Matt Z

Congrats!

I don't want to sway you away from your decision... but have you been informed about the current state of the Lab-Band "world"? More and More surgeons are not installing bands due to all the complications and issues. Even 2 of the major parts manufacturers for lap-bands, have stopped or sold off their portions of the company responsible for lab-bands. Your insurance might not even allow/cover them anymore and that might be why you are only seeing the removal listed in your information. I would call your insurance directly and inquire as to if they even still approve/cover lab bands.

Protein2o is VERY tasty and doesn't have any odd texture issues. Isopure Zero Carb RTD are good, but the taste can take a bit to get used to, and it does have a texture with how much protein is in it. Try different shakes, they are NOT all made equally! Also if you find that you are having issues with them intentionally, check to ensure the protein is using an Isolate and not Concentrate. Nothing wrong with Concentrates over Isolates, just if you have lactose issues, concentrates have high levels of lactose where Isolates have little to none and typically are safe for even lactose intolerant folks to use.

So much has changed in the overall process with the Bypass, those scary statistics are throwbacks to the open surgery version of the bypass. Now that they are almost all done laparoscopically and all the advancements in materials, the bypass is just as safe (for the most part) as the sleeve. Yes, they leave the whole stomach in place, the portion that's no longer attached to the esophagus is called the "excluded stomach", it still produces stomach acids and those acids mix with the food a bit lower down the small intestines. Between the Sleeve and the Bypass, contrary to popular misinformation, the Bypass is reversible under certain circumstances, and we actually had a member this year have reversion. The sleeve however is a done deal, once that 80+% of your stomach is cut out and thrown into medical waste, that's pretty much the end of that, there is no reversal option for the sleeve. You *CAN* be revised from the sleeve to bypass, but it's not the same as their is no stomach to convert to the "excluded stomach". Mini bypasses are performed with only 1 reattachment instead of 2 and typically the adjusted limb is a tad shorter than with the typical bypass. "RNY" is just short for Roux-en-y, coined for the doctor that first outlined the surgery, César Roux. It's the same thing as saying "Bypass". The Duodenal switch is different, and is also know as "biliopancreatic diversion". The portion dealing with your stomach is almost the same as a sleeve, but then they detach the sleeve from the duodenum leaving your gall bladder and pancreas still attached to the duodenum and then they attach that sleeve lower into the small intestine. It's almost a hybrid of the 2 surgeries with a few subtle differences. Hopefully that helps you some.

Not in the same extent but yes. When I was in the process of getting my band removed, I was going to get the sleeve. However my surgeon ( the same doc that installed the band ) told me she doesn't do band to sleeve revisions due to greatly increased risk of leaking where the scar tissue from the band is. So, my plans got changed and I'm a bypass patient now. And I wish I had gotten the bypass back in 2011 when I got the band.

Then wouldn't I be a Vet? Given I've been doing this WLS dance since 2011?

I've never heard the term which is why I was asking. I don't have a definition because I still don't fully understand what one is supposed to be. I know "Tweens" are children that aren't in the single digits anymore but aren't teenagers yet. I don't know what it is supposed to mean in the WLS world.

Could you define what a WLS "Tweener" is?

Start tracking your food again. Just so that you can have a timeline and hopefully locate a cause. It could be some form of dumping. Pay attention to what you are eating and how long between eating and the issues. Are you still paying attention to fat and sugar? Is your water in take still really good? Curious if it's a motility issue caused by either a food type or a lack of water in the intestinal tract. Or it could be a stricture of the intestines causing a partial blockage with certain foods. Have you reached out to your doctors/surgeon about it?

Yes, (well doesn't have to be "whey" but I don't think I've seen an Isolate that wasn't whey) but isolates typically do not have enough lactose in them to trigger a lactose intolerance issue.

Try some protein that *ONLY* has Protein Isolate, Isolate is highly filtered and contains little to no lactose.

Let me just state that, I'm not "leaving" out right... just, my time here is going to decrease some, it has already to an extent... just going to let that trend continue out. But, I'll still be around and will still check in daily and answer anything I can. Thank you all for your abundance of caring!

Good Day All. I think my time here is going to get a bit of a decrease. BariatricPal is moving from PatchMD Patches to PatchAID patches. No reason given. I was posting here to help offset the cost with the points, as a secondary, I'll still try to help folks out where I can, but it just seems like my time is coming. I'm still floating between 207 and 213, been working out a lot more, still doing the IF most days. My body fat has been decreasing again even if my overall weight is still bobbing up and down. My body fat is down to 23.1% today leaving me with a reported 48.6 lbs of fat left hanging on. Guess we'll see how it all goes. Just wanted to let you all know here, as it seems most of those that I interact with on a normal basis are all right here in this thread.

Thanks Wanda!

No idea why they are dumping PatchMD for PatchAID. But, I'll just have to spend my money somewhere else. I was using points to help offset the cost, but... if they are moving to a new brand for no reason... I guess I'll have to move along as well.

Update as promised. My 9 month labs are in. And everything (and I mean *EVERYTHING) is within normal ranges. To recap I'm using the Multivitamin, B12 and D3+Calcium patches from PatchMD (Concerned though because now BariatricPal is changing to a new manufacturer for patches and the agent I talked to didn't seem to concerned that I didn't want to change to a new product with no reason, ESP given that this new company is brand new.) I also take 1 sublingual B12 a week, 1 D2 a week. I take biotin, pantoprazole and fiber daily as well.

Check your proteins and see if they are Protein Isolate or Protein Concentrate. Lots of people have issues with lactose post op, it doesn't always last forever, but it can. Protein isolate has little to no lactose, protein concentrate has loads more lactose.

I was under the impression that most folks with the Sleeve were on a 1 month liquid diet post op anyway.

I wouldn't. But only because of the amount of sugar alcohols. It could play havoc with your still healing anatomy. That said, I eat them all the time, just make sure to clear the calorie count with your daily maximums and you'll be fine. Arctic Zero isn't any better than halo top for sugars, they both have the same amount. But Halo Top wins out on ingredients, sugar isn't in the top 3 for halo top, but it is for arctic zero. Halo Top also has more protein than Arctic Zero. Overall, the 2 of them are pretty evenly matched. Halo Top wins out slightly for higher protein and not having sugar in the first 3 ingredients. Halo Top is creamier and more like ice cream than Arctic Zero because of the fact that Halo Tops uses milk, Arctic Zero uses water. Arctic Zero wins out in the amount of flavors available though. Either way, these 2 are miles better than regular ice creams. https://spoonuniversity.com/lifestyle/halo-top-vs-arctic-zero-which-healthy-ice-cream-is-better

Sounds like you did the right thing, not sure why your surgeon didn't address this with you beforehand, but yes, if you have major GERD issues already, the sleeve will more than likely make them much worse. The reason the bypass cures GERD/Reflux issues is because of the separation of the excluded portion of the stomach being routed lower in the intestinal tract. The acids would have to travel up several feet of intestines back to your included stomach and then into your esophagus. Never feel bad about worrying, you are worrying for a reason. Sometimes the reasons are silly, others, are justified. This is one of those justified reasons. Is the bypass not an option for you? Your last line seems to note that it's either the sleeve or nothing, curious why that is?

It's not called "break" it's called "Dressing" When a tailor asks you "what side you dress on", he's referring to what side your d**k falls to so they can give you a little extra room on that leg. You'll notice this more, not because of the position of your inseam, but because the fat loss causes you to hang lower, since the penis is attached at the pubic mons with a tendon, as we get fatter, the fat in the pannis "swallows" your penis since that tendon keeps it firmly attached and prevents "growing with your gut". Think of it like a dock post, as the water rises the dock post shrinks in visible size due to being anchored to the ocean floor. At a higher tide, the wind is going to affect the post less than at low tide. Same deal with your unit and gravity's effect on it.

I'm on an APAP now. I've lost well enough were my apnea isn't going to be solved with additional weight loss. The key here is the term "likely". You are 100% correct that weight isn't the ONLY factor for sleep apnea. I know a few people that are technically underweight that have sleep apnea. I wouldn't just give it up, and any doctor that advises that is a concern. You'll need a follow up study once you drop a decent amount of weight. My pressures are down from the CPAP pressure of 11.6 to the APAP pressure between 5-20, where I'm hitting between a low 5 and 8 now.

Hormones, medication, the surgery itself, stress, etc all can cause changes in your tastes. Good news is, they typically go back to normal after a bit. Ensure you are getting upwards of 128oz of water a day. Water is beyond critical to WLS.

Direct Message = DM Private Message = PM Same thing really.

I'm having a hard time replying to this. I 100% understand. And would never do that to anyone personally. But, I was drunk, and it made me feel good, as odd as that sounds, even if I've no interest in whom did the grabbing. I don't know where to go from here with this, I don't want to come off like I'm approving of the action... but I can't deny that it made me feel wanted, even if by people I have zero interest in... ugh, so tough!