Nevergoback

Best Wishes...hope everything goes as planned.

I totally agree with this. I feel like at this point with 20 pounds left to lose, it is totally up to me. I can eat almost anything and sometimes can 'fit' up to 8oz at a time. With the band, I would just 'pb' it..I could do that almost at will and that was how I got down to 150 lbs... not very healthy. Now I fight my evening 'head hunger' with a cup of tea and it works. Sometimes I treat myself with a caramel or two, but can stop at a reasonable amount, whereas before....well you know how that used to go. Also, I have stopped all the daytime 'snacking' which was a major contributor to my weight gain after the band was removed. When I get hungry I look for protein first. Again YMMV.

I alway had some restriction after every fill, but always seemed to be able to eat a lot. About my 4 or 5th fill, the doctor had bought his own flouroscope and did fills with an immediate barium swallow to see restriction. Well at this point the surgeon no longer did the fills himself. The person filling me added fill, did barium swallow, didn't see good restriction then hit me again then did it all again. That night I threw up water which was a first for me. My previous experience was that I would loosen up by the next day. I didn't go back immediately for them to unfill me, because I wanted to lose more weight faster. Sometimes I could eat things, but could barely drink water, how is that possible? Got to where I was eating ice cream every night for dinner. Then I started getting reflux and doing the regurgitate stomach acid in the middle of the night waking up just in time to make it to the bathroom. A staph infection forced my band removal, but I was relieved to have it taken out even though I knew I would start gaining the weight back. That is when I met my fabulous surgeon who removed my band and eventually did my VSG procedure. So that's it.

I bet you are so glad to be home and have all this behind you. Keep a stiff upperlip as you go through your liquid phase, it goes faster than you think. Good Luck to you!

Hi Elisabeth, sorry to hear about your band experience. I had my band removed exactly three years after having it installed, almost to the day. Pretty happy with how the sleeve is working for me and hope you have success with it too.

I am planning on a VSG due to losing my band in May because of a staph infection. Was wondering if someone could describe their post op recovery, how much pain, any problems like nausea? That sort of thing. thanks. I am expecting the post op diet to be similar to that of the band. Post op with the band was little more painful than most as he fixed a hernia I did not know I had. I had the pain from that repair as well as the gas escaping around my shoulder area. I stayed home for a week and one half. Actually, now that I think about it, I had less pain after the new guy took it out, than when the old guy put it in. I like my new surgeon better, he's much more personable.

My surgery was 9a on Wed. Feb 11th. I was mostly out of it after being brought to my room. When I became coherent, I did feel a little nausea and had the burn in my chest. I'm sure they had pain meds in my iv, but I don't remember asking for anything. The largest of my incisions had some pain, so I was aftaid to get up without help, but once I did get up I realized it wasn't that bad and did not require assistance again. Since you are on iv, you cannot drink until you do your dye test. I recommend packing a saline spray for your sinuses and a little bottle of mouthwash. I washed my mouth with water frequently durng day one. Late in the afternoon dr. b came in to see if I was up to the dye test and I didn't think I could , so we planned for day two. They gave me the test a 9a on day two. The liquid was like drinking liquid levaquin which is like a clear worse tasting nyquil. Suggestions here, ask them to put you in an area where you can wash the taste out of your mouth afterward, you still can't drink until they read the results, but getting that taste out was a life saver as they parked me by a sink while waiting to go back upstairs. Day two was much better, I was experiencing pain from gas or hunger but it would pass quickly, like a bad gas pain. I couldn't tell which was causing it so I will attribute to both. Before the dye, you are untethered from the iv and they got back to me pretty quickly to tell me everything looked fine and I could have a tray of clear liquids. The first thing I tried was the diluted juice and I think the sugar was too much for my stomache as it caused some pain. so I tried the horrible chicken broth, then just stuck to water. I they did give me a suger free frozen popsicle which I had half of. So I was realeased that afternoon and my husband picked me up at 6p. We went straight to the pharmacy to fill my pain med. I was worried the gas/hunger pain would keep me from sleeping. So I did take it at bedtime and I did wake up a 3am with a pain, so I took some more. Today is day three and the pain hasn't come up as much. It's like a bad gas bubble, not too bad and passes quickly. I am feeling really good today, took my shower and removed the bandaids. Did two loads of wash and took care of a sink of dirty dishes left by my loved ones. So I am expecting to feel mostly normal by tomorrow, I have a little discomfort bending over, but not real pain. I am glad I had this done, the recovery has actually been easier than when I had my lapband put in (by a different doctor). So if any of you have any other questions, fire away. I'm feeling good and am very pleased at this point. Now we will have to see how much I shrink, keep your fingers crossed.

Good luck on your revision. I have to note that you are having your band removed on the three year anniversary that you had it installed, same as me (installed 6/2005, deinstalled 6/2008.) Maybe there's something to the 3 year mark.

I have one extra scar, there was the one from my port that he couldn't cut over.

I had to wait six months after my band was removed because it was removed due to a staph infection in my abdomen. During that time I gained back 43 pounds. I had great success with the band, the initial weight loss was not that much but I lost about 1 to 2 lbs per week until I would plateau, then have another fill for a total loss of 65 pounds. With the sleeve, I lost 10 pounds the first two weeks, now I am losing 1 - 2 pounds per week. I haven't weighed today but I've gone down from 192 to 179 the last time I weighed. So that is 13 pounds. I expect now that I am off pureed food, that rate will increase as it did with the band. You can get in a lot of calories during the pureed phase. When I am at work I keep a variety of things in the fridge, cottage cheese, yogurt and sugar free pudding, and keep Protein powder and a blender there. I am only 29 pounds from my goal, so I don't expect to have a high rate of loss. I am walking 1 to 2 miles per day outside (weather permitting) and have dusted off the treadmill. At least I am wearing pants now that have not fit me since last year. Yesterday I had to tell myself stop being impatient, after all it has only been 4 weeks, I want to see the entire 43 pounds gone in one month...how silly of me. In answer to the other question, I went back to work after 8 days.

The day before your surgery. You must be excited and scared at the same time, I was. Anyway, you won't believe how fast a week goes by, tomorrow will be my one week post op and it flew by. My experience was that every day was exponentially better than the day before. It is amazing, best wishes to you.

My doctor put me on Full liquids after day two, this included yogurt, sugar free pudding, cottage cheese, cream of wheat cereal, milk, thick soups. The yogurt and pudding really helped at those times I was really hungry. Listen to your body, you will know when to stop eating. Now at two weeks I can progress to pureed foods. He told me to go slow when I start transitioning to 'real' food and to be careful with meat. When I saw him yesterday and he said I was doing great. I only have 30 more pounds to lose. My next visit is in six weeks.

Sorry, I have not been able to get on the forum for some reason. I am doing great. And yes, I was on full liquids after day 2 and it makes it much more tolerable. I don't think you are doing anything wrong, just make sure the consistency of what you have is liquid enough to sip through a straw (without the straw, they are not allowed.) Tomorrow marks two weeks and I believe I have lost 10 pounds. I didn't weigh on my home scale before I went in, so I could be a pound or two off. I don't care, I tried on a pair of pants today that are a half size smaller and they fit. I've been wearing 18 - 1/2W and almost breaking out of them, but the 18 misses now fits (remember I was a revision and had not gained all my weight back from the band.) I kept all my small clothes in anticipation of this surgery. I have not had a problem with nauseau, but certain smells will set me off. I had to tell my coworker her perfume was making me ill. She does apply too heavily, I will have to teach her how to properly apply perfume. Today, I tried to eat a half cup of cottage cheese which I finished in about 30 minutes. I should have taken it a little slower, because I felt like I could toss it. Luckily, we have a jogging path around a lake at work, so I got up and did two laps which helped. I'm glad you are over your nausea, there is nothing worse. Friday is two weeks and I can start pureed foods, also it is my followup day with the doctor. So far, so good. I am very happy in the way my new stomach lets me know when I have had enough. With the band, you get a terrible pain in the middle of your chest, I have not experienced that with the sleeve (although I am not on solids, so we will see.)

Wow! what an ordeal, good luck on your new journey

My first morning home (Friday)I tried some coffee, but we didn't have decaf and I really didn't want to finish it, so I only had a couple of sips. But now I have my cup of decaf for the morning drive to the office with no problems. Let us know how you are doing.

I forgot to remind you of the three things I wish someone had told me to do: Bring something with you to moisturize your sinuses, eye dropper or sprayer. You are going to be dry after surgery. I suffer from seasonal allergies and my head was like a ball of cotton. When they get you ready to take the dye test (nyquil-like) ask them about being able to wash your mouth out immediately after. If that means carrying a cup of Water with you, then ask for that and just spit back into the same cup. The stuff is not that bad, like I said it is like nyquil, and being able to rinse your mouth will be a godsend. When they bring your first tray of liquids, sip the water first...go slow. The medical assistant brought me medicine cups to sip from, so I wouldn't unconsciously take too much. That was very thoughtful of her. Ok, that's it. Anyone else?

Go to Costco and buy a case of Nutri System for Men and see how you do with that. One of my friends did it and lost quite a bit of weight. Your post tells me you are not committed to changing your lifestyle, so you are not a good candidate for any weight loss surgery.

I would be really interested in reading the article if you find it. Now at day five I am not experiencing it as much. My nutritionist addressed dumping and said VSG patients can experience it too, that is why I came to that conclusion. I am seeing my doctor next Friday and will ask him what he thinks. But either way, it is definitely getting better. I am thinking of returning to work earlier than I planned. So far I am pretty happy with the way I am healing (plus I have lost at least 4 pounds - can't be sure because of different scales)

Five years ago, I would never have imagined these conversations I am having with you folks today. It is so wonderful to be able to reach out. Thank you all.

I can sympathize with you on the gas thing. I had alot of pain from that with my previous lap band. The pain would move up my left chest to the shoulder. It won't last too long. I had none of that type gas pain with the sleeve surgery, they got it it all out. Although I do have a little bit of back pain, that might be attributed to the inflation gas maybe?

So how did it taste? Any flavors to avoid? It's funny how each doctor is so different in their nutrition regimen. The biggest emphasis in my plan is no sugar, non fat. I have to go to the store today (my son has almost finished all the milk) and will pick up some cottage cheese, it actually tastes pretty good blended down in the magic bullet with a packet of sweetner. I can thin it with the soy milk. I now understand the sugar free part and it's not just for the empty calories. On day 2, the diluted fruit juice they gave me caused the dumping pain. It seems a little better now. Well, everything is better now. My incisions are just a bit sore and I'm not taking pain meds. Today is day 5 and I walked the dogs this morning the entire 1 mile loop.

I found info on that isopure drink, looks like something I will try to find locally. We have many nutrition stores here. Isopure Zero Carb Drink at CWI Medical

I have heard of a drink called iso pure? supposed to have 40 grams to a container. Haven't tried it yet. I started wtih soy milk before surgery to see how I liked it and also wanted to avoid the lactic acid (milk sugar) after surgery. But not really any reason why, and it lasts longer in the fridge because my son won't drink it. Today I went to Walmart and found an unflavored protein powder which uses a smaller scoop. I made my lunch with a packet of cream of chicken cup of soup with hot water, then added a tablespoon of instant mashed potatoes and microwaved another 30 seconds, then added one scoop of the protein powder. Couldn't even tell it was in there, it added 10 grams of protein to an otherwise proteinless cup of soup. Then I had 4 ounces of protein shake. I am feeling full. For my breakfast earlier, I couldn't finish the cream of wheat, went out to walmart then finished it when I came back. It definitely filled my hunger and so did that lunch. I might just have a yogurt for dinner then my two viactives for dessert. I can make the yogurt high protein by adding protein powder to that Yum! The minimum amount of protein they want us to take in is 40 grams with a goal of 60 grams per day. From now on it's going to be protein, protein protein. But I wasn't this vigilent when I had the band and became protein deficient. My hair got really thin. Luckily it's all growing back in the eight months I've been without. I can't let that happen again. The surgeon who did my original band was not as involved with his patients as my new doctor and didn't send us home with much nutritional information. My new doctor prepares a notebook on your nutrition and a notebook for your after care when you are realeased. A completely different experience this time around.

As far as my recovery, I walked the dogs 1/2 mile last night. I am still wearing sweats, afraid of the waistband and the bra still. After lapband I had a problem wearing a bra for a month. It was very tricky getting by with that at work...layers is the key. Last night I tried to sleep on my right side, but woke up with mild pain in my stomach, 4a today. So now I'm up, here is the recipe for my cream of wheat: 1/2 cup vanilla soy milk, 1 tablespoon cream of wheat, added 1 tablespoon of vanilla protein powder during simmer. I am taking a tablespoon at a time every 5 to 10 minutes, so far so good. It is very soupy, but good. 9 grams of protein about 3 grams of fat. No additional sweetness needed. Oh, yeah, the cream of wheat is going down fine, definitely helping. This afternoon I am going to make runny instant mashed potatoes using 1/2 cup of chicken broth, but no protein powder, all i have is chocolate and vanilla and that would not be good.

Well, I can't lie, I am glad my doctor told me full liquids at day 2 for two weeks, I just looked over my plan again and This is my doctors regimen: Clear liquids 1-2 days after surgery, Full Liquids when you go home for 2 weeks, Start pureed Foods for 1 - 2 weeks, Soft Foods lowfat, low sugar for one week, regular foods Weeks 5 - 6. Yesterday was day three and I was having Protein Shakes, Water, Lipton cup of Soup cream of chicken, chicken broth and diluted juice all day and I was ok. This morning I woke up hungry (day 4) and decided to read over my plan again. For Full liquids they allow pudding and tapioca (sugar free non fat),Cream of wheat, cream of rice, farina or grits, cream soup, custard and yogurt. Non fat and sugar free where applicable. At this stage I missed that I needed to boost my Protein and give you ways to do that like adding powdered milk to skim milk or adding Protein Powder to yogurt. Right now I am having a cup of tea with soy milk and sipping it by the tablespoon. When I first started sipping you know how your hunger pains get worse when you start eating? Yeah that hurts, it is starting to subside now, but I am feeling pretty hungry. I'm going to take it slow and make some cream of wheat. I have figured out what 'dumping' is and that is the funny pain I have been feeling in my gut. I wasn't diluting my fruit juice enough and when the sugar hits your intestines so fast you get a cramp. It didn't take long to figure out that sugar is not my friend. So I have highly diluted it and added a packet of sweetner, you still get some flavor that way. More like two parts water to one part juice, maybe three parts water. I feel for you, having to do Optifast before has got to be really hard. My doctor does not require that, they just tell you not to gorge yourself the day before (last meal sort of thing.) You will definitely not be hungry the day of your surgery and maybe a little on day 2, but the clear liquids will alleviate it. After that, ask them if you can do what my doctor recommends. Also viactive soft chews Calcium and Vitamins are tolerated very well, so that was my treat yesterday, chewing slowly one of each. Also, I had some acid reflux and tums are allowed which took care of that. Your day is coming up soon, I know why they do the optifast, but I bet you could replace some of those calories with a low fat yogurt once a day. Anyone else think that might be ok?