ChaChaBurch

Congratulations! Absolutely beautiful!!!!

Our church has a Food Bank that is open once a month. As the Director of the Food Bank, it's my responsibility to ensure there is enough food to provide several day's worth of meals for those who come in. Normally, we are able to receive food from a non-profit organization that provides about 50% of our food for free, however, this month, they were booked solid and were not able to assist. So i spent all day yesterday out shopping for food, and putting it in the Food Bank. Thankfully, I had a friend who went with me to help. What i wasn't really paying attention to was how very little I ate, and also how many pounds of food that I handled. Putting food in the cart, placing it on the check-out belt, then sacking it, then taking it to the truck, then taking it out of the truck, and then carrying into the Food Bank, then placing it on the shelves. It is such a tremendous blessing to be able to be involved in this ministry, that I just wasn't really paying a lot of attention to what I was doing physically, as well as the amount of food I was consuming. For my food yesterday, my intake was a cup of coffee, a slim-fast shake, a few bites of refried beans, a few bites of chicken fajita meat, and that was it!! I don't know why I didn't think more abut eating. I just wasn't hungry, and I was having such a great time being able to purchase food for those in need, that I just didn't THINK! So when I got up this morning, I felt really bad. No energy, sore and achy. I decided to step on the scale, and I had lost 1.2lbs since yesterday! I don't think it's a good idea to lose that much in one day - and I would strongly recommend that no one else do it. I can tell you that it sure as heck doesn't feel good. Even though today is my 4 week "Surgiversary", I have learned that I'm not as far along the healing journey as I thought I was. I am not invincible (although some days I feel it), and that I need to pay closer attention to what I'm doing, and what I'm eating. Lesson Learned!

UK Cath - so glad to hear from you. I'm so happy that you're doing well, and that things are going good! Keep us posted on your progress.

I had the band in 2007, and my revision was done 3/22 -- all in one surgery. I understand where you're coming from! I experienced getting stuck on an almost daily basis, and could never find the "sweet spot" on the band. My surgeon said that there was a "massive" amount of scar tissue, but he (along with another surgeon) were able to get it all. I am feeling great and haven't had a problem with getting stuck since! Best thing I've ever done!!

Just an update: I had my revision on 3/22 and I have to say it was the best thing I've done in a long, long time! It was done in one surgery and lasted only 2.5 hours -- and he was able to do it lapriscopically! I am so happy with my sleeve! No more getting stuck, no more sliming! I am on the "soft/mushy" phase, but so far it's been well worth it!

The pain in your back is probably gas. It sometimes takes several weeks to go away. The pain in your diaphragm is probably because your eating/drinking too fast. Also, I felt great for the first 2 weeks, and then suddenly started having sharp pains on the left side of my belly. Found out is was the nerve endings starting to "wake" back up. It went away after about 3 days.

So you ate mashed potatoes, and thankfully, nothing has happened. That's really good, but from here on out, stick with your post op. It would be a real shame to have complications after having worked so hard, and been through so much to get to this point. Talk with your doctor to get more suggestions on what you can have, and make sure you finish healing. I've seen others on the board talk about major complications when they skipped ahead on their eating plans, and I would hate to see you going through the same pain and suffering that they have. Good luck!

I had my band done 01/07, and lost around 50+ lbs, but by September 2007 I began to have issues. I struggled with each and every meal, not a day went by that I didn't get "stuck" and had to run to the restroom to throw it all back up. Junk food became my only way to eat. For almost 4 years I saw numerous band doctors trying to get help. No one could help me get adjusted properly, and finally just about everyone around me (family included) began to tell me it was all in my head. I constantly heard, "If you could just . . . . ", and "Why don't you ....." All this from folks who had no clue what I dealt with on a daily basis. I had my revision on 3/22/12, by Dr. Kaler, here in Hot Springs, AR. He told me that he felt that he could do the revision in 1 surgery, but that he couldn't guarantee it. He stated that once he got in, if he felt it wasn't possible, then he would have to "open me up". I told him that was fine, I just wanted the band out. Thankfully, he WAS able to do it in one surgery, laproscopically, and I have been thankful every day! Although the doctor told me that I had an enormous amount of scar tissue around the band, he was still able to remove 85% of my stomach, with no issues. I am still on my "soft mushy" phase for another 2 weeks, but I am eating healthier than I have for the last 5 years, and not had a single issues of getting stuck, having the slimes, or throwing up! When I got my band, I will admit that I had a few concerns, and wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do at the time, but I got caught up in all the hype - I lived in Dallas at the time and 12 of my co-workers had the same surgery done. Today, out of the 12, only 1 has lost all their weight and kept it off. At least 3 of them have had the revision, and the other 8 are still suffering. My decision for the revision was my own, with no input from anyone other than my DH, who was supportive and just wanted me to be happy. Best of luck in your search, and I hope that you find all the information you need to make the best decision for you. The other thing that I am thankful for, is that I no longer have a foreign object inside of me.

Glad to hear that your okay!

Saturday, my DH and I hooked up our trailer, loaded our zero-turn mower, and headed to the church. I mowed while he did the weed-eating, and picked up trash around the property. Afterwards, I couldn't stop talking! I had the most energy that I've had in a month, and I think because of being outside, and the physical activity, it got some endorphins bouncing around inside. He was laughing because he said he hadn't seen me this "pumped up" in a while, and he was glad to see it. - He always knows what to say, and that's why he's a happily married man -- go ahead and ask him Today, Sunday, church was wonderful, and after we got home, we both laid back and chilled. That is until the storm was blowing in. So it was a quick run out to the barn to put up all the animals, when suddenly the 70mph winds hit. Thankfully we had just gotten everyone inside, so we hung out with the chickens, goats, and ducks, until the unbelievable downpour slowed enough. I guess this means that I'm going to have to mow our yard this week. Thankfully, I am up to the task! My energy level is better than ever, and I'm really looking forward to what this next week brings.

Getting ready for church this morning, and one of the pantsuits I normally wear (size 24), was WAY too big. I couldn't believe it! I found an outfit that was 2 sizes smaller (size 20) . . . . and it fight perfectly! I just about fainted!!! Only 3 weeks post-op!

Oh My! I hadn't heard a thing about the B12 . . . I've just been taking chewable Calcium, chewable multi and a iron tablet at night . . . Thank goodness I still have some sub-lingual B12 . . . excuse me while I go take one.

Another thing, have you found the "May 2012 Sleevers" forum group yet? You can get a LOT of support from there and follow along with other "Sleevers" that have surgery the same time you do. Just go to Monthly Gastric Sleeve Support, look for "2012" and then scroll down to find your month. That's where I've found the greatest cheerleaders and support for me.

I remember the days when my girls were young and each weekend was filled with Softball and band practice. Sometimes I miss those days, and sometimes I'm just thankful I survived them

Sounds like fun!

I am so glad you're feeling better! Keep it up and each day will get better and better!

Congrats on your success! Such an inspiration!!!

After I decided to go forward with surgery, time seemed to sloooooow down to almost nothing. The closer to the surgery date, the slower it went! I tried just about everything to keep me occupied so I wouldn't constantly obsess about it. But the date finally arrived, and now I'm 3 weeks post-op. Looking back it seems like time really flew (of course). I spent a HUGE amount of time going through this website trying to absorb just about as much information as I could so that I would be mentally prepared. I know it seems the same for you right now, but it will go by a lot faster than you can believe - just stay busy doing any and everything that you can. Good Luck - and let us know how you're doing!

I'm really glad I found this thread. I'm 3 weeks post-op and about 3-4 days ago I noticed that I was having some pain on my left side (especially when I was laying on my left side at night). I was really afraid that my "tummy" was coming loose or something - hahahahaha. That does coincide with where the largest incision is for me, and also where my port was for my lapband that the Doc removed. I don't see my Doc again until May 9th and was considering calling him.

So Marchers - any special plans for the weekend? I've got some work to do in our barn. We have baby chicks and ducks hatching all over the place! And our goats are not happy, so we're going to do some rearranging. I'm also going to attempt to get on my zero-turn mower and get some mowing done. Doctor say's it should be okay as long as I take it easy.

I personally think the gallbladder surgery (lapriscopically) is sooooo much easier to recuperate from than the sleeve!!

It took me 16 hours to get down 1 protein shake the first time (3 days after surgery). Mine were pre-made, and extra thick. Now I "water" mine down. As the swelling in your stomach goes down, you will be able to get fluids in, but I would suggest that right now, you just want to focus on water - dehydration is horrible! Try ice chips, SF Popsicle's, etc.I would suggest to try and stay away from anything that's high in sodium, as it just defeats the purpose.

Are you feeling better after the hospital visit? Did they give you IV fluids? I hope you can begin taking in more water. Just try itty bitty baby sips, every few minutes. I'll keep you in my prayers!

I'm soooo sorry that you've been experiencing this. I had an attack back in 2008 (swore I was having a heart attack), and had mine removed. I'm really glad I did.