SleeveSoon

I attended a WLS Support Group Meeting this evening and the presenter explained that you can stretch your sleeve. I've read in a number of places (including here) that you can not stretch your sleeve. What is the correct answer to this question? Does the ASMBS (American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery) have a position on this topic?

I went through the process by myself. Here are some of the things that I did: - Prior to surgery I exercised on a daily basis to get in the best physical condition that I could. - I looked at what foods I would be eating for the first few weeks after surgery (the RD provided a list of foods) and I bought enough food for about a month. - I got rid of food that would not be appropriate after surgery - refined carbs, fried foods, etc. - Arranged for a ride to and from the hospital. - Arranged for some one to walk my large dog for a few days after surgery. - Attend WLS support group meetings sponsored by my doctor/hospital. - Hang out on this forum. - Log all food in My Fitness Pal. - Exercise daily. You can do it.

That is what I have heard as well. Looking for some evidence that a sleeve can not be stretched.

@@SleeveSoon - you definitely would have been working those abs and shoulders harder during your front plank than you would have if you had done it on the ground. Is there a trainer at LifeTime Fitness that can give you a run down on the best way to use the machine? That always helps get the best results! I spoke to my favorite trainer (Alicia) today about exercises for the PowerPlate machine. She said that resistance training engages 40% of your muscles' capacity, but the PowerPlate engages 80% of your muscles' capacity. She recommended doing planks, lunges, and push-ups on the PowerPlate. I did some planks today and increased the time and intensity on the PowerPlate. I am a little sore tonight, but will try some lunges tomorrow.

My gym (LifeTime Fitness) has a PowerPlate machine. I checked it out for the first time today and selected core exercises. I did a front plank on the PowerPlate machine for two 30 second sessions. I sipped some Water before getting on the machine and felt like I was going to puke. Some interesting sensations from the vibrations - not sure if it was any better than a normal plank.

Prior to my sleeve I enjoyed full bodied stouts aged in bourbon barrels. These days I mostly stick to IPA's and I log the beer into MyFitnessPal. I limit beer consumption to a weekly Friday event and have one or two pints. It has been working for me. I stopped home brewing, don't keep any beer at home, try to limit my attendance at beer focused events, and hit the gym almost daily. Cheers!

This has been an interesting thread to read. I am single, male, sleeved, and have been "looking" for about a month. I have recently met two women who disclosed that they had WLS (one had the sleeve and the other a gastric bypass) without any prompting from me. There was no romantic connection with either of them, but I enjoyed having a face to face discussion with folks who have had WLS. @Samanthjo20070 - I think your post was appropriate, and if I was younger and lived closer to you I would have messaged you. Good luck with your search! @@OKCPirate - I appreciate your sharing of your dating experiences. I know I need to have the numbers in my favor and recently volunteered at a local Wine and Music festival where the mix was about 75% women / 25% men. I found out that I got better looking as the women continued to taste wine. @@Oak Park Lorena - You have a great dry sense of humor and I chuckled about your suggestion of creating a "bizarro singles forum". Please keep your posts coming.

Found this with a quick Google search: Studies Weigh in on Safety and Effectiveness of Newer Bariatric and Metabolic Surgery Procedure Published June 2012 Download PDF Document SAN DIEGO, CA – JUNE 20, 2012 – Studies from Stanford University, Cleveland Clinic Florida and the Naval Medical Center in San Diego show laparoscopic sleeve gastrectomy, an increasingly popular surgical procedure where the stomach is reduced by 85 percent, is as safe as or safer than laparoscopic gastric bypass or gastric banding. The studies* were presented here at the 29th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Metabolic & Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS). In one study, Stanford University researchers analyzed safety data from nearly 270,000 metabolic and bariatric surgeries performed between 2007 and 2010. Nearly 16,000 of the procedures were sleeve gastrectomies, which had a 30-day serious complication rate of less than one percent (0.96%), compared to a rate of 1.25 percent for gastric bypass and one-quarter of one percent (0.25%) for gastric banding. The 30-day mortality rate for sleeve gastrectomy was 0.08 percent, while the rate for gastric bypass was 0.14 percent and 0.03 percent for gastric banding. These mortality and complication rates are lower than those typically associated with gallbladder or hip replacement surgery. Gastric bypass resulted in the most average weight loss after one year. The average body mass index (BMI) after this procedure dropped by about 40 percent (47.7 to 31.2). Sleeve gastrectomy patients experienced about a 30 percent drop (47.5 to 34.1), while gastric band patients had a 20 percent reduction (45.1 to 37.5). “In terms of risk and benefit, sleeve gastrectomy sits nicely between gastric bypass and adjustable gastric band,” said lead study author John Morton, MD, Associate Professor of Surgery and Director of Bariatric Surgery at Stanford Hospital & Clinics at Stanford University"

I volunteered at a marathon earlier this year and noticed a ton of empty energy gel packs along the route. Have you looked into energy gels?

I am a little over 9 months post sleeve and indulge in wine from time to time. I log all of my food and beverages into MyFitnessPal each day. I still need to lose a few more pounds and make sure that I hit my calorie and nutrition targets - even if I have a glass of wine.

I am down over 100 pounds and am enjoying riding this season. Need to replace my 3XL mesh jacket with an XL mesh jacket. Just hit 90,000 miles on my Honda ST1300. Need a new rear tire before heading out for the West Coast this Summer.

Social life for me has only slightly changed since surgery. I volunteer at a Philadelphia public radio station (WXPN) that has a concert (at noon) every Friday. After the concert the volunteers typically go out to lunch as a group. At lunch today I ordered wings and brought most of them home with me. And had a beer that I almost finished. Great conversation and no one knows about my surgery, or even suspects that anything has changed. A normal lunch pre-surgery would have been a cheese steak, fries, and 2 beers. No one seems to notice or care that my dietary habits have changed.

I make my own Protein Bars in an attempt to reduce my consumption of "processed frankenfood". I mix unjury chocolate Protein powder, skim milk, dried cranberries, almond butter, and oatmeal to make Protein Bars. I freeze them and maybe eat two per week.

In January 2015 I attended a bariatric information session at Cooper in Voorhees. Dr Patel was the surgeon at that session. He spent about half of the session discussing the band as an option and passed around a band to help us understand how it worked. Just about all of the other information I gathered other places indicated that more bands were being removed than were being installed. I decided to use a different surgeon because of Dr Patel's focus on the band. I was very happy with my surgeon (Christopher Boynton - Virtua Mt Holly).

When I go on motorcycle trips I pack some food items with me in case I can't find good options on the road: - Premier Protein (11 oz container) - Crystal Light liquid squeeze bottle (add to plain water) - Unjury Protein powder (individual package to mix with water) - Almonds (small portion ~100 calories) - Beef Jerky - Quest protein bar Sometimes I end up bringing most of these items home with me, but its nice to have some options while you are on the road.

In the months before surgery I: - Started an exercise program to get in better shape - Eased off of caffeinated beverages - Attended support group meetings - Spoke to some post op folks after the support group meetings to see what their experience had been - Read all of the materials that I had been given, including meals by phase after surgery - Arranged for support after surgery for things like getting someone to walk my large dog for a few weeks - Stocked cabinets with enough food for about two weeks after surgery

For those with apnea, have you learned to adjust to sleeping with the mask? It took trying out a few masks before I was able to sleep through the night with the mask. I have settled on the ResMed Swift FX Nasal Pillow CPAP Mask. Have the benefits of the machine outweighed the mask? Yes, my quality of sleep is much better with my Bi-Pap and I tolerate the mask well now.

I don't take any NSAIDs, mainly because I am trying to reduce my use of all medications. To help with soreness associated with weightlifting I drink Water while lifting weights, stretch after warming up, stretch after lifting, spend a few minutes in the steam room, eat some Protein afterwards, and rest the next day. I have been pretty successful with this approach and have only had one major case of muscle soreness since my surgery. I made the mistake of lifting weights and then working out on the rower for 20 minutes. Ouch!! I don't take any NSAIDs, mainly because I am trying to reduce my use of all medications. To help with soreness associated with weightlifting I drink water while lifting weights, stretch after warming up, stretch after lifting, spend a few minutes in the steam room, eat some protein afterwards, and rest the next day. I have been pretty successful with this approach and have only had one major case of muscle soreness since my surgery. I made the mistake of lifting weights and then working out on the rower for 20 minutes. Ouch!!

I looked in my kitchen cabinets and found: Protein powder, Protein Bars, tea, stevia powder, black Beans, lentils, tuna, Pasta sauce, almond butter, and an assortment of low/no salt spices.

I had to make a similar decision (high deductible vs lower deductible plans) when I was considering surgery. I did my best to estimate the costs of pre-op testing (endoscopy, stress test, sleep study, etc) along with the cost of the surgery/hospital, and follow up doctors visits. Using those estimated medical costs (assuming all services would be in-network) I calculated how much I would be expected to pay in total for the year ahead under both plans offered. For me, the high deductible plan was the best option primarily due to the less expensive insurance premiums and some extra money that the company contributed to my HSA (healthcare spending account).

I had a personal trainer set up a workout routine for me 8 weeks before surgery. I then worked out on my own following that workout routine. My goal was to be as fit as possible going into surgery, which would help when I picked up exercise again after surgery. That seemed to work for me. After surgery I signed up for a medical integration program at a health center affiliated with the hospital. I started after the surgeon cleared me (about a month after surgery) and the program lasted 2 months. They set up an exercise program taking into account what surgery I had and what my goals were. Once I graduated from the medical integration program, I went to a "normal" gym and signed up for small group fitness training.

My decision to have the sleeve surgery was primarily based upon co-morbidities (sleep apnea, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure). Before my surgery I wish I had known what impact surgery and the subsequent weight loss would have on these health issues. My doctors would quote success percentages for these issues post sleeve, but there were no guarantees. Now I know: - Type 2 Diabetes - In remission. Normal A1C's after stopping all 4 of my diabetes meds. - High Blood Pressure - Blood pressure is now normal and I have stopped my high blood pressure meds. - Sleep Apnea - Had a sleep study performed in December at 240 lbs and my AHI went from 125 to 14. Unfortunately an AHI greater than 5 means that I still need the Bi-Pap machine. When I get down to my goal weight of 200 lbs I will have another sleep study and hope to no longer need the Bi-Pap machine.

When I ask a woman out for drinks I really don't care what she orders. Its an opportunity to meet and get acquainted without the time commitment of a meal. I don't drink coffee and can now tolerate red wine in moderation. I struggle more with food in social situations. Last week I was invited to dinner at a neighbor's house and have not shared my surgery with any of the people at dinner. I ate some chicken and vegetables, then pushed the rest of the food around the plate for a bit. The host is a surgeon who is self-conscious of her cooking skills. I complemented her cooking, but offered no explanation for leaving 1/2 a plate of food uneaten.

As a 50 something single man, I would guess that the ratio of available men to available women is about equal - at least in my area. However, what I have noticed is that men and women travel in different packs. For example, one of my interests is long distance motorcycle riding and that activity typically has a 95% male / 5% female ratio. I have expanded some of my interests and recently joined a wine lovers meet up group. The most recent event at a local winery brought out 20 women and 2 men. Better odds for me and motivation to participate in events somewhat out of my comfort zone. I also enjoy live music and volunteer at concerts and music festivals. These events are close to a 50/50 mix and I find I get along better with women who share similar musical tastes. As far as age goes, I am doing my best to date "age appropriate" women. My sons are grown now and I am looking for someone who has free time and the ability to travel.

I took a trip to Arizona earlier this year and brought individual packets of unjury Protein powder and Quest Protein Bars with me. I did this mostly because I had a large supply on hand and room in my suitcase. I was able to buy everything else (Jerky, almonds, etc.) at local stores in Phoenix. As long as you have access to a car in Florida, you should be able to pick up your supplies locally.