Wheetsin

My formal goal weight is a hybrid of a weight I know I'm comfortable at (around 185) and what my BMI considers normal (about 170). I'm using 170 on most things like tickers because, why settle for less? Realistically, if I get to 199 and never lose another pound, I'd be happy - anything under 200 is my mantra, seeing as how I spent a LOT of years at 350+. I am built large. I am not muscular, but I have a large frame. I'm just a hair over 5'10 and even when I was "skinny" I was never skinny. When your body type doffers from the core average, you have to take things like BMI with a grain of salt.

Was released with my PPI with instructions to start taking it my first full day at home, which was Thu (surgery on Tue). I'm not sure why your surgeon delays starting, so you really should call and ask. In terms of our stomachs themselves, you should be able to take the medication, even without crushing it. Prevacid is Lansoprazole and generally not considered one of the "better" PPIs to take. I've had the best luck with Omeprazole. My Rx is 2x daily. I take 1x daily if needed, or 1x every 2 days if I'm feeling OK. I will take a sip or two of Mylanta if I'm on the verge. PPIs are not getting good press lately and I'm trying to research more before I begin to rely on a daily dosage.

I can do pizza (incl the dough) but non-crunchy breads sit heavy in my sleeve. Not pain, but they have their own pressure. I don't eat the "rolled" part of the crust, and most of the time I only eat the topping. "Most of the time" as in the two times I've had pizza since surgery. I don't like crunchy taco shells, just soft/tortillas. I can eat about a third of a taco with tortilla, or all the filling without any tortilla. I don't eat fast food very frequerntly at all, much less than 1x per month so I have no idea what I would order "usually" but the last time we did Mexican was at Taco Bueno and I got an order of their refried Beans (which are the BEST) with some taco meat added in. I can eat small amounts of Pasta as well. Not much, it's just too filling. Maybe 1/8 C. I'm not a big pasta fan so this has been OK. I focus on the Protein served with the pasta.

Not really. Contrary to what the person above posted, I found that extremely cold liquids helped a bit. I'd freeze a bottle of Water and sip on it as it slowly melted. And I crunched ice chips. Those two things never caused spasms. Everything else did - warm liquids, Vitamins, the Lortab elixir, etc. The spasms were fairly severe, too (I'd feel them through to my back/between my shoulderblades, and get a referred pain in my hips, which I was familiar with from my lapband days). I was also feeling the contractions our stomachs make to grind food up. Like clockwork. These really hurt for a while too. ut I didn't feel them in my stomach, I felt them more in my esophagus/throat. About every 20 seconeds, like clockwork, any time I ate/drank something that was not super cold. I still get this with most Protein drinks or thick liquids, or if I eat a bit too much, or need to burp.

It took me a bit to get there. At least 3 - 4 weeks before I was anywhere near 64 oz. It will get easier as your swelling goes down. Do not force yourself. Instead, try other forms of hydration. Water hurt me quite a bit when I was freshly post-op, but I could slowly chomp ice chips all night long. Try some ice, or popsicles or shaved ice. Even different textures can make a big difference.

I had spasms, and still do on occasion, though mine were not as you're describing. Swallowing never hurt, it was always after. Mine started tapering off around week 10.

I'm not sure what legal hoops you're referring to -- shouldn't have been any, unless you have some kind of extenuating circumstances (inw hich case I do not want to know what they are!) . CIGNA is one of the slowest when it comes to preauths/preapprovals. I believe their timeframe is 30 days, and in all of my experience with them they've taken the full amount of time. YOUR notice will come via post, unless you place the call. They will not call you (at least not per normal procedure). Unless there is a criteria around age that's listed in your plan, it will not effect it. Young patients (under 18) may be a different story - and should be. Your age will impact some things because of the risk pools it places you in, but WLS is not one of them.

Fresca. With my band I stopped drinking all carbonated drinks for about 4 years, then slowly added Fresca back in, about 1 can per month. When you see what sodas (acids, etc.) do to teeth, it's not hard to give them up. Stopped again when I had my sleeve. The only thing I've ever craved the when I've given it up was the "burn" of the carbonation. Never missed the flavor, and it's already sugar free/decaf so I didn't miss that. I missed the carbonation burn of a freshly opened can being chugged down.

You can't really "prevent" excess skin. It's somewhat based on age, but at 23 it's not nearly as much of a factor (if you were like 16 - maybe.) IMO the two biggest factors are how much your skin has been stretched, and for how long. Close runner-ups are you genetics (predisposition to saggy skin, elasticity, etc.) and lifestyle (how healthy your skin is). Things like rate of loss really don't play as much of a role as people think they do. I do know a handful of WLSers around your age, some younger & some older. The above has held true with them. Those who were extremely overweight for the majority (or all) of their lives have the worst skin. Those who quickly gained, and then quickly lost, smaller amounts of weight are having a better time. I can't rule out their genetics, but that's the observable trend.

Istanbul was Constantinople, now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople. Sorry, every time I hear or read "Istanbul" (fairly frequently since I do a lot of shopping at a local Turkish market) that song pops into my head - can't help it. I had 4 weeks off from surgery. I returned to work on a Tuesday (4/24). It wasn't until the previous Thursday (4/19) that I felt anywhere near "good". Could I have flown for an hour a week after surgery - yes. Could I have done an 8 hour car trip - yes, with good roads and very frequent breaks. But I would not have felt good. Most of my first week I felt very good. The first 3 - 4 days after surgery I was out & about all day, shopping, walking around town/stores/city/etc. And then just before the start of week 2 "the fatigue" hit. I couldn't do anything without having to stop and rest, and I don't mean a minute or two. I mean 10, 15, 20 minutes. Just getting showered & ready to leave the house required about 7 breaks. I couldn't do a full trip to the grocery store. Heck, a few times I couldn't even tolerate standing in line and had to leave DH there to go sit down somewhere. That fatigue lasted most of weeks 2 & 3. It got a lot better quickly, then very slowly continued to improve.

I know several people who have had bypass. The average experience among them is that they love the early/initial weightloss, but do not love living with RNY long-term (I think they're all 6 - 8 or more years out, I don't think any of them are newly RNYed -- or Roux en Y). One of them is my "second mother" (just a good friend about my mother's age) and I can tell you that she does not look healthy. Her coloring is off, she's gaunt (despite gaining about 30 lbs back from what she initially lost), and she has lost 2 teeth related to malnutrition/vitamin deficiency. A few years ago she called me, unhappy, and basically said, "I'm just now starting to see the long term effects of living with this thing." But to be fair, I'm sure there are people out as far - or farther - than she is who love it. This is probably one of the scariest posts I have ever read on this forum. I truly am not trying to steer you toward one surgery or the other - different procedures are right for different people, and only you will know what's right for you. But please let me appeal to your sense of self-preservation: You've basically just said the only reason you want a SERIOUS surgical procedure is because other people have told you that you lose weight faster. Not because you want surgery, or you've researched all options and think one is best for you over another, or feel confident that you can make ALL the necessary changes for a healthy lifestyle. Wow, I truly am reeling over that statement -- out of conern for you and your not-great filtering of data. I'm going to suggest you forget what "other people" are telling you and do your own research. I could tell you that injecting bleach into your eye makes you lose weight faster than RNY or VSG, but that doesn't mean there's anything accurate about that statement, nor does it mean it's something you should consider doing just because someone told you it works. The initial weight loss between RNY and VSG is about even. As a matter of fact, IIRC VSG is now about 4% ahead for initial weight loss (occuring within the first year). But let's say I just made that up, and you lose 200% faster with RNY. Does it matter, when you consider regain stats? If your goal as to be thinner for about a year, and then gain a lot more weight, then "faster weightloss" is probably a good motivator for RNY. Have you considered looking for a sleeve surgeon to do a sleeve, instead of using an RNY surgeon? They are different procedures, and unless you have some kind of unusual restriction - most people would seek out the surgeon skilled in their procedure of choice. Unless there's a reason why you have to use a particular surgeon, shop around. Not interested in a lot of hair loss? Surprise - none of us were interested in it. It's certainly not like a motivating factor or fringe benefit. But it happens to just about everyone out there regardless of procedure. Did you realize that? Even the "harmless" lap-band. If you make the changes you will have to make for any WLS, you're at least 95% guaranteed to have hairloss. Maybe I'm interpreting your messages incorrectly, but here's what I'm getting: I want whatever quick fix is the easiest You really, really need to research life at 1, 2, 5 years post-op. Objectively read stories from people who are there. Research the stats (reading message boareds does not equal researching stats -- pull up medical journals and periodicals, look over complication charts and rates, even if you're just reading summaries read something, preferrably not from the internet). See what issues people are most frequently dealing with. Then compare the procedures. DO NOT make a decision based on "whatever will give me the fastest loss in the least amount of time". A decision like what might make you happy for a few months. Those better be really good months if you find you then start to regret making an uninformed or impulsive decision. Procedure aside, just do it smart.

Oh, just remembered this one. I'm not lactose intolerant (actually fatty milk - anything above 1% - does bother me a bit but that was pre-sleeve) but I've found that milk always tastes off to me, even when it's fine. Brand new, just opened milk will taste off. DH/DD will taste it and tell me it's fine, and I'm ready to pour it down the drain. I didn't touch milk for about 12 years, I guess I got too used to being away from it.

BTW, for me it happened constantly when my sleeve was brand new, but over time seems more linked to time of day and what I eat. Eating later in the day (which I don't do much because it's more uncomfortable) or eating very dense/tough foods (like jerky) seem to make it happen more.

This happens to me. Has since I got my lapband in 2006. Stopped when it came out, started again the day I got sleeved. If you search the board for "gurgling" you'll see it's very, very common. I sometimes have to tell people, "I promise I'm not burping, it's just a noise I make" because it sounds like a burp that is on its way, but never actually gets out.

I took a drink of something carbonated the other day. I can't even remember what it was. Oh yes - I can - it was DH's Mountain Dew (gross). We were driving somewhere and the very last bite of my Protein bar went down the wrong way. I grabbed his drink to help stop my pseudo-choking. I gave up sodas for the most part when I got my band, though I still had Fresca about once a month. It wasn't even a "stretch" thing. I saw what sodas were doing to teeth and just decided I didn't want it anymore. The single drink of Mt. Dew hurt quite a bit until I burped. But I do that with everything. The pressure of gas hurts since getting sleeved. It hurts in my throat. I don't think it was specific to the carbonation, because I almost always (now) get this pain just before I burp.

IMO - it's much more about the types of carbs you're eating than the quantity. The best analogy I've seen is firewood. Both pine & oak will make a nice fire, but one's going to leave a lot of crappy ash behind whereas the other will burn mostly clean. I think of carbs in our body much the same way. Low carb has some drawbacks. Make sure to supplement with some Fiber, and make sure you drink extra Fluid to compensate for the extra fiber (just taking fiber can lead to some major blockage). You might also want to keep some potassium and/or Calcium supplements on hand. Low carb diets tend to do crazy things to muscles, and potassium (only as needed, only as directed) will usually help. Most good potassium sources are not low carb. Back in my Atkins days I had a double quadricep seizure that required an ER trip!

It depends on what your eating plan calls for, how you personally do best - your activity level, how hard you're working out, etc. It also depends on the source of your carbs, e.g. a strawberry vs. an Oreo. I was keeping my carbs around 20 for a long time but seem to do better in the 30 - 40 range. My nut wants about 200 more carb calories (that's about 50 gm of carbs) out of me, but I just can't do it. I've compromised with about 40 more (calories, 10gm).

You absolutely can, I've done this for years. I use stock in most savory dishes that require Water (substitute an equal part stock). I make the stock in my crockpot and then portion it out. Here's what I would recommend: Roast the chicken/veggies before you simmer them. MUCH more flavor. When your stock is the color & flavor you want, refrigerate it overnight. That way the fat will harden at the top and you can easily remove it (unless you need it right away) I pour my chilled stock into a muffin tin with 1/2C wells. A batch of stock fits nicely into 2 pans. You can also use ice cube trays, but 1/2C is an easier portion to work with IMO/IME. Once frozen, just run the tray bottom under one of the cups, then press lightly with your thumb. The "muffin" should come right out. You can then freeze the individual "muffins" in a ziploc bag, but do it quickly. If they start to melt, they will freeze together. You can also wrap each with a bit of waxed paper if you want, though that shouldn't be needed. It's probably good in the freezer for a year or so, but I don't keep it past 6 months, and it's always gone long before then. HTH Once you have our stock made,

I'm not sure about prenatals, specifically, so soon post-op since pregnacy at that point is still a no-no. I don't think the surgeons would even have guidelines about it specifically, though "vitamins" are fine/required. Speaking more generically then prenatals, I was fine to take large pills my first full day home (day 2 after surgery). I had to take a very large pill to help with a complication I had. For the first few times I bit the pill into thirds (you cannot do that with all meds so don't take that as advice), but easily with 1 week post-op I was taking a pill MUCH larger than the prenatals I took. Prenatals also come in different sizes. When the time is right, you can talk to your OB about it. They'll need to know about your surgery, so just ask if they can give you an Rx for one of the smaller varieties (unless you plan to go OTC). Lastly, I'm not aware of any prenatals that are enteric coated or otherwise could not be cut. If you cut a big pill, it's no longer a big pill. If you have problems taking it whole, you should be fine to cut or crush it, but that might depend on which Vitamin you end up taking when the time comes. The sleeve does not require chewables.

The best suggestion is to be patient. 1 week of no loss IS NOT a stall. It's NORMAL. Our bodies just need some time to play catch up, sometimes. I went about 11 weeks with no loss, starting about 3 weeks after surgery. it just happens. There are "stall busters" but seriously, a week is not a stall.

1C homemade chicken stock will have about 20gm Protein.

I didn't worry about Protein my first week. It's much more important to be hydrated, and I was pretty much reliant on ice chips for any volume that wasn't a fraction of an ounce. Unless they've specifically told you otherwise, 80gm is something you would work up to, not something you have to nail from day 1. It was probably 4 - 5 weeks before I could get all my protein, and only because I was allowed soft foods by that point. The viscosity of Protein drinks (the ones I had tried by then) did not agree with me. I would not have been able to get in more than about 40gm MAX through protein drinks in my first several weeks.

I can eat everything so far. Thick liquids (like Protein drinks) sit heavy, but I can drink them slowly.

I would not take anything other than whats given to me by a medical professional before the leak test (or before discharge). Gas-X is simethicone. You have a lot of options if simethicone is what you're after. Just remember that Gas-X will do NOTHING for the gas pains that come from the CO2. It will only work (and even then it's questionable) on the gas in your digestive tract.

You already know this already by now, but I was required to wait 2 months in between. Actual wait was 7 months due to insurance silliness. We need an "LBT Survivors" sub-forum.