Hey Man

I just think it would be somewhat helpful for a doctor to say - you may be able to have carbonated drinks or you may not, it depends on the person as opposed to some strict NEVER rule and false information about stretching of the stomach, which I have been told is completely impossible with carbonated drinks. I will be making that decision - if it's for me as I go through the process of talking with doctors, nutrionists and the other people as required before I can have the surgery. I get encouraged by patients who have no problem with the things that I am concerned about and then there are patients the say the opposite and then I get worried.

I just think it would be somewhat helpful for a doctor to say - you may be able to have carbonated drinks or you may not, it depends on the person as opposed to some strict NEVER rule and false information about stretching of the stomach, which I have been told is completely impossible with carbonated drinks. I will be making that decision - if it's for me as I go through the process of talking with doctors, nutrionists and the other people as required before I can have the surgery. I get encouraged by patients who have no problem with the things that I am concerned about and then there are patients the say the opposite and then I get worried. I just think it would be somewhat helpful for a doctor to say - you may be able to have carbonated drinks or you may not, it depends on the person as opposed to some strict NEVER rule and false information about stretching of the stomach, which I have been told is completely impossible with carbonated drinks. I will be making that decision - if it's for me as I go through the process of talking with doctors, nutrionists and the other people as required before I can have the surgery. I get encouraged by patients who have no problem with the things that I am concerned about and then there are patients the say the opposite and then I get worried. I just think it would be somewhat helpful for a doctor to say - you may be able to have carbonated drinks or you may not, it depends on the person as opposed to some strict NEVER rule and false information about stretching of the stomach, which I have been told is completely impossible with carbonated drinks. I will be making that decision - if it's for me as I go through the process of talking with doctors, nutrionists and the other people as required before I can have the surgery. I get encouraged by patients who have no problem with the things that I am concerned about and then there are patients the say the opposite and then I get worried.

What foods did you love (not junk food) that you can't eat anymore?

Greetings, I am going for my orientation on Monday and prior to that - I have done a lot of my own research. In addition, my wife had a gastric bypass. I can't have a gastric bypass due to medication that I take, so it has to be the sleeve. I am primarily obese due to lack of portion control. It isn't that I eat the wrong things or unhealthy things per se, but I eat enough of it to feed a whole family at once and I never feel full. That button in my brain is broken. So I am hoping that the sleeve will help with portion control and feeling full, but I still want to eat the foods that I normally would generally speaking. I also love spicy foods and pretty much put hot sauce on everything. I have read some patients have a hard time with that and some are fine. I love Buffalo Wings for example and would really like to be able to still have a few as opposed to the 50 wings that I usually have eat at one time. I would really have a big problem if I couldn't eat spicy foods/hot sauce anymore. I have been told by some patients that compared to the bypass - sleeve patients can pretty much go back to how they used to eat - but just a lot less of it. But then some patients say that they tried to eat a very small hamburger (slider) and felt sick. I also drink primarily carbonated drinks - never sugar ones, just Diet Coke and carbonated Water. I do drink regular water, but I don't really like it even when it is flavored. I need the crispness of the carbonation. Now here is the problem - some doctors claim that you can't drink carbonated drinks, because it will stretch out your stomach, etc. And there are doctors that say that it's a complete myth and drinking carbonated drinks is fine - that it's impossible to stretch out your stomach with the carbonation levels found in a can of Diet Coke or club soda. Patients say the same thing - some drink carbonated drinks and it's perfectly fine and some don't - because their doctor told them not to. I suspect because doctors assume that drinking Diet Coke will lead to patients to start drinking regular Coke/other sugar drinks and thus impact weight loss. So just tell the patient that they can't have anything carbonated. Anyone here drinking carbonated drinks with no problem? Now this is going to sound weird, but I have great hair and one of my biggest worries is losing my hair/thinning hair, which I am told happens after surgery. Can this be avoided with any kind of vitamins/fish oil, whatever? Losing weight is great, but I don't want to be a thin bald person if you know what I mean. I know it's supposed to be temporary and it grows back, but I am a guy that doesn't want to lose his hair and I am a little paranoid. I may decide that the sleeve isn't for me ultimately - I just find it hard to make a decision with all the conflicting information from doctors and patients. I may decide that life is too short to no longer enjoy the foods that I love in moderation at least and try to find another way to lose weight. I wish there was a way to know for sure how things will be after the operation. I don't want to find out after the fact that I can't have spicy foods anymore or bread makes me sick or a piece of chicken give me a stomach ache. I would greatly appreciate any feedback to what I posted above and responses to my direct concerns. Thanks! HM