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Hi All, I rarely come on the forums anymore. It seems that, once I got past the really tough times with my band to sleeve revision I just drifted away. Anyway, I realized that I will be 2 years post-revision in a couple of weeks and I should probably report in and let the newbies know about my experience. If you want to know specifics about my surgery, you can look through my profile posts - it is hard for me to remember all the details now. I had a lap band for 4 years and it sucked. I got my lap band at 215 pounds and ended up at about 195 pounds and was gaining slowly on top of that. I couldn't eat chicken (did I mention the band SUCKED?). I wanted the band out, but I was afraid I would baloon up higher than ever. For me, the sleeve was an insurance policy. I did not expect it to work because I had already been through weight loss surgery that did not work. Why would I expect anything different the second time around? I was 100% afraid to dream that it might be successful. And, of course, I was wrong The sleeve was everything the band promised and more. On surgery day I was somewhere between 195 and 200. I went to Dr Aceves and would recommend him without hesitation. Band out and sleeve in, took less than 90 minutes. No complications. Good pain management. That's when the tough stuff really started. I couldn't drink the Protein drinks because I couldn't handle the smell or taste. Because of this I barely ate or drank anything for weeks. Everything tasted so weird / bad. I was significantly fatigued for 3 months because could barely get any food in. I chewed my Vitamins and took my omeprazole like a good girl. The apex of my weight loss occured after about 9 months. I got down to about 127 pounds. Mind you, at no time was I ever "trying" to lose weight. In fact, I was "trying" to get enough quality calories in my body. Since I ate so little, I couldn't mess around with junk food - I only ate food with good nutritional value. I also found that Certain foods were just harder to eat. I craved chicken, but I had a hard time eating carrots (they stick!). I would say I didn't feel completely normal until about a year had passed. At this point I have levelled out in the 135-140 range and I am thrilled about it. It is easy for me to get down to 135 (and lower if I wanted to) by just cutting out one snack a day or quitting drinking alcohol altogether. I weigh myself maybe once a month and if I see myself creep towards 138-139, I start cutting out a couple of things and get back to my comfort zone. It has been hard in the last 6 months because my father committed suicide leaving me with a contentious legal battle with his wife. I started drinking a couple of drinks every day because of the stress. That has kept me in the upper end of my range, but it is still easy to maintain. I find as time goes by, I stopped drinking every day and only a couple of times a week - it made me less puffy :-) So, my lifestyle now: I don't exercise. Yes, I know - that's bad. I do have tons more energy and I walk more in my daily life than I ever did before, but I do not engage in regular exercise. I try. I do my best. I'm just being honest. I still have a hard time getting even 30 ounces of Fluid every day. The taste of Water changed for me the day I had surgery and I have had a terrible time replacing it. Sometimes I have fizzy water. Strangely, beer goes down very easily. I developed a Starbucks mocha habit after the first year, but I limit it to one a day and get nonfat most of the time. I also started drinking iced coffee. I eat 5-6 times a day (I limit it to 5 if I am actively trying to manage my weight). I eat protein and veggies. I just started liking sandwiches again, but find bread and rice both expand in my stomach and make me very uncomfortable after I eat them. Even now, I eat too fast sometimes and can be in terrible pain from fullness. I still can't drink after I eat. I drink as much as possible up to the point where I put food in my mouth and then no liquids for an hour or more - PAINFUL!! I could never have done this without the sleeve. I am completely happy with the result. My life isn't "normal" because I still have to think about carrying Snacks with me so I can have good choices while I am out of the house. I still have to eat slowly. I still have people in restaurants badgering me about why I didn't finish my food. The difference is that I wear size 8 jeans and size 4/6 dress. I can walk / run around Disneyland for 10 hours with my daughter without major breaks to sit down. I rode a bike with my kid just this week and it was awesome. I finally feel like I fit in with my world. The outside reflects the inside. I feel much happier now, also, because people are used to me being this size now. Before people were always making a big deal out of the wieght loss. I don't like talking about it. I hated the attention during the loss because I was very guarded about the surgery. Now I have been the same for a year and a half or so, people don't comment about it as much and I love it. My future: well, the biggest surprise for me is that my husband and I are thinking about having another baby. My daughter is 8 and I had my tubes tied 6 years ago. I scheduled my tubal reversal with a specialist in Beverly Hills at the end of March. I will be 39 in a couple of weeks, but the doc says my FSH level is that of a 25 year old and my husbands sperm count and motility is off the charts! I used to be super-fertile before my tubal (just look at me sideways, and I was knocked up!) so we will see if that is still the case in a couple of months. Also, I finally finished my Bachelors degree 21 years after I started :-) I graduate in June. My life rocks! I was already lucky to have a good man, a great child, good job, and overall good health. The sleeve and weight loss are the icing on the cake for me. I'm a lucky lady. With gratitude, Lara

What about Protein intake, is it higher than carbs? Frequency of your meals? I find if I go over the 3 hour mark, I get ravenous. Alcohol, any stress, any recent illness ? Any new medications? Anything different for you recently, @@cbruce125 ? This post is really helpful, looking forward to more replies.

Wow. Its been exactly one year, almost to the hour, that I had the sleeve surgery. Its been a very interesting year with lots of ups and a few downs. I posted about a week after surgery what the surgical experience was like. I'm not going to rehash that. Good Down over 80 pounds, BMI down to 23. Weight seems to have stabilized for last couple months. Although I never had high blood pressure nor took medication, it was higher than it should have been. I now pop out 115/75. Energy level is good. Very active. Knee/back pain is GONE or at least 95% of it Doesn't feel like I'm dieting. I still focus on Proteins, but my stomach's capacity is still 1/5 or less than what it was. I eat 3 "meals" and 2-3 Snacks per day. Cravings/desire for food greatly reduced. As a gauge of how much I can eat, I was traveling yesterday and ordered a 3 piece chicken strip and small fry from Chik-fil-a. I ate 2 pieces of chicken and 3 french fries. I was very full. Bad Definitely lost a lot of muscle. It partly makes sense as it takes less muscle to move less weight. But the last few months I've been working out putting muscle back on. Initial discomfort from surgery. Very distant memory now. Certain foods still cause issues - bread/pasta are two prime examples. My ass definitely hurts when sitting. Planes are terrible. Loose skin - definitely some saggy skin. Lightheadedness - Have this pretty regularly when getting up. Have actually passed out 3 times. Mostly when dehydrated or had any alcohol. Hot tub also does it to me. Have to keep a close eye on it and sit back down quickly if necessary. Social awkwardness - people don't understand why I eat so little and it has offended a few people. It is hard in a social food setting to not stand out. Ugly Foamies/vomit - I have had foamies 5 or 6 times and thrown up 3 times. Definitely not pleasant and just have to eat slowly and watch for signals to stop. That overfull feeling is terrible. Again certain foods like bread/pasta cause issues. Bariatric Vitamins - disgusting. I switched after about a month to a multi-Vitamin that had all the same stuff. These things made me gag. Sugar/alcohol - has a greatly increased effect. I can eat a kids size ice cream serving, otherwise get terrible sugar rush. Alcohol - same thing. Effect greatly amplified. One glass of wine and I am really tipsy. Overall I still feel it was a great decision. I had battled weight issues since a kid and had never been successful getting anywhere close to where I am, much less keeping the weight off. I think if I was in the same position today that I was a year ago, I would try the balloon first. I went with Dr Heider in Charlotte and was very pleased. The self-pay through them was very straightforward and covered everything.

I just confirmed a week's vacation with my hubby, son and daughter to spend Thanksgiving on the beach this year. This will be unusual for me as I usually host the big family dinner with 30 plus people and enough food to feed 60 which results in a 4 day feeding frenzy. I'm glad we're doing something a little less traditional this year as I hope to break some of my Holiday habits...gaining 5-10 pounds. What do I plan to do in Daytona? Swim, walk the beach, ride bicyles, dancing at night clubs, Christmas shopping, anything that requires me to be active. My goal will be to burn off any daily calories that are not necessary (ice cream, alcohol) and continure to lose weight while I'm there. I have approximately 130 days to get my body ready for a skimpy swimsuit. Will I be a size 8? No.... But I'll look damn good in a size 12! :shades_smile: P.S. I have officially walked 100 miles since the first week in June and have ridden 48 miles on my bike. I feel so much stronger than I did 2 months ago.

I'd forgotten about this site; When I eventually stumbled across it again I was amazed to see that I originally registered way back in Nov 2008. 17 months ago to be precise;17 months of wasted time;17 months trying to convince my self that this time when I loose weight I'm gonna keep it off; 17 months of pill popping, 17months of powder slugging; 17 months of failure. I reached the grand old age of 49 in Feb and promised myself that I would not be fat and 50! In March I gained another 8lbs, despite my promise to myself I gained 8lbs! Can you believe that? I get on my scales every morning and every morning I get off my scales I start my diet. I talk to myself-OK today is gonna be the start, no messing around, its easy you know how to do it, its easy. Well you know what its not easy. Ive finally admitted it, ITS NOT EASY AT ALL! I can kind of understand now how and alcoholic must feel when they first attend AA. Admission is the first step and I really feel quite liberated. The only differrence between me an an alcoholic is that my addiction comes in the form of food. I actaully now realise I can't do it on my own. You see Ive never had a problem loosing weight my problem is keeping it off. So 2 weeks ago I decided I was going to have a band fitted. I spent the next three days researching as much as I could about gastric banding. I watched almost every video on You Tube relating to Banding. I read loads of testimonials. Looked at the most amazing before and after photographs. Cried for people where it had goine wrong. Frowned at people who openly admited to cheating their band. It was time, I was ready. I sent off my initial enqiry and within 24 hours received a response. My consultation appointment was set up and I began counting down to a new me! At my consultation I was shown a model of a stomache, I was shown a band. How could something so small be so effective and life changing. I wanted to pick the band up off the docs desk and kiss it! They told me I was a perfect candidate for banding. My BMI was below 50 I was under 50 years of age (just) ! Non smoker low cholesterol normal blood pressure. Its the first time I can remember a Doc actually telling me I was perfect! :thumbup:My band is going to be fitted on the 3rd June . I cant begin to tell you how excited I am. I will be slim for Christmas, no if or buts I WILL BE SLIM FOR CHRISTMAS. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from this site to make sure my recovery is speedy and trouble free. I know there can be complications however I'm not thinking about that, I'm being positive! 27 days to go :cursing:

I'd forgotten about this site; When I eventually stumbled across it again I was amazed to see that I originally registered way back in Nov 2008. 17 months ago to be precise;17 months of wasted time;17 months trying to convince my self that this time when I loose weight I'm gonna keep it off; 17 months of pill popping, 17months of powder slugging; 17 months of failure. I reached the grand old age of 49 in Feb and promised myself that I would not be fat and 50! In March I gained another 8lbs, despite my promise to myself I gained 8lbs! Can you believe that? I get on my scales every morning and every morning I get off my scales I start my diet. I talk to myself-OK today is gonna be the start, no messing around, its easy you know how to do it, its easy. Well you know what its not easy. Ive finally admitted it, ITS NOT EASY AT ALL! I can kind of understand now how and alcoholic must feel when they first attend AA. Admission is the first step and I really feel quite liberated. The only differrence between me an an alcoholic is that my addiction comes in the form of food. I actaully now realise I can't do it on my own. You see Ive never had a problem loosing weight my problem is keeping it off. So 2 weeks ago I decided I was going to have a band fitted. I spent the next three days researching as much as I could about gastric banding. I watched almost every video on You Tube relating to Banding. I read loads of testimonials. Looked at the most amazing before and after photographs. Cried for people where it had goine wrong. Frowned at people who openly admited to cheating their band. It was time, I was ready. I sent off my initial enqiry and within 24 hours received a response. My consultation appointment was set up and I began counting down to a new me! At my consultation I was shown a model of a stomache, I was shown a band. How could something so small be so effective and life changing. I wanted to pick the band up off the docs desk and kiss it! They told me I was a perfect candidate for banding. My BMI was below 50 I was under 50 years of age (just) ! Non smoker low cholesterol normal blood pressure. Its the first time I can remember a Doc actually telling me I was perfect! :thumbup:My band is going to be fitted on the 3rd June . I cant begin to tell you how excited I am. I will be slim for Christmas, no if or buts I WILL BE SLIM FOR CHRISTMAS. I'm trying to learn as much as I can from this site to make sure my recovery is speedy and trouble free. I know there can be complications however I'm not thinking about that, I'm being positive! 27 days to go :smile:

I have lost 10 pounds on one week of pre-op - Medifast Supplements. I was so hungry and had so many headaches the first few days...I didn't think I could make it. Now it is much better. Yesterday, however, I was playing in a golf outing. Told my girlfriends upfront that I could not stay for the dinner portion (they do not know about my surgery). Long story short - I ended up staying for the dinner portion. I ate lean ham and 1/4 cup of cole-slaw. I couldn't get out of it and I didn't want to draw attention to myself by not eating. I am sure I stayed within the calorie and carb counts for the day. I did not eat the potatos, baked beans, chips and brownies that they offered :thumbup:. I did not drink any alcohol all day either (my first time doing that during 18 holes of golf!). I'm just not going to beat myself up over it. I did not use this slip as an excuse to raid the fridge (the old me would have). I am back on track today and doing great! There have been so many times when I could justify eating a little protein, or a veggie, as so many don't even have pre-op diets...but I stuck to the plan. Funny that I ended up being in a situation where I ended up doing it anyway. I really didn't even enjoy it. It certainly didn't feel like cheating! I'm sure it will be fine - the protein bars that are part of my diet plan have 15 carbs in them. I don't think the coleslaw had more than that...and I didn't eat the protein bar that day. My surgery is one week from today . I'm already not sleeping very well. I can't wait to get this behind me!!!!:thumbup:

Thanks Jack. I didn't realize that over time we would lose our adaptive capability in our liver, and become toxic with minute amounts of alcohol and sugar. What a trip. When I think what I used to drink, and the buckets of ice cream I used to eat, my liver must have been lined with steel! Mega bottles of water later.... I feel better.

Yesterday was my birthday. My office had a cake for me with fresh fruit on top. (So sweet of them to think "fruit") I had a tiny piece. My husband took me out to dinner. I had a cocktail. No problem. I had lamb and spinach salad. I was actually pretty good. Then had about three small bites of a cheesecake the waiter brought to the table. I definately didn't go overboard, but I haven't had sugar and alcohol at the same time in months. I feel so lethargic and drained today. It's killing me. I feel just awful. All this from a drink and few bites of cake? Wow have times changed. After feeling like this, cake has lost it's appeal. I even have a raging headache. Is it normal to get sick like this from a small indiscretion? Anyone else get like this when they've been naughty?

From what you're saying, I personally think you're going through the normal grieving process like we all do with food, except you're doing it with alcohol. I don't think you sound like an alcoholic at all. Keep in mind, just like when we advise people about having "food funerals", you will be able to enjoy your wine in moderation down the road again, so don't think you won't. Get to your goal weight and implement your enjoyment of wine as part of your maintenance plan. In moderation, of course. If you feel you want to get it out of your system, by all means postpone the surgery until you feel you're ready to make the life changes needed for this surgery to be successful.

I'm with Babbs. You don't seem like an alcoholic to me at all. You are a person who loves the taste of wine. I am a person who loves the taste of beer. I, too, had misgivings about giving up my tasty beer. So, I waited until after my Cancun vacation and had a goodbye beer celebration. Now, I'm on day three of my pre-op diet and I'm ok with not having a drop of beer for the next eight weeks. Afterwards, of course, will be only able to handle a little bit. But mostly I've made up my mind to give it up along with all of the other tastes (food) that I need to give up to lose weight and get healthy. All in all, my advice is to wait until you're ready to say goodbye to wine. If that means waiting until afterNew Year's Eve, then so be it. You do what is right for you. It's your choice.

Hi Tlmiller2971. The death of somebody close is bound to bring up a variety of emotions. You recognised that drinking so early after your surgery was not wise, so just forget what happened and think forward. Don't be too hard on yourself. Give yourself time to grieve for your friend. My only advice is for you to try and separate the feelings of loss due to your friend's death and the feelings linked with the lack of food and alcoholic drinks that would have been your crutch pre-surgery. You will have to find a way to cope differently from now on. Sorry for not being more helpful. I send you a big hug.

Are you tracking what you eat and were you doing so after hitting goal and the gain? Were you weighing yourself regularly? I'm about six months behind you time wise - my surgery was on 8.23.16 and I'm still working toward goal, but I find if I'm not religious about tracking, weighing my food every few weeks to remind myself what portion sizes are supposed to look like and weighing myself at least once a week on the scale, it is very easy to get off track. I weighed myself before leaving on vacation on 7/1 and then again upon return on 7/9 - I knew I gained because I was drinking pina coladas, laying on a beach and eating way more, including snacks, than I should. I gained 8 pounds during vacation. Six of those came off in the first four days - I cut out alcohol and upped my activity and water intake. I figure and other few days and the remainder should be gone and I can get back to climbing over the 100 pound barrier I've been facing. From what I have read, not tracking and measuring portions can cause all kinds of problems. Best of luck.

(Copied this from my MySpce blog .... thought it would just be easier that way) March 5, 2008 - Wednesday <TABLE class=blog cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=30></TD><TD>Medical crap .... Going crazy here!!! Current mood: frustrated I need some prayers (or if praying isn't your thing, some positive vibes), please. I had my LapBand surgery 2 years ago. Everything has been fine ..... Except that I have developed reflux really bad and take pills for it!!! Well, about 4-5 months ago I started 'throwing up' some about 2-3 times a week. These past 4 weeks have been TERRIBLE and this past week has been more than I can take. Yesterday I 'threw up' 8 times during the day and much more during the night time. And most of that was from TRYING to drink liquid stuff ..... Not even food. I could not even sleep last night. I have been worried that my band as slipped or something (things like that DO happen .... I knew all this up front!!). I called my Weight loss (WL) doctors office this morning to talk to them. They want an upper GI done to see if slippage has occurred and then to take some Fluid out of my band to give my stomach a rest. Okay ..... Here is where I am going crazy!!! My insurance will NOT pay for any of this at all. I did know that up front 2 years ago that they do not pay for any WL surgery or complications from it ( I was a self pay patient). So my WL doctor is asking if my primary doctor can have me get a GI Xray here where I live and fax him the results ASAP. I live in a different state than where my WL doc is at. So, I call my Primary doc and she HAS to see me first before she can refer me to a doc for an upper GI?!?! I ask why .... She says for insurance purposes ..... I tell her that my insurance will not pay for it, that the upper GI will be as a cash patient, so why does she have to see me. Now she said she wants to see me so she can have it documented that she saw me and referred me to a doc for an upper GI. WHAT?!?!? So, I ask when is the soonest I can come in. They say Friday afternoon. WHAT?!?! I then ask how long after I come in can I get an upper GI ..... She says it could take 2-3 weeks for them to get me in to a GI doctor!! I tried to explain how I need something ASAP ..... That I am throwing up and cannot hardly eat!! I took the appointment and told them that if I can travel to where my WL surgeon is this week and he can get me in someplace then I may be calling back and canceling that appointment w/ them. I just am so depressed. I have a call back to my WL surgeon's office and am just waiting for them to call me back. I want to get something done ASAP. I hate this waiting game and I am not good at it. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE id=blogComments-2 cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=blogCommentsProfile>Sherri </TD><TD class=blogComments width="100%"><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=5 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD class=blogComments>Great news!! My WL nurse got me in down at Topeka on Friday ...... Upper GI at the hospital at 10:45 am and then meeting w/ my WL doctor and her at 1:30 Pm to go over X-rays and decide what to do. Posted by Sherri on March 5, 2008 - Wednesday at 4:29 PM </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> March 9, 2008 - Sunday <TABLE class=blog cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD width=30></TD><TD>UPDATE on my medical crap ) Current mood: okay Okay, here's the update. I went to St. Francis hospital in Topeka, KS Friday at 10:45 am to have an upper GI. They got me all ready and the doctor at the hospital was asking me 'what's going on w/ you that you are having problems?'. I told him about my throwing up for months now and the pain I have been having. He told the tech gal to start me w/ the thinner barium since I am having a hard time keeping things down. He told me to take a drink and to NOT shallow until he tells me to .... He said it will move fast and he has got to be ready to start taking pictures. He tells me to shallow .... I do ..... He makes this really funny face and says, "Um, I have NEVER seen this before ....... Let's have you take another drink and shallow". I do and he says this is really different. Of course, I am freaking and ask him, "WHAT ..... What is happening that is different?!?!". He pulls the 'live motion Xray machine around to where I can see it and points showing me my lapband and then he says all the stuff ABOVE your lapband is the barium that you just drank and not one drop has passed though your band. I asked him was this normal .... He says, "NO, this is not normal .... This is why you are throwing up .... Liquid should be passing ..... Slowly, BUT passing". So now I am freaking ..... My heart really beating fast!! He told the 2 tech's that he wants to get some still images. So, they do all those. An hour later I am done. He tells me that he will get all the images and report done and have them to my doctor's office when I go for my 1:30 appointment that afternoon. Roger and I go to Tallgrass to meet w/ my weigh loss surgeon at 1:30 PM. Him and another doctor have already gone over all my images. Here's the scoop ... I 'must have' irritated my stomach several months ago w/out knowing it and it has been 'festering' all this time building up over ALL these months. The bottom line is I have ulcers and lesions all over the inside of my stomach ABOVE my lapband and all over my esophagus, my 'pouch' above my lapband is SO SWOLLEN that it is a miracle that anything passes though it he said. He said they have to treat it aggressive and that means to take everything out of my lapband!! (*this is when I thought I was going to loose it ..... Take everything out! - - I was freaking thinking they might take 1/2 out and now he's says EVERYTHING!!!*) He said that by him taking everything out of my band that hopefully my stomach can take a rest and we can get all the ulcers and lesions healed up. He said that him and the other doctor did not see any slippage or erosion of my lapband which was a good thing (WHAT - - it's a WONDERFUL thing - - PRAISE GOD!!) So, he goes and gets the nurse and has her come in with a 'procedure tray' to unfill my band. While I'm laying there on the table being stuck w/ a needle that has stuff in it that is hurting and stinging like hell so that the 'procedure' doesn't hurt, part of me is screaming inside, screaming like they are taking away a part of 'my tool' that I need to loose weight!! Roger is trying to make 'small talk' w/ the doc about 'my problem'. When he finally gets ready to go into my band, it is the weirdest filling I fill moving inside my stomach. Of course, Roger told me later that it is a good thing I don't see the BIG needle they use to go into my band with!! (YIKES .... I hate needles!!). After the doc is done and I get wiped off and bandaged up, I lay there for a second. Now the 3 of us (Me, the doc and Rog) are sitting there and the doctor is telling us 'the plan' to get me better. I am taking 4 pills a day that coats and fills in the ulcers and lesions. Two pills for reflux. Stop eating solid foods (Like I have not been eating any solids since last Tuesday!!). liquid diet for 3-4 days, soft stage foods for 3-4 days and then after that to start eating foods that are diced up really fine and to take little bites and to chew the crap out of them before swallowing. If at anytime I have a hard time advancing up to the 'real food', I am to stop and go back to 1st base!! I am to not to drink or eat any food that causes 'burning' ..... Food w/ acid, alcohol, etc ... I am to take the pills for at least 2 months and then he'll decide on a new plan after those 2 months. We are going back on March 21 for a 'check up' and for the doc to see how I am doing. Once I have all these ulcers healed up, then we can talk about getting fills again in my band. The doc said that my goal right now is to get healthy and to NOT worry about loosing weight .... He said I may even gain weight during this time. *I started freakin again!!!* So, that is my update on me. </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE> <HR SIZE=1>

My nutritionist said it was fine every once in a while as long as it didn't exceed 4 oz and I had met my protein requirement for the day. Don't waste calories on alcohol if you still need to get in all your required nutrients. And she said that if I ever stall in my weight loss, alcohol will be the first thing she cuts from my diet.

• I was taking Gas-X. He told me to stop taking it and to use Maalox Maximum Relief. • I was drinking a Protein shake called ENS chocolate Milk. I would mix it up thin but as it would sit it would get very thick. He asked me to stop drinking it for a while. • i was taking my multi-Vitamins in the morning. He said that they can sometimes cause gas/bloating/nausea so he asked me to take them at night before bed. • I was using soy milk for my shakes. He asked me to use regular milk for a while and see what happened. • I was taking one or two SF mints daily for my breath. The contained sugar alcohols so he asked me to stop. Unfortunately, I did all of this at once so I have no idea what made the difference. Hope this helps :-)

It was part of my first surgeon's visit/questions. Told them I get heartburn on occasion, and they wanted to do a EGD, which is where they put the scope down your throat to see your stomach. Thought was I might hav a Hiatal hernia which would be fixed when the band put in, but instead I have gastritis. I wasn't sure what it was either, but I went to WebMD to find out. Its an infection/irritation in the stomach lining. It can be cronic, or a single time. Causes of it are stress, medications (ibuprofin,asprin,etc.), alcohol, etc. All the fun stuff. My surgeon's office called back and said it would not keep me from getting the band. It isn't really serious, I guess. It feels like I have a rock in my stomach sometimes....more discomfort than pain. Congrats on your approval and surgery date! I'm getting anxious...my shrink appt is tomorrow, then everything gets sent to BC for review.

No regrets at all, having this surgery was one of the best decisions I have ever made. You are not supposed to drink alcohol, I think that it is partially because of all the calories in most drinks. On a few occassions i have had a vodka with sugar free cranberry juice, but can't drink very much of it without getting tipsy.

I went for an endoscopy before the band, and was diagnosed with severe gastritis. The doctor said that I need to wait at least 6 months and possibly a year before I get the band. But definitely 6 months. The scary thing is, I used to feel the acid reflux, but after a year off meds and a c-section, my stomach went numb for almost a year. I mean, I thought I was cured. The Dr. said that my gastritis is so severe, there's a possibility it will never heal. Is anyone else dealing with something like this? What does it mean for the Lap-Band? Also, what kind of diet are you on? The dr. told me no caffeine, no decaf coffee, no alcohol, no spicy foods and told me to look up diet stuff on the internet, under severe gastritis. But I really wasn't able to find what I was looking for. Most of the entries were about dogs. Anyway, I have another endoscopy scheduled for January, and then (possibly) the lap-band.

I was mainly concerned with the caffeine and the impact on the stomach, etc. My surgeon said no caffeine at all because it is hard on the lining of your stomach and can cause ulcers. But if I'm not drinking alcohol or eating sugar, I need one vice, right?? Since I haven't worried about my sleeve lately, I thought I'd be concerned about the caffeine damaging it somehow!

I have no issues with alcohol. I was hoping I would have a problem with it, but alas... I do find if I have a protein meal 30 minutes before having a glass of wine, I don't hardly even get a buzz.

I was cleared for everything (except fried foods and alcohol) at 6 weeks out. Week 1--clear liquids Week 2--full liquids Week 3--soft foods (didn't have to be pureed) Week 4--started introducing more foods; was allowed to have caffeine Week 5--same as week 4 Week 6--allowed to start introducing raw veggies, salad, nuts, seeds

Are you eating anything with "sugar alcohol" aka xylitol, sorbitol, etc.? That stuff was like the express train to Diarrhea Town before getting sleeved. I bet with a tiny pouch for a stomach, it would mess you up.

You really can only stretch your tummy so much. If you eat more solid food, it will fill up quickly. At over a year out, I sitll max out at 4 oz. of solid Protein, and generally am very full with 3 oz. At first, I could only eat 1 oz. of solid protein with nothing else. Now I can enjoy a small amount of vegtables and a starch with my protein. For now, I think the important thing is to concentrate on making healthy food choices, getting enough protein and Fluid every day and avoiding eating so fast or so much that you feel ill. In my opinion, the thing to watch for as time goes by is eating things that go down easy, such as chips, popcorn, candy, ice cream, cakes and Cookies, etc. Or drinking a lot of calories, such as milk shakes, coffee drinks, or sweet alcoholic drinks. For example, I was in Starbucks on vacation. I could have chose the pumpkin Spice Latte and a slice of the Pumpkin Bread for a total of 630 and 17 grams of protein. Instead, I got my usual Soy Latte and an oatmeal, which I ate with Splenda, saving the nuts and dried fruits for a salad another day. 270 and 12 grams of protein. (I was excited to see they had Greek Yogurt Parfait till i read the nutrition info - 6 grams of protein and 270 calories! - it pays to read the label!) I do enjoy treats, but I pace myself. They are treats now, not everyday all I can eat extravaganzas. It's working for me. I've maintained my weight since March. Yeah Sleeve! Lynda

Zofran is the best thing for nausea, although the taste of the melting lozenges they gave me made me sick. I learned to just lightly bite it and swallow quickly. Also, I read somewhere that putting a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol under your nose will help with nausea. I hope you are through this phase and having better days soon!