Rev Me Up!

That was really fantastic to read. We all deserve to be happy, fat or thin. Whether or not you had the surgery, it sounds like you finally had an open heart and a great lady walked in. Wishing you continued success-- Lara

I was exhausted for almost 6 weeks - I think everyone is a little bit different. Count yourself lucky if you can get that much hydration in!

Congratulations!! So glad your recovery is going smoothly. The next ffew weeks will have ups and downs emotionally because of the changes, but you can do it!! Lara

I was nauseous with every surgery I have ever had - EXCEPT THE SLEEVE! Weird, but my doctor used a pain killer and anti-nausea meds that really made me so comfortable. It seems to differ from person to person. Be prepared for anything! If you are getting sick, the doctor should help you control it. Do not me shy bout asking for something to control it - they won't know unless you tell them.

FANTASTIC!!! I am going on my first flight at the end of this month. I think it is 4 hours. I have been wondering what I am going to bring for food - hoping they don't give me any hassle on my string cheese :-)

I am still only 2 months out and I can only eat very little. Since bread is not nutritionaly dense, I don't want to eat it. I have to eat my Protein first so I can try and get my protein in. I have also taken this opportunity to really change what I buy for the family. All bread / carb items I buy are now super-healthy whole grain. This also helps me to get more quality Fiber. FOr example, my partner said that we ran out of bisquick. He likes to make pancakes on the weekend. SO, when I went to Trader Joes that week I bought whole grain / whole wheat baking mix. It's a small change for them, it all adds up. SInce I honestly have zero craving for bread right now, I am trying to change my buying habits and develop a taste for the more healthy options. My major carb intake is my daily oatmeal. I eat plain, organic oatmeal with flax for extra protein and quality fiber. It help to keep me "going". :-) Bread is not forbidden on my food list, but whole grain / whole wheat is encouraged. I just don't have a taste for it now and my sleeve gets full so fast, I don't want to waste it on bread. I think each person has a different tolerance level for carbs, as Tiffykins said.

I remember I could only eat half an egg. At 8 weks, I can eat a whole egg, but only if it is very softly scrambled - not dry at all. The drier adn more dense the food is, the less I can eat. So, I would have trouble getting through a whole hard boiled egg, but soft scrambled is better. I will stil occasionally not be able to finish a whole egg - I really have to listen to my stomach. Hilarious, isn't it?

I am not a doctor, but it was explained to me that the stomach is producing the amount of acid required at full size, but your stomach is obviously not full size anymore. I switched to Zegerid OTC - it has an additive in addition to the omeprozole and it works a lot better for me. I noticed that I had to supplement with Tums or take 2 ppi's before I switched to Zegerid. You might want to try it. My doc said I have to take omeprozole for 6 months and then I can try to wean myself off. According to some sleevers, it never goes away and the ppi will be a part of your life for the foreseeable future. I found once I got it under control with the right med, I felt better overall. Good luck- Lara

I know that it seems like 18 is a lifetime away. You sound incredibly ambitious and capable with your life. Taking on debt right now may not be the best idea. I don't want to be a downer, but it might be best for you to wait a little while until you have the money or you turn 18 and can have insurance cover the surgery. I know it is hard when you want the surgery so badly. Hang in there--- Lara

Yay on not weighing yourself!!!! I am a big fan of only weighing once every week or two, it really helps me stay positive because I have never really seen a stall. There was 2 weeks where I only lost one pound, but it was still a loss :-) Isn't it great to get to that point where you start to feel human again? You can buy food (even though you don't eat it) and walk around like a regular person!! yay! Lara

I had a BMI of 31. But, I also had a lap-band. Since I was a revision, there was not as much concern about my low BMI. My doctor told me that I was not the only person at 30 or so BMI to get the surgery. It is unlikely, however, that you will get insurance to pay for it. I was self pay and I am happy with the results so far. There are a few low BMI folks on the board-- Lara

Hi, I agree with t post above - there are so many different stories on this board and you should go through and read as many as possible. The experience varies. I wish that I could have lost the weight without surgery, but it was never going to happen. The recovery is hard - the first month is very difficult. However, I can say today that I am in control of the food and it is NOT in control of me. I am 2 months out. Good luck with your decision - it is not something to be taken lightly! Lara

Wow! Amazing what happens when yuo least expect it. Best of luck to you in your pregnancy. Lara

Ah, the 3 week stall strikes again!

Yes, I sure did. I can still say that my energy level is still about 80% of what it was before surgery. I felt desperately exhausted through week 5. After that I think I started eating a lot more normal food and I started to perk up a bit more. I still have days where I am exhausted, but not as bad. I have had a hard time introducing exercise because of this. As it is I can walk for 30-45 minutes in the evening, but it has to be a very slow walk. I don't know if there is a cure for it at this point. I eat between 600-800 cals every day and I think that is why my body just isn't back up to normal energy levels. I had bloodwork done and everything looks good except the Vitamin D. Your body has been through something traumatic - make sure to listen to it. Don't force yourself to be active if you are truly exhausted. It will get better over time. I found my second month to be sooooo much better then that first. Take care, Lara

You would have to check your surgeon's food guidelines. I was still on full liquids at 2 weeks out. Make sure to bring a cooler with you. You will want to have plenty of bottled Water, some Protein packets and milk or soymilk to mix them with. I was drinking a lot of liquid yogurt at that stage. You may want to pre-portion some cream Soup into microwaveable tupperware that you can take to a mini-mart on the road and heat up. If you are not on solids, you will not be able to eat anything at the drive-through. I am 2 months out and I still have a hard time eating a whole hamburger patty without the bun. My first foray into fast food consisted of the meat and cheese from the inside of one taco at about 4 weeks. Also, bring tylenol as that is the only approved pain killer. Gas-x strips and tums will handle any gas or acid that might crop up. As far as discomfort, that varies from person to person. I was exhausted and felt pretty bad for almost 4 weeks. Other people on this board have surgery Monday and are in fighting shape the following Monday. You should be fine for the drive, but you won't really know how food treats you until you get to that point. Good luck! lara

Yay!!! Bodies are funny things, aren't they? Congrats on being so close to goal!

I agree with what everyone said here - the bottom line is that your tummy is going to be very picky for a while. You may try something one week and it does not go down well and then you can try it again the next week and it will be perfectly fine. It is true that, once you find a couple of foods that are kind to you, that is all you should eat for a few days. I ate nothing but cottage cheese with various mix-ins for almost 2 weeks. By the end I was dead tired of cottage cheese, but it worked. I will also say (and some people may not agree) that you shouldn't worry about fat content in milk right now. If you love whole milk and you are starving, then drink whole milk. There are some folks out there that can't stomach Protein drinks at all and rely on drinking milk for hydration and protein. When you are really not eating much, the fat content is not as important, unless the fat makes your stomach upset. The first meat I could eat was sliced deli turkey. I rolled it up with a little cream cheese and could eat about half of it. It took 20 minutes - don't forget to CHEW. It will save you from possible problems. Take care-- Lara

Fantastic! So happy to hear you are recovering well. Lara

COngratulations!! Great to hear you are back at home and feeling well. Don't forget to sip Water all day long! Lara

COngratulations! As far as pain goes, the only pain I had after I came home was the pain where the drain used to be - that was achy on the inside for about 3 weeks. Otherwise, you may have some gas that is pushing against all your tender bits on the inside. Take some gas-x and use a heating pad for the pains after surgery - works like a charm. I probably took pain meds for 2 days after I got home and then relied on the heating pad for the rest. Take care of yourself! Lara

Wow! Good for you! That will be a huge savings.

It is so hard because you have to admit to yourself that the band didn't work. We all know how tough it is to make the decision to have WLS surgery and when it doesn't work, it is so tough on your morale. So glad to be on the other side and band-free :-)

It is terribly frustrating. I think what is missing from these reports are stories from people like us who really lived through it. It is easy to say that major complications happen to "other people", but I didn't even have major complications - the band just sucked. It was placed by a highly skilled doctor and it still failed. If they could tell the stories of people who have been living with it and desperately trying to get it to work after the 6 month honeymoon period - all the fills/unfills, pain, types of food you can't eat, etc. It would make it so much more real, I think. Oh well---

Wow! What a change! It sounds like you are in a much more positive place emotionally - it is great to hear. I think that anyone who has ever had a band can understand what you are saying about the pain. I also lived with pain that I didn't always register because it was day in and day out for several years. You learn to live with the pain and kind of forget about it. I was so excited to wake up after the surgery and feel that my port was gone. My favorite thing to eat now is chicken - and I hadn't eaten chicken in 4 years because my band wouldn't allow it!! Don't worry about the slow loss. I am not sure exactly, but I want to say I lost 10 pounds the first week and then I have had gradual loss since then. It will happen because the portions are so small. I am just about 2 months out and I am still lmited to 1/4 cup of anything. I can say that I was in no shape to exercise at all for about 6 weeks - I was just so weak and exhausted. It is frustrating, but take the time to let your body heal. Once you are completely healed, you can get back into all the exercise I know you enjoy. Great to hear from you and here is to your continued success! Lara