joatsaint

I get bouts of head hunger, I've found that mine usually happen when I've eaten things like Pasta, rice, or things like donuts during the day or the previous day. I fight head hunger by eating pure Protein - chicken, beef, or pork. I fill up on protein, and then if I still "have to have" carbs, I am satisfied with just a few bites. I have to be very careful of how much and what type of carbs I eat, even at 2 years post-op.

Congrats on your first NSV!

I weaned myself off my CPAP by taping off the air valve a little each week. I had lost about 130lbs and I was into the 240lb range. My CPAP does not allow me to change the pressure, it's all done with a special device they plug into it. After 8 or 9 months post-op I tried sleeping without the mask a few times, but would wake up, gasping and out of breath. At 11 months, I started waking up because of all the air being pumped into my stomach. I was literally farting and belching so much that it woke me. So I started taping over the air valve to restrict the amount of air being pumped into the mask. I started out taping it about half closed and over the next few weeks, kept taping over more and more of the opening. I finally got it to the point where it was just about 95% taped over. During this time, I would randomly try sleeping without the mask and by the end of my 11th month post-op, I was completely off the CPAP. I've tried sleeping with the CPAP since then, and now I can't sleep with it on, just too much air going into my stomach. :-P

Thanks for adding the video category. I think it's a great idea to put all the videos in one place. Just posted my newest video of my adventure with C25K. But will notifications of newly posted videos show up somewhere on the sidebar (like in the "Recent Topics" sidebar) for those of us that want to know when a new one has been posted? Thanks,

I wanted the sleeve for the same reasons people listed above. I had my mind set to get the sleeve before talking to my surgeon, and I was prepared to argue over which type of surgery to have with him. But it turned out that he was pro Sleeve. He'd been doing Gastric Bypass for 12 years and Sleeve for 5 years. And he was convinced that the Sleeve produced results that were "almost" as good as the Bypass. "Almost" meaning, that his Sleeve patients lost approximately 75% of their excess weight, while his Bypass patients lost approximately 80% of their excess weight. He told me to realistically expect to get down to 235 from my beginning weight of 375. 2 years later, I'm easily staying in the 205 - 210 lb range. Needless to say, I'm very happy with my Frankensleeve.

Hey lisacaron, I'm glad you had success with the Band. I've only known one person with the Band and they may have had other issues that caused the Band not to work well for them. Essentially, they learned how to eat around their band and gained everything back, plus some. The most important thing I learned from this adventure is; I'm still the same old me, with the same food issues I had pre-surgery. And I have to take the right steps to keep from falling back into old habits. Thanks for adding your success story lisa.

On my 11th day post-op, I tried eating Cream of Mushroom Soup - after only being able to eat sugar free popsicles since surgery - and I could barely eat 3/4 of a can the entire day. 1 or 2 teaspoons was all I could eat every 1/2 hour or so. Frankensleeve took a long time to tolerate any kind of food post-op. I've seen videos and read many threads about VSG patients that were almost back to normal eating within a few days post-op, but that was not my experience. So try a teaspoon sized bite, wait a few minutes and see how your sleeve reacts. Then take if from there. You will quickly learn what your sleeve will or won't tolerate.

It varies by surgeon, they all have a set of guidelines that they know will work for their patients. I was never told I couldn't use straws, just to be careful and drink slowly. The same goes for coffee and alcohol. My doc never said I couldn't ever have coffee or alcohol again, but some doctors do forbid those items to their patients. Everyone is different and is going to respond to straws, coffee, and alcohol differently. So my approach is to be very careful when trying something new. If in doubt, I always call my doctor or nutritionist.

Good luck with your adventure. All I can say is that WLS was worth all the trouble I had to go through to get it done. From my own experience watching friends go through RNY, VSG, and the Gastric Band, is that, even if approved, I would not do the Band. I've just seen and read too many accounts of the Band not working out long term. On the other hand, all 3 of my friends that had RNY are all happy with their results - one lady being over 10 years post-op.

I had the Sleeve, and 3 of my co-workers have had Gastric Bypass. We range from 1 year post-op to 10 years post-op. We are all happy with our choices and results. I don't think you can really go wrong with either surgery. You are going to lose weight, the difference may be in how much mental effort is required. I lost 170lbs in 2 years with the Sleeve. But from seeing the results my co-workers achieved, I do believe the Gastric Bypass is a little more effective, because of the initial and long-term limitations in the kinds of foods their pouch would tolerate. So even if they wanted to go back to old food habits, they couldn't or were very limited. But the tradeoff is having to stay on Vitamin supplements for life and the rerouting of your intestines. But I would suggest talking with a WLS surgeon and get his advice on which surgery to choose. He'd be in a much better position to discuss the long term results you're likely to achieve with each surgery.

I right after surgery, I would get stabbing pains instead of hunger pangs. Really painful ones, over time, the hunger pain became milder and milder. Still, 2 years later, I don't feel hunger in the same way as pre-surgery. I get these mild stabbing pains, nothing really painful, just a reminder that I've gone too long between meals.

I lost 10lbs for the 1 week pre-op diet. Post-surgery, I lost around 20lbs in the 1st month, after that, I was averaging about 13lbs lost per month for the next 11 months. The weight loss seemed to get more difficult after 12 months - but of course, I was eating more and different kinds of foods by then - and I slowed to about 8 - 10lbs loss per month. I lost 170lbs and have been hovering around 205 for the past year. My doc said to expect to get down to 235, but I guess I'm an overachiever. And I feel obligated to say the numbers were monthly averages. My weight did go up and down and there were multi-week stalls, and there were some months where I only lost a couple of pounds. My weight loss was not in a steady downward trend.

In addition to the things mentioned by others in this thread, I would have prepared myself to be okay with the fact that I'm still "me" on the inside. I would have gone to a councilor to deal with the way I see myself and my outlook on life. I was so wrapped up in looking forward to the weight loss, that it never occurred to me to question my self image and how life was going to change once I lost the weight. Now I'm playing catchup.

I started experimenting with trying to sleep without my CPAP at 10 months post-op and completely stopped using it during the 11th month. I had lost about 130 lbs by then.

This is the one I bought about 4 years ago. It's still running on the same batteries. It's only a scale, no bells and whistles like memory. It has served me well. $36.99 http://www.amazon.com/Eatsmart-Precision-Bathroom-Technology-440-Pounds/dp/B0032TNPOE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424191655&sr=8-1&keywords=400+lb+scale

I've never had troubles with "warm" coffee, I've never liked it hot, the way my mom liked it... boiling hot. I've got a guy at work that will pour a steaming cup of coffee and then stick it in the microwave for 30 more seconds! But if you are still in the 1st 6 months post-op, there are going to be many little things like this that will upset your sleeve. Things will return to normal a little at a time. My 1st 2 weeks, I could not eat more than a teaspoon of food per hour. AT 30 days, I was mainly living off Cream of Mushroom Soup. At 6 months, I was still having issues trying to eat any vegetable other than Beans, lentils and squash. At 1 year, I could eat anything I wanted with very little difficulty.

I just tried the Paleo Protein bars and they were not even in the same class as Quest bars! But maybe it's just me? Anyone else tried the Paleo bars and liked them?

My doc had me on 75% Protein, 25% carbs (from vegetables, no processed carbs like pasta). I was on an 800 - 1000 calorie diet. So between 200 to 250 calories a day were from low glycemic carbs. I got most of my carbs from Beans and lentils.

For weeks post-op, almost everything caused my sleeve to feel like I was being stabbed. Only Cream of Mushroom soup was well tolerated by Frankensleeve. The pain faded over time as my sleeve healed and retrained itself to digest food again. But even 2 years out, Taco Bell taco sauce still gives Frankensleeve fits for some reason. It's his only Kryptonite.

At 3 weeks, I was still eating Cream of Mushroom Soup. Frankensleeve was still too tender for spicy or difficult to digest foods. And boudin qualifies as both! If you are going to try boudin, use my tried and true Frankensleeve taste test. Eat a bite, about 1/2 teaspoon size. Wait 5 minutes Eat a 2nd bite, about 1/2 teaspoon size. Wait 5 minutes. If after that time, Frankensleeve had not had a bad reaction, it was safe for me to eat. Keep on making those small steps in the right direction. Add good habits to your day, and you'll save time, lose inches, and dramatically boost your energy. Stay Strong and Keep Pushing On.

I had Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. I met their pre-qualification for WLS, being diagnosed with sleep Apnea a few years earlier. So I was not required to do a 6 month doctor supervised diet or meet any other qualifications. I made my 1st doc appointment on Dec. 7th, 2012 and was sleeved and released from the hospital on Dec. 28th, 2012. I was done in less than 30 days. So it is possible, but it takes quite a bit of creative scheduling to complete all the pre-op tests, blood work, EDG, NUT visits and the psychological evaluation.

My 1st month post-op, I wasn't able to get in 60 grams of Protein per day. During the 1st 2 weeks, I barely ate 1/2 sugar free Popsicle per day. Starting the 3rd week, I was able to eat about 1/2 can of Soup per day. I took my doctors recommended intake of Water and protein as a goal to shoot for, not something I had to do starting from the 1st day post-op. I didn't think it was realistic given how much I was hurting and the way Frankensleeve reacted with every sip or bite of food. I was only concerned about hydration. I just sipped, sipped, sipped. As long as I felt okay, I wasn't worried.

Stalls used to freak me out, but I "kinda" got used to them, they were just part of my process for losing weight. During my 1st year post-op, I went through a stall almost monthly, usually lasting about a week. I never did find a sure fire way to break the stall. But I did get more comfortable and accepted them as part of the process. I learned that if I stuck with my diet and exercise routine... what worked before would start working again. And it's held true for over 2 years. I've lost and kept off 170lbs. If you are going to experiment, only change one thing at a time, like how much you exercise or how many carbs you're eating. Don't switch up multiple items at the same time, or you'll have a difficult time trying to figure out which changes were beneficial and which ones didn't help.

In 2012, when I had surgery, it only took 5 business days to get approval. But, I had a co-morbidity - sleep apnea - that prequalified me for VSG. The person I spoke with at BCBS had had VSG surgery and said BCBS was very bariatric friendly.

Yep your burps are normal, I had cramping as a bonus every time I took a sip. I found that icy cold Crystal Light lemonade was the drink I could tolerate the easiest. I don't remember my doc setting a fluid goal each day, but I did sip as much as I could and kept a 32oz mug on my desk. And I took a sip every time I looked at it. I figured as long as I felt okay, I was getting in enough fluids. I think your doc's or NUT's recommended fluid intake is a goal to shoot for and build up to. It's very tough to get in fluid or food for the 1st couple of weeks post-op.