TexasT

My goal and my surgeon's goal for me are 2 different weights. My surgeon gave me a number based on looking at me and knowing my height. My goal comes from living in this body and knowing at what weight it performs best. If you go by BMI, then I am at a "normal" weight, no longer obese or overweight. Everyone I know tells me I don't need to lose anymore, and my body must agree, because I've been at the same weight now for a couple of months. I get on the scale now every couple of weeks just to check, but I don't worry or obsess over fluctuations of a couple of pounds. So I guess my point is, don't think your doc's goal number is carved in stone. When you get to where you need to be you'll know it. Your health is the main goal - banishing co-morbidities for good, having a healthy heart, etc. Those small goals like wearing matching pj's with your kids are good enough too.

That's also my standard line - "I ate a big lunch" if someone asks if I don't like my food because I didn't eat much. I've never had anyone question it so far. I've also said "I've been craving some nice, warm soup all day!" when I was still on mushies and everyone else was getting sandwiches.

In my opinion, the band is "evil" and I am SO glad to have all that plastic out of my body. Life with the sleeve has been nothing but easy and I've finally been able to reach goal. Please research to find the best doctor no matter what you decide. My surgeon, who also did my band, has done thousands of laproscopic surgeries. I called his office and asked for his stats and they were happy to give them to me. They told me how many of each type of surgery he's done, his complication rate, leakage rate, number of deaths, etc. Any doctor that won't give you that information is trying to hide something. I can honestly say getting the VSG is one of the best decisions I've made in my life. I feel so healthy now and all my former co-morbidities are gone. I can eat fruit, salads, and lots of other healthy foods that always got stuck in my band. You've come to the right place to get good information to help with your decision. Good luck!

I use Bariatric Advantage calcium citrate lozenges in the cinnamon flavor. They're chewable and taste great!! I've been fortunate to be able to take regular multi-Vitamins that I swallow, but I know Bariatric Advantage makes them also in a chewable form. As for the stretch marks, I can't help there. I just try to ignore mine...ha! Knock wood - they haven't been too bad so far.

I've been with the same man for 30 yrs now (25yrs married), and it's not any different with us. We both started out as skinny 19 yr olds, then grew older and fatter together. Now that I'm thin again, he's proud of me and glad my health is better. But because so many people have remarked about me looking younger after the weight loss, he's joked about me leaving him for a younger man. So I guess men have their insecurities no matter how old they are or how long you've been together in a faithful marriage. Just keep reassuring them that you love them for who they are just like they've loved you for who you are, no matter what the number on the scale is.

I had my fill removed a week before my revision, then just did about 3 days of liquids pre-op.

Another thing that was a must-have for me was my Cuisinart stick blender. I used it every day to make my Protein shakes. You can just mix it in the glass you drink out of (no cleaning out a blender, etc.). You might want to also have some frozen fruit and flavored extracts to blend in with the shakes. Warm tea also tasted so good after surgery. And I found some amazing protein hot chocolate in several flavors from a brand called WonderSlim (can buy online from lots of websites - I use DietDirect.com). They taste exactly like regular hot chocolate and have 12g of protein per serving. They were very soothing on a cold day.

Vicki, you sound like me after my first C-section. I was staring at a screaming colicky baby, so sore I could barely move and wondering why I ever started having sex in the first place - ha! Any time you have surgery it takes awhile for you to start feeling like yourself again. Almost every person on this site who is post-op has been in your shoes, so please don't feel alone. I almost called the day before my surgery to cancel it. Now that I'm at goal weight and feeling great I'm SO GLAD I didn't give in to my fears. In a couple of months when you're starting to get skinny you'll look back on this post and wonder what the big deal was. Of course, if you keep feeling bad be sure to discuss with your doc. But I have faith that "this too shall pass" and you'll be back to yourself and feeling so much better in no time!

You may have a hematoma (pooled blood). I had one under the incision where they removed my tummy and took out the port to my lap-band (I had revision surgery). The area was very swollen and blue. Went to the doc and they said the blood would most likey re-absorb into my body. But the very next day the incision opened up and all that blood came out. Met my doc at the ER and he cleaned out the wound. It had to heal from the inside out after that. So just watch it and be careful. The majority of the time if it is a hematoma it will go away on its own.

Quick answer: YOUR WORST NIGHTMARE (HA!)

Just ask her! Even though I used the same surgeon for my VSG that had done my lap-band, I still asked him how many revisions he had done, how many VSG's in all and what his complication rate was, if anyone had had leaks, and his overall complication rate for all WLS surgeries. The nurse gave me the info with no problem. Also, you might go ahead and give out your doc's name and see if anyone else on here has used her. You are smart about being careful with this. When I was in the hospital a lady down the hall from me was in there because her first surgeon (a guy who typically operated on colons and was fairly new in the WLS game) had botched her VSG and she had to get someone else to re-operate to fix it. There are a few docs jumping on the bandwagon trying to get those WLS $$$, and they are not as experienced as others who have been doing these types of surgeries for years. My surgeon started out as a general surgeon specializing in laproscopic procedures who also did WLS. Now he's pretty much all WLS, but he's done thousands of surgeries and hundreds upon hundreds of WLS. When you're having something as permanent and drastic as a VSG, do as much homework as possible when choosing a doc. Good luck!

Personally, I think the Protein shots are nasty. Like drinking really thick cough syrup. But if you can stomach them, more power to you. I was able to get down Isopure ready-to-drink in the bottles, but I had to try several flavors to find a few I could handle. These are kind of like watered-down Kool-Aid, but have 40g of protein per bottle. I bought the powdered Isopure but didn't like it and took it back. If you live near a Vitamin Shoppe or GNC, they have Protein drinks in a cooler that you can buy just one of to try out. Plus you can return anything that you don't like. There are also lots of websites where you can buy samples of powders, some you can mix with Water. I've bought things from www.dietdirect.com, but they are many sites to shop from.

Of course I'm not the doctor, but I had tons of adhesions (2 c-sections, hysterectomy, lap-band) and my doc removed them during the surgery with no problems. And this was also having my gall bladder removed and being revised from the lapband to VSG. All done lap. I was chock full of holes, but they were all pretty small.

"i thought id never be hungry again. never crave sweets again. i still have to learn to just throw away food. thats such an issue for me. its like i have to clean my plate or else i feel guilty. " I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. It sounds like you went into this with unrealistic expectations and are now dissapointed. If your doctor told you you'd NEVER be hungry again, then that's just plain wrong. I get hungry every day, even on an acid reducer. It's not like it was when I had a lap-band or before WLS, but it is still there. Though I can't eat things with much fat in them because I had my gall bladder removed, I DO still crave sweets. The difference now is that I can have a couple of Hershey's kisses and be satisfied instead of eating half a bag. Or a couple of bites of cake, or one cookie, etc. You can't really stop cravings, no matter what they're for, so you may as well try to learn healthful ways to deal with them. I actually enjoy fruit-filled yogurt as a sweet snack now, which I never used to do. I certainly feel better after eating it too than I do if I have candy. Regarding throwing away food - I'm not really sure where that comes in. I never throw away food. If I'm at home, I put cook and put portions on my plate that I know I can get down. If I'm at a restaurant, I order appetizers or get a take-home box with my left-overs. Heck, I can get 4 meals out of some Entrees now. Your life IS different now, so you have to live that way every day. You can't live the same way you did before the sleeve. It just takes some practice to get it down right. Even at 5 wks you're still very new at this. Give yourself a break and discuss this all with your doctor. These feelings are normal and will get better with time and experience. Good Luck!!! G

Welcome Dennis and good luck with your surgery. Sounds like you did great with your pre-op diet. I was at the baseball game on Saturday - what a rush! Wish our boys could go all the way, but we've got a battle on our hands. Don't know where you're having surgery, but if at Northpark you'll love it. They're great!

My mother-in-law is also "fat-biased", but not so obvious about it. She never said anything to me before I lost weight, but her daughter is obese and she is very vocal about it with her. I feel so sorry for my sister-in-law. The two of them recently visited us and we all went shopping. My MIL stayed by my side the whole time telling me how cute this and that looked on me and completely ignored her own daughter. We were trying on hats and all she said to her daughter was "hats make your face look even rounder", while she told me "hats look amazing on you! You can't leave here without buying one." Then she grabbed hat after hat for me to try on until I got a couple. My SIL just walked off looking dejected. I went after her and took her to the jewelry area, which she has always had a passion for, and tried to tell her how great things looked on her when she tried them on. I invited her to come back to town by herself sometime (without the judgemental mom), so hopefully she can shop and have fun (she's from a small town and loves to come to Dallas to shop). I know what that feels like to be completely ignored and feel invisible because of how people treat you when you're overweight. No one deserves that.

I think I also waited about 3 months. My surgery was in January and in May I traveled to Italy where I drank a glass of wine at least once a day with no problems. Now I drink whatever I want and can tell no difference from before the VSG.

I eat a cup of Activia cherry yogurt with some hot tea. Then I snack on a 30gram protein bar until lunch.

Good luck on your upcoming revision surgery. You're making a fantastic choice with the VSG and I'm sure you'll love life with the sleeve as most of us do. I did not have an EGD before my revision. I probably should have as I had a hiatal hernia that we didn't know about until they got in there. But my doc added it to the list of procedures and fixed me right up (I also had my gall bladder removed at the same time). Now when I see one of those "example lapbands" that docs have in their offices I can't believe I actually had that much plastic inside my body. They look huge to me now! I certainly don't miss that dang port poking out of my skin or getting caught under my ribs. SO GLAD it's not in there anymore!!!!

I know it's easy for us to say since we're at goal weight, but I also don't see any reason to deprive yourself of a small treat every now and then. I keep some of the Hershey's dark chocolate kisses in the house and eat one or two if I get that chocolate craving. I store them in a plastic container in the top shelf of my pantry so they're not that easy to get to. Then I'll take 2 out and put the container back. I also keep a box of fudge pops in the freezer. They are low fat and have no added sugar and are much better for me than a bowl of ice cream. As long as you can control your portion size and how often you eat them, treats can help make life a little more fun.

Dr. Barker also uses this hospital and I agree with everything said above. The rooms are HUGE, the nurses and techs were super responsive, and it was overall a great experience. If your pain level is above a 2 they bring you pain meds immediately. They work really hard to make sure you are kept comfortable and don't let your pain get out of control. My husband was my "hallway Nazi" making sure I walked every 2 hours during the day, so I never had anyone say a word to me about walking...

Have you tried refried black beans? I ate the heck out of them with a nice dollop of queso blanco on top. They have a tiny bit more protein than the pinto beans. I also ate Cream of Wheat, Deviled Ham (high in salt and fat, but has protein and tastes good - and you're not eating much of it), lots of yogurt and pureed and strained soups, chili w/o beans. I thought eggs sounded good, but had a hard time with them.

I had my revision done on January 8, 2010 and am elated to NOT have the horrible piece of plastic in my body anymore. Because my surgeon had sewn my port in VERY well, it was an ordeal to take out and left a large opening inside that filled with blood (a hematoma). This is perfectly normal and the blood usually re-absorbs into your body over time. Unfortunately, mine opened up via the incision above it and blood went everywhere. It was a bit scary when it happened. I went to the hospital, my surgeon was there and he cleaned and packed the wound for it to heal from the inside out. Once an incision like that comes open, they can't close it back up due to the possibility of infection. So for the next couple of months I cleaned and packed the wound daily until it healed. I also had an undiagnosed hiatal hernia, but if you've had an uppper GI and it didn't show up, you should be good to go on that front. Other than that, expect to live a happier and more carefree life once you have the band out. I'm at goal weight and feel great now.