trish151

I've had to start taking a HCL supplement with pepsin. Apparently you can have the same symptoms of acid reflux if you are too low on stomach acid, which sleeve patients typically are. Also taking the PPI can interfere with the absorption of certain nutrients and then you become deficient and don't know why. Here is a great article that may help explain what could be going on. The article is called The truth about stomach acid: Why low stomach acid is jeopardizing your healthhttp://www.sott.net/article/265343-The-truth-about-stomach-acid-Why-low-stomach-acid-is-jeopardizing-your-health Might help you understand what might be going on. It sure helped me.

I'm two years out from sleeve. I wish I had been told more about the emotional aspects of it too. Not everyone will be happy for you. With each phase there will be comments. For me, I just had to realize there were comments when I was big and now there are comments when I'm smaller. I've learned to tell people to mind their own bees wax. I also didn't know there were going to be so many victories and so much to relearn. I had to relearn how to walk. It sounds funny but I carry myself completely different with 118 lbs gone. It was interesting to find my stride and to learn to walk in heels differently or across a parking lot quickly. Sometimes I just giggle. I also didn't know it was going to be difficult to find clothes in my size. Apparently most stores only carry average size 8-14 in the ladies section. I'm still over weight for my height and I am in a 4/6. I'm finding that if stores do carry that size that they don't always carry a wide variety. I'm not a young spring chicken so I'm not exactly crazy about the styles in some of the junior stores. Lastly, I didn't know how men would respond different. I am very happily married and I didn't do all of this to catch some other guys eye. It kind of pisses me off sometimes how much men will flirt, make inappropriate comments, open doors for me, etc now, when they never did it before. to be quite honest, sometimes it pissy me off because I still think I am the same person inside, the only thing that changed was my weight. Any who, it's a learning process. Ya just kind of have to work through it.

The only Protein I can even stomach anymore is the Isopure. It is expensive but I found a local health food store willing to order it by the case for me so I can get 12 bottles for $40. At first I was freaked out by the price so I didn't get them but I became severely protein deficient because I was only getting in about 40 grams of protein a day. I started having problems with my soft tissue in my feet and I felt lousy and tired all of the time. The isopure is the best thing I have found. I had some thyroid issues and they kept changing my meds and I started gaining weight despite working out every day. I went to see my surgeon and they fussed me for not getting enough protein. That was the kicker. I drink 2 of the isopure drinks a day, have a coffee in the morning and then have two small meals. I never get hungry anymore and the weight is going down again. Again, I was freaked out about the price but on the other hand I used to spend more than $3.33 on a meal so I guess I can sure pay for something I need to help me.

I was taking the PPI for 6 months and was feeling lousy. You might want to do some research on the problems of low stomach acid. They are closely related and the PPI can stop you from absorbing some Vitamins and minerals. I was doing some research on some stuff because apparently I have dumping syndrome and I ran across where some sleeve patients don't have enough stomach acid to digest the amount of Protein they are eating and they can have reflux. Research HCL with pepsin. It might be something that helps you figure it all out. Best of luck to you.

I started gaining some when I got a little lazy with premaking my foods. I wasn't getting in enough Protein and I went through some thyroid issues. I've had to back track and find a Protein Drink I can stand. I also premake turkey and chicken and keep them in the fridge so I can snack on them cold if I am in a hurry and don't make bad food choices. I am also doing a modified low carb just to be able to get my protein all in in a day. It has made a huge difference though. My doctor changed my thyroid meds and told my husband I was going to gain some weight. I really pissed me off at the time and I tried to deny it but it happened anyway. I gained 25 lbs back and was so miserable. I hadn't really changed the way I was eating. Now that I have upped my protein, it came back off. I'm so relieved. You may want to make sure you are getting in enough too. I have to substitute with two Isopure premade drinks a day that I just swap out for my Water. I stay satisfied all day and then eat two small meals of protein and a small amount of veggies.

I'm two years out and I can still only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food at a time. Some days it is a balancing act trying to get eating in and staying on a plan to get my fluids in. I'm just now kind of getting the hang of it. I wasn't getting in near enough Protein. I could not stand to drink another shake. I can tell you that I can tell when my stomach finally is empty. It's usually about an hour after I eat. That's another reason to not over eat. I live in Texas and it is hot here. If I try one extra bite sometimes it can delay my stomach from emptying. The longer it takes to empty, the longer I have to go before I can get something to drink. That means I can't get over heated by trying to do too many activities. I can understand your doctor's reasonings and that makes since but from personal experience, I can tell you that I have tried to drink fluids too soon after eating and it just comes back up.

I am two years post op but revision from gastric banding to sleeve. I started at 265. I'm 5'1" and I've lost down to 147, size 4/6. I live in Longview, TX. I'm not sure what your questions are and I didn't start out in the exact same place as you but shoot away if you have questions. I can try to give you my best point of view.

I like the Isopure pre-made drinks too. I don't think I could ever stand to drink another chocolate shake for the rest of my life.

It's possible to shed the discussion about it without shedding the friendship. Some people won't get it because they don't know and can't know your struggles. I have found that when I talked to people about it before hand, if I was confident in my decision and didn't waver, it put them at peace. That's what they are looking for, can you live with the decision, own it and be proud that you are doing what you know is best for you. Looking back now, even some of my "fat" friends tried to talk me out of it. I found out later some didn't want me to have it because they couldn't afford it and didn't want me "out doing" them. Go figure, anyway it happens. My best friend didn't want me to have it and she just kept saying she didn't think it was a good idea. We have had several tiffs since I did it. My weight loss has forced her to look at her own issues and we have been out a few times. She can't stand the attention I have gotten and has referred to me as the Skinny B. I don't care much for her opinion. I feel sooooo much better in my own skin.

I wish now that I had gone with the sleeve first. I think everyone who has a revision surgery hoped that the band had of worked they way we are initially told it will. It does for many but you can't know before had if you will or won't have complications. If you do, it is very heart breaking and many have so much damage they can't do anything but have band removed and they may still have life long problems. I was soooo afraid of having my stomach "cut out" that out I opted for the band first. Now that I have done both procedures I can honestly say, I'm glad they cut it out and it's gone. It was daunting trying to get the first insurance approval and going through surgery for the band. I know I was anxious for weeks hoping for approval. Then my band slipped and I gained weight after they unfilled it waiting for the revision. It was so frustrating knowing I had a medical necessity for it to be removed and I knew I would need another procedure but I had to wait almost a month to jump through the insurance hoops for the revision. Then I had to have insurance that covered the fills and follow up visits, not to mention I had to drive 2 hours one way for maintenance of the band. It can take several visits to get the band adjusted and as you lose weight, the need for more adjustments is just part of it. With every adjustment I would have to revert to some form of slider food or I wasn't going to eat. I still to this day cannot stand another freaking chocolate Protein shake. When I got my sleeve I did not have the throwing up, fills, unfills, blah, blah, blah. I just healed, took it slow adding in more solid foods and could just concentrate on getting in my protein and exercise. I still struggle some to get in enough protein but it is so much better knowing I can eat my protein without getting it stuck in my band. When food gets stuck, and it will, not only can you not eat anything until it's unstuck, you also cannot take in your Water requirements. For me, the band was a doable but frustrating roller coaster. On top of that, my husband has changed jobs and we have new insurance. I am glad I slipped and revised while we still had the old insurance as the new insurance will not pay for anything bariatric, which means I would not have been able to get fills or have had the band removed or revised without paying for it myself. That surgery alone was over $20k charged to my insurance. That was something I never considered before I had the band. Yes the sleeve is permanent but I needed a permanent change. It's been 2 years since my sleeve and I can still only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food. I have greeved eating at times, usually only if I am out eating with others and I want one more bite. You get used to it. The results are well worth it and now I just feel like a normal person with a smaller stomach instead of a freak with a band that is not sure what will go down this meal and what won't.

I too did not want anything drastic and went with the band. I only lost 40 lbs in the year I had it, and then it slipped. I can tell you it is not a fun experience. Many people are successful with the band. I was until I was not. It slipped for no reason after a slight fill. I could eat food but for some reason my Water would always come back up. It was heart breaking to have to face another surgery and I was lucky. Many people receive so much damage. I knew that fact going into it and hoped I would not be one that would have complications. The restriction was awesome. The fills and unfills and constant need for after care was not. I am so thankful I had the sleeve procedure done and I wish now that I had done it first. Please read the revision pages just to hear some of the stories. Some people are so damaged by the band that they have to have them removed and they don't have any other options. The band can cause permanent damage that is not reversible. I am not trying to talk you out of it. Just please know that from someone who has had both surgeries, the sleeve has been a godsend for me. It's still a struggle to get in all of my Protein some days and the weight doesn't just magically come off, you still have to be accountable, but just like with the band, you are restricted in what you can eat. I needed that permanently and thought and hoped I would have that with the band. I can still only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food and if I push it, I pay the consequences, I'm bloated and too much will still come back up, it is till a learning curve and you still can't drink when you eat. However, two years post revision, I suffer no nutritional deficiencies, same as with the band. Yes, it is permanent and I am thankful. I had to have the help. Another reason I am thankful is that my husband's new insurance would not have covered any maintenance of a band, any bariatric procedures at all, so had I not already had the revision, it would not have paid to have the band removed or for a revision surgery. That is something to think about. I have also had more success with losing weight with the sleeve. With the band I only lost 40 lbs despite working my butt off. I've lost a total of 118 now with the sleeve. Just please check out some of the revision forums and know what could happen.

I wish someone had suggested that for me. I got the lapband first. I loved it at first but then with all the fills, unfills, food getting stuck, and finally a slip, I had a revision to sleeve. I wish I had known about it first. Yes, I did know there could be complications and I hoped for the best and went through with the lapband but the sleeve has been a godsend. I was lucky in that my revision went very smoothly. I've lost a lot more weight with the sleeve and I don't have the same problems I did with the band. The band works great for many people and it did for me at first. I loved the restriction but I didn't like food getting stuck and having to run to the bathroom all of the time. It was always a guessing game with each fill on what I would be able to eat and sometimes you can eat one thing and with the next fill you can't eat that thing anymore. I went with the lapband first because of the idea of it being reversible. I thought that sounded appealing even though I knew I didn't and wouldn't want it reversed. I had no will power at all. With my sleeve I can still only eat 1/2 to 3/4 cup of food but I don't fear what I eat anymore. It is still a struggle some days to get in all of my Protein but I am thankful I went with a permanent low maintenance alternative. I used to have to drive 2 hours for a fill and my husband has now changed jobs and our new insurance would not have covered the fills or a revision surgery. Revision surgeries don't always good and I can tell you from experience that if you have a band failure, it is heart breaking to know that you may have so much damage done that you don't have any other options plus you could have permanent damage it the band erodes into your stomach. I was lucky in that mine just slipped up my esophagus. They had to unfill my band and I gained 20 lbs back waiting on my revision surgery. I knew I couldn't lose or maintain the weight I lost without help. I revised to the sleeve 2 years ago. I feel normal like I did before the band, no throwing up, getting food stuck, worries at all. Now I can only eat a small amount and I feel full a lot faster and stop eating. The same downfall with the band is that you can't drink anything while you eat and you have to wait until your stomach empties after eating before you can drink anything because there is simply no room for it to go anywhere except back up. Please take some time to visit the sleeve forum and also the band to sleeve revision forum just to be able to make an informed decision of just how many people have complications. I wish I had done that but I so desperately wanted help and knew my insurance would pay for the band that I just went through with it. I was lucky in that my revision surgery for the sleeve took only 45 minutes to remove the band and to perform the sleeve. My surgeon was very skilled and I have had very successful weight loss where a lot of revisions experience slower weight loss than had they had the sleeve surgery from the beginning. Best of luck to you sunshine.

If I am in a hurry and don't want to cook, I mix a single serve tuna pack with some cottage cheese and sprinkle it with cayenne pepper and throw in a few pistachios for some crunch. Doesn't sound all that good but it is and has lot's of Protein.

I was pretty lucky. My band slipped. I had the same surgeon do the revision. He told my husband I would be in surgery about 2.5 hours. I was out in 45 minutes. The surgeon was quite tickled with himself. Said the band came right out without any problems and the sleeve surgery was a breeze. He was very experienced and I am sure that had a lot to do with it.

I was a slow loser and I was frustrated at the time. 2 years post-op. I am thankful. I've lost 118lbs, wear a size 6, and I have minimal sagging skin. It's a blessing to be slow sometimes. I've had friends who've dropped it fast but they have so much sagging skin they aren't happy with the weight loss results. I've been slow and steady. I'm still losing and I'm feeling much better now that I threw out my scale. It depressed me and kept me mentally bound up. I focused too much on the scale going down instead of my clothes. Now I don't look. I get up and do all I can and then I push it some more. I feel around on my body and notice lumps are gone, belly almost completely flat and thighs are almost dissolved. Woo Hoo. Plus, like I said, I have a slight amount of sagging skin on my inner thighs that is noticeable to me only when I am naked but it seems to be getting better the more I lose. Throw out your scale and just keep going and going and going some more. Be as active as you can and look for the results in your clothes and how you feel. The weight will come off if you don't obsess about it and don't beat yourself up if the scales don't move.