Cia2020

My surgeon's office appealed with the EXACT same language as the first request to go from VSG to an RNY which was denied. Hello month wasted, of course they would deny it again. What's that line about repeating the same behavior expecting a new result? Sheer laziness! 😡 I'm currently waiting on a call back from the appeals department at my insurance for clarification on one of the points of the revision criteria: Weight loss to 90% or less of ideal body weight If my understanding is correct, since I only lost 27% of my excess body weight and I'm a good 55 pounds from my ideal body weight (not even my goal, but I'm 35 pounds from that too and only lost 24 pounds total) I could be considered for revision. What I find is ridiculous is I have a few cm sliding hiatal hernia visible on my upper GI literally every time I breathe, hiccups countless times a day associated with that, GERD no responding to PPI use resulting in mild (so far) esophagitis, and documented dysphagia just with liquids on a swallow study done plus I've had vomiting with foods like meats that got "stuck" because my esophageal muscles aren't working properly anymore. All of which would be resolved with revision to bypass. Add in I have family history with cancer on both sides, including with my grandad and aunt on my dad's side who had stomach cancer (removed whole stomach) and esophageal cancer (multiple bouts) respectively, and this scares the crap out of me. I don't want to be on a PPI for years, which is not safe, or wait until I have 4 months of documented severe esophagitis that could turn cancerous. Not to mention what this could do to my asthma and high blood pressure during this whole Covid era, neither of which were resolved by the initial surgery either. Why does insurance have to be such a 🤬 ?!!

I'm a SPED para and since September been doing small group and hybrid days. I've been taking protein drinks and occasionally a small, cold snack because my breaks were 8 to15 minutes if I was lucky. I don't waste time with a microwave. Eat what you can in your break time and wait 30 min. then drink the protein to stay full and meet your macros. I'd take a cheese stick wrapped in meat, or low carb veggies, or frozen berries. Depending on your tolerance you can have some cold chicken, a hard-boiled egg, cheese chunks and nuts (allergen aware), jerky, or the old standby, a protein bar.

I'm 9 months out from VSG, saw the bariatric clinic follow up staff, and am so GRR now. I never had that "I'm never hungry" feeling once I recovered from the surgery but shrugged it off. I could drink 2 oz. fluids at once literally the day of surgery so I was like... OK, cool. Weight loss was slow despite being diet compliant and exercising, stopped at 25 pounds after 3 months, then gained 10 back after a foot injury (off again since getting back to my daily 5k jog). I've been having reflux for ages despite avoiding trigger foods/drinks and I get hiccups 20+ times a day regardless of how I'm eating, drinking, or not doing either. So they referred me back to the surgeon's office. Last week I had an upper GI study. The radiology report says I have mild decreased lower esophageal motility and mild outpouching at the fundus... um, I shouldn't HAVE a fundus after gastric sleeve. The weakened esophageal muscles explains the fluid that backs up when I drink sometimes, especially if not sitting straight up or standing, and the chest lock I feel when eating dryer foods or meats. I'm confused about the fundus. Is the radiologist mistaken and unfamiliar with VSG anatomy? Did the surgeon leave part of my fundus? The surgeon's office is awful at communicating so I'm in limbo. They didn't even call me before ordering the upper GI, they just had the radiology department call to schedule me without notice. All I can think about is where I go from here. Meds for the reflux and live with the hiccups? Revision surgery for the reflux and basically start over (the big GRR)? Anyone else have anything similar like a retained fundus, outpouching, or GERD with esophageal motility disorders like weakened muscles after VSG surgery?

Well my program was 20 ounces of skim milk or milk replacement 3x a day, 1 cup of broth, and water with low-cal or sugar-free flavorings a day for 2 weeks. It was brutal but I managed. Creating a habit of broth as dinner when the family was eating, freezing some of the flavored water as a popsicle to have something to 'chew', etc... helped me get through it. Cutting fat, carbs, sugar to help the liver, losing overall weight to make surgery safer, and breaking bad habits seem to be the biggest motivations for the pre-surgery diet. I do know a lot of other people have surgery within 12 to 24 hours of eating and have an "empty" stomach (to avoid risk of aspiration) so that isn't the big risk.

A lot of people have different diets, some even allow lean protein and food each day. It's more about your health, eating low carb/fat to shrink your liver and make it more pliable to move around during surgery, and getting into good habits. I think restricting food for a full month for me (2 weeks before and 2 after) actually caused me to want to eat more when I finally started pureed foods. Also, eating when you're on liquids can cause you to restart that cycle to get your body out of the "I'm starving!" phase. Days 3-5 were the worst, but after that, I really wasn't more than mildly annoying during meal and snacky times. You can do it! Try and remind yourself of "your why" you are having this surgery in the first place. Hold onto that. And, for the love of all that is holy, don't watch commercials!

Thanks for asking! I'm great! I hit all my protein and water goals, if not exceed them, each day. I'm back to normal food, but I do sometimes supplement with a protein drink or bar, or add powder to one meal. I find I need to have "sauce" with meat. I eat it with hummus, mashed avocado, sugar-free bbq sauce or ketchup, etc... Weight is not really coming off, but inches are so I'm not worrying about it as long as my body keeps changing since I've been working out pretty hard since 4 weeks out. Funnily enough, it took me until 5 weeks out to get the surgery report/images and finally find out why I had 6 incisions instead of 5. They tried to inflate my abdomen in one by my belly button but apparently my abdominal wall muscle is 'abnormally thick', and so they had to move up higher and use 'vigorous traction'. Yeah... the bruises showed that one.

So for many years I droned on with life like one of those bees, just doing my job. Day in, day out, mom, wife, life just happened. I've been heavy since I was 18, but my weight got really high after I was in a head-on collision with a drunk driver at age 19 in my first year of marriage, and it took me that first year to walk unaided again. My new hubby? Well, his culinary highlights were hamburger helper and spaghetti-os in red solo cups (so he could avoid dishes, of course!). It took 2 months to wheel my chair into the kitchen and take back over, but I was determined! Of course, limitations and a diet that was never stellar to begin with didn't leave us with super healthy meals. By 2001 I was 240 pounds. Then I had 2 kids by age 25, getting to 270. I was a lazy stay at home mom of course, ha! I kid! No, wait, that was 2 kids! Seriously, they were 2 1/2 years apart, there was no time to be lazy. I dieted, I ran around mom'ing... but I was locked in that oh so familiar spiral of lose some and gain more. Then both my kids hit middle school, I went back to work at their school, and I got EVEN HEAVIER! I hit my highest weight of 324, and my body started to make daily life difficult. The hardware in my shattered leg is painful. The torn disc acted up. The plantar fasciitis was murder. I was sick endlessly (Okay, that's mostly the school germs, kids are GROSS!). So I started tracking my food and exercise. I saw my doc. I went on phentermine. I lost 70 pounds. I regained 20 but stopped there for 9 months, unable to lose but not regaining it all back. A minor victory, hoorah! I tried phentermine again paired with walking a 5k every day before work. I lost 10, but it stopped working after a week. My doctor, who I've seen since that fateful car accident, kept suggesting surgery. I kept putting it off. Money. Fear of crappy doctors who don't listen to me when I know my body best, anesthesia, and having to take pain meds I don't want. Money. Well, I doubled up my insurance, decided to woman up--helped by my best friend going through the same program a year and half ago--and I made an initial foray into the surgery world. Well, it might have taken me 19 years to get to this point (half my life!) but I was shocked at how easy this process has been. I saw the nurse twice, then a psychologist and the nutritionist once between Nov. 20th and Jan. 2nd. I had to wait for January for my new primary insurance to kick in, but they accepted my past appointments and both insurances don't have any mandatory time or weight loss... seriously, jaw dropped. Saw the surgeon on Jan. 29th, and he scheduled me for an endoscopy March. 2nd. That's my last hurdle, beyond changing one of my meds and some labs just prior to surgery. Woo hoo! I work with special education elementary students so I needed right before Spring Break or summer because our schedule is just too hectic to put my needs first. So I asked, holding my breath after being told this surgeon works on Thursdays, "Is March 26th available, the only day during the school year I'm willing to do and have been hoping for since day one?" It was! I have to think that, even though I waited for-freaking-ever and tried endless diets that failed over and over, making me feel like a failure, the fact I'm already 2 pounds away from the 5% weight loss the clinic wanted me to lose, and every appointment has been like clockwork, and my date was available... THIS is the "final solution" that is meant to be. It's going to work. I'm an oversharer (can you tell? LOL) so I've told a lot of people in my family, friend circle, and coworker cohort, so I have a ton of people who will help me be accountable because everyone has been supportive. So, gastric sleeve surgery in Vancouver, WA on March 26th is it. The deadline. The morning I shall wake up for the last time as the old me, and the day I will go into surgery knowing it'll be the new me coming out with the tool that's finally going to work. And, if later I'm not in this same headspace, I can come back and read this post and remember just why I *know* this is going to be the right decision for me.

My program is no fluids 10 minutes before meals and 30 minutes after and I can definitely tell if I drink too soon. It hurts and backs up on me. However, during the liquid stage I didn't have "meals" per se but fluid goals to meet, so I drank whatever went down that got me to my goals. Within 6 hours of surgery I could drink 1 ounce of protein fluid and 1 ounce of water, at the same time, every 15 minutes. I always took my meds with protein fluids to "coat" my stomach. Now in purees (started 2 weeks out), I follow 3 meals and 2 snacks with water all day between. Protein shake for breakfast and a lot of cottage cheese, greek yogurt, hummus, eggs, and pureed meats and pureed steamed veggies. I can eat way more volume than predicted in a sitting, though, and can drink 20 ounces of water in 45 minutes. I drink 70 to 90 ounces of water a day and get around 80 grams of protein. I have atypical GERD where it only flares with my asthma, but also mild gastritis so I'm on omeprazole for 3 months. I feel "hungry" a lot but often find that I am actually thirsty (or its head hunger and habit/boredom). I also bought some antacid chews and find 1-2 of those a day really cut down on the sharp feeling in my stomach. My doc says that the hunger and larger volume per meal will steadily decrease the more I move away from puree to soft to regular as solid food is more filling per volume. I've had a breakfast shake for years, so I will keep that to help with my protein goal but really hope to stop wanting to eat because I feel hungry soon. Plus it will be easier to make fewer separate meals when cooking for the family.

I came out of surgery able to take in an ounce of protein drink and an ounce of water (at the same time) every 15 minutes. I did need to mix up my protein intake from room temp clear protein, to cold shakes, to warmed tomato soup with added protein powder per my nausea tolerance the first 5 days due to nausea with the pain meds but once off those I'm good with any. I drink 50-70 ounces of water a day, (preop I was 80 to 120 minimum) with electrolyte drop ins. That puts me at 80 to 90 ounces "intake" a day. I meet and exceed the fluid and protein goals. My 2nd week post-surgery I began to get a painful empty feeling several times a day. Its pissing me off. Its not acid, I'm on omeprazole and do 2 antacid meltaway chewable a day. I can eat an entire Greek yogurt serving tub in 30 minutes, with small bites and putting down my appetizer spoon between them. I don't like it, though, lactose pisses off my digestive system, but I was desperate for a "solid" and popsicles don't cut it either. I can easily get in 500-600 calories with the meal protein drinks and 2 snacks to stop my stomach hurting because of its "empty" feeling. I'm 12 days out. This is ridiculous! Anyone else come out of surgery this way and struggle with liquids? Please tell me moving to food is going to curb this, lower my overall calories when I can focus on solid proteins, and let me feel full.

Me too. In fact I can take 2-3 pills at a time (I take 7 in the morning). I can drink 18-20 ounces in an hour because I can drink 3 swallow at a time with no pain. I hit my protein and water intake every day and have since day 1 almost, when I could easily drink 2 ounces at a time every 15 minutes in the hospital (1 protein, 1 water). The days I didn't I was about 75%. My biggest fear was about being able to swallow adequately and drink more than sips so I know I'm lucky!

Its all done! Preop diet, labs, covid test, clear liquid day, family meal prep, a little meal prep for me... and, BOOM, surgery is tomorrow. Yikes! My hubby is working, and my 16 year old daughter is dropping me off at 10 AM. Might as well with no family visitors allowed. 🤞 for a smooth process!

Oh, and just use the quote button to quote other peoples posts, or use the @ symbol and follow with their username to do a mention, @pmh22

I'm on a super restrictive milk diet so yeah... feel you. No food, no jello, no posicles, no protein nuthings... grrrr! Milk/soy/Fairlife substitute, broth, and flavored water. Yum! I drink 120 ounces of water day, with propel drops in for some for electrolytes. I think that has saved me since I am still cooking for the family and working out. If it wasn't for the pounds coming off.... *crazy face* So much of this is mental over physical, because it is very physically hard but it is also possible if we can dig in and remember our reasons. I also preloaded this whole 2 weeks "meals" into MyFitnessPal and if I don't break my diet I have set myself a reward of 3 new Audible codes for day of surgery. Day 11 is done, 2 more to go, 1 of clear fluids only and I WIN! (Have I mentioned I am also highly competitive and have made this a me vs the milk diet for strongest will?) "I'm gonna win, it's gonna lose" also plays in my head a lot when the going gets tough.

My covid test just got scheduled for next Tuesday. I made it for *after* work. No students need to see me on video sessions all blotchy from trauma tears if it's that bad, lol. It's getting closer!

Omg, when you see your surgeon, BLESS them!! Congrats on 3 pounds down, woohoo! Leads to even better things post surgery, I think, if your weight is moving now. Mine is 20 ounces milk or milk alternative 3x a day. 16 ounces broth, low sodium. At least 50 ounces water with sugar free low calorie (10 max) flavors. That's it. I drink 96 to 120 ounces water minimum, always have. But yeah, the rest? Blah! This is me!

Good luck tomorrow!!

Congratulations!! Im glad to hear your surgery went well. And enjoy those full liquids tomorrow.

@over65 How did you do with your first weekend on the liquid diet?

I think a lot of us did. I gained 10 pounds in 2 months working from home and losing half my daily activity. However, in the first 3 days of my milk diet I have lost 7 pounds versus the 7 pounds in 7 days the first time in March before I got canceled when I had been a lot more disciplined about avoiding carbs and doing 2 shakes a day before starting. So my excess weight is coming off faster with this extreme restriction, but I expect it to slow down soon as my body is done being shocked from 2 meals a day (kept my breakfast shake) and 2 snacks to milk, broth, and water only. And of course, I'm starving and feel like crap doing it this time since I was eating more before. I'm at the "OMG, you get unlimited green veggies, 2 salads, or 4 ounces of lean meat a day?!! Not fair!!" stage because I love that stuff but am allowed 0 solids for 2 weeks pre and 2 weeks post.

My first try before my surgery was canceled I lost 7 pounds in 7 days, but I'd been on liquid breakfast and lunch for 3 weeks before. Ive been home working and eating lunch, so I think the lack of food will hit more this round. I lost 2 pounds in the first day so far, but I was a LOT hungrier. It definitely makes my daily 5k harder.

I started mine today, and I am sooo much hungrier this 2nd time around. Breathing through it, knowing it'll get better!

Yay! Awesome for you, you're rescheduled for a week ahead of me, and only have to do a week of a diet? I wanna have your program, lol.

Yay! Nice, it's always fun to have someone on the same schedule. Thursday is the first day of my diet, actually. I don't have a clear liquid diet except for the last day before surgery, for the rest, it's a milk diet. Three 20 ounce servings of milk or a milk alternative, low sodium broth, and 50 ounces of sugar free low cal (10 or less) drinks or flavored water a day. I drink 120 ounces of water a day, so that part isn't hard. The liquid diet sucks, and I get dizzy a lot, but I did a week before without cheating so I know I'll manage. The most annoying part is cooking for the family and not being able to taste test the food though, since I don't really use recipes. I have to call the hubby or kids in to make sure the sauces and stuff are good or if they need more seasoning, lol.

I take Magnesium Citrate supplement pills for muscle cramps. You could try those instead of a liquid.

You might get more responses putting this in the post-op forum.