VSGAnn2014

Yup ... I am a lucky girl. Never had any problems that required surgery. And I've never had children.

@@BigViffer ... they are SO uncomfortable. You could wear them for a day and discover that for yourself.

How in the world is melba toast or parchment paper better than chips?

The deal about the the use of PPIs and calcium absorption / osteoporosis is that it increases the odds of those issues -- it doesn't lead to those issues in everyone -- not by a long shot. That having been said, my surgeon had me on a PPI (Protonix) for 3-4 months, but no longer. I still use it (maybe for a day or two every two months) when I have a big flare-up of reflux. And it solves the problem immediately. I think that's a fairly safe way to use the medication long-term. The larger point the OP makes is excellent: We all need to be aware of the side effects and drug interactions of all the meds we're taking (including herbs, supplements, over-the-counter meds, etc.) There are some great online apps that help us with this, including: http://www.drugs.com/drug_interactions.html http://www.webmd.com/interaction-checker/ ... and others out there.

Different response coming here at you ... If I were in your shoes I'd probably not go the phentermine route based on my personal reaction to phentermine in the past. Yes, it made me lose weight. But the second I got off it my appetite returned worse than ever, resulting in some of the most rapid weight gain I've experienced in all my 70 years. This happened to me not once, but twice. If I struggle with regain I'll have to deal with it somehow other than using phentermine. I never want to be that much out of control again as I was after getting off of diet pills.

A lot of people "think" things are causes of other things that happen, but that aren't. For instance, if someone hit a normal stall at a time when they introduced dairy products (or whatever) she or he might conclude that the dairy caused the stall -- when it was merely a coincidental (and not a causal) relationship. That's why science is done -- analyzing the results of large samples of respondents, not accepting one person's interpretation of their experience.

Man oh man ... what an inspiring thread! You folks rock!

@@psychprof ... I can't think of a single thing about the sleeve to regret. Not a single, little bitty thing.

Well, he's right -- he may well be losing his eating partner. Especially if he means his "pig out partner." What he may be afraid of is that he's losing the person who gives him permission to abuse his body and lead a very unhealthy lifestyle. But I don't know him. You do. One thing I kept hearing when I was just getting started on this path is that when we change our lives, that change affects those we have close relationships. Sounds like it's time for some intimate conversations -- to find out what his fears really are about. It's probably a better approach than wondering or guessing what he's afraid of.

It was my first surgery, too. And get this -- I was 68 years old. Had never been in the hospital before except to visit people. It was easy peasy.

Good grief, Cathy. My hat's off to you. The very best to you on your WLS progress and on all fronts. And welcome. Ann

I don't cook much. But that's about to change. I'm two days away from retirement!

I'm struck by your choice of words: "my last real Thanksgiving." You don't have to believe me, but no. It's not.

Protip to all the semi-irritated, semi-confused people posting on this thread -- it ain't your problem. Move along. P.S. My gall bladder scars were on the right side. My VSG scars were mostly on the right with a few on the left. The two surgeries were done 4 weeks apart by the same surgeon, which is probably why they look so similar.

@@Primha -- it really is awesome not to have to battle the kind of hunger I once felt -- to be distracted and tempted by every smell. And it's even more awesome not to be tempted to numb every uncomfortable emotion or feeling or even stress with food. But that's not due only to the sleeve, but also to the some work I've done post-op around not using food in ways that harm me.

Oh, wow! Those are cool shooties.

A note of caution: One person's experience doesn't translate into "everyone's" experience. When you're getting first-hand reports from patients here, you're mostly getting only their personal experience. Worse, when someone who hasn't yet had WLS predicts what you'll experience, there's no telling whether their prediction is based on a majority of WLS patients' experiences or on a single anecdote they heard that made a huge impression on them. My experience thus far (after 16 months post-op) is that I wasn't hungry at all until about 6 months post-op. Then I began to experience physical (not head) hunger. And I figured out quickly that I was actually hungry. Not ravenous like I used to be, but just "peckish" and needed nourishment. As you can read at various WLS medical sites, the portion of the stomach that's removed during a VSG is the "fundus" -- which is the stretchy portion of the stomach that also produces ghrelin, the hunger hormone. In my situation (and in the experience of many, but not all other VSG patients) the removal of that hormone from your body will probably lower or even eliminate your future hunger levels, for at least six months. On the other hand, a small minority of patients report that they never really lost (even temporarily) the feeling of hunger. Some sleeved patients report they're never really seriously hungry again, far past the six-month point. Others say that hunger does return, to varying degrees. Distinguishing between "real hunger" and "head hunger" (as it's usually called) is worth your study. One report that's pretty universal is that if patients ever start eating high-carb, high-sugar, high-fat foods in large amounts again (and those foods can be consumed in pretty large quantities because they're cooked in ways that make them highly processed and require little digestion in the stomach) they begin to crave those foods. Those who post here complaining of regain pretty consistently report that they've got the carb/sugar/fat monkey on their backs again and can't get it off. Others report that they had to quit cold turkey with those foods before they could make any progress in losing their regained weight. I love your attitude about toughing out the first few weeks, no matter what discomforts you experience. I think that's the way to approach it. I see some people here freaking out unnecessarily during the first month because they think all their early discomforts will be permanent. That is definitely not something that most people should expect, unless they've got complications occurring. You should read as much as you can here before you have surgery and ask questions. Use the search function, too, to find threads on topics you want to learn about. Best wishes.

Elode, you really do look GREAT!

Bless their heart.

You're welcome. For me, one of the great benefits of planning, measuring and tracking my food has been that I actually know what and how much I've eaten since I've had WLS and, as a result, I can analyze that data and discover what's working for me -- to lose and/or maintain. These days I do take breaks from tracking -- to develop my "eating healthy intuitions" (probably not the best way to express what I mean by that). But tracking my food is still a great tool I use to keep me honest when I need that discipline. The final caveat I'll add is that, fortunately, I can lose weight without going massively low-carb. I also didn't want / need to lose weight super fast. I started at 235 pounds, lost 20 pounds pre-op, and then lost 56 pounds post-op in 8.5 months, then slowly lost another 12 pounds over the next 6 months. Every one of us needs to discover what will work for us. And then we must find and honor the reasons to get healthy and stay healthy that will motivate us.

Good lord, no.

Jeez! I don't think I ever ate that much in my life. You guys really could pack it away.

Sugar alcohols (check your Protein drinks' and protein bars' labels) can and do sometimes cause explosive diarrhea. They sometimes do that for me. But not always. Any chance you've eaten at Chipotle's lately? Seriously, this could be related to your post-op diet -- or it could just be a food bug you picked up somewhere. And, of course, do hydrate yourself a lot. BTW, you're not going to die if you just drink Water for 24 hours and lay off all foods. Could be worth a science experiment.

Admittedly, resurrecting this thread is classic message board necrophilia. But I'll comment anyway -- and say that I don't think I've ever called myself a "gal." Much less a "senior gal." :eyeroll: But I was sleeved at age 68. And I am now 70 years old -- having lost nearly 100 pounds and maintaining easily at 138 pounds.

Just found this thread for the first time. @@CanyonBaby ... I'm so glad to read that you have "found" (or refound) yourself. Yes, we're here to love and be loved and to take care of each other. But we're also here to love ourselves and take care of ourselves. I wish you continuing success in loving and caring for yourself.