andersonlj

yes according to the diet that I was given that you can eat vegetable and salads after a certain period of time. I also miss lettuce salads but they are at least 4-6 months post op for me according to my diet. It is possible with the sleeve and I too had the lapband before I had my sleeve. I certainly do not miss the vomiting.

Which Kaiser are you having your surgert......San Francisco on Geary or South San Francisco (Daly City)?????????????

You could always check with the hospital as they usually have a list of the hotels close for families and also the costs. i know that we did when I worked at California Pacific Medical Center. So happy that Kaiser is paying for WLS.

There are several out west of the hospital on Geary but I would have to look them up to see what is there. I am not sure how cheap they are but they would be the closest and the safest area near Kaiser on Geary.

Would love to help....just wondering how many pounds that you want or need to lose before I weigh in.

Think you are a little early for meats of any kind. At your stage I was eating babyfood.....the lasagna and the chicken and noodle are not bad if you add some salt and pepper. I was eating half a jar at a meal which is about 3 ox and felt very full. Did you get a diet sheet from your surgeon after surgery. Mine is specific as what I can add each week post op. I am 5 weeks out and I am just eating slivered ham, turkey and chicken. I have not tried any hamburger as of yet. I have put the meat into my chopper and mixed it with northern beans out of a can and also with some peas and carrots. I am taking it easy as the other food will come in good time.

Hey I have BCBS and it is through my employer and it would not pay for the sleeve either so I went to Mexico.

Thanks to those who have supported me and those that I received personal messages from. I do appreciate it and I do not care who you choosed as long as you are comfortable. I am more than willing to answer questions for anyone no matter who your surgeon may be. Here to help and not to judge like some.

To the person who has accused me of being paid to endorse a specific doctor in Mexico I can assure that I have no financial agreement with any doctor or group of doctors. I was just trying to tell you to make sure that you had done the research on your doctor before you went ahead with your doctor. I merely suggested that you speak with the doctor or his representative and ask some very important questions. 1) How many surgeries does the doctor perform in a single day? How many sleeve or lapband surgeries will the doctor perform in a single day. Whether it be 5 or 12 I know that I want a doctor that is not tired and at his best when performing my surgery. Also some surgeries are more complex such as the bypass and I do not want the doctor to be doing 5-6 of those in a day and me to be the last one. 2) How many surgeries has the doctor performed over his career of WLS? This is important for several reasons. The more that the doctor has hopefully performed the more skilled that doctor is at his trade. Also I would like to know if the doctor is working with a particular hospital or several different hospitals at the same time and possibly using more than one booking service with different prices. 3) Also what is the doctors success rate for the surgery that you are looking at having performed. Also has the doctor had any deaths in the performance of his surgeries. I want to know this before I put my life in a doctor's hands. If you think that just because I want to know all I can about the doctor that is going to take my life into his or her hands.....well then just call me concerned. I am very happy with the doctor that did my surgery and would recommend him to anyone as many people are on here. I am just trying to get people to take some responsibility for their actions and stop putting the blame on others with false claims. If you do not wish to speak to me then do not send me a message. I too am entitled to my opinion as are you.

Do not worry about drinking that much broth.....the calories are low and the liquid goes through the new sleeve much faster than pureed food or more solids. If you could eat 8 oz of solids I would be worried but broth.....not a problem. glad you are able to get so much fluid in as it is important.

I agree that she has to go back to her surgeon. After my lapband I did a lot of liquids and soft foods early as your stomach inside of the band gets irritated and swells making the hole that goes into your stomach even smaller. I did have my fair share of vomiting but it was more later on when things would get stuck and it would all come up. But after that I could eat most things again and not have to go back to liquids. She should go to the doctor as if she has been throwing up this much so early after surgery her band may have slipped and moved.....or she may need to have some of the water taken out of the band to make the opening larger until her stomach becomes less irritated. Either way get her back to her surgeon.

When I get that full feeling and I still have food on my plate I get up and either put in back in a container if it is something that you can keep or I get up and take it to the garbage can. I know that it does not seem right to throw away food but it is not like I am throwing away a pound of sirloin. I have never eaten so cheap so I do not feel guilty about throwing food away.....and it usually is not more than a couple of ounces. Those extra bites will lead to you stretching your sleeve so soon you will not have trouble eating those extra bites and soon you will be eating even more extra bites. I know that it is a hard habit to break but at least you are not going back for seconds.......keep trying your best.

Hopefully when you fall off and that off habit takes hold you can eat something that is good for you....like a protein shake, or some cold meat or cheese. When I fall off and feel that I have to eat I usually try to eat protein versus carbs or sugars. I know that this has saved me a couple of times as I know that I only have 100 - 200 calories versus 700- 1000. Each and every calories counts. Best of luck

Wow!!!!!!!!!! and congratulations. What a success. I had 30 in 30 and thought that was great. Obviously you are eating and staying on your diet plan, getting all of your protein and fluids. So many are not able to get it all in for many different reasons. I hope that you continue with your success.

HIPAA does not apply to any church. That law is for health care information gather by a medical institution. I would talk to your clergy and tell him that you would prefer that he not share you surgery with others. If he does not honor your wishes then I would be looking for another clergy. Hope you have a nice retreat

I went with Dr Garcia and found him not only to be a very talented surgeon but a very nice person as well. I have never had any contact with Dr Kelly and he was not a surgeon that I considered. I suggest that whoever you chose that you do your homework and ask questions. There were many questions that I did not think of until I had my surgery completed. I would want to talk to the doctor and ask how many surgeries that he has performed and where these surgeries are performed. Also I would like to know how many surgeries the doctor does in a day. How many lapbands, sleeves or bypass surgeries. I do not certainly want a doctor working on my that is tired and not at his best because they are trying to do too many surgeries.....even though the cost is less than in the US. Also what is the doctors success rate. Has the doctor had trouble with leaks, re surgeries and deaths from surgeries. These are just a few questions that most people do not take the time to ask and should. I know that if I ever go back to Mexico for any other surgery I will be asking these questions of my surgeon. No matter who did your surgery I am sure that you think that the doctor is the "BEST".....this may not always be the case just because you had a good outcome.

That little bit that you ate at the party did not make you gain a pound. And why are you putting yourself through that by weighing the next day. I think that your scale should be locked away and only come out once a week as for some it can be a devastating thing. Weighing daily is never a good idea and can defeat everything that you are trying. Please....please.....pleae......lock that scale away or take it to the neighbors but do not weigh on a daily basis.

I did not find that the chicken broth or beef broth that I made from the cubes or the jar were that bad. I added extra salt as the salt keeps fluid in your system longer so that you do not become so dehydrated and become lightheaded or dizzy. If you are unable to live on liquids for a few weeks then you are going to have a very hard time adjusting to your new eating paterns and losing weight as you should.

I am in Chicago this weekend and I got a free small bag of cheese popcorn from one of the great popcorn stores here free today. I put it in a plastic bag and going to take it home. I just love cheese flavored popcorn but I know that I can not eat it at 5 weeks........ I also got a free Herseys Chocolate Bar......can't have that either. Nobody was handing our free sting cheese............

I agree that the 2-3 crackers are not going to hurt and if you eat them after surgery you are going to be full and not want anything else. Although they are not the best thing that you could eat there are many that would be far worse. You want to make sure that you eat your Protein first, then vegetables, then fruits and last of all carbs. As far as your kids jumping on you that may occur but I am not sure that it would pop a stitch or make you bleed. You will just have to be careful when you get home as you will be more tender than pain. I know a couple of times I bumped my stomach on the counter edge and it did not feel so great. Is there anyone that can help you for a week or so after you get home from the surgery???? I also dreamed a lot of things before my surgery but now I am living a "REAL LIFE DREAM and I AM THE STAR". You can do it also.

Count me in on that one.

I was at a seminar on weight loss on Saturday and I asked about having the gallbladder taken out and I was told that if you have a lapband or the sleeve that they do not take it out. There is a chance that you will have problems especially with the sleeve as you lose weight faster and more weight but they said that as a rule the do not remove the gallbladder. Another reason that they do not take the gallbladder at the same time as the sleeve surgery is that the gallbladder is a dirty organ and full of bacteria. If removed when the sleeve is done that is a great risk that you could get an infection from the gallbladder contents. With the bypass they do however routinely take the gallbladder out as these patients have a much higher rish of gallbladder issues. If I was having my gallbladder taken out it would be in a seperate operation and not at the same time as the sleeve. I figure that after the sleeve is done and I have paid money out of pocket in Mexico that if my gallbladder has to come out my insurance company "WILL" pay for that surgery.

You will get used to the sipping in the beginning but as you progess you will be able to take more Fluid than just a sip. You will never be able to down a big glass of Water but it does get better. As for eating and drinking it defeats the purpose. The water makes the food that you are eating go through your sleeve much faster thus emptying your sleeve which can lead to hunger in some patients. I for one do not even take any fluid out when I am eating as it is a hard habit to break as you have done this for years in your life. I try to eat foods that are moist so that I do not feel the need to have something to drink to wash it down. Hope this helps.

I take the citracal brand. you can get it at most drug stores and also at walmart etc. At Walgreens where I live if you watch for it you can get one and then get the second for half price. It obviously costs less at Walmart but they do not run specials like Walgreens. Another questions for those who have had sleeves. Does everyone take a calcuim supplement? I was at a recent conference and it did not have calcuim citrate listed for those who have had sleeves......just really curious.

That is amazing.....you deserve to enjoy this moment as you are the one that has worked so hard to achieve this. Nobody can take this away from you if you stay with it and decide that this is your new life.