doggz109

Just do it.

Smoking greatly increases the risks of ulcers and blood clots - especially right after surgery. Do it at you own peril. If you absolutely must....I would say wait at least until you reach goal weight. This is a perfect example of transfer addiction. food is out of your life - so you are literally begging for permission to grab onto another old vice that is still around. Sorry to be so judgmental but you should have worked on these issues prior to getting cut open. It's not going to be any easier now. You say you have incredible willpower? You're going to need it. Good luck.

My advice to you is STAY OFF THE SCALE. Put it away if you have to. Do not hover on it. Weigh yourself once a week and that is all. The scale can drive you absolutely bat shit insane. There is an "infamous" 3 -6 week stall that seems to hit many sleevers and if you are obsessing about it when that stall hits you could literally go nuts. Follow your diet, get exercise, stay confident, and HIDE THE SCALE!

I think you should maybe re think things. If you are doing this only to fit into a size 14 again....that really is not a valid reason to have a potentially fatal surgery. Most of us are doing this because we will die if we don't.....or already have major health problems. It isn't something to be taken lightly. What will you do if you still develop sleep apnea, diabetes, high blood pressure, or other problems at size 14? Would you refuse to lose more weight to get those problems under control? At the very least talk to your doctor and figure out for your height, body type, etc.....what would be a good healthy weight range for you and aim for that.....not a clothing size.

My psych evaluation lasted about 1 hr 15mins. No test. Just talking about my diet/weight "history" and what strategies worked and what didn't and why. It was very helpful and more like life coaching than an evaluation. She said she would then write a report and submit to my doctor.

It is possible to stretch your sleeve if you "over eat". However - it will never stretch back to your old stomach size again. The part that is left is thicker and less flexible then the "pouch" part that is removed. The way to avoid this and keep your restriction is two fold. 1. UNDER EAT your sleeve. Don't stuff yourself. Don't eat until it hurts. Don't eat until you are FULL. Eat what is comfortable for your sleeve. If it is 3oz, then eat 3 oz. Don't push the limits every day. Once you know your limit stick to it. Let your sleeve be a tool that is there for a restrictive reminder when you do try to overeat. 2. "Cap" your pyloric valve at each meal. This is accomplished by eating your denser Proteins first so that the softer food has no choice but to pile on top and wait while everything gets digested. Fluids and soft foods can through the valve very quick can lead to going way over your calories. So yes you can over eat and stretch it....if you are careless. Don't be careless....you get the surgery exactly for that restriction. Don't keep testing it and seeing how far you can push it.

Well lets see why you would want to do a sleeve vs RNY: 1. Removing part of your stomach will greatly reduce the hormone Grehlin which is responsible for hunger signals. Less ghrelin = less hunger. Don't ya think loosing weight would be easier without being starving all the time? 2. The sleeve is a much simplier surgery than RNY. No re-routing of intestines, no blind stomach that can get ulcers and STILL makes ghrelin. 3. The sleeve enables you to take a variety of medications that would be off limits with RNY. 4. You can eat pretty much ANYTHING with the sleeve. You just need to manage it as a tool. Dense Proteins first at every meal. Watch your liquids and "soft"calories. This is not possible with RNY. 5. RNY loses its malabsorption after about 2-3 years. After this you still need to deal with malabsorption of Vitamins for life - but your body adapts to absorb calories again. 6. You likely will not need the level of supplementation with the sleeve as you do with RNY. A lot of surgeons are starting to "see the light" and recommend the sleeve to patients who would have gotten a band or RNY before. It is essentially as effective as RNY and much more effective than a band and fewer side effects than either. Do your research and you will see the same thing. Did I miss anything ladies?

No cheating yet.....had a strategy. I did not get my daughter any candy this year (inside our house). She went to an egg hunt today and got a few pieces of candy that we let her have and eat there. If its not in the house....you won't eat it.

Yup....you don't dump with the sleeve. Why do you care when you can start having sugary stuff again? Isn't that why you had the sleeve...to help you avoid that stuff and be healthy?

Through the esophagus? I'm confused....why would they need to go through that? I've watched a bunch of surgeries on Youtube and never once seen them do anything to the esophagus.

It actually has nothing to do with your actual weight loss one way or another - it has to do with your calorie intake (or lack thereof) combined with a lower fat diet. If you aren't eating very much then your gall bladder isn't being used much and stones form.

Yes, and don't do it yourself.

You usually would sign something pre-surgery stating what you allow. If you are ok with it....if the surgeon CANNOT do the surgery lapro then he would convert to an open surgery - but they usually only do that with pre-consent. If you haven't consented...they stop the surgery at that point (I have read of this happening). However - and this is very rare but does happen - if there is a complication (uncontrolled bleeding for instance) they may have to quickly convert and try to save your life. Reasons that they may have to open include: large fatty liver, adhesions or scar tissue, emergencies..etc. Hope this helps.

Gallstones are created from cholestrol and bile salts.....and are usually formed when the gallbladder is not used often enough. The bile mixture sits in the gallbladder and stones precipitate out of the bile. So what happens when we diet? We don't eat very much or often - therefore the gallbladder does not contract and flush bile in/out as often as it needs to. Stones then form over time and if you get too many or too big...they clog a duct and BLAM.....gall bladder attack. It's happens to lots of people who fast or yo-yo diet....not necessarily because of your surgery. It's really all about the chemistry in your body more than anything - couple with the fact that if you are not eating much and what you do eat...does not need bile...its bound to happen. If you are concerned about gallstones ask your surgeon about getting on Ursodial. It can be taken for the first 6-9 months after surgery and stats have shown a major decrease in the # of people who develop complications with gallstones. Hope this helps.

Wait....let me get this straight. You lost 13 lbs in a month and another guy lost 30 lbs in a month and you were both dissapointed??? I just can't understand that at all.

Sounds like you are on top of everything! Sorry I just now read you previous posts about talking to your doctor about everything already. Good luck with your upper GI....sending some good vibes out for you.

Doesn't sound like a leak - but you should probably give your surgeon's office a call. Leaks (from what I have read) are like the end of the world coming down on you....severe pain, fever, nausea/vomiting, etc. Pain in the shoulder area is usually gas pains (which would make a lot of sense if you were sleeved less than a week ago). Your stomach is still very swollen and tender as well - so its probably going to be awhile before things "sit right". All things being said...I'm not a doctor and most people on here aren't either. You should relax, drink something slowly that does go down easily, and call your surgeon's office as soon as you can. Less than a week out from surgery is no time to just ignore something and try to tough it out.

Misty please tell me your secret to time travel!!!!! Just kidding! You are doing great! Way to go!

Many VSG patients have trouble with dense protein (chicken breast, hamburger, etc). Like those above me said...the trick is to keep it moist, over chew if you have to, no drinks before/after. If you still can't keep it down...then maybe listen to your surgeon and have the barium done. Strictures do happen....very rare but it can happen with a VSG. Good luck!

My guess is that Dr. Oz has some sort of financial incentive for pushing the Lap Band on his show. Follow the money...it will lead you to the truth.

If you are diagnosed with sleep apnea....DO NOT BLOW IT OFF. That is serious. There is a reason you snore and its not just because you sleep with your mouth open. You can easily stop breathing in your sleep and not have any idea you are doing it. You just wake up not feeling refreshed. My wife had it and never had a clue that she was doing that in her sleep. The reason the surgeon may require treatment before surgery is that sleep apnea can present problems for anesthesia and make it riskier to give you anesthesia and pain meds. I know it sucks but they are making you jump through these hoops for a reason.

:lol:Best hospital/surgery report ever!

Sooo....had a bit of a stark realization last night. I'm not sleeved but I have been researching it and getting ready. I am in "the pipeline" so to speak in my surgeons office. So last night I prepared a meal for me, my wife, and daughter. Something that I thought was actually pretty healthy. We had grass fed organic hamburgers (4-5oz), served them with a toasted sandwich thin (120 cals, lot less than a normal "bun") and had a large yummy salad with romaine, tomatoes, cucumber, mushrooms, and a vinagrete. So what sucker punched me is that....this meal would not be possible after VSG. It (in my opinion) was very healthy and relatively calore controlled. I really enjoyed it. It kinda of made me sad that while the VSG will help me control my food intake - it will also prevent me from enjoying meals like this also. What finally brought me around back to reality is that....while I may have had this meal last night....I had 6 slices of pizza the night before and had fast food 2-3 times during the week. THAT is why I want this surgery. Sometimes you do need to get rid of some of the good with the bad...in order to reach your goal. There is definitely a STRONG mental part to this and I have utmost respect for you people that make it work. I'm going to get there too! Just thought I would share.

Appeal, Appeal, Appeal......you deserve this. Go get it.

Keep on sippin your fluids. Don't worry too much about protein in the first few days. Forget about Smoothie King....I doubt there is anything there that is not loaded with sugar and that is the last thing you need.