TexasT

I had one operation with the following "laundry list" done: Band Removed (was unfilled the week before surgery) Sleeve done (I was self-pay for this part) Hiatal Hernia repaired (didn't know about this until he was in there) Gall Bladder Removed (this was planned - insurance pd for) Adhesions from previous surgeries removed I didn't have any problems except for a hematoma where my port had been. Blood pooled there, the incision opened up, doc drained and cleaned it, then it healed from the inside out. This had nothing to do with having all the procedures at once though. It's just something that happens sometimes from the port being in your body for so long (had it 4 yrs).

As a former "bandster" myself, you've given me even more confirmation that removing that evil piece of plastic from my body was the best decision ever. Good luck on your upcoming surgery. I'm sure your wife will welcome you to "our team" too!

I took both an Advance Directive and a Medical Power of Attorney with me to the hospital - just in case!

Your doc is the expert, not any of us. So if you're doing well without one and he says it's OK, then don't take one. The fewer meds the better in my opinion. But if you start feeling like you're hungry when you don't think you should be, that may mean you should be on something. That's one of the first warning signals of excess stomach acid with the sleeve. I take the generic Prilosec - which is OTC at any drug or grocery store.

I had no hunger the first few weeks or so after surgery, but now I'm hungry all the time. I was really hoping I would be in the group with no hunger, but alas I'm not that fortunate. And yes, I take my acid reducer religiously, drink fluids, etc. I can even eat a 30gram Protein bar and be hungry a couple of hours later. I try to keep one close by and just nibble on it all day in between meals. I work at home and it's too tempting to head to the kitchen and graze.

My favorite mushie was black Beans pureed with salsa and topped with queso blanco, then warmed in the microwave. Next was stone-cut oatmeal. It's firm texture made me feel like I was eating a "real meal". Mashed sweet potatoes were good, but my real guilty pleasure was a spoonful or two of "deviled ham" (so salty, but so good). Of course, real ham in the food processor is much healthier - but at that point in the journey I was just trying to eat as much Protein as possible with the most flavor as possible. The ricotta bake recipe was great too - even my husband ate it!

Unfortunately, I'm one of those that still feels hunger also. I was told that the majority of ghrelin pumps (you know what I mean) would be in the part of the stomach that was cut out. But I guess I still have other areas that excrete it, and despite taking an acid reducer daily, I still feel hungry. Of course it's less than before surgery, but it can still be there for some people.

Hi there. Just wanted to pipe in because I'm also a patient of Dr. Idhe, but just for the gastro stuff. I know he's a very good doctor, but I think he's fairly new to the bariatric surgery scene. You need to ask him plenty of questions during your consult, especially about how many sleeves he's performed, if he's had any leaks, and what his complication rate is. I used Dr. Wade Barker for my revision from band to sleeve (he also put in my band in 2006). He was a general laproscopic surgeon for years before starting his bariatric practice and has done thousands of WLS since. I highly recommend him. There are lots of bariatric surgeons in the DFW area that are very experienced - I'm sure you see their commercials and billboards everywhere. With such great choices so close, I just urge you to get all the info you can and make an informed decision. Nothing against Dr. Idhe - I think he's a great guy - I just wanted to offer my thoughts and wish you the best in the future.

Dr. Barker is super-hot in person. His ads don't do him justice. Of course, that's just a perk. He's an excellent surgeon first of all. He did 5 procedures during my surgery in January, plus my original lapband in 2006. I trust him completely when it comes to scalpel skills!

My tummy and thighs went down pretty fast, but my butt is FLAT now (which is not that great of a thing!). My double-chin went pretty quickly and the boobs have shrunk some too. My calves are still pretty big, but they've always been muscular from years of dance training when I was young.

I was told to only take Tylenol post-op with VSG. But you can discuss that with your doc at the consult.

A group of us met for lunch a couple of months ago at North Park Mall in Dallas on a Saturday and that worked out well. It was pretty convenient to the people on the south end of town and those of us on the north too. Plano, Irving, Grapevine would also work for me. I'm open to suggestions...

I had a band for 3-1/2 yrs. Only lost weight within the first 6 months, then nothing after. Was miserable with food getting stuck, etc. Ended up with a hiatal hernia near the band site. Revised to the VSG in January and loving life now! In my opinion, the band is evil:sneaky2:... I wouldn't recommomend it to anyone except Osama bin Laden.

Hi Lil Red Raider - from one Barker's Babe to another! Everytime I see his commercials on TV I think - "Dang - they need to do a close-up of him so everyone can see how cute he is. He'd get even MORE business!" Ha! And his billboards - he's so tiny on them. He needs to put that million-dollar face out there for everyone to see. Our own personal Dr. McDreamy...

I paid $5000 for my revision with Dr. Barker. I also needed to have my gall bladder removed too, so he did it all at once. When he got in there he found I had a hiatal hernia, which he also repaired. I know they filed insurance for those things, but I'm not really sure how much my insurance paid. I DO know that Dr. Barker didn't charge me a penny over the $5000 though no matter what insurance paid. The hospital (Forest Park Medical Center) was great and I had fantastic care there too.

I returned from my 25th anniversary "dream trip" to Italy a few weeks ago. Since food is such a big part of Italian culture, I was worried that I would feel like I was missing out on not being able to eat a whole lot while I was there. I was almost regretting going on the trip just thinking about it. Luckily, Italians take forever (compared with the way Americans eat) with their meals and are never in a hurry. I was able to eat plenty at a nice slow pace, enjoyed wine, and enjoyed my husband's company. We had several 2-3 hr dinners, and one even lasted 4 hrs. This gave me time to digest one course before the next was served. Now at home, I find that I still like to eat even more slowly than I did before. If you do that, you will find that you finish your meal at about the same time the people that can eat a lot of food do. And since you'll be full, you won't miss all that extra food you won't eat. As Tiffy said, the farther you are out, the more you'll be able to eat. But it takes time, so be patient and enjoy the ride to Skinnyville - ha!

That sounds like what happened to me. I was going on a trip to Italy for my 25th anniversary in May and bought some capris in a size 12 around the first of April (I used to wear a 22, so I was thrilled). Before the trip my husband asked if I was wearing old pants and I said "no, these are my new ones". He said they were pretty baggy in the butt (that's the first place he looks :thumbup:), and I realized they were kind of loose in the waist too. So I measured and I had lost 2" in my waist from the first of April until mid-May. Needless to say, I also had to run out to the store and after taking size 12's and 10's to the dressing room, finally ended up buying 8's! I think I wore 8's when I was a teenager (I'm 49 now). This is still blowing my mind! I look in the mirror and think - "Who are you, woman???"