TijuanaPlication

Awesome and it sounds like you're well on your way there - 22lbs lost! I don't have a top 10 - I just want to be happy, healthy and look good in a bikini!

I've read that the average weight loss with WLS is ~2.5lb/week BUT that you absolutely MUST exercise!! Even if it isn't massively strenuous exercise (even 30 min walk will help). I'm hoping my Zumba DVD will arrive tomorrow, as I'm allowed to exercise from tomorrow onwards and given the heavy snow in my area, going for a walk isn't very inspiring at the mo - am more likely to slip over break something, LOL! BTW congrats on the 32lb lost! Your body's probably just having a break as you've lost so much weight - it'll probably get going again soon, just make sure you're drinking your 64oz water, having 60 grams of protein and getting some exercise in.

That's a tough one, because she will need to stick to a healthy diet post surgery. If the reason why she struggled to stick to a diet is because she was getting hungry then the surgery will definitely help with that. I'm 3 weeks out and gave in to having a Mini Milk ice lolly (not a bad cheat @ 30 cals), so she'll just have make swaps like that. As everyone says, the surgery isn't a magic bullet, but is a big help. You wouldn't see so many success stories if it didn't help people that had failed with conventional diets... heck if conventional diets works, then nobody would get surgery! A mixed reply I know but I hope it helps.

Congrats on the surgery date! I didn't have a pre-op diet - if you're a lighter weight you won't need one. I was nervous too, it's normal.

I had to anti-coagulants for 2 weeks after surgery. My husband googled how to administer them and they weren't that painful. I am still covered in bruises tho and I've not had any shots for a week now!

I'm nearly 3 weeks out and haven't expierenced any reflux - I never had it before though. I didn't have a hernia (I guess coz I'm a relative light weight), although other people that were operated on at the same time as me got their hernias done. I've not taken any meds for reflux either, just occasional painkillers (only a couple of times a week now). I just chew very thoroughly, have small bites and eat very slowly. I find that taking a break (a minute or so) when I've eaten a bit helps as it gives you time to realize that you're full and don't actually want any more.

Back in October I was quoted $9,900 for Dr Watkins.

I had Dr Lopez Corvala and am very happy with my surgery and the hospital and nursing staff. I am however very impressed with Dr Watkins responsiveness. I did a post after my op and he replied and was very helpful and he had nothing to gain!

Your goals sounds sensible and attainable. All the best for Monday!

Go Bilka! It's so easy to judge when you've not been in someone's shoes and the reason I chose surgery was because, like you, I couldn't face yo-yo of dieting AGAIN either - I've got to goal with WW twice in the last 10 years! :-S

Ring your insurance and check with them. Your denial could just be an error. Re divorce rate... well it's better to worry about that than worry about the widower rate! Seriously though, the divorce rate is at 50% anyway. My hubby was concerned I might get ripped and leave him, but you just need to re-assure your wife that you won't and that this surgery and your marriage is what you make of it. Re enjoying food - I was enjoying stuff within a week of surgery (just chicken broth mind you). I'm nearly 3 weeks out and you do get to enjoy food, just in smaller quantities. Eat slowly and you won't want to eat too much - yep you read correctly, you won't WANT to! It's natural to feel nervous, but it's worth it.

TICKER Go to 'Signed in as MistyB' at the top left of your screen [or whatever your profile name is] Click 'Edit my profile' on the top far right of the screen Click 'Change signature' on the left which is under the Profile tab (should already be selected by default) Paste in your ticker (I got mine from www.TickerFactory.com). PROFILE PIC -Click 'Change photo' just under 'Change signature' -Click the 'Choose file' button and upload your pic. Hope this helps.

I had itchy stitches and still do a bit (nearly 3 weeks out!). I've read other people reporting on the itchy stitches too. Day 4 was a turning point for me pain-wise (and also read that for some other people on here). I've not had too many issues apart from occasional twangs of pain and some cramp, but the painkillers I was given have been enough to take care of that. Hang in there it'll get better soon.

I've also found that going slowly helps. Just take a break when you've had some food and if you give it a minute or too, you'll probably find you're able to stop.

I was surprised to find out the liquids including things like yogurt and Soup go down pretty easy. Solids fill me up pretty fast so long as go I very slowly, plus they help me stay full for quite a while. I'm going to start WW soon and see what their new ProPoints Plan is like (it emphasises protein). I'm on mushys still, so will wait 'til I'm back to solids. I guess it's one of those things we have to be careful of and ensure we don't out eat our pouches. That's obviously what everyone is referring to when they say that WLS is simply a tool!

Awesome! Note to self... must drink more water!

Michael you can get a ticker here www.TickerFactory.com then once you've configured it, paste the URL into your signature on your profile. I'm only a couple of weeks out and am not really missing naughty foods yet. Good luck!

I used it in conjunction with WW last year and lost 40lbs. I have a few tablets left and was thinking they'd help get me to goal quicker. :-S

I've not had the band but there's a person here on youtube talking about her band to plication If you really need to get back, a week off might be OK - it depends how physical your job is and if you have much of a drive to get there. After about 3 or 4 days liquids were pretty easy - can get down 8oz OK. I'm only just going on to mushys and I had a couple of mouthfuls of mashed potato and wow was I full. I'm very happy with this surgery and with my limited experience would recommend it.

I'm 11 days out. I stayed in for 3 nights as I was in quite a lot of pain, but then the day I got out I flew to Vegas and was mostly off pain meds from then on!

Awsome - well done!

VSG isn't necessarily better for getting rid of grehlin than plication. See below for what Dr Brad Watkins posted on the subject. "Ghrelin, the hormone, gets a lot of attention these days. Here is what we know about ghrelin: Ghrelin is one of many hormones involved in appetite. We are learning that appetite is a very complex system and part of our body's survival mechanism. The brain wants us to breathe and eat - these two items are at the top of its list! The drive to eat is a very powerful biological drive. Ghrelin is a feedback hormone and pressure in the wall of the stomach is what suppresses it. In other words, when you eat, the food activates pressure receptors in the wall of the stomach and ghrelin levels go down. If you haven't had the pressure receptors in your stomach activated for a while, ghrelin levels rise and so does hunger. The most important way to suppress ghrelin levels is PRESSURE. Cutting out stomach that produces ghrelin doesn't eliminate ghrelin. The parts of the stomach that are left can produce lots of ghrelin but if there is pressure (food in the smaller stomach) then ghrelin levels will be low. After gastric bypass, ghrelin levels go way down even though the entire stomach remains. After Lap Band surgery ghrelin levels are suppressed in general and get low after eating and the food creates PRESSURE in the small gastric pouch. It is the pressure reducing these levels since the entire stomach is still there. Keep in mind that the ghrelin levels are a small part of a very complex system. When you talk to plication patients they have reduced appetite particularly after a small meal since the food creates pressure and activates the pressure receptors in the wall of the stomach. There are probably many pharmaceutical companies working on an "anti-ghrelin" drug but it is likely that even if such a drug is created and works, the other hormones involved in appetite will increase over time reducing its effectiveness. All this to say, the best way to reduce appetite is to stretch the wall of the stomach and if a stomach surgery has been done to reduce its size (band, bypass, plication, stapled sleeve, etc, etc) then you will get appetite reduction on smaller calories. One of the reasons weight loss operations work so well is that you are reducing appetite through normal biological channels, not a drug with side effects and decreased effectiveness over time. Many people worry about ghrelin levels. The important question is, "does the operation reduce appetite?" If the answer is "YES" then you have a very powerful operation for weight loss regardless of ghrelin levels. We know that weight loss operations are suppressing things that float around in the blood stream that are yet to be discovered. Vince Lombardi once said, "I don't give a #{:content:}amp;%! about statistics as long as we WIN!" Brad Watkins MD "

I was wondering if it's viable to use any of the above medicines post weight loss surgery?

I had plication because the weight loss results are similar to the sleeve. It leaves your stomach in tact, so if you get something like throat cancer your stomach tissue can be used. Also you don't have the concern of staple line seapage (plus I imagine that getting sleeved must hurt more).

I'm a week and a half out from having a plication and it's going well so far. I've been sticking to yoghurt and lactose free milk just to be on the safe side, but how does an intolerance manifest itself in a weight loss surgery patient?