kcwaldrop

I had my plication on June 15th and I am down 21 pounds. HOWEVER, I haven't lost ANY weight in the past week and a half. I'm 195 then 195.5 then 194.5. Some days I don't eat anything just to see what will happen....it's the same. I had a bowl of hot and sour soup (lots of fat, sodium), same weight. We have a ranch and I work outside (relatively hard), and sweat a ton. I drink lots of water. I hit the treadmill fast and furious for about 35-45 minutes 4-5 times a week. On normal days, I drink an Atkins shake for lunch and breakfast and then have a small portion of whatever my family is having for their main course (chicken breast, hamburger steak). I take a protein pill to make sure I get at least 20 g of protein everyday (I don't want my hair to fall out). Is there ANYONE out there who can give me some insight and advice? I honestly thought this procedure would help more than this. $5000 for 21 lbs? Liposuction would have been a better way to spend the money.

I am 41 years old, female; I weighed 216 when I went to Mexico for surgery. I am 5'5". I have had many surgeries including a hysterectomy 6 years ago (and that's where my weight problems really began). I had my surgery at about noon on Friday, June 15th at Clinicia Victoria in Cancun, MX. Dr. Sergio Verbooden was the surgeon and the surgery was arranged by International Patient Facilitators - Sherri Burke. I spent the night in the hospital and was released on Saturday morning. I stayed in Cancun until Monday. The night in the hospital was horrific - no nurses came to check on me unless my husband would go find one and tell them I needed nausea or pain meds. They encouraged me to walk so I did throughout the night and found the only nurse on the floor asleep! The hospital and others tried to get my husband to leave the hospital and go stay in the hotel room and he flat out refused - take someone with you that will push to get the best care for you. Saturday was pretty bad too. Lots of nausea and pain - the nausea was much worse than the pain though. Sunday was better, I went down to the pool (4 flights of stairs) for a while. I flew home Monday and with the help of my family (xxoo to my husband and daughter) made it home last night at 10:30 pm. I am at work today! My advice to those considering surgery in a foreign county: 1 - understand what level of care YOU need and what's being offered. I had no post op diet, no info on how to care for the incisions. 2 - understand the medicines prescribed for you post op. I was given three prescriptions - one for nausea, one for reflux, and one for pain. None were effective so my husband went to the pharmacy three times and bought other drugs that were much more effective. Add another $200 to your spending money for Rx. 3- make sure you can travel home non-stop and with minimal baggage. Sitting upright in an airplane seat was very difficult for me. The turbulence was hell on the nausea, too. 4- have a recliner waiting for you at home! I can't state how much easier it is to sleep in a recliner than a bed right now. 5- Don't go alone. If I hadn't had my husband there to advocate for me, I think I would have emotionally crumbled. I'm not fluent enough in Spanish to understand what's being said all the time, most nurses don't speak English, and the surgery is painful. You need someone to stay in the room with you.

I am 11 days out from surgery. I started at 216 and weighed 200.5 this morning. I carry one 20 ounce bottle of water with me all day and I have to finish it before 7 pm. That's MY rule. Otherwise, I won't get enough water. I have grits (4 tbs) for breakfast, a container of yogurt for lunch, and a protein shake (Kellogg's 180 calories, 10 grams of protein) for dinner. I also bought sugar free Jolly Rancher candy that keeps me occupied if I'm bored. I will occasionally eat the broth from a can of chicken noodle soup. I "swim" for exercise - really me just holding on to the steps and kicking. We have a hobby ranch so I'm always outside with the animals and I sweat ALOT here in south Texas. I have to remember to rehydrate. I, too, though I would be nauseated but haven't been. I have only vomited twice - once right after surgery and once the other night when I had spicy chicken broth. I think what I'm thinking is stomach pain might be hunger pangs - I still haven't figured that out yet. I think feeling restricted is what we all need, at least I do. I need a constant reminder to stop shoveling food in my mouth, even if it unpleasant. Actually, a shock with a cattle prod might be more productive for me!

fruit juices are on the diet I'm using. Fruit juices are acidic and have always bothered my stomach (before surgery) so I thin them with water 50/50. I also froze an ice cube tray with my mixture in it and then put the cubes in the blender for my crushed ice. Helps end the monotony of sipping water and gives you a little flavor.

The hospital experience was bad but I think a small price to pay for such a great life changing tool.

I am post surgery day 5 and all I've had is Water, diluted apple juice, 3 tsp of chicken broth and snow cone ice. I am pushing it if I have 9 ounces of water a day - I feel like my stomach is going to explode. I'm down 8 pounds but I always have a screaming headache and feel exhausted. Will this get better? What about taking medications? I take two medications that I really do need (HRT and Anti depressant) - can I take these whole?