shots95

I recently received samples of Victoza. Had Gastric sleeve 3/2017. Did drop 50 lbs but have been steady up and down since. The Victoza has caused me to eat 30 % less at meals. The fullness appears quicker than without Victoza. I may not be full but feel full. Weight slowly starting to drop again. Called my Medicare D provider and asked them what is the monthly cost for Victoza. A 3 Pen unit is about $115. High but he told me that it adds $2400 to the "donut hole" annual cost.

Down about 50 lbs since December Sleeved on March 9 Been stuck for 3 weeks at same weight. At gym 4 days a week Do 10,000 steps most days at gym. definitely slimming down but very frustrating

Down 45 lbs since March 9 Good luck on your journey

Cholesterol and weight don't really correlate well. You could be paperthin and still have very high cholesterol. You might lower the cholesterol a little bit with good weight loss but if you are genetically prone to have high cholesterol which is called familial hypercholesterolemia, you would still need to be on medication. I have always had high cholesterol and had quadruple bypass heart surgery back in 2002. I have been on medications for the past 20 years because I have that familial hypercholesterolemia. You should talk with your doctor about that. I have lost 40 pounds since my sleeve surgery in March but I still stay on my medication. My cholesterol has not really varied much since the surgery

I have gout-family genetics- have been on allopurinol for the past 20 years. I was sleeved on March 9. I have lost 40 pounds since December and feeling great. I had labs drawn last week and it showed no change in my uric acid. I really have not suffered from the gout symptoms since I was diagnosed more than 20 years ago. I hope your doctor gets to the bottom of it. It is possible with rapid weight loss and all the proteins that are metabolized that the uric acid might go up. I hope there is medication you can take in order to relieve any gout symptoms if that is the case.

was sleeved March 9 down 40 lbs You are going to find that fat loss is not uniform, I now have chaffing in lower abdomen where upper abdomen folds over lower. need to use lots of ointment in that area. Was told by psych prior to procedure to let surgeon know so he can document that in his notes so insurance may pay down the line for cosmetic surgery later if needed

both surgeons are excellent. Dr. Patel remove my lap band and did the gastric sleeve two months ago. After care in that office is excellent. Dr. Patel is doing my wife's gastric sleeve next month. You can go wrong with either of those surgeons.

I think is great you lost that much in 2 months. I just hope you are doing this in a healthy manner taking the required protein and fluid needed.

I had my lap band removed and sleeve inserted on March 9. I was lucky that I was able to have it done in one procedure. My surgeon told me that my lap band was a second-generation from 10 years ago. It had the most scarring of all the lap bands and it was replaced subsequently by the company with newer lap bands. If there was a lot of scarring, I would need 2 procedures over 3 to 4 months. My band was giving me problems in the last two years and I don't know why I waited for the sleeve. It was the best decision I ever made. I am down 35 pounds since December and 32 pounds down from the day of my surgery. My wife is going to have this procedure in June although she never had a lap band. My daughter is getting married next June and I think this is a prime reason for her but also we have all failed the diet groups over the last several years and this is the last recourse. I feel great and sometimes I miss that 20 ounce ribeye steak. I always was a steak and potatoes man but this is a new journey for all of us. I have learned to eat differently and plan what my meals will be. My wife and I still go out to restaurants but there is always a lot of take-home from meals that cannot fit in the sleeve. This includes children's menu items. it's amazing how much food is in a children's menu dish when they will serve me that. Good luck and I know this will be the best decision you will ever make

This is a light topic for the weekend. I am down 32 pounds since my sleeve six weeks ago. I have read how people smell and taste have changed since having the sleeve. I have never been able to smell skunk in my life. My family laughed at me when we drove in a car in our semi rural neighborhood. They say " can't you smell that". I would sense something was there but that's all. Recently again I drove with my wife in our neighborhood. My wife has a hyper sensitive smell compared to mine. I smell all other things but I cannot smell skunk. Again we passed a skunk, I sensed something was there but that's all. Are there any other non-smellers of skunk?

The skunk I am talking about is the smelly animal. Skunk that is smoked is very evident when I smell it. I do not smoke anything. I ate too much my whole life and that's why I on this journey with all of you

Has anybody experienced a food coma or as it is probably called Postprandial somnolence after eating with the sleeve? I have never experienced this even in my most obese state. Since my surgery six weeks ago, if I eat to limit of my sleeve, I could probably take a nap immediately afterwards. It doesn't matter if it is a carbohydrate or a diet shake. Anybody else have this experience?

I am more intolerant of very sweet things such as pudding or birthday cakes Do not know why other than my sweetness intake is down 95%

In response to the question of why my lap band failed after 10 years, I have to say I do not know. It was never effective and i was able to cheat. but I had a bad time with it. I would vomit and wretch for hours at times when I over ate. And recently, the cheating foods did not pass through. The surgeon thought there may be some narrowing from all the vomiting. We could not find any slippage. I elected to have the band removed and sleeve done. It was the best decision. No more hunger. No vomiting no wretching and down 30 lbs.

After failing a 10 year history of lap band, I chose to have a sleeve instead of RNY. the sleeve was always the first step in RNY and then the rest of the bowel was redirected. Research has shown that the sleeve is as effective as RNY with less bowel correction to be performed. The hormone ghrelin is reduced 75 % in both sleeve and RNY which causes hunger. Both help Diabetes control. but when you have RNY which causes major changes in the anatomy, there can be problems. Ask your surgeon about dumping syndrome. I have known a lot of RNY people including my bariatric nurse coach who suffer from this problem many times. With gastric sleeve, you have all the benefits of RNY without dumping syndrome and you keep the rest of the anatomy intact. I go a whole day without any hunger pangs. I have to force myself to take the proper amount of protein and fluid as required in both surgeries. I have lost 30 pounds since December and am six weeks postop from the sleeve. That's my two cents.

There are always challenges. Two weeks after my surgery, a big group of my family came to visit us. We live by the shore in New Jersey. There is a famous pizza house on the boardwalk in Ocean City. My kids love to go there. They all knew that I couldn't have the pizza. But I went along with them. I nibbled on some cheese and sauce and left the crust. It worked out but there are always these challenges. On Easter Sunday was the birthday of one of my other children. We met her and her fiance at a restaurant that normally has a very big menu with early birds and everything. However we didn't realize that on Easter Sunday, there is a special menu. They had soup on the menu which is my go to meal but the waiter told us that I could not just order soup. You must have an entrée also. So we worked around my soup and got some prawns which I shared with the family. Came to $30 for a bowl of soup and some prawns but those are the challenges. My mouth still waters when I smell a good steak broiling in the back in the kitchen of a restaurant. I was always a steak and potatoes man and I still enjoy the smell. My kids say that eventually I could have a filet mignon but no more 24 ounce cowboy ribeye. That gun to your head will always be there to protect you. Try going to a decent restaurant at times to challenge yourself. Just plan your meal ahead of time.

All of us are in similar situations. Growing up as a child my mother would say Children are starving in Europe so eat your food. Sixty five years later and after a failed lap band, I am finally losing the weight that needs to come off being 6 weeks after sleeve surgery. But you still think "eat everything". I am down 30 lbs since December and am still thinking "fat". Last night I went out to dinner with my son who was visiting. We went to Bone Fish Grill. I ordered just the Soup while he ordered a regular meal. Before they brought our dinners, they brought out the loaf of bread that I love. I started nibbling at the edges of the loaf but the sleeve makes you "calculate" what you can eat. I barely finished the bowl of soup. You continue to think "eat everything" but the sleeve is like a gun to your head stopping you. That s why WW or any support group is important. My wife has terrible fibromyalgia and migraines with obesity. I am praying that the surgery in 3 months helps her. Good luck on your journey. We are all on a new journey

it really depends on the type of band you have. My band was done 10 years ago and was considered a second generation band. According to my surgeon this band has the most scarring of all the bands placed. He told me initially that he doesn't know whether he can do a sleeve on the same procedure with that band. You can't do a sleeve if you have scarring on the stomach and the esophagus. He told me I would have to wait three months for the sleeve to be done. Fortunately he was able to do the whole procedure at one time six weeks ago. I have a friend who only had the lap band removed and is waiting for the sleeve if she wants it. She has a Medicaid like insurance and I believe that might be the reason.

just wear the hospital gown they give you. I brought pajamas to the hospital, but there was oozing and some bleeding from the laparoscopic sites.. Wasn't a major problem but why stain your nice PJs. Just bring a robe.

don't be discouraged. I myself am six weeks postop. I initially lost 25 pounds but now I am in a stall. No weight loss for the past 10 days. Sometimes I believe that the body likes a certain weight and tries to maintain it at all costs. There are always shifts in fluid fat and muscle which keeps the weight constant. I know I am not eating the calories that I would have to to maintain the weight I am right now. Just give it time. Good luck

I am one month postop from a lap band which gave me problems and did not solve the weight problem. Lap band was performed 10 years ago and started giving me problems about four months ago. Surgeon opened up the band and I went up to 280 pounds. After the gastric sleeve and removal of the lap band in one procedure, I have lost 25 pounds since my highest weight recording in the surgeon's office. The greatest thing about the gastric sleeve is I have absolutely no hunger. You are supposed to be eating 80 to 90 g of protein a day after surgery but I rarely get that much in. It takes time for your "fat mind" to get adjusted to the new eating. I still enjoy watching those Food Network shows that show all these restaurants that have the "20 pound hamburgers" knowing I no longer can have. I have to plan for the day of my meal selections. My wife is now also getting the gastric sleeve in about three months. My blood sugar is improving and I am feeling better. I have knee problems but the weight loss has been beneficial in that area. I highly recommend the surgery. Have tried multiple diets, Weight watchers and all sorts of gimmicks without success. I am 66 years old and the metabolism has slowed down tremendously. Literally starvation dieting would be the only other option other than the gastric sleeve.