Rev Me Up!

It all about the pain meds and food. I had an epidural that was taken out the day I left the hospital (day 3) and I could not have driven any distance like that for at least 2 weeks after. Partially because of the medication, partially because I couldn't eat much of anything and I was exhausted all the time. Good luck, Lara

deli meat and soft cheese are on my mushies list, so I don't think you are in much danger there. I have a slice of deli turkey rolled with cream cheese once every day, usually in the morning. Take care, Lara

I am also a low BMI patient and we just lose slower. It looks like you lose a few pounds at once and then nothing for a week or so. After the first week or so with a big loss, I am now losing about a pound a week. But, I am also right in the middle of the 3-5 week zone where most people report having a stall in weight loss. I don't weigh every week, because I don't like to get hung up on the numbers. A healthy weight loss for a low BMI patient is going to be an average of 2 pounds per week. Maybe try to weigh in only once per month and then you can see the overall weight loss effect. Lara

It is a habit and once you get the hang of it, it isn't that hard. You will find in the beginning that you can only fit a small amount of anything in your stomach and you will not want the Water in there increasing the pressure. The first couple of weeks you can't gulp at all, regardless of whether you just ate. You'll get used to the routine and it won't be so scary. I have been using Biotene mouthwash to help me when I feel dry mouth, but haven't waited long enough to drink. It helps! Lara

I also can't tell till its too late, so I measure EVERYTHING. I have little dishes that are 2 oz, 3 oz, and 4 oz. If I use the 4oz container, I fill it halfway with food and that's all I get. I know 2 oz will fill me up, but not too much. I still can't eat without my measuring dishes because I lose track of how much I had and I am not yet good at eyeballing a 2oz portion on my own. I am hoping that it will get easier after a few more weeks, but that is my reality right now. I find that the over-full feeling also leaves me quite emotional and depressed so I try to avoid it at all costs. I bought the 4oz Glad (store bought tupperware) storage containers with lids. I take 2 or 3 of them (filled halfway) to work and I have pre-portioned meals all day. Good luck-- Lara

A power point presentation!!!! That's hilarious!!!!!!! Way to go on telling them you need their support. Families are funny things. I am sure they are coming from a positive place, but surgical options are somewhat extreme and people have pre-conceived notion about it. Everyone remembers the stories about people dying from gastric bypass surgery several years ago and that is the impression everyone is left with. In their own way, they are expressing how much they care about you. Congrats on clearing your hurdles and good luck with your surgery! Lara

Hi, I think the answers on this post will be divided by the people that went to each doctor. There are a lot of people on the board that had their surgery done by those 2 doctors. I am a Dr. Aceves patient. I liked going to Mexicali - it is much smaller and calmer than Tijuana. He operates out of a hospital, not a clinic. Having 3 nights in a real hospital puts your mind at ease for any possible complications. You get a dye leak test and a barium swallow leak test before you are discharged to ensure no complications. Also, he is most experienced with lap-band to VSG revision and that was my deciding factor. I didn't want to take any chances on my revision surgery. Good luck with your decision-- Lara

Hello- The emotions are completely normal. I was on an emotional roller coaster before my surgery. Even after you come home, you will have ups and downs. It is completely normal because you are doing something that is going to change your life - for the bette! Even though it is positive, change is hard, period. Good luck with your surgery and do what the doctor says and you will come through with flying colors! BTW, I had my surgery ON my 37th birthday. Should make it easy for me to remember my surgiversary date Lara

I am a private person, so only my partner and my mother know about it. It is no one's business. This is a medical matter and weight loss is such a personal subject. I don't need anyone judging my progress or my decision. It is a personal decision. You may find after it is done that you don't mind sharing with people. Lara

My mushy experience: I am living on cottage cheese, greek yogurt, soft deli meat with cream cheese rolled up, "light" drinkable yogurt and bits of dark meat chicken (I cook it in a baking bag so it is super moist) mixed with ricotta cheese,. The drinkable yogurt has more carbs than I should take in, but it is the only way I can get any calories at all. As it is, I only get in about 400 cals and 30-40 grams of Protein. I, too, can't tolerate the protein shakes and I can't stand sugar substitute. I can't eat more than 2 oz of anything mushy. I did have a little plain oatmeal this morning and it went down well - I am also hoping it will add some much needed Fiber to my diet. I just bought some hummus and had a 1/2 of a teaspoon just to taste it. It seemed to be OK. But, I am always cautious of introducing anything new. eggs are not kind to me. They upset my stomach and, for some reason, I get really depressed after I eat them - weird. So, no eggs for me right now. I have to remind myself to CHEW!!! Also, take long breaks between bites. It does take 20-30 minutes to eat my measly 2oz of food. If I take my time, it goes down well and I have no tummy ache later. I am wondering how I will ever move on to any other type of food because my restriction is TIGHT!!! If you can't get any mushies down, I would call the doc and make sure there isn't something else going on. Lara

Sounds like you have a very familiar lap-band story. I am 3.5 weeks out from my revision. I would say that this recovery has been a little bit harder becuase the restriction is really intense right away - I remember with my band, I could eat as much as I could without it about 2 weeks after my surgery. I am happy that my port pain is gone, I can eat chicken (miracle), and I can lay on my side again without pain. The first 2 weeks are really tough. The third week I started to come alive. At this point, I am still on mushies, but I feel pretty good. I am not as fatigued as I was a week or so ago. A lot of people compare the first couple of weeks to the blah pregnancy feeling, when things smell weird and food isn't very appealing. I have a very long description of my experience at the hospital with Dr Aceves - check out my profile if you want to read it. I am thrilled to have that lap-band out!!! So far I am recovering well and feeling good. Good luck on your decision, Lara

As a low BMI patient myslef (actually, you and I have almost the same starting weight) I understand the frustration of losing slowly compared to others. But, you have to remember that you are 16 pounds less than before. That is awesome!!!! It may be worthwile to make sure you log all your food (I use an app on my phone) so you know exactly what you are eating (cals, carbs, protein). If you see that one of the numbers looks a little off, you can tweak what you are eating. I agree, that is a long stall, but if you are eating less, the weight will continue to come off. Are you eating anything in particular that is on the no-no list? Lara

Great answers!!!!! At least she didn't throw the "your going to die" phrase at you. It is true, the sleeve is going to change what you eat and definitely how much you eat. The process is EXTREMELY emotional. Mourning the loss of food for comfort, wondering why you have to do something so drastic to keep from eating too much - it is a tough process on the other side. But, it is worth it. You did a great job answering her concerns and preserving your friendship. Most people speak from a place of not knowing anything about WLS. They don't always mean to be negative or hurtful, they just don't understand the procedure. Good luck! lara

I don't think anyone on this board has heard of someone dying as a result of the surgery. Even complications can be dealt with - just make sure you follow doctors orders and call the doc right away if you have any bad symptoms (fever, pain, etc). Good luck! lara

There is a food standard released by Cornell that a lot of US doctors follow. It does allow mushies as soon as 3 days out. For those of us that were on a strict liquid for 20 days, that seems crazy. I also worry about nutrition, but I follow dorctors orders and take my chewy Vitamins. I, personally, could barely swalllow until the second week. I can't imagine how I would have eaten mushy food at all. I was taking the smallest sips of Water. THe post-op diet sucks. But, it is there for a reason. Good luck! Lara

Fabulous topic!! I have never been shy about wearing a bathing suit at any size. I like to swim and I refuse to pass up a good time because my body was a mess. I love Lands End suits - they have really cute stuff that looks good on all types. FOr the record, though, I CAN'T WAIT for swimsuit season!!!!! It is going to be so great to buy something in a regular size and not a plus size. My bikini days are behind me (too many stretch marks and scars on my torso) but I look forward to having more selection and looking better in whatever I am going to wear. Daydreaming about hanging out at the pool in Palm Springs this summer...

I do not have the same issues you do, but I have been on an emotional roller coaster since my surgery. I have had at least 3 major anxiety attacks. They are usually about my concern about what I am eating. When something doesn't go down perfectly, it can trigger the anxiety. I fill up with terror about my stomach tearing open. These episodes usually pass within an hour or so. Like I said, I am not clinically depressed. However, everyone goes through their own emotional turmoil to a different degree. Hopefully, someone with a similar diagnosis to you will read your post and respond. Congrats on your weight loss! Lara

Yep, that Water weight afte surgery can be significant. I waited more than a week. I think I remember on day 6 I woke up and could feel that I lost several inches of water overnight - I was peeing a lot too :-) I am 3 weeks out and my stomach is still swollen - I have lost a good amount of weight but I can still barely button my jeans. Congrats!!

Very familiar story for those of us former bandsters! Do lots of research - only you will know if the change is right for you. I made my decision when my BMI was 31. I do think the surgery affects us a little differently becuase we don't have as much to lose. When I was looking through my paperwork, I was told NOT to try and get pregnant for the first 6 months as least. I think you are only taking in about 500 cals per day during that time and it isn't enough to support a healthy pregnancy. In fact, I would not bother with weight loss surgery until 6 months after the baby comes. Your body will change so much and you might gain a bit of weight. The baby needs you to eat when you are pregnant. Maybe you can get the band out before getting pregnant and then have a sleeve after? With your BMI at 29, it should not be necesary for you to lose more weight in order to become pregnant, like some of the folks on the VST board. Don't feel like a failure - the lap band simply does not work in a majority of cases. We all wish that we were part of the "success" group, but they are really few and far between after 3 years or so. I'm loving my sleeve so far. Good luck-- Lara

Hi-- I had a 7am meeting this morning so I knew I would haave to eat in my meeting in front of everybody. It isn't a big deal to eat in ameeting because everyone is so busy - it happens all the time. But, today was the first day I ate in public. So, I had my rolled up deli turkey with some cream cheese in it. I had a bite, talked for a while, had another bite, etc. It went down great and the conversation of the meeting seemed to help me eat slower. As my day goes on, I am busy (which is great!) and doing what I have to do. I notice that I am walking around more and my energy is better. In short, I almost feel 100% normal - like I never had any surgery at all. It was easy to eat, easy to run around. I was so worried that eating in front of people would be hard, but I honestly think it is easier. I think I am so worried about food sticking (an old lap-band habit) or throwing up that I chew really thoroughly and take my time more than I do when I am alone. This has been a wonderful realization for me because I have to visit the in-laws at the end of May and I don't want to feel like I am acting weird around them. They don't know about the surgery. It really does get better :-) Lara

I also recently got the Glad (store bought tupperware) containers that are 4 oz. They have been ESSENTIAL in my eating once I went back to work. I fill them about halfway (2oz) with whatever I am going to eat during the day and that takes the guesswork out of it. I still have a hard time doing 2-3 oz portions without my little dishes. I am terrified of eating too much so I use them religiously. Lara

I took 2 weeks off, but I was extremely tired the third week. It was good to get back to work and have some structure in my day, but I probably could have stayed home a third week. However, some people say they are back to work after one week - it really depends on how your body reacts to the surgery and the changes. Everyone is different! No matter how long it takes, it seems that the first month, in general, is tough because you are healing. I am looking forward to April 7 - one month out :-)

Sorry about your plication. There are not as many plication patients out there, so I don't even know who you could talk to about it. You should contact Dr Aceves' office since he does a lot of revision surgeries and see what he has to say about it. I have not heard of anyone doing the plication to VSG. I converted from a lap band 3 weeks ago and can't eat more than 2 oz. I don't really so Soups, anymore, only solids. It takes me about an hour to drink a 17 oz bottle of Water. It takes me an hour to drink about a 10 oz drinkable yogurt. I can only get in about 400 cals per day. I imagine it will expand a little over the next few months, but most people have this limit for a while. I wish you luck in finding some answers. Lara

Hi, I am 3 weeks out from surgery with Dr Aceves. His strategy is to keep you in a real hospital (not a clinic) for a couple of days after surgery so you have the dye leak test and a barium swallow leak test before you leave. As far as after care, I think there is a nutritionist in his group that you can call. I am a Kaiser patient and I have access to a nutritionist through their wellness program. I told them before I had surgery what I was doing and they put me on their usual bariatric follow up schedule. They out-source their bariatric patients anyway, so it isn't a big deal that I only participate in the follow up. You would be best off to talk to your insurance provider and ask them what they would do if you show up to the emergency room with a complication from the surgery. Will they pay for it? Do the doctors understand the symptoms of complication in this type of surgery? Dr Aceves will take very good care of you and he won't let you leave if there is any complication. You'll see with your own eyes that there is no leak and you get to take the xrays with you to give to your US doctor. Good luck! Lara

Hi-- Looks like you are eating very little already. It's hard to say over time how that will change. In the beginning, sleevers can only eat about 2 oz of anything. But, it looks like your band is doing what it is supposed to do. The difference in the sleeve will be a consistent restriction. Lara