Webchickadee

My father is also a diabetic (not very compliant, unfortunately, but heck he's 84 now and I figure if he wants some sweets at his age, he should have it!). He also has hypertension, and my mother had breast and lung cancer. I am a train wreck waiting to happen! Or at least I was.....now with my sleeve, I think I have a fighting chance to stave off a lot of these impending health disasters (I hope!). The best NSVs ever, in my books!

Oh happy joy! I am on the 11th day of my first stall (6 weeks post-op) and it's frustrating! I know it will end. It HAS to end, no one can sustain 283 lbs body on 600 calories a day. But when?? LOL. Thanks for the encouragement. It's great to hear that "there is light at the end of the tunnel".....and that it's not just an on-coming train. Congrats on your progress. Super, fantastic!

I am FAR from "onederland"....I only just got to "tooterville" (in the 200's rather than 300's)! But you better believe I'll be posting a HUGE post when I hit that. I haven't been in "onederland" since I was 18 years old (I'm 42 now!). I'm on a 1 week stall right now and it's hard to keep motivated. My husband and I agreed that it's time to forget the scale (we actually use the WiiFit every morning when we get up). I'll revisit the scale/Wii in a week and hopefully thing will be moving by then! Sigh.

I have worn a MedicAlert braclet for 20 years. I have a number of health conditions that are potentially life-threatening (including anaphlyactic allergies to Latex, bee/wasp stings, codeine and rabbits!). I also carry an Epipen. Once I had the VSG surgery, I was considering getting a new braclet, but I already have a ton of info on mine (all my allergies, asthma, epipen, etc.). The great thing about Medic Alert is that your bracelet (or watch, or pendant, necklace, etc.) is only 1 part of the lifeline! You have a unique ID number engraved on the bracelet that identifies you, along with a 1-800 number that emergency personnel or hospital staff can call and get full details of your medical status. And also contact info, next of kin, doctors, surgeons, current meds, etc. Instead of getting a new bracelet, I updated my personal ID card in my wallet with VSG on it, no blind NG tubes, etc. Not perfect (if my purse isn't near me), but if they call the 1-800 number, they'll get all that info too. Here are some links to different country organizations: Canada Medic Alert USA Medic Alert Australia Medic Alert New Zealand Medic Alert UK Medic Alert Cyprus Medic Alert Iceland Medic Alert Malaysia Medic Alert South Africa Medic Alert Zimbabwe Medic Alert

I find that I still haven't learned to eat as slowly as I should. It takes time for the brain to register "full". In the past, the stretch receptors in your stomach would signal the brain "full" once they started to stretch. It would take some time for this to translate to the brain and then tell you "hey, getting full down here....please stop eating". In the meanwhile, you have still eaten more, but it was okay because you still had stretch capacity and could eat a few more bites without too many side effects (pain, nausea, vomiting). Now, the greater curvature of the stomach (where all our stretch capacity and most of our stretch receptors were located) is gone. Therefore, by the time your brain figures out you're full and you stop eating, you're probably already past capacity and end up feeling overfull and perhaps ill. The best way to combat this is to measure food (and weights are based primarily on dense foods such as dense Proteins, etc. not food that expands in your stomach, such as breads, etc.). As well, the second best approach is to eat slowly enough to give your brain time to catch up with what is happening with your stomach and signal you in time to stop, not after you're already full. Again, as I said, this is a very difficult skill to master! I'm still not chewing each bite enough (it's gets boring to have the same thing in your mouth for so long...mashed to a pulp!) and I still eat too fast (years of eating "on the go" and wanting to get my food in quick!).

There are many reasons you may feel "hungry". You might have excess acid production. The acid can causing a "hunger" sensation, and as it moves further up the esophagus, will then lead to true heart burn and pain. If this is the case, using an acid reducer, or proton pump inhibitor (PPI) such as Prilosec (Omeprazole) can be VERY useful. I take a 20 mg Omeprazole tablet 2 x per day and it keeps things nicely under control for me. As well, the most likely culprit for hunger is "head hunger". This is where your brain is telling you that you want/need/crave something that your stomach and body will not end up agreeing with. And it's usually in much larger quantities that we can handle now that our stomachs are so tiny. Your brain, and mouth, are used to ingesting much larger quantities (as we did in the past....that's how we got here.......no portion control!). Now, when you put just a few bitefuls of food on your plate, it makes your brain scream "WTF....you can't live on that.....come on, pile it up baby". That leads to overeating our stomach capacity, pain, nausea, etc. It takes months to learn what your real capacity is. I'm only a 5 weeks out and I've bought too much food nearly every week, and had to throw things out. I was putting too much on my plate (I thought I could handle 4 oz...and barely made it through 2 oz!). My new favourite weapon is my digital scale. I weigh EVERYTHING and keep my total meal at about 3 oz. Not only does this prevent me from overeating and feeling just horrible afterwards (pain, nausea, etc.), but I can accurately enter everything into my food log (I use MyFitnessPal) and monitor exactly how many grams of Protein, carbs, fat, etc. I am consuming. Get yourself a scale and starting weighing everything. You'll quickly learn to "eyeball" the right quantities for yourself. You don't mention how far out you are post-op. In the first few months, your capacity is constantly changing. In the first month, the swelling is still going down (and therefore your capacity is increasing). In the next few months, you're learning what foods you tolerate well and how much, and which give you problems. It's shifting landscape and you have to learn to "roll with the punches" for a while. It does get easier!

The first thing you will learn is that "there is no normal". LOL Everyone reacts differently to the surgery and has differing levels of healing, tolerance, etc. If you are able to take sips 10 seconds apart and feel good afterwards, I say CELEBRATE! That's awesome! Fullness makes sense because your stomach is SUPER TINY right now. With post-op swelling, it may only be 1-2 ounces in capacity at the moment. And it may take a week or more for that to swelling to reduce enough for you to increase your Fluid intake capacity and frequency. The most important thing you can do right now is carefully follow your doctor's instructions, stay hydrated and give yourself plenty of time to heal. At whatever rate your body dictates. And feel free to ask questions here. We're happy to help. You might think about using the SEARCH box (top right hand corner of the page) to see if your question has been posted before. Probably, it has been, and many helpful answers already given. Soak up the knowledge. There's a TON of it on this site! Good luck!

I'm 5 weeks out and just in the midst of my first stall. Only 6 days now, but it is worrisome that maybe I won't lose any more weight. Stupid head game! Of course I will lose more weight! I can't maintain my current weight (283 lbs) on 600-700 calories a day. Sheer lunacy! But my emotional self is worried. I'll get through this....and should probably stay off the scale for a while to stop "psyching myself out".

This sounds great! It's still too much food for me (I'm only about 5 weeks out), so I would probably only eat about 1/2 of it. But that means more left-overs for the next day! I'll give it a try on the weekend! Thanks!

So sorry you had that experience! 4 more weeks of liquids would drive me insane. But think of how much weight you'll lose (....looking for the upside here....). As to being a cheap date...I told my husband I'm the cheapest date ever now. He doesn't have to buy me a drink (I'd get bombed on 1/2 an alcoholic drink now, I'm sure). And if I was REALLY hungry, he could take me to costco on "sample" day. It would be like a buffet, and I'd be full after about 3 tasting stations! LOL. Cheapest date EVER.

I think the intention is well-meaning. I've been trying to get my husband to come to the YMCA with me to go for a swim. He really needs to start working on his leg strength as he's supposed to have a knee replacement in the next 10 months or so. He's on a low-carb diet now (we both are, LOL, but I have the advantage of having my sleeve!). And he wants to lose about 75 lbs. But at the moment he's very unhappy with his body and is too embarrassed to go to the Y! So there's proof that guys have the same body-image issues as we ladies do.....this "no skinnys allowed" policy would give him the peace of mind to go to the gym and start working on his health. All that being said though, I agree. It is reverse discrimination, and it absolutely is ironic that the members would essentially be working hard to get themselves "kicked out" of the gym.

I find it amusing, (and in a strange way, a validation of my success to date), that my BMs are quite small and only every few days. Prior to surgery, I was probably eating between 2500-3500 calories a day (with some MEGA days that were probably easily over 5,000!). I used to have very "substantial" BMs and if I weighed myself before and after (as it sometimes happened.....not because I was monitoring...LOL), there could be a couple of pounds in that BM! Crazy! Just more proof that I was WAY overeating what my body needed, and working my digestive system in overdrive just to keep up with my intake! In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if one of the benefits of the VSG (in combination with a radically more healthy diet) is a measurable difference in the rate of colon cancer! Another reason I'm so glad I had this surgery!

I tried half of a Strub's Full Sour Kosher Dill pickle with my lunch today (i had 2 slices of cooked ham, 1 melba toast, 1 wedge Light Laughing Cow cheese). It tasted wonderful, but gave me some mild stomach pain. That was 20 min ago and now I'm just fine. I think I might have eaten too fast, and the pain wasn't related to the pickle at all! I'll try it again another day (without the Melba toast next time, and slower!) and let you know how it goes. Yummmmy! (Especially if there really isn't any discomfort!) I am a bit more than 5 weeks post-op and on full foods (with caution, and as tolerated)

I completely agree with Wheetsin about the likelihood of having either lung(s) or heart "nicked" during surgery. Your heart would bleed so profusely the surgeon would not have been able to see anything in the surgical field. If you "nicked" a lung, it would collapse (even a small tear would do that) and the anesthetist would have seen that immediately during surgery, based on many indicators (reduced lung volume, increased airway resistance, lower oxygenation/pulse oximetry, deviated trachea, pneumothorax, etc.). As mentioned, it could possibly be a pocket of infection due to poor reinflation of your lungs post-op. That could be pneumonia and needs treatment immediately. It could also be trapped gas, as has also been suggested. If you are concerned, and CERTAINLY if the pain feels as if it is in the heart, please go to the nearly ER department and get it looked at. If everything checks out fine, you will rest and recover much better with peace of mind. And if they find something, they can fix you up and get you back on the road to recovery! Good luck and let us know how it goes.

I think that ship has sailed. As far as I can tell, Pipula had her surgery in April 2012! Pipula, don't despair. Statistics never tell the whole story! Those number encompass everyone who has had the surgery. Some followed the program to a "T" and did super well. Probably losing 100% of their excess weight. Others fell off the program early on and may have only lost 30% of their excess weight (or less). It's like it was when you were in school. The class average might have been 72% for History in your grade 10 class. But there were probably 10 students that got high 90s and probably 10 students that didn't even come close to passing the class. Overall, the "average" was 72% So the harder you work (just like those 90%ers probably did in the History class), the better your chance for success! Keep to your doctor's orders, always eat Protein first, then veg, then carb (if there's any room left!). Drink LOTS and LOTS of fluids, and move that body.....every day, in some way! You can reach your goal weight......so many many people on this Forum have done it and even lower than their original goals. And they were facing the same statistics as you are now. They didn't let that scare them. They decided they were going to be on the top end of that "bell curve". You can be there too. Keep working hard, keep the faith and be patient. We didn't get obese overnight, we won't get healthy and down to normal BMIs overnight either. But we can get there with perseverance, determination and hard work.

I understand completely, and I agree, servers make assumptions based on our looks. It's not right and not fair, but it is life! Look at it this way though..........since you're only 49 lbs from your goal weight, you're no longer the "fat girl". Seriously! You're bigger than average, but soon (in another few months), you will blend right in with your ideal weight/healthy/genetically blessed friends and family and you won't be getting this unwanted attention and as many mistakes on your orders. So hang in there, and don't stop socializing with your peer group because of this. This is temporary and those friendships are not. Keep in touch with them in the way they are most comfortable (meals/drinks), and stick to your guns with your orders and consumption. When you hit goal weight (won't be long now...!), you'll be the "skinny" one and ordering just an appy or side salad will fit right in with the wait staff's assumptions.

That's great! Glad you were able to get through the hard first few days. Carb detoxification is a b***h! Keep up the good work. Your surgery will be here in no time!

I had gall bladder surgery 13 years ago and Dr. Kelly did my VSG surgery on May 14, 2012. I did not reuse the same incisions (not even one of them), but it wasn't because he denied me. I didn't even think to ask! One of the incisions for the VSG is quite close to one of my GB incisions. Most of the rest are not that close. I could take some pictures if you want. Most of my incisions are on the left half of my abdomen, and my GB incisions were more on the right half or middle. Most of my GB incision sites are very faint now (due to the long time they have had to heal and fade away!). Keeping that fading in mind, you might not feel the need to "reuse" old incision sites, as they do tend to fade quite well (especially if you take Vitamin E and use Bio Oil on them). But of course, everyone has a personal preference. In terms of technical limitations, there may be a good reason to not use the same incision sites. This has more to do with the underlying abdominal wall muscles. Re-opening old healed wounds in the muscle wall (from your GB surgery) may take longer to heal and may produce more weakness in the abdominal wall at those points. But I don't know that for a fact, and of course, Dr. Kelly will be able to answer those questions with 10,000 % more knowledge on the subject than I can! Finally, also keep in mind that Dr. Kelly uses VERY small incisions (most of mine are an inch or smaller) and for me, he glued them shut, so I have no suture lines, just a nice clean straight incision that should fade well over time. Good luck, and let me know if you want pictures. I apologize in advance for the jelly belly! LOL

It's so interesting how different everyone's tolerance of different elements of this surgery are. I myself didn't find the "gastrique" that bad. Sure, it wasn't my favourite liquid. If i never have it again, it will be too soon. But it did not make me naseous or vomit. And I was so interested in seeing it "travel" through my esophageous, stomach and intestines that I watched it and was totally distracted by that, rather than the taste in my mouth. I am 5 weeks post-op and I have had the VERY good fortune of NEVER vomiting yet (hopefully I haven't jinxed myself now!). In any case, it's just another part of the journey that we have to go through. And at least with this one, you get instant feedback. Most of the time (hopefully it's close to 100% of the time for all patients) we find out everything is "hunky dory" and no leaks!

Please don't be discouraged by a pound or two gain, especially early on! Your weight can fluctuate by several pounds within the course of an average day, depending on your fluid balance/load, time of month (hormones!), constipation, etc. As you already know (it's easy to know in your head, but harder to "know" emotionally, I understand)....your body is learning to adjust to this radical new way of life. You have to give it time to adjust. And daily weigh-ins can be counter-productive to our motivation and emotional health. I KNOW it's hard not to step on the scale. You want positive feedback that you're doing it right, and you want to "nip things in the bud" if you doing something wrong. I get it. But if you feel you MUST weight yourself each day, then be ready to "roll with the punches" when it goes up or down more than you expected. We are all in this for the long-haul. Whether you're a fast loser or a slow loser, the end result will be the same. You will reach your goal and maintain that lovely new weight as long as you stick to the program. Protein first, then veg, then carb (if you have room). Lots and lots of liquids, and keep that body active! Fast losers get the positive reinforcement of seeing the weight loss faster, but slow losers often benefit from having less saggy skin, requiring less cosmetic revision later on. Whatever your path, it is YOUR unique path. Try to be "zen" about it and accept the pace you are on (stalls and speed-bumps included). We are all headed down the same path, towards the same goal. Some of us are at the beginning, some of us are at the end, many of us are in between, either sprinting, strolling, or taking a short "breather" along the way.

Woohoo! Happy Onederland! Way to go! Keep up the fantastic work, and celebrate this SV (scale victory!) with something...perhaps a nice new dress (that will work "with you" for a few sizes until you're too skinny to fit into it!

But you WILL be able to eat everything again after the surgery. Just not for a long long while! Ask any of the "veterans" here on the Forum. They eat whatever they want! But they make sure if it's not healthy and part of their long-term maintenance plan, that it's a VERY small amount of the "treat" and that it is only on rare occasions. That's one of the great things about this surgery. You don't actually have to GIVE UP anything! You just have to let your stomach heal, teach yourself your new food life plan, and then once in a while, give in to your craving or treat (in a small way). It's the only way to live with this radical change for the rest of your life and be really happy (and not feel deprived, the way we always did on our previous diets).

Pre-op diet weight: 318.8 Day of surgery: 307 One month post-op: 285.1 Total loss to date: 33.7 pounds (or 21.9 pounds post-op) May 14/12 June 14/12 Change Right Arm 19.00 18.75 -0.25 Left Arm 18.50 18.50 0.00 Right Leg 31.00 29.50 -1.50 Left Leg 31.50 28.50 -3.00 Bust 53.00 51.50 -1.50 Bra Line 45.00 44.50 -0.50 Waist 54.00 51.50 -2.50 Hips 63.00 60.00 -3.0 Total inches lost = 12.25 I am VERY happy with these numbers. I know it probably won't continue this fast, but I did join the YMCA yesterday (with my hubby!) and I'll be adding gym workouts to my daily walks. I love my Fitbit........so far it's been motivating both me and my husband to get moving!

First thing.......stop panicking! You are in control of this, you just need a little help getting back on track. I suggest you try LittleMissDiva's Bootcamp to get you back on track. It is like a "reboot" for your healthy habits and will give you some results you can see and feel right away, to increase the motivation and help you stick with the plan for life! It's like a lifeline created just for these types of situations. You are not alone in this experience. A quick search of the Forum will show you that LOTS of people have had this "speed bump" along the way and have overcome the challenge and got themselves back to basics and happy, and healthy (both in body and spirit!). Give it a try, and let us know how it goes!

Yes, at the beginning it can be frustrating if you feel like you're losing slowly. I was losing quite quickly and now I've hit some mini-plateaus (every few days it stalls for 2-4 days). I know it's reasonable for my body to be "adjusting". My head knows it, but my emotions are still all over the place when I get on that scale and it hasn't moved down, or worse still, has inched up a tad! Reading this post has certainly helped me put things in perspective and I'm sure to revisit it over the next several months to help keep me on track! Thanks for the "reality check"!