Elisabethsew

I'm the opposite... 5' 2" and petite bone frame... tiny hands and a size 6 shoes. At my present weight, I am a 1X (18-20). Since I have never not been fat, I have no idea what size I would be at goal so it should be fun seeing how low I can go... weight and size! LOL.

The lowest size I got to was a 14-16 so it's a dream to get to a 10-12 and shop in regular stores. I do remember looking in the mirror and thinking I was much heavier than I really was and swearing the clothes I chose to try on would never fit... they did. LOL.

Geeeez! I don't need another addiction! LOL. I suspect shopping for new clothes in "regular" stores will be fun.

Yes, you can add artificial sweetners to drinks. I would go to a health food store and see if they have samples of whey protein. Try some post-op to see if there is one you can tolerate. Remember, if you can't do any of them (most people can do one), contact the patient coordinator (Gaby). I found soy slender in the grocery store that's got fiber, 8 g protein, and 80 cal in 8 oz. I was allowed to use that after gagging up the whey stuff... day 5 post-op.

I think I am the only one in the world who thought this was no big deal but my taste was screwed up for weeks and, to some extent, still is.

When I had my surgery, there was one other case and he was a VSG also (not a revision). His mother was banded by Dr. A. one year ago and she was with him. They drove from CA and were allowed to leave right after the last leak test and removal of the drain. I was told they would contact my sister when I was out of surgery... they did not. Clearly THIS is something they need to improve on. Beside this, I found nothing to complain about.

I don't eat beef, pork, or lamb... nothing against them but I don't like the taste. I eat fish, chicken, and turkey for protein. Salads with a can of tuna and some nuts is a high protein source. Egg whites are pure protein (egg drop soup, yum) and cheeses and nuts have protein but you have to watch the fat and calories. I am not a tofu fan but that is high protein also. Slim fast is too many carbs!

You'll do great with the sleeve.

I met that male RN when I was there and he looks great. He told me men do better than women but I intend to prove him wrong. LOL. You don't have that much to lose so you'll prove him wrong faster than me.

Ask anything that comes up. I constantly emailed WASA with questions. LOL.

I have not lost my love of chocolate and enjoyed some diet hot choc. today. As for a return of a normal appetite, I don't know if that is possible with the majority of the stomach gone.

Good luck with the MD visit on Wed!

Congratulations, Susan! You'll be at goal very soon!

I do feel great. I was worried about not losing well but I was severely dehydrated post-op and that continued for several days after I got home. Now that I'm back in balance, I hope to see regular losses. As far as the soreness goes, I was out planting flowers one week after surgery. I felt some twinges where the port was removed at the 2 week post-op point but it was nothing. All the incisions are healed nicely and I'm back to exercising.

I had my surgery one month ago today and have lost 18 pounds. Tomorrow, I advance to a regular diet. I'm not hungry, I feel restriction, and I feel great.

Excellent! We need a place to call home. LOL.

I had the shoulder pain but not until the day I left. Try to walk and bend and not take a lot of pain medication so you keep things moving along.

I forgot to ask and he didn't mention it. LOL.

Two years? I give it less than a month.

I'm glad to hear all went well and that your healing, walking, and drinking. Yes, today is day 1 of the 10 days of fluids. After your drain comes out, they add chicken broth to the tang, apple juice, and tea. In the folder that you got is a list of TV shows in English. Some have commercials in Spanish but the shows are in English.

I have nothing to good to say about the band. I went for 11 fills over 3 years and never got restriction. What I did get was heart burn, acid reflux, esophageal inflammation, and no sleep. Go for the sleeve!

That toddler was not healthy to begin with. I'm an RN and this whole Swine flu thing is being sensationalized by the media. If you're healthy and use handwashing and stay away from sick people, you'll be fine.

Get that band out of you ASAP. I suffered with the acid reflux and a poor quality of life for too long. The day after surgery the reflux was gone and I could sleep flat on my back in bed. I'm 4 weeks post-op and feel great.

After truly believing that I HAD to be doing something wrong as far as the band was concerned, I now realize the band was wrong for me. The more I read about people finding a "sweet spot" and not being able to eat more than "x" amount, the more I wondered what I was doing wrong. The minute I was allowed to drink after the VSG revision, I KNEW I finally had the surgery I should have had.

You did the right thing and it was VERY smart to look for another surgeon. The MD feeling threatened by you is a good thing. Maybe he will learn from this and treat patients the way he swore to in the oath he took. MDs really are a dime a dozen and WE employ THEM. You FIRED him for failure to do what you hired him for and THAT was the best action.