PdxMan

Wow ... Do I really want to get married? Do I really want to get divorced? Do I really want to spend $XX thousand dollars on a new home? These and many more life altering decisions can ultimately only be answered by yourself. I think it is very unfair to yourself to put it out on an internet forum like this. Now, I understand the need to just put it out there so you can read it to help you mull it over, but take everyone's response with a grain of salt. I needed to take responsibility for my morbidly obese life and I had to make the decision to make a fundamental change with my relationship with food. I turned to the sleeve to get help to do this. I made this decision. At some point in this journey, it has been my experience from reading the boards for 3 years, that almost everyone at some point has the, "OMG, WTF did I just do to my body! This is an irreversible procedure and my life is RUINED!!" The quickest way for me to get out of this stinking thinking was to remember that this was MY decision to make a change in my life and I was committed to see this through. If a person has the ability to blame someone or something else for their predicament, then I believe it will be even more so to climb out of the abyss of self-pity. Only you know your history. Only you know your demons as it relates to whether or not you abused food. Don't let anyone else make this decision for you. Talk to your doctors and even a therapist if you are struggling with this decision. Guess what answer an alcoholic would receive if they walked into a bar and asked if they should have a drink? You'll get the same kind of answers here. Of course we all think VSG is the greatest thing since sliced bread, but we all have arrived at this decision on our own, and so must you. Good luck. Keep reading and asking questions. PM me if you have a direct question.

Well, let's think about this for a second. The scale said you were up 4 pounds. From when? The previous day? I'm guessing you are a daily weigher, so let's go with that. Up 4 pounds from the previous day. So, you have to consume 3,500 calories more than you burn to gain 1 pound of fat. 4 pounds of fat then would be 14,000 calories. So, my question to you is, do you think you ate 14,000 calories MORE than you burned? Especially after doing a 5K? Do you really think you gained 4 pounds of FAT? Or is what the scale says the ONLY thing that matters to you? The bottom line is the scale is a demon which is going to lie to us. It will lie to you even more the more often you weigh. What does it measure? Fat? Water? Muscle? What are you wanting to lose? Fat? Water? Muscle? There are many reasons why you weigh more one day to the next. Nobody here is going to be able to pinpoint it down to one thing for you. You just need to stay away from the scale, keep doing the right thing (follow all the guidelines) and track everything that goes into your mouth. If you do this, surely you know there is no way that you are gaining fat and I know for me, that was the bottom line. I would be happy as pigs in shitted if I could gain 20 pounds of muscle right now.

Oh, sure, I'm in.

6 weeks out I was eating Soups, soups and more soups. I make them all from scratch, so I could make them with great nutrition. Turkey chili, ham, lentil, veggie and chicken veggie were my staple ones, though. I also ate canned tuna blended with a little ranch. I would put half a teaspoon on a piece of extra sharp cheddar which was delicious. I didn't try salads until about 4 months out and I moved slowly with those starting with just iceberg and then would add a few leaves of romain until it was all romain, then I would do the same thing adding spinach, then progressed to adding kale. It was about the 6 month mark when I could pretty much eat anything. I adopted a manner of eating which I still use today. I take a small bite, put my utensil down and chew well. I evaluate how that bite made me feel before taking another. If I felt the least bit queasy, I would not take another. That was a signal to me that my body was not ready and would try to re-introduce that item at a later date. I think too many people just jump right back in thinking, "Well, my doctor cleared me for this food, so I should be able to eat it, right?" You are responsible for your own journey and no two people are the same. For me, adopting this new manner of eating has reaped benefits far and wide. I don't want to eat like I did before and this not only helped me with the re-introduction of foods, but with a healthier method of eating which my children are now seeing. There is a lot of value in that alone.

OK, I have been doing the planking thing as part of my physical therapy, but not doing it for as long as I can, rather, 30 seconds as shown here, but then rotating to each side. If I am feeling brave and balanced while on a side, I raise an arm and foot, but again, I only hold for 30 seconds, but that is enough! Whew!

Welcome to the wonderful world of ketosis. This is a result of rapid weight loss and is very normal. Until you get your calories up a bit, this will continue. While in ketosis, your body secretes acetone which tastes like, well, metallic is a good likeness, for sure. Quite normal. How far out are you?

My first year post, I took a probiotic daily, but not for this reason. With the altered stomach, I felt my digestive system could use the help until it figured this whole new stomach out. I took them along with my Vitamins, Biotin and Calcium regimen. I also ate prunes daily, too, and everything moved wonderfully for me. I think you can find natural alternatives through balanced nutrition if things aren't moving along so well. I believe it is just one of those ways your body communicates to you that it is needing something you aren't giving it. Find what works for you.

I have a desk job. I had my surgery on a Friday (outpatient), flew home to Portland on Monday from Las Vegas (Baby!) and was back to work 3/4 on Wednesday. Back full time the following Monday. So, it all depends on the person and how well they recover from surgeries.

Congrats on 3 years. Having been here for awhile myself, I have enjoyed your insight over the years. Thanks for sharing your journey with us.

Good to see you ActingNurse and happy to hear you are doing well. I know you and I didn't necessarily see eye to eye in your early days and I am glad we were able to get past that. I hope you stick around and share your experience with others. Your journey and experience will be valuable to others. Congrats!

Is a trip south of the border an option? You are in Chico, right? Grab a cheap flight down to San Diego, rent a car and head south into Tijuana for a 6 month supply. Probably be the cheapest route overall. Also, many drug companies have programs for financially challenged folks. Also take a look at other government programs available for you. Do a search in the GoogleVerse for Prescription Assistance Program in California.

So, your surgeon should have told you that they pump a lot of IV fluids in you during the surgery. It can take well over a week for it all to clear, so it is quite common to even appear to have GAINED weight that first week. But you have to know that weight is not fat, but rather fluids. Now, here's the thing. Next week, you will probably lose all of the fluids and so then: WOW!! I JUST LOST 20 POUNDS IN ONE WEEK!!! THIS SLEEVE IS AWESOME! I'M GOING TO BE AT GOAL IN ABOUT A MONTH! I have bad news for you. You aren't Again, it just fluids and now you will be in the phase where the weight you lose is fat and lean muscle (be sure to be getting your Protein in!!) This is where the foot hits the pavement, so be sure to be diligent in following your guidelines. At about the 3 to 4 week point, you may hit a stall. This is totally normal. Search the site regarding the 3rd week stall. You will have many stalls on your journey and this is expected and normal. So, the good news is that you are completely normal and experiencing everything you are supposed to. Just wait until you start losing the fat and all the hormones start on your system. Go over to the powder Room for lots of threads on that fun! Good luck and keep posting and reading!

When any thread gets a response, it immediately gets displayed as the top thread in that forum. If a certain thread hasn't had a response in awhile, other threads with more activity will be placed above that thread. When she posts on this thread, it gets *bumped* to the top making it more visible.

You are doing nothing wrong. Why do you think you are doing something wrong? Have you searched the forums for stall? This is quite normal and means your body knows how to go into starvation mode. It is a good thing. But you need to do your own research and understand these things. Each person is different. Don't get discouraged, just keep following the guidelines and you will begin to lose again. A lot of times, people get down and begin to sabotage themselves and go back to old habits. Don't let this happen to you, but again, do your research. Don't hijack someone else's thread. The OP is looking for stories of complications, not people who don't understand why they are in a stall.

Hello Ronda and welcome. What you are experiencing is quite common. Search around the forum for the 3 week stall or you can create your own thread, but let's try to keep this thread focused on the original poster's topic. Thanks!

Malabsorption is a complication of RnY, not sleeve. I am a sleever over 2 years out, so I cannot speak to the malabsorption issue as I have never experienced it. I have my labs done every 6 months and they have always been great. Strictures occur with sleeves when the opening to the stomach is too narrow. This can occur if the surgeon does not use a bougie or uses too small of a bougie when stapling the stomach. To say it happens a lot, though, is quite the over statement. When I was researching the sleeve 3 years ago, the incidence rate was below 2% and I can only hope they have improved on those numbers ... So, let's say 15 people out of 1,000 ... I wouldn't say it "happens a lot".

Also wanted to add, that there is also a LOT of incorrect information given when one participant of one type of bariatric procedure discusses details of another procedure. My advice would be to reap the information they relate about their OWN experience, not what they have been told by someone else. It is always very easy to find studies to support any side of the point of discussion.

I was sleeved with a hiatal hernia repair almost 2 and a half years ago and had no complications, as I believe most people don't. In each of the forums, you can find a sub-forum that has threads from folks who have had complications. You can read a whole history from many folks. Just be mindful of the overall statistics for each procedure. While you may be blown away and frightened by the stories in these forums, know that people, like myself, seldom post their stories about how smooth everything went. It's like at a restaurant. People will always complain about what went wrong but seldom make note of great experiences. Just know that during your research, Banders are going to say their surgery is the greatest because of X ... Y ... Z. Sleevers believe their choice was superior because of J ... K ... L while RnY folk know their choice was the best because of H ... I ... J. Each has passionate reasons and stories, so try to stay objective. Good luck with your research and decision. HERE is a link to that sub-forum for Gastric Sleeve: http://www.bariatricpal.com/forum/429-gastric-sleeve-surgery-complications-support-group/

He just broke out another can of peanuts. I'm not kidding. 11:55am

So I have posted before about my co-worker who sits next to me. He is one of the exceptions. He is rail thin, about 5' 5", 130 pounds would be my guess. He eats all day long and I mean all day long. Gluten free, though, to note. So far this morning (11:00 am), I have seen him eat an entire can of peanuts (he eats at least one of these every day), a regular single server bag of sour patch kids, a banana and a Red Bull. He has a quart of homemade chili on his desk for lunch (I got him into doing that, but I have an 8 oz container compared to his 32 oz). Later, he will probably go to Subway and get one of their sandwich wedgies on the gluten free bread. I, by no means regard him as a "normal" eater as I said above, he is an exception. But I worry about others who have people like him in their lives and regard him as being normal. I know I can't eat like that and didn't eat like that in my hayday. There are people who can eat crap all day long and not be obese. It is important to remember that is not "normal" behavior.

OMG, Miracle Whip was my staple food (if it qualifies as being a food). My all time favorite with Velveeta (if it qualifies as being a food) and Miracle Whip. I had distended my stomach on many occassion with that combination. Food porn discussions are not a good thing for me. It gets my head spinning ... Seriously. I'm outta here.

Miracle Whip with potato chips on Wonder bread, here. Loved them. I had one of these just yesterday on fresh honey whole wheat rolls I made for Thanksgiving #1.

For me, things got to what I refer to comfortable in my earlier post at about the 6/7 month post op. That is when I was able to eat a few bites of meat and salads didn't leave my stomach going flippy floppy. Mind you, portions were still very small and I wasn't "eating around" my sleeve. For the most part, I was very compliant with the guidelines. I stopped eating BEFORE my new understanding of what full is. If you find that when you are past this point and you are questioning whether you have stretched your sleeve, first off, KNOW that it really isn't possible. What you are most likely experiencing is due to eating around your sleeve. I know that I can eat 8 oz of broth type Soups no problem. Just like I could pre-sleeve. It is like I never had the surgery. Have I been stretching my sleeve? No, my pyloric valve is able to open and move contents into the intestines before I finish. If I chew really well, I don't feel the discomfort if I had chewed well. Experiment with a Protein bar if you don't believe me. Eat half the bar the way you did pre-sleeve, large bites and not chewing as well. Commit how you feel to memory. Next day, eat the other half taking smaller bites and chew really well. Take a second before taking the next bite. Notice how you feel. Are you able to finish the bar? Is there any difference with how you felt the day before. Try this with other foods. Really, you can't stretch your sleeve the way some panicked pre or newly sleeved folk may be thinking. I truly believe it is a result of how and what we eat. If you don't believe me, experiment for yourself. That is what I did.

I hate to be the evil one here, but this is just one of the aspects of life that we all have to deal with now. We need to find ways of handling these situations because trust me, the rest of the world is not going to change just because I did. While I would love to believe it is all about me, the truth is, it isn't. One thing I learned from having kids is birthdays are not about me. My wife and I Celebrate our birthdays because our children enjoy the festivities. Every kid loves going to a birthday party. Just because those around us have aged 30 years doesn't change this. Now, when I am surrounded by food, whether it be at work or wherever, I feel empowered because I have the tools to be stronger than I was before. Before, I couldn't say no and I would overdo it. Now, I can pass or have just a small bite. When I see others enjoying to excess, I smile because I don't have to do that anymore. This is but a small hurdle I had to learn how to jump over in my journey to improving my relationship with food. Find the power your sleeve has given you and stand before that cake and laugh! BTW, Happy Birthday! ** Edit ** Sorry ... didn't see it was powder Room.

Yes, my surgeon likened it to a wallet. Here is how I play it in my head: When you get your new wallet, the credit cards, license, business cards and money fit tightly. Takes a bit of wriggling to get everything in. Then, when you sit, it is uncomfortable. You have to wiggle around to get comfortable. But, over time, as you pull the cards and money in and out, things begin to slip in easier. It molds to your butt and becomes comfortable. Now, later, after finding the wallet's capacity, if I try to stuff 10 business cards in it when I am at a conference or something, sure, it accommodates and is not comfortable to sit on again, but it is temporary, As soon as I get back to my hotel room and take out the cards, everything is back to its comfortable self and suffers no long term damage from stuffing those 10 business cards in. Now, if I stuff 10 business cards in everyday, then 15 ... then 20 ... over a long period of time, sure, it is going to be all out of whack, but whilst I was stuffing those cards, I sure would be uncomfortable doing it. I would know that I am trying to do something I should not be doing. Time to go to wallet-stuffers anonymous!