Ellisa

I was told that full liquid was anything you could drink through a straw. I was on that preop for my band. But for my revision to sleeve I had no preop diet except nothing after midnight. Side note: whatever you do... don't thin food with water, use something with flavor such as tomato juice or V8, milk, fruit juice depending on what makes sense with the food. I was on liquid the day of my surgery and pureed for one week then soft foods for a week or two. When I was on pureed I lived on Wendy's Chili in the blender and saltine crackers (chewing them until they were mush). Used the crackers to dip the puree. I figured out fairly quickly that I have very good teeth and could puree soft foods if I ate small bites very slowly.

I actually forgot about this... but early on the only thing I could tolerate was liquid vitamins. I used highly concentrated infant vitamins. I figured out how much I had to take based on adult vitamins. I think it was less than a tsp. I had to take that with food. That was also less expensive than some of the designer vitamins out there.

Sorry, I got off topic from the original post... I do hope all is going well for you and that your final experience will all that you hope!

I'm not a doctor or a lawyer, but I'm sick of medical malpractice lawsuits. The result is higher health care! You our doctors explain the risks, ask us to sign papers acknowledging the risks, then something goes wrong and we have to sue for millions. The doctor's goal was to help us. You drive on the highway, get hit by a drunk driver and he has no insurance and you have serious injuries and you're lucky if he gets a slap on the wrist and your insurance pays your bills and that's the end of it. Been there done that! I say if the physician did something criminal, he/she should be punished by the law. End of story, just like the drunk driver. Why should "deeper pockets" result in a better financial outcome to a serious injury? I've had situations where I could have sued a physician for a bad outcome. But my surgeon was not attempting to harm me, did not act in a reckless way. Still I probably could have gotten some big bucks for the bad result... but the drunk driver did act in a reckless way... had priors and didn't care about my injuries... but there was no money to be had. If there was justice he would have become my slave for 40 years to make up for it. LOL

When I was banded in 2007 my BMI was over 40 and I heard the same arguments. But people are funny. They judge you for being overweight, but every weight loss plan I was on "wasn't healthy" in someone's opinion. LOL I was sleeved in 2010. My band had to be unfilled for several months due to reflux and removed due to a hiatal hernia. During that time I regained 20 lbs. and my BMI was over 30. Insurance would pay for the removal of the band, but not the sleeve because I didn't meet the BMI requirement. I have no regrets! I lost more than the 20 I regained and would still like to lose a bit more. Until this month I haven't really "dieted" but I want to get an additional 20 off. That's going to take effort, but not nearly what it did before being sleeved!

I think I'm a rare one who can take regular sized vitamins. But I don't take them with liquid. I chew a small amount of food and when ready to swallow, pop in a vitamin and swallow together. I take 1 multi vitamin, 1 B-Complex, and 2 calcium. I usually eat a bite or two between the bites with supplements. Just a side note, but apparently B vitamins are absorbed in the stomach. With the sleeve we have a reduced ability to absorb them. I noticed hair loss and did a bit of research. If I take it on a daily basis I'm fine... but forgetting it for a week and it takes a couple of weeks or more of daily usage to stop the hair loss. If your diet is rich in vitamin B foods you may not experience any issues.

I had my revision from band to sleeve in July of 2010. Here are some things that I've discovered with sleeve vs. band. My band was very unpredictable. In the mornings I generally could eat very little as the day went on I could eat more. Eating anything not well chewed was a problem... I find with my sleeve, it's good to eat slowly. BUT over chewing allows for more food intake. I'm not saying "gulp" but chewing until food is pureed allows me to consume more and it "processes" faster. I know that's contrary to most advice. Secondly, you will feel hungry more quickly with the sleeve because you don't have an artificial gizmo holding back your food. I've lost a total of 100 lbs. I fight with about 10... but would really like to lose another 20. I recently decided to try the 2/5 diet. Calm down... it's not as horrible as it sounds. And it's working for me. Two non consecutive days a week during a 24 hour period (you pick your own start and end time) you only consume 500 calories, for women, 600 for men. I start mine right after supper. So at 6:30 PM, I quit eating until morning. I eat a scrambled egg and toast for breakfast, and nothing until lunch. A typical lunch is a small grilled chicken salad with low cal dressing. I keep raw veggies and gum handy for the afternoon! Then at 6:30 PM my 24 hours are up! I can have a normal supper; not making up for lost time... just a typical meal. The bonus is that during the time I'm not restricted, I find my appetite is reduced and I'm grabbing the raw veggies and gum rather than higher calorie snacks. It's very flexible. So easy. The pitfalls could be overeating during the off time. But my sleeve helps with portion control and a little good judgment goes a long way. It might be good to just record what you typically eat before starting any weight loss plan. Making sure that you keep your total monthly calories below your normal has to result in reduced weight over time. And that's key... we didn't gain all of our weight at once... maybe less than a lb. a week... and in 3 years... yikes 90 lbs. to 150 lbs. BTW, I lost 5 lbs in 2 weeks with my 4 reduced calorie meals per week! My sister is also doing this (she has a band) and has lost a similar amount. Don't bother to buy the book if you are thinking about it... it's really that simple and the book is just a lot of personal testimony. (Sis bought it...I didn't.)

It's been awhile for me also. I'm no longer a bandit, but am now a sleever since July. Long story.... but the reason was with regard to a very large hiatal hernia that would not hold if the band were in place. I'm nearly at goal and very pleased with this procedure. I didn't realize how much trouble my band was... or maybe just accepted the trouble as part of the process. But for my situation this has been the best solution. I almost forgot about PBing... things getting "stuck" that horrible feeling when something isn't chewed quite well enough and knowing it's coming up... not to mention no more acid reflux at nights; no more being too tight one day (or part of a day) and able to eat a barn the next. My sleeved stomach works just like a "regular" stomach... it just fills up with less...consistently. The weight loss is consistent and doesn't require much effort... eat balanced diet... eat when hungry, stop when full. I'm down 105 lbs from start weight, and still losing. Could go faster if I were to diet and exercise consistently... but this is okay.

I don't mean to demean the military physicians, but I work at a large university with a medical school. The military doesn't "pick" them (best/worst or otherwise) after they are doctors. The students enlist to receive tuition benefits long before they are doctors. Think about it, why would the "very best" want to work for military wages if they don't have to? It's a matter of economics for the students. The ones who can't afford or don't want the debt look for other options to cover their vast schooling expenses. That's not to say that many who choose that option aren't among the best. :thumbup:

Yes Medicare does cover it if you meet their criteria. My mother (77 yrs old) is scheduled to have hers later this month. She's lost 50 lbs (lap band 2 years ago). She's wanted to have this done all her life... just never took the steps to do it. She's in excellent health. Find a facility that accepts Medicare that you are comfortable with performing your surgery and they will help you with the process.

Nearly 3 years since my original WLS (band) and I can tell you that I know it can be very frustrating. But it WILL come off. And usually when you least expect it. I.E. you go completely off plan and lose 5 lbs. Huh? But it's not the going off plan that caused it... but we tend to believe it and then slow our success in the long run. For whatever reason, when I am losing fat I tend to hold onto "fluid" and then for no reason that makes any sense to me the Fluid decides to leave after a few weeks and I have a nice weight drop... then the cycle starts again. Just keep remembering how far you've come and how much weight you could have gained during the time you aren't losing. LOL

Do you garnish that with mint chocolate chip ice cream?