Tiffykins

Just wanted to add this little article... http://www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/foodnut/09312.html I've seen it take a couple of years for deficiencies to be detected. Some programs don't do annual vitamin/mineral checks. I've had mine done every 3 months for the first year, and then every 6 months thereafter. I'll continue to have them monitored annually once I hit the 3rd year post-op. I've been high on B12 and have cut back to a sublingual every couple of days instead of daily.

I'm almost 2 years out, and I will continue to take my vitamins. There is no way I consume all of the micro and macro nutrients and minerals in my diet. I took them before weight loss surgery, and will continue to do so. With all the "bad" stuff out there in foods, I just can't imagine not taking it. Plus, I never want to get behind the curve on vitamin levels. Playing catch up is no fun.

He really is one of the pioneers of VSG as a stand along procedure. Him, Dr. Jossart and Dr. Gagner are 3 tops in the U.S. He does have some differing opinions and reviews from patients. From what I've read across the boards for a few years, he has his followers and he has his naysayers. But, when it comes down to technique, long term results, and surgical stats, he is definitely up there in the Top 3-5 surgeons in the nation.

Just make sure you take the Omeprazole on a completely empty stomach. I've always taken first thing in the morning, then wait 1 hour before eating anything. I start drinking my coffee immediately, but NO food for 1 solid hour. I've never had to use any other antacids in addition to the Prilosec. Now with the pregnancy, I'm on Nexium, and the directions are the same. If you continue to take it at night, make sure you haven't eaten 2-3 hours before taking it. I had some breakthrough acid attacks after eating this funky chipotle ranch dressing with jalapenos, and I chewed on Tums, but it didn't really help all that much. Since being pregnant, I've had a couple of attacks of acid reflux, but it's been directly related to me eating then going directly to bed.

They can leave too much fundus behind making the capacity larger after the sleeve matures. They can dissect too far or too close to the pyloric valve which can effect gastric emptying time/transit time. There's been several cases of surgeons dissecting too much of the "middle" of the stomach, and leaving a balloon or "pouch" type pocket at the top or bottom the stomach. Not all sleeves are created equally, there is NOT a standardized procedure because every patient's anatomy is different, and every surgeon has a different technique. Certain complications can be contributed to technique such as strictures, and leaks (the obvious ones), but then there are other complications/long term issues such as bigger sleeves which indicates higher regain stats at 2+ years out, and/or transit time for food which can lead to more hunger/less restriction because the food leaves the stomach faster.

This is my standard reply when this question pops up every couple of days. I won't try to sway anyone one way or another, but I'll give you my reasons for choosing VSG over RNY for my revision from the band. You can also check out the revision, failure, and food issue forums on here to get an idea of some long term RNY patients. For me, it was never an option. The cons outweighed the pros. The VSG was my 2nd, and final WLS. I could have easily had RNY, but I fought to have VSG as my revision from the band. Some factors I considered in deciding on VSG. The pouch that RNY offers is similar to the pouch with the band. Least to say, a pouch sucks, I love having a normal tummy, just less capacity and still fully functioning. 1) No blind stomach left behind that can be difficult to scope yet can still get ulcers and cancer. 2) 2 years max on calorie/carb/sugar malabsorption, but a lifetime of vitamin/nutrient malabsorption. This process is called adaptation, and it happens with intestinal bypass surgeries. After adaptation occurs, I would be left with just the restriction of a pouch. I figured if malabsorption of fats/carb/calories was temporary, just go restrictive from the beginning and skip all the rerouting issues with RNY. 3) I had a pouch with the band, and it sucked. I'm pretty fond of my pyloric valve and the sleeve let me keep it. I love having a normal functioning stomach, just smaller in capacity. 4) Regain stats and #of RNY patients seeking revision truly scared the poop out of me. Check out the revision board here for an idea on how many RNY patients are now trying to get revisions to either ERNY or DS. 5) I have too many friends in real life that struggle with Vitamin deficiencies post-RNY, and most of them either never got to goal, or have gained back a significant amount of their weight. 6) The long term complications with RNY were too numerous for my comfort level. Pouch or stoma dilation, strictures, vitamin/nutrient deficiencies, ulcers, 7) I researched gastrectomies that had been performed for stomach cancer and ulcer patients, and found comfort in the long term results and minimal complications of patients that had lost most or all of their stomachs had dealt with over several years. Plus, the sleeve is the first stage of the DS that has been performed for 20 years. 8) I was a volume eater, and knew a restrictive only procedure would work for me. That was my thought process when I got the band, and I thought I could beat the odds on complications. Sadly, the band only lasted 8 months before I had to revise. 9) I did not want to have food or medication restrictions. I chose WLS to have a "normal" life, and I think it's normal to eat a couple of Cookies. With RNY, I wasn't willing to go through the possibility of dumping if I wanted to have a couple of cookies, or a slice of cake on occasion. The big scare for me is medication restrictions for life. NSAIDS and steroids are a NO GO for life with a RNY pouch. I realize that I may never be diagnosed with a condition or disease that requires steroid use, but it is possible. I want the best long term results with the least amount of complications. Malabsorption is not anything to play with in my mind, and I was not willing to take that risk. I lost all my weight in my ticker with the exception of 7lbs with the sleeve, and I did it in 10.5 months. The 115lbs fell off the first 6.5 months, and then the rest I lost as I was getting into maintenance over another 4 months.. It's been a fabulous journey, and I'm easily maintaining with zero issues for nearly a year at this point. I want to add that every WLS regardless of your choice will require discipline. Only a percentage of RNY patients dump on sugar/fat, pouches and stomas stretch, then you have the medication restrictions. I'm not trying to convince you, but these were my concerns when I knew I had to revise from the band. I started at 263 the day of my revision and today I weigh 127lbs. I bounce on the scale 125-130lbs any given week, and I couldn't be more ecstatic! Best wishes in your research! Edit to add: I wrote that long before the pregnancy. Since then, I've been diagnosed with a genetic disorder that causes a slow, blood clotting issue, and I have to take an aspirin a day for the rest of my life. With the pregnancy, myself and Sprout are both thriving. I have gained 8-10lbs in 16 weeks, and have not had any issues with my sleeve and the pregnancy. My labs are stellar, I feel great, and life is good.

It's an unfortunate side effect, and I can tell you that I experienced it until I got my weight stabilized. It was worse the first 4-5 months, and I was able to track trends, and identify it was the week of my ovulation that set me off. I was never this "moody" pre-op, I never had monstrous mood swings, and even now, my ovulation week was horrific with crying then screaming. Since we were trying to conceive, I can tell you that the mood swings made TTC very difficult because I'd rather claw his eyes out than have sex with him LOL. The acne and crazy oily skin really screwed with me mentally too.

I'm so grateful that all my Lovenox shots were given in my thighs. I had bruising, but nothing close to what you've experienced. I had read everyone got them on their tummies, and I was paranoid since I had such a huge belly. Luckily, my surgeon chooses to do these injections far away from the surgical sites, and he said his reasoning is to decrease the amount of anticoagulants around his surgery site.

I've taken NSAIDS since being 6-7 weeks out without issues. I always make sure I have something on my stomach before taking just like I did pre-op. It could be just a couple of crackers, or a couple ounces of yogurt. I eat a few bites, swallow the pill with the smallest amount of fluid it takes to get a pill down, and then take a few more bites. I've taken Aleve regularly, and even 800mg RX Motrin without any problems of any sort.

This is one I have saved from obestiyhelp.com To Whom It May Concern: This Letter is a formal request for approval for Bariatric Sleeve Gastrectomy, for my patient _____________D.O.B______. __________ is Xfeet and X inches tall and weighs XXXpounds. Her body mass index (BMI) isXX. She has been diagnosed with morbid obesity (CPT code: 278.01), since ____. She is having significant adverse symptoms as a result of her obesity. She is having difficulty standing and exercising due to the significant impact of the excess weight on her body. She has difficulty performing any daily activities and in participating with her friends and family in recreational activities. She has been diagnosed with ____________________. The effects of these conditions are severe, and can be life threatening. Co-morbidities have proven to be expensive to treat and sometimes incurable. Research has shown that weight loss is not only cost effective for the insurers, but for the patients as well. _________________ has made numerous weight loss attempts, including: South Beach Diet Weight Watchers Curves Transformations medical weight loss Michael Thurmond Certified nutritionist consultations Based on ____________�s medical history, it is highly recommended she undergo bariatric surgery. In my professional opinion, it is the only way to improve her health conditions and significantly improve her lifestyle. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact our office. Sincerely, MD

The pre-op diet, whatever form the surgeon has established for their patients, is there is shrink the slippery fat on the liver. If he has true fatty liver, then the diet is in place to prepare his body for surgery. The liver has to be moved out of the way with a single trochar to get to the stomach safely. If it's huge, slippery/slimy from fat deposits, the risk of it slipping is extremely high, and there have been patients that get nicked livers in surgery which is life-threatening. Personally, surgery doesn't fix our brains, and if he can't stick to the pre-op, post-op is going to be even more difficult and he really needs to evaluate if he can take on these life changes. The difference in pre-op plans is based on that particular surgeon's experiences with his patients. My surgeon doesn't require liquids, but does require a strict high Protein, super low carb pre-op diet to help shrink the slippery fat on the outside of the liver.

First off, I want to congratulate you on losing a large amount of weight on your own, that right there is a huge success. As for co-morbidities, yes there are plenty out there that have every one of those evil monsters pre-op, and the sleeve has shown to be successful in resolution or at least making them more manageable. Your medical history is beyond extensive, and you will need trust your medical team. They will take all your history into account, and then proceed with caution, and all the best medicine they can give you. I can understand your concern, but you are not living a full life right now. They might have to do your surgeries in several procedures, and for me, I'd want to know the plan right down to the "what if this happens" such as "what if a sleeve can't be done", what if I have to have an open procedure instead of laparoscopic. Take all of their pre-op advice, get a second opinion if it doesn't "feel right". Be your best advocate during this time, and if you need anything, please feel free to contact me. Best wishes ! ! !

Sounds like jealousy in the ugliest form. Remember, she is the insecure one with major issues. I know it's tough for some to stand up to someone that has been downright mean, but for your sanity, and future relationship with this girl, a good "heart to heart" might be in order. One thing that I always told loved ones when I was eating smaller portions and losing weight is; "I'm under the care of medical professionals, and they are ecstatic with my weight loss, and my food intake so no one else needs to be concerned with my weight or my diet at this point. Thanks for your concern".

I have more noticeable wrinkles on my face, but I look younger. No one can see my wrinkles/crow's feet until I smile. Pre-op, the wrinkles were plumped out with a fat round face. I will be having botox and juvederm done in the future. I don't have the turkey neck issues either, but I diligently moisturized my face/neck excessively through my losing stage. As for my body, I was not a gym rat after I got to goal so I am flabby, and have wrinkly skin to some extent, the boobs are shot to hell, but for some reason, I don't let it bother me much. I'll take the saggy/flabbiness over back fat rolls, and major/chronic joint pain any day of the week.

In the recipe section here, I actually posted a pork rind meatloaf recipe. It was yummy, also I made salisbury steak with ground beef or ground turkey with pork rinds as the binder, those were delicious. I used the barbque flavor for the meatloaf once, and it add some flavor to the meat, and I like the hot and spicy ones for just a snack with chunk cheese.

I had the same or similar band experience. I can tell you that the sleeve has resolved all my physical hunger. THAT does not equal appetite or head hunger so let's make a clear definition between the 2. Physical hunger, I literally never have it, my stomach never growls, aches, hurts, rumbles, nothing, I forget to eat all the time. Appetite, I still love food, it's still my favorite past time, none of that changed with surgery, but the sleeve does make cravings more manageable and I make the "best" choice on what I put in my mouth because I don't want my butt to get huge again. As for junk food, and enjoying food, it's a quality over quantity now, but I still love food, I just see it differently now. Also, for me, I do not eat until full or stuffed. This is something that was so stressed to me pre-VSG that you really have to learn this new behavior. Measured portions, and eating under capacity, yet being satisfied with smaller portions is a hard concept to grasp when most of us eat until we are stuffed. I've eaten until stuffed full and was miserable, it's lost all it's appeal for me. So, I do not eat until I'm full, I eat until I'm satisfied, and that's the best part of the sleeve. It's easy to stay on target with the sleeve in my corner even with smaller portions. I'm nearly 2 years out, and have zero physical hunger. I do get moments of head hunger, or cravings. Those things are mental, and unfortunately, they operated on my stomach, not my brain so I have to be responsible and take ownership on what I put in my mouth.

Congrats on getting your date ! ! ! 1- I don't want to look back and have any regrets for doing this surgery. Do you have any regrets, and what are they? Zero regrets, not a single one 2- Can I eventually have a piece of bread after I have healed completely? How about rice?Early out, I chose to NOT eat those things because eating Protein was my priority, and I didn't have room for those foods during my losing. Rice and bread are now both slider foods for me. All that means is that I can eat a lot more of those foods than I could early out, and I can eat more rice than I can eat meat. So, those things are kept in moderation even below goal and in maintenance. I eat all foods, do not deprive myself, but that's because it's what works for me. You'll get a wide variety of answers/experiences and you'll be able to find what works for you. The best thing to is follow your surgeon's plan through your losing phase, and then tweak things once you get into maintenance. Best wishes on your surgery.

They are typically high in sodium, but I ate pooploads of them because of the lack of carbs, and I ate the baked ones to avoid the "fat" from fried ones. I was not concerned about fat intake since I'm a firm believer we need some fat in our diets. I used them in all my recipes that called for breadcrumbs or other binders. I never counted the Protein in them whole-heartedly, but they sure beat the heck out of carb-ridden chips/pretzels.

Tears of pure joy are streaming down my face ! ! ! I'm so stinkin' happy for you.

This won't be extremely long update since it's been just a few days since my last one, but a few had ask me to update after this appointment since this is the 12 week update with the "special" ultrasound to look for any "markers" for defects, or abnormalities. 1) Labs were pulled (results will take 7-14 days) 2) Sprout is measuring on target, and the placenta, heart, all "genetic markers" were NORMAL which is a huge relief. Doc is extremly pleased with my progress, and my little 4lb weight gain. I have definitely "popped" in the bump department even since Sunday. 3) The ugly night time reflux is creeping in. I think it's because I have have allowed an old"fat habit" to creep in. A huge contributor to my former 270lb self was night time eating. I loved having that "full belly" before bedtime, eat something/anything/lots of anything, and go to sleep. Well, I've had 3 nights of waking up spewing acid. It's beyond unpleasant, and I didn't even realize I was doing it. I wasn't eating "horrible stuff" or necessarily junk food, a handful of nuts, a granola bar, 1/2 cup of oatmeal, a few crackers with cheese, well I wasn't even feeling "full" but apparently, my sleeve is full, or partially, and with the "bump" swollen uterus, increased blood volume, bloating, my stomach's reaction is straight up ACID from hell. So, I'm back to not eating 1-2 hours before I lay down for the night. It's been miserable, and it's only been after eating and then laying down and dozing off. So, I'm being more aware of my eating at night. 4) They would not confirm gender. Apparently at 12 weeks, they all look like BOYS. Next follow up with my regular OB is Monday, and next high risk appt is at 18 weeks unless something with my labs comes back questionable/suspicious. Sprout 12 weeks Waving at Us ! ! ! Getting pictues was purely crazy, he was jumping all over my uterus, went head down, butt out, and was pretty much doing cartwheels in my uterus after the first 5-7 minutes of the tech squishing on my belly. Apparently, Sprout is not a fan of his space being invaded. And the Bump: No, I'm not holding it "up", I'm just making the dress cling to the belly LOL

First I was a revision, so technically you can not count my complications in the general statistics for virgin VSG surgeries since my complications were a direct result of damage the band did to my stomach tissue. Plus, I would have to answer your poll questions with multiple reply. Condensed version: 2 days post- Revision - Leak detected, and immediately repaired (a whole slew of other complications related to anesthesia, life support for 4-5 days, TPN Fluid bag, Picc line for nutrition 1800 calories a day, NOTHING and I mean NOTHING no ice chips, no hard candy, nothing more than spit crossed my lips for over 3 weeks so you know that was hell in itself, I slept in my recliner because I had 2 jp drains placed in my abdomen, at the ripe age of 32 I had a home health nurse coming to check my vitals, labs, adjust my TPN dosage, and meds every couple of days, and helping me shower) 7-8 weeks post-op - Hospitalized due to 3 abscesses, 2 abdominal, 1 in my pelvic cavity. Conclusion is microscopic bacteria hid out in my body and even on heavy antibiotics following leak repair and at home therapy, my body was too weak to fight the infection completely. Hospitalized for 1 week, 2 additional drains placed along with heavy duty oral antibiotics(3 different types), had the drains for 3 weeks until the abscesses resolved. 3.5 month extensive recovery, and I would take on every struggle, obstacle, frustration again to live the life I have today. There is NO WAY that I would regret this surgery. I beat all the odds, and I won big. The part I would change is the fact my husband was in the pit of hell called Afghanistan and was not allowed to come home. He was emotionally and mentally distraught because my prognosis was so very grave with only a 10% chance of survival, and he went through hell not only because he was deployed but because he could not come home to be here for me and our son.. We are so much stronger today because of it, but the stress and overwhelming feeling of helplessness he endured was very difficult for him. We have a greater appreciation for our relationship/marriage than we ever did before this surgery, and it's not because I'm skinny and healthier, it's because I survived, he came home in one piece and we didn't have to make a claim on either of our life insurance policy.

Are you taking a PPI like Nexium or Prilosec? Acid can cause false hunger. You might be losing inches, and stalls are pretty normal after any of the surgeries. It happens to most. I always recommend the same thing, push more fluids, move more, and up Protein intake. If you're tracking food intake, tweak your numbers, if you're high on carbs, cut them down, if you're low on protein, increase it. Or, sometimes just waiting it out, doing the same thing will produce new numbers on the scale. It's not a stall until you don't lose any weight or inches for 14-21 days. The first 6-8 weeks after surgery are difficult because you had major surgery to a major organ, and you're body is still trying to sort out why you've gone from 2000+ calories a day to a mere 600-800 calories. Unfortunately, there are a lot of sleeve patients that do not lose their hunger entirely. Plus, the hormone responsible for hunger is still in your system. Some of us experience immediate resolution in hunger, others don't. Give your body more time to recover, and just keep following your program. I'm not sure what your post-op dietary guideline looks like, but if it's not working for you, then change some stuff.

Many congrats ! ! !

I'll just quote Stacy. You can't really stretch your stomach (we do not have pouches), but your swelling might be down much quicker than others. If you are tracking your calories/protein/carbs, and are staying in your guidelines then you should be fine, but it sounds like you're taking in a lot of carbs. If you're content with losing 1-2lbs per week then you can keep doing what you are doing, and it will more than likely slow down more because your body will burn all of those carbs/sugar over the fat stores. The salads, chips/junk food are just empty (not nutrient dense) and high calorie foods that just slide right on down. Use this time to really focus on changing habits, and maximize your weight loss. If your surgeon left more fundus behind then you will have more capacity and less restriction than others. There really isn't anything you can do in those cases other than be diligent with what you put in your mouth. The stomach left behind is what you are left with, and the restriction you have is what you'll have to rely on, but making the best choice on what goes in your body will give you the best and most effective results long term.

Tough love: You just trusted a surgeon to cut you open, and mutilate a major organ so you'd put the fork down, and you are pushing his post-op instructions. JUST STOP ! ! ! Your stomach nerves have been cut/severed/damaged and stapled off then that big fun part of your stomach was yanked out of your body. So, you might not get a full signal this early, but you could be putting undue/unneeded stress on that newly, fresh wound staple line that fabulous surgeon left you with and trusted that you'd follow his instructions. Now for the softer side of me: Good deal on moving by walking so much, yay for no pain. I will tell you it's much easier to cheat the sleeve the further out you get, and that's when the real work comes into play. Maintenance is not so easy for some, I can easily gain weight so even at almost 2 years post-op, I have to make the best choice most of the time, or my a$$ is gonna get huge again. A lot of patients get to eat mushies earlier than your program of mine for that matter which is 4 weeks post-op, and they do fine, but that's not your surgeon's instructions. The mental aspect of this journey is uber difficult, and if you need more support/guidance seek it out now before you're 6 months out and haven't lost your desired amount of weight. Don't wait until your restriction is less, and you can eat more then get depressed because you threw away the opportunity to tackle your food issues. They operated on our stomachs, not our brains, and believe me, our brains control a lot more than our stomachs ever did on our way to becoming obese.