chowchows

Thanks you guys for the words of inspiration! Being on this board has helped a lot! The cute doggy picture is my bad girl Maggie, she's such a diva! LOL!

My doc just said wait 6 months on the rice because it can swell in the stomach and cause lots of pain (or early on could pop a stitch). That is good to know if you are not having any problems with it. I don't eat bread, but I do like brown rice occasionally!

Ok, so it's been a month and I am officially sitting at 15 lbs lost, and I'm down from an 18/20W to a missy 18, in some things I can wear a 16. Had a two week+ plateau there where I started regretting the surgery, but overall I am very happy with things. Went out to eat last night for the first time and no one said anything about my 'wierd eating', but someone did comment on how good I looked and how slim my face was looking...made me happy, lol! Hubby says that he can tell I am losing weight in my stomach, which is my problem area...I think that even during my stall I was losing inches there, as during that time I made the transition down in jean size. This has been the beginning of a long journey, but I can honestly say that if I had to make the decision again I would do the plication surgery all over again.

That's awesome...I couldn't even do that much in my skinny days!

I was on liquids for 2 weeks post surgery, and surprisingly was just fine with it. I didn't miss real food during that time...guess the healing kept me from wanting to eat anything more than that. I just used the ensure high Protein shakes, along with make my own smoothies with when Protein powder. I was also able to have yogurt during that time. Now I am having soft food (for the last two weeks)...but a lot of things qualify as soft according to what my doc gave me on the food list...as long as you chew them about thirty times before swallowing. I've had tuna, chicken, mashed potatoes, cottage cheese,heavily cooked veggies, Soups, etc...just mostly protein foods and not a lot of carbs. Occasionally I will still have a Protein shake, but I find I am usually able to get my protein in the 50-70 grams stage without it each day. White breads and salads are ok at about the 4 months stage, rice is not allowed until 6 months.

If you are learning, you are not ignorant! We all had to start at the beginning and research this all at one time or another. RNY is Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass.

Cool. Yeah, having more posters would make things more interesting and informative.

Hi Donna, Welcome to the group! I am somewhat of a newbie, only 1 month out, but I will give you my perspective. I get hungry about every 2-3 hours, but my doc said that was normal and expected. It doesn't take much though to fill me up...a few bites of cottage cheese or one of the small cups of yogurt. In addition, I no longer CRAVE junk food and sweets. I had a horrible sweet tooth before, and now I really don't care that much about them. Additionally, some of the foods I liked before no longer taste that great to me...and that's a good thing because it was junk food. I am still learning the restriction of my stomach. I never had any nausea after surgery, and have never thrown up, but when I eat too much I hurt. It usually goes away in about 15-30 minutes, and then I just feel full.

That's the impression I got about the stomach getting smaller...I'm sure that doesn't apply if one was to continually overeat, but to me it's saying that it will get smaller if you abide by the eating rules.

deleted...sorry posted twice.

The story on the OS webpage states that some people's diabetes was gone immediately after WLS. They also implied that the results after WLS were much more than if you just lost the weight yourself. I don't have diabetes, so I don't know, but I thought it was interesting.

Jenn, About how many calories do you take in on any given day?

The Orlando Sentinel Sunday paper had a story on the front page about diabetes and WLS. I thought it was an interesting read, here is the link. The story intimates that about 78% of people with diabetes who have WLS 'overcome' their diabetes. I then read a story from the Clevelland Clinic that stated that: "Diabetes, hypertension, obstructive sleep apnea and abnormal cholesterol levels are improved in more than 75% of patients undergoing a bariatric procedure". They are talking about plication being included in these weight loss surgeries. Here is the link from that story. To me, and I am not a doctor so please do your own research to follow up, this seems to show that plication rates about as well as other weight loss surgeries in helping with diabetes. Also, the Orlando Sentinel story talked about insurances covering WLS if BMI is under 40, with additional co-morbidities. I would think diabetes would definitely qualify. Is there any way you could fight their verdict?

I would agree with that for the most part. I had laparoscopic surgery back in 1995 and the incision, just below my belly button, was about 1/2 inch thick. (yeah, I wasn't too thrilled about that) Anyway, at about a year it was for the most part healed to where it stayed for almost a decade. In the last few years though, it has suddenly started to thin and fade even more...not sure what is up with that, and not like you really want to wait a decade, but I do think the skin heals even more over time. I was very lucky with the plication...my doc made tiny incisions and they are as thin as a hair. They already just look like small scratches, and that is less than a month out. Of course, I still have a big catepillar under my belly button from the first surgery years ago, so it's not like I am going to be parading my fat belly around anyway, lol! I am trying to take good care of my skin right now anyway, to help with the elasticity and hopefully help my skin shrink as much as possible. I put really high end collagen lotion on my stomach, arms and legs everyday, and this included my scars, so maybe that is helping them to heal quickly too. Someone on another board mentioned that they apply Maderma. All the Water we are drinking is also supposed to help with skin healing. I'm holding on to that hope at least!

I feel like many people on the other boards are snarky towards people who have plication, if not downright jerkish towards us! I didn't feel very welcome on most of them, and hence did not post on most of them. I kind of like that our surgery is new, and we're kind of trend setters...but having said that, each surgery was new at some point. I think most of us put a lot of though and research into our surgery, and had very good reason(s) for picking it over others. For me it was the only one that made sense. Before I had any knowledge of WLS, I thought I wanted the Band, however it did not take me long to realize that wasn't for me. Each of the other surgeries also didn't 'fit' me, and the only one that I was ok with was plication. Some days I get frustrated with issues about it, but I wouldn't have any of the other surgeries.

I'm going to a Mexican restaurant. Kind of a business dinner. Any suggestions appreciated!

I think we all need reminders of that, and that is why it is so good that we are all here for each other! I cannot tell you how helpful it has been to talk to all of you guys on here, even though there are only a few of us.

Thanks for the tips! I am going out to eat for the first time next week, and feeling a little nervous. Who would have thought that going out to eat would make ME nervous, ha-ha! I used to be the queen of going out to eat!

Saw this article and thought it was interesting. Most of it was the usual info we see, but some of it was new to me. "5 Things you Don't Know About Gastric Plication •Gastric Plication is a new option in the Bariatric surgery segment and there is a very keen interest of self paying weight loss surgery patients to consider this new option. Here are few important facts that might help you in better understanding.•It is now clinically proved that Gastric sleeve Plication is a better option than any other weight loss surgery. Researchers from Brazil conducted a clinical trail on 66 bariatric patients. Initial clinical reports demonstrate satisfactory weight loss up to three years with the lowest early complication rates among all bariatric procedures. No major complications were reported among all the 66 patients. The researchers also found that the greater curvature folds get smaller with time. Please refer the initial research report published in Bariatric Times(link mentioned in the resource box) •The process in said to be 'Minimally invasive'. Minimally invasive does not indicate being safer and easier. It means that the process is less invasive than the open surgeries. The dangers of opening of sutures and internal bleeding etc though less but are still there. •It may be a better option for adolescents as Gastric Sleeve Plication surgery doesn't causes mal-absorption of eaten food. Therefore if the operated adolescent is on a balanced diet, nutritional problems might not appear. •Though Gastric Plication is clinically proved to be a better option, it is always advisable to consult the doctor and find out about the best surgery that suits you. Medical Tourism Corporation advises its patients not to take any decision without consulting the doctors. Gastric Sleeve Plication might not be suitable for you because of the co-morbid conditions you have. The doctor can help you in identifying the surgery according to your health condition. •This procedure is still in its experimental phase. The long term effects of this procedure are still unknown. The clinical trials and surgeries performed till date however haven't demonstrated any such harmful effects. The benefits in all cases overcome the complications of obesity. The clinical trail report mentioned in the body was published in Bariatric Times."

Thanks, haven't heard of food combing, but I will use that. I'm ok with some family and close friends knowing, but I really don't want to advertise it in my professional life. One (of many) reasons I had the surgery is to help me further my career, so I certainly don't want to give anyone a reason to discriminate against me. I know some people feel like WLS is cheating, so I would just rather not go there.

I think we're all at this mindset at one point or another. I just try to console myself that maybe our slower weight loss will mean less loose skin in the long haul. I think 30 lbs is great! I am three weeks out and stuck at 12 lbs, so I would take 30, LOL! I know what you mean though. I have definitely had to revise my goal dates. Hang in there!

I have been fairly open about having the surgery, however, there are a few people that I encounter in my life that I do NOT want to know. How do you deal with a social situation where people are eating, when you know you have to watch what/how much you eat, and cannot drink while eating? I'm afraid that situation may come up soon, and I'm not sure what to say/do at this point.

I hear you! This is a post as much to myself as you, but overall I think it's healthier to lose it at the rate we are losing it. We are not losing out on as much Calcium and Vitamins are those whose surgeries cause them not to absorb the foods. Yeah, instant gratification is great, but isn't that kind of what got us in this predicament in the first place? Plus, I think we will have less of an excess skin issue since we are losing it slower. Additionally, the extra time allows our minds time to heal too...as they need to adjust to the whole different mindset and to our new lifestyle. I think we are changing our true eating habits more, and hopefully that will help in keeping the weight off in the future. Just my $.02 worth.

So what made you decide to do it...was it gradual or did you have a eureka moment? For me it was something I had joked with my husband about for our entire marriage (almost 20 years), never really thinking it would ever be a reality. This winter was really hard on me, lots of aches and pains that didn't go away. I put back on 30 of the 50 lbs I lost in 2009-2010 and felt like giving up. I finally started researching surgery in Mexico and just made up my mind. Less than two months later I had surgery.

I officially have just under 100 lbs to go (98 to be exact), but I wanted to post here because "officially" I fall into this category now, and it made me feel good to think that I am no longer in the 100+ category. Just seeing the "50+" makes me feel good, lol. Gotta encourage my brain any way I can!