Cknorte

Keys Pirate, Have you tried a powdered peanut butter, like PB2 or Fit Nutz? I am hooked on Fit Nutz, add it to my shakes, add Water to it to make peanut butter for apples etc. Somehow they have managed to remove the fat from the peanut butter. You can order the sample pack they send you 3 different ones. I like the regular one and the chunky 2nd best. I ordered the lb bag and it's easy to pack in suitcase and store. FitNutz Peanut Butter Mix ::: PRODUCTS

Good luck with your PCP, I told mine before surgery and he was super supportive, wanted to see me at 4 weeks. I went at 4 weeks, and the medical office had changed staff around, and my old PCP had left the practice, the new guy was an a$$ so, I had to search for another Dr. I also live in the boonies.... I did find one that was supportive and actually was so happy about it. She asked me for information on surgery so she could possibly pass on info for others who asked her about surgery. I love it when Drs. are open to "new" procedures and to us taking charge of our bodies. Good luck with your PCP.

My BMI was just shy of 50 when I had surgery. I'm 6 weeks out and am down 28lbs.

I'm glad you got home ok. You just may be tired out from travel and surgery. Have you taken your temperature? If you have a fever, call the Dr. in the morning or as soon as you get a hold of someone. If it is just chills, and no fever, try some herbal tea and crawl into bed. Take your pain med even if you don't have pain, and your Nexium and get some rest. I hope it's just tired from travel. Keep us posted. Get better soon....

Thank you, do you just use the oil itself or do you buy body products and mix the coconut oil into.....I cook with coconut oil (and funny enough, spectrum is the brand I have here at home). I can only find it in jars, where do you find it by the pound?

pureed lenitls, fish baked, laughing cow wedges, deli meat wrapped around laughing cow wedge, italian wedding day soup blended (progresso)

HA! off for a beef stick! Pun intended....LMAO! I find that cravings are worse and so are my cramps and PMS, I'm barely on my second period since surgery, but I wish I would have asked them to take those bits out while I was under!

I think the lingo is confusing. Dr. Watkins posted on this a while back...here's his post. (Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum)

The surgery is done laparascopically, sort of like the traditional sleeve. I have 5 incisions, 4 really small ones, and one between my boobs around 1 inch. They go down your throat with the bougie to measure out size of sleeve and sew against it, sort of like the staples on traditional sleeve. I think the main difference is that they leave your stomach intact, the fold it onto itself to create a sleeve. I have had great restriction and I can eat anywhere between 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of food at a time, depending on density. If it is liquid, I can get in maybe a cup before I feel full.... It has been a little over 5 weeks for me and I'm down 28lbs. So far so good. I don't get the insane hunger anxiety "need to eat now or I will kill" feeling. I feel satisfied. If I take the extra bite after being full, I get a pang in my belly and I know one more will make me hurl. We follow the same diet progression as traditional sleeve, we just seem to move through it faster, I was on soft foods week 3 and by week 4 I was eating chicken and steak (ok very thin steak)..... I think this is a great option for those of us who were a little aprehensive about losing or cutting out an organ, or had family who were aprehensive about it. Like all other WLS it is a tool and it depends on us to make the correct food choices...I can either drink milk shakes all day or have healthy protein....you know the drill..... Hope this helps some....congrats on your surgery....and success

ryansgirl, Coconut oil, I would love to get some decent coconut oil for my skin and hair, do you have a particular brand you use?

I had plication surgery with Dr. Corvala in Tijuana on July 15th. I'm down 28lbs, and feel pretty darn good. I am able to eat anything I want, just pretty small portions 1/2-3/4 cup. Tonight I had 2/3 of a cheeseburger (no bread) and maybe 4 fries for dinner... My hunger is pretty much suppressed. I don't feel hunger the way I used to before surgery. I eat and I get full and feel full for a while. There are days when I have to remind myself to eat or my husband reminds me. I have been hitting the gym pretty hard since week 3, week 5 I started back up with weights, today I did 45 minutes of spin class and then this afternoon had 60 minutes personal training session (P90X type stuff). I am glad I had this procedure because if I had to for whatever reason it can be reversed. I have however gone in to this thinking I won't ever reverse it and it is a life long change. I eat with my husband and have a normal life, just eat like a thin person now. I was a volume eater of healthy foods, so my diet was pretty healthy just a ton of it.

Here are a few youtube videos on the surgery, performed by Dr. Cottam. One is a regular plication/imbrication and the other is a bad removal and imbrication. [nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzAmRuez-Cc]YouTube- Dr Cottam perfroms a Gastric Imbrication using EndoFLIP® technology[/nomedia] [nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gpmK8AdJEJU]YouTube- Failed Lap Band to Gastric Imbrication; A New Concept in Bariatric Surgery[/nomedia]

You are doing great! Congrats!

Hmmmm, I don't know. Do you now what size bougie your surgeon used? I know everyone is different but I feel restriction and I really don't feel hunger, or empty belly feeling. I just ate a little more last week because I know that there were a few days when my workout was really loaded and I ate a little more. I don't believe in starvation per se, I think if that were true, all of us with a sleeve would be in starvation mode, but I do think our bodies freak out and love holding on to reserves for as long as they possibly can....eventually our bodies will wake up and realize we aren't going to war or a 10 year drought, etc.... Have you talked to your Nut? Are you logging your calories? I log them on livestrong.com/myplate and have found that there were days when I thought I had pigged out, and I had only eaten 600 calories, and days when I thought I was doing "good" and was at 900 cal. It may be worth a chat with your nutritionist.

Way to go!!! keep it up!!!! Enjoy the losses.....

Add an extra 50-100 calories in after workout (a Protein shake, a wedge of laughing cow and slice of ham) or add in a few carbs before workout (30 minutes before, some Peanut Butter and apple). Last week I added a few calories, I was doing what you are doing and I almost cried last week when I dropped only 1lbs after eating 700 calories a day and working my tail off 1-2 hours a day at the gym, burning almost 500-600 calories (on my heart rate monitor)...on days I did 2 hours of cardio/resistance, I added 100 calories....I even had a day where I didn't work out and ate 1000 calories, and this week I lost 3.6lbs....so I think my body needed the extra fuel...it was freaking out....try cycling your calories between 750-900 calories, every other day, so your body doesn't freak out thinking you won't ever feed it again....nothing to lose for trying.....

Hi, I had plication on July 15th. I didn't have surgery with the intent on it being reversible or wanting it to be reversed. However both my surgeon and Dr. Watkins claim that it can be "undone" or "reversed". Yes there will probably be scar tissue and it isn't as easy as taking the hem out of a pair of pants. There is a sub forum on this site, that has loads of information. Dr. Watkins has been posting some great information on there, and those of us who have had this procedure have been posting our particular experience. Total Gastric Vertical Plication Sleeve Surgery - Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy Surgery (VSG) Forum I don't think it is any less invasive, it is laparascopic, 5 incisions, you are under general anesthesia, you go through a diet progression, from clears to liquids, to mushy, puree, soft then normal...just like with the sleeve. I think the main difference is that the sleeve is created by suturing your stomach vs, cutting out your stomach, there is some controversy on what the hunger hormone does with this surgery (in my case I don't get hungry...but varies from person to person). My surgeon uses a 32f bougie, I can eat about 1/2-3/4 of food (I think that is a little more than with traditional sleeve at my stage (6 weeks out). My diet is Protein first. I was able to tolerate foods at earlier times than with traditional sleeve, I had swelling, but didn't have a seamline, or stapleline, so my stomach was able to get back to my "new normal" fairly quickly, I ate chicken breast and steak at 4 weeks. It is a personal decision, and for me this was the way to go.....I would do it again and have done well for me. Take time and decide which procedure is best for you, no one knows their body better than you. Take care, and research, research, research....it is a decision for a lifetime....don't go into anything thinking it is reversible or can be undone....

Me too....I just went to the dermatologist and he claims it is a reaction to shampoo, added to the stress of surgery and lower calorie intake. He has me on 4 days of 3/day some sort of steroid cream and wet dressings on my back and leg, where I have it, then 10 days of 3 times a day....it has helped a ton. He is putting me on basic shampoo (V05 for normal hair) and basic nutragena or cetaphil body wash. He said to make sure I use the cream to get rid of the outbreaks I currently have, and to up my Omega Oil intake. So I'll give it a try....I got the outbreaks post surgery, before surgery my skin was normal.

Pain for me was very minimal. I had a rough first night, but it was more like severe indigestion. The nurses were great, they gave me a pain medication in my IV and another one in my arm, they also gave me a sleeping pill (crushed and under tongue). I actually slept for about 6 hours, no problem, they woke me up to go do the swallow test. After the swallow test I had a little pain, but I started walking. Taking a shower made me feel like new, but that afternoon I was walking and chatting with my neighbors. It wasn't bad at all. The hospital, Dr. and staff are great...... It has been easy for me. I am back to eating normal food, just a ton less....I'm saving a load of money in groceries LOL!

Good luck on your surgery.... Try to get an aisle seat so you can get up and walk a little during your flight home. Also don't be shy about getting a seat belt extender, if the normal seat belt is even a little tight on you now, your belly will be a little swollen from surgery, so you won't want a seat belt stabbing you... Also once you get through security, get some gatorade, G2 or Propel. The extra sugar and carbs will help on the long trip, you won't be getting too many calories in. Also, you may want to get some of that cup-o-soup, they have a chicken broth one, you can get a cup of hot water on the plane and make a little broth. For me it had to be warm or cold. Anything room temperature was harder for me to tolerate the first few days. Good luck....

Nadia, I'll shoot you an email in the morning. In the meantime you can go to my blog (the link on my signature) I had plication with Dr. Corvala on July 15th. I feel great....and would do it again in an instant.... I have some pictures on the blog of my room. Dr. Corvala and his team as well as the nursing staff is awesome..... Good luck....

No hunger pains, sometimes I forget to eat because I'm not hungry. I have realized that I do get "head hunger". Last Friday I made spaghetti for the house, it is my favorite, and I knew I was going to have some, I was going to have a treat....since surgery I have never been hungry, all day Friday I was starving (or so I thought)....I had my noodles that evening, about 1/2 cup of Pasta and sauce...and I was done......so I couldn't pig out, but I also realized that pasta is a "trigger" for me....so I will have to keep it out of our food rotation.

Donna, Your food sounds amazing...I am going to make some of your food....I eat alot of the same things, but I've been eating some couscous/quinoa...my carb content is a little closer to 80 than to 40....so I'm going to make an extra effort this week to cut it down Thanks for the ideas

I am blogging about my WLS, and the funny thing is that I tell just about everyone, except my family....haaaaaa I live in a different state, and at first the only people who knew were my husband and mom..... I haven't told any of my siblings, they are all so opinionated that I didn't need the opinions of all of them before surgery.... After surgery I sometimes feel like calling them and telling them, but I figure they'll see me in a month or so, and when they ask, I'll tell them what I did....until then.... I tell random people who ask me what I'm doing, I live in a small town, so even the grocery store clerk has noticed, and asked me what my "secret was".... I share with everyone.....

Jg, PM me anytime.....