PdxMan

Hey Laura, You don't want one of my backrubs ... I'm back for 24 hours and already getting flamed ... you just can't win for losing, can you? BTW, I love your new avatar. Looking good.

I am not annoyed with them at all. Quite the opposite, actually. I remember the demons of wanting to eat the way I wanted to. I still battle those demons as I mention in a recent post regarding a cruise I just went on. It is difficult to make these changes which we developed over a lifetime. But you have to know some folks are looking to validate behaviors down deep they know they need to change. If you were at an alcoholic's anonymous meeting and someone who was struggling walked in with light beer asking if it was OK to drink it, how would you respond? Sometimes it's tough love.

Dehydration is a great way to go. Check out THIS site.

Another one looking for a backrub ... sheesh. So then, you are telling us these are nutritionally relevant? This reminds me of the lady who asked what she could order from Dairy Queen at 3 weeks post op. If you are looking to validate the same old behavior, sorry, I am going to tell you my opinion. If you cannot see that as a contribution, then you have some of your own baggage to deal with.

There's a forum for that HERE. http://www.verticalsleevetalk.com/forum/46-pregnancy-with-gastric-sleeve-surgery-vsg/ It is suggested to wait before getting pregnant. The folks in the linked forum can tell you all about it, but know that many sleevers have great success with pregnancy.

Without any text, I have no idea what the OP is looking for, that is why I asked. I don't know their background or if these are something that serves some other purpose. Why do you say they are obviously new at this? If you believe they are seeking advice, how was I off base? My response may be viewed as harsh, but if you really look at it, it is advice based in love. So many folks get the sleeve and then can't figure out why they can't lose the weight they thought they were going to, even though they haven't changed their eating habits. Now, I know that not everyone get sleeved to get skinny. Some people just want to lose enough weight to get off of their blood pressure medicine or insulin injections. That is fine. But the OP gave us no hint or clue what their motivation for posting a bag of chips was. If you view my response as condescending, I would question whether it is something you are internalizing and not seeing my response objectively. BTW, there are many folks who have been sleeved for months and then join VST later in the VSG life ... As many folks here know, if you are looking for backrubs, I am not the man to give them. I share my experience, strength and hope that we all can achieve the goals we set for ourselves.

Not sure if you are looking for validation to eat c@rp or if you are looking for a way to satisfy old habits of eating junk food and disguising it as something healthy because it has the word "Veggie" in the title, therefore, it must be good for me ... If you got the sleeve to change your relationship with food, then change your relationship with food. These are not the answer, nor the crutch.

Hmmm ... don't understand why this would change that. I would ask him to explain deeper. I had bad reflux and the sleeve has actually cured my issues. I haven't taken a PPI since. I had a hiatal hernia which my surgeon repaired during the sleeve surgery, so ... I would question your Drs experience.

Yup, what they said above. Here was and still is my routine: Take a bite half the size I took prior to being sleeved Put the utensil (or food) down Chew at least 40 times Swallow Evaluate how that bite felt (about 1 minute) If I feel OK, repeat, but if I am on the fence, I stop You can always have another meal 30 minutes later, so don't feel like you have to eat like you used to. After all, isn't that part of what got us in trouble in the first place? If we want to make a change, then we have to make a change.

Also, don't be afraid to question your doctor. They are not gods. Ask them to explain their reasoning. I, for the life of me, can't understand why, 2 years post op, I wouldn't be able to take an anti-inflammatory. While absorption does take place in the stomach, they are also absorbed in the intestinal tract. If your doctor is concerned about stomach absorption, then take a coated tablet so absorption is delayed. Again, I would question any doctor who said you can NEVER take NSAIDs again.

At 6 feet, my goal was 200, but I blew right past that, so, I set 190 as my goal. Well, that came and went and I just decided not to have a goal. My body would find it's "Happy Weight". Well, I got down to 175, then 170 and then after a life event, I saw 159 on the scale. Eeesh! I was too skinny and was looking gaunt. I increased my calories and now bounce between 175 and 185, which I am happy with. Long story longer ... I think we can get to whatever weight our bodies are happy with as long as we follow the guidelines. If you get to 200 and are happy with that, start going into maintenance mode by adjusting your eating habits. If you still have that spare tire as I did, keep following the guidelines strictly and you will continue to lose.

NSAIDs are anti-inflammatory analgesics. Immediately after your procedure, your stomach is quite swollen for awhile and this swelling actually aids in the prevention of leaks along your suture (staple line). So, if you take NSAIDs, you may cause the swelling to go down too soon before the body has had time to create the scar tissue permanently sealing your stomach. It is not a permanent thing, just for the 6 weeks or so post-op until your suture line has completely healed and scared over. As always, talk to your doctor about when you are able to start taking them. I am not a doctor and do not play one on TV or the internet.

It just makes me crazy, though, when I read a few of a the complication stories and a poster states, "If I would have known this was a possibility, I would have never been sleeved." Really? You agreed to have 85% of your stomach removed permanently and you don't know what the possible complications are? Denial is one thing but ignorance is something else.

Milk of Magnesia was my friend post-op and for the next 2 weeks.

Welcome to the forum, IMO, you have come to the right place for your research. You will get a wide range of opinions and experiences here, for sure. I was sleeved just over 2 years ago and long story short, it was the best decision I ever made. Ever. Above getting married and having children, which, I love them all, dearly, but this was a decision that was FOR ME and was life altering in ways I cannot even fully describe. From my experience and research, and knowing that the sleeve is still relatively new, I believe the medical community are trying to be conservative with estimates of weight loss expectations. They have been doing GBP for years and have all sorts of data to be able to make estimates off of. It has been the "Gold Standard" as they say. But, propeller airplanes were also the "Gold Standard" until they weren't anymore. Sure, they have their place, just like GBP does, but IMO, there is a new sheriff in town and their name is VSG. Far fewer complications (although there are complications, so be sure to research), no malabsorption issues, no restrictions on foods (except raw coconut and whole celery warnings, read about bezoars) I can pretty much eat anything and everything, just far smaller quantities. I lost 120 pounds and unlike my previous diets, it has never come back. I truly believe anyone can lose as much weight as they need to with the sleeve whether it be 50 pounds or 250 pounds. It is all about following the guidelines. You cheat your sleeve, you won't lose ... it is as simple as that. Keep researching and ask questions here and other WLS forums, but I think you'll find VST pretty cool.

Also, just to add ... I had my surgery July 8th, 2011 ... over 27 months ago ... and STILL have excellent restriction. Sure, just like everyone else, I can "eat around" the sleeve by not following the guidelines. But when I follow the guidelines, with Dr. Umbach's sleeve, I have excellent restriction and can maintain being at goal with relative ease.

So, I just got back from a week-long cruise to Alaska. As you may know, food is a huge part of cruising, so I wanted to report back my experience having been sleeved over 2 years ago and being confronted with a floating, 24 hour buffet. I have to admit, the week prior, I was mourning the food I know I wouldn't be able to gorge on. Perhaps even a mild panic was stirring in my brain. Needless to say, I still have food issues. So, moments after boarding and before the ship has left dock, the rest of the people in my party are understandably hungry as it has been about 6 hours since Breakfast, so, we head to the buffet. As you can imagine, the food is plentiful. I look at it and sigh ... but, I don't hesitate to grab small portions of the cubed tenderloin, green Beans and fruit ... and a tart. While my family grabbed reasonable portions, everybody else in line is piling up. As I sat at my table overlooking Puget Sound, my sadness changed to being thankful that I have a sleeve which helps me make good decisions about the quality and quantity of food I eat. I followed the guidelines eating my meat first, then the green beans and a bite of mashed potatoes. I was full, but was able to have a bite of tart. The rest of the week, I had a caramel mocha Cappuccino with a chocolate croissant for breakfast, some form of a salad for lunch (cobb, grilled chx, chx caesar ...) and the most opulent dinners you can imagine. I did not hesitate to order two Entrees if I wanted to try more than one thing. I had people at my table who were happy to finish of whatever I ordered. I had fish from Australia, escargot (just one snail), lobster, tiger prawns ... the list goes on. Yes, they were rich, high caloric meals, for sure, but again, the sleeve didn't allow me to over-indulge. I had desert after every meal. I followed the basic guidelines and was able to enjoy, but not abuse food, which is what I was accustomed to. I did go to the spa every day except one and did the elliptical anywhere from 30 to 60 minutes. Whilst many of my cruising companions were in a food coma, I maintained high energy and had a great experience. BTW, I did a cruise 11 years ago and did abuse the bejesus out of the food selections. Once again, the sleeve has freed me from the bondage of food abuse and I am so thankful I had this surgery. If you are thinking about going on a cruise and are worried about the food, just know that if you follow the guidelines, of course stretching them a bit, you will be fine. I got this surgery to live, not diet, and it is doing exactly as I needed it to. (As long as I am honest with myself about following the guidelines, that is)

I went to Dr. Umbach after a similar story to yours. My insurance didn't cover WLS ... self-pay here was 35K ... I didn't want to go to Mexico. So, I started researching and after looking at many Drs and my wallet, I made contact with Dr. Umbach. We had a couple telephone conversations and I found him very forthright, so I booked my surgery with him. I arrived at Blossom Bariatrics and met with him face to face. He started by describing the surgery and then saying, "It seems you have been researching VSG extensively, so ask me any questions." I asked him several and he answered them completely. He is not one to go into all the extraneous information, but will answer your questions directly. Some people have called him "short" with his answers, but I think that is just one of the differences between the ways men and women communicate. Men tend to give you the direct answer where women give you all the back story, side story and everything else that isn't even related to the topic at hand. I understand some women like and need that, but you can't get blood from a turnip. Just be prepared to ask about all the information you want. He will answer all your questions. If someone feels uneasy about asking a doctor a question, or has no questions to ask, then I would question whether or not they were ready for the surgery. The surgery was quick, went in on Friday at 8:00, out at 9:00 and walking around by 11:00. Unknown to me, I had a hiatal hernia which he repaired for no charge. I was back at my hotel (Golden Nugget) by 12:30 and took a 4 hour nap. Woke up and took my wife out to dinner, walked around downtown, played some blackjack and was up in bed by 9:00. Next day walked all over Las Vegas (Baby!). Monday morning I dropped by his office to get the pain pump out and was on a plane back to Portland, OR. I got to goal 8 months post op and have been maintaining for a year and a half. I am over 2 years post. Bottom line, Dr. Umbach filled my needs for being in America, Center of Excellence and for $10,400, my wallet was happy, too. As an added bonus, he repaired my hiatal hernia and I haven't had any reflux issues. I would recommend Dr. Umbach.

I used to eat eggs rather consistently pre-sleeve, but post, they were difficult for me. Hard boiled, fried ... I can handle them now, 2+ years out, but pretty much have moved past them. I have heard the same from a few folk on here, so I think why you are getting conflicting information is because it is not the same for everyone. Some folks do fine while others, like me, have difficulty early out. The advice you have been given is just conservative. Try them. If they work for you, then great, but don't be surprised if you have difficulty.

I did not have a drain. I was sleeved in the morning, outpatient and took a 4 hour nap in the afternoon. That evening I took my wife out to dinner and played a little blackjack. I had a little gas pain, but nothing I would call being in pain. I walked no less than 5 miles each of the next two days. I attribute my recovery to getting my endurance up the previous month by hitting the elliptical machine hard. I was able to go at a pretty good rate for 45 minutes straight.

Jerky was a fav for me early out. Turkey Jerky from Trader Joes. Tasty and (relatively) easy to digest, for those a few months out.

Do a search here for the term: sliming. As mentioned, it occurs when you eat too fast, too big of a bite or don't chew your food enough.

I had back surgery about 9 months ago, so I haven't been able to run and exercise like I used to, but, when I was exercising like crazy and running 30 miles a week, I couldn't get enough calories to feed all of my activity. To help me re-fuel my body before a race, I needed more calories. To do this, I would drink with my meals and, just like the video shows, I could eat double the amount. I could actually feel my stomach emptying. Since I do not need the calories now, I do not drink with my meals and at over 2 years out, I quickly feel the restriction. It is one of the ways I maintain being at goal weight. I think some of the people who struggle with getting to goal or staying at goal have difficulty with not drinking with meals. We are just so used to it. It is one of the things that allowed us to gorge ourselves, but we have to change our old habits. Like the old saying goes, things only change when you make a change.

What kind of pre-op diet do they have you on? This does take a bit to get used to. While this video is by bypass folks, it is relevant to us sleevers as well and always deserves a re-post.