GreginMI

My surgeon said the bypass people can never have Ibuprofin. I had the sleeve and could have it after 30 days. It's no problem for sleeve people according to my surgeon. It's funny how professional opinions vary!

I've had some people inquire about surgery in Mexico and wasn't sure what to tell them. How much does Dr. Aceves charge for a sleeve? As in your total out-of-pocket expense not including air fare. How long are you down there for? And what is the minimum BMI that he will take for a patient. Thanks for any help.

I too had a problem with shakes after a few weeks. At 4 weeks I was allowed to have Protein bars which I can deal with a lot better. Here is one that I eat a lot of. They have other flavors if you don't like Peanut Butter and they have 20g of protein. Also I'm adding a link to some hot chocolate that is really yummy and has 15g of protein. These two are my staple for dealing with lack of protein from food and hating shakes. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001G8Y96Q http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Pantry_Selections_Hot_Chocolate_Protein_Drinks_p/ps-ht_choc.htm

I was given a clearance to drive on my 10 day appointment. Although he made me wait 30 days to ride my heavy Harley Davidson motorcycle. That hurt!

This is the one I bought. It was cheap and got great reviews. It gives me consistent readings and it looks fashionable to boot. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0000E2PEI

I had my 5 week appointment yesterday and was cleared for all exercise. Today instead of walking I decided to try jogging. Now I haven't jogged in probably 5 years. Anyway, all I can say is take it slow when you start. It wasn't so much my legs that hurt but my hips were killing me shortly after I started. Those limbs haven't been moved that way in so long they were screaming at me. I'm going to take it easy and work my way up to a run now, but if you're starting out don't do what I did and push too hard too soon.This may sound like common sense but when you're excited to start something it's easy to forget!

Actually you are the PERFECT candidate for a sleeve. This is what the sleeve was made for, where it shines. If you're someone that is a volume eater and needs a purely restrictive procedure, this is for you. I used to eat tons, but like Rootman, I can only eat a little bit and it's satisfying. Your tastes do really change. Plus I'm never hungry. The weirdest thing is that your thoughts don't center around food anymore. It really changes your outlook on the whole eating thing. You finally and literally eat to live instead of live to eat. I have to remind myself to eat for nourishment because I'd be perfectly happy not having anything all day. You'll be amazed if you do this. Good luck in your decision.

How do you prepare your chicken livers?

My surgeon said that if you can't tolerate something when you first try it you can always try it again at a later time. Sometimes it takes time before you can tolerate something. Although if you have a bad experience it is hard to take another chance on it.

I was told to take a Flintstones complete chewable twice a day. After day 31 I can go to an adult vitamin with iron twice a day and the at day 90 it's one adult vitamin a day for life. I also take 500mg of calcium twice a day and Vitamin B12 complex once a week.

I was the same way. The nausea went away after a few days of eating, though. I think your stomach has to get used to food again after not having anything even semi-solid put in it. Hang in there and I bet it goes away soon.

My question is how do you all know which incision is the one they pulled your stomach out of?

I had the scrambled egg and cheese for my first soft food item and it didn't settle well. Now I'm eating a boiled egg white and it settles pretty well on my stomach.

The doctor gave me 5 weeks off because I work in a factory and have to lift very heavy things for work. If I had worked in an office, I would have only taken 2 weeks off.

I felt that way before surgery. I used to LOVE to eat. And I mean I could put it away and like you, I felt great after stuffing my face. All I can tell you is what the surgery did for me. What it did was totally reset my system. The thing is that I have had ZERO physical hunger since the surgery. None. Nada. Zip. Zilch. I have to actually remind myself to eat because I could honestly go all day without eating anything and be perfectly happy. But that isn't healthy. I try to get my proteins in every day. Where food used to occupy my thinking all day, now I hardly give it much thought at all. It's amazing. I still have a full feeling when I eat but it's much different. Once in a while I get head hunger and miss sitting down and being able to eat a 22 oz. Porterhouse steak or a double bacon cheeseburger, but those moments are fleeting. I guess you go through a mourning period for food. That's fine, though. I've lost 45 lbs so far including the pre-op diet and I'm only 4 weeks out from surgery. The weight loss outweighs any desire I have to eat a huge amount of food anymore. I am so happy I did this and I know you will be too. Good luck to you!

My insurance paperwork said that too, but when I got to the surgeon's office they just had some sheets to fill out and I had to list the diets I've tried and failed at and the dates I tried them. There was never any "documentation" concerning the diets required by the surgeon.

Like you, I was fine with Protein shakes on my pre-op diet. In fact, I was okay with them for about 3 weeks post-op. Then one day, they just disgusted me. I couldn't drink them anymore. And I am still trying to figure out ways to get the protein in other ways. I did find this hot chocolate from mybariatricpantry and is it ever yummy! Instead of coffee every morning now I have this. It has 15g of protein. Give it a try! http://www.mybariatricpantry.com/Pantry_Selections_Hot_Chocolate_Protein_Drinks_p/ps-ht_choc.htm

I'm only 4 weeks out now so I'm not going to mess with carbonation. But around the 3 month mark I'm going to test some beer and see how it affects me. Not going to be a big drinker but sometimes at the bar with the boys I want to enjoy a cold beverage now and then.

I also have BCBS of Michigan PPO and have excellent coverage. (Ford hourly employee). After my Primary doctor sent me to the surgeon, I went into the office, filled out some paperwork, they made some calls to the insurance company, and at that appointment they gave me my surgery date only a month out from that date. No pre-requisites at all! It was pretty amazingly fast!

Have you tried Zilch mixers? My girlfriend was on Weight Watchers and bought some of these little packets to keep in her purse. When she's out she asks the bartender for a shot of tequila and a glass of ice Water and she mixes the packet and the shot in with the water and instant margarita! They taste pretty good, kind of like a skinny margarita but much cheaper. They even say for bariatric patients in the narrative on the page. sugar free and low carb. Not bad. http://www.zilchmixers.com/

I think these kinds of reactions have more to do with them and less to do with you. I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know it's sad to lose a friend but it was their choice, not yours. I find if I surround myself with people who are positive and happy it rubs off on me. I cut the negative people out of my life. Apparently sometimes they take care of that for you. Best of luck.

I work for one of the big 3 and I have BCBS of Michigan. After reading that most insurance companies don't cover the sleeve because they consider it an experimental surgery I wasn't even thinking about getting it and was resigned to the Gastric Bypass. When I went to the surgeon's office and talked to them they ran my insurance and said it covered all the procedures. Then the surgeon actually said he thought the sleeve was right for me so I was pleasantly surprised! You never know until you find out! Good luck!

I wondered if this was normal and apparently it is. I was so excited before to get to the soft food stage as my surgeon calls it. I have 2 weeks to go on this before I go to solid foods. The first day I scrambled a soft egg and ate it. I felt immediately nauseous and had to lay down for awhile. I don't think I can eat another one for awhile. The thought of it disgusts me. In fact, about every food disgusts me when I think about it. I have to purposefully eat because I'd be perfectly happy not eating anything all day. I hope this changes because I'd really like to enjoy the little bit of food I am able to eat. Tuna with light mayo also grosses me out and I used to love it. I think the texture stage where you blend up chili and stuff really turned me off to regular food. I get sick thinking about it. I did eat some oatmeal this morning and it seems to be okay. So like the other people said, you have to try things and find out what you can tolerate and what you can't. I'm going to give cottage cheese a try tomorrow. I used to love it. I now understand though when people say your tastes change after surgery. It's so crazy but true. I just wonder what new things I'll end up liking now. So yes, I am with you on this soft food stage sucking and I hope when we get to the solid food stage we'll be able to tolerate more food. I chalk it up to your stomach not having anything solid or even semi-solid in it for so long that it's saying "What the hell is this?" when you introduce food to it again. Kind of like it has to get used to it again. Good luck to both of us!

Your experience was almost exactly like mine! I was a marine Sgt. and also a police officer and think of myself as a tough guy but this surgery knocked me on my ass! I was very surprised by that. It didn't help that I got into a car accident on the way home from the hospital and the seatbelt aggravated my already sore incision sites and it took me longer to heal. I had a big black and blue mark where the seat belt was for weeks. Glad you're doing okay though and it will get better every day!

My surgeon told me that only 3% of people that are 100 or more pounds overweight are able to lose the weight and keep it off without surgery. Those are pretty grim statistics. I was looking for a permanent solution to my weight problem and I do believe I found it.