Elisabethsew

Congratulations! A lot of us are newly sleeved but we have Mac and Wasa who have both lost over 100 pounds are got to goal. Keep us posted on your post-op course.

The ladies who responded before me gave you great information and I agree with them. Once you have the VSG surgery, you're done. You don't have a foreign device in your body, you don't have to wait to heal for it to work, you don't have to have fills and unfills, etc. What you need to determine is what surgery is right for you. Are you a relatively healthy eater who eats too much? If yes, restriction alone procedures include the band and the VSG. Are you a candy eater and a high calorie consumer? If so, gastric bypass (RNY) or duodenal switch (DS) might be the right way to go. They not only restrict but also malabsorb so you eat less and less of what you do eat gets absorbed. DS is for very high BMI patients and VSG is often the first stage of the DS.

You know, I really don't bother with regrets. In March, 2006, I got the band and it turned out to be a disaster in terms of my quality of life. However, I went into that surgery excited that I finally found a tool that would help be lose, and keep off, weight. While I never achieved restriction, I did force myself to keep working to try and make the band work. Through diet and exercise alone, I lost 70 pounds. The band failed me so I have no regrets of something I had no control over. VSG surgery was something I looked into and researched for a year prior to me having the procedure. The RN in me looked into the anatomical parts of the procedure and the food addict in me examined the type of eater I am. I eat too much good food. I bake cakes, Cookies, etc., all the time and have no desire to eat them. The same is true for ice-cream and potato chips, etc. I LOVE bread. Give me a loaf of hot crusty bread and butter and I am in heaven. LOL. For that reason, bread is not in my house. Out of house, out of my belly! I know malabsorptive procedures are not for me. I needed a restrictive procedure that worked. The band didn't work for me but it does for others. When I took the first sip of Water post-op from VSG, I knew I got a procedure that could work for me. "Could" is an important word because all surgeries could work or they could fail. I am working to do my part because the VSG definitely did its part. Some people lose 20-30 pounds in a month. I lost 25 in 2 months. Regrets? No! I'm no longer 30 or 40 years old and I'm having 2 knees replaced in Sept. I know I am eating right and exercising with a personal trainer to the best of my ability so what do I have to regret? My goal is to get to a healthy weight and, as long as I get there, I'm happy with the scale showing a consistent downward trend. Comparisons to others is not a good thing and looking back and regretting is pointless. You can't change history but you can learn from it. So, I learned from the band surgery and am loving the sleeve but it's a learning experience. I do know, I have no regrets.

Congratulations! I bet your Dad changes his mind after he goes with you and learns more. I did the pre-op diet (for all patients with a BMI of > 40) and you need to keep your total carbs to 30 or less for the day. I ate chicken, fish, and sugar free ice pops. You can look for low carb bread (I found one with 6 g but never ate it - LOL) and low carb shakes and protein bars.

VSG requires general anesthesia. Some surgeons, like Dr. Aceves, use spinal anesthesia in addition to spinal anesthesia for the purpose of decreasing the amount of general a person gets. The person to discuss this with is the anesthesiologist.

Slider foods can be good or bad. An ice-cream shake slides right on down as does chocolate, pudding, etc., which are all "empty" calorie foods. Fat free yogurt, low fat ricotta, etc., are sliders that have positive nutritional value. Foods that go down easily (not sliders or solids) for me include salads, tuna salad, and some forms of pasta. Solids are the hard proteins and I include hard cheeses in that category (for me). I can get a piece of tilapia down easier than a solid piece of cheddar cheese. LOL.

Actually, Dr. Aceves allows you to go to a soft diet after a week of full fluids. So you have your choice of 10 days of full fluids or 7 days of full fluids. *Susan* and I both went to soft foods after a week and stayed on them for 13 days. Solids are a no go until day 30.

In my case, I know it can be done. I went from 440 pounds to 193 pounds before I started gaining weight back and that was 100% diet and exercise. Exercise is very hard now but I'm getting 2 new knees in Sept. The rehab will be a LOT of exercise but that's OK. I need my life back and new knees plus the sleeve will help me do just that.

I got the OK from my MD to swallow the pills and did that from the first day I was able to drink in the hospital. Call Dr. Campos and ask him if it's OK for you.

I think those of us with more to lose take a bit longer for our bodies to get back into a balance after surgery. I lost 10 pounds prior to surgery (on the pre-op diet) and then had the surgery at 285 pounds. I lost fast to 268 and then I stayed there for weeks. What I did notice was that I was not peeing as much as usual and I had some leg swelling. I finally left the 260's and now seem to be averaging 2-3 pounds loss a week. I'm happy with that and yes, jealous of those who lose 20+ pounds a month, but I'll get there. You'll lose weight fast on the TPN and the liquid phase of the diet. In 3 months, you could have 50 or more pounds off! Try making weight and activity goals.

Pannus is the apron or abdominal fat that hangs down over the pubic/thigh area. My upper arms and a tummy tuck will be the two procedures that I'll need to consider. Yes, money IS a biggie.

Good luck on your surgery. Keep us posted post-op.

I agree with Wasa... 46 is too large. Let your surgeon know you want a smaller one.

Bren, It sounds like you're "on the way back" to healthy eating and losing weight. Excellent!

Welcome and thank you for sharing your story. You'll find a lot of good advice here so read and post!

Congratulations on meeting your pre-op goal!

It's wonderful when you feel full on a small amount of food. It sounds like you're doing great.

It's a full Fluid. So is the fat-free Jello pudding.

TPN stands for total parenteral nutrition and is an intravenous solution containing high levels of glucose (sugar) and all the nutrients a person needs who can not eat anything by mouth. We also use it for anorexic patients and for hyper-emesis (excessive vomiting - pregnancy, chemo, etc.). Flab2fab was found to have a leak so she needs to be on TPN until she's healed and her surgeon says it's safe to start taking in liquids by mouth. She had the band out and revised to the sleeve during the same surgery (as I did). There is an increased chance of leaks when you revise to the VSG as compared to virgin VSG patients.

Welcome! The band is definitely on its way out as more and more people are developing complications. You are to be congratulated on your weight loss and I think electing to have a VSG was a great decision. Keep us posted on your progress with getting a date and a care provider for your child.

Welcome! Congratulations on making it past the half-way point on your weight loss journey. I think it's best to stay in the 900-1200 calorie range and tracking what you put in your body on sites like the daily plate can be an eye opener. For me, sticking to 3 meals a day seems to work best. Lately, I have been having a 17g protein (200 cal) bar (Atkins) for breakfast an hour or so after a large cup of coffee (14 oz) and my vitamins/meds. Salads go down easily so I toss some lettuce in a bowl and add 3 oz of drained tuna, chicken, or turkey, a few grape tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts. Walden Farms make a refrigerated line of 0 fat/0 carb/ 0 calorie dressing that are to die for. LOL. For dinner, I have poultry or fish and some steamed veggies and a starch. I get the protein in first. By the time I do that, I can only take a few bites of the veggies and maybe a bite of the starch. If I am hungry in between meals (rare), I opt for fresh fruit. I also find that drinking really fills me up so bottles of water and crystal lite are always nearby. Keep posting and letting us know how you're doing.

Best of luck on your surgery! I have no regrets and wish I would have done the VSG as my first weight loss surgery. Unfortunately, when I got the band (over 3 years ago) I did not know about VSG. now that the band is gone, I'm losing weight and have a very much improved quality of life.

Dr. Aceves uses a 36 bougie now and oversews the staple line so you end up with a 34 size.

When you get to the soft phase of the post-op diet, a lot of people enjoy mashed potatoes. I found something better tasting (in my opinion) and healthier (beta-carotine)... a baked sweet potato. I take the potato and make an "X" in the top and then place it on the bottom oven rack. Bake at 475 degrees for 45-55 minutes (depending on size). When you take it out, it's very soft and the skin easily peels away. The inside is like sweet mashed potato... very moist. I sprinkle a little salt on top and enjoy.