Wheetsin

Is the FOBI being used with VSG? AFAIK it's just with RNY to help control stretching/regain. But I don't know - maybe it has started being used with the VSG...

Honestly, I think it's kind of scary (having lived with the lapband for 6 years). My guess is that it could be quite uncomfortable. The artificial stoma created by the lapband definitely led to discomfort/pain when something was stuck in the stoma, and I'm guessing it can stick just as much (if not more, since you have no option to unfill/release pressure if something happens) with a FOBI. With no options for adjustment, if it became uncomfortable, I'd also guess it would stay that way (i.e. it may pass as whatever cleared the stoma, but would likely come right back). Just a guess.

I'd also be concerned about erosion with a FOBI. Especially as thin as it is.

One of the nice things is that with VSG, we shouldn't need a FOBI. Our regain stats are much better, and not centered on stretching.

Hmmm no but 1x or 2x a year we head to Oronogo. G/L setting something up. Do you have a surgeon in the area? Perhaps s/he can put some pamphlets in their office expressing the interest for a support group, if interested please call...

I think the majority of surgeons have started giving those out - at least it seems to have increased a lot in the last 2 - 4 years. My surgeon gives them out but I don't use it.

I had a big long explanatory reply typed up to this, and then lost it. Which is probably for the best, because I think at a fundamental level it's a basic miscommunication that's easily explained. See excerpts below (you don't have to respond, I just don't want you feeling "belittled" or whatever):

My doc explained to me that when they do the final cuts on the stomach near the splene, that a portion of your splene actually dies off ( about 1/3)

When I read this, what I took away from it was that when the cuts are made (every time they are made) about 1/3 of your spleen will die off. As in - cut *bam* 1/3 spleen is a goner. You didn't mention frequency, or expediancy, etc. So it sounded like an automatic guaranteed given, and it's just something we should expect. It DID NOT sound like an atypical complication. You've since posted more info (I've highlighted the applicable part below in red), and this doesn't seem to be what you intended to communicate (though it was how it came across).

Look up splenic infarction........and "rootman" you actually commented on a post from March 2011 on vsgtalk that was this very topic. It is not very common that you would ever know this happens, but it does happen to a select few of us. Depending on how and where your spleen is in conjunction to your stomach. And yes I am "offended" by the remarks that I may be naive or believe everything I hear.....which by definition is someone who is simple minded showing lack of judgement or information. I in fact read up on everything. I am very intelligent and do not appreciate the sarcasm from Wheetsin.

Look, I'm a sarcastic person. Anyone here familiar with me would agree with that statement. If it's not your cup of tea you probably won't appreciate very many of my posts because it's almost always in there somewhere, somehow (like that hyperbole). And that's perfectly OK - we all have our preferences, dislikes, etc. But as I explained how your message read above, I did not want you sitting around thinking that this "just happens all the time, no biggie" - and perhaps more relevant - I would not want someone pre-op thinking that.

If you spend a little more time here, you'll see how "knee jerk" some of the people can be, and how frightened they can become by otherwise innocuous messages.

Rootman and I are both coming from a place of trying to be helpful. I'd like to think we've successfully helped many, many people here. Like I said above - probably just a miscommuication, because your subsequent posts were saying something quite different from your intial post.

Cheers!

Watermelon is mostly Water. Once you chew out/swallow the Water, there really isn't much left. I don't think it's a slider food so much as an extremely un-dense food. Same is true, generally, for most fruits.

BTW, if you have a juicer, watermelon + red grapes together = YUM.

Just watch the carbs. It's very easy to underestimate fruit.< /p>

So many reasons, really!

The main reason for me - it can cause dumping. When your chewed food mixes with additional fluids, it can trigger your pyloric valve to open prematurely. food getting past that valve before it's really ready is pretty much what causes dumping syndrome.

For two - it's a capacity thing. Eventually Water and like fluids will drain through fairly quickly. Until then, you will have to pick between "take a bite" or "take a drink" because you just can't do both.

For three - I've been there with the band, and I've been there with the sleeve. Trust me when I say that drinking too much, or drinking too soon after eating, HURT. A lot. It's probably one of the more painful sensations we'll feel, related to our WLS, once we're healed. Avoiding the risk of feeling that is a pretty good reason.

Four - aside from capacity, it's also a sensation thing. We need to eat. If we're full on liquids, we will not have an appetite for solids. Solid Proteins are what will keep us satiated over time.

That being said, I do drink with my meals on occasion. Like if I swallow the wrong way - I'm not going to just deal with the "choking" (it's not choking, but you know what I mean) for 30 mins until it's safe to drink. If I take a bite of something way too hot, I've been known to reach for a drink rather than spit out the bite - whatever is fastest. I don't make it a habit. Honestly - it just doesn't feel good.

Once fully healed, I apply a balm I make myself. Not for any particular reason other than it's really good stuff, and I'm usually pretty messed up by the time the steristrips come off (I'm allergic to adhesives, so film + tape + bandaids + etc. can really do a number on me.)

The balm I make is vit E + raw virgin avocado oil + raw virgin coconut oil + raw shea butter.all whipped together into fluffy goodness.

BTW, this is my 2nd WLS and 2nd time going through Hair loss. The first time was about the same, but looked much worse as my hair was about waist length back then.

Search for Protein drink recipes. I've probably posted close to 100, if not more, and lots of others have posted lots on their own as well.

You'll probably need to try different brands. People seem to "click" with some more than others. I prefer a brand called "Six Star" for powders, and Isopure & EAS for RTDs.

Generically, mixing them with milk usually yields a better result than mixing with Water. All the "doctoring the taste" tricks are in the recipes. Generally, the colder you can get it the better it will taste, including putting it in the blender with ice, or letting it get just shy of freezing in the freezer.

Sounds like Barret's. It's not because of the gastric bypass, or because of cutting the stomach. It's because the tissues in the esophagus have prolonged exposure to stomach acids (i.e. reflux) and over time they change from "regular" esophagus cells into "stomach" cells to cope with the acid exposure. That's a greatly simplified explanation, but the gist is there.

Hey all! My father in law was just told he has pre cancerous cells in his esophagus from when he for gastric bypass. The doctors say its because the cutting of the stomach and something about acid?!? I have my date and now I am freaking out! Anyone else hear anything about this?!?!?

Now - that's desperate!

Poop is not created equal. "Healthy" poop will float. High Fiber poop will be the heaviest, because it can hold the most Water.

Unfortunately your question is pretty much impossible to answer (by me anyway). Too many variables. And it would also require a volume to be taken, and I'm so not going there.

A good poop, and all it involves, might relieve you of 0.5 - 1.25 lbs on average. This doesn't answer how much poop weighs (because if you poop a plum vs. a loaf of bread - totally disparity).

My rx is for 2 pills daily, but I'm opting to take just 1. I take it at night, as I lay down for bed. (I keep them on my nightstand with a bottle of Water.)

I stalled horribly - almost my first 3 months after surgery were spent stalled solid. I did play around with my PPI during that time - both times of day and quantity and it never made a difference.

If you're wanting to switch it up because you've not lost in 2 weeks, don't. Trying to "fix" stalls is rarely productive. Just wait it out. 2 weeks isn't really a stall - you're still good.

If you're just soliciting info to see what options might be - my dosage is 20mg Omeprazole, 2x daily. At first I was having heartburn even with the two. But now I manage nicely with one. I can even skip a day or two, but usually by day 3 I'm feeling it. I'm hoping I can wean off, eventually. I'm not liking the long term indications of PPIs.

HTH

Can you - yes.

Should you - only if you want to go through all your successful no smoking days again and again.

It's not judgment. It's really the same as food. If we've dieted for a while, can we eat something we know we shouldn't? Yeah, and that bite or plate in and of itself isn't going to hurt us.

But what are we triggering? Physically, mentally, emotionally?

If you can manage your triggers and thoughts in a way that it won't hurt you, have at it. If you can't, just make sure it's really worth it. You don't want to have regret.

Best of luck whether you puff or not.

...ca i have an occassional cigerette...

This is the hair collected after my daily shower/shampoo during my heaviest hairloss week. One week's worth of hair. I've been losing hair for about 6 weeks now. It has started to lessen.

This is ONLY what came out in the shower. There would be about 1/3 - 1/4 of the daily amount over again when I would finger comb/apply hair product. My shower drain caught the shower hair, but I had to have my bathroom sink snaked, just because of what came off my hands after the shower.

And the Hair loss is an all day thing. It doesn't only happen when you shower/wash your hair. That's just when you see it concentrated. And the water/washing/conditioner can "lubricate" hair that has fallen out, but remains stuck in your other hairs.

I know this is kinda gross, but pre- and newly post-ops who have no idea what to expect - here's an idea.

This is not necessarily what you will experience.

What you're seeing is short hair - about 5" long at the longest part, and about 2" at the shortest. Just to give you an idea of the hair volume you're seeing (i.e. it's not a smaller amount of really long hair tangled up).

Hope this helps.

BTW -I'm far from bald. Despite what these pictures show, I don't think I would notice it if I weren't seeing it.

It's most likely a referred pain from your vagus or phrenic nerve, which can be irritated when your abdominal cavity is inflated with CO2. My money is on phrenic.

newmrsL - that's a good example of not believing everything you're told. There's no such thing as surgery that unintentionally kills 1/3 of your spleen, and that's OK because it's just what happens.

The shoulder pai is exceptionally common. I've made a few other posts with more detail. You can search for phrases like "shoulder pain" and find a LOT of info.

Gas-X will not help it. Why do people recommend Gas-X? Gas-X is Simethicone. It's more or less something that breaks surface tension, i.e. it is not something that gets into your blood stream and works systemically. I think I posted once that using Gas-X for referred nerve pain is like putting a band-aid on your knee because your spleen is bleeding. Appropriately enough, in this thread!

It seems to depend on the insurance co. Mine used the BMI submitted for the consultation prior to submitting for approval. But I've heard of some insurance companies denying people who lost weight during their supervised diet (I never had one) if they'd lost enough weight to fall below the BMI requirements.

My surgery was 3/27 - almost April. My hairloss kicked in about 6 weeks ago. Lightly for about a week, then "holy hell" for about a month. It has just started to lighten up again. I suspect another 2 weeks or so and it should be fairly normal. (I've had other WLS so I've been through this before, andam going off previous experience).

I actually saved the discarded hair from my worst week of loss. At least the shower portion. There was actually quite a bit more, because as soon as I'd run my fingers through it (I finger comb) and apply product, my hands would be coated. Anyway - I saved it to take a pic and post so that people have ome idea what to expect. I had to have my sink drain snaked last week, just from the hair that would get on my hands, which was not the majority of it by far. And my hair is short - about to my hairline in back. The first time I went through this it was waist length. THAT was FREAKY.

I would suggest calling the nutritionist or person that handles your pre-op diet. Sometimes substitutions are fine, but they're really the only ones who can OK it.

powders?utm_source=BariatricPal&utm_medium=Affiliate&utm_campaign=CommentLink" target="_ad" data-id="1" >unjury has a chicken broth Protein. I've never tried it, but people seem to really like it.

BTA I've had to go on thefiber/Miralax combo 2 - 3 days at a time,about 10 times now. I've never once had diarrhea from it. I just get a normal "have to poop" sensation. I don' have to dash for the bathroom or anything. But I like to go ASAP, while I still can!

is anyone else out there, who has a disability, that has had the surgery? This next question applies to everyone though. It is emberrasing, but what better place to get a truthful answer. Right? Has anyone had any problems with their bowels, (such as diarrhea), after the surgery? Thats my main fear after this surgery is incontanince, regarding diarrhea. I know it's emberrasing, but any input, is much appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this!

An awful lot of people have some type of disability or another - so I can guarantee that the answer to your question is "yes."

Diarrhea - you will probably have some when you're on liquids. The amount of time you stay on lquids depends on you surgeon/program. Our bodies aren't great at turning liquids into solids, so "liquids in, liquids out."

Since the liquid phase I've had diarrhea once, and I think it's related to some milk I drank. I only do well with certain milks. Others give me "stomach problems" (pain/cramping, diarrhea, gas, etc.) But this was true before surgery so don't lump it into the automatic side effect category.

I have more of an issue with constipaton, but I'm also trying to keep carbs on the lower side (around 40). Most foods that help with Constipation aren't low carb, so I do tend to have some problems. If I go 3 - 4 days with no BM I will add soluble Fiber and Miralax, and extra fluids. It goes in periods. I"ll poop normal (well, sleeve normal, which is so tiny its almost cute) - by normal I mean at least once every 3 days - for a few weeks. And then I'll nee to supplement Fiber for a few weeks.

How long constipation lasts isn't really a product of the surgery. Indirectly. It's related to what oods you're eating, in what quantities, Fluid intake, etc. Those are affected by surgery. So I suspect that if it goes away, it's more related to eating more, adding more carbs, etc. as part of a maintenance phase than bcause you're X months post-op.

Biotin really won't help with the kind of hairloss we experience. It doesn't hurt anything so if it gives you any peace of mind, take it, just don't expect any results. Iron is actually more closely related to hairloss than Biotin, yet you never hear about people taking it. I think there's a bit if Biotin "buzz" on teh interwebz, which unfortunately can even carry over into surgeons' offices. But I tell you what. If I could go back in time about 10 years ago, I've have bought all the Bioin stock I could have. I'm sure it's a lucrative manufactured market.

It will eventually stop. I've been around WLS boards for about 8 years, and know an awful lot of people who have gone through it, and I don't know anyone whose hairloss did not eventually stop. Our hair works in cycles. Cycles can neither start nor stop overnight. You will get there.

If you're to the point where you need a wig to feel comfortble,the honestly - get the wig. None of us need new/additional esteem issues on top of our WLS efforts.

I had my first salad at 3 mos out - mixed arugala, romaine, radicchio - "European blend" or whatever it's called. I actually didn't find it filling at all. Maybe it's a slider for me? Who knows. I ate a small side salad (the kind that comes in an a la carte sized bowl) and still had room for a good amount of fish - actually more fish than I'd generally eat by itself. It went down fine and stayed down fine.

Crunchy lettuce ike iceberg tends to go down easier, but nutritionally it's crunchy Water. Maybe try some iceberg? And if it goes down OK you can work up to other, higher quality lettuces.

First, a few logistics

• I'm assuming your auto flush toilets work with the digital motion detector "eye"? (standard for autoflush toilets) If so, just cover up the eye. You can do it with a seat liner, a wad of toilet paper, paper towel - I've even taken off my shirt and used it (DD will refuse to use autoflush toilets unless the eye is covered - she's scared of the flushing sound). If none of this is available to you, just bring a post-it with you and stick it over the eye. Leave a pad of post-its in the bathroom if you can, or carry some in your pocket.
  
• No trash cans in the women's bathroom? Ask for one - it's a reasonable accomodation and I can't imagine any HR department that would ay no. I mean - what are you girls supposed to do with your feminie hygiene products if there aren't any trash cans? Every possible option generates some kind of trash.
  

Now for the not-so logistic...

I've never thrown up with the sleeve. (I've puked twice in the last 24 years - it's just something I really don't do).

Don't pack your sleeve, and when you start adding new foods in, do it one at a time so that if something does bother you, you can identify it.

I don't know how it is with the sleeve, but I had a lapband for 6 years and you have to bring things up with it. Almost guaranteed. But it's not puke/vomit - that's a misnomer. It's mostly thick saliva, and maybe a few bits of food. Unless something's wrong. I don't know if the sleeve is similar, but with the band you know before it's going to happen, and you have some control over when it happens. E.g. I had food get stuck at a restaurant and irped there & thought all was OK, but realized about 5 minutes into our 45 minute car ride that I wasn't done. But I didn't want to have my girlfriend pull over on the interstate. So I just "held" it the rest of the way. It wasn't comfortable, but that's what I mean by you can control it somewhat.

I know this sounds weird but I am terrified if throwing up when I go back to work after I have surgery, which will be in September, I have a lot of appointments lined up in August. If you are sick , would it be right after you have eaten or can you be sick at anytime. I just had dentures in March and the toilets where I work flush automatically and I am worried I will lose my teeth. There are no trash cans because my company has gone green and have hand dryers. Should I bring a throw up bag with me ? Also I am not near the bathroom and don't want to be sick before I can get there .

The psychology is the hardest part.

When I had my band and got reasonably close to goal, instead of doubling-up my efforts because I was so darn close, I found myself completely slacking off. Almost like being close was god nough, because I'd been so dang far away for so long. I still thought/dreamed of getting to goal, but at the same time I had a sort of complacency because I was "normal fat" - so to speak.

Off days, off periods... this is when our reduced capacity is such a blessing. It's going to happen. But it will still happen in moderation.

What worked the best for me was what I called a "Back to Basics" routine. Doing a few days of high Protein liquids of needed. Brining my carbs back under 20, and Protein back over 80 (could do it with the band, it'sbe alot more work now).

I plateaud for 18 months with my band. I honestly don't know what finally broke it, but within a handful of weeks I went from 250 to around 230. I really can't say for sure that I changed anything but it was right before my in-laws arrived (from Europe, staying 6 weeks) so I know I'd been cleaning the house like mad, and probably not eating much. I may have inadvertently upped my exercise - just in additional housework and moving thigns around to clear some space for them - and lowered overall cals while upping protein (I can remember several meals of just cottage cheese). I had definitely relaxed on the food regimine, and had some things in my diet that were much higher cal/carb than I realized.

Everything about today's plansounds good but beware of the Ceasar dressing. It's one of the highest fat/cal dressings out there. That aside, your plansounds like a very typical "regular" meal and IMO where you're at, that's the perfect spot.

Ideally - I try to call with the CPT code the plastic surgeon would use for billing the procedure. That way there's no miscommunication. What we call a procedure, and what proceures are technically called, are usually not the same thing. You should be able to get that code from a PS's office. I think 15830 is the current code for the panniculectomy, and 15847 is the add-on for abdominoplasty. When I was near goal with my lapband I knew all this a lot better, but that was a few years ago & I got fat again since then.

Panniculectomy removes the removes excess skin and fat of the anterior abdominal wall BELOW the bellybutton (a.k.a. "apron.") Nothing is done to the skin at or above the bellybutton, or the underlying muscles. It's done to resolve issues that arise with the skin-on-skin contact in that region. MANY insurance companies cover this when it is medically necessary. Proving medical necessity can be tricky sometimes, and you'll need to ensure that your insurance company doesn't classify it as a "cosmetic" procedure. THAT's the primary make or break.

Panniculectomy, a procedure closely related to abdominoplasty, is the surgical excision of a redundant, large and/or long overhanging apron of skin and subcutaneous fat located in the lower abdominal area.

^ That's a standard for how insurance companies differentiate the two procedures.

Notice only the area below the bellybutton, above the pubic area is touched:

IMO your best bet for proving medical necessaity is to start now. If you get rashes or irritation in the area, see your doctor and have them document it. Each and every time. Then when the time comes, you should have a substantial history to prove that this is a recurring medical issue. Most of the major insurance companies that I can think of cover panniculectomy under certain diagnoses, but I can't think of any that cover abdominoplasty.

All IMO/IME.

If they cover skin removal after wls? Do i just call them and ask? Or what do i say?