deletedsally

Wish I could talk you down, but honestly, I'm scared by how easily and quickly I can eat. It never takes me very long to eat, and I am able to eat a lot more than I had hoped I would be able to eat this soon after my surgery. I'm grateful to be losing--but I worry about the future. I spent a lot of money for this surgery because I want this weight loss to be permanent, and I'm afraid that I will be able to eat increasing amounts over time and begin to regain weight.

Whether or not your sleep apnea resolves may depend on the underlying cause. It is true that obesity can cause sleep apnea. A less know fact is that sleep apnea can precede and contribute to problems with obesity. Central sleep apnea is caused by a neurological problem, and the brain fails to send signals to the body to breathe. I'ts my understanding that this type of apnea is not likely to resolve with weight loss. Obstructive sleep apnea involves some obstruction in the airway--sometimes this is caused by obesity--but some people just have a really small airway that becomes more restricted as the muscles in the neck relax during sleep. I hope yours improves to the point that you don't need the CPAP. I can tell you that the quality of my sleep and my breathing has improved dramatically since I had surgery.

I've lost close to 100 pounds several times in the past, and my feet have always gotten smaller as I have lost weight. Last time I dieted, I went from a size 10w to a 9 regular. By the time I had the VSG, I had gotten so much heavier that my shoe size had gone to an 11w. Now that I've lost 64 pounds, all those shoes are way too big. I'm trying to just wear sandals or clogs until I get to goal, because I know that anything I buy now would also get too big as I continue to lose.

Don't wait around. Head to the ER.

Hahaha...now you have ONE handsome chin! Rock on!

I wouldn't be too concerned at only 2 weeks out. I was exhausted for the first 4 weeks. I took a lot of naps and just tried to let my body get all the rest it needed to heal and adjust to the drastic calorie reduction. When I was able to start eating mushies at 4 weeks, my energy returned pretty quickly. Now I am constantly on the go. I have more energy than I have had in years.

What you are willing to tolerate is certainly a matter of personal choice. When I choose a doctor, I expect someone with medical knowledge, technical expertise, a competent staff, and the ability to conduct him/herself in a professional manner. There are plenty of skilled surgeons who meet those requirements and who have the ability to be honest/direct with their patients without resorting to bullying and verbal abuse. I am of the strong opinion that people who batter others--whether it's with their fists or their mouths--should not be enabled. Why would anyone pay to be treated disrespectfully?

The amount of restriction that you experience initially is far greater because of post surgical swelling. As you get further out from surgery, you are able to eat increasing quantities of food. At almost 4 months out from surgery, I am losing about 2 lbs. a week. It would be easy for me to stop losing completely if I added some high calorie items each day. You can increase your calorie intake by drinking a little with meals to speed up digestion so so are able to eat again in less time, eat more frequently, eat some calorie dense foods (like peanut butter), and replace your zero calorie beverages with things like juice, Boost, Ensure, and whole milk.

I've had problems getting nauseated easily most of my life (car sick in mountains, sea sick, sick on planes, etc...) so it didn't surprise me that I was nauseated off and on for a couple weeks after surgery. I didn't want to take a chance on damaging my staple line by vomiting, so I took Zophran at bedtime for 3 weeks because if I didn't, I would wake up in the early morning hours feeling pretty sick. I occasionally took it during the day if I was feeling queasy. By week 3 I was just taking 1/2 dose at bedtime and none during the day. By week 4, the nausea had passed completely. I didn't really notice any side effects from the medication and it worked wonders. I haven't thrown up one time since surgery. The sublingual tablets are easy to take and they work pretty quickly.

Just wondering how you are feeling...hope you are better.

My surgeon has been doing WLS for over 25 years. He's in Ocala, Florida. You could always give their office a call and see if they would accept a transfer patient. www.jawadmd.com

Wow...25 pounds already? That's great! Congratulations on your surgery. Keep us posted on how you are doing.

I agree that you should go to the ER if you are still having symptoms. Don't go to a rinky dink hospital if you live in a small town. Go to a major hospital where they will get you a consult with a GI specialist or a good surgeon who has some knowledge of VSG procedures. With respect to the vomiting and pneumonia: My 26 year old daughter had pneumonia a couple months ago because she was vomiting a lot prior to having her gall bladder removed. As you suspect happened in your case, they said she had aspirated food particles. It took her quite a while to recover and she had several rounds of antibiotics and a variety of breathing treatments/exercises. If you are continuing to vomit, you may be continuing to aspirate and you may have greater difficulty recovering from the pneumonia. The vomiting may also increase your risk of developing a leak. They should be able to give you something for nausea that could be in addition to Phenergan. My surgeon writes a standard prescription for Zophran for all his WLS patients. He gave me Phenergan as well because I tend to get nauseated easily. I took Zophran for several weeks after my surgery and the medication controlled the nausea well enought that I haven't vomited once. I took Phenergan in addition to the Zophran for the first several days. You would know if they had done the leak test where they look at your sleeve with a fluoroscope because you would have seen it, as in the video I sent you. Leak or not, as sick as you have been, and as avoidant as your surgeon has been, I would want to go to the ER and ask them to get a good look at your doctor's handiwork. They could also do a CT scan of your abdomen. Additionally, when you get to feeling better, you should be able to go to any hospital where you were treated and request a copy of your medical records. That's not to say that your surgeon will have accurately documented what happened during surgery--but I would get the records now. The neurosurgery department at a major teaching hospital "lost" my husband's medical records (he had a brain tumor) after it became evident that their star neurosurgeon had missed the regrowth of a tumor when reviewing an MRI.

I'm really sorry to hear your story. It would be frightening to know that something went wrong, but not know what happened. Having that information may be important not just because you would like to know, but also to guide doctors in treating you if you should have any complications in the future. I wish I had some good advice. You may have to go out of state/out of your area to find a doctor who is willing to treat you since you have been this other doctor's patient. Also, I don't think you have to have a Bariatric physician if you could find a really knowledgeable gastroenterologist. At a minimum, I would want to have a leak test. Your doctor should have you swallow constrast material under examination with a fluoroscope. That would allow the doctor to take a look at the size/shape of your sleeve and make sure that you don't have any visible abnormality and that you don't have a leak that could be contributing to your problems. See the link for a video of this test. [nomedia=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEhZKJvR-ec]YouTube- Gastric Sleeve Leak Test[/nomedia]

I don't know why they told you to stay away from the Protein shakes, but I could guess on a couple reasons. Most of them are loaded with artificial sweetners. A recent article in Consumer Reports suggested that many of them are contaminated with heavy metals that are toxic as well. I did not want to lose weight too quickly after surgery (primarily because I think you lose a lot of muscle mass and less fat if you lose too quickly), and my doctor told me I could drink Ensure. Ask your doctor about the liquid meal supplements like Ensure and Boost (puddings as well) that are higher in carbs/calories and that are designed to promote weight gain or provide adequate nutrition to people who are having problems eating. My guess is that those would help you get in enough extra calories and carbs to slow your weight loss. Also, plan for foods that are calorie dense. Those will usually be higher fat foods like Tiffy mentioned Peanut Butter and cheese.

My doctor told me that almost every person with WLS will have problems with reflux for the first 3 months and will need to take a PPI for at least that length of time. Unfortunately, the PPI's made me feel really nauseous every time I took them, so I tried it without and felt much better. I have been fortunate that I haven't had trouble with acid, heartburn, or reflux. The one time I did have heartburn and reflux was when I took some Bariatric Advantage chewable Vitamins. I don't use artificial sweetners and have eaten very little chocolate. Also my surgeon used a 40f bougie. It's possible that one (or all) of those things have been factors in my not having problems with reflux.

Jillian, I'm not trying to be hurtful, but once again, I'm going to be blunt. I sent you at least 3 (maybe 4 ) links to nutritional guidelines for sleeve gastrectomy patients. I realize that your doctor didn't give you careful guidelines, but I personally gave you the guidelines from very reputable surgical centers, and you are not following them. There is some, but not a lot, of variation in the nutritional instructions given to VSG patients. You seem to be well-informed about a wide variety of topics related to health and nutrition. If you want to protect your sleeve and have a successful experience, it's worth the time it would take you to print and read the guidelines that are specific to VSG. If you want to follow the recommendations of a doctor that basically told you that you could eat whatever, whenever, then that is your choice. The fact that his opinion is in direct contradiction to what the rest of us are telling you, or the nutritional guidelines that are available online for VSG patients, doesn't affect me personally because he wasn't my surgeon...but it does seem to be having a direct impact on you. You can spend the money on a nutritionist, or a gastroenterologist, or a counselor, or some other medical professional that may (or may not) have experience in working with VSG patients--or you can print out the guidelines that are available, read them, and follow them. There isn't anyone who is going to be able to take responsibility for what you choose to eat, except you. Don't cut back on fluids. You need a minimum of 64 oz. daily. Start drinking Water when you wake up, then wait at least 15 minutes, preferably 30 before eating solids. Eat your Breakfast, and then don't drink Fluid for at least 30 minutes (preferably 90 according to some guidelines). Start drinking your fluids again, and continue up until 30 minutes before lunch, etc... Yogurt is not your friend. It might have been fine right after surgery when you couldn't eat any real solids--but at 2 months, if you are eating 3 yogurts, you might as well be drinking milkshakes. Yogurt will run right through your sleeve and leave you hungry. No raw fruits or vegetables for 3-4 months. You may need to adjust your thinking about the types of foods that you think are good choices, and eat more solid Proteins if you want to minimize your hunger.

I'm not far enough out to give a real vote, because I may continue losing. At 3.5 months, my hair is already a lot thinner. I can see hair on my hands when I wash it, and there are hairs on my bathroom counter and wall where it comes out when i blow dry it.

Here's an average day for me: Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg and 1/2 ww english muffin Lunch: 5 small meatballs and 4 (1") watermelon cubes Snack: 1 cheese stick and 4 pita chips Dinner: 3 oz chicken, 3 (1") cubes steamed potato, 2 pieces asparagus Snack: 1 Ryvita cracker with 2 tsp Peanut Butter Sometimes I worry that I am able to eat more than others and that it doesn't take me long to finish a meal. Fortunately, I am still losing a pound or two a week. If I were 12 months out and able to eat this much, I would feel more confident and relaxed--it does concern me that I can eat pretty comfortably at 3.5 months. I know my surgeon used a 40f bougie. For me, it does seem to be making a difference.

Onederful!! What a reason to celebrate! I started out at 283 and had my sleeve on 3/30, so I will be joining you in a few months!

My surgeon was Dr. Muhammed Jawad in Ocala, FL. www.jawadmd.com I think he has had about 25 years doing weight loss surgeries and his practice is one of the Bariatric Centers of Excellence. I have been told that he has the lowest rate of complications of any surgeon in FL performing WLS. The office staff is very responsive to phone calls, and I have had not had any problems since my surgery. I would certainly recommend him, and I know that people are driving from Georgia and South Carolina to have him perform their surgeries. I hope all goes well in your search!

I'm not sure how I compare to others, but just so you aren't surprised, I should say that I really don't get that satisfaction that comes from having a full belly anymore. The clues that tell me that I have had enough to eat are more feelings of slight discomfort in the area of my chest, that get more uncomfortable if I take another bite. When I stop eating I do have a sensation that I equate to being full because it causes me to not want to eat more--but it really is very different than that old stuffed belly feeling. I have read in some posts that the nature of the surgery affects the nerves in the stomach. Some posters have said that the old familiar feelings of being full return as the nerves heal, but I'm not far enough out to be able to say whether or not that will be true for me.

Congratulations on your surgery! This has been the best thing I could have done for myself...I think you are going to love it!

Wish I could reduce your anxiety, because I have wondered the same thing. Unfortunately, I'm aware of people that developed leaks as late as 4 & 7 months post op. I suppose it's possible that they had the leaks earlier and that they went undetected for some time.

I was really worried about how the sleeve would alter my life as well. I can tell you that as someone who is just over 3 months post op, I have already been able to eat any food I wanted without problems. The first 8 weeks were a progression from Clear liquids, to full liquids, then to mushy foods--so obviously I didn't have as much freedom in the beginning--but now, I make choices based on what I want, and what I think is good for me physically and emotionally. What I mean by that is this: I have spent so many years struggling with restrictive diets that I really want to avoid the "I can't have that" mentality. I want to lose weight--and at this point, I feel like my food intake is restricted enough to help me accomplish that goal if I make sensible choices most of the time. I eat my Protein first (which means that most of my meal is protein) and I don't drink with meals (other than the occasional sip). Other than that, if I want Pasta or rice, it goes down just fine--but here's the catcher: If I have eaten around 3 oz of protein, I don't have room in my stomach for much pasta or rice, and I just don't crave the big servings of carbohydrates that I used to crave. Do I still crave old favorites? Sure...and sometimes I let myself have them. I almost never eat fried foods--but I had a piece of fried chicken one night. I love to bake goodies with my grandchildren and when I do, I will eat a cookie or a slice of "whatever". But when I eat a small treat after a meal, I'm know that I'm not going to be able to eat more than a small amount, and it satisfies. When my kids came over last week and wanted to have family time by the pool and order pizza, I was surprised to learn that I could still eat my old favorite (Super Supreme from Pizza Hut)--but I ate one piece--and honestly didn't want anymore. (I used to eat 4 pieces for dinner, 2 for Breakfast the next day, and 2 or more for lunch too.) I agree with Tiffy that my ability to eat junk food is the biggest problem I have with food. I can consume a lot of calories in greasy chips without the food being bulky enough to cause me any feeling of restriction. I guess if I tried to eat a whole bag of something, I might feel restriction...but I've always been a grazer, and a handful of this and a handful of that can add up to a lot of calories in the course of a day, so I have to make a conscious effort to not eat a lot of junk and to really limit my Snacks. Fortunately, I stay full most of the time, so it's easier than it sounds. The most difficult part of the surgery for me has been trying to remember to drink my fluids. I don't drink with meals, I stay full after meals, and I don't want to drink too soon and wash my food down...then I get busy and forget because I'm not thirsty...and before you know it the day is almost over and I realize that I haven't had enough Water. I'm really working at doing better with this and remembering to take my Vitamins. I think you are going to be happier with the VSG than you might think! I was "morbidly obese" prior to my surgery...it wasn't long before I reduced to "severely obese"...this week I now meet the criteria for "obese". It won't be long before I can say a glad goodbye to the diagnosis of obesity as well--and believe me, this feels better than rice or roti ever tasted.