Kristina J.

I'm am honestly sorry you felt personally attacked. That wasn't my intention. However, name calling is different and actually not allowed. I'm bowing out of this thread. I stand by what I've said, including my apology that you felt attacked personally, but insults and name calling are just a bit much for me.

I think maybe the apology should be for calling someone that name at all, no matter their weight! I think we should all be above going to that level.

Lol yes, but I can't help but notice you direct interested parties to YOUR personal sales website. Not general information about the product from the manufacturer.

When I scheduled surgery, I started a diet to try and lose some weight beforehand (band to sleeve and really praying for a single surgery revision). I have lost 12lbs which was enough for one size in clothes. Thank goodness. Up until this 12lbs, I was down to ONE outfit... Seriously, one outfit and pajamas. I had one black shirt that I was comfortable in from Lane Bryant and one old pair of size 22 jeans. I hate shopping fat and I just can't handle the depression either, so I avoid it like the plague. If we happened to leave the house and see the same people 2 days in a row, I had to hope they wouldn't notice that I was wearing the same clothes. I fit in a couple more outfits now (like seriously a total of 3 shirts and 2 pants), so it's not AS bad, but I am definitely looking forward to getting back into some of my old clothes and *hopefully* having a better experience shopping in the future!!!

Rebecca, I'm pre-op too but trying like crazy to stick to a healthy pre-op diet!! Since I started tracking, I've been so much more successful!! I'll add you!!

I figured lol I do most of my posting/reading from my phone as well! Lol Darn autocorrect!!

I'm thinking when you wrote that you were "opting for the band" that you meant sleeve! If so, there are a bunch of threads about why sleeve is better than bypass in all our (biased) opinions, so I won't beat that dead horse! Lol I am pre-op but am going through a lot of the preparations (again, assuming that was the word you meant) now. Different doctors will have different requirements before doing a revision. My doctor requested I empty my band at least 2 weeks ahead of surgery because of my dilation and prolapse. After speaking with him I decided to go ahead and empty it 2 months ahead of time to give my stomach plenty of time to heal before surgery to raise my chances of a single surgery revision! I also need to do an Upper GI and Endoscopy before surgery to examine my stomach and band before surgery to help give an idea of potential issues and band placement. For time of surgery and recovery, I can't really answer as a pre-op patient, however, the answers I have gotten from others was that it took anywhere from 1.5-4 hours depending on each individuals situation. And as far as recovery, it appears pretty comparable to straight sleeve surgeries, with the exception of some complaining about pain where their port used to be! Hope that helps some. Antiband's posts have really helped me as I've been getting prepared (yes, I've been lurking and stalking lol). Maybe look back through her posts as well as some of the other successful band to sleeve revisions around here!! Good luck!!!!

I'm not trying to sell anything.... BUT... lol

One of the reasons I chose (along with my doctor) the sleeve over other WLS is that I need to take a baby aspirin daily for a clotting disorder. So it really something that each surgeon decides for their patients, but I would always say to go with what YOUR surgeon suggests for you! I've also been taking my aspirin with the band which according to my original surgeon was a no-no but my hematologist and PCP told me it would be safe (I'm also already on a PPI daily, so that may have factored in). Pdx nailed it I think when he said, it's about weighing the risks. The risk for me was greater not taking it, than taking it.

If it helps, I made all my kids baby foods (I was determined to make them healthy in spite of me lol) and I used to buy the steam fresh bags of green veggies. I would cook them in the microwave as directed, then put them in my food processor (or blender) and purée them with a little veggie or chicken stock. The best textures were from peas, broccoli and spinach. Green beans stayed pretty grainy no matter how long I puréed them! Might be a good way to get some green veggies in!

You'll do great jc. All the failures of the past will help drive you to use your sleeve and get healthy! I know you've really struggled with all the pre-op, but you're trying!!! You deserve this and I'm so happy for you that your time is here!!! I'll be thinking of you tomorrow! Be sure and let us know how you do!!

Neither honestly!! They're a total rip. The only people I have ever seen talking about good results are people that sell them! A poster recently added pictures of her results... then quickly added her website for selling them a couple posts later! They will give you some temporary results but nothing that will last. They're not worth the money.

I am lucky that my ex husband and I didn't have kids lol and that my husband is so supportive, but I do have small kids. My almost 2 year old obviously won't understand the concept, but my 3 and a half year old will want to know what's going on and why she can't jump on me or be picked up. I had a hysterectomy a while back and found that the easiest was just explaining that I had an "owie" and that she needed to be careful. You can explain it to your son as a gallbladder removal, but at 6, he may or may not get it. I would tell him that you had to go to the doctor to get better and you just need to heal up. I equated it to getting a shot for my daughter. You see the doctor, and he fixes you, but sometimes it just hurts for a little bit. And if you go that route, if he tells your ex that you have an owie from the doctor, it would fit right in line with gallbladder and you're not technically lying to your son!

I have a feeling he might change his mind after he gets the pictures!! Hahaha

I would at least ask very specifically what would happen if you showed up with a BMI lower than 30. I only say that since you are so low. I wouldn't ever suggest purposefully trying to gain weight. That seems really counterproductive, but I would be very direct with your coordinator about your concerns. If you don't get an actual answer or she doesn't include how much weight you can lose and still be sleeved, keep asking until you get the answer.

Only a few days and really just more for precaution at that point. I did Lovenox shots at home two times a day for just under two weeks I think and then Coumadin for 6 months. Now I'm just on one baby aspirin a day. They found 3 elevated clotting factors in my bloodwork. It was scary but I was glad we found it when we did. My clot never resolved, so it's actually still there! Lol But at this point they say it is "clear" and I'm not in danger of it moving anymore. Clots can be terrifying, but work closely with your hematologist and you'll be good. I feel more comfortable now, knowing that I am prone to clots, and preventing them! You can PM me ANYTIME if you have questions or just wanna vent about it all. I totally understand!

That's when a lot of clotting disorders first present, after surgery. But luckily it isn't any worse. Thinking of you! Hope it's a speedy recovery and you can finally start to feel better!

That's so frustrating to get a different answer each time!! I am self pay in Mexico this time so I won't have to deal with the hoops this time around, thank goodness!

Keep in mind too that with a low BMI, your diet may be much shorter than some of the other posters as well. A lot of docs (including mine) make pre-op diet decisions on an individual basis!

Oh Amy, I'm so sorry!! I know it's scary and overwhelming right now. I had a blood clot in my brain after I had my last daughter. But the good news is, they found your clots and you will be just fine!! After my initial round of blood thinners, I did end up on aspirin daily because they found elevated clotting factors in my blood. But honestly, it's so much better to go through all of this and know, even if it does end up meaning aspirin daily (which it may or may not) instead of just falling over one day!! I'm so sorry you're going though all of this, but so glad you pushed through for a 3rd, 4th, 5th opinion until they found out what was really going on!! You'll be in my thoughts and prayers tonight!

Ok, you know I love you, but girl!!! Get it together! I know it's overwhelming and the idea of not eating, especially when traveling sucks... But really?! It's 3 days. And it even sounds like it might be full liquids! Heck, I did 10 days of SF Clear liquids before my lap band surgery and I'm much bigger than you! Lol you can do it. It's important to shrink your liver and it's important to get your head in the right place. You're traveling THOUSANDS of miles for a surgery to change your life. If you are really going to change your lifestyle, this should be just a minor inconvenience. Not something worth looking at different surgeons for! You can do this!!!!!