Nick'sMom

Almost 10 months out and have never vomited...although came close after eating Gelato...and another time after eating ice cream. As you can guess, I now steer clear of both. I am not sure if it's the fat content or the consistency but it does not agree with me.

I second the Kane center and also Dr rantis. Was sleeved 12/10/12 with him. He was amazing preop and also postop. I see him tomorrow for my 6 month checkup.

When did you have surgery or was it your son? Someone in one of my preop nutrition class was there with his mom and also the day I had surgery i saw the same mom and son. I never introduced myself but was wondering if that was you .

I had my surgery 9/27/12. I was not there with my son..I was there alone...or actually sitting with a friend I met through this site. Good luck at your 6 month!!!

I would also recommend The Kane Center - specifically Dr. Rantis. He was great before and on surgery day - was also great with my family on surgery day. I had two follow up appointments with his PA and recently had my 6 mo followup with Dr. Rantis (more like 7 month). Very encouraging and positive. I met Dr. Kane in the hospital and has a great bed-side manner.

You are welcome. I think us "slow" losers shy away for many reasons, sad, but true. I think there are more of us than we probably realize. My surgeon reminded me of the stats, 70% of excess weight in the first 12-18 months and it could take up to 2 years to reach goal. I hope it doesn't take me two years , but it is still faster than my year of nutritional planning and working out with a 15lb loss that I gained back on vacation. I am so thankful for my sleeve whether it takes me 12-24 months to reach goal!

Well Said - Thank You for the Reminder! Just what I needed to hear

The hunger did come back for me. I'm 6 months out and now get hungry. I wish I understood better how this process would affect me. I mean, I did the reading, attended nutrition classes, support groups and interacted here. But I'm just realizing now with the wisdom of looking back...how things change. Don't get me wrong, I feel great, I've lost about 56+ lbs and I would do it all again.....but I can't help feeling that I should have taken what I read to heart more and not rushed to 'feel normal' again. Enjoy the honeymoon period!!

Hi, I'm interested in your experiences with St. Alexius Elk Grove and the Kane Center practice. Dr. Kane is my potential surgeon? I'm waiting for insurance approval.

I went through the Kane Center practice as well. I did all of my preop stuff at St. Alexius but ultimately had the surgery on 9/24/12 at Alexian Brothers because it fit better with my schedule and my dr (Dr. Rantis). The surgery went great and I stayed 2 nights. The hospital staff was wonderful. I met Dr. Kane briefly 2x while in the hospital. He seemed very nice and and had a good bed-side manner.

Hi There - I had my surgery through the same surgical center but a different doctor. Mine was covered by insurance so maybe there are differences. I'm sorry you had that experience as mine was the total opposite, except maybe working with the schedulers. I think they have too much on their plate and the office may need more help. I think your idea of a point person is a good one. I pretty much only called and talked to 2 different people - one that handled all my pre-op appointments and requirements and the other that handled insurance and surgery scheduling.

As far as my Dr. (Dr. Rantis) was really great before, during and directly after the surgery. All of my followups have been with his PA but I haven't needed to see him as my recovery was fairly easy and uneventful. I did go home with a perscription for liquid pain medicine and omperazole - actually both written by Dr. Guske when I was released. I couldn't imagine leaving without either! I wonder what happened that you didn't have this?? Which hospital did you have your surgery? I ultimately had it at Alexian Brothers as the days my surgeon is there fit better with my schedule.

Which nutritionist did you meet with? I did not think they had any at the surgical center but I did meet with one at St. Alexius and also attended a nutritional class before surgery - both were required by my insurance company. I also met with Dr. Crane, the Nutritional Psycologist before surgery and he was good to talk with.

Did they raise the cost of the support sessions? Their website where they list all the classes and support groups still shows $10. I haven't attended any recently but they were pretty informative.

Good luck to you and I'm sure things will improve.

I finally got around to this about a week ago and it was fantastic!!!! My whole family loved it.

It freezes great too! I broke it out into 4 oz containers, froze them and they are a grab&go for my lunches. Lately I've been heating it up, adding it to sliced cucumbers with a little light sour cream. Yum!

Has anyone had any times where you just felt "off"? I only ask because I remember my doc and nurse telling me to get to the er if you ever did. And I feel off but I'm wondering if it's just something coming on (tis the season for illnesses).

I haven't really been able to eat yesterday, or today. I couldn't get much in me yesterday (but I felt fine). Today I feel like garbage and had a Protein Shake that went down fine, but I'm trying to eat dinner and it's torture. And strange pains...I think I should call it a day and just go to bed.

Any fever?

Dr. Rantis is awesome!!

Im doing great! I love the results of this surgery! I have lost 63 lbs in 1 1/2 months! Dr. Rantis is a great surgeon I love him! How are you doing ?

Holy Crap that's awesome!! I'm down 32 - happy with that so far. I just keep try to remember that I didn't put it on overnight so I have to be patient and it will come off

I am so glad I have found people near Chicago! I got sleeved OCT. 5th by Dr. rantis @ st. alexius !!!

Hi Christi_86 - I was sleeved 9/24 by Dr. Rantis at Alexian Bros. How are you doing?

Has anyone noticed an increase in hair shedding yet? Its starting to freak me out even though only i notice it. I will admit I am vain about my hair haha

Yes! I hate it. I've uped my Biotin and have also read that extra Iron can help. But then I read other sites that say nothing helps, your body just has to adjust. So frustrating!

Made it today and just finished eating. AWESOME!! Even my 5 year old ate it and loved it. I served it with tostitos instead of tortillas because I was in the mood for nacho style. This was sooo easy. Thanks for Sharing!

Bought everything and making it tomorrow. Thanks!!

I'm taking 10,000 mcg a day of Biotin plus to many to mention other suppliments that are for hair, nails and skin. I get a least 60 grams of Protein a day. So it's not working for me. Puritan's Pride has the 10,000 mcg of Biotin small pills for cheap prices plus buy 1 get 1 free. I just think some people will lose more than others and some might not lose any at all. The wigs are working for me just fine for now anyway.

Drag, I hope things change for you soon. Where did you find the Puritan's Pride?

NO, Not all my hair but a lot of it. Enough that I'm wearing wigs. No I can drink the Protein Drinks just fine. I drink the ones from costco that have 30 grams of Protein per serving.

As I understand it, taking Biotin helps with the Hair loss. I found Biotin at Costco and I usually grind it up and put it in my applesauce. Since it's a big pill, my stomach finds it a little hard to digest sometimes.

Oh, it's linked to dehydration! I was thinking because it was empty for so long. Makes total sense. Thanks.

I used to feel that way and then I started drinking a Protein shake about 1 hour before bed and no longer feel nauseau in the morning. Give it a try - might work for you too! Good Luck!

Thanks for the idea - I too am nauseous until my tummy wakes up - or at least I thought so. I'm not sure I'll have enough calories to allow for a Protein Drink before bed (mine are 160 calories) but of course most days I do. I was thinking it was because it empties out overnight that getting in Water or juice wakes it up, I take my ppi then about 1/2-1 hour later I eat breakfast. Seems to be working so far.

PS...I like your Andy Dufrane reference!

my breakfast sucked big time. scrambled egg and 1/4 cup peaches. i didnt even finish the egg. i think im back to my normal not liking breakfast phase. time for shakes in the morning man.

Did it suck because you couldn't finish or did it not settle right? I found two things...1, I have to drink something in the morning first to wake up my tummy otherwise I get nauseous for several minutes - no matter what I eat. 2...I can tolerate Egg Beaters in the morning better than real scrambled eggs. However, in the afternoon, I can do a hard boiled egg no problem. Maybe just try switching things around a bit. There's also oatmeal - some have Protein and are sugar free (have spenda though) or try for a few pieces of bacon. The Oscarm Meyer precooked is fast for the morning.

I dreaded this part of the process but I made it through and so can you!!! Good luck everyone!!

I'm just over a month out and started with soft foods. I thought I was chewing really well and slowly but I'm thinking maybe it's more of an overeatting thing. I have a hard time realizing when I'm full - it's different depending on what I eat. Eating cottage cheese, I can eat 1/2 cup and no issues. I can't eat that much chicken or harder food...maybe 2-3 oz any more I've been getting a pain in my left rig cage or sometimes in my left shouder area. It goes away but of course I started to get nervous that it's a leak. No other symptoms. I'm going to call my dr. tomorrow just to check it out with others as well. Thanks.

Feeling good seems so long ago... I know this will pass, but right now I am feeling pretty miserable.. Lots of pain, difficulty getting my Protein down - wondering what the heck did I do to myself... Also, have to give myself blood thinner shots twice daily and empty a drain ... I don't even feel human anymore... :-;

How long

You are going to be feeling better before you know it. Each day it will get better. Don't rush yourself. I was sleeved on 9/24 (Monday) and went back to work the following Tuesday. Plus once the shots are over, that was a BIG plus!

Please keep in mind that generally speaking...if you follow the rules laid out by your doctor and pulminologist, your odds of having complications is very low. Also, not everyone pukes I'm one of the lucky ones that hasn't..yet.. but I am still learning on when to stop eating and what full feels like...It seems that I tend to have that one last bite and before I know it, I'm over full and I can feel the food sitting just below my throat. If I get up and walk around, that helps a bunch. But again, that's not a complications...that's just me being stupid

My surgery was 9/24. I lost 11 before surgery and as of last weigh in 16 after surgery. I'm 1 month out and I am frustrated as well. BUT, I am going to keep reminding myself that if I take my entire weight loss so far, and look at what my average pounds loss per week. 4.5 lbs. I could never have done this pre-sleeve. I just got cleared yesterday for working out, etc so I'm going to start adding strength training, weights and harder hill walking and see if that improves things. There are many people on here and others I have talked to say to keep is low and slow so you avoid loose skin etc so there are positives to a slower loss. When I talked to my PA yesterday, she said that given my BMI, that I'm right on track. If my BMI was higher, she would expect a higher loss at this point but that as long as I'm getting in my Water, Protein from food, then keep moving forward. So I guess that's what I will do