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TQUAD64

Gastric Sleeve Patients
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Everything posted by TQUAD64

  1. TQUAD64

    stomach sleepers

    My port is near the far left side of my stomach and I happen to sleep on my left side for the most part. At first, right after surgery, I would lay on my right side. But now I am back to the left side with no problem. It is weird how we have a tendency to sleep a certain way.
  2. Self-isolation was primary to my decision as well as health issues.
  3. TQUAD64

    User Error - Lesson Learned!

    I have a hard time with the same issue. Every day is a challenge.
  4. It was a toss up for me and I actually switched my band choice right before surgery. I selected the AP band because it has a longer track record. And I did not like all the posts I kept reading about Realize bandsters who were almost filled to capacity and had not achieved restriction.
  5. TQUAD64

    Don't look if squeamish!

    Very cool!
  6. TQUAD64

    I want a salad

    I cannot imagine why anyone would ban lettuce. Now it might be a matter if you and your band can tolerate lettuce. I eat lettuce without problem.
  7. TQUAD64

    February 2009 Exercise Challenge

    Today: Treadmill 4% incline, 3.40 miles for 60 minutes. :thumbdown: The weekends go by way to quick!
  8. I eat anything in moderation. I basically have the same diet pre-band, but I am eating way way less food. I don't have issues yet with being stuck, vomiting, sliming, or bps with any of the food I consume. I know some people have issues with certain food and the band. As of yet, I have not had those issues. (I hope I never do) The reason why I selected the band was so that I can eat a well rounded diet, which includes fruit, veggies, meat, and grains without the issues with malabsorption. I never drank soda before, so I did not have to give that up. Every now and then I will have wine and I do have coffee every morning. I am losing weight and I am really pleased with my results. Good luck!
  9. Another good rule is selecting a Bariatric Center of Excellence. The doctors and the hospital receive this recognition after meeting several requirements. The insurance I have only referred me to Bariatric doctors who were working at a Bariatric Center. If you would like to learn about this, below is a link. Surgical Review Corporation As one of the other posters mention, aftercare is critical. I really enjoy my aftercare with my doctor. But it goes further than that, how do the support staff treat you, such as the nurses, PA, clerical staff, psychiatrist, and nutritionist. The bariatric center I attend, has all these positions centrally located in one office area. And what are the support groups like? I suppose most importantly, how many deaths occurred at the center during the surgery and/or during recovery? What is the centers complication rates, such as slip bands, infections, and port flips??? These were all questions I asked my doctor and the Chief Bariatric surgeon who assisted her. It is a lot too consider, so good luck with your decision. :-)
  10. TQUAD64

    February 2009 Exercise Challenge

    Great Emep! Doesn't it feel great to get back to jogging. I know your just starting out, me too for that matter, but every day we will get stronger. Hey, guys, I just returned from our girl's day/night out and for the first time I played Wii. OMG, it was so much fum. I bowled a 180. I have never bowled. And I boxed, which worked up a sweat! I am addicted.
  11. Happy New Year everyone! And welcome to another exciting year of exercise challenge.:Yawn: Today: 50 minutes treadmill at 5% incline 2.1 miles.
  12. Yes, the last time I had it checked it should normal, but nonetheless the symptoms were there, so I made the doctor increase the meds just slightly, which resolved the issues.
  13. TQUAD64

    February 2009 Exercise Challenge

    Yesterday: 60 minute treadmill 4% incline for 3.40 miles jogging and running.:cursing: Today: 60 minutes of slow walking 5% incline 2.68 miles. Really sore on my left hip. Lulu: Get back into the swing of school is so hard, but once you find your rhythm, I have no doubt you will complete your program. I just need to find my rhythm, so I can turn in my thesis and argue it in front of the oral board..so close...
  14. I am not from VA, but my surgeon had done about 30 band procedures before me. She is new to the hospital that I go for my care. She is young, hip, female, very knowledgeable, agressive with fills, and let me really take control of how I wanted things to go, which I love. I am very anal about being in control, so this relationship works great for me. In return for all the benefits I was getting from her, she had the chief of the bariatric center in the surgery with her, plus a proctor from LapBand there too! So really, I felt very comfortable with her lack of experience. It really is a personal decision you will have to ponder. Good luck!
  15. What's a sweet spot? I have an idea, but clarification is needed. The sweet spot is the point where upon a person achieves restriction that provides consisten weight loss. Usually you do not need further fills after reaching the sweet spot, however everyone has different results. How do I know if I need a fill or if I'm too filled? Some signs of being to filled are vomiting, sliming, bps, food being stuck, and/or the inability to keep fluids down. Is it painful if you eat too much? I hear lots about heart burn. I suppose it can be painful if you overeat. I have not had this experience because I don't over eat. I measure my food, track my calories, I eat slow and chew my food thoroughly. I am not distracted while eating, which means no tele, radio, car driving, or computer. I have never had heartburn pre-band or post band. Is your diet restricted completely to avoid certain foods once your back into the normal eating phase? I can eat any food. I have no diet restrictions. I do eat in moderation. And if I am going to have high calorie foods, I increase my exercise to compensate for my sweet tooth. My doctor states that I can eat any food types, but the thing is the band is very fickle. What goes down the pipe for me might get stuck for someone else. You just have to see what food items work with your band. Is there anyone out there who found the liquid portion after your LB surgery completely torturous? Yes, just plain and simple the liquid diet pre-band and post band sucks! But it does not last forever. Has anyone had a leak and if so, how do they treat it? Yes, I have a leak, which the doctor and I monitor every month. At one fill, I was missing .5 cc at another fill I was missing 1cc. If the leak is significant, then revision surgery will occur. How long is recovery time? I was planning to take 3 days off and go back in the middle of the week... is that too soon? It depends on your ability to recover and the type of job you have. Everyone's experience is different. I took two weeks off from my stationary job. I felt great going back to work with lots of energy. I like bulk fiber... is that a no no forever after being banded? No food types or off the list for me, but what works for me may not work for you. Really, you just need to play by ear and see what works with your band. What happens if you have a stomach virus and vomit? I know that vomiting, among other things, can loosen the band or displace it... is that indication for surgery? My doctor gave me anti-nasuea Patches just in case of an emergency...aka flu bug... Ask your doctor if they will do the same for you. Constant vomiting might make the band slip. Is anyone else in the same situation where they have kept it a secret? I'm not even sure if I will tell anyone afterwards. I have not told anyone, except my sister. And the only reason why she knows is because she was my emergency contact person for the hospital. My family, friends, and employer do not know. I do not lie; when people ask about my weight loss, I tell them the truth..I am training for a marathon and eating healthier foods. I do not lie; when I need to go to the doctor. I tell my employer I have a medical appointment and I do not provide details of it. I am on FMLA to safe guard my job, so I can attend medical appointments. I am very aware of my HIPPA rights, and I chose not to disclose my medical information to anyone. I have to go 1.5 hours away to attend my appointments, so yes people are curious, but they don't dare ask me why. Good luck!
  16. Just my personal opinion, but I believe it is more about an overall modification of our lives, which helps makes the band a success. Although portion control is part of the equation, the other factors influencing success are healthy eating habits, exercise, aftercare, and support groups. Maybe some people can be successful with implementing just one of these factors, but that is so not me. Every day I struggle with appropriate food choices and exercise. The band is not an easy tool, but I knew that before I had it inserted. So every day I work it. I wish your daughter the best. :cursing:
  17. You can only have so many lines in your signature box. I tried to put more data, but was not able to. So I deleted my old information pertaining to the dates of my pre-op requirements and just put fills, weight, and surgery date. I think you can only have 10 lines of information. I can't remember the exact number of lines.
  18. It is getting worse for me. With in the last 4-weeks at the same time I started to incorporate jogging into my workout, I started losing clumps of hair in the shower. It is so bad that I wash my hair every third day now, so I don't go bald. But it doesn't stop there, because during the day hair just keeps falling out. Next Thursday I see my PC doctor. I am going to have him increase my thyroid meds up just a little, especially in-light of my joint pain and my tiredness all of a sudden. I have been on thyroids meds since 2001 and only had to adjust my meds once, because I exhibited all the same symptoms from above. Just by increasing the meds very slightly, the symptoms disappeared. So I am hoping for the same results.
  19. The only person I told was my sister. She know exactly what procedure I had done. I was not planning to tell anyone, but the hospital insisted that I provide an emergency contact person, so that got me to thinking...what if something happens? What if I don't wake up from the surgery. So I did the grown up thing and told my sister where to find my life insurance policies and how best to help my adult kids get through the worse should the worse happen. My brother was the one who actually dropped me off at the hospital and picked me up from the hospital, but he does not know what type of procedure I had done. :confused:
  20. TQUAD64

    Octuplets and SIX other children??!!!

    She wants to start her masters degree, well I just completed a three year full-time masters program in the area of public administration. And it was hard to complete it!!!! My masters program offers no classes on line. I had to attend class twice a week; with each class being three hours long, so 6-hours of night classes, which I went to after I worked all day at my full time job! Plus, each class had three to four text books that I had to pay for and keep up with the reading assignments. Weekly reading assignments involved at least 10-15 hours of reading and comprehending. Plus, I had to do the weekly assignments, mid-term paper, and tests, plus the final. Not to mention that each class required that I be in a team group assignment, which required a team group project, which required meeting with the team after class hours on weekends at week-nights. How the heck does she plan to do that with 8 new borns and 6 other kids at home. She is crazy! Does she have three nannys?
  21. TQUAD64

    girls night out

    My girlfriends do not know I was banded. They know I am training for a marathon, which is causing me to make healthy food choices and not drink alcohol, which is all true. It is always best to talk to your doctor about what you can or cannot consume. My doctor asks that we limit our consumption of it, because it is empty calories. Personally, 4 ounces of wine puts me under the table now. I am a total light weight now.
  22. Fills and the band are fickle. It is different for everyone. There is no one size fits all story. My first 3cc fill at surgery gave me no restriction. My second fill gave me restriction for about two weeks. During that two week time, I could eat and saty full for 5-6 hours. Eventually that faded and I was eating every 3 hours and was eating more too. My third fill was a total flop. I recieved 1cc and I did not fill a darn thing. I was just plain hungry. My fourth fill, 1.5cc, gave me really tight restriction. I could not physically eat a lot, but was hungry every three hours. I am losing lots of weight with this fill. But this fill is way different than any of the other fills I received. Right now I have 5.5cc in a 10cc band and I have great restriction, which I hope it lasts.
  23. TQUAD64

    girls night out

    I love my girls day/night out. We having been doing this for over a year and it is a monthly ritual that no one or anything comes between. I had my surgery in November and girls night out was the first week in December. And you better believe I was so there for it. Did I drink, no. Did I eat food, yes, but it was very limited. Part of girls day/night is the sharing of life; our joys, failures, tears, and laughter...and really who needs food and alcohol to do that? All you need is you Best Girl Friends BGF.
  24. Actually, you sound like your on targert. You are losing 1-2 pounds per week, which is the average. Please remember when increasing your exercise activity you lose fat, but gain muscle. Muscle weighs more, thus you might not move the scale down. But I bet you are losing lots of inches. Additionally, when exercising it is important to keep your Protein levels up. Protein will help make you feel full and will help with muscle. You might want to increase your calorie intake to 1,200 to 1,300 calories per day. I know it sounds odd, but when you are working out and consume more calories it helps with weight loss. Good luck!
  25. TQUAD64

    Question About Fills

    My doctor decided which size band I would get, which was a 10cc band. This is based on my inside anatomy and what my doctor deems best for me. The 14cc band holds more Fluid. It is really hard to know how long it takes to completely fill the band. But remember the goal is to not completely fill the band. Your doctor wants you to have restriction with the least amount of fills. I am not sure what will happen when you reach full band fill capacity without restriction. You can always have the doctor take out fill from the band if less restriction is needed. Good luck!

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