Lissa

Glenda, I think there is a forum that talks about Band to Sleeve Revisions. If I remember correctly, several people have had their sleeve done at the same time as band removal. Is that not an option with your surgeon? Good luck with the surgery, however they do it!

Happy Dancing Around the Room for you!!

Diane, There are a couple of great threads already that you may want to read: "Weight Loss Surgery Do's and Don'ts" "What to Pack for the Hospital" And then there is the Pre-Op Forum, which is chock full of questions and answers about the pre-op journey. There is also a post-op forum for things you may be curious about, including how to care for your incisions, what Vitamins to take, what should you stock up on before surgery to make life after surgery easier, etc. Good luck on your journey!!

"You run around here like the Energizer Bunny!" from one of the gals where I work.

There are NO stupid questions. I can tell my sleeve is full NOW because I burp when it gets full. If I eat more after that burp, then I will be painfully full. I'd never felt full before surgery, but now I can tell that I'm full, probably over-full, when I can feel some pressure in the middle of my chest. The shoulder hurts because the gas rises, apparently. It's kind of like having an air bubble in there, but it's painful. Walking helps to distribute the gas and work it out of your system. Yes, you have to drink very slowly, even more so when you are freshly post-op. I was drinking too quickly and big drinks just after surgery. I quickly figured out that drinking too fast made me hurt. Once I slowed down on the drinking, I felt much better. I like either hot or cold..and I've had no problem with ice in my drinks. I actually bought a cup of just ice from Sonic one day because I wanted something crunchy, but wasn't allowed anything crunchy yet. Hot broth is one of the few sources of Protein I really liked when I was on liquids. I can't eat hot/spicy stuff yet. I love it, but Rex (my sleeve) doesn't seem to tolerate hot/spicy food well. Food that's hot from cooking doesn't bother me, though.

hair loss is a common side effect from WLS surgery. There are several theories: lack of Protein, lack of Vitamins, shock to the body from rapid weight loss. There are also lots of suggestions to stop the loss: Biotin (my option), changing shampoo (Pantene seems to be considered bad), making sure you get your protein daily, extra vitamins. If you find something that works, or if you don't experience the loss, count your blessings...and share the info! I'm not losing hair yet, but mine is pretty thick, so I may not notice for longer than most.

TMI, but when was your last BM? That can make you hurt. Otherwise, I think you should call the doctor's office. It sounds like you've tried everything else... unless you're eating a lot of Beans now. Good luck!!!

I tell everyone, pretty much. I'm not ashamed that I had WLS. If anyone starts in with the horror stories, I just tell them "My doctor told me the weight had to come off or I had one year to live." That usually shuts them up, and it's the truth. I did the whole diet roller coaster, just like most here. Then I got sick and nearly died, not once, but twice. If WLS will save my life and help me regain my health, I'll have it again and again. And, mine wasn't "the easy way out" either. I had to have a filter/stent installed before WLS, then removed after. I'm a pretty tough gal, but I was SCARED of all three surgeries. But, I'd do all three again...and again...and again, if it will save my life. I think the stigma attached to weight loss surgery comes from the stigma attached to being obese. Gluttony is a sin in every religion that I know about, so fat people are sinners...or so goes the mindset. Every time I'd fail to lose or regain weight, I'd beat myself up. But, that's not cool or right. I AM a worthy person; ALL of us are worthy people. We have a bad relationship with food, which often stems from other bad relationships. Those who have WLS not only have to deal with the physical effects of having the surgery, we also have to deal with the mental effects. We basically have no choice but to lose the weight unless we want to deliberately sabotage ourselves. So, once the weight we've been hiding our fears behind comes off our bodies, then we have to deal with those fears. It's not easy. So, yeah, I tell people all the time. WLS saved my life and is keeping me sane, or making me GET sane. The stigma attached to WLS will never go away until people like us tell others about our surgery and it becomes a mainstream thing to do. And, we're the forerunners for the next generation of people who will have WLS. Our willingness now to talk about WLS makes it more acceptable for those people down the road. Seriously, it's just like tattoos. When I was a kid, someone with tattoos was "dirty" or a "biker", both of which were scary and weird. Nowdays, my doctor has a tattoo. The gal that cooked my Breakfast this morning is sleeved. Heck, country singers even sing songs about lusting after girls with tramp stamps! You don't get much more "It's okay" than that! I wish us all luck, whatever we decide to do about telling others. I'm seriously considering a t-shirt that says "Heck yeah, I've had WLS! And I'm proud!"

Well, congrats and Welcome to the Loser's Bench!!! You have already started your journey. Good luck!!!

Chris, Where do you find compression tops? Online or in a store? Please??

I suggest that you give the MILK a pass for a few days. I loved milk before surgery and my stomach cannot tolerate it now. Switch to soy or almond milk for a few months, then try cow milk again and see if you have the same bad result. Good luck!

I agree with "Best thing I have ever done!"

joiebean, I'm a little over 2 months post-op and haven't noticed any hair loss yet, BUT, I added Biotin to my Vitamin routine on Nov 1st, just in case. You should really research here and look for symptoms and problems others have had after surgery, just so you can ask your surgeon at pre-op. I'll list my things that happened, although none were really surprises because I'd read so much here beforehand: Gas pain in shoulder, lasted a couple of days. Walking helps TONS with this. Pain in chest area because I didn't realize that I was over-filling my sleeve for the first few days. Once I stopped drinking so fast, the pain went away. That was a real DUH moment for me! LOL Dry skin. I'm using lotion on all of my skin now, not just my face. Since I'm part native American, I'm usually oily skinned. Not sure if this one is surgery related...and I'm drinking all of my Water, so it's not dehydration. Pain sometimes in my tummy area which I think is like the phantom pains that some folks get when they have body parts amputated. It doesn't really HURT, it's more of an ache. I usually take a Tums when this happens, but it doesn't really help. It's NOT hunger. You should ask your doctor what he recommends for Vitamins and what is the biggest pill you can take after your surgery. I've switched to chewables on all my vitamins and my Rx meds are pretty small, way less than 1/4 inch across. Make sure you know your dosage for liquid pain meds if they are prescribed. If it's measured in units you aren't familiar with, make sure you have the pharmacist or doctor give you a unit of measure that you can do after surgery. Good luck!

CT, I'm SO glad to see you posting! It sounds like you're doing well...and, Welcome to the Loser's Bench!! Congrats on a successful surgery! Now the journey really begins!

Shannon, Believe me, I'm NOT seeing the psyche doc who did my pre-surgery consult. I'm seeing someone who is closer to home and who does not have an agenda that says "All fat people are depressed". I think that's like saying "All skinny people are happy"; it's just not true. Until I developed health problems, I was pretty much okay with how big I was. I was losing weight on Atkins and working on my physical health with exercise, but I still ate way too much. I lost 50 pounds last year before I got pneumonia in May of this year. All of the drugs slapped that 50 pounds back on me in NO TIME. The crazy psyche doc is the "group leader" for the WLS group I attend. I'd skip the meetings, but there isn't one (that I know of) closer and the other members of the group are amazing!

Doll, I was 350 and they moved me around for 3 surgeries without a huge hassle. I remember them moving me after the two stent surgeries, but I was out when I came off the operating table onto the recovery bed. I did get up and walk from the recovery bed to the regular hospital bed, although I don't remember it. You'll do fine. This is one of those don't worry about it things. The hospital is used to moving us big folks around when they need to do so. Besides, you won't be a big folk for long. Good luck on your journey!!

Baby spoons are still part of my daily life. I also use some pretty china saucers for my plates and I use tiny glasses to drink from. I also have some little bowls that I use for Soups or when I have a snack. IMO, it looks better to me for my whole place setting be tiny, rather than having a big fork or spoon next to a little plate. None of this was expensive. I hit Goodwill for what I wanted and spent under $10 for all of the table setting items I bought. Good luck on your journey!!

I actually resorted to dipping my fork in potted meat (YUCK) and then taking a bite of scrambled egg with the potted meat mixed into it. I read that one gal actually pureed a piece of pizza! You will get through this, but potted meat, while I wouldn't want to eat it now, is very savory. Maybe you can find something similar that works for you. I wasn't brave enough to try to chew something up and then spit it out, but if that works for you, it works. I also second the suggestion for broth. I drank tons of it. The warmth was soothing. I do suggest the low sodium versions, though. I didn't want to retain Water because of too much salt. Good luck!!

You're not crazy, just scared. Start with whatever food you think you can handle and concentrate on Protein. It will get easier as you try softer foods.. Your appetite may not be huge right now, but work on trying something new each day or every other day. Your mind will catch up to what your body can handle quickly. I had the issue with the Protein shakes as well, so I completely sympathize with that. Just work on doing what your doc says and you'll be up to speed in no time! Good luck on your journey!!

I have to say that I'm not sure I'd have had the surgery if I hadn't found this site. I did a TON of research on the lap band, then my doctor threw me a curveball when he mentioned VSG instead of the band. So, I started researching the sleeve and found this site. I've been amazed at how much information is here for all of us. Before sugery I decided that I would share anything I could with others as a kind of payback to those who went before me and shared their information for dolts like me. I'm grateful to those who have posted here and been brutally honest about their struggles. It's great to know there is a resource where you can find an answer to any question, even if it seems like it's TMI when you are first thinking of it. My hat is off to everyone here. This is a huge journey to take. It's been life saving for me. And I credit this board and it's participants with making me brave enough to have the surgery.

First, Congrats on being on the loser's bench. Second, it takes awhile for us to be able to feel full. Our tummies are still in shock from being split into pieces. It takes time for the swelling to go down and for use to learn what our signals are now. I never looked for "full" because I'd never felt full before. Now, I know what full feels like (unpleasant for me), so I am learning to eat what I need to be not hungry, or satisfied. As you heal, it will be easier. You'll learn by the progression through the stages what your body's signals are now. Keep following your surgeon's plan and you will get there. Good luck with your journey!!

Shae, You're actually doing really well from looking at your ticker. It does take a little while for the weight to start dropping, and some people lose more slowly than others. You may lose slower than someone like me because you have less weight to lose than I do. Taking your acid reducer will help with the not full feeling you're having. As for topping off, that's not good. Pre-measure your food amounts for meals and wait afterwards before you start drinking. That lets the Protein sit in your tummy longer and helps me with feeling satisfied. I usually try to walk or move around during the 30 minute wait after eating. If I get involved in something else, it helps me to not think about food...and I think it aids my digestion. Having denser protein helped me get through the first few weeks. My doc allows scrambled eggs, cottage cheese and refried Beans on mushy foods, so I ate a lot of those things. And, I drank a LOT of broth because the warmth felt good in my tummy. It also helped me get my protein in when I just couldn't stand another Protein shake. If the head hunger is a BIG issue for you, it might be wise to find a support group or even a counselor to help you deal with it. For lots of us, food has been our best friend, confidante, and sole support system for years. It's tough to have to give up or reduce that influence on our day to day life. But, we CAN and will do it. We had the courage to get sleeved, so we will definitely find the way to work that sleeve. I think a lot of the sleeve process is sleeving our heads to go along with our tummies. We have to find a way to work through the issues underlying why we let our weight get out of control in order to be successful with the sleeve. There are tons of success stories here, and I want to be one of them! Good luck!

I was given medicine cups after surgery and I probably should have used them longer than I did. I also like someone else's advice about using a teaspoon for drinking and spacing out the spoonfuls a few minutes apart. That's a genius idea! The spirometer (I didn't know the name of that "thingy") I used for several days after I got home, then my pulmonologist told me to quit using it for reasons unrelated to surgery. I have mild asthma and there was some conflict betwen the way you use a spirometer and the meds/inhalers I use. By that point, I could get the balls up where they wanted them consistently anyway. DO NOT QUIT USING YOUR SPIROMETER UNLESS YOUR DOC TELLS YOU TO DO SO, please. It's great that you're using the spirometer now to help improve your lung function! I'd have never thought to do that. Good luck!!

Mini, I'm only 9 weeks out, so I may be able to offer some hope. I also wondered if I'd ever feel "full" without hitting that overfull feeling. I had to back off of mine, though, because my overfull feeling was making my shoulders hurt. Now I definitely know when my tummy is full..and I get some warning before I hit that point. One thing that helped me was realizing that our bodies have a new way of telling us we're done. Mine is a burp. After I eat a few bites, I'll burp. If I listen to my tummy, then I stop eating. If I don't listen to my tummy, then I get to the hurt point. I've read that others have a hiccup, or a burp, or even a sneeze when their tummy is full. The only suggestion I'd make is that you measure your food before you start eating. If you are having a problem with getting too full quickly, then slow down on your eating and just take a bite or two of your pre-measured amount. Then give yourself a break for a few minutes before you take another bite. Getting the Water in, as you know, will help with the feeling of fullness and satiety when you eat. You know what you have to do. Once you're back on track, things will feel much better.

You go, Raquel! Congrats on having a date!!