CRainwater

With so many stories in the news about juicing I wondered if anyone here had any experience with this? I am ten months post surgery and have lost 60 pounds but the weight loss is very slow at this point of time. I have about fifteen more pounds to lose to reach my goal weight. In order to shake things up I've thought about juicing in combination with eating Proteins but I haven't been sure as to whether this would help or potentially harm. Frankly part of my hesitation is the expense of the machine and also you are grinding up a lot of fruits and vegetables to get a little bit of liquid. Thanks.

I too was extremely nervous going from lap-badn (which didn't work) to sleeve. I felt like I was falling down the rabbit hole without a chance to return. That said the transition has been a good one. With the lap-band I felt like food would get "stuck" and I felt real discomfort. With the sleeve I don't feel discomfort and I simply get this feeling after a few bits that I should stop. It is much, much easier. I hope this helps.

Not to frighten you but when I was released from the hospital I had a drain and a pain pump attached to me. I had my two dogs in the kennel for a week but immediately extended that for an additional two weeks until I got the drain/pump removed. I didn't want one of the dogs jumping on me and possibly catching on the tubing. However I didn't have someone else to help take care of the dogs which also affected my decision not to have them at home.

Everyone's journey and decision is different when it comes to WLS - but my primary reason for going forward with surgery was specifically to reverse my diabetes (type II). I found that the diabetes was a cascading cause for other health issues that I was faced with and knew that I was approaching a point were permanent damage was being done. Since my surgery, March 7th my AC1 or A1C (I forget) has gone from 10.7 where I was on insulin down to 6.2 - which means for the first time I am a diabetic who is under control without medicine. My hope is that by September my AC1 will be under 5.8 to a point that my diabetes is in "remission". The cost of my surgery and follow up care has been in the 20,000 - 40,000 range. I understand that the annual cost for a diabetic who has uncontrolled blood sugar can be higher - therefore as studies begin to validate the linkage between the surgery (weight loss) and potential for remission I wouldn't be surprised of more encouragement from the medical community or a lowering of the BMI requirements happens. It already has happened with the lap-band if I recall. I feel very fortunate to have been able to had the surgery, to have lost weight (only half-way to my goal) and to have stopped the damage from the diabetes. Again it is a personal journey.

Sorry for the mundane question but what about strawberries at 2 1/2 months post surgery? I have been concerned about the little seeds in strawberries but they look really good at the local farmers market. Are strawberries safe at this point of time? Thanks. Chris

I had my surgery on March 7th going from band to sleeve. The surgery was much more involved because of the amount of scarring from the band. The doctor expressed concerns about the healing process and I am on a three week liquid diet post surgery (one more week to go). I had a follow up appointment yesterday and the doctor commented more about the implications of scarring saying he was concerned that since this was at the top of the stomach he was concerned about the flexibility of the stomach - so that food wouldn't get stuck. I had thought the concerns were about a leak forming because the seal wouldn't be as good. Has anyone experienced this phenomena after their conversion? If so do you find a lot of food getting stuck? What has been your new normal? Thanks.

I believe everyone is unique as to their response to the surgery. I had my operation 3/7 and I am struggling getting down liquids. I wouldn't worry about weight lost at this point - it is most important to let the stomach heal. Weight lost will come.

Hi Karen - I am 52 as well. I had surgery five days ago removing the lap-band and converting to a 'sleeve'. Therefore I cannot comment on the post surgery relationship with food. I can comment though on fear and going back and forth and why in the end I went forward. I did the lap-band because it was the least invasive procedure. It did not work with me as I have found post lap-band surgery it doesn't work for 37% of patients. When I was presented with the reality that the lap-band hadn't worked (I obviously knew it hadn't) - the sleeve was recommended but I felt that I was going down the rabbit hole so to speak. There was no reversing this procedure. I have diabetes and I am a poor diabetic (hate the testing and the medicine). I am/was a semi foodie - love cooking and going to good quality restaurants and trying new culinary experiences. So I was being driven to the hospital on December 21st a few months ago - I was still debating, should I or shouldn't I. I actually wondered how upset everyone would be if I canceled (imagine). Well I went through prep, was wheeled back to the operating room, put on the operating table (half in/half out of it) and I heard a lot of discussions in the background. The anesthelogist came around and said we are canceling the surgery - you have heart issues. She later came to me in recovery and said - well since this surgery is "optional" I didn't want to run the risk with what they were seeing on my EKG. I spent the month of January having numerous tests on my heart and thank goodness I do not have heart disease although I know that I am knocking on the door. I realized that my surgery was not optional if I wanted to live a life with good quality and without these various medical conditions. As a result I got the surgery rescheduled as soon as possible and I had the procedure this past Wednesday. Something that my doctor said to me - was that the lap-band was easy up front but then got harder whereas the sleeve is hard up front but it gets easier. The major portion of the weight lost occurs in the first six months - and so I am calling this "hell period" but I know I can get through this because there is a finite period of time and I can cross the days off the calendar. I know that when I emerge from this time - that my relationship with food will have changed drastically. On a previous diet - I tried a honeydew melon and I thought yuck! Four months later still on the diet I bought another honeydew and after having a bite I thought oh my goodness the sweet necter of the gods. Small portions of very good quality food will be acceptable with the sleeve after you find your new normal. It is important to note that this is an extremely personal decision so don't feel that my comments are a value judgment on you. My decision was right for me. It is interesting to think that prior to the surgery I was thinking a lot about losing 85% of my stomach and yet post surgery that isn't really a concern any more. I have a stomach - it is gruggling after a sip of Protein drink but it is definitely there. Good luck with your decision.

Thank you all for your great comments. One of the great challenges of this journey is the unknown. This morning as I tried to sip my coffee (it hurts to swallow) you wonder - will this be forever. It is depressing to be in discomfort and not to have any benefits from the surgery. Your postings have allowed me to understand the future a little better. Thanks.

I am waiting for my band to sleeve surgery on March 7th. Orginally I was suppose to have the surgery in December but they stopped the procedure because they thought I had heart issues - thankfully I don't. When it was clear that the band was not working for me I had the band unfilled since I had horrible tightness and would often have food get stuck and come back up. Even though the fluid has been removed I still have tightness although not as bad and I feel pressure, even when I drink such as water or coffee. My question is what is the sensation with the sleeve? Do you feel the same kind of pressure as you do with the band? Thanks.

Thank you all for you kind responses. I'm not focused on the band issue but rather using WLS as a means of reversing heart disease. I had originally started the WLS journey as a means of revising my diabetes and now I am hoping for heart disease to fall into this category as well. As I mentioned originally the Doctor mentioned that they were taking such care because the surgery was "optional" - to me this surgery isn't optional any longer. I was just wondering if anyone had heart disease and had the sleeve surgery and what the impact of the surgery on the heart condition? Thanks again.

This morning at around 8 am I was laying on the operating table with IV lines attached, a nice breathing mask waiting for my "remove the band perform the sleeve surgery" when I was vaguely aware of the anesthesiologists talking in the background. I was then vaguely aware of them doing an EKG and then I was aware of several doctors leaning over me saying that the surgery had been canceled. Apparently they were concerned that as my heart rate increased that the heart seemed less able to get oxygen which is an indicator of heart disease. I am being sent to a cardiologist. One of the anesthesiologists came in to say that they wanted to be extra sure about my health since this was an "optional" procedure. I appreciate the diligence of the doctors in taking extra steps and time to make sure of my health. This psychological issues for me to get motivated for the vertical sleeve surgery has been difficult. The lap-band was a failure and although it is easy to blame the device I've wondered what it is about me that might have contributed to the failure. Going to the sleeve seemed logical but I have had fears that whatever it is about me that caused the lapband to be a failure would come into play with the sleeve. It is the ultimate trip down the rabbit hole without return ticket to do a play over as it with having the band removed. As I have sat here tonight thinking about the consequences of the potential news of having heart disease plus I am a diabetic, high blood pressure and cholestoral - it dawned on me that if there was ever any doubt about having the sleeve operation that those doubts are removed. I no longer see this surgery as being optional but rather as a necessary and logical way to reverse all of my co-morbilities brought about by dramatic and quick weight loss. Has anyone here used WLS to reverse heart disease with the support of their doctors and what special issues or concerns were tracked and or monitored? Thanks.

Thank you for your comments. Do you have to follow the lap-band eating procedures of chewing everything 25 times before swallowing and not have liquids 30 minutes before the meal and until 30 minutes after the meal? What kind of diet does your doctor have you on as a post surgery eating?

I had lap-band surgery back on 7/19/2010. My primary reason for the lap-band was to send my diabetes into remission. On the day of my surgery as I waited to be call (got there 4 hours early) I had a horrible tooth ache from a tooth that I found out later needed a root canal. I didn't say anything because I was concern that it would cancel the surgery. The surgery was fine and the only real pain was from my tooth afterwards. It took me awhile to get the root canal done and so I lived with the tooth discomfort for a while. As a result I ate very little and therefore I lost a lot of weight - the doctors thought lap-band, I wondered tooth. When I started the fills food began to get stuck immediately and also pain and discomfort. They stopped the fills thinking I had enough and after all I had lost 20 pounds fairly quickly. I felt good and my AC1 almost return to normal levels. I won't go into the details of port fills and lack of results because we have all been there. Three months ago when I was in the doctors office they mentioned that I was a "lap-band failure" and suggested that one possibility might be the sleeve. My first reaction was I had purposely gone with the least invasive procedure and that to pursue the sleeve was to be going down the rabitt hole permanently. Which frankly scared me. However after thinking about the real consequences of diabetes in the long term and how much I hurt physically with the weight regained I signed up for the conversion from lap-band to sleeve. I have requested that they remove the lap-band and do the sleeve at once which the doctor says that he will try. I am now scheduled for surgery on December 21st. I'm not sure that I have any specific questions. I have concerns about the quality of life after surgery. I am also concerned about the psychological impact of the surgery. Thanks.