Acadia

A few notes for others with similar questions, if you change your mind about which procedure you get -- you may have to go through the approval process all over again. Each WLS has a different code and different requirements. You may not be approved for other surgeries. If you live far away from your primary find another doctor near you who is willing to learn to help care for you. Your primary should be able to help you find someone close. With gastric bypass and the sleeve most doctors following the more successful eating plans won't allow those patients to eat solids until six weeks post op sometimes eight. With Lapband/Realise it's generally four to five weeks. So you actually eat 'real food' sooner on the less invasive surgery, makes sense though doesn't it? And if GB fails for you, you can't really 'start over', but with the band everyday is a new opportunity to get back on track.

A week, plus the weekends on either end, seem to be ideal for most people. My Doctor approved 25 lbs kettlebell weights after my one week follow up, assuming everything is fine, and over 50 lbs after 2-3 weeks depending how I feel. Make sure your work is aware you had abdominal surgery and if you don't have one, get a belt that protects your midsection and lower back and has suspenders, it will protect your core (you should be using one anyway - if your Dr prescribes it your insurance will cover it).

Don't forget the FitBit - it also monitors your sleep and though not waterproof (because it can't track swimming) it will allow you to enter that you swam for XX minutes and will add that to your caloric burn. The website is also free with FitBit and the tool itself only costs $99. I've been using it for a year now and love it. It tracks effortlessly. Is very effective. And is much much less expensive than the other options.

When in doubt go to your Dr and ask them to look at your band and port under flouroscopy to make sure everything is okay. If you don't, and something is wrong, you'll never forgive yourself. If you do, and nothing is wrong, at least you know and you'll have a baseline image to use for how your band should work.

Your surgeon still used sutures, even if they were subcutaneous, they were used because the wounds needed the tension. A 12" wound could not be closed with adhesive alone - at least not if you want it to stay closed. One of the issues with subcutaneous sutures is that physician must use absorbable sutures (sutures that dissolve) and that means the tension isn't guaranteed to be even throughout the healing time. There are sutures that dissolve within 7 days, 10 days, 15 days, and so on, and they can be doubled up to increase the time by a day or so, but there's no guarantee. There's also no guarantee they will dissolve all the way. They're primarily used on wounds that are known to heal quickly (buccal cavity, internal, etc.) Ultimately you are correct that it comes down to surgeon preference and you can't argue with sutures and staples - they provide the best healing result. I personally prefer to use surface sutures because the work I do is very fine, there are no large gaping wounds that need a great deal of tension, it helps to have the sutures exposed to the air in the areas I work on, and I need to minimize scar formation (if it weren't for this, adhesive would be perfect). For legal reasons I can't reveal what I do, but I am experienced in fine surgical and suture technique and have a medical background. I have a few careers at this point. ; )

You can walk into any medical supply store and buy all of those supplies 'over the counter'. Including anesthetics. I keep local anesthetic, syringes, sutures, scalpels, dressings, and more in my first aid kit. You'd be surprised how often those things come in handy - for someone with the training to use them, which I have. Anyone who would let an untrained person perform major surgery on them deserves whatever they get.

The fact that red meat, pork, fish, and chicken (all animal proteins) take up to 3 days to completely digest was enough to keep me vegetarian (in addition to so many other things). I'll check out your blog, I'm always keen to try new vegetarian recipes.

Another thing to keep in mind - you may not be losing weight but you may still be losing inches. Measure the following locations and measure them once a week to see the changes (it only takes about 4 minutes to measure all of these spots): Neck Around the chest (widest part) Around the chest (under breast for women) Upper arm (always the same distance from the elbow crease) Forearm (same distance from elbow crease) Wrist Waist (narrowest area) Waist (at belly button) Hips (widest) Hips (at the dip, if you have one) Thigh (same distance from the crotch or back of knee) Calf (same distance from the back of the knee) Ankle You may not notice changes in all areas, but on those weeks where you have no weight loss you will very likely lose a half inch, an inch, or more. One final note - women gain between 5-10 lbs every month due to our cycles, so if you don't lose this week, you may lose a lot next week. If you're tracking you'll see these fluctuations. And even women who are going through menopause or who have gone through menopause will have fluctuations though they'll be a little smaller in the 2-4 lbs range.

There are specific reasons why surgeons use sutures and staples, here are a few: If more than 5 sutures or staples would be required then the surgeon is required to use sutures or staples. If the wound requires tension to close it - the surgeon is required to use sutures or staples. If scarring is an issue with where the wound is placed - it's in the patient's best interest to have sutures or staples. Surgical adhesives are not FDA approved for all wounds. Surgical adhesives are very expensive ($30/vial). In addition, using surgical glue increases the chance of hypertrophic scars, and most people would prefer to have as minimal a scar as possible. Ultimately it's up to the surgeon, but sutures and staples provide a better wound seal and a less invasive scar.

Exactly. I know it didn't take a day, week, month, or even a year for me to gain the extra 125 I'm looking to lose. It took 17 years. To expect it to come off in anything less than a year - safely and in a way where my body can rebound correctly - is ridiculous.

I'm not in retail but I walk at least five miles a day and I'm currently four days out and I feel that I could easily walk a half mile straight right now, a mile would be pushing it as I get light headed from not being able to consume enough calories -- but in another six days I imagine I'll have no issues with five miles. Just make sure people know you had abdominal surgery (they don't need to know exactly what you had done) and that you may need to rest every now and then. Wear supportive undergarments (will help a lot). And take it easy. Remember, you won't be fully healed for 4-6 weeks.

When in doubt go to the ER, like you did. If you hadn't you may not have been around long enough to post what the problem actually was. As beneficial as these boards are they are NO replacement for actual medical advice. If you are having an issue you are concerned enough about to ask people online, call your Doctor, if your Doctor won't listen, call another doctor in the same field and explain that your doctor won't listen and you need input from someone who knows the surgery, if they won't listen go to the ER and bring your medical records with you to show what you had done. You are allowed to get a copy of your medical records at any time and I suggest everyone do it after their surgery so they have them accessible for travel, family, emergency, etc. Never take advice online as the gospel - especially when it comes to your health.

I quite enjoy your posts, they're well educated and you're well spoken. It's amazing what we get used to eating, and when we actually see it all in front of us it's pretty shocking that that's the quantity we used to eat, regardless of whether or not it was healthy food - quantity is quantity. All weight loss surgeries are tools. You can worth with them or against them. You'd never see someone at a gas pump overfilling their tank with an extra $30 worth of gas spilling all over the ground, but that's what you do when you eat more calories than you need. We wasted money on food we didn't need simply because we wanted it. So if you suddenly switch to a hybrid car, which doesn't use much gas at all - but does sometimes, you can still over fill the tank unnecessarily if you stick with your old ways.

As with removing sutures for any wounds, it will feel weird having them pulled out, but it will be pretty fast and painless, and any pain you're experiencing should be partially alleviated. Sutures pull and can cause discomfort just being there. You'll feel a little twinge when he clips the suture (and he should push down on the skin to clip it under skin level to avoid dragging outside debris into the wound - if he doesn't, ask why not, tell him that if he clips it above the skin that he'll be dragging anything that's on the outside in and STOP him. Some doctors realise this but if they've been in the field a long time a lot will just figure it's not a big deal.) then you'll feel a tugging sensation as he pulls it through. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to remove all the sutures and nothing should bleed or puss. If it does, do not use anything like polysporin or neosporin, just let them dry out.

I posted a vegetarian/vegan forum on the Food & Nutrition board if you would like to talk

I had surgery on the 14th and was told the gas pains could last up to six weeks by my Dr and the nutritionist.

Thank you Susan. I would be very curious why a Dr would suggest not being vegetarian after WLS, it's so easy to be vegetarian these days. And you can get more than enough Protein, which is usually the concern. I was a body builder and regularly got 100-120 g per day, only supplemented with a single protien drink after my workouts (40 g) three days a week. Once you know everything has protein, including fruits and vegetables, it's easier to get those numbers up. Tools like The Daily Plate help as well as they track it for you and you can enter on the go. I regularly eat ground soy (tacos, shepherds pie, Macaroni/tomato/fake beef, ground turkey patties), stuffed chick'n breasts from Trader Joe's, chick'n patties for a high protein snack, veggie hot dogs, burgers, seasoned and fried tofu (5 lbs of tofu only uses a total of 2-3 tbsp of oil)**, etc. And that doesn't even include Beans, which are great mixed with pretty much anything. It's just so easy not to eat meat these days but still get all of your nutritional needs met. ** I'll post the recipe if anyone is interested in it, it was inspired by the tofu preparation at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, the tofu can be frozen, thawed, and microwaved and added to anything for protein.

I'm experiencing the same thing, based on entries I've read on the board it could absolutely still be gas. I use a hot rice bag (tube sock with 3-5 cups of dry rice, knotted, and microwaved for 2 minutes then wrapped in a small towel or tshirt) on the sore areas and it helps the gas to dissipate a bit.

I figured it would be larger as well but apparently not. Hence no pills or food larger than an m&m/aspirin. Definitely helps keep it in perspective to have a plastic egg (the size of the pouch) with a dime size circle on the bottom.

I don't believe it has anything to do with country. I said that the only people I know in this country are the people I work with and that they would not make for a good support because of their attitudes. And they are not in shape, they are all overweight, except one who was 250 lbs heavier until recently. I agree that everyone is unique. However, the statement that the person without support hasn't lost as much and is making poor choices because they have no support isn't accurate. As the attitudes of many people on here have proven, if they don't want to make the necessary changes, then only they are to blame -- even if they don't want to admit it. That same attitude extends to groups who are getting a different procedure, they believe their choice is the only and right choice, when really the procedures require the same dedication. I believe Cliff, who started this thread, will be successful if he chooses to be successful, regardless of the procedure he chooses. Each procedure has benefits and draw backs, but ultimately all of them require personal dedication and lifestyle changes.

I understand. I'm a vegetarian and it's very easy to get sick of foods you eat day in and day out. I still crave meat and I haven't eaten it in 16 years. But I do eat fish a couple of times a year and never think twice about it. It's one of the healthiest animal products you can eat. I'm actually pretty bummed I may not be able to eat the amazing vegetarian sushi a local restaurant used to make just for me.

Fish is highly beneficial, great protein, great oils, if that's a meal choice daily you really can't go wrong. There's nothing bad about what you ate, it's a very healthy and appropriate choice.

Sashimi is generally thin slices of fish and meat. No rice is involved in traditional sashimi but some American restaurants will serve it with rice or veggies under.

The rice may bind being that it's sticky rice so you may have issues with it but the fish, if in small enough pieces, should be fine. But you may not tolerate foods like you used to.