Tiffykins

Thanks for keeping our secret ! ! ! We have some names picked out, but are undecided on a boy's middle name. We're bouncing around a few, but can't decide definitely on the middle name.

Thank you all so very much ! ! ! We are absolutely elated, and each day brings something new. My cravings for foods are pretty all over the place. I truly appreciate all of y'alls support and encouragement. I already have appointments scheduled for the 11 and 12 week mark, and I'm anxiously counting down the days. My tummy is definitely changing. I have the standard "bloated" appearance, and my super skinny jeans are not working anymore. But, I haven't been able to bring myself to take pictures of my belly since there isn't much there. But, I'll start a photo journal soon as soon as it actually pops into some form of bump. Thanks again everyone ! ! !

Yep, liquids in, liquids out and your swelling might has subsides quicker than others. You'll feel restriction once you hit purees/mushies. Calm down on the hunger thing. That nasty hormone is still floating around your body and not everyone experiences lack of hunger overnight. Head hunger, well that's a different beast and if someone told you the VSG would fix that, they lied and I'm sorry they misled you. They operate on our stomach, not our brains so we have to work on the mental part. Add unflavored Protein powder to your soups, drink more Water. You aren't going to always feel this way, but it's going to take time, and you're only 6 days out. Rome wasn't built in a day or even in a week, right? Changing a lifetime of habits, food choices, behaviors is NOT going to change in a week either. Breathe, focus on getting in your fluids, and walk.

I'm really sorry that you had to endure that. Not every surgeon is as stringent with carb intake. I had to do a week of low carb/high protein diet prior to surgery and my liver looked fabulous even with a BMI close to 50.

I started having taco seasoned ground meat as soon as I was released for soft foods. Added taco bell hot sauce, and greek yogurt (as sub for sour cream). My first solid attempt at regular food was fajita meat with onions, and salsa and it was an uneventful event, and I had 3 chips. The big thing to remember with VSG is that there no food restrictions. NOW, that doesn't mean your body will approve, or accept what you put in there, but I eat spicy food on a 3-5 times weekly basis and have for 18 out of my 21 months post-op period without issue. There is not a "never again" unless you make that choice with food. I wasn't allowed to have raw veggies/fruits for 3 months. The veggies in salsa are cooked so they should be okay as long as you are released for regular foods.

Each person has their own "negatives". I personally had an extensive, exhausting and mentally/physically draining recovery because I was a revision patient with major complications. The negatives for me were: 1) Trying to sip enough early out seemed impossible 2) Taste buds changing 3) Developing a whey protein intolerance and mild lactose intolerance post-op 4) Lack of energy early out, but it was temporary Of course, the positives far outweigh the negatives especially since everything I experienced was over within a few weeks to couple of months, and I have a very normal, active, fun social life. There are plenty of us out here that "get WLS" there's others that don't. Unfortunately, the sleeve only does so much. I still have to be mindful of what I put in my mouth. I can still suck down a 3000 calorie milkshake if I wanted to so the point is making a permanent, and lifelong commitment to better food choices, and to honestly change your relationship with food. The sleeve makes this process much easier. Every WLS has failures even the heavily touted Platinum standard Duodenal Switch. I've read several stories of regain, or DS'ers not getting to goal, and their surgery is far more drastic than even RNY. I take 4 vitamins a day. That's it, nothing major, 2 multis, 2 calcium citrate. Make it a habit, it's really not that big of a deal. To address some of your concerns: 1. Death - huge I know. Ask your surgeon their mortality stats. If it's more than 1% get a new surgeon, and find out the details. 2. A Leak - also very risky. Same as above 3. My head hunger issues will be brought out huge. Start working on it now, get a new coping mechanism in place before surgery, therapy is a great tool especially if you can find someone that works with bariatric patients, along with support group meetings and using online support groups, find a buddy that has surgery around the same time to share ups and downs, get a mentor that you trust, and can talk you off the ledge when you're wanting to take a dive in the pool of caramely goodness of Girl Scout Samoa cookies. 4. My "food to cope" tool will be gone! Same as above 5. possible acid reflux... what's worse being fat or popping a Prilosec or Nexium to prevent reflux? 6. Gaining the weight back Establishing better habits, measuring portions, staying within your caloric intake guidelines is the best options to avoid gain. It's easy to gain weight, I won't lie, but for me, it's still super easy to lose it by following the rules. 7. not really losing anything that's pretty rare, I've read plenty of slow losers, but you have control of how you lose weight. Some do it differently than I did and that's okay, some do not want to give up carbs, I did because I knew I'd lose fast and hard. That's the path I chose, and I couldn't be happier with how I did it. Some have metabolic issues that slow weight loss down, and that has to be taken into consideration as well as activity level, and each individuals needs. One thing you have to remember is that the VSG is not some miracle that is going to cure it all. They operate on our stomachs, not our brains. So, getting ahead of the curve by establishing some good habits NOW will go a long way post-op. Eating slower, chewing your food more, sit your utensil down in between bites, do not drink with your meal, eat protein first, stretch your meal out to at least 20 minutes. Don't sit in front of the TV to eat, focus on what you are putting in your mouth/body and see how your body responds. Best wishes! ! !

You can have juice in moderation. No need to panic. The concern is the sugar content with juice. I was allowed juice in moderation during my losing stage, and I drank juice here and there when nothing else tasted "good". As for alcohol consumption, there are 100's of topics here on the subject. Here's a link with many topics that include alcohol, beer, soda, carbonation: http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1 I was released for alcohol at 3.5 months post-op. Tried Riesling wine the first time (after 6 months out and at goal), got drunk hard and fast, it wore off fast. I drink soda every day without any change in my sleeve capacity and have zero issues maintaining my weight loss. It's what works for me. As for alcohol, you'll need to check with your surgeon on their guidelines. Some surgeons release early, others say "None until at or close to goal". It's wasted calories, and can cause dehydration. My alcohol tolerance is just like it was before pre-op so I can drink just like I did before surgery without hangovers.

No, you can NOT stretch your stomach out. It would take constant overeating to the point of puking every meal to get any stretch going on. To this day, at over 21 months out, I still can not eat pork. Each month passes your capacity will change with your sleeve until it reaches maturity. Some degree of stretching occurs, but you can't do with eat a whole whopping 4oz of food. It's just not physically possible. The sleeve relaxes and becomes acclimated to accepting larger portions of food as time passes, but there is NOT enough tissue left behind to make it stretch out to pre-op size. It sounds like you are measuring your portions so just continue to follow your guidelines and avoid pork for awhile.

I think it was pretty insensitive of her. But, she really can't understand what you are going through regardless of how much she tries, or you try to get her to understand. If you've refrained from all sugary stuff up until that yogurt, yes, it could have been too much sugar/fat considering those mousse products are typically made with whole milk which have a lot more fat than other products. Try to stay hydrated, and keep fluids in.

My stomach is NOT too big, but is double to triple the size it was at 2-3 months out. I can't eat a lot at once of Protein food, mushies I still can't eat huge portions, junk food like crackers, pretzels, chips, those all go right on down without restriction. I have learned to cheat the sleeve and it's not difficult. I have to follow the rules to the T if I want to keep the same small portions. Literally, two bites of mashed potatoes or any other carby slider type for me with a couple bites of meat, and I can easily fit more food in. So, if I follow the rules, eat protein first ONLY, I can only fit so much in. I still keep my white carbs in check, but I do eat them. I've actually been eating the same amounts for over a year now, and have found that there are different things that change my restriction. When you say you are watching what you eat, why do you think your stomach is too big? Can you eat more now than you could at 2 months out because that's very normal, and it's what happens with VSG. Are you tracking your intake? Are you getting in enough protein and Clear liquids? Are you working out? Have you had labs done recently? Do you have any metabolic symptoms or disease (PCOS, thyroid) that could be impeding your losing weight? Those are all things that have to be taken into consideration before thinking your sleeve is too big. Revising sleeves is super tricky, and not recommended. Most opt to go to the full DS to lose the rest of their weight if they are unable to get to goal with VSG alone.

No. I didn't lose hair in any other places. My leg and underarm hair grew at the same rate it did pre-op. It did change slightly during my losing stage, and I noticed I didn't have to shave as often, but it was temporary. I am not very hairy in the first place, but I didn't lose hair anywhere else, and I didn't grow hair in extra places.

I never could use Protein shakes/drinks/mixes. Either they made me puke, or I couldn't tolerate the smell/texture/taste without wanting to puke. I didn't get in my protein from food until I hit mushies, and I probably lost a little muscle mass a long the way, but it was better than puking. My surgeon's guideline back then was "get off Protein drinks ASAP", and we discussed my intolerance for the shakes. He agreed that it was better to get in my calories, and staying hydrated vs. puking up whatever shake I tried. I went through over 20 brands/flavors/varieties and never found one I could tolerate for more than a couple of days. I never had a stall, nor did my weight loss suffer because of my lack of using shakes/drinks.

When adding in new foods, it can be a lot of trial and error. Something that bothers you, or causes discomfort should be avoided for a couple of weeks. You can even go back a stage in the food progression. For example, I couldn't tolerate scrambled eggs until just recently and I'm over 21 months out. They always sit extremely heavy in my sleeve, and even now I can barely eat 1 scrambled egg, but I can easily eat 1 solid cup of egg salad or 2 fried eggs. Go figure, right? I relied heavily on mushy/soft solids such egg/tuna/chicken salad because those things went down just fine and I could get enough in to hit my protein goals. Ground meat (turkey, chicken, beef) with pasta sauces, ground meat with taco or fajita seasoning with greek yogurt as a sour cream substitute were all things that were on my menu every day for months on end. Stick with things that your body likes, and every week will get better. Sometimes progressing to more solid foods is more difficult for some of us, but that doesn't mean we aren't doing something "right". Our bodies just need time. Hang in there, and know it gets better! ! !

But, even with RNY and DS is there is NOT a set industry standard because every surgeon/program is different, and RNY has been performed for nearly 30 years, and DS was started in '88. There are some consistencies with RNY and DS diets, but a surgeon might have variations based on his/her experience. I agree that having the resource of a nutritionist, but at the same time, with my program, I've seen 3 different nutritionists, and they all had a different opinion. So, even in the same standardized program, a different nutritionist can put a twist on it. That pamphlet that is given for every patient is going to be based on that surgeon's patients experiences. It's nice in theory to think there "should" be a standardized procedure, dietary guideline, but it's just not going to happen considering there are far too many variations in each individual surgeon's patients recoveries. Especially for self-pay patients that do not have the additional funds to foot the bill for nutritionist visits post-op. BTW- I wasn't implying anyone was shoving food, but to call something unnecessary that is prescribed my educated, experienced medical professionals is a slap in the face for those of us that had to endure a more prolonged, more conservative post-op diet.

I'm glad you had a good 1st experience. Keep in mind, and for anyone else out there contemplating drinking alcohol during the losing stage, your liver is working double time during the rapid weight loss phase. Tossing alcohol in the mix early out can task your liver even more. Dehydration and wasted calories is the biggest concern, but there are other factors out there as to why the limitation and restriction on having alcohol early out. Best wishes in your continued recovery.

Just hang in there girly ! ! ! I know iron can cause constipation, and make sure they check your hemoglobin when you have your labs done. I was never anemic either, but when I was in this stage "don't wanna eat, nothing is going down right" phase, I slacked on iron rich foods, and while I was not clinically anemic, my numbers did drop. Once you get to where you can add some dark green veggies such as spinach, I think you'll feel better. I seriously eat creamed spinach once a week, and typically make an entire meal out of it for the iron content of spinach. It's my favorite, and I try to eat it weekly. If you can cooked veggies, try getting some greens. That'll help with the constipation issue, and give you some nutrient dense yumminess for your body to run on. Can you have avocados, or Peanut Butter yet? If so, just a couple slices of avocados have a good chunk of healthy fats and nutrients. They are nice and mushy, I loved mushing them up and adding it to my chicken/tuna salads. Peanut butter wasn't too sweet for me, and I was able to eat a couple of tablespoons to help with calorie intake. Dried fruits have carbs, and if you are watching those then it might not be the best option, but for good iron content, and added calories, they are a good option. Here's a couple of links for iron rich foods. If you're allowed some of these, try to get some of them in your regimen. Scallops are my favorite seafood. Red meat Egg yolks Dark, leafy greens (spinach, collards) Dried fruit (prunes, raisins) Iron-enriched cereals and grains (check the labels) Mollusks (oysters, clams, scallops) Turkey or chicken giblets Beans, lentils, chick peas and soybeans Liver Artichokes http://www.loveyourbaby.com/iron-rich-food-list.html

It's not the standardized #1 rule with VSG. My surgeon and many others do not make their sleeve patients wait before eating to stop drinking. I drink up until I take that first bite, and then wait just 30 minutes after eating to start drinking again. Once I was able to do so, I did sip with my meals especially spicy meals. There's a big difference with sipping and drinking with meals. And, yes, the reason to not eat and drink simultaneously is to keep you satisfied longer. 85-90% of absorption of nutrients/vitamins occur in the intestine so sipping with your meal will make food mushy, and help it empty into the intestines faster, but you are not going to compromise absorption by taking a couple of little sips with your meals. You are not alone in losing your appetite. I dealt with it for months, and it does get better. Eating was a chore for me as well. The one thing I relied on was to over season, use tons of spices, and get creative with my meals. I promise it gets better, and there are things you can do to increase your intake. Try some egg salad with greek yogurt, chicken/tuna salad, deli meat rolled up with cream cheese, beef or turkey Jerky, if you've been released for regular foods. I realize tracking your food intake is a pain in the ass, but if you are not tracking, and you're just eating here and there, when you can, your counts may be off, and you may not be getting what your body needs. Nothing really helped my appetite other than making food taste better. What Vitamins are you on? Does your multi contain Iron? Are you taking a sublingual B12? Vitamins are NOT created equally, and especially for those of us that can not eat enough of the micro and macro nutrients. The sun will actually help with Vitamin D absorption so you may not need "the sun" for color, it will actually help you feel better. I stand on my front porch every morning, pull up my shirt sleeves, and sit directly in the sun with my eyes closed and let it beat down on my face. We (most of us) wear foundation/concealer/face powder all with SPF, have tinted windows, wear sunglasses which all prevents our body from absorbing Vit D from the sun. It's the best form, and I can tell you that I've felt exponentially better since starting this morning ritual with the sun.

There are far too many factors for it to be "standardized" procedure. The sleeve surgery itself isn't even standardized to date. Every sleeve is created differently by different surgeons. Bougie size is not standardized, every surgeon has a different opinion, and technique. You will find the same variations in RNY post-op dietary guidelines. It's just like the PPI need post-op some surgeons immediately prescribe a PPI, others wait until the patient experiences reflux symptoms. Same goes for the whole NSAIDS post-VSG. While the pioneers of the VSG state there are zero ill-effects with taking NSAIDS post-VSG, many surgeons stick with the RNY rule that they are not allowed with VSG. There will not be a set standard especially with varying opinions, and surgeon's specific experiences. I had a 2 week clear, and while it seems unnecessary to some, I can't imagine shoving food into a newly stapled off, practically amputated stomach. I'm glad you feel great and off clears so early out, but others do not have that same experience. Every patient's body heals differently, and can not tolerate purees/soft solids. The guidelines given are based on each individual surgeon's patients experiences. It's what they choose to follow based on what they "feel" is most effective, and safe for their patients. My surgeon's post-op guidelines have changed with a new nutritionist on board, and they've worked out a different post-op guideline for their patients, and I'm only 21 months out. But, 2 friends of mine that had surgery with the same exact surgeon this last summer, and through the same military hospital program had completely different post-op dietary guidelines than I had just 18 months earlier.

WOot Woot ! ! ! How very exciting, and I'm so glad you are going to be able to get the sleeve ! ! !

Through my entire losing stage, I stayed within the 600-800 calories, 60+gr of protein and no more then 30gr of carbs. I followed this religiously for the first 4 months then my surgeon wanted me to add more carbs in hopes to "slow down" my weight loss. I reluctantly added carbs in, but typically stayed around 50 a day. I just didn't have room for carbs. I'll add that I was fairly sedentary for the first 4 months. Due to complications, and an extensive recovery, I was unable to work out until I hit 4 months post-op so me taking that amount of calories was sufficient. Some people need more calories based on what they are burning with exercise. Also, I never had a fat guideline. I ate full fat everything, and never worried about it. To this day, I rarely eat low fat anything. The reasoning behind this is because the fat free or low fat crap has usually double the sugar, sodium, and carb counts. Now once you get into maintenance there is no rhyme or reason for what it will take to keep your body in maintenance. I have to consume 1500-1800 calories a day to not lose weight. If I slip below 1500 calories for more than a couple of days, I drop weight. I only count protein and calories at this point. I keep white carbs in moderation, but if I want mashed potatoes, I eat them.

I deal with rampant allergies/sinus issues a couple times a year. AND, yes, the nasal drip still fills up my sleeve, and makes eating difficult. The best solution I have found is either sudafed or Mucinex D as it dries up everything. Even at 21 months out, if I go into allergy attacks, and get sinus issues going on, I start medicating with Dayquil and pop Sudafed at night.

Have you contacted your surgeon? Dehydration is a major concern at this point, also vomiting is stressful on your healing staple line. Regardless if anyone else is experiencing this, please call your provider and get in immediately. This is NOT normal, and you should not hesitate to contact your medical professionals.

You need to be honest. They are there to help you along the way, and while getting a surgery date is top priority, protecting your mental health along this journey should be your utmost concern. This is not easy, if you have coping mechanisms in place for depression, food mourning, and other issues that are related to the emotional and mental aspect of this lifestyle change and surgery then you should be good. My number 1 tip is to be honest, discuss your concerns, and do not think that getting clearance is more important than your mental health. Being skinny doesn't fix our issues. Being stripped of a big comforter, being unable to eat is not pleasant if you are an emotional/stress eater, there are plenty of posters out here that express they never realized how draining this journey is mentally. Plus, the hormonal fluxes that most of us experience post-op can easily throw you into a tailspin of emotions and depression. You'll more than likely take a multiple choice, or true or false questionnaire consisting of several hundred questions, the consult with the psych is to evaluate how mentally and emotionally prepared you to face the "slap you in the head" reality of WLS and how compliant you will be post-op.

It's temporary and it grows back. Here's a few topics on hair loss with others experiences. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/index.php?app=core&module=search&do=search&fromMainBar=1 I personally lost half of my hair by volume. I too had thick, very coarse hair pre-op. I chopped it off, added hoards of layers to give the illusion of volume once the shedding stopped. Mine lasted a solid 3 months, but I had new growth coming in before the shedding stopped. Biotin helps with regrowth, I don't know about growing hair in other places because I never took it. My hair is almost back to it's pre-op volume, and it's extremely healthy. Stressing over it is only going to make it worse.

Woot Woot ! ! ! That's so awesome chickee.