DanaInNewOrleans

Thanks Lissa! I went to the Eggface website -- very awesome! And Ricotta is one of my favorite things!

Thanks for all the suggestions. And I guessing theres's not just a miracle Super Duper Protein PILL right? Wouldn't that be easy to manufacture?

Oh my Gosh Rhonda! That is a horror story. I am so glad you came out to the light at the end of the tunnel. I have a question.... why did they wait so long before trying Raglan? I would think that would be on the short list of medications for your initial issues. Take care, so glad you're doing well now. Dana

Hi, I'm Dana in Mandeville! Just starting the process with Dr. Lavin at Surgical Specialists. Anyone else on the Northshore just getting started? I'd love to have a buddy to commiserate with.....

*****White Flag***** ****** White Flag****** ******White Flag****** Ok, sometimes my stupidity amazes me! Why oh why I thought mentioning ice cream on a weight loss surgery forum was a good idea I will never know!! Chalk it up to 1) I love ice cream. Uh, duh right? That is why I'm here -- I love it too much obviously. 2) I'm still getting the hang of this surgery and "mushy" food thing -- it just turns me off and ice cream to me is a mushy food that does not turn me off! LOL Again, duh right? Believe it or not I did lose 160lbs by doing low carb 10 tens ago. And I was still a size 16 at that point. But I was happy -- going from a size 32 to 16 was fine was with me. I kept most of it off until about 4 years ago when I begin struggling. And it has been 4 years of devastated self esteem, failure after failure. I have gained 60lbs back. I have Multiple Sclerosis and I want to make the most of my life NOW just in case I'm physically limited down the road. I had sort of an epiphany ---- I really believe this surgery is my only hope. Thanks everyone for all the suggestions and restraint instead of just posting "you're a moron". Dana

Hi Sunny, You're menu sounds great and really doable. I love the idea of mixing the Protein shake with your coffee. Which brand shake do you use? I have to remember that all the posts that talk about "mushy" foods and pureeing meat and such are dealing with that during the first 6 months or so post surgery. I'm sure it gets better as time goes on. I'll just have to be very diligent not to skip something and force myself to eat even when I don't feel like it. Thanks again for taking the time to share a day in your life menu! It really made me feel like there could be normalcy after the surgery. Dana

Hi, You may have missed the spirit of my question. I've read quite a number of posts that talk about not being able to eat the proper daily calories, which stalls many people. My comment about chocolate and ice cream was as a treat with lots of bang for the buck for someone that was having a difficult time getting enough calories in. I wasn't suggesting to eat ice cream instead of veggies or Protein. But it takes quite a bit more greens Beans as a snack (volume wise, which is the issue because you can only eat a small amount) than ice cream (again, volume wise). The point of post was that it may be quick way to add 100 calories if needed.

Thanks so much Sunny for the great insight. You've made me feel much better about the long term! As long as I don't have to exist on liquid and mushy food forever I'll be good. When I first started hunting around for info all I kept coming across was stuff like having to puree foods, even meats. Suggestions to eat baby food, etc..... it really did make me very apprehensive.... Thanks again Sunny!

LOL... Yeah, I guess 20oz can do a lot damage. 20oz of Haagen Dazs or a Bloomin Onion would be a disaster! Ok, I get it. 15% is better than 35%....

No, you're right. I don't want to wait. Life is series of trade offs and this is just another one with a huge up side! I think what I'm also worried about is how labored everything seems to be after the surgery....eating/not eating enough protein/don't drink this or that/drink enough water/eat this but not that.....although some people seem to have a bigger commotion than others. Mostly I just hope to forget about food-- eat when I need to. I keep hearing about "mushy" foods-- ick! I'm hoping to be able to eat mostly everything just in much much smaller portions. Is this realistic?

I forgot to mention that my gut ( no pun intended!) tells me that having 30% of my stomach is healthier than 10% and still gives me the significant restriction.

Do you guys know if there are any docs that answer questions on this forum? I really want to ask if it would be possible for me to say to my surgeon, hey I'd like to leave 30-35% of my stomach. Can he make a subjective empirical decision or is this an absolute "follow the pack" surgery?

Thanks so much for all the info everyone. If I was given a choice I think I would choose to have a little more stomach left. One of my concerns is that I will never be able to enjoy a meal with my husband or have Christmas/Thanksgiving dinner like everyone else. Of course I know that everything is a trade off. But again, having 30% instead 15% of my stomach just seems more "sane" and more reasonable for a lifetime of restriction.

Hi Everyone, Just wondering if any of you have heard of an insurance waiving the pre-surgery 4 month supervised diet? I've been doing Weight Watchers online for months and was wondering if insurance would possibly count that as a valid attempt. I had also lost 160lbs 10 years ago ( no surgery -- just low carb) but I have gained 60lbs back and I'm just devastated. My first appointment with my surgeon ( Dr. Lavin) is next week. The office has already verified my insurance and I am covered at a 100%. Thanks for any insight! Dana

Yes, I'm seeing Dr. Lavin with Surgical Specialists( the office on the Northshore) for the first time this week. I'd really to see if see if there is any way the 4 month waiting period can be waived or reduced.

Even if it is not quid pro quo I would surely be happy to donate my skin. It sure would be nice to know that at least something good came out of all my years of misery!

Hi, Thanks so much for getting back to me! Hope you don't mind some rapid fire questions! 1) How was Dr. Lavin? I was thinking I may want a female surgeon because I'm so self conscious. And Dr. Lavin is relatively young AND cute! LOL which just makes it worse! 2) How are you doing? Any regrets? What are you eating at this point? Do you miss eating a normal meal? One of my main worries (it is actually probably my primary concern other than surgery complications) is never being able to eat a normal meal with my husband/friends/family. No crawfish boils, no Thanksgiving Dinners, no friends over for a BBQ. 3) I'm not a big fan of "drinking" a meal. I'd rather skip it, which of course I know is not an option with WLS. I just cannot imagine doing only liquids and mushy food. It sounds gross to me. I mean, I could do mushy red Beans or white beans (New Orleans style of course) or creamy Soups but I just cannot fathom the thought of pureeing food and trying to get it down my throat. Any thoughts on this? 4) How long were you in the hospital? Did you have to have a catheter? Did you have any complications? I have a ton more questions but don't want to wear you out! Thanks again! Dana

Hi Everyone! I'm Dana from New Orleans (Mandeville). I've been lurking around trying to get a handle on whether I have the courage to do this WLS. It just seems sooo drastic. I lost 160lbs 10 years ago by doing low carb and kept it off (although I was still overweight but relatively happy at a size 16 compared to a 32). I kept most of the 160lbs off until about 4 years ago when I slowly started gaining. Then freaking out and losing, then gaining ....it became a horrible struggle. I have now gained 60lbs back and I am devastated. Nothing I try now works. I've tried doing what I did when I was successful and that did not work anymore. I tried Weight Watchers thinking maybe the low carb success had run it's course and my body needed a change. I GAINED on Weight Watchers. Then tried LC again, then WW again. With each defeat I became more and more depressed and devastated and my self esteem was completely destroyed. About 2 weeks ago I had sort of an epiphany --- I decided that WLS might be my only option and hope. I started doing research online of course. The Lap Band just doesn't seem like a good choice other than it is reversible if there are complications. That is a big plus though. Gastric Bypass to me is just asking for trouble...lol.... I basically came to the conclusion that the sleeve looked like my best option. Surgical Specialists/Dr. Lavin is one of my clients (I'm a sales rep) so I called to start the investigative process. I have two insurances - Aetna and Federal Blue Cross and they verified my coverage -- I would have zero out of pocket. I have to do the nutritionist/diet thing for 4 months ( we disappointed me). I was excited to see a Louisiana thread but surprised there wasn't more people from Southeast La or New Orleans. My first visit with Dr. Lavin is next week to discuss options and what would be best for my situation (I have Multiple Sclerosis ). I have so many questions, some seem so trivial and some seem very important! But they are the kind of questions that I need from actual sleeve people -- not the docs. Would you guys mind answering some questions? Stupid questions included? This seems like an awesome invaluable support site! Dana