Rev Me Up!

Hi-- I'm going to a family wedding over Memorial Day weekend. Of course, there will be a rehearsal dinner and my partner is in the wedding so I have to dress nicely because I will probably be in the couple's pictures. I was really in a quandry about where to shop. I haven't had a big fancy affair to go to in a long time. I still have a little anxiety about size. Also, like a lot of WLS patients, I am losing all my weight above the belt. I am down to a 12/14 on top (except for my boobs) and I am still an 18 on the bottom. Not a great combo for a dress, right? So I go to Nordstroms (I figured I would spend some $$ if I could find something that looks good). I found 2 dresses!!!!!! I have to have them both tailored becaue they are too big on the top, but they are both so pretty. Best part? They are both size 14 :-) Just 2 months ago pre-op I would have bought a size 18 dress and cried behind closed doors because I wuold have thought I looked so bloated and bad. My lap-band never treated me this well So, to top it off I also bought 2 new pairs of shoes. My bank account may be crying, but I am smiling. Lara

Wow! Good for you! That will be a huge savings.

It is so hard because you have to admit to yourself that the band didn't work. We all know how tough it is to make the decision to have WLS surgery and when it doesn't work, it is so tough on your morale. So glad to be on the other side and band-free :-)

It is terribly frustrating. I think what is missing from these reports are stories from people like us who really lived through it. It is easy to say that major complications happen to "other people", but I didn't even have major complications - the band just sucked. It was placed by a highly skilled doctor and it still failed. If they could tell the stories of people who have been living with it and desperately trying to get it to work after the 6 month honeymoon period - all the fills/unfills, pain, types of food you can't eat, etc. It would make it so much more real, I think. Oh well---

Wow! What a change! It sounds like you are in a much more positive place emotionally - it is great to hear. I think that anyone who has ever had a band can understand what you are saying about the pain. I also lived with pain that I didn't always register because it was day in and day out for several years. You learn to live with the pain and kind of forget about it. I was so excited to wake up after the surgery and feel that my port was gone. My favorite thing to eat now is chicken - and I hadn't eaten chicken in 4 years because my band wouldn't allow it!! Don't worry about the slow loss. I am not sure exactly, but I want to say I lost 10 pounds the first week and then I have had gradual loss since then. It will happen because the portions are so small. I am just about 2 months out and I am still lmited to 1/4 cup of anything. I can say that I was in no shape to exercise at all for about 6 weeks - I was just so weak and exhausted. It is frustrating, but take the time to let your body heal. Once you are completely healed, you can get back into all the exercise I know you enjoy. Great to hear from you and here is to your continued success! Lara

That is fantastic!! It is such a great feeling to go from the plus section to the regular section :-) I still have to remind myself to go to the Misses section. Congrats on your success :-) Lara

This is really hard. I went through a similar thing when I got married 10 years ago. It seemed like all my single friends just walked out of my life. First, make sure you reach out to your friends and try to include them in your life - maybe they feel you are pulling away from them too? Once you make sure effort to keep them in your life, there isn't much more you can do with regard to their feelings. You know how hard it is to be overweight - they are struggling with the same feelings. There are some people that just can't handle the change. You are different - not worse, just different. Do your best to stay connected, but understand that they are on a different path and may not be able to be with you on the journey. Best of luck-- Lara

I agree with Saved By The Sleeve, you will find that you won't be interested in alot of what other people are eating. You can opt to just eat the topping or do something completely different and eat some cottage cheese instead. I find that I will make myself one scrambled egg if the family is eating something that isn't appealing to me. You will find that your food needs will not be as big of a deal because they are so small and simple. We sometimes make pizza at home using Trader Joe's pizza dough. The family made some this weekend and I just wasn't that interested in it. I snacked on something else and I eventually took 1 bite of the pizza. I chewed it forever because I was concerned about how my stomach would react, and there wasn't any problem. I think I could have eaten about 4 bites as long as I don't eat the lump of crust at the top. You'll see, these problems are not really problems at all once you get there :-)

I, personally, like fods that are more calorically dense. I can barely get in 600 calories as it is. So, deviled eggs are awesome! Also, about scrambled eggs, I can only eat eggs that I make myself because I make them over super-low heat, don't add any milk, and I cook them in regular butter. The result is a super soft consistency that I can swallow easily. Rubbery eggs won't work with my sleeve. Mmmmmmm, eggs...

THe clears are the Isopure that comes in the bottles - they have flavors like Arctic Ice. Go to GNC dot com and search for Isopure. You'll see the bottled drinks there. Personally, I couldn't stand them but lots of people like them. Lara

My update for the week of 5/2... SN..............Starting Wt........Current.......Goal.......Lbs to Goal Rev Me Up.........175...............173...........155............18 This is going to be interesting because I usually only weigh once every 2 weeks so I don't drive myself crazy. I am hoping for 2 pounds a week through this challenge. So far, so good. If I make it to 160, I will be beating my second mini-goal of getting below my first marriage weight. Got rid of the man, still trying to get rid of the weight :-) Good luck, everybody!!!!

Well, no wonder you were thinking about backing out - if your mother and sister are behaving so badly, it is bound to have an effect on you. I only told my mother and my live-in boyfriend. My mom knows because she is very good at keeping secrets and was supportive of me getting my lap-band out. My live-in boyfriend knows because we live together and he was going with me for surgery. Literally, that is it. I did not want/need any opinions from anyone else on this. It is a hard decision. it is a big financial commitment. Above all, it is a huge emotional and physical commitment. It is a big deal!!!! You have to be at peace with it. That doesn't mean you won't get scared. I think every one of us was terrified in one way or another right before surgery thinking about "what if?. Get comfortable with your doctors, keep coming to the board for support, and prepare yourself for post-op life. Buy all the supplements, all the liquids, etc. Get ready and then get focused on getting better. Good luck! Lara

Funny, isn't it? This is sooooo not easy, but the sleeve really helps you to make the right choice. We are all faced with temptation, but the thought of your tummy rumbling in revolt will stop you dead in your tracks! I went to Legoland this weekend. I had already eaten breakfast and ate a little string cheese for a snack while I was there. For lunch I ate 5 bites of my partners bbq chicken, 2 Beans (yes, only 2), and 2 french fries. I was stuffed and I got to participate with the family. I do think, however, that Disney is a special challenge with the smell of popcorn cruising through the air. To be honest, the thought of eating popcorn scares the s#!t out of me - maybe a leftover from lapband days when I couldn't swallow it. But it smells sooooooooo good. Congrats! Lara

ANy kind of lean meat (chicken, trimmed beef, trimmed lamb, trimmed pork, etc), fish without breading, green leafy vegetables, low fat cottage cheese, and eggs are all low-carb staples. Go to the atkins web site and follow their induction phase list. They should have a list of all the things that you can eat. You may have to adjust it a little to make it low fat. Good luck! Lara

I was terrified in the week before my surgery - it is completely natural. You may want to call your doctor and ask for a prescription of Ativan or some other anti-anxiety pill that will calm you down a little. It really helps!

Wow - what a nightmare. I am so happy to hear you have found a doctor and are getting treated. You poor thing. I sincerely hope the rest of your recovery is uneventful. Please keep us all updated on your progress. Take care, Lara

Wow! So sorry to hear about your rough journey. I have not read anyone else having that exact same experience. Rest assured that your story will help someone else someday. It sounds like you are recovering well and the coughing blood has stopped. I agree, that would be terrifying. Hope your recovery from here on out is uneventful! Do your best to keep up with the fluids. Take care, Lara

I think the complaints get the most press because we feel so desperate :-) Consider yourself lucky and stick to your post-op instruction. You'll find moving to real food changes the game. The restriction is completely different. So happy to hear you are recovering well! Lara

HI Randy, I couldn't tolerate Protein drinks either. I would sometimes have a bit of vanilla milk (comes like a juice box for kids) and drinkable yogurt. If you are really not getting much nutrition in, you can switch to regular full-sugar gatorade for the electrolytes. I had to do that for a couple of days. You should also be coming up on your mushies transition - I came alive when I was able to eat a bit of cottage cheese. Take it slow when you introduce new things - you can only get down about 2 oz to begin with.

So sorry to hear about it, but chalk it up to experience :-) I always think of my experience with the sleeve as bio-feedback. You can make yourself really uncomfortable and you will NEVER repeat the offending action again. For example, I tried rice pudding early on in my mushies and it made me feel like crap. To this day I can't even look at a serving of rice pudding. I'm sure it would be fine at this point, but my body/mind remembers and I can't do it. I find it harder to regulate my consumption when I am talking during a meal. My trick - slice of the portion you know you can eat as soon as the plate hits the table. SLice it and move it to the side so you know what you are supposed to eat. It takes some of th guesswork out of judging the portion. You'll do better next time! Lara

Hang in there!!! These first three weeks are the worst! Do everything you can to get the liquids in, that's the most important right now. I know that my restriction has been 100% consistent from day one. Every couple of weeks you can eat just a little more, but it isn't much. At 2 months out I can still only eat a little over a quarter of a cup of anything. It really zaps your hunger too. I feel sometimes like I have th emunchies, but all I can eat is a little string cheese or something like that. THe recovery is harder, but the results are so much better. GOod luck! Lara

Well, like you said, now you know. It is good that you were able to get a clear sign that it is best to leave the family out of this decision for now. You may change your mind later, you may not. This is a health issue and it is perfectly appropriate to keep it to yourself. Good luck - you'll love Dr Aceves-- Lara

Hi, I take a PPI every morning - Dr's orders for the first 6 months! I also take a chewable multi Vitamin every day, a sublibgual B-12 a couple days a week. My 1 month bloodwork showed I am Vit D deficient so I am taking a prescription Vitamin D once a week for 4 weeks and then I will cycle down to one vit D (over the counter) every day. It's weird for me because I have never been one to take Vitamins. I should probably take more calcium and Iron, but so far, so good. Lara

NICE!!!! I love it when you are banking on one pound to reach a goal and then you breeze right by it. So proud of you!!! Lara

Yes, the first couple of weeks is the hardest!!!!!! I think my toughest moment was smelling bacon cooking on the weekend after my surgery. The funny thing is that it smelled so great and then after a couple of minutes the smell made me sick. I still don't eat at the table with my family even though I can eat a lot of what they are eating. I find I lose my concentration and eat too much. So, I am banished to eat on my own in the living room. Oh well, this too shall pass... Lara