genepha

Hi Shaundra, Yeah for full-liquids!! Yeah I had plication on Feb. 7 so I'm 9 days out. I haven't weighed myself because I was getting a bit obsessed with the scale. Plus I figured when I went to full liquids and then mushies I would stop losing for a bit so I didn't wanna over emphasize the scale I'm not supposed to start mushies till tomorrow but I did really good with 2-3 oz of chili! I'm going to the dr for my follow-up on Friday so I'll weigh then. I'm anxious to see the 250s so I'm gonna increase my activity level a bit as I start to heal. How are you feeling physically??

Unjury protein powder unflavored and chicken soup are definite lifesavers! I mix the unflavored with crystal light, I get my water and protein. I also mix the unflavored or the chicken flavored with the broth from caldo de pollo (chicken soup).

Shaundra, Not sure if you are referring to me as I've lost 16 pounds since my surgery last week. I actually gained 2 pounds in the hospital also! It can be depressing and upsetting. I was super swollen and bloated. I felt icky and I was bummed that I had to lose 2 more pounds on top of the 100 I want to lose! Grrrr! I'm figuring a lot of that 16 is Water weight from the I.V. fluids. I'm sure it will slow down once I get to mushies. I have 2 little kids at home so I don't have much of a chance to rest and probably am up chasing them around more than I should be so that might account for some of the weight loss too. I am following a little stricter diet than most because I was my doctor's first plication patient. I've also been on a liquid diet and I've been walking everyday (not much though). I'm sorry you're experiencing this but it's our bodies way of healing. Your body is in shock from what it just went through. Give it time. I know it's hard not to compare yourself because I totally do it too but it is unfair to yourself. take care, genepha

Today is my official 1 week. My starting weight: 283 Today's weight: 267 Lost so far: 16 pounds So when I see the numbers I wanna check my math and make sure it really is 16 pounds in 1 week. That seems crazy! I can't believe it's only been 1 week. It kinda seems like a lot longer!! I think the liquid diet does that! I am excited to start the next phase - mushies. I have eaten out twice this week, once yesterday and once today. Both times were at Mexican restaurants and I was able to order soup. I ordered Caldo de Res (Beef/veg stew) and Caldo de Pollo (chicken/veg stew). I ate the broth. I also had a couple teeny-tiny bites of the egg part of a chili relleno. I mixed some of the broth with a little bit of refried beans and turned it into a kind of bean soup. I had maybe 2-3 small bites of that. I also drank some iced tea which I forgot I'm not supposed to drink while eating. I was enjoying my family and friends and kinda forgot about that rule! I was actually surprised today that I lost 1 pound considering I ate out but I am not really eating much and I have been walking everyday. I'm probably only walking about 1/4 of a mile or less but it feels like 10 miles sometimes!!! I see Dr. Billy on Friday for an upper GI (ick!), a post-op class (boring!) and a follow-up with him. Looking forward to seeing him and weighing in on their fancy-shmancy scale that does BMI and figures out how much of my body is fat and how much is muscle. Hoping the numbers are better than pre-op. Jenn

Wow congrats!! You guys will all be there around the same time. That's great! I was only in the hospital for 1 night and was able to come home the next day so I wouldn't have seen many people. But I think Dr. Ortiz has you stay quite a bit longer, right?? Bring: Chapstick Slippers Robe (if u want) Laptop Magazines/Books (I didn't read 1 single word!) Special pillow Gas-X strips Glasses if you wear them Super comfy, loose elastic waist pants I also brought a loose sports bra that you can get at WalMart http://www.walmart.com/ip/Fruit-of-the-Loom-Womens-3-Pk-Tank-Style-Sport-Bra/13997009 I was super bloated from all the I.V. fluids so even my back felt puffy when I put on my bra so I was happy I had the other kind. Good luck and keep us updated!! You'll be fine! genepha

I didn't have my surgery in Mexico but I travel frequently to TJ and have used my cell phone if I needed to. It's better to buy a phone card and use a pay phone, don't forget to dial the US code. Or give your family the # and have them call. Another option is to go to the "phone store" and have them call for you - it's costs like .50 a minute.

This is a bit of a repost from my blog: We met some friends at a phenomenal Mexican restaurant with a huge menu. The smells were amazing and I admit, for a moment, I was bummed I couldn't devour my usual basket of tortilla chips, salsa, 3-4 tortillas, 3-4 drinks plus my entree. I am supposed to be mainly on liquids until tomorrow so I ordered Caldo de Res, a vegetable/beef stew with broth. We were there with friends and 1 of my good friends knows I had the band and that I was planning on having plication. She was pretty amazed at how I was able to get around relatively well, considering. Anyway I really enjoyed sitting with friends and my family, enjoying their company. I sipped my broth and didn't feel weird or excluded or anything. I did take a bite or two of some super mashed, refried Beans and a bite of the egg off a chili relleno, which were out-of-this-world!!! Other than that, I was pretty much on track. url=http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wuVsfBP/] [/url]

Please, please make sure you have someone to look after your little ones for the first 3 or 4 days. We have a nanny and I came home on Tuesday night so she was here Wed, Thurs and Fri during the day to help me. I couldn't have done it witout her because my DH went back to work. Plus I'm not supposed to lift them which is always hard. My kids are 2 and 4. How old are yours?

I guess I counted Monday, the day of surgery as Day 1 but really that should've been Day 0. Anyway - I weighed this morning at 268! I've lost 15 pounds in the first 6 days. I am still on liquids so I am attributing this to water weight and just the shock of my body going through the surgery. It makes me really wonder what the hell was I eating and how much was I really eating before surgery?! jeeeez. I admit that I am a restaurant lover. If I could, I would eat every meal out. I actually like cooking but hate the shopping, preparation and clean-up. If I could be a t.v. cook and have everyone do all of those other things for me I'd be sooo happy!! I could sweep in and prepare a fantastic, healthy meal for me and my family and walk out of the kitchen with the first bite! Ah if only! Anyway, I'm guessing that a lot of my recent weight gain came from 1. Not exercising 2. Eating out at restaurants or fast food places at least 5-6 times a week 3. Eating snacks late at night So because of this I'm trying to change those 3 things. The late night snacking I've gotten under control but that is mainly because it takes sooo little to fill me up. If I eat dinner around 6 or 7 pm I will usually have a sugar-free jello or pudding or popsicle around 9 or 10 pm and that's it. I drink water until I go to bed but I really want to learn to tame the night time eating. Today we went out to eat for the first time since my surgery. We were away from home and I had only had some crystal light with protein powder at about 9 am. By 2 pm I was feeling a little light headed. I could feel a teeny tiny bit of hunger but just barely. We met some friends at a phenomenal Mexican restaurant with a huge menu. The smells were amazing and I admit, for a moment, I was bummed I couldn't devour my usual basket of tortilla chips, salsa, 3-4 tortillas, 3-4 drinks plus my entree. I am supposed to be mainly on liquids until tomorrow so I ordered Caldo de Res, a vegetable/beef stew with broth. We were there with friends and 1 of my good friends knows I had the band and that I was planning on having plication. She was pretty amazed at how I was able to get around relatively well, considering. Anyway I really enjoyed sitting with friends and my family, enjoying their company. I sipped my broth and didn't feel weird or excluded or anything. I did take a bite or two of some super mashed, refried beans and a bite of the egg off a chili relleno, which were out-of-this-world!!! Other than that, I was pretty much on track. Everyone left complaining and holding their stomachs and I left pretty full myself but not miserable and stuffed (like usual). I'm so happy that things are going so well. I am still fairly sore and still take pain medicine at night before bed to help me sleep. I am planning on being off of work for another 4 more weeks as I have a very active profession so I'm hoping to fully recover before returning to work and to be able to start an exercise regimen. Take care, Jenn <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wuVsfBP/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wuVsfBP/weight.png"></a>

Olivia, Yup, 6 days today. I had hernia repair in August which was horrible so I think I'm just reacting to this surgery WAAAAY better. I was expecting to be bed ridden for the 1st week. I have 2 small kiddos at home, a husband and a broken washing machine so I'm trying my best to relax and rest, but the world has other ideas! The first 3 days I was pretty much in bed, except for my walks around the house or to my neighbors. I slept quite a bit too the first few days. I feel about 60% today. I think I did too much though and now I'm feeling a bit sore in my tummy. Right now, I'm trying to eat about 2 ounces of pureed chicken tortilla soup. I ate lunch around 1-2 pm and was pretty full until now, about 8 pm. I've made it about 1/4 of the way through the soup and decided to wait a bit longer!! It's kinda crazy (in a good way) but I keep reminding myself my tummy is still pretty swollen.

I just wanted to say 'thanks' to everyone here for sharing their stories. I really appreciate your input, facts and opinions. I was looking for an alternative to the band since it has failed me and I was so happy to find this board. Although I chose the gastric plication, I have not felt belittled or intimidated by anyone for choosing a surgery that I felt was best for me. As some of you know, there are other boards where this can not be said. After seeing what happens on these other boards and how quickly things can go from supportive to down-right scary - it makes me truly appreciate the support I've found here. genepha Lapband replaced, gastric plication 2-7-11

Had my surgery on Monday, Feb. 7 and I finally had a BM today!! I have seen some people who don't have one for 11 or so days so I am so relieved that I didn't have too many problems in that department! I did take Miralax everyday since I came home and just mixed it in with my crystal light. I'm happy and relieved. Aaaah!

Olivia, Your day is fast approaching. Make sure you take gas-x strips and chapstick. My lips were a little chapped from not drinking Water for the whole night and day Oh and slippers and comfy, loose fitting sweats. I wouldn't worry about a robe because I actually bled a bit on my hospital gown so I was glad I didn't have a robe. I have a small incision in my waist which hurt a bit afterwards because I didn't realize it was there, so you may want to ask your doctor where all of your incisions are. keep us posted!!

Starting weight 283 Today's weight 270.5 Still feeling sore, especially on my left side. My stomach muscles hurt and 2 of my incisions are really bothering me. We have 2 small children so we are at home with them today. During the week our nanny comes and helps out which has been a life saver but today it's just me and my hubby. I have to remind myself not to pick up our daughter (2 y.o.) and to be careful bending down. I'm a bit nauseated today. DH made bacon and eggs and the smell is bothering me Opened windows even though it's cold because of the smell. I'm going to make a Medifast protein shake for breakfast. Yesterday I was able to drink about 1/2 of a shake. They have 110 calories, 14 g of protein. Happy with my weightloss. I see Dr. Billy on Friday for an x-ray and then I'll get the all clear for mushies!! take care, genepha <a href="http://www.TickerFactory.com/weight-loss/wuVsfBP/"> <img border="0" src="http://tickers.TickerFactory.com/ezt/t/wuVsfBP/weight.png"></a>

I think I finally figured out the blog so I did post a longer entry in my blog if you can find it! Today is the 5th day since my plication surgery. I've lost 11 pounds as of this morning. My starting weight was 283 Today's weight is 272 My goal for this first month is to lose 20% EWL of 130 pounds. So my goal for month 1 is to lose 26 pounds and I'm almost half way there! yipppeee! I woke up in a bit of internal pain this morning. My husband thinks it's my tummy healing. Still following the liquids only diet. I see my dr. next Friday and after an x-ray of my new tummy, I will get the okay to start mushies. I'm very happy with the liquid diet though as I know once I start on mushies the weight loss will slow significantly. I want to make the most of this first month and lose as much as I can. When I was banded I really struggled with the liquids only diet, but I am not having the same problem with the plication. food right now actually is pretty unappealing to me which actually surprised me. I thought I would have a harder time of it, like I did with the band. So I'm happy for that! I'm off to walk around my neighborhood. Take care, genepha

underneath the name is a picture of a book, if you move your mouse over it - it says view blog - just click on it. (I just figured this out myself)

Olivia, Thanks! I'm actually quite surprised at how well I'm handling the liquid phase. Who knows? Maybe tomorrow it'll all fall apart but for now, I feel strong and in control. DH brought home a huge chorizo burrito for lunch today and it just grossed me outso I was happy to know that food that was once appealing - just isn't right now. I'm sure one day that'll change but for now I'm very grateful! Willpower has never been my strong suit so I'm really hoping that my new tummy will help me out! genepha

Day 5 - Feb. 11, 2011 Starting weight: 283 Current weight: 272 Mini Goal: 250 Goal: 199 Dream Goal: 150-165ish I woke up in a bit more pain today. I am having internal pain, my husband said it must be my stomach healing from the inside. So I took some pain medication and laid back down. I slept another 2 hours and when I woke up I felt slightly better. I have been sipping water whenever I’m awake. For breakfast this morning I mixed 2 oz. of water with 2 oz. of cran-grape juice and mixed in some unflavored protein powder. I’m still sipping it after about 30 minutes. I think I can drink faster and bigger sips but I’m afraid to. After having the band, I learned that if I take too big of a sip - it will come right back out! So I’m going slowly. I walked around the house a bit today also. It’s a gorgeous, sunny day outside so I’m gonna put on my sweats and slippers and shuffle outside for a little bit. I’m down 11 pounds in 5 days. I’m assuming some of that is water weight even though I’m trying to drink water constantly. My husband said my tummy looks less poofy today so maybe some of the swelling is going down. I gained 2 pounds in the hospital from all the IV fluids but I’ll take any weight loss!! My goal for month 1 is to lose at least 20% EWL (Excess Weight Loss). Since I’d like to lose 130 pounds - 20% of that is 26 pounds. I’m almost 1/2 way to my first goal! I know once I start eating mushies and “real” food, my weight loss will slow significantly so I wanna make the most out of this liquid phase. My dr. has me on full liquids for the first 2 weeks. Since I was his very first plication patient, he is being a little more strict with me than he usually is with his WLS patients and I’m fine with that. I want to do what’s best for my new tummy. I want to give it time to heal properly. When I was banded (in 2001) I had an extremely difficult time following the diet guidelines afterwards. The first few days after I was banded I was swollen and sore. But within about 1 week I was pretty hungry and was having a really hard time staying on the liquids only diet. I did it but I remember adding sugar free sherbert to my protein shakes because I needed more than just the protein shakes! So far I haven’t experienced that. My doctor, Dr. Billy said that some of the patients he has seen with plication (he worked with several other doctors while studying plication) experienced a lot of nausea. I did have a lot of nausea on the first day which I usually get anyway from the anesthesia. The next day I did feel a little bit nauseous but nothing too severe. By about day 3, the nausea was pretty much gone. I will be seeing Dr. Billy next Friday (2/18) for an x-ray to make sure my tummy looks okay. If everything is fine I will get the go ahead to start on mushies. I am looking forward to eating soft foods but I haven’t minded the liquid diet as much as I thought I would. I actually think the pre-op diet helps out a bit with the post-op diet cause you are kind of in the habit of eating the right things anyway.

Well, I attempted to start a blog which turned out to be a bust so I'm gonna type something here real quick cause it hurts my tummy to sit down too long. I am still pretty tired and sore. Most of the gas pain has gone, I walked quite a bit after surgery in the hospital and once I got home. We had a 2 hour drive to get home so I was very sore once we arrived last night. I did take some pain medicine last night hoping it would help me sleep. I slept in short spurts of about 2 hours each. My kids were so excited that I was home that they stayed up past their bed time so that kinda' threw their schedule off. Our 2 y.o. daughter woke up at about 2 am and again at 4 am asking for me so I hobbled to her room - mainly so she could see me. Once she saw I was here, she settled back down. I was more comfortable sitting up on the couch with my feet up on the ottoman than I was in bed and slept like that for a bit also. I'm sipping warm tea with unflavored Unjury protein powder in it. I had a few bites of jell-o and broth yesterday. I was nauseated from the anesthesia which is very common for me so I had a hard time eating anything. I actually got sick in the hospital because I had a dream about food and I woke up vomiting. :/ I had a leak test and everything looked great! I started out at 281 and as of this morning I weighed 283! ugh...I'm attributing the weight gain to all the IV fluids as my hands, feet and arms are pretty swollen still. Haven't thought about food AT ALL which is kind of a small miracle. It takes me about 1 hour to sip about 6 ounces of tea so I'm doing everything very cautiously and slowly. Sorry if this is rambling but I'm still sore, tired and on a bit of pain medication. So happy to be on the other side! genepha lapband replaced and plication performed 2-7-11 Dr. Helmuth Billy Ventura, CA

Tiffykins, Thanks for all of your input. Your posts are very helpful, especially to those of us that were banded and are looking for alternatives. I love that this board is usually so supportive and I really hope it stays that way. I know there has been some conflict on other boards and people who've had other procedures and I really don't understand why. The sleeve is closely related to the plication so I assume we go through a lot of the same symptoms and reactions to surgery. When I had my band in 2001 there was very little information out there which is why I'm excited that people have somewhere to research and discuss sleeve, ds and plication. I think a plicationtalk site would be great but I do love the input from other types of WLS as well. I believe the more information, the better! genepha

Thanks everyone for the well wishes! I am surprised at how good I feel. I had a hernia repair and my port replaced in Aug, 2010 and that was an extremely difficult recovery. I was expecting something similar to it. I am definitely sore and my incisions still hurt but I would say on a scale of 1(best)-10 (worst) with pain I'd say I'm about a 4. I did take some pain medicine today before I took a shower, just in case. I actually walked outside today just to my neighbor's house and back - and I was pretty tired after that! I'm sipping chicken broth mixed with protein powder and drinking plain water. I understand what people say now when they get tired of all the sweet things - jell-o, crystal light, protein powder are all very sweet. My dr. doesn't want me to have protein shakes yet so I'm pretty much on clear liquids still. I really appreciate the feedback and support from those of you that have already had plication as this helps me plan for the next few weeks! I'm very impressed with some of the results I've seen and I hope to lose 20% EWL in month 1 - that's about 27 pounds. Please keep the info. coming!! genepha

I'm assuming my new tummy is pretty swollen because I'm definitely not getting in the ounces or calories I thought I would be. I was actually pretty nervous about following the post-op liquids only diet but it's been much better than I thought. I am trying to stay hydrated and not be overly concerned with Protein right now. My liquid diet so far is as follows: Breakfast - 3 oz. of warm tea mixed with 1 spoonful of unjury unflavored Protein powder Snack - 2-3 oz. of Water or water mixed w/ crystal light lunch - 2-3 oz. of warm low sodium chicken broth mixed with 1 spoonful of Unjury Snack - about 1/2 a container of Jell-O, 2-3 oz water dinner - 3 oz. of warm tea (or broth) mixed with 1 spoonful of Unjury unflavored protein powder Water whenever I think of it. Sip, sip, sip! Gas pains are getting better as I've been walking. I haven't walked outside yet because we are having nasty Santa Ana winds today I am following this liquid diet for another 9 days so hopefully it'll be this easy next week! genepha lapband replaced, plication performed 2-7-11 Starting weight 281, I gained 2 lbs. in the hospital so my SW was 283 , Today I weigh 274

Diva, Wow! That's great! You are an inspiration to those of us searching for another way after the band. Thanks and congratulations on your success!! genepha Lapband replaced, plication complete 2-7-11

Olivia, Thanks. My fever seems to be getting better. I'm having a difficult time getting in fluids and protein. I've been sipping the same cup of tea for about 5 hours! I mixed in Unjury unflavored protein so that should help. My stomach must be very swollen but I've been able to take the Pepcid and liquid pain meds. I'm supposed to be getting 40 grams of protein but I'm really only gettng about 10. I'm concentrating on drinking water and walking as much as possible to help with the gas pains. Overall I feel pretty good but I'm definitely sore.

I also had surgery on Monday. I'm sore from the gas pains and incisions. I'm finding it much more difficult to drink than I thought it'd be but I am slowly sipping my warm tea and broth. It's difficult to stay hydrated. Overall I feel pretty good but I did have an extremely difficult time sleeping last night. Hopefully that will get better also. I'm wishing you the best of luck and hoping we have quick recoveries! genepha Lapband replacement with Plication 2-7-11