails to doctors closer to me and I found Dr. Billy. Dr. Billy is in Ventura, CA and I live in Orange County - about 2 hours away. I was set to go to SLC, Cincinnati or Tijuana so I could have the plication but I was lucky to find Dr. Billy. I believe Dr. Waldrep has worked with Dr. Billy as well. Life with the band for me was pretty good the first 3-4 years with the exception of the fills. I did have issues with vomiting and I could never eat real food until about noon but could eat larger quantities at night. I also hated the tight feeling in my chest. With the plication I have not vomited once and the full or satisfied feeling happens in my stomach like before the band, not in my chest. My weight loss is also a lot better (so far) with the plication. I expect that I'll be a slow loser but for me, long term results are more important. My post-op experience was about the same. I felt like I had done thousands of sit-ups and was pretty sore for a good 2 weeks. Dr. Billy used some of my old incisions so I only ended up with 2 small new scars. My surgery was a bit different than yours because my old band was removed and replaced and the plication was done all at the same time. Apparently, some doctors are beginning to study the effectiveness of plication with the band as a back up. So far I have no inclination to use my band and plan on leaving it completely unfilled but it's nice to know it's there - just in case.

I took the kiddos (2 y.o. and 4 y.o.) to the park as DH has been sicky-sick in bed with the stomach flu. It was nice to play with them as it was the first time I've taken them to the park alone since my surgery. I played soccer for a bit with my son but am still limited as my dr. doesn't want me to pick up anything more than 10-15 lbs. and my daughter weighs around 30. I wanted to walk the track but the kiddos had other ideas about swings and building sand castles so, no track for me. After about an hour or so the kiddos started asking for McDonalds. They only get McDs once in awhile and it's always after the park. We have one of those fancy McDs that has an indoor playground and it was a bit warm today so we went there. I don't eat much red meat and haven't eaten a hamburger in like 20 years so I wasn't going to order one of those. I decided to order a grilled chicken caesar salad. I know it has about 400 calories with chicken,croutons and dressing so it's a pretty safe bet. I halved the salad and cut up all the chicken that I was going to eat - about 3 slices. I did use some of the caesar dressing and had about 4 croutons. Pre-surgery I could easily eat the entire salad plus a couple of left over chicken nuggets, a few of my kid's fries and apples, at least 1 large drink and probably a sundae. Today I ate the 3 slices of chicken along with a few leaves of the dark green lettuce. I chewed and chewed and actually counted my chews as I'm not really *supposed* to eat lettuce yet. It was so freakin' awesome!! I was full, I was actually a bit overfull - I think I took 1 bite too many. I walked around a bit and had a couple of sips of my Propel and I felt better. The experience was great because I was able to go to a fast food place with my kids and enjoy a bit of food, and a bit of play time. I wasn't obsessed with eating all the food in sight. I took the salad home and ate more of it for a snack and then finished the chicken for dinner. I probably left about 80% of the lettuce, all the tomatoes (can't have those for a while yet) and ate the chicken, the cheese and most of the dressing. Next time I order the salad I'm going to switch the dressing for their Balsamic Vinaigrette because it has 40 calories compared to the caesar dressing which has 190!!

Yeah!! Congrats and have a safe journey. Please KUP as to your progress.

Yeah!! congrats!

omg Olivia - I feel so much better after reading your post. Even though I know that weight loss won't be a non-stop event and that some stalls are normal, I am starting to feel bummed about not losing my goal for month 1. I wanted to lose about 25-27 pounds and I've been stuck at 23, although I still have 2 days to go! I've had about 650 calories today and I was really talking negatively to myself about eating too much today. I plan on having about 300 calories for dinner and snack so that fits in well with 1000 calories per day. I've also increased my exercise and have been walking, doing yoga, hip-hop, etc. every day this week and yet I'm stuck at -23. Grrr! Oh well, my body will release the pounds when it's ready! p.s. -23 is about what I lost in the first 3 months after having the lapband....talk about frustrating!!!!

Jodie, I wish I could help but I am also in the midst of a plateau. I expected it to happen when I went from full liquids to mushies. I've lost 23 pounds since my surgery, almost 4 weeks ago. I lost 20 pounds quickly but have really struggled with these last 3 pounds. I've gained a pound or two back, then lost it, then found it, then lost it again. Jeez, it's annoying! I'm hoping it's just the usual 3 week stall that so many people experience. I have increased my exercise level and I am making sure that I'm getting my protein in first, then any carbs. Unfortunately, at this stage I can't eat fruits or too many vegetables yet, although I did have a tiny bit of lettuce today. I think your body is just in shock and is trying to hang on to every calorie it can find. My body usually holds on to calories for about 4-5 days and then I lose weight for 2 days then back to holding on. I'm sure I have messed my metabolism up from all the dieting and losing and gaining weight over the past 20 years. Maybe it's time to try a different activity - like bike riding or yoga, that might jolt your body into letting go of some weight! Good luck!

Wow! You look fantastic. Can't wait until I'm a size 16 again. I totally agree with you about being a size 10-12, the perfect size IMO!

Olivia, I can't help you in this department as I've had endometrial ablation so I don't have a period anymore. Hope you find out soon what's causing this to happen.

I guess no one can really answer this unless they've had both procedures. I have had 2 WL surgeries; lapband and gastric plication. My restriction with plication is very good and quite different than with the band. I noticed it yesterday when I was eating chicken, I felt full in my stomach, not my chest. I used to get horrible, sharp pains in my chest and throat if I ate too much with the band. It is a huge relief to NOT experience that kind of reaction to eating. I also do not have any reflux, which was a big problem for me with the band. Acid reflux was actually a big concern for me and Dr. Billy before I had the plication as I experienced so much reflux with the band. I have been on Pepcid since the day of my surgery and I'm sure this has helped. I think I'm doing great with the plication but as "they" say WLS, any WLS is a tool. I have to do my part to make any surgery work. I exercise daily and eat "right" most of the time but you have to be confident in your decision. I think everyone who had plication considered VSG, I know I did, however, I just couldn't get over the idea of 85% of my stomach being removed. If plication didn't exist I would have most likely done the sleeve if I could have gotten over that idea. I also spoke with 2 different doctors who do not like the sleeve and feel there is too much risk associated with the cutting of the stomach so that made me nervous. I chose the surgery that was best for me at the time, that may change later but right now I'm very happy with the plication and I've lost 23 pounds in a little over 3 weeks! genepha

At 3 weeks (+ 1 day) I am able to start soft meats. I was allowed to add potatoes at Day 10 along with cheese, Peanut Butter, bananas, some crackers (graham, low fat Ritz), Beans, hummus, oatmeal, cottage cheese, etc. After day 21 I was allowed to add moist meats. I have started with chicken. I haven't eaten red meat in any large quantity in about 20 years but have started to eat tiny bites of it if it is in chili. I prefer ground turkey meat anyway but haven't tried it yet. This morning I had about 1/3 of a pre-made GNC Protein shake (about 55 calories). I am including a picture of my (leftovers) dinner tonight before I ate it and after. I had a business meeting today at macaroni Grill and ordered Skinny Chicken (330 calories) with roasted veg: potatoes, tomatoes, mushrooms (300 calories). I wanted to order off of the Kid's Menu as they have grilled chicken and broccoli (which I can't eat yet) because it was more appropriately sized but felt weird doing that during a business meeting. I switched out the Pasta for the veg. I don't think it saved calories but pasta isn't allowed yet. For lunch, I ate about 1/3 of the chicken and about 2 small potatoes and 2 bites of halved grape tomatoes. I ate a little less than 1/3 of the food for dinner tonight. I'm satisfied, not stuffed. I hope this helps those of you that have recently had plication and for those of you considering it. There's not a lot of information out there so when I was researching it would've been nice to see an example of someone's daily food intake. take care, genepha

Wow! Congratulations!! Thanks for sharing your story. You have done fantastic. genepha gastric plication 2-7-11

Hmm well I started taking pepcid (a ppi) since I came home. No antibiotics though.

I had my surgery 3 weeks ago today. My starting weight was 281 but I gained 2 pounds in the hospital so my official starting weight was 283. My weight today is 261. I've lost 22 pounds in 3 weeks. I actually lost 20 pounds the first 10 days then when I went onto mushies I stalled. I actually gained 1-2 pounds, then lost them again, then found them again, etc. I expected that to happen so I wasn't too worried. I also wasn't allowed by my dr. to do any formal exercise so I just increased my walking. I've been walking about 1 mile 3 times per week. I started slowly back at the gym on Friday (2-25). I did 10 minutes on the recumbent bike, 10 minutes on the elliptical and 10 minutes on the treadmill. I burned around 250 calories so overall, not a bad workout to start. I am going back to the gym today and plan on increasing my time on the elliptical to about 12 minutes but keep everything else the same. I'm trying not to rush it and get hurt. I injured myself pretty badly about a year and a half ago (I tore my achilles) by trying to do too much, too soon so I'm taking it slowly and easily this time around. I'm very happy with my progress so far. I have my 1 month check-up on March 8 and I'd like to be down at least 25 pounds (which is 20% EWL for me) but we'll see. My goal is to lose around 75-85 more pounds. With the band the lowest weight I got to was around 176ish. My hubby thought I was too thin at that weight but I remember being pretty comfortable in my own body. I believe I was around a size 12 at that weight so I'd be pretty content near that weight plus I have a whole box full of cute size 12 and 14 stuff waiting for me!! take care, genepha First Major Goal: 199 Goal weight: around 170-180

Yeah I think I'd be happy right now with anything that starts with a 1!!

Thanks everybody! So happy to be on the other side of the surgery. I am confident that I will make my goal with the plication. Olivia - You are doing great!! 15 lbs. is amazing. Lmom - Yup I agree! I feel much better at a size 10-12, to me that's a perfect size. (Plus my husband prefers me *chubby*) My reasoning for WLS was to get healthier, more active and to be able to do things with my kids that I couldn't do. When is your surgery??

I'm attaching a scan of the recommended list of foods for the mushy stage. Mushies for me started on Day 10 and continue through Day 20. At 3 weeks I can start adding moist protein, especially fish (which I can't eat due to allergies) and ground meats, especially turkey and chicken.

Olivia The broth from the Wonton soup is a liquid. I'm sure the wontons were soft but better to stay away from the doughy, pasta-y stuff right now. I'm eating soups, mashed potatoes, yogurt, pudding and I tried a tiny bit of an egg, so far I haven't had a problem with anything. I wouldn't advise against following your doctor's orders but it is strange how every doctor is different. Remember I had the band for 10 years and there was a point when I had to decide what was best for myself. I had to stop following protocol because it wasn't working for me. There is no one size fits all advice. Maybe call Dr Ortiz's office and see if u can start with drinkable yogurt or runny pudding??

Day 10-20 Soft/Smooth Food 64 oz. of fluid 60 g. of protein

Water, popsicles, jello, crystal lite, broth from caldo de pollo (chicken soup), Isopure 2-3 oz at a time. I highly recommend Isopure because it's a protein drink (like a punch) and has 40 g of protein in 20 oz. I buy mine at GNC but I think u can buy it over the internet also.

Olivia, You should go out and buy some Prilosec. You can get it at any supermarket or Target. It seems that most everyone who has had sleeve or plication is taking a PPI, at least for the first month. My dr. recommends 2 per day for the first 4 weeks. When I don't take it, I definitely notice a difference in my "hunger" pains.

Olivia, 12 pounds is great!!! Hummus is actually a great choice so I wouldn't worry too much about it. Liquids are hard! I was allowed to start mushies on day 10 but had to start 1 day early cause I got stuck with no liquids when my car broke down and I was fine. I just chewed and chewed and probably only ate about 1.5 oz. of chili. Are you taking a PPI like prilosec or pepcid? That seems to help with acid but my tummy still makes a lot of noise and seems very "active"!

This is a repost from the plication board but I thought it might help people here too! So far I've tried about 10 different types. I've decided the best ones are the ones that I make myself in the blender. However, I will be returning to work soon and that is just not an option for me in the morning because 1) I don't have time and 2) I can't use the blender in the morning because it will wake up my children. So I've decided to try the pre-made Protein shakes. I'm not a big fan of milk, even soy milk so I can't say that I love the milk based ones but here are the ones that haven't made me hurl so far: 1. GNC Total Lean - Lean shake in Swiss chocolate, 14 oz. 25 grams of protein, 170 calories, 24 Vitamins and minerals, lactose free, 6 grams of Carbs (3g are dietary Fiber and 2 g are sugar), 6 g of fat (1.5 g saturated, 0 g trans fat). Decent taste, I liked it better cold. Even though it's lactose free it still has kind of a milky taste because it has diafiltered skim milk (It just means they remove the carbohydrates). Comes in a nice, plastic easy to carry-with-you bottle. Overall I'd give it a 9 out of 10. 2. GNC Total Lean - Lean Shake in vanilla, 14 oz. Basically all the same stuff as the chocolate but I didn't like the taste as well. I would use this one as a base to blend stuff fruit with later on. It would be good blended with ice, blueberries and strawberries and then I'd have 2 smoothies. Yum! 7 out of 10 straight outta the bottle. 3. Isopure Zero Carb, 20 oz. - Alpine Punch 40 grams of protein, 160 calories, 0 carbs, 0 sugar I like this one because it's a clear liquid, not milk based. It's more like a punch. It's not very sweet and takes some getting used to. I like to have it in my car or in my purse BUT the major drawback is it comes in a GLASS bottle. The glass bottle is soooo inconvenient and heavy. Grrr! To make transporting it easier, I poured it into a Water bottle and refrigerated it. Isopure needs to make it in a plastic bottle and it'd be a winner! I give it 8 out of 10. Losing 1 point for flavor and 1 point for the stupid bottle. 4. Kirkland brand weight loss shake, Milk Chocolate, 11 oz. 10 grams of protein, 230 calories, 44 g of carbs, 2 g of fat (0.5 saturated fat, 0 g transfat), 24 vitamins and minerals I put this one on the bottom because it really is the worst one for carbs and protein, however, I think this one is the tastiest, probably due to all the sugar in it!! The ingredients list starts with Skim Milk, Water, Sugar, Cocoa, Corn Syrup - Yikes!!! My husband bought these for me the first week after my surgery because I couldn't go shopping myself so now they are just sitting in my kitchen. I'll take them with me to work and throw a few in my car and have them as back up but most likely will not use them. I give it 4 out of 10 due to the high carbs and sugar. 5. Medifast Dutch Chocolate Shake- 14 grams of protein, 13 g of carbs (4 g dietary fiber, 9 g sugar) 110 calories, 1 g fat These aren't really pre-made but I can make them in a shaker instead of a blender so they'll count. They taste pretty good when blended or mixed with ice. There aren't big clumps even when using the hand shaker. But they are not pre-made. I give it 6 out of 10 for the relatively low protein and high carb ratio and inconvenience of having to blend myself. I think costco has the Premier Protein Shakes which are supposed to be pretty good and have like 30 g of protein. When I feel up to it, I'm gonna head over there and buy some of those. I'll report back later in the week. genepha

Hi Melanie, Remember this is my second WLS. I had the lapband for almost 10 years so I have lots of experience with NUTs and food requirements and eating plans, etc. However, this is my first plication so I'm still learning too! My dr. gave me a folder with all kinds of great info including an eating plan. I also went to a pre-op class and a post-op class. I thought they were going to be a waste of my time, but I actually learned a few things so I'm glad I went. My experience with the band was very different than my plication experience. When I was first banded I experienced lots of hunger, almost immediately after surgery which freaked me out. So far, I've had more of an "empty" feeling, not really hunger. I do take a PPI twice daily and I think that's helping. Head hunger is still a problem. Luckily for me, my hubby is dieting right now and that is really helping me!! He wants to lose like 30 pounds which he will do by April as we have a big convention to go to in Las Vegas!! He's not really overweight and his weight fluctuates but not more than 10-25ish pounds. He is the heaviest he's been because he was trying to keep up with me before my surgery!!! I can send you what my surgeon recommends at this stage if you'd like. It's basically 60-80 grams of protein, 64 oz. of Fluid, eat protein first, seafood, and moist poultry are allowed at 3 weeks. Rice, vegetables and fruits aren't recommended until 12 weeks after surgery. Hope this helps! genepha

Melanie I'm not 10 days out. I was just saying that I started mushies at 10 days out. I don't eat much "solid" food yet so I think that's why I'm able to eat about 2-3 oz at a time. I'm supposed to eat every 2-3 hours which feels like I'm eating all the time! I'm not allowed to eat rice until like 4 months out as it really expands in the tummy. I just started eating a graham cracker and peanut butter and find it pretty thick still. I chew and chew it but it is a great snack!

sorry - double post