soccermom2

Thank you for your recommendations. I’ve actually been using fair life milk & chocolate milk it just doesn’t seem like I can get to the number of Protein that I need since it’s a smaller amount of protein per serving.

As far as hair and muscle loss... is that something that will happen from just one month of not getting enough protein? Once I’m eating solids if I’m able to get enough protein then will I be good or will I have done a lot of damage?

On 07/06/2019 at 14:43, 2Bsmaller18 said:

What about Protein Water? It has a dry after taste but over ice it’s ok.

Just that I need to get more. My goal is 70-100g per day. Idk how I’m supposed to get it at this point when the supplements make me sick & I can’t eat to get it, though.

I am 11 days post-op. I cannot tolerate Protein substitutes. I’ve tried everything and all of it makes me sick. Even Genepro... I can smell it, taste it, it gives me horrible gas & makes me nauseous.

I’ve only averaged around 30g of Protein a day since surgery. Yesterday I had to get IV fluids for dehydration because the protein makes me so sick. I can drink Water just fine until I start trying to get my protein in. Staying hydrated needs to be my priority right now & the protein is affecting my ability to do that.

So what are the consequences of not getting enough protein at this point? I’m starting soft foods next week & I feel like it will be easier to get my protein from food as time goes on.

Other than the protein issue I’m starting to feel semi-normal again. Most of my pain has subsided & I feel like I have a lot of energy today.

Girl, this is 100% me too right now. I also had surgery last week. I was crying pre-op, didn’t want to do it, pushed myself to go to the OR. I immediately regretted it upon waking up & have every day since. I wished my husband had talked me out of it. Recovery was much, much harder and more painful than I was expecting. If I had known it was going to be like this, I would have tried so much harder to lose the weight without surgery.

However, we can’t change it now. It’s done, there is no rewind button, and this is life now. I am starting to feel better as the pain has eased up tremendously & now I’m on full liquids instead of clear. It also helps me to think that this will not last forever. Eventually I will feel “normal” and be able to eat normal foods, just less of them, which is what I wanted from this. I wanted to be able to eat normally- binging & having multiple servings like I did was not normal.

I also made a list of all the things I will be able to do as a result of this surgery. I won’t feel like hiding myself because of my weight, I’ll take pictures with my family which I haven’t done in years, be able to enjoy social gatherings & going out in public without feeling embarrassed of my weight, play and ride bikes with my kids, swim, feel good in clothes, etc. My weight has held me back from living & enjoying my life for the past 5 years. Thinking in terms of that helped me so much.

Good luck! Fingers crossed that a year from now when we have lost weight & aren’t so restricted, we will be grateful!

I just started the process of getting approved for weight loss surgery last month. I went to my first diet class last month too. I have Anthem BCBS and am required to complete a 6 month diet program where I successfully lose weight.
Tonight’s my 2nd diet class and weigh in. I weighed myself this morning and I’ve gained 5 pounds in a couple of days time. I’m starting my cycle and I always bloat like this beforehand.
Will this gain keep me from getting approved? I’ve been told that I have to show I can lose weight- but what if I gain weight at one of my weigh ins?

Thanks in advance for the replies!

I was set to get my surgery in June, then we found out that our house had termites and there went a good portion of my surgery fund! I was nervous mainly because I had already paid my $500 deposit to have the surgery. However, Bill was very understanding and quickly got my deposit refunded.

I still hope to have surgery as soon as I can save the money back up, but I was very impressed with how this company handled my situation. They could easily have just taken my money and ran with it or told me that I had to make it work but they didn't. They are not out to get your money! From booking to having this unfortunate situation arise, I have had nothing but positive experiences with BariatricPal!

Thank you BariatricPal TeamMX! Not only do you have one of the best bariatric surgeons in Tijuana, but you are a team that I know I can trust- a team that has its patients' best interests at heart!

Since you've started your journey, what has been your favorite NSV (Non-Scale Victory)?

I am just starting my journey and a thread like this would be really encouraging at the moment. Surgery fear is starting to kick in, so I am trying to keep my mindset positive. For me, I can't wait to ditch the spandex underclothes & be able to run around the park with my kids & take them to the pool without hiding. Yesterday I realized how much time I spend every day tugging my clothes away from my body & sucking it in... I really can't wait to not worry about that all day anymore. It's hard to wrap my mind around how much different my life will be in a years time. It doesn't even seem possible!

I'm probably not the best to respond since I am still pre-op but you post really got to me. I am so sorry that you've gone through all of this.

Have you thought about revision surgery? I have seen a few people on these forums who had regain or didn't lose as much as they wanted. They did a revision to the mini gastric bypass or full gastric bypass and had a lot of success with it. Of course I don't know if you meet the BMI requirements or not for that.

I've also seen people do a "pouch reset" where you go back to what you were doing in the beginning right after surgery. liquid diet, then purees, etc. It's supposed to help regain some restriction.

I really think you should try seeing a therapist too. They can help with the depression you have & even help with the binge eating problems.

Are you exercising? Using a Fitbit helped me a lot. I thought I was active but I was gaining weight. Then I tracked with my Fitbit and was actually only getting around 4,000-5,000 steps a day when I'm supposed to get 10,000.

What is their reasoning for dropping you? I don't see how the surgery has any effect on them. Shouldn't your pcp be supportive of you trying to better your health?
I would switch doctors. This is 2017. Medical Tourism is something a lot of people do every year now. As long as you've found a reputable surgeon your pcp should be understanding and supportive.

Should I start any Vitamins prior to surgery? Like Biotin to help prevent Hair loss?

What vitamins will I need each day after surgery?

Thanks in advance

I've tried Premier Protein shakes and GENEPRO powder. I can't stand the taste premier and could even taste genepro though it's supposed to be tasteless. More than that they both made me so sick. Nausea and a burning pain in my stomach for the rest of the day after just a little bit of them.

Anybody else have this issue? I'm nervous about getting enough Protein in after surgery if I don't find something that's easier on my stomach.

My surgeon recommended bypass for me over the sleeve since I have GERD. They said they could do the mini gastric bypass if I wanted something with less malabsorption.

I'm still going to go with the sleeve though because bypass scares me. I didn't have GERD issues before gaining weight so I'm hopeful that it will subside with weight loss or remain manageable. Worse case scenario I'll have to have a revision.

Right!
This discussion has happened here so often and so many scientific studies and links have been cited.
I only responded and posted because I am procrastinating on a work project but I am promising myself today I am never going to post more than once sentence about sleeve stretching again. "Properly formed sleeves don't stretch"
If people are comforted by thinking that sleeves stretch so they have an excuse for regaining and failing, hug that blankie tight Linus van Pelt, may it comfort you in hard times,
I'm done.

Sleeves don't stretch though, they aren't really that elastic, I know because I can still eat/drink too fast and feel the pain. So many doctors will tell you that. Sleeves are really not that flexible, I know I live with one.
I don't even know how to drill it home more than that. It won't stretch if it is done right, that is basically the cornerstone of the surgery. A stretched sleeve is a complication or a failure. It defeats the purpose. The sleeve has 2 major parts that help with weight loss, removing the stretchy part of the stomach reducing portions and creating restriction and also removing the stretchy part of the stomach removes ghrelin the hunger hormone. The part we are left with is more muscular than pouchy or stretchy.
The last link you posted is about a full regular stomach (did you even read it, or look at the picture? It is written by an English major for a BroScience website). A full regular stomach will stretch because the whole stomach is stretchy. The stretch part of the stomach is removed with the sleeve. It is not with RNY or the Band. Most WLS information lumps all these surgeries together.
It really does not seem like you understand how the sleeve works or what the surgery involves. It looks like you are still pre-op, if you are going to have the sleeve, you should do more research so you can understand how it works.
If you have a sleeve you won't stretch it, you risk other complication like ruining your esophagus creating a pouch at the top of it that food is getting stuck in. This happens because a sleeve doesn't stretch. Like [mention=252425]BigViffer[/mention] you can damage the valve at the bottom of your stomach and make it open fast but a sleeve does not stretch.
Many sleevers confuse healing with stretching. The restriction you have at the beginning is not the restriction you will have forever. That is because it is not true restriction it is swelling. It takes a long time for internal swelling to go down and to be fully healed, 6 months at least, and this even applies to other things like a lot of plastic surgery. My restriction at 21 months is the same as 12 months. If I don't eat for a day or two my sleeve can get tight as a drum, or it can just randomly be tight.
Most people complaining about stretched sleeves are eating sliders not dense Protein. If they ever listen to advice and eat dense protein, of they discover they have restriction again.
Finally the sleeve wasn't covered by insurance just a few years ago in the US and a lot of people with complications now went out of the country to have their surgery done. They have complications from bad sleeves and are having revisions in the US now because WLS is covered by insurance more than it used to be and also everyone is currently is required to have insurance in the US.
A correctly formed sleeve will not stretch. A RNY pouch will stretch, the pouch created by the band will stretch and bands can slip. A properly made sleeve will not stretch. Healing is not stretching. Eating sliders is not stretching.

Medical Malpractice
All surgeons are not created equal. That is why people usually qualify their statements with "properly formed sleeve". If the surgery is done right it doesn't stretch.
There are a lot of surgeons not doing it right. At least once a month someone posts here about being offered a modified sleeve where less of the stomach is removed. That is not a properly formed sleeve.
Also, by the time people are fully healed and recovered. The size of their stomach shouldn't matter. They should be weighing or at least measuring all their food and eating proper portions. If you are eating proper portions the size of your sleeve doesn't matter.
A stretched sleeve is just a cop out. Surgeons are willing to encourage it because most of them are just in it for the $$$$$$$ especially with medical tourism.

Don't really care about the rest of the rant, but this needed to be addressed (yet again).

Depending on the surgery, the stretchy part of of the stomach (the fundus) is removed (sleeve) or bypassed (bypass). Therefore it is not possible to stretch the stomach again.

However! Once the scar tissue has fully healed, the stomach that remains does regain some pliability. I would liken it to a garden hose in the winter versus the same hose in the summer. On a properly performed surgery, when people say that their stomach has stretched, most likely what has happened is that the pylorus (for sleeves) or the created opening to the intestine (bypass) has been weakened and/or stretched and food can move from the stomach or pouch into the intestine quicker allowing for more food to be consumed.

To make the myth worse is the fact that doctors/surgeons will put the above into "laymans terms" for their patients. Thus perpetuating the belief that you can stretch your sleeve by eating poorly or too much or drinking carbonated beverages.

I recently watched a surgery on here of a sleeve conversion to a mini bypass. The stomach looked obviously bigger than sleeve surgeries that I've seen and the doctor noted how a little stretching like that over time was normal with the sleeve.

How do you explain a visibly larger sleeved stomach like that if stretching of the stomach isn't possible?

Not trying to be rude or say that you're wrong, I'm just curious where your information is coming from. Especially when surgeons who perform these surgeries and physically see the stomach over time in situations like this claim otherwise.

Part of it is genetic... I have a friend with a very low bmi and pretty tenacious sagging skin and stretch marks after having children. She has never been overweight a day in her life, even pregnant. Her skin just is unfriendly. I on the other hand have been overweight my whole life. A him between 30-35 most of the time. On the few occasions I managed to drop the same 70lbs again, I have very little loose skin and my stretch marks fine and nearly invisible.
The same can be said for scarring, some people scars are more noticeable with darker pigments and more raised while others scars nearly disappear.
Obviously size and complications like infections certainly play a role too though.

Just going to have to wait and see! Good luck [emoji4]

Sorry, I'm new to all this - what's an MMO?

My current weight is 210 pounds and I'm 5'4".

My goal weight is 130 pounds. I'm 29 so I'm hoping age & being at a slightly lower weight might be on my side with this... is there anything else I can do to prevent loose skin? I'm particularly concerned with my arms and legs. I'm already planning on a MMO so the tummy area doesn't bother me. It's already beyond hope after having kids lol

Exercise? Laser treatments?

When did your surgeon give you the ok to exercise? Things like jogging, going to the gym, or weight training.

For those that have had leaks did your doctor just staple the incision on the stomach or did they take other precautions like stitching on top of the staples or gluing on top of them?
I've heard surgeons mention doing that so I'm wondering if that makes any difference.

I'm going on spring break vacation with my in laws in a week and I shouldn't be but I'm so depressed and anxious over it. My MIL lost quite a bit of weight the past year, she had a mommy makeover about 10 years ago. She's a size 6 now. She looks amazing! And she's wealthy. I am happy for her but I would be lying if I said I wasn't envious of how perfect her life seems. I know it's not and I know she has her own issues but I want it to be my turn already. I also hear the remarks they make to my husband about his weight when I think he looks great... so I know they make them about me when I'm gone.

I hate feeling like "the fat one" everywhere we go. I feel like everyone around us, everyone in our family is thinking it. Sometimes I think she loves it because I used to be really thin and beautiful... now I'm not anymore. What is wrong with me? I shouldn't think that way! Having kids has destroyed my body and depression from that has cause my weight to balloon in the past 5 years.

I'm getting sleeved this summer. I wish I had done it sooner specifically for instances like this. More than that I wish I hadn't let my weight get out of control. These things shouldn't be consuming me. I want to be out in the sunshine enjoying an amazing vacation with my kids but instead all I want to do is lock myself in the room for the week. They'll all be out in the pools and ocean and swimming with the dolphins... I'll just be observing in the longest swim dress coverup that I can find. I'll be the one wearing jeans near the equator because I'm too self conscious to wear shorts or dresses or anything remotely form fitting.

Sorry for the long post and I don't know what I'm really asking for with it. I guess I'm hoping to maybe hear from some people who can relate.

Can you share your experience with me?

How much does it cost, how long was your hospital stay, is it a lot more painful? Is it more complicated for the surgeon to perform? Will I have more acid reflux problems since the stomach will be smaller?

Thank you.

I have had my heart set on getting sleeved but was recently told by my surgeon that bypass would be a better option for me since I struggle with acid reflux. He suggested the "mini" gastric bypass.

Will this actually cure my reflux? Obviously if I go the sleeve route I don't want to be on PPI's for the rest of my life and I do worry about the risk of cancer with reflux. But I'm also terrified of getting bypass. The sleeve feels safer to me since it doesn't involve messing with intestines and there's more stomach left behind. I worry about long term deficiency issues and dumping syndrome.

So I'm sort of torn right now...