andersonlj

I have had my surgery on Dec 11, 2011 and I attended another seminar today on weight loss surgery. I learned some very interesting and new things. 1. It is very, very important to follow your postop diet for the first month to the letter. This is due to the fact that most of the healing of the staples occurs in this first month and you put yourself at a risk for a failure of the sleeve if you overeat or start eating things that you should not. If can take up to a full 2 years for your new stomach to completely heal. 2. To prevent hairloss which most of the time is temporary you need to make sure that you are getting the required amount of Protein, Vitamin a and your Multivitamin. I know lately that I have seen a lot of posts about hair loss. 3. Just because you have WLS does not mean that you will be successful at losing the weight you want. COMMITTMENT is the most important thing in determining if you are successful or not. After your surgery you must be committed to making a change in your eating habits, stay on the diet as given to you, exercise to help with the weight loss and to embrace the life style change that you are undergoing. 4. Also have seen a lot of posts about the preop diet. It is very important that you stay on the preop diet for the 2 weeks before surgery as when you are eating regular foods this causes your liver to swell and if your liver is swollen at the time of your surgery it is more difficult to perform the surgery safely and it can put you at risk for problems after the surgery. I found all of this information to be very helpful and useful to me even though I have already had my surgery.

I did go to Chili's tonight and got take out and brought it back to my hotel as I knew that it was too much for a meal or even 3 for me. i got a chicken burrito, that had black beans, salsa, cheese, onions and a little salsa on top. I had no problem as I added a little water to my cup when I heated it so it made it more moist. I could only eat a small amount...maybe 3-4 oz and my tummy told me that I was full. I should have enough for at least 2 more meals if not more. It satisfied my fix for mexican.

If you go to a GNC or similiar store they sell protein drink mixes that taste like punch, orange juice etc and they are loaded with protein. granted it is not like drinking a Pepsi but they did mix them up for me and let me taste before I bought. I went with the very berry and one glass a day is over 30 g of protein. I am sure that different brands vary but try them out. Find one that you like after tasting and buy it. It makes up over half of the protein you need in 1 glass. I actually have no problem drinking the chocolate and strawberry shakes. I also have a cream of chicken and a cream of tomato that comes from the same place I order the shake mix and they are pretty good and have 14 g protein.

I had surgery on Dec 11 and I am not a paid person for the doctor that did my surgery. I went with Dr F Garcia and I could not be happier with my results with the surgery. I did not feel the least bit scared when I was in Tijuana. I was picked up at the airport by Hector and taken to the Hotel Pueblo Amigo where I spend Sunday night. On Monday morning Hector picked me up at the hotel and took me to Hospital MI. I had my preop and a scope to make sure that all was right with my lapband that was coming out and to have the sleeve. I had surgery Monday afternoon and all of the staff....nurses, doctors, anesthesiologist, cardiologist were wonderful. I can not say a bad thing about my experience.When I was discharged back to the hotel Hector took me from the hospital back to the hotel and got me checked back in. Then 2 days later he picked me up from the hotel and took me back to San Diego to the airport and I flew home. The day after I was released I also went out to the shopping mall that is new and did not feel the least bit nervous because I was in Tijuana, Mexico. My surgery cost a little more as I had to have the band removed and some extra testing but I still paid under $6000 compared to the $40,000 they wanted here in the US.

It is a WLS seminar being put on by Dr Garcia. The main reason that I came is that Chicago is so close to Iowa where I live. When I left Tijuana after the surgery I did not think that I would ever see him or any of his staff again. I am so happy with the surgery and the 30 pounds that I have lost so far I just wanted to come and see Dr Garcia to thank him for giving me "My New Life". I am not speaking at the seminar just wanted to see Dr Garcia again. I am hoping to get a picture of us together and I will also get to meet one of his coordinators also. I am excited and will let you know how the seminar goes. Tonight is Mexican and then off to a Broadway show.

Thanks....I am visiting Chicago until Monday and I think that an entire meal would last me for several days and I hate to waste food and throw it away. I may ask with my card if I could get half a burrito or something. All they can say is no and it never hurts to ask.....right. I do think that I will stay away from the chips for now.

I had the lapband first and I do not miss it at all. The constant vomiting when things would not go through was not fun as I hate to vomit. Now for the decicion of the sleeve vs RNY. First I never even considered the RNY. I knew several people that had the surgery and the weight loss is so much faster that you have a greater chance of having excess skin everywhere as you body does not have time to compensate for this as you are losing at a rapid rate. Also I was not really happy after readying about the dumping syndrome. I do not eat a lot of sugars anyway. I did know a couple of people that had this surgery and they had increased the amount of food that they were eating that they actually started to gain weight again. Also I did not like all the restrictions regarding medications that you are unable to take but also to the number of supplements, Vitamins etc that you have to take for the rest of your life as this can become costly. I chose the sleeve as it will allow you eventually to eat most of your favorite food even though the amount that you will be eating will be much less.The weight loss is a little slower allow your skin to react in a more positive way. Not saying that you will not have any sagging skin but not as much as with the bypass. Also I only have to take a Multivitamin, Vit B 12 and my calcuim as far as supplements. This is nice as I do not like to take any more pills than I have to. If you have the sleeve you will be more than happy with the results and the recovery time. It is less time in the hospital. I am 4 weeks post op and have lost 30 pounds. I follow my diet from the doctor and do not cheat and stop when I am full. I want all those staples that created my new stomach to heal well as I do not want any problems that land me back in the hospital. In fact this morning I am still having a chocolate Protein shake for Breakfast. I hope that you get some other good responses to your post but I for one would go with the sleeve. just my opinion but it was the best choice for me.....one that I will never regret as it has given me a new life.

I would go back on he protein shakes for at least a couple of meals a day. I had me band removed but did not have the water taken out before surgery.....thus I did not have the weight gain and I had to be on 2 weeks of the pre-op diet just as with the lapband. You will lose that 6 pounds and more so do not worry too much. I would be careful as not to gain too much before surgery as it is just more that you will have to lose once you get the sleeve.

I would go in and tell my boss as soon as possible. This would be more of a courteous than looking for approval. You do not need anyone's approval for this surgery. You are an adult and can make your own decisions and I think that you are making an excellent choice. I too did not tell that many people except very close friends and family. I figure that is nobodys business anyway. It was the best decision in my life and i will never regret the surgery of going to Tijuana Mexico to have my surgery with Dr F Garcia. He has given me back my life and it will never be the same for which I will be forever grateful. As for the larger co-worker that went off on you about doing it the old fashioned way I will dismiss her and let her see the results that you are going to achieve. If losing weight for some of us was that easy then why is she still so overweight. And do not let her tell you that she wants to stay that way and that she happy. Please keep me posted as to your surgery and how you do after. I know you will do great and have my support.

fantastic news. I am in Chicago this weekend and I am just craving Mexican and there is a Chili's a block from my hotel. I was thinking about going there and having some chicken, cheese, beans and a little salsa. Question.....did you order something or did you just eat a little off someones plate. I am alone here and do not want to have to order a huge amount of food but I am starving for Mexican and I know that this would take care of it. I am 5 weeks out so I am eating about the same as you are. Thanks for your timely post.

Are you able to eat peanut butter. It has protein but is also has some fat and your hair also need fat to thrive. Just a thought. I do not have that much hair left but I do not want to lose what I do have......although it would reduce the cost of haircuts.........hmmmmmmmm

I know that I can not do the tortilla, or chips but I think that I could just do some chicken, beans, salsa and some cheese and I will be able to chew it up enough to make is almost pureed. I am so hungry for Mexican I could kill......I will let you know how dinner tomorrow night goes.

I had my surgery on Dec 11, 2012 and thus far I have lost 30 pounds. I just arrived in Chicago and it is my very first time here. I came to enjoy the city a little and also to attend a conference at which Dr F Garcia who is doing my surgery in Tijuana is speaking tomorrow. I never thought I would see him again and just wanted to come and see him to thank him in person for giving me "My New Life". I am just wondering what might be the best place for me to eat while I am here and what I should eat. I can not believe that I am in Chicago with all of the fantastic venues and I can not eat much. On the way here I stopped at a Subway and just got the meat, cheese and some light veggies with no bread and ate that for my lunch. It completely satifsified me. I did bring shake mix and soup mix with me so I do have things to eat but I was thinking about some Mexican.....I could just have the meat, cheese, some black beans and leave the rest. Anyone have any thoughts on this as I do want to go out at least Saturday evening to enjoy a little meal. I can always bring the left overs back to the hotel and have them Sunday as I had a fridge and microwave. On Sunday I am going to get plenty of exercise as I want to go out and explore the city. I am staying just off Michigan Ave and really hope it is nice so that I can walk and so some window shopping.....not that I can buy any clothes ;( Anyone else gone out of town for a weekend and made any decisions on what to eat. I know what I can not have and that is good but want something tasty besides a chocolate shake.

Oh week 5 here and I am eating chicken, ham, cheese, beans cottage cheese, mashed potatoes. I still grind the meat in the food processor a little and then just chew everthing else really good before I swallow. Still can not eat that much before I am full.

I will see Dr Garcia tomorrow as I am in Chicago and he is doing a weight loss seminar here tomorrow. I really wanted to see him again after my surgery to thank him in person and I never thought that I would. Since Chicago is a short distance from where I am in Iowa I came for the weekend and first time in Chicago. I am excited to hear what he has to say tomorrow and I want to get a picture of me and him together. I will keep you informed.

I have been eating meats,,,,ham, chicken, no ground beef yet as was trying to stay away from the fat. I have also been having some cheese and I did make some beans with some ham and a little cream of mushroom soup mix. It was quite good as the baby food was getting old. All those things are on my plan and are high in protein. I think that as long as things are moist and I chew very, very, very good that I should not have a problem. I will stay away from the lettuce as that is not on my plan diet yet. Also not tortilla or chips.

My surgery in Tijuana was $6000 and that included the scope for my lapband, removal of the lapband, the sleeve surgery, hospital, medications, hotel and transportation to and from the airport. the plane ticket round trip to San Diego was around $400. So for me $6400 compared to $40,000 out of pocket in Iowa was a no brainer. There is no surgeon in Iowa that comes even close to what you paid. I would have had to had 2 surgeries here in the US....the first to removed the band and then wait a month or 2 and then go back into the hospital and have the sleeve......now way....it was Mexico all the way for me.

When I attended my first informative session with a weight loss surgeon they were really only pushing 2 alternatives. The lapband and the bypass. I knew that there were too many things that I had read about the bypass that I knew that was not for me. So they told me that the sleeve would be my answer. Well after 2 years and 90 pounds down with 90 pounds still to go and at a stall for over 8 months my doctor said to me. "Well with the amount of weight you had to lose you should have had the sleeve in the first place." I wanted to reach out and knock him off of his chair. Like what the He**. I decided to persue the sleeve only to be told by my insurance that they would not cover it as I had such good success with the lapband. Well I still had 90 pounds to shed and they wanted almost $40,000 to removed the band and then a month later to go in and do the sleeve. Well I do not have that kind of money so that was out of the questions. A friend of my brothers who lives in California had been deined by her insurance as well and had just returned from Tijuana. I got her number and spoke to her several times about her experiences in Tijuana and her surgery. She was doing great and was not having any problems. I checked into it and decided to have surgery in tijuana with Dr F Garcia. It has been the best decision of my life as I am doing great, feeling great, have had not problems and I am down 30 pounds in a month. I would say that it depends on how much weight you have to lose if the band will work for you. in my personal opinion if you have 90 or more pounds to lose then you should be looking at the sleeve and not the band. Oh and another thing about the band is the constant adjustment of the Water in the band and the regular vomiting that I had with the band. Since having the sleeve I have not had a single episode of vomiting..........HOORAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

You first problem is that you are weighing everyday. STOP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Any doctor that has been in weight loss tells his patients never to weight daily as your body can do things that you have no control over especially if you are a woman. Even men have problems with this weight loss and do not lose everyday and may gain. I know that I was very happy the first 2 weeks and then I hit the stall and even gained. I was so down that I just wanted to eat everything in site but thank goodness for the sleeve and it would not allow me to eat. I now weight once a week and feel more excited as I look forward to Monday mornings. I can also tell in other ways between weigh ins as I can tell that my clothes are loser and I can tell the difference in the mirror. I wish that everyone on her would stop weighing daily but I know that I will never convince them. It you weight once a week it will be the best thing that every happened to your week.

Congratulations on your insurance approval. You must have some great insurance as mine denied me immediately.....thus the trip to Mexico. I think that you will never regret your decision and the new life that awaits. I know that my confidence and self esteem have increased in just the month since I had surgery and lost 30 pounds. I know how high you feel right now but this will be nothing compared to how you feel a few months after your surgery. Again congratulations and keep us posted.

So sorry to hear that you have had so many problems. I did have a week that i did not have a bowel movement either and I became very concerned. I started to take some gummy Fiber chews and a stool softner everyday and I finally was able to go but not after some intense straining. I have worked in the medical field for many years and I have participated in the manual removal of stool from people that have become severly impacted, I can imagine your discomfort but I can also imagine how much better your felt once that was removed. I certainly hope that you tests are all good and that it was caused from your diet and change in eating. I am in Chicago this weekend and I am trying to decide what I can have to eat Saturday night as I would like to go out instead of staying in my room and eating a Protein shake or packaged Soup with hot Water. I have a craving for Mexican and thought that maybe just some chicken, cheese, chopped tomato and some Beans would work but I am going to think about this until tomorrow night. Keep us posted as to your test results and again I hope that all is well.

Congratulations......my surgeaniversary was on Jan 11 and i have lost 30 pounds. I too have had the stall this past week and I am hoping that the scale gets back on track when I weight next Monday. Congratulations on your success.

I only told those in my immediate circle of friends and my immediate family. I figured that I might get enough push back from them and did not need the extra hassle with the upcoming surgery. Most of my friends and family supported my decision that I told and now that others know that I have had the surgery and have seen the change in me in just a month they are happy and very supportive of me.

Well I had my first bout with what I will call "head hunger". Of course this occured when the forum was down and I needed some help. I was sitting watching tv and could not get the forum to come up so I guess I was a little bored. I was watching tv and it seemed that every commercial that came on was for food. I think this triggered something in me that said "EAT". It got to the point that I just knew that I had to get up and get something to eat. Well I did get up and eat but then my stomach told me that I was full but my head said that I should eat more. I guess I did eat a little more than I usually eat but then it was not a total bust as what I ate was Protein. At least it was not Cookies or something sinful. Does anyone else have attacks like this and if so what do you do to combat them. I try to keep myself busy at night but that is when it seems that I watch more tv and see more of the food commercials.

I have never vomited since I had the sleeve a month ago. I have felt uncomfortable because I either ate too fast or too much. I also do not drink immediately before or after I eat as I was also told not to. Plus I think that if you drink after that it puts more pressure on the food that you have eaten and may increase the risk of vomiting. I am happy to say that I have not vomited since I had my band removed and the sleeve performed. Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!