Elisabethsew

It felt like there was either someone cleaning, an RN checking wounds and vital signs, an MD checking on your status, or dietary bringing liquids throughout the day. LOL.

It's post-op day 8 and I had no problems doing an 8 hour shift so, tonight, it's back to my regular 12.5 hour shift. I'm tired of the liquid diet but it's only prescribed for another 2 days so I'll survive. I never looked so forward to full fluids. LOL. Chewing gum helps ease the urge to chew.

Maybe you and your friend could have surgery the same day! I work in a very large health care system and my speciality is critical care. I can't complain at all about the care I received in Mexico and the hospital was spic n spac clean. In the U.S. you certainly are NOT visited 3 times a day by your surgeon.

I feel the same way. I told my sister and one other person I was getting banded and that's the way it stayed. When I went for my revision to a sleeve last week, the same 2 people knew. Others do well letting everyone know but for me, obesity has been a lifelong battle and I don't want to be scrutinized about my progress.

I am SOOOOOOOOOO happy for you. You did the work and got the results and you're a role model for those of us who are working towards our own goals. I have NO doubt you'll be 100 years old and kicking ass!

Hi Britt, The answer to your question really depends on a few things. Have you gotten to your goal weight with the band? You state that you were banded in 2006 so I'm wondering if you achieved your goal weight. You mention your "lowest weight" but that does not mean it's your goal weight. Are you sick of dealing with the band? For many people, dealing with fills, unfills, minor and major complications is too much and they come to a point where they don't want to deal with it anymore. Have you had any other problems besides this one? Pouch dilation usually requires 2 weeks of a liquid diet to shrink it. Are you willing to dip into savings to be a self-pay or are you prepared to do battle with your insurance company and get them to pay for a sleeve revision? It's a lot to consider but I'm sure you've been thinking about it before posting here. On a personal note, I had my band in the U.S. on 3/30/06 and did everything I was supposed to do but could do nothing to stop the heart burn and acid regurgitation. It got to the point where I was sleeping in a chair and taking big doses of Rx acid blockers. I DID reach the point where the quality of my life meant more to me than the band and I revised just a week ago to a VSG with Dr. Aceves. Susan revised the day after me. Like you, I had to use savings but I don't regret a thing and the care was great. Keep us posted on what you decide.

I am not familiar with that surgeon but I'm sure someone else can comment. I can comment on Dr. Alberto Aceves as I had the revision to a VSG a week ago and had a great experience there.

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I would bet that you're going to see another loss on the scale soon. Keep us posted.

I want to know too. I thought adding heat to protein made it coagulate. Yuck!

Eating every 2-3 hours and taking in 4-5 ounces seems a lot to me. Have you tracked your caloric intake on The Daily Plate. com or another site? From reading the experiences of others, it's normal to actually gain a little during the soft diet phase so maintaining your weight is actually a good thing. I was told to limit meals to 3 per day once I get to the regular foods again (day 31 post-op). It seems you're now allowed to transition to a regular diet. THAT is when people notice the restriction and start losing again. Can you eat 4-5 oz of a chicken breast in one sitting?

You're very welcome. I see no value for ME in not trying to get back to "normal" as soon as possible. It's important to get proper rest, follow the diet, and refrain from heavy lifting so I am definitely following post-op orders. I am sure some people recover faster than I do while others need more time. I am purposely staying off the scale until Sat AM when I move to full fluids.

Twenty pounds is a LOT to lose in 2 weeks so maybe your body is on a plateau. It is unrealistic to expect to lose 10 pounds a week. You don't say how much you have to loose or what your current diet is... soft? As long as you follow the guidelines, the weight loss will happen.

I think this thread has run its course.

Post-op day 6 went well. I drove to the grocery store and walked all the isles, packed the stuff, loaded the car, and came home and had a lovely breakfast of tea and soy slender after putting everything away. I must say, looking at all the food in the store did make me crave some favorites but my eye is on getting healthy and healing properly. Because others in the house are not joining me on my liquid diet phase, I spent the afternoon cooking some meals ahead. My preference is to cook a lot, portion it out, and freeze it so there's always something available on days I don't feel like cooking. By the time I was done, I was tired so I caught up on paperwork and now I'm watching some TV. Tomorrow evening, I am going back to work but am easing into it and only working 8 hours. If that goes OK, I'll do my 12.5 hour shift on Thursday. My back is sore and so is the area where the port was but each day is better than the one before. Of course, I can't wait for Saturday... hello full fluids! LOL. The tomato soup is calling.

Protein needs to be taken throughout the day so I guess some people do supplement. I just can't find a Protein powder I can get down so, like Susan, I am resigned to just doing the best I can until I move to full fluids. If you're doing the soft phase, what about mushing a meatball up into some tomato Soup made with skim milk instead of Water? That would definitely boost the protein value.

Susan, The broth was a little strong but MUCH better than Protein supplements. The post-op coordinator for Dr. Aceves said it was OK to use a soy drink I found that tastes good. It's in the grocery store in the health food section in a one quart cardboard box (not refrigerated) called Soy Slender. That would give you 7-8 g protein in 8 ounces and is 70 calories. The chocolate flavor is great.

Dr. Aceves told me that I had to keep drinking constantly throughout the day. It FINALLY got better today. I think all the gas pockets passed which is allowing the fluids to trickle on down. As for calorie count... that's going to stay low while we're on fluids but I've got plenty of fat to live off of. LOL. Congratulations on the 10 pound loss! Keep drinking so you don't end up in the ER for IV hydration.

Susan, the hot tea is working better than cold water for me in an effort to get the fluids in. I went grocery shopping today and found a quart size cardboard box of beef sirloin stock that has 7 g protein in 8 oz. I'm going to try a cup for lunch. I'm also sipping Kelloggs protein lemon water. It's only 5 g protein in a bottle (16 oz) but at least it's something. Hang in there... you get to Celebrate Easter with full fluids! LOL. I get there a day before you and am counting the days.

For the LAST time, good luck with your surgery. You asked questions, you got responses, you didn't agree with the responses, and now you're insulting moderators. This is against the rules. Please review them. Again, you are the one beating a dead horse. We wish you well with your surgery. Adios!

Excellent way to look at it.

Unfortunately, I know I won't be getting in the required protein and I'm trying as hard as I can to stay hydrated. I only got in 20 g today so I'll try for more tomorrow. Have you tried part-skim ricotta cheese for some protein? Once I get to the full fluids, I'll be a lot happier.

I work in NY and they don't use the droperidol anymore... blackboxed by the FDA so I guess they don't want the hassle but it's a great drug. The 8 mg of Zofran does nothing for me.

I worked a 13 hour shift and then had a car take me directly to the airport. On the way there, I took my luggage on the plane with me. Once you get off the plane, the driver is in the baggage area waiting for you and then you go right to the hospital. I traveled alone but the staff are nice and I got work done on my laptop. You'll get a list of American TV stations but I didn't bother with the TV. The process goes quickly and the only difficult part was the LONG trip back home. Because heavy lifting is not allowed (>15 pounds), I checked my luggage on the way home. You'll need to come to terms with the fact that 60% of your stomach is being removed. Some people have a problem with this. I would suggest thinking it through before you actually go through with it.

The anesthesiologost will meet with you and review your past surgeries as well as your spinal anatomy before suggesting which to get. After they got the IV in my wrist in the OR, they pushed a sedative through it and then I was assisted onto my left side. The spinal block lasts for 3 hours. You will also get general anesthesia because of the pressure on the diaphragm when they inflate the abdominal cavity with the CO2 gas. Most people think the surgeon is in charge of the OR but that's not true. It's the anesthesiologist who monitors your vital signs, etc., and controls the operation. I would suggest going with what they suggest. My OR time was 2 hours.