Rev Me Up!

Hmmmm.... I don't see them. I think the banner ads are customized based on internet searches and things like that. For example, When I was looking at jewelry last year, all of a sudden my banner ads were all from jewelers.

It sounds like your budget precludes you from considering Dr Aceves. If so, look at the other doctors mentioned on this thread that operate out of TJ - they will be similar prices. No need worrying about a doctor that you can't afford - if it isn't an option for you, then don't pull your hair out considering it.
Good luck with your decision--

Ha ha ha!! Awesome!!!

The dreaded 3-5 week stall strikes again!!
If you search the forum you will find every sleevers has experienced this slow down. It passes after 2 or 3 weeks. Don't worry, it will pass.

Hi-
I think most of the change comes from inside of you. You won't even realize that you are smiling more, carrying yourself with more confidence, etc. People react to that more than anything.
In my personal life I have been very fortunate not to lose any friends. My husband has always been supportive and the only change in our "personal" time really comes from me being less inhibited about my body.
Good luck!

Hi-
I think most of the change comes from inside of you. You won't even realize that you are smiling more, carrying yourself with more confidence, etc. People react to that more than anything.
In my personal life I have been very fortunate not to lose any friends. My husband has always been supportive and the only change in our "personal" time really comes from me being less inhibited about my body.
Good luck!

I parted with my band in March... and I don't miss it!!!!!
I think that former bandsters are very good sleeve patients. We are so used to the weird eating rules that the sleeve rules seem quite easy.
So happy for you and hope everything goes well.
The band SUCKS.

I am full of successes this month. I think I was in a plateau and I didn't even realize it because I lost another 3 pounds this week and suddenly all my size 10 slacks were hanging on me. Got some size 8 retro flare slacks from Penneys and some size 8 slacks from Sears. They all zipped and look great! I even found some size 8 bootcut jeans that fit.
Size 8 pants. Seriously, sweeter words have never been said...

hey all-
I hit my goal over Thanksgiving! Slid right past it yesterday. I only weigh once every few weeks, so i'm not sure when it happened. Am I happy? You bet your sweet ass I am!
Hang in there, folks. It slows down, but I am still losing about half pound a week. My measurement is now my pant size because that goes slower than the scale for me.
Cant believe I have come this far :-)

hey all-
I hit my goal over Thanksgiving! Slid right past it yesterday. I only weigh once every few weeks, so i'm not sure when it happened. Am I happy? You bet your sweet ass I am!
Hang in there, folks. It slows down, but I am still losing about half pound a week. My measurement is now my pant size because that goes slower than the scale for me.
Cant believe I have come this far :-)

I saw an article this morning about a woman who has had great success with the sleeve. Even though the article is positive, I hate the way they refer to her procedure as "radical" and they don't make a distinction between the sleeve and other forms of bariatric surgery. Then, of course, the comments from all the idiots at the bottom. Everyone commenting as if this lady had gastric bypass - which she didn't.
In addition to all this, they say the surgery costs $30k (ouch), and they also don't come close to the subject of people having this as an alternative to previous lapband failures or how lower BMI patients also do incredbly well because this surgery isn't nearly as "radical" as the other choices.
Oh well, if you want to see what the outside world is saying about our procedure - here you go:
http://gma.yahoo.com/woman-loses-130-pounds-months-radical-stomach-surgery-182125253.html

I saw an article this morning about a woman who has had great success with the sleeve. Even though the article is positive, I hate the way they refer to her procedure as "radical" and they don't make a distinction between the sleeve and other forms of bariatric surgery. Then, of course, the comments from all the idiots at the bottom. Everyone commenting as if this lady had gastric bypass - which she didn't.
In addition to all this, they say the surgery costs $30k (ouch), and they also don't come close to the subject of people having this as an alternative to previous lapband failures or how lower BMI patients also do incredbly well because this surgery isn't nearly as "radical" as the other choices.
Oh well, if you want to see what the outside world is saying about our procedure - here you go:
http://gma.yahoo.com/woman-loses-130-pounds-months-radical-stomach-surgery-182125253.html

I have no real cravings for food usually. I eat what I like, I don't want for sweets or anything "bad". Then that special time of the month comes around and my brain thinks that I am back to my "old" self. I crave cake, pastry, ice cream, chocolate - what the hell???? I crave it so much that I mistakenly think I can eat a few bites of them - and then I feel sick and crappy. It's so weird, my brain just forgets all the experiences of the past several months and the cravings are exactly the same as they were before the surgery.
For a day I get really worried thinking that the magic of the surgery has worn off and then I remember that hormones are very powerful. By the end of the week I should be back to my new normal and these compulsions will be behind me.
ANyone else have this happen to them? I also notice that my hot flashes come back during this time.

HI,
I had a BMI of 31, but I was also a lap-band revision. I did not bother trying with insurance, I went to straight to Dr Aceves in Mexicali because he has a ton of experience with the revision.
I am doing so well with the sleeve and have reached a "normal" BMI in 4 months. I still have about 16 pounds till goal, but I couldn't be happier. Make sure you set your expectations properly - you are not going to lose weight as fast as others on this board. You need to look at your percentage of weight lost, not the pounds. The fact is you have less to lose than others and it will come off slower.
Bottom line, the sleeve really works and I think it is great that you are addressing it now before your weight or health suffers.
Thanks for starting the thread - its nice to see other low-BMI patients out there. We are not alone!

I am 3 and half months out. I found the recovery much harder with the sleeve. I had less energy, but I am sure that was because I had a terrible time getting liquids down. Also, once you start eating, you can hardy eat anything at all. Remember the 6 week wait bofore you could get your first fill? And you could eat fairly normally? THat is not the case with the sleeve. You restriction is very tight and very consistent.
I had a hard time getting excited about my surgery the second time around. I think once you have a failed weight loss surgery, you are much more guarded about your prospects the second time around. However, I can say with 100% certainty that this surgery works. It does for you what was promised with the band but never delivered. I eat healthier and my restriction is very consistent.
Mentally, it is hard because you will have to come to terms with your limited ability to eat. According the "old timers", this gets better after 6 months or so as your consumption goes up a little more.
I am so happy with my sleeve. Now I am over the worst of the recovery, I feel more normal than I have in years. No more port, no more food sticking, no more random stomach pain, no more fills. I am losing a lot of weight and I am extremely satisfied with my decision to make the change.
Good luck with your decision!

Let me throw Jonah Hill into the ring here. Just read this article about his amazing weight loss. He says when he eat unhealthy stuff he doesn't feel good. Sounds like WLS to me :-) Check it out for yourself...
http://uk.omg.yahoo.com/gossip/the-juice/woah-jonah-hill-lost-shed-load-weight-163317829.html
I'm not judging because I keep my WLS a secret too. But I am torn because I think the stigma would go away if we all opened up about it. Double edged sword, eh?

Let me throw Jonah Hill into the ring here. Just read this article about his amazing weight loss. He says when he eat unhealthy stuff he doesn't feel good. Sounds like WLS to me :-) Check it out for yourself...
http://uk.omg.yahoo.com/gossip/the-juice/woah-jonah-hill-lost-shed-load-weight-163317829.html
I'm not judging because I keep my WLS a secret too. But I am torn because I think the stigma would go away if we all opened up about it. Double edged sword, eh?

Wow! That is really hard so soon after surgery. I didn't go out for any type of restaurant meal for at least a month after my surgery. It's just too hard - no need to torture yourself. It does get better and you will be able to eat regular food - just less of it. My first mushies were cottage cheese, yogurt, and mashed sweet potato dressed only with some salt (no marshmallow or brown sugar). Beware, though, that your first real food will fill you up REALLY QUICKLY. Don't get a side of mashed potatoes thinking you will eat the whole thing. Go really slow and don't be surprised if 2 spoonfuls is all you can handle.
I am coming up on 4 months and I still can only eat a tiny bit of an appetizer or I eat a couple of bites off of someone else's plate. My favorite meals out are Asian because most Asian places (Chinese, Thai, Japanese, etc) serve family style. I can pick a couple of bits off the larger serving that everyone is sharing and I don't feel so odd.
But, for now, even that won't help you because you are too close to surgery date. Bring your food in your purse, buy Soup in restaurants and do the best you can.
Take care--

Giving the therapist the benefit of the doubt, i know that my time spent on this site was pretty obsessive from the time I started researching until about 2 monhs after surgery. I felt like I couldn't get through my day without checking the site several times. This would be considered obsessive behavior and may not be healthy. However, that daily contact really kept me sane through the surgery and recovery process.
It is true, though, that it is unethical for a therapist to tell you what to do. YOu are there to explore your feelings and a therapist is supposed to guide you through that exploration.
See if you can get a referral.
Regarding the not big enough thing - I think our society has been desensitized to how large people really are. Bottom line, you are overweight and you want to do something about it that will really work. I'll tell you - this surgery gives you a fighting chance to get all that weight off and keep it off,
Good luck with your decision.

Yay for you!! You know I am a big fan of the bi-weekly weigh in. There is no way I wanted to put extra pressure on myself of fluctuations in the scale. I know for sure that I weight up to 5 pounds more in the evening than I do in the morning, so its only morning weighing and once a week AT THE MOST.
Good for you - working through this is hard. It is so hard to change obsessive habits, isn't it? food, scale, work, etc.
I was enjoying your post and realized I am a little too obsessed about my clothes size. You and I are the same height and I weigh less than you, but I am just squeezing into size 16 pants. I am excited about it because last week I was in an 18 - but in order for me to be a size 10, I would have to weigh around 150. We each have our demons, eh?
Your scale does not define you
My clothes size does not define me
What else can someone add to this list, I wonder?

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

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

The topic was weight loss surgery, but of course they only talked about lap-band. OMG. Seriously, I was so apalled at what I was hearing that I was driven to write them a letter, which is something I would never do. They had the smug lap-band surgeon laughingly say there was only 1% chance of any type of complication and that the surgery only takes 15 minutes. He was such a douche! They had a couple of success stories on there and everyone was so bowled over by how awesome everything is. There was one lady on there that was talking about complications, but they didn't really give her much time. Here is a copy of what I wrote - I wanted to share it with you all:
*****
The lap band is a nightmare!!!!!!
This is a direct quote from the Allergan web site regarding lap-band safety: "In the study, 25% of the patients had their band systems removed, two-thirds of which were following adverse events. "
Reference: http://www.lapband.c...nformation/#top
If the 600,000 patient count that was quoted on the show is accurate, that means up to 150,000 have probably had them removed and this should be represented in the discussion.
Your lap-band "expert" surgeon downplayed the risks as if they didn't exist. I got the lap-band almost 4 years ago and I just had it removed a month ago. There are thousands of people like me out there. I'm not sure where the statistics are coming from, but I think there is a huge silent group of people out there having revision surgeries. There is not as much information out there regarding lap-band patients 5 years out from surgery, but there are so many that have the band removed because of problems eating (I couldn't eat chicken with my band AT ALL), Problems with chronic port site pain, port flipping, slipping, erosion, doctors that do port fills correctly, and much more. For the record, I did not have any major complications and I still had the band taken out.
Go to a lap-band support forum on line and then look into the "complications" discussions. You will see it all there. And these complications are not because the patient failed, the equipment is problematic, period. Check out www.verticalsleevetalk.com and look into the "Band To SLeeve Revision" topic. Read through the stories and see what is REALLY happeneing out there. These are real people.
Also, your surgeon said something about the removal of a band being "easy". I don't say this lightly, but this guy has no idea what he is talking about. I had an uncomplicated revision surgery and there was internal scarring from the band that needed to be removed.
Please do your homework before you sell this surgery to the desperate overweight people out there. They will believe anything because they want so desperately to lose the weight - i know because I was one of them.
Please, please, please - stop perpetuating this flawed surgical remedy. The marketing is out of control and people are being seriously hurt. There are other surgical options that have better long term results and less long term complications.
Sincerely,
<full name withheld on forum>
**********
I had to get it off of my chest.
Thanks-
Lara

Agreed - you will be much happier when it is gone. The recovery takes time, but I am so happy not to have that band in me anymore! I already can eat and swallow better than I did 3 weeks ago with the band!!!
I have to change the channel when I hear the lap-band commercials on the radio. It is shocking.
Good luck!
Lara

For me... 2 weeks.