Wheetsin

I don't know where you live, but where I'm at we're in our hottest time of the year. Next week is supposed to be the hottest week of the year. I've maintained my weight for over 2 years, or so my clothes tell me. I've noticed they are fitting a bit more snugly than I remember them fitting last summer. But like you, I'm sure my eating is not the variable. Right now I'm still chalking it up to Water weight due to peak temperatures. I have noticed that at the end of the day my ankles are a bit swollen, so I know I'm retaining some fluids. Have you changed the TYPES of food you eat? And maybe not the amounts? Ths is kind of a long shot, but maybe you were in a ketosis mode and broke it by introducing more carbs than you typically eat or something. It cam take a while to get back into ketosis. A lot of people can do it quickly, but it takes me about 2 weeks to be in the "active ketosis" pink of my test strips. Has the position of your scale moved any? My husband has one in our bathroom, which has alternating sizes of tile on the floor and the tile is "textured" -- not all the same height. A few days ago my husband moved his scale to mop and when he put it back, he put it on a grout line without realizing it. He weighed 19lbs heavier (he's 6'5 and about 250 so we'd definitely notice a 20 lb gain on him!) And he has placed it on a different tile, not on a grout line, and had a 4 lb difference. Unlikelym I know -- but just trying to help think of explanations for you.

DIfferent procedure, but I seem to have wound up with a sleeve-esque side effect -- the loss of hunger. I had surgeru in 2006 and have truly felt hunger maybe 6 - 8 times. If I ate only when hungry (which is the going guideline) I would easily go 4 - 6 days without eating. That is a fact, because I have done it. I routinely go 1 - 2 days without eating (for reasons other than just not feeling hungry). And when I'm out with other people, they have to remind me that they do get hungry... please Wheetsin... let us eat... I used to put a pop-up reminder in my calendar at work to go eat & go drink. I gave up on that. I typically do not eat breakfast, and maybe have a drink or some Soup at lunch. I try to eat dinner with my family, but it's not unusual that I cook for others and just have a scoop of cottage cheese. At this rate, you'd think I would hit goal...

In the lap-band world we call this "sliming." It's your body's way of trying to clear an obstruction (via lubrication) and prep for potentially having to bring something up (via protective coating). Or at least that is what I have always been told! I don't know how it is with the sleeve, but with lap-band when you have to yak something back up, that thick, ropey saliva is what comes up -- perhaps with a few bits of food in it. I don't know if this trip was spontaneous, but you might find it helpful to bring your own foods. At least for meals by yourself. I used to travel extensively, and would always bring Protein drinks (the pre-made kind that come like drink boxes) or Protein powder and my Magic Bullet if I had a car or was near a store. I would also always bring pepperoni chips (microwave turkey pepperoni until it's crunchy), and good quality Protein Bars. I would often bring albacore tuna pouches, and bring or get condiment packs of mayo -- instant tuna salad on the go. You can also buy little cans of tuna salad with cracker packs but I think it's gross. ALso a little tip -- still don't know how it is with the sleeve, but with the lap-band if something got stuck you either brought it up or waited for it to go down. Either way it usually took some time and was pretty uncomfortable. I learned quickly not to eat within 3 - 4 hours of a flight. I actually missed a flight once because I had to run to the bathroom and yak something up. And I once had to ask our car service driver to pull over so I could yak on the side of the interstate on the way to the airport. SIgh. Flying also makes me tighter. A LOT tighter. So I avoid in-flight foods, and plan for Soup or just a drink at the first meal after landing. Not sure if you guys are as effected by pressure/temp/humidity/etc changes as we are.

At 4 months post op (with any WLS procedure) I'm not sure I'd agree that eating once a day was "doing good." Can you not tolerate food more frequently, or were you just not getting hungry? Limiting yourself to that single meal, your metabolism probably adjusted. By eating more, you may have upped it a bit, which is going to drive more hunger. Maybe try a few smaller meals instead of just one meal?

Being lazy and not retyping...

We're in about the same place. My EGD was yesterday (hence the twilight sleep/talk with surgeon). I must have some major swelling because it feels just like it did when my band was too tight, thought I have no fill. I was up all night with the horrible, constant reflux (my primary symptom when my band slipped), which I haven't had since my complete unfill kicked in. I'm still gurgling & getting referred pains over a sip of Water I took around 7 this morning. And I'm now having occasional spasms/stabbing pains where my band is. Yeouch. Can't take anything to help, it wouldn't get down. I really underestimated how much swelling the EGD would cause. Had a message from one of the surg nurses wanting to know how I was doing... left a message telling her I wasn't going to be able to stay hydrated if this didn't change soon.

Some revision surgeons (mine included, I just learned yesterday) require a recovery period between procedures. I know someone on here had a surgeon who did them 2 weeks apart, and my surgeon does them 2 months apart. I had about 15 seconds to ask him why yesterday and he basically said it lets the swelling go down (helps prevent leaks from going undetected), and he said something about adhesions. I was on my way into twilight sleep so I didn't catch everything. I'm assuming he repairs the adhesions at removal, and then can focus on the sleeve procedure the second time around. My grandfather died of a septic infection. He was taking predisone, it basically ulcerated through his stomach, and he developed a slow leak. By the time he showed any signs, they couldn't do much for him. I was with him until his last breath and it was not a pleasant death... so the risk of a leak hits very close to home. I plan to question my surgeon about it pretty extensively. Not just the numbers, because it only takes "that one"... but procedure. E.g. how would he fix a leak, and can he just do that from the start (e.g. if you'd fix me by using blanket stiches and some mesh, can you just put blanket stitches in to start with? I'll glady pay you the add'l cost, here, just take this blank check!) What types of leak tests, and with what substances? When? What does he consider the risk period? Etc...

DIfferent people approach WLS with different perspectives. I've been "around" for about 7 years and here are the 3 main ones I've seen over & over: 1. I'm going to go all out and follow <diet> so I can maximize my weightloss. (<Diet> is typically low carb) 2. I'm going to eat like I always did, and just change the portions - I want to eat "normal" and "normal" means unhealthy foods too. 3. I'm going to do #1 until I reach goal, and then #2 after. WIth any restrictive procedure, you can eat around it do a degree. You may have to work at it, and it may take some to learn what you can do to eat around it, but it can almost always be done. Some people go that route. Most do not. It is definitely easier to eat healthier while you're actively losing weight. I once "stalled" for about a year, and found it much more challenging to eat healthy. But I wasn't seeing it holisitically enough. I was focused on Why eat this thing that I don't want as much, when I'm not losing weight anyway instead of Even if I'm not losing weight, I can still eat good. My food tastes did change a bit. I developed an almost obsessive love for edamama and lima Beans, neither of which I could stand before. And I developed a love of Cookies, which I didn't care for pre-op. I gave up red meat and pork completely. Red meat because I found that no matter how well I chewed, I could never "chew to goo". And pork because I was never much of a pork eater anyway, so why not... After my AGB most sweets had the same appeal, eventually. It took a while (3 - 4 years, really). When you've been very fat, and experienced the things that come with it, there's an odd sense of pride in leaving your meal 3/4 untouched, or having your shopping cart full of fresh produce and lean meats. If I could go back and change one thing, I never would have "tried" that first piece of bread. When I learned I could tolerate breads/flour-based carbs, I ate them. If I hadn't, I may have met goal (I respond well to low carb diets). And knowing I could tolerate breads lead to me trying other processed carbs. I still did well, still lost weight, but always wondered if I'd have been at goal if....

Anesthesia/surgery, and more generically body trauma frequently cause your hair to fall out. With my lap-band surgery it started about 3 months post-op. A year later I had my gallbladder out and it started about 6 weeks out. I have thick hair so maybe I didn't notice as much, but it only seemed really bad for a week or two. I never thinned noticeably, but there were some mornings where I was completely shocked at how much hair was on my hands after shampooing.

BTW, I reliably gain 11# with my period. It comes on 4 - 6 days before it starts, and is generally gone about a week after.

The very short & sweet version (I've typed this out in more detail, so if you want it you can probably find it): When you first change some major thing about the way you eat, your body freaks out and released a bunch of stuff it has been reserving for an emergency, to try and make sure it has the energy it needs. The initial "whooshy" weightloss people see 1 & 2 weeks into a diet -- usually, at least half of that weight is this bunch of stuff (reserves). The other half or so is usually fat & muscle loss. As soon as that initial stuff is released, your body says "Ok, no more..." and tries to hold on to what it can get. It wants those reserves replaced, and wants to preserve everything it has. The "stall" people see 3 & 4 weeks into a diet is that - your body's reaction to having to give up its reserves. Usually by weeks 6 - 8 things have evened out a bit and you are more reliably losing greater percentages of fat and/or muscle than reserved Fluid components. Heads up, around week 10, and then around month 2 or 3, are also frequent "stall" periods (most experts won't consider something a stall unless there has been 6 weeks or longer without loss of either fat or inches, a stall is not a week or two of the scale not changing). HTH

I would think rubbing on the good stuff is a good thing... Pant cuts are different. You also have less fat in your upper pelvic area = smaller upper pelvic area = less coverage. Look at a porn with skinny women. Their "good stuff" is clearly visible when they just stand there.

The best advice is to not freak out, and understand that body weight fluctuates. It is SUPPOSED to fluctuate. If you are constantly the same weight, something is not working properly. 3 weeks post-op it's pretty much impossible to gain 2 lbs of fat, unless you have a melted butter IV. And if you're gtaining something other than fat (water & the things your body makes with water) then who cares, right? Chill. Don't weigh yourself every day. Even better, don't weigh yourself period.

I can't promise this, but generally (99% of the time) speaking... Approval is based on your weight at the time that you apply for approval. Weight histories are to prove that you have a "problem" - a history of being overweight, instead of just being in a funk and you'll drop the weight shortly. sleep apnea will help if your insurance company requires comorbidities. Mine did not. If comorbidities are required, sleep apnea counts.

BTW, things "weren't so bad" with my unfill. My only real symptom of my slip - reflux (all night long, aspirating it, etc.) - stopped a few days after my unfill (fills/unfills took a bit to kick in for me). Without the reflux, things were pretty normal. I still had enough restriction, I never had the symptom of getting sick, I could tolerate all foods/liquids on most days (just not all times of the day), etc. Wow, that EGD must've swollen me up really good! The reflux was back lastnight after I tried to drink some apple juice around 11 am, that sat with me all day long. (My slip is weird in that way - I will eat something, get a winky slip feeling, and even if I can down a gallon of liquid after, I will still reflux all night unless the wonky feeling is gone. I'd like to know what's happening there, since logic says that if you can down liquids just fine, things should be clear/flushed out). Having that reflux again reminds me how over this I am...

Hi Heather, I had my band in early 2006 and was diagnosed with a slip last month, although I'm pretty sure I've had it since 2008. My slip was diagnosed via xray and I was called to confirm it about 3 days later, so no terribly long wait for me. I had an EGD yesterday which also confirmed the slip. From the exterior, they had classified it as a "profound" slip because the angle of palcement was close to the opposite of what it should be. However, the EGD showed it was only a partial slip (not a complete prolapse). However, the surgeon confirmed with me yesterday that he still does not advise re-banding, because of the crappy( (ier) rates of re-banding complications. The EGD was required by my ins co for removal. I also found out yesterday my surgeon requires about 2 months between procedures. I have not heard anything yet on when I will be able to get the band out. Waiting game...

Hi Charlene, I am in the revision process. My band is still in place. I actually just had the EGD done yesterday - insurance co requires one for removal. My surgeon told me yesterday that he requires 6 - 8 weeks between procedures. I'm very glad to hear he requires time between, but kinda wish it wasn't to slong of a time.

Leslie - that's interesting. My surgeon's recommendation for me was the sleeve. He said he does not recommend it for ALL band-to-something revisions, but thinks it will work well for me (as my problems were not around non-compliance, and I'm also assuming because I did not have an erosion or other serious damage complication.) I've not heard of any failure rates. Is that a failure to be able to perform the procedure (as in, too much scar tissue or too many adhesions), or a failure to work, or something else? I'm having a hard time imagining the cause for failure, but I'd love to know more if you have any additional information. (I"m sitting here poring over the possibilities and really can't come up with any -- at least not any that will still allow a RNY to be done). RNY would have to be an absolute last chance for me. I know several people who have had it for a while (7 - 10 years) and they are all miserable. Not that everyone will be by any means, but seeing what they're going through, and hearing what they are saying -- I think I would have to try everything else first, and if I went malabsorptive I would probably go DS but I don't know - haven't really given it any thought. I too am just sharing info -- but really would love to know anything more about the failure rates that you know (I've heard 4x greater risk, but not that procedures couldn't be done.) I 'll have an EGD done later this week - it's required by insurance for band removals - and hopefully I can meet with the surgeon shortly after. I'll definitely ask him about this. Thanks and best wishes!

When I had my band in 2006, I knew someone who was part of the original FDA trials. SHe has since lost her band (to be honest, she was having problems when I had mine and hers shouldhave been taken out long ago.) She is the most senior lap-band patient I know. Second would be a lady I met locally, who was 7 years out about 3 years ago. I don't know if she still has her band. I've tried to get back in touch with her but I haven't been able to. She doesn't use this board, but does use another -- I just can't remember which... I still very much appreciate what my band could help me do. I would still do it again, all things being the same. I just don't know that I could advocate it for others seeing what the complication rates have become. I've read articles in the last few weeks placing them anywhere from 33% - 87%. If there's anything consistent, it's the inconsistency.

Addressing a few things, HTH... It may help you feel better to look into the specifics of that 0.1% rate. Is that a rate specific to laparoscopic VSG? Most mortality rates are lumped into the type of bariatric procedure, rather than the type of surgical procedure. Open surgeries are far more dangerous, and complication/mortality rates reported for bariatric procedures often include rates for open procedures. It's also important to remember that any surgery for an obese patient is riskier than the same person at a healthy weight. There is a greater anesthetic risk, a higher degree of diffiulty for the surgery, much higher rate of post-operative complication (e.g. pulmonary embolism). So there's a very large element of risk because "obese person has surgery" and not specifically "obese person has VSG." Also, the obesity surgery (generic) mortality rate is usually reported between 0.1% and 0.3%. 0.1% for just a sleeve procedure, and specifically a laparoscopic sleeve, seems a little high. I'm not debating your stats, but relatively they seem a bit elevated. Also, at least in purposes of medical study/reporting, "surgical mortality" includes deaths within 30 days of surgery. There are things that happen in those 30 days that are not attributable to the procedure, directly nor indirectly. It also depends on what country (and sometimes even what practice) you're looking at numbers for, and when. In India, since 2007, obesity surgery rates run about 0.3%. In Scandinavia, they had zero reportable deaths in the same period. So if you're looking at averages you're at a much lower number than averages for India. So make sure your stats are relevant to where you're having surgery (and even more specifically -- the facility/surgeon). Also, since this is often not used as an independent procedure, and may be recommended as a preliminary surgery for super obese patients, mortality rates will be higher since they include numbers from extremely high risk patients. I know this is a bit apples to oranges, but statistics are statistics: Your chances of dying from bariatric surgery, assuming your .1% rate, is about the same as your chances of dying from smoke inhalation, but most of us still willingly walk into buildings that contain fire sources. Over eating is a bit of a hot button in the psychology world. While probably not able to be classified as an addiction, overeating has been proven to produce the same effects one can get from satiating an addiction. Addiction: Physiological dependence characterized by tolerance and physiological manifestations of withdrawl. When an overeater does not overeat, they do not vomit, hallucinate, pass out, etc. The tolerance may be there - it may take 20 cheeseburgers isntead of 10 to reach a sense of satiety, arguaby, but I've yet to meet an obese person who will actually become physically incapacitated if they have to eat a regular sized meal, or skip a meal. However: That is still not describing what I would consider an addiction, but it is a physiological compulsion to eat. --------------- Your posts confuse me a little. If I can ask in a generic sense, not specific to this thread, succinctly, what is it you are here to gain? I'm not asking that in a catty "why are you here..." kind of way, but honestly - what is it you're after? Facts? Opinions? General information? Anecdotal evidence? The first post I remember - from what I remember - from you read like 3 pages of, "I do not need WLS, my eating is under control and my size doesn't bother me" and a paragraph or two of "I might need WLS because I'm afraid others will discriminate against me." I see messages like: "I've just learned to love less of it, to listen to my body." "I rarely binge or even eat to the point where I feel overly full." "...I've learned to see food as something that is a tool, but also something fun that doesn't have to control me..." If those are true, why are you fat? I'm assuming you're fat, since you're here researching. Maybe you've already shared this (admittedly, I don't read every post), or maybe you don't want to share, and that's fine. It's not a question that requires an answer, so much as rhetorical. Do YOU understand the reasons for your obesity (assuming you're obese), and are they reasons that a medical procedure which restricts food intake can help? If you already don't overeat, or only do so rarely, but still think you might need some type of WLS, then maybe a restrictive procedure isn't going to be your best option. If portion isn't your weakness, then maybe it's type of food - in which case a restrictive procedure may only help so much (e.g. most people with a restrictrive procedure, given the will, can down a milkshake...) Again, I hope you take that last question as its meant. I'm just not the best at asking questions in the most gentle way.

Turkey pepperoni chips! I have gotten so many of my non-WLS friends hooked these. Once I gradauted to "foods as tolerated" my absolute must-have was Hormel turkey pepperoni. I lay them out on about 4 paper towels (25 - 30 of them will fit), and microwave them until they start to darken and most of the oils have cooked out. In my microwave, this is right around 1 m 30 s. As soon as you pull them out, blot them (hard) dry with another wad of paper towels, and then let them cool. They will be very crunchy, and very flavorful. They make a great low/no carb "chip". I like using them as scoops for cottage cheese or "garden vegetable" cream cheese. I pack them into ziplocs for on-the-go meals, and for when I travel. Note: I have a lap-band, not a sleeve. The spices in the pepperoni may react differently to your pouches, since our stomachs are still intact.

I make tofu quite often. It has a bit of a nondescript taste on its own, but most importantly, will absorb the flavor of whatever you marinate it in. Here are my tips. You want tofu as dry as you can get it. Do NOT buy "silken" tofu unless you want to cream it up, or have it be mushy. And I mean mushy, like pudding.If you want something you can chew, buy regular (won't have "silken" on the package) tofu, and get extra firm. Better yet, dry it out a bit when you get home. Not necessary, but it helps. To do this, sandwich it between hand towels, or a lot of paper towels, put a cookie sheet or small tray on the top layer of towel, and then add a can or two to weight it down. Let it sit for about an hour. THis will give you tofu that's still soft, but has some meatiness. My favorite way to prepare it is "thai" style. I don't have a recipe for this, I just kinda throw it together, but here's a starting point: Microwave a tbl or 2 of honey so it's soft. Stir in: A cup or two of OJ (you can use reduced sugar/acid, if you like) 2 tbl sesame oil 2 tsp soy sauce 1 tsp fish sauce 1/4 C (or more) peanut sauce 1/4 C light brown sugar squirt of Sriracha Slice the tofu into "steaks" and marinate them at least 4 hours. To cook, heat a frying pan with sesame oil. Cook the tofu until browned. I then add in the leftover marinate and cook it until it carmelizes.

I just ran RDU - SAN from 7/19 - 7/21 and found several options, all of them ranging $480 - $500 for round trip airfare. They weren't non-stop flights, but cheap flights usually won't be.

Check sites like Kayak, Orbitz, Travelocity, Hotwire, etc. Call the airline and ask them for their best price. They will often give you a price lower than what's on their site. Fly out of, and to, a secondary airport. I used to fly to Chicago for work about twice a month. Flying into Midway vs. O'Hare was tons cheaper.

I honestly haven't experienced people thinking I'm stupid/incompetent. At least not that I know of. Who knows what's said when I leave the room. For me, it's maybe the opposite - I've been told I intimidate people, and "talk fancy" - and I'm very matter of fact, which sometimes translates into "know it all" or "snob" -- which really isn't me at all. I've been told by friends that before they knew me, I intimidated them -- but they can never pinpoint why. I think it has to do at least partially with my height. I've also been told, "You don't carry yourself like a fat person, and you don't act like a fat person." What does that mean, exactly?!? A lady I worked with years ago told me I didn't walk llike a fat person. I have had people assume I'm poor. I have had people assume I don't understand the basics of nutrition, and assume that I live mostly off of pre-packaged foods (sooo not the case, I'm a total foodie). I have had people assume I work in an unskilled profession. I have had people assume that something must be wrong with my husband (relatively fit, relatively attractive, professional) for being married to me - or have assumed he is in it for selfish reasons (as in - I must be loaded and he is mooching off me). I've had people assume I have poor fashion taste. Since they're thin, they don't understand that what you wear when you're really obese is a function of what fits, not what I want to wear.