Rev Me Up!

Not fair!!!!!!!!!

Good luck to you with the surgery!!! What I find incredible now after the surgery is that food is really not important the way it used to be. It's important now for me to feed myself to keep me alive, butI can't lean on it anymore. I can't use food for entertainment. I can't mindlessly eat like I used to. Sounds like you will take the lessons learned on your pre-op diet and really see them enforced with the sleeve. It is very emotional. Take care and here's hoping for a speedy recovery-- Lara

FANTASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes! Call your doctor and be persistent. It may be nothing, but you do not want to take the chance. Push for an xray so they can see what's going on in there. Otherwise, make sure you take some gas-x in case it is a gas pain. ALso, are you taking a PPI? I have found that stomach acid can feel weird in all sorts of ways. Get your daily nexium/prilosec in, take some gas medication, and use a heating pad to help with the pain. But, also call our doctor. You don't want to mess around - especially in the begining. Take care, Lara

Only my mother and my partner know :-) Just be prepared with an answer when people start asking you how you are losing the weight. I am honest - to a point. I am on a high protien, low carb diet. Of course, people give me crap about that too... ha ha ha It's a personal choice and I may change my mind later when I have reached my goal. I woudn't hesitate to tell someone who also has weight problems because I would love to give them the information. But, otherwise, I keep it to myself. Lara

I second the comments about Dr Aceves. I was a lap-band revision and wanted the very best care because of possible complications. I paid more because I didn't want to risk it. You have your surgery and your recovery in a real hospital with a real trauma surgeon and emergency room. Besides the hospital being clean, I was also incredibly relaxed at the hospital. They go out of their way to make you comfortable. They tailor your pain medication to your situation (nauseau issues, any other issues). The doctor and anesthesiologist will sit with you for an hour before surgery talking about your prior surgeries, experiences with anesthesia, etc. I was particularly happy with the leak tests. They do the blue die test and then a barium swallow with an x-ray on the day before you leave. He makes 100% sure there is no physical leak in the sleeve before you walk out the door. You get copies of all labs, xrays, surgical report to take back to your doctor. I think the additional cost is related to the in-hospital time. Also, Mexicali is a nice city and prices may be higher there in general compared to TJ. I live about 20 minutes from TJ and I can say that Mexicali is so much more relaxed. Less people - not as crowded. Good luck with your decision. There are other MX doctors that other people have very good experiences with. Lara

Hi there! THere are a lot of us band to sleeve revision folks here on the board, of al different ages. You might want to check out the Band To Sleeve Revision topic on the main page, scroll down about halfway. THere are specific band revision stories and experiences there. Welcome to the board and feel free to ask any questions - this is a very supportive place. Happily revised! Lara

congratulations!!! i think all of us know the relief from waking up without that stupid band. my opinion about the travel: go on your trip first!!! Enjoy it, eat what you want, have an incredible time and then get your surgery. I am 7 weeks out and I would feel weird about any international travel right now. My evergy levels are not 100% and I would have some anxiety worrying about finding food and eating at the right times. international travel can really zap your body. Lara

Hi there, When I had my band, I only had one bad episode of reflux, after a fill. Had it for a day or so and went right back to get un-filled. That was the beginning of the end for me anyway and I never really was filled up too high again. Otherwise, I had the band for almost 4 years with no reflux issues. That said, I do have reflux with the sleeve occassionally. My doctor's orders were to be on Nexium or Prilosec for 6 months - that is the instruction for everyone, regardless of whether or not they have symptoms. I will say that there have been a few days where I actually took double dose (one in the AM, on in the PM) but I have scaled back down to one a day in the morning and I am doing fine. I have a jar of Tums by the bed just in case I feel a little funny before I go to sleep. I wouldn't dare go off the prilosec yet, as I am not quite 2 months out. I am going to wait, per dr's instructions and try to wean off in another 4 months or so. The prilosec/nexium is a way of life for a lot of us. The good thing is that I am rid of all the other problems that I had with the band. Make sure your doctor checks everything out thoroughly and you may want to stay unfilled. You don't want to do too much damage if you are thinking about having a revision to the sleeve. Get healed and good luck with your decision. Lara

If you are unsure about coverage, get specific with your insurance company. If you have a leak, it would absolutely be an emergency - you need to check if you emergency room coverage would handle it. Also, double check with your local hospital that they have some experience with bariatric patients and emergencies. It is highly unlikely you will have a problem, but this info may put yourself at ease. Hang in there-- Lara

Every week that goes by is another week of healing and you will notice changes in capacity and appetite. I never really feel hungry, but I can sometimes feel empty - like I need some food to fill up. If you are clear for full liquids, try drinkable yogurt. Lots of Protein. If you are eating pudding, have you tried a little bit of cottage cheese, chewed up really well? You might need to leave the room when other people eat for a while. These frist couple of weeks are the toughest. Hang in there! Lara

I had similar problems with liquids and Protein shakes. The first week or so is all about clear liquid, so you have to kind of suffer through it. You should be cleared for thicker liquid in the next couple of days - try drinkable yogurt once you get the "OK". It is tasty and has lots of protein. I could never do the Protein Shakes, so I have had to get creative. In the meantime, drink a lot of liquid - whatever you can get down. Also, eat sugar free popsicles. They are really helpful. Lara

hi there-- The first couple of weeks are TOUGH!! Believe me, this is the hardest that it will ever be. I started drinking liquid yogurt pretty early out and it made me feel a lot better. It has a lot more substance and also has a lot of Protein. This time is all about healing the incision, so take it easy. Lara

Hi-- For me the decision to use Dr Aceves was his depth of experience with lap-band to sleeve revisions. The revision is a more complicated surgery and I wanted to go to the very best doctor I could find. He definitely lived up to his reputation. Mexicali is very nice and low-key compared to TJ. Also, Dr A works out of a real hospital with a real emergency room. This gave me a level of comfort just in case something went wrong. You stay 3 full days in a real hospital with Dr A and Dr Campos checking in on you 3+ times daily. With all that said, I had no complications - I didn't even throw up after the anesthesia. I felt they took a great amount of time in talking to me and figuring out which medicine was best for me personally. If you can afford it, it is well worth it. Good luck in your decision-- Lara

Hi there- I am not that far out, but I can tell you at my lowest weight in my teens and early twenties that my weight would fluctuate about 3-5 pounds on any given day. That is perfectly normal. Lara

Hi- It's completely normal to be scared!!!! As far as after-care, be sure to talk with your doctor at home and talk about what kind of after care you can expect from them. I am with Kaiser and they have been very good about taking over my after care (blood work, support groups, etc). You can always contact Dr Aceves' office if you have questions or problems - small or large - and they will work with you. If you have some sort of emergency, you will have to go to a local hospital. That said, you will have several leak tests before you leave and a pretty picture of your new stomach to take back to your regular doctor to confirm that your surgery was a success! He's the best - you are in great hands!! Lara

That was beautiful - thank you!!! I don't think 60 is too old for the surgery - what a nice way to start the next chapter of your life!! Congrats and thanks for the post- Lara

I'm afraid to commit :-/ I'll throw my hat in the ring for a short term goal... Revmeup..............195........175.......155 (really?).......20

I think the answer to both questions is: whenever it feels right to you. I still have a hard time laying on my side and I am 6 weeks out. Need lots of pillow support. I haven't even tried to lay on my stomach. As for the sex, I was back in the saddle day 7, but I was just laying there, you know what I mean? I was taking the "no lifting, no exercise" thing very seriously. I wasn't an "active" participant for a couple more weeks, but luckily my partner was willing to do all the work :-) Enjoy!

Nice to hear you are starting to turn the corner! I know I started to feel human again when I was eating real food. I also had to get some super moisturizing cream because my skin looked awful for the first 5 weeks - dry, wrinkly, yuck. I made a decision not to weigh myself at all from week 3 to week 5 because I knew about the dreaded stall. The good news is that I did lose weight when I finally got on the scale in week 5 - it was only 2 pounds - but I sailed through the stall wihtout having to torture myself about not seeing the scale more every day. I guess we each have our own way of tricking ourselves, eh? My partner as hiddenthe scale somewhere in the garage and I have to ask him to go get it when I want to weigh in. It keeps me from focusing on it too much. Amen about the diet industry - we are all like lambs to the slaughter... Lara

7 days out? The first week your body is still trying to get rid of all the Water it took on during the IV and surgery. Try to put the scale away and only weigh once a week at the most. It is impossible to gain with the small portions we eat - especially in the beginning. You didn't waste your money - it takes time to lose the weight and everyone goes at their own pace. Make sure you treat your new tummy gently and get all your liquid in. Lara

The first couple of weeks are the hardest. I had a hard time watching peope eat for a few weeks. Right now I can shop, cook, and eat with people but when I am done eating I have to excuse myself and walk away. I don't get sick or anything, I just have a hard time watching people after I am done. I think this wears off more and more the farther out you get. Hang in there! Lara

My experience / responses: 1. I have no idea how many calories I should be eating. I asked and they told me that I don't need to count calories or carbs! I should only look at fat grams and sugar grams and make sure they are under 5 grams. And of course, I should look at Protein and it should be as high as possible. Hmmmm I thought that was interesting. I don't really count calories anymore - I did at first because I was afraid I was slowly starving myself to death :-) My diet is somewhere between 600-800 calories, because that is as much as I can physically get in my body. I don't do Protein shakes because I can't stand them so all my cals come from real food. I don't count fat at all. Full fat, low carb is how I roll :-) I do have a packet of plain oatmeal once a day to keep my fiber up and I am perfectly regular (if you know what I mean). 2. Advil! They told me I could not take Advil....... Tylenol only. I finally had my cycle this week. Most all of my cycles are quite debilitating. They always have been and Tylenol doesn't even scratch the surface for pain. Do your doctors advise against Advil? If I knew I could never ever take Advil again, I would have thought twice about this surgery. They told me never to take it again. I thought it was just while my stomach was healing. Dr said no advil for 6 months while the healing / scarring is taking place. I did take some advil before I knew about this rule and it wasn't a problem (also around my TOM). After that I have been taking tylenol, which NEVER used to work for me and now it seems to work just fine. You can take Advil again, but you may want to wait until your stomach is healed? 3. I have a horrible sore throat and cold coming on. I love my Nyquil for just that. They told me no Nyquil. Anyone have experience with Nyquil after the sleeve? Sorry, no experience there. I wonder why it would be a problem? It is tylenol based, isn't it? 4. They released me to eat all foods. I am so excited I can eat salad! Did anyone have trouble when they started eating fiber again? They told me that in the beginning to eat it only at home, it can go right through you. Anyone have problems with salads at first? I have had bits of lettuce on other foods, but have never tucked into a salad. The lettuce bits seemed to go down fine with no problems. I have also had a couple of grapes without issue. The problem with salad is that you will fill up on lettuce which doesn't hold much nutritional value for you. You have to keep protein at the forefront of your diet and have just a bit of veg along with it - there just sin't enough room in there for everything :-) You may want to have your first salad at home just so you know how your body will handle it - then you will be comfortable venturing out into the world. Congrats on your progress! Lara

I was sleeved in Mexico, but I am a Kaiser patient - can I be included? I would like to share stories with other sleevers. It would be a bit of a drive for me from San Diego, but I can probably make it on a Saturday. Thanks! Lara

You can eat both, as long as you chew them really well. Like another poster said, the pickle might be a little acidic for you. In my mushies stage, I would cut little bits of hot dog up and stir it into my cottage cheese to flavor it - yum! At this stage, you can only eat about 1/3 of a hot dog, so it can't be that bad for you Lara