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I don't think I've ever heard of back pain directly associated with gastric sleeve. More likely, your back pain is related to the herniated disc. The intervertebral discs in your back help keep your spine in alignment. If one is herniated, it's a little like you have a flat tire and your vertebra will be "off kilter" so to speak. The surrounding soft tissues, like muscles, try to accommodate that and will often go into spasm. #1-herniated discs are easily treated. Talk to your doctor about options. not sure why you're afraid of more tests. X-rays are non-invasive and offer minimal radiation exposure. Besides, don't you want to KNOW what your condition is and get it taken care of? #2-as we age, it is normal for us to develop degenerative conditions of our spine. Those degeneration also contribute to chronic back pain and muscle spasming. best treatment for this is regular movement/exercise/stretching. I was always told that the body is like any other machine. You have to keep the joints lubed up, but we don't have the luxury of spraying WD40 at our joints. Exercises stimulates healthy circulation and lubrication of the joints.

I never pureed anything during the pureed stage. I ate cottage cheese, greek yogurt or skyr, lightly cooked scrambled eggs (overcooked eggs were hard for me to eat), creamed soups and applesauce. I think I might have had some refried beans, too. This is in addition to all of the full liquids, like: protein shakes, puddings, etc. To make it easier to get protein in, I added a little protein powder to my yogurt/skyr and creamed soups. I still add a little protein powder to my morning skyr for breakfast. You can totally get through the pureed stage without having to puree anything and without having to resort to baby food. BTW: I think I recall someone mentioned to me that I could do the baby food meats, but they were so gross that I decided that I could live a week or 2 without something that reminded me of cat food.

This is what has been my downfall every time. I know this about myself and I plan ahead. I always have cheese sticks on hand. I have portioned out nuts for when I travel or am at work. I even keep hard boiled eggs on hand most of the time.

I got my date before we had insurance approval. When I asked the scheduler, they told me that they do that when they're confident that they'll get approval and said that if for some reason they're surprised by a denial, they just cancel.

I didn't use the Mederma or any scar strips, I used BioOil and my scars are very light to the point I have to search to find them. One thing though...I tend to heal very slowly. My steri strips didn't fall off for over a month! As soon as they did, I started with BioOil. As it was, my scars were various stages of pink (healthy pink) for probably almost 3 months. Maybe you're just a slow healer?

Congrats! A little jealous over here, but so happy for you. Got to be a great feeling!

I agree with anonbaribabe above regarding liquids not keeping you full, but you sure this isn't what we call "head hunger"? At 5 days post op, I had absolutely no desire to eat. I ate my liquid/puree food because I had to, not because I was hungry. I spent a lot of time those early days watching TV and remember that for the first time I noticed how many darn food commercials are on TV. It seemed like every other one was some juicy burger, taco joint, or fried chicken. I kept thinking that it seemed weird that I really didn't want any of those things. Yes, I remembered how they tasted, but unlike before surgery, I wasn't sitting there salivating and planning my next stop to the fast food drive-thru. I'd say it took me at least a month (maybe more) before I noticed that I was hungry. And when it came, it seemed to come on fast. LIke I didn't recognize the early signs and went straight to "I am running on empty! Feed me!" It took me some time to figure my new hunger signals out to prevent that urgent hunger/need to eat.

I don't think you are put out for a manometry test. They put a small tube down your nose and into your stomach. In most cases, they'll spray some numbing medication in the back of your throat (yuck by the way), but they need your help to get it down. They'll ask you to swallow as they pass it into the stomach. The test itself measures how fast liquids pass through your esophagus into your stomach. So, they have you swallow water. They need your cooperation in this, so I doubt they have you sedated in any way.

I second the Bio-oil. I started using it as soon as my incisions healed. I apply after a shower/bath and use it everywhere (arms, legs, hips, abdomen, chest). I can't say that it has totally prevented sagging issues, but my skin is sure soft and I have virtually no scars from my incisions.

Baby food would be a pureed stage, but honestly I never needed it or wanted it. You can do much better making your own puree. Applesauce, small curd cottage cheese, and ricotta cheese are natural puree foods. I ate very soft scrambled eggs during my puree stage (don't overcook or they get dry and rubbery). Mashed, ripe bananas is also puree, but they can be high carb content so I wouldn't live only on pureed bananas. I ate them during this phase with a bit of smooth peanut butter. Also, keep in mind that you can still eat full liquids, like protein shakes and creamed soups during this phase. *The key in pureed is that there are no lumps that require you to chew. Use caution with "stringy" vegetables like celery and some of the cruciferous ones (cabbage, broccoli). My advice: Get a blender of some kind. I have a vitamix blender and I have used a magic bullet in the past (Ninja makes similar equivalents of both vitamix and magic bullet that could be more cost-effective). Unless you plan on using them a lot post-op, don't invest a lot of $$ in a blender (vitamix is expensive and I bought it for other reasons pre-op). I find I don't really use them too much these days unless I need to puree something for a recipe I'm making.

Hilarious! I'll be thinking of your "mouse" when I go into the office tomorrow! Congrats!

Let me preface this by saying that this conversation is better handled between you and your doctor. To answer your question about which is better, that's entirely based on individual situation. There is some evidence to suggest that the sleeve can make pre-existing GERD worse. However, there's also some evidence that this link is negligible. Regardless, you will find some doctors who refuse to sleeve a patient with pre-existing GERD. You will also find sleeved patients who develop GERD being revised to RNY to treat the GERD. I can only speak from my personal experience. I had GERD before I was sleeved. I had it with lap band and off/on after I had the lap band removed. For personal reasons, I did not want to even consider RNY. So, I had a frank discussion with my doctor about the likelihood of GERD after sleeve. He felt that my GERD was "situational", meaning that my lifestyle and state of obesity contributed to it and its exacerbation. He and I were willing to take the chance of post-sleeve GERD and so we proceeded. About 6 weeks after my sleeve surgery, I started having heartburn. We immediately implemented PPI's (Nexium), which took care of the heartburn and I thought I was in the clear. Life was good as long as I took my Nexium. About 6 months after surgery, I started noticing that I'd wake up with sore throat like I'd had a runny nose all night. If I ate too late, I'd be awakened by reflux (not choking or anything, but I could feel the stomach contents moving up towards my throat. Gross, I know, but it's the honest truth). I tried all of the GERD recommendations (no eating after 7, avoid certain foods, sleep with head elevated) and some not so common ones like DGL, sea buckthorn, and something called "Swedish Bitters". Everything helped, but didn't really solve the issue. I'm now seeing a gastroenterologist and we'll see where that takes me.

I didn't do direct revision of band to sleeve, I had a few years in between. I admit that I was a little more motivated with the lap band. I was younger, excited for the possibilities. When I got sleeved, I was motivated, but it was more of a "been there/done that" kind of thing. The shine was gone. That doesn't mean that I was unmotivated, only "seasoned". I think I've been more realistic in my expectations this time around. Rather than an all or nothing enthusiasm, I have taken the approach that whatever changes I make to my behavior must be sustainable. I'm also much more patient with the weight loss. I don't get too excited if I am losing slowly. I don't freak out with a brief stall and in fact, don't get too excited if I don't lose weight every week. I weigh myself every week to keep myself in check and only get concerned it it's been a month where I've had no weight loss. Fortunately, it's only happened once and all I did was re-evaluate what I'm doing to lose weight. This time around, I have never doubted that I would succeed. I give myself plenty of time to do that. I have no set timetables of when I want to achieve my goal, only that I eventually get there. I'm just much more relaxed about it this time.

Meez, I had my band removed. That largely resolved the issue although I was subject to occasional flare-ups of GERD afterward. I also never had reflux before the band. The band gave me such severe reflux that I sat sitting up for nearly 5 years! This was not heartburn and I never actually felt food/stomach contents coming up into my esophagus/throat. When I laid down, I would get a pressure in my chest. It gave me nearly chronic esophagitis where I had a metallic taste in my mouth and would get this lump feeling. I would urge you to contact your doctor, notify them of your symptoms and ask questions to hopefully get resolution.

There were times when I was banded where I felt like I had a constant lump in the back of my throat. It wasn't related to what types of food or how much I ate. It had no rhyme or reason to time of day. I would always joke that it felt like I had an alien in my chest ready to pop out! My doctor said it had something to do with GERD, like esophagitis or something. I had little or no heartburn, only this weird lump feeling.

It's normal for a doctor to have you stop taking any medications a few days before surgery if they could cause increased post operative bleeding. That includes supplements like vitamins/herbs/etc. After surgery, you may not be able to tolerate large pills. I was given pain medications as a capsule while I was still in the hospital. When I objected because I was concerned, the nurses and the doctor had no worries about a capsule. If you're concerned and the medication in the capsule isn't time released, you can open the capsule and sprinkle it in food/drink and take it that way after your surgery until you feel you're healed enough to resume taking the capsule.

Goodness! Just the thought of taking another pill could cause anxiety with that kind of experience. It's possible that the pill got stuck but then moved on after all of your attempts. But because it had gotten stuck, it kind of stimulates the spot where it got stuck and it still feels like it's there when it's not. You didn't say what these pills were, so I'm going a little blind here. #1-if it's a vitamin of any kind, consider chewables for a while. Vitamins can be big and since you're pretty newly sleeved, take it easy on your GI system while you heal. #2-if it's not a vitamin and it's something you need to take for medical reasons, you have some options: if the pill is not time released, crush them. You can take them in any food you wish or even just form a slurry and drink them down If the pill IS time released, you can't crush them. When I worked in a nursing home, we would put the whole pill atop a spoonful of pudding. The pill then slides right down with the pudding. I've tried this myself and was really surprised at how easy pills go down this way. Not sure of the scientific reasons, but having bulk to help with the pill AND lubricating the throat really seems to help. Good luck!

Mine were never covered. They were glued together and had steri-strips over them (like tape). I was told to keep them clean/dry and no baths or swimming until the strips fell off. If your incision looks open, you probably need to consult a doctor. good luck!

I'm sorry this is happening to you! How awful. When my band slipped, the only symptom was GERD and esophagitis. When I had my band out, I also chose not to revise. So, the surgery was pretty easy. Not much pain. I had a brief progression from liquids to solid foods, but much shorter than with the original surgery/weight loss process. I immediately felt better and aside from your normal post-surgical issues like a little gas and the incisions, it was a breeze. Good luck!

@Mindbodyandsoul Welcome! Weight gain can happen. No judgement. I have a friend who is about 5 years out and started regaining. She returned back to basics and joined weight watchers to keep herself accountable. Seems to be working. Best of luck!

CONGRATS! I know just how you feel. That is a major accomplishment and milestone. Can't wait til I get there myself, 27lbs to go!

when I had surgery, I kept it very private. My husband knew. I told 2 or 3 of my best friends and I told my boss. I didn't tell my children. I didn't tell my parents or any of my extended family. No one. I can understand the shame thing, but for me it was more that I wanted this journey to be my private journey. I wanted to do it "my way". I have since told several other people and I haven't gotten any flack or felt like I was being judged. I only recently told my youngest son because he was starting to ask questions about my health, thinking I was majorly ill or something. I still have not told my parents or extended family and don't plan to. Choose how you travel along this journey in a way that is best for you. But, as someone said above, you can't un-ring a bell.

Yep! I get a runny nose as I eat and if I've filled my pouch/sleeve, I do what I call "machine-gun sneezing" where I just sneeze over and over again. We're talking like 10 or 15 times in a row! I generally try to avoid that, so I stop before I get to that point. It's one thing to sneeze like typhoid Mary in private, but you get some strange looks in the office or in a restaurant.

I started with the patches. There are mixed reviews about how effective they are. I can't attest to the effectiveness because I had to stop them shortly after surgery. I developed a sensitivity to the adhesive within a week or 2 after surgery. It took me nearly 2 months to figure out what vitamins to take and when. I felt like it was a bit of "trial and error". For me, I have to take my multi with food. If I don't, I get nauseated.

I started with mild reflux at 6 weeks. It seemed to get better with nexium, but I still get flare ups every now and then. Call your doc. I agree that it could get better with medication changes or simply because you lost weight, but reflux isn't something to play "wait and see". Make sure you're letting your doctor's know and be persistent until you get relief.