docbree

Your sleeve will relax over time. You are so new out, you should not be able to hold more than a tablespoon or two of food at one time, nor will you be able to do much more than sip sip sip liquids right now.

I can't tell you how to feel but I am grateful for my super tight tummy. Eating in bulk was what put me here in the first place and now, at almost 16 months out, I am so glad that I can only eat 2-4oz at any one time. I still vomit from time to time if I eat something too firm, eat too big of a bite, eat too fast or take one bite too many.

What is your capacity? What did you doctor tell you to expect your capacity to be?

Bougie size and sleeve size doesn't really vary that much. My sleeve is about the same as yours at a 36. See the picture.

I take Celebrex for chronic pain and my surgeon told me that I could continue to take it if I still need it.

I have been on Nabumatone, which is an NSAID, for several years due to arthritis. I can't take any aspirin products due to taking a blood thinner because of a heart issue. I can only take Tylenol. I was off the Nabumatone for about 6 weeks until I could start eating "regular" food. By that time my arthritis was giving me fits. I have not had any problems & my surgeon didn't say I couldn't take it. I see my internist/cardiologist next week so I will ask him since he is the prescribing doctor for the Nabumatone. I'm glad this subject came up.

Ladies being in jail will only postpone your surgeries. Lol

I did not know the bit about the "no Vitamins either." And I've been taking levoxyl for over 30 years!
Thanks for posting this here.

My original point was.... No one thinks it's appropriate to tell someone they're too fat, so why do they think it's okay to tell someone they're too skinny. Unless you're my husband, mom or best friend, keep your opinions to yourself!! Feeling better now

Ashley, it's a huge thing to be able to admit that you are not on track. I have been facing many demons myself the past year. I am now a little more than 3 yrs out and I go in phases where I kind of don't care. I say, "kind of" because deep down, I really do care but sometimes so much gets dumped on us whether it's work/ family/ whatever that something has to give and unfortunately most of us have found food as a way to help ease the stress in our day to day lives so it makes sense in a way for this to happen. Not saying it should be an excuse but I continue to try to recognize the things in my life that are causing me to get off track. Carbs are my drug of choice- always have been/ always will be.... I still have really good restriction WHEN I eat how I'm supposed to eat--- meaning dense Protein first, plenty of Water or something equally good.
My lowest was 120# and have been fighting to get back there for the past year. I keep bouncing between 135 and 145#. Do I look fat? Hmmm, no, but I know how I felt when I weighed 120# (see my avatar picture). I felt on top of the world. I want to get back there and I will. I recognize some of the things going on in my life that are making this more difficult and I'm working on changing those things. For me, it's a miserable / horrible job w/mandatory OT every single week and I'm a salaried professional in my field. Anyways, allow yourself to be upset, but try to do your best to not dwell on it. They say that the measure of a person's success is how they handle failure. By no means is an 8# gain a failure, but try to keep it from being a 10# gain or more. Think about the things happenign in your life right now that are creating the road blocks or challenges. Maybe you can change them, maybe you can't. I'm pretty certain you know how to fix this, and coming here for support is an excellent thing to do. I still read posts, but don't come on the board nearly as much as I did the first year or so. I think its important to keep in touch with people that remind me that I'm not alone with my struggles. It's not an excuse for me to not stay accountable, but it reminds me that I'm human and that I can dust off my boots, and try again the next day.
Stay true to yourself and just keep moving forward in the direction that is best for Ashley.

You are 100% Laura!!! There's just no easy way around it. It's an awesome tool and you have seemed to master it. Congrats!!!!
Listen to Laura people!!!! If you don't want to gain, STAY ON THE PLAN!!!
I hope to report back one year from now back on track and back at my normal BMI range.
Best wishes to all :-)

I am now 5 1/2 years out and still at my original goal of 135 at 5'7. I've gone through menopause in the last 2 years and no change in weight. I have exercised religiously for many many years now and watch what I eat like a hawk. That's truly what it takes. So in January I'll be 6 years out and no doubt still rocking my size 4 jeans!
Laura

Hi Everyone :-)
Today is my 4 year anniversary. I was the one that originally asked the question about weight gain after surgery. Well I'm here to tell you that you can definitely GAIN WEIGHT BACK and not just a few pounds.
Although I'm very content and blessed to be wearing a size 8 today I was actually wearing some size 4's years ago. And was a perfect size 6 for over 3 years.
My goal weight was to reach 150 lbs. (a normal BMI weight for me). I got as low as 144 lbs. Today 4 years out I weigh 165 lbs. I have reached as high as 170 lbs. during my period.
The sleeve is a PHENOMENAL tool and 4 years out I STILL have amazing restriction. The weight gain is from not eating properly, PERIOD. For the MOST part I'm still making pretty good choices, but obviously there are choices that haven't been all that great to gain all this weight back.
I know age has something to do with it as well. I am 46 going on 47 and lots of changes going on lol. BUT NO EXCUSES for sure.
Again I'm content and watching my weight pretty closely now to make sure I don't gain any more weight and would love to be back to 150-155 lbs. I know it's possible for sure.
I'm so thankful for my sleevie.

there was only one surgeon in the practice? get a recommendation from your pcp. you won't have to start over. all your paperwork will be transferred. don't fret, this maybe the best for you because it would be even more distressing if you had the surgery with this doctor and than he disappeared on you. try and find a clinic. go online. go to seminars. and have your records transferred to your pcp. something is fishy and you don't want the office to close on you. good luck

Get a complete copy of your medical records. By law, they have to give it to you. Find out who else or where else there is another facility that your insurance company will approve. Get a new surgeon as soon as possible before you lose steam. You can also ask if your insurance company provides case managers for patients who have an ongoing issue that will take time to resolve. I know that Blue Cross / Blue Shield does. You are worth the effort. I wish you good luck and good health.

@@asolma
I'm 3 months out. My sleeve surgery was a life saver for me. I was to a point I had given up on myself. Now I look forward to so many things. My self confidence is back. My attitude is positive. The weight loss is a perk (ok its also fantastic too). I just can't believe how good I feel.
Enjoy researching weight loss surgery. So much information out there.
Here is one of my favorite motivating videos. This woman is 18 months out. She has a video blog of her journey. Let me know what you think.

Was sleeved 8/31/13 by dr. Illan and have lost 150 lbs!!!!! Can this really be true.....love everything about my journey. In Tijuana now and had arm lift and hubby was sleeved by Dr. Illan 9/2/14 . Great care wonderful outcome thus far!

After thinking about it long and hard, I finally started my journey for revision from band to sleeve in June. I finished all my requirements which was a nutritionist and nut evaluation in July and after getting clearance from various Dr's about my results of blood, eco, fitness and EGD my paperwork was finally submitted to BCBSIL by my Dr office in August. I did have to constantly check the status with my Dr office and BCBS to make sure all was submitted and received, good thing to do because once BCBS received my paperwork, I was approved but it took days for the letter to get generated by the predetermination dept. I was told that it only takes 1 day for the letter to be sent out, so whatever the delay was, it led to really good customer service at BCBS. My rep was upset that I didn't get my letter the day it was supposed to be generated and she made sure to check daily for me and kept reminding the predetermination dept to send my letter ASAP. Today was finally that day, my Dr office received their copy and called me 1 hour after....my surgery is set for September 18.

storytotell, call your doctor, sounds like gall bladder.. this is not normal! unless you are eating too fast, or too much or both.

You won't have to eat like you're eating now for the rest of your life. I still enjoy any type of food I want, I just eat it in very small portions. I am fortunate that if I eat more than a few bites of junk food I'm pretty much instantly puking, so I know now that if I want some cake, I can have a few bites, really enjoy it, and then stop eating. I do tend to stay away from pastas because I don't like them enough to justify the massive sickness that ensues when I eat them, but I do occassionally eat desert and the majority of my diet is just like most healthy people, except I eat a lot less of it. Your life really will be normal again and you'll get to be thin and still be able to enjoy food.

i can eat a small amount of everything except very sweet things. (which i didnt like before surgery either)
you arent panicking about food. you are panicking about loosing the only coping mechanism you have. i dont miss food. i get to eat 3-5 times a day! i miss not being about to provide myself with comfort by stuffing myself full of food.
try googling "soothe yourself without food." you will get some ideas of things to start practicing.

Unlike the ladies above me, I CANNOT eat just anything. I am almost 16 months out and I have serious problems with bread, Pasta, rice, ice cream and potatoes. More than a taste or two will send me straight to the bathroom to vomit. Some days, I cannot eat more than 3-4 small bites of anything at one time without feeling uncomfortable and other days I can eat almost a cup of food at a sitting. I have to look up menus before I go to restaurants and plot out what I can have. If I am having a non-eating day, I just get a drink because I know it would be a waste of money anyways. I do not really have sliders like most people do so I get full quickly from simple carbs. Because of all these issues, I have become a grazer which is a very slippery slope to regaining weight. Sounds sucky, doesn't it?

In turn, I have lost 110+ pounds. I have gone from a size 20 to a size 6. I can run, jump and dance all night. I look great in clothes and feel great in bed (wink wink nudge). My 16 year old pointed out to me the other day (with a grossed out shudder that only 16 year old girls can do) that I am hit on every day by some "gross creep" -- her words -- which means any guy other than her father. HA!

I have found that my life no longer centers around food. Other than planning a meal out if I am meeting friends, I don't obsess about my next meal like I used to. I never crave any of my old "BFFs" like McD fries, Panera baguettes, Hardee's country ham biscuits, etc. I don't buy a candy bar or a donut every time I get coffee at Wawa. I don't "need" a shake at Cookout or just a little nibble at the food court, and I can literally go all day without eating or thinking about it.

I have a very close friend who is naturally thin. I used to be amazed at how little she cared about food. It made no sense to me. We would go out to dinner, she would say she was famished because she had forgotten to eat all day but then she would order something very small and eat a few bites and be done. I've known her for 20+ years and this is how she has always been in every setting. I lived with her in college and she rarely had food in the house because it just didn't matter to her. This surgery has turned me into (almost) her!! Never would have thunk it.
I still like to cook and bake, I love cooking shows and magazines. I like new recipes and enjoy going into gourmet markets to shop. Farmer's market are heaven. I even enjoy all the available samples at costco and groceries (that's a full lunch and I turn down most!). I just don't NEED to eat. I enjoy my meals more for the company than the food. My quality of life is so so so much better, I can't even tell you. I am amazed at the change in my life every single day, "complications" and all.

I think everyone gets that uneasy feeling when you get close to your surgery date. I read the bad post as well as good post. I can tell you I had my surgery on Nov 4 2013, and it is one of the best things I have done for myself. I'll not say it was easy at first, because you do struggle at first and may even think why did I do this. You need to keep doing what you are told and it gets better and better every week. Then you start feeling the benefits of the surgery and you feel great. Even to this day I have to work at eating properly, and I catch myself slipping on my eating the right foods and wanting to fall back to my bad habits because I have a lot of stress in my life at this time. I know I better get to one of the many support meetings to get back into the right frame of mind. It is very easy to fall back to the old ways.
Again it is one of the best things I have done for myself Healthwise. I know I really feel wonderful every time I get compliments on how good I look and feel.
Stay positive and strong and follow through you won't be sorry.

"I can live without sex, but I cannot live without affection."
This.

I would call CIGNA directly and see what the "pre-existing" thing is. Hopefully your surgeons office will help you get your approval. Good luck to you

I don't even have a prescription for it. Apparently cardiologist ordered it? I didn't ask for anxiety meds and have never ever taken them before. I put a call into the office. Thank God I have 19 days until my surgery so they can explain it to me. I will probably have anxiety by the time the surgery comes but not yet.....

I would give their office a call or the NP and ask why they want you to take it. Is it part of their protocol or for some other reason? I would think an explanation is in order if for no other reason so make sure they didn't mix you up with someone else.

What she actually said was to not read the thread for the 2-3 weeks before your surgery. Presumably (hopefully), by the time you've scheduled your surgery, you've done all kinds of research, both good and bad. Once you've made an educated decision for yourself and decided to have the surgery, a lot of people experience a fair amount of anxiety in the time just before. I believe she's just suggesting that perhaps hanging out in the forum meant solely for complications isn't the best way to psych yourself up for the decision you've already made. I don't think anyone would advocate blindly going into this and just ignoring all potential side effects. I hope.